Robert Lhulier isn’t one to miss a trend. While vacationing in Montreal, the chef noticed an abundance of raw bars. Back in Wilmington, he and his partner removed the charcuterie station at Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar. “We felt it was time for something fresh,” Lhulier says. And nothing is as fresh as live oysters on the half shell.
Snuff Mill is one of many restaurants to go raw, either with a dedicated bar, a prep station or a menu section. Admittedly, the appeal is nothing new. When Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913, it housed the 440-seat Grand Central Oyster Bar. More recently, Harry’s Savoy has featured a raw bar section for 30-plus years.
While oysters are still the star, raw bars are getting creative. Lhulier has dressed the bivalves with ponzu, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toppings include crunchy chili garlic and caviar.
Menus now include poke, ceviche and carpaccio. For example, Banks’ Seafood Kitchen on the Wilmington Riverfront features scarlet snapper ceviche with poblano peppers, lime and orange juices, and corn tortillas. At the beach, where raw bars rule, Bluecoast Seafood Grill in Rehoboth Beach boasts sashimi and smoked trout.
Here is a bevy of restaurants with raw bars to try.
Banks’ Seafood Kitchen
Among the raw bar menu’s ethnic twists is ahi tuna with toasted wonton crisps and a sashimi tasting of ahi and bigeye tuna, salmon and trout.
101 S. Market St., Wilmington; 777-1500; bankseafookitchen.com
Bardea Steak
Even the meat kingdom benefits from the sea’s fresh flavor. The menu includes yellowfin tuna, oysters, caviar and a seafood tower. Oysters come naked or dressed with the chef’s composition.
608 N. Market St., Wilmington; 550-9600; bardeasteak.com
The Blue Crab
In 2020, The Blue Crab merged with its sister restaurant, Bethany Oyster House & Raw Bar, to offer the best of both.
210 Garfield Parkway, #B, Bethany Beach; 537-2020; bethanybluecrab.com
Big Fish Grill
All three Big Fish restaurants have raw bars. Given that the restaurant group also owns Mikimotos and Stingray, sushi is usually in the mix.
720 Justison St., Wilmington, 652-3474; 20298 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, 227-FISH; 30415 Cedar Neck Road, Ocean View; 829-8163; bigfishgrill.com
“We felt it was time for something fresh… and nothing is as fresh as live oysters on the half shell.”
Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar
The Bethany Beach and Rehoboth locations have physical raw bars, and Rehoboth gives diners an up-close view of the shucking process and the restaurant’s open kitchen.
30115 Veterans Way, Rehoboth, 278-7395, bluecoastrehoboth.com; 30904 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach, 539-7111, bluecoastseafoodgrill.com
Chesapeake & Maine
The Dogfish Head restaurant showcases ingredients from the two regions, including a changing selection of oysters.
316 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 226-3600; dogfish.com
The Crab House
Select oysters are available for $1 daily, along with steamed shrimp, oyster shooters and a cold seafood platter.
19598 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach; 227-2019; crabhouserehoboth.com
Drift Seafood & Raw Bar
One of Rehoboth’s newest restaurants puts an upscale twist on the traditional. Consider Sanctuary Salt oysters with strawberry-black pepper mignonette, black tobiko and green oil.
42 1/2 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 567-2744; driftrb.com
Fins Ale House & Raw Bar
If you put “raw bar” in your title, you better deliver the goods, and Fins does just that.
243 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-3467 (Fins Fish House & Raw Bar); 19269 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, 227-3467; 33544 Market Place, Bethany Beach, 539-3467; 37234 Lighthouse Road, Selbyville, 436-3467; finsrawbar.com
George & Sons Seafood Market & Oyster House
The casual bar wraps around the icy shucking station, where the cracking is fast and furious.
1216 Old Lancaster Pike, Hockessin; 239-7204; georgeandsonsseafood.com
Harry’s Savoy Grill
Raw bar specialties that complement steak are the hallmark of the Brandywine Hundred restaurant, which offers East Coast and West Coast oysters, crab or shrimp cocktails, and cherrystone clams on the half shell.
2020 Naamans Road; 475-3000; harryshospitalitygroup.com
Henlopen City Oyster House
The OG of beach oyster houses typically offers up to nine different oysters, many of which aren’t available in neighboring establishments. Caviar is also on the menu.
50 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 260-9193; hcoysterhouse.com
Hooked Up Ale House & Raw Bar
Newly renovated, the ale house offers 50-cent oysters on Wednesdays.
38069 Town Center Drive, #20, Millville; 539-4111; hookeduprawbar.com
Lewes Oyster House
The newest oyster house puts the raw bar on full display in the front window. If ceviche is a special, get it. You won’t be sorry.
108 Second St., Lewes; 644-7258; lewesoyster.com
Matt’s Fish Camp
All three restaurants now have raw bars with seating, and some feature lobster deviled eggs and tuna sashimi, along with oysters and shrimp.
28635 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach, 539-2267, mattsfishcampbethany.com; 34401 Tenley Court, Lewes, 644-2267, mattsfishcamplewes.com; 700 Coastal Highway, Fenwick Island, 375-2267, mattsfishcampfenwick.com
Trolley Square Oyster House
It’s hard to spot the raw bar in this slender hot spot, but it’s there—and it’s busy. Buck-a-shuck is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Pair a dozen with a shooter or two.
1707 Delaware Ave., Wilmington; 384-7310; trolleysquareoysterhouse.com
Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar
Expect the extraordinary in the Independence Mall eatery, such as sweet U-8 shrimp weighing 2 ounces each, custom-made pinch pots for oyster accoutrements, and razorback clams and stone crab claws in season.
1601 Concord Pike, Suite 77–79, Wilmington; 303-7676; snuffmillbutchery.com
Starboard Raw
Oysters, shrimp, mussels—you’ll find them all at The Starboard’s younger sibling. But there are plenty of other options, including bowls, noshes and sandwiches.
2000 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach; 227-9000; starboardraw.com
The Wheelhouse
The Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant specializes in local oysters, such as Rehoboth Beach petite pinks and Chesapeake oysters. Steamed shrimp and a yellowfin sashimi and oyster dish are other fresh features.
7 Anglers Road, Lewes; 291-2163; wheelhousede.com
Related: Snuff Mill Restaurant Wows With Chef Robert Lhulier at the Helm
