12 Best Seafood Restaurants In Los Angeles
Being right next to the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles is fortunate to have access to plenty of fresh seafood. That's not to mention seafood from the rest of the world that gets flown to this big food-loving city every day. Where should you eat seafood in L.A.? There's more to a great seafood restaurant than taste alone. It's important to find restaurants that not only know how to properly cook fish, but also source their seafood sustainably and ethically. Most fish populations are currently overfished and certain aquacultures destroying habitats. This doesn't have to be the case, however, and we can make a difference by choosing where we spend our money.
Be it raw or cooked, I love all manners of seafood and have dined at plenty of seafood restaurants in my 17 years of writing about restaurants in Los Angeles. This list represents what I think is the best seafood restaurants in the city, excelling in both cooking up delicious seafood dishes and making sure that the seafood is actually sustainable.
The city brings the best chefs from all over the world, so you can find anything from Mexican-style to New England-style seafood. Note that this seafood list does not include sushi restaurants, which Los Angeles has a lot of, and that category deserves an entire list of its own.
Holbox
Holbox is easily one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, and it's actually a stall inside Mercado La Paloma, a food court-style market in South Los Angeles that's been around since 2001. Chef Gilberto Cetina manages to serve excellent Yucatan-style seafood out of this stall. I'm not the only one who thinks so — the restaurant recently received its first Michelin star. Cetina sources the freshest seafood mainly from California and Baja California.
There's Yucatan-style ceviche, but the menu spans well beyond that with Baja fish and shrimp tacos and a taco of fried octopus with calamari ink sofrito. The scallop aguachile with a lime-serrano-cilantro marinade is one of my must-orders every time I go there. The Santa Barbara spot prawn (when in season, which usually starts in the spring) add-on is one of the best prices in town for the coveted shellfish. The a la carte menu is always great, but if you get the opportunity, don't miss the eight-course tasting menu, available on Thursdays and Fridays by reservation only. For the tasting menu, chef Cetina goes all out with special dishes like abalone tamal with mole.
3655 S Grand Ave c9, Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 986-9972
Santa Monica Seafood
Santa Monica Seafood Market & Restaurant, like the name suggests, is both a fish market and a restaurant. More importantly, it's owned by the largest seafood-only distributor in the area, which means the restaurant gets first dibs on all the fresh seafood they get. The company has more than 80 years of experience, so it certainly knows its way around seafood and has established relationships with fishermen and seafood farmers. Santa Monica Seafood sources seafood from various locales, but naturally, there's a focus on Southern California.
The refrigerated seafood display of the market actually takes center stage of the space with dining tables arranged around it. There's something for everyone on the menu here (as long as they like seafood, that is). You can find oysters and Alaskan King crab legs on the raw bar selection and can't go wrong with the fish and chips. A Louie salad made with wild Dungeness crab from the Pacific Northwest makes for a nice light lunch, while the Italian American seafood stew, cioppino is filling and comforting for cooler nights.
1000 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-5244
The Water Grill
The first location of Water Grill opened in downtown Los Angeles in 1989. The restaurant was once the premier destination for seafood fine dining in L.A. While it may not be talked about as much these days with the seemingly non-stop new restaurant openings in the city and our inclination to celebrate what's new, Water Grill still serves up some of the best seafood around and deserves more of our attention.
The majority of the seafood they serve is wild caught. A section of the menu changes daily and is dedicated to the freshest catch, available as a whole fish that can be served roasted or charcoal grilled. Water Grill is also where I would head for the first taste of seasonal shellfish like California spiny lobsters (the season usually starts around October), Santa Barbara spot prawns and Maryland softshell crab. The raw bar also usually features more than a dozen types of oysters, both from the East and West coasts, which is one of the largest selections offered in town.
Water Grill currently has multiple locations across Southern California, Las Vegas, Denver and Bellevue, Washington.
Providence
Providence is primarily known as one of the Los Angeles's best fine dining restaurants, and one of only four Michelin two-starred restaurants in L.A. However, the restaurant also happens to be one of the best seafood restaurants, as its tasting menu primarily revolves around seafood. The restaurant is committed to sourcing only wild-caught, sustainable seafood and has received a Michelin Green Star for its sustainability efforts (the team has also turned the rooftop into a thriving garden and bee hive).
Since Providence is tasting menu-only, you don't really know what you'll get when you dine here until you arrive, but there will always be fresh seafood at the peak of the season like California box crab or black cod. Whatever the seafood of the day may be, Chef Michael Cimarusti and his team are sure to turn them into the most exquisite dishes. When they're in season, the salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawn add-on is worth the extra splurge.
5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170
The Lonely Oyster
The Lonely Oyster is Echo Park's seafood lovers' hangout that's open until 2 a.m. on Thursday-Saturday. Even in Los Angeles, you'd be hard pressed to find another spot to get oysters and caviar bump that late into the night. Instead of the usual cocktail sauce and mignonette that usually comes with fresh oysters, at The Lonely Oyster you get four dropper bottles of sauces like sesame chili oil and yuzu soy. The dinner menu has quite the selection to choose from, including a nice Louie salad with blue crab, snow crab and prawns. An order of lobster roll here comes as a trio of mini rolls: miso brown butter, Maine-style and Louisiana style. There are often seasonal and daily specials in addition to the already-large menu.
Even some of the cocktails here get the seafood touch. The Cavi-tini is made with herb and crème fraîche-infused vodka and it goes so perfectly well with a side of caviar bump. The TLO Martini also has the option to be served with oyster and caviar on top. While the late night menu is smaller, there's still plenty to eat, from lobster grilled cheese to ceviche.
1320 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 221-7615
Connie and Ted's
Connie and Ted's is a piece of New England in the middle of West Hollywood. The restaurant is co-owned by chef Michael Cimarusti, who also owns the Michelin two-starred Providence. Cimarusti spent his childhood summers in Rhode Island and Connie and Ted's reflects his love of New England-style seafood.
You should always start the meal with some fresh oysters here, then get a sampler of all three styles of clam chowder: creamy New England-style clam chowder, tomato-based Manhattan style, and Rhode Island-style with the clear broth. Connie and Ted's is one of the few places in Los Angeles to get New England-style fried clams (with the bellies) and of course, lobster rolls are always on the menu. Don't sleep on the daily specials like bouillabaise on Wednesdays and gumbo on Fridays. Brunch here is equally great and seafood-forward with options like crab and lobster omelette as well as a variation of the croque madame that's topped with Maine lobster.
8171 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 848-2722
Fishing with Dynamite
Fishing with Dynamite is worth the trek to Manhattan Beach and it's certainly the perfect post (or pre)-beach meal. There are always fresh oysters on deck, but in my opinion the Peruvian scallops are some of the best things to order here, served with citrus marinade on top. The cooked section of the menu ranges from New England classics to dishes inspired by California's multicultural influence. Grab a Maryland blue crab roll on a hot summer day or take some comfort in a bowl of Koshihikari rice porridge mixed with shrimp, sea urchin and blue crab, complete with an egg yolk in the middle.
Although this is a list of seafood restaurants, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you to get the key lime pie for dessert at Fishing with Dynamite. Sure, you can make your own key lime pie but the one here is easily one of the best out there and is one of the most famous desserts in the L.A. area.
1148 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 893-6299
Saltie Girl
The first Saltie Girl opened in Boston and after a successful run there, a second location opened in London, followed by a Los Angeles location at the end of 2022 (the London location closed earlier in 2024). The restaurant quickly become one of the most popular spots on the Sunset Strip. Since the restaurant comes from Boston, you can naturally find classic New England seafood here like lobster roll, clam chowder, and fried Ipswich clams. Beyond that, though, there's a nice bucatini with summer corn and Maine lobster. Even a burger gets the seafood treatment here with a fried lobster topper.
The menu here also offers bagels with quite the selection — six different ones — of New York-style smoked fish, which is a rarity in L.A. I'm partial to Saltie Girl's brunch as that's the only time you can order the fried lobster and waffle, served with sweet corn butter and spicy maple syrup. Who needs fried chicken when you can have fried lobster, am I right?
8615 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 734-7296
Joyce
Joyce is a coastal Southern restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, and while the menu isn't purely seafood-driven, there are plenty of seafood through a Southern lens. Think shrimp cocktail with a Creole cocktail sauce, shrimp and grits for brunch, and more. Chef and co-owner Sammy Monsour has long been an advocate for seafood sustainability and ocean conservation, so naturally he focuses on sourcing sustainable seafood for his menu. For example, the crudo here is made with cobia sourced from a sustainable farm in Panama.
Joyce's version of perloo, the low-country rice dish, is outstanding. For this perloo, the rice is cooked in a tomato and lobster broth and served with chorizo, black tiger prawns and oysters. The daily featured fresh fish is grilled whole and is topped with crunchy garlic and plenty of herbs. Lunch here is primarily a handheld affair with a roll of hot fried catfish, fried shrimp sandwich and more.
770 S Grand Ave A, Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 395-0202
Found Oyster
Found Oyster is a tiny oyster bar in East Hollywood that's been drawing big crowds since it opened in 2019. The restaurant is all about simple preparations that make the quality of the seafood shine. They have a direct connection to the oyster source here; the oysters actually come from the General Manager, Joe Laraja's own family's oyster farm in Massachusetts.
Much like the space, the menu here is small but solid all around. Of course, beyond the oysters, the other seafood offerings here are also not to be missed, from the littleneck clams with ponzu to the smoked trout dip. The scallop tostada topped with yuzu kosho, apple and basil is always a crowd favorite and may be the one thing you have to order here. Keep an eye out on specials like razor clams that may pop-up seasonally. Found Oyster doesn't take any reservation and there is usually a wait during peak dinner time, so if you prefer not to wait, come super early with a small party.
4880 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 522-6239
Crudo e Nudo
Crudo e Nudo first started as a pop-up during the pandemic before finally opening a brick-and-mortar location in Santa Monica in the spring of 2021. As the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in crudo which means "raw" in Italian. It doesn't just mean the slices of raw fish in acidic dressing that may normally come to mind when you hear the word, though. At Crudo e Nudo, you can find all manners of raw seafood here from fresh oysters to slices of raw kanpachi (perhaps dressed in calamansi vinegar) to uni served on roasted nori. There are a lot of choices but thankfully the restaurant offers the "crudo trio" which makes sampling easier. The last section of their menu encompasses their cooked item offerings, which range from caviar nachos to whole fried lobster.
Crudo e Nudo is certified as a Green Business thanks to its commitment to sustainability, from its seafood sourcing to the rest of the operations (think using paper products made from recycled material and using only renewable power).
2724 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 310-2120
Malibu Seafood
Malibu Seafood opened in 1972 and the it is both a fish market and restaurant that is actually owned and operated by fishermen who bring in their freshest catch. Casual and relatively affordable, it's been a favorite Malibu eatery among locals. Located right on the Pacific Coast Highway, some of the tables here even come with an ocean view without the high prices, although be warned there tends to be a line on weekends both to order and to grab a table.
The restaurant part is a no-frills café where you can get all kinds of fried, grilled and steamed seafood. The grilled seafood plates come with two choice of sides and the fried seafood is served with fries, but you can also order them a la carte if you're just looking for a snack by the beach. Personally, I always start with an order of the plump fried oysters before moving on to the main courses. The fried fish and the grilled red snapper are popular orders here but you also can't go wrong with some steamed shrimp.
Being right next to the ocean, Malibu Seafood is also Clean Bay Certified, which means it ensures that the waste from the restaurant operations doesn't destroy the ocean.
25653 CA-1, Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-3430
Methodology
This list is the result of years of dining out in Los Angeles as a food blogger and writer who loves all manners of seafood. I have eaten lobster rolls from fine dining restaurants and food trucks and I pretty much order uni whenever I see it on the menu. Oysters and scallops can be equally great on a white tablecloth and in a beachside shack.
Despite loving seafood, I also try to keep in mind the environmental and food waste problems that plague the seafood industry. By choosing to dine at restaurants that commit to sustainable fisheries, we can hopefully help ensure there will be fish to eat for years to come. I've selected this list to represent the best of the Los Angeles restaurants that not only serve excellent seafood dishes but also ensure they're sourcing from the right places.