The Resy Guide to Great Seafood in Atlanta

Serving upscale contemporary Asian cuisine in a decidedly eclectic atmosphere with blue-hued lights and an octopus mural, Girl Diver is a seafood specialist through and through. Southeast Asian fare like green curry mussels or fried red snapper with garlic green beans sits alongside American seafood classics like lobster macaroni and cheese, with house-smoked Gruyère, white truffle oil, chives, and a dash of furikake seasoning. Or try one of the restaurant’s four seafood boils, featuring combinations of snow crab, shrimp, and mussels served with traditional boil accompaniments like andouille sausage, corn, and potatoes. Choose your flavor — from lemon pepper, green curry, plain, and more — and get cracking.

Tio Lucho’s, a Peruvian-inspired restaurant founded by James Beard-nominated chef Arnaldo Castillo evolved from Castillo’s La Chingana pop-up. The restaurant draws inspiration from Castillo’s upbringing in Lima and Piura, Peru, with the menu showcasing shareable coastal cuisine including seafood, meat, and side dishes prepared with seasonal ingredients — locally sourced and imported from Peru — all within a laid-back, upscale dining room. Enjoy ceviches luxuriating in zingy leche de tigre and wok-fired lomo saltados, alongside regional dishes from Northern Peru.

Dantanna’s has been an Atlanta staple since 2003, and it’s much more than your average sports bar. The menu features a range of upscale “sports bar” food, but really, the surf and turf is where it’s at. Locals in the know love the secret menu that includes dishes like crab claws and trout, which are not always available on the regular, all-day menu. When you can’t get the secret seafood specials, the wasabi tuna topped with lump crab shiitake mushroom-soy glaze or the crispy fried jumbo shrimp are stellar selections. Pair it with a steak and you have the perfect surf and turf experience to savor.

At Octopus Kitchen, you’ll come for the seafood and stay for a good time. Catering to the 21 and over crowd for hookah and cocktails, Octopus Kitchen excels at — you guessed it — octopus. A must-have dish is the octopus and avocado egg roll, and then take your pick of seafood specialties like the whole butterfly roasted Mediterranean sea bass, or the sautéed octopus, served with seasonal vegetables and a tomato sauce over rice. Then, head outside to the garden to relax and enjoy hookah.

Skip Engelbrecht and Nhan Le, formerly of the beloved 8ARM and Octopus Bar, created another winner with their seafood market and café, Fishmonger. Now with three locations (Kirkwood, Poncey-Highland, Howell Mill) and Michelin Bib recognition, Fishmonger is a hot spot for fresh-caught fish, oysters, shrimp and other shellfish, as well as cocktails, brunch, and events. The blackened grouper sandwich is the must-have, but all of the seafood here is stellar. Try the clam fettuccine with little neck clams, white wine, garlic, and Parmigiana, or get your hands on any or all of the crudos available — scallop, trout, salmon — and you’ll be glad you did.

Walk-ins only. 

The early bird gets the worm — or in this case, the fish. A local favorite, Marietta Fish Market has a special early dinner menu, which they serve from 4-6 p.m. on weekdays. Everything — from the bacon-wrapped Asiago broiled shrimp to the catfish filet to the beer-battered Maine cod fish and chips — is just $18. If you’re dining a little later or on the weekend, don’t worry. The dishes are just as good and prices still reasonable on the full menu. Enjoy classic dishes like a fried fisherman’s platter (with shrimp, oysters, clams, catfish, scallops, and tilapia) or try a Southern take on seafood with the crab cake “Mardi Gras,” where Maryland lump crab is topped with shrimp and scallops sautéed in a special Mardi Gras sauce.

Possibly the best purveyor of oysters in Atlanta, Kimball House deserves to be in exalted company even though it’s not defined by its seafood offerings. Each week, new oysters grace the menu, hailing from the east and west coasts and the Gulf, including hard-to-find varieties. If you’re still feeling fish after slurping down shellfish, try either the trout — served with grits, okra, and tomato gravy — or the grouper entrée.  Just make sure you get a cocktail or two, like the sazerac or the namesake Kimball House cocktail, with gin, French vermouth, Cocchi Americano, and orange bitters.

You can’t talk about seafood in Atlanta without talking about The Optimist. Ford Fry’s westside staple serves fresh oysters from the Alabama coast, Maine sea scallops, Georgia trout, and more from some of the country’s top suppliers. Beachside fare like hushpuppies and peel-and-eat shrimp transport you to the Lowcountry coast, while a perennial fan favorite, the Maine lobster roll, whisks your tastebuds to New England. Served on buttery brioche with tarragon aioli, shallot, and dill, the lobster roll is a must-have at least once when you visit this well-regarded seafood spot.

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In the heart of Midtown, Lure is an escape from city life, serving up a stylish seafood experience. With regionally-inspired seafood and fresh catches, it’s an easy happy hour or date night spot. With smaller dishes and shareables, family style is the way to go here, unless you’re in the mood for a swordfish steak. Kick off the evening with cold-water oysters or the tuna tartare toast before sharing blue crab dip with Old Bay potato chips. Then either swim in the steamed mussels and poblano cream, or enjoy a lighter dish of scallops served with celery root purée, hazelnut, and apple relish. And honestly, throw a side of hushpuppies on there too because don’t we all deserve that much?

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Everyone’s favorite Virginia-Highland social spot, Fontaine’s Oyster House, has long been a post-work and weekend gathering place for seafood lovers. Fontaine’s offers a dozen house Gulf Coast oysters for $15 on Tuesdays, and main menu items include PEI mussels, cold crab dip, fried crawfish tails, and more classic coastal cuisine. Belly up to the bar or step outside to the covered patio at this lively pub.

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