River Oyster Bar

Reviews

Name: Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod
Occupation: Law Professor
Lives In: Miami
Favorite Restaurant: River Oyster Bar
Reviewed River Oyster Bar: October 19th

As we’ve done many Fridays before, my husband and I went to the River Oyster Bar October 19th, around 10 pm, and once again had an incredible meal. This is one of our favorite restaurants and it has yet to disappoint us, as so many others have. The ambiance is very cozy…there are only about 20 tables and it’s never too loud in there. We like to sit to the right of the bar and the staff is always eager to meet our request.

Once we’d taken our seats, the server brought us fresh bread and an olive tapenade that’s a great alternative to butter. It’s not greasy or oily and is very well made…this is always a great way to start off your meal.

We began by sharing several appetizers, as you should do when at this particular restaurant. We ordered the Snapper Tartar, oysters, and the Wahoo Escabeche. The Snapper Tartar is prepared with chile, ginger, wasabi tobiko, yuzo juice, and tamari that not only creates a nice contrast making a great presentation, but also gives the delicious fish a little bit of a kick.

The Wahoo is sautéed on the outside and rare on the inside with a pinkish-gray color. The escabeche is prepared with onions and vinegar so the pickled vegetables have a perfect vinegary taste that is not too tart. Both my husband and I enjoyed this dish immensely. Finally, the oysters are brought in from all over the United States and Canada and they couldn’t be fresher.

My main course consisted of the Whole Key’s Yellow Tail Snapper, usually served with pigeon pea rice, coconut spinach, and scotch bonnet vinaigrette – I don’t like the taste of coconut so they were accommodating in not including the spinach in my meal. It’s rare to find down here a restaurant that serves whole grilled fish…it seems that most places, if they even offer whole fish, serve it either steamed or fried. The fish was extremely moist, surprising since it is grilled, which if not done right can leave the meat quite dry. My husband, who is the gourmand of the family, also thought it was delicious.

The service at the restaurant is excellent. Our waiter, Duane, was attentive throughout our meal without being intrusive. We brought our own bottle of wine and both Duane and the manager were extremely accommodating…they even joined us for a glass! They are constantly refining their own wine list, which is always a nice treat. We will definitely go back to the River Oyster Bar, whether for a special occasion or just a pleasant night out.

Name: Gennarino DeStefano
Occupation: Former Pastor
Lives In: Fort Lauderdale
Favorite Restaurant: Pasta And…
Reviewed Tap Tap: October 24th

I went to The River Oyster Bar on a Tuesday evening and right away I found the place charming and comfortable. The atmosphere was inviting and not at all pretentious.

We ordered several appetizers to start – the seafood conch soup, the lobster spread, and clams on the half shell. For the main course, I had the salmon. I found the recipes to be exceptional and everything was delicious.

Overall, we had a nice experience. The portions were a decent size and the service was good – everything arrived on time and in the proper sequence. Though I did feel that The River Oyster Bar was a tad pricy, I enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend it.

Name: Crispy Soloperto
Occupation: Hotel Concierge
Lives In: Miami Beach
Favorite Restaurant: Tap Tap
Reviewed River Oyster Bar: Unknown

A friend and I went to the River Oyster Bar and both thought it was a great place to have a fresh, casual meal or get an after-work drink. We originally wanted to sit at the bar, but it was packed. We ended up opting for a table and got seated right away. The décor was nice and because of the restaurants very central location, the crowd was a good mix of people in suits and hipsters from downtown.

To start we had a Conch Salad that was incredible. It was the perfect amount of heat – enough so you can taste it but not too much that it will shock your system. We also had some oysters that were okay, but I could have done without the cheese on top of them…it overpowered the flavor of the oyster. They also mistakingly brought us calamari but left it anyways. Unfortunately, it was really soggy and not that good. For our entrée we had a mixed grill of seafood which was mostly good – the tuna was cooked very nicely, but the shrimp tasted like it had been frozen and re-grilled. I also had the Escabeche, which was good, but it had a pickled sauce that I wasn’t fond of.

Eventually two seats opened up at the bar and we moved locations. One bartender was very knowledgeable and attentive and the other had to keep asking questions about the wine list. All in all, it was a fun experience.

This is a great neighborhood place if you’re in the mood for something casual. The atmosphere is really laid-back and I would definitely recommend it.

Restaurant Information