River Oyster Bar

River Oyster Cafe is a serious Brickell seafood spot with a great team built around chef-owned pride. A party of two on a Saturday evening. Friendly greeting and shown straight to our table. Polished decor, smart with coastal catch touches, including cookbooks. Table felt intimate, with a clever used of space. We ordered an Aperol spritz and a classic negroni whilst we absorbed the well-constructed and tempting menu. Both drinks well mixed. We followed with oyster appetisers: four from the wood-fired oven and another four, Florida’s Skipper Sweets, chilled and freshly shucked. Good liquor x mignonette x lemon. The roasted four with sofrito, chorizo and manchego had depth and full flavour. Perfect with our glasses of Albarino and Chenin Blanc. For me, delicious linguine with sweet clams, smoked chipotle and pork belly; generous and full of flavour, the salty, savoury cubes perfect against the shellfish and added interest all the way to the finish beyond the sauce. We also enjoyed the succulent, soft, sweet & spicy grilled salmon. The accompanying crab fried brown rice added texture and seafood tang. Couldn’t resist the Brussels sprouts, interesting because the kitchen served a moreish pile of lightly roasted leaves with generously grated Parmesan. All delicious. Chocolate pecan pie to finish. Dense filling with plenty of toasted nuts, ice cream melting over it. Tipped hat, all deserts are by the hand of their house pastry chef. Our server Jeff was friendly, interesting and helpful throughout. Pace was spot on. Couldn’t have asked for more.

The River Seafood and Oyster Bar is, without exaggeration, the best seafood restaurant in Miami. We ordered the hamachi and it was outstanding fresh and perfectly executed. The oysters with caviar were absolutely delicious, elegant and full of flavor. The crab cake was top-tier, packed with real crab and no unnecessary filler. The scallops with lentils were incredible, beautifully balanced and cooked to perfection. The service was flawless from start to finish attentive, professional, and exactly what you expect from a restaurant at this level. Without a doubt, far superior to Joe’s Stone Crab and other places that rely more on their name than on the actual experience. If you’re looking for truly great seafood, exceptional execution, and first class service, try this place. You won’t regret it.

Beautiful, upscale, yet quaint. Two words… Happy Hour!!! Oysters were absolutely delicious. I could have eaten 36 by myself. Our waiter was attentive and very knowledgeable about our dishes and indulged our questions about the dishes being brought to the table next to us. Needless to say we were planning our next meal. The menu changes often so if you find something you like order it twice!! We had the lamb meatballs (DELISH) and liver pâté’on toast (different). Truly a staple of Miami Best food without all the fuss!