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The molcajetes at Mariscos Odaly are named after infamous Mexican cartel members
A molcajete at Mariscos Odaly.
Matthew Kang

19 Splendid Seafood Restaurants to Try Around Los Angeles

Fried fish, spicy ceviche, raw oysters, and more

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A molcajete at Mariscos Odaly.
| Matthew Kang

The beauty of Los Angeles’s seafood scene lies in its abundance and diversity. Every corner of the city boasts pristine seafood prepared in a plethora of delightful ways. From fancy raw bars that cost a pretty penny to longstanding neighborhood you-buy-we-fry stands, here now are 19 splendid seafood restaurants to try in Los Angeles.

For restaurants specializing in sushi, check out Eater’s Essential Los Angeles Sushi Restaurants map.

Added: Providence, Dear Jane’s, Fishwives, Mariscos Odaly, Boston Lobster Seafood Restaurant, Playita Mariscos

Removed: Connie and Ted’s, Ceviche Stop, Angler, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, El Coraloense

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Broad Street Oyster Company

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Broad Street Oyster Company, the once-nomadic raw bar setup known for Sunday sessions at Smorgasburg, is the busiest restaurant in Malibu, with long lines stretching on the weekends. The lobster rolls are a thing of beauty, but don’t skip on the razor clams and fresh uni either. Wash down your selections with natural wine or a craft beer.

Broad Street Oyster Company Farley Elliott

Crudo e Nudo

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This tiny restaurant, almost entirely outdoors and born from the pandemic-age parklets that dot Santa Monica’s Main Street, is not only a fantastic place to down plates of namesake crudo, it’s also the kind of restaurant that reminds LA what resiliency, happiness, and a sense of place can look like. Order the caviar nachos, which are really just heaped-on potato chips with creme fraiche, ikura, masago, and a hint of Calabrian chile spice.

Dear Jane's

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This waterfront stunner comes from a team of true pros — namely, Hans Rockenwagner, Patti Rockenwagner, and Josiah Citrin of Dear John’s. So it’s no surprise that the Marina Del Rey beauty, with its crystal-clear view of the marina and sophisticated nautical elements, has been packed since day one. Keep things classic with a seafood tower or an order of fish and chips served with a chock-full-of-pickles tartar sauce, or opt for more playful items like “bougie” fish sticks topped with caviar.

Raw oysters, clams, and horseradish on ice at Dear Jane’s.
A close-up of the JLC seafood tower at Dear Jane’s.
Wonho Frank Lee

Fishing With Dynamite

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For nearly a decade, chef David Lefevre’s Fishing With Dynamite has been steadily serving its Manhattan Beach community all that’s good and fresh: Peruvian scallops served on the half-shell, Maryland-style crab cakes, and grilled wild swordfish. The squash rolls with rosemary butter and Key lime pie are as essential as the seafood headliners.

Mel's Fish Shack

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Opened in 2008 on the corner of West Jefferson and Farmdale, Mel’s Fish Shack is a longstanding neighborhood favorite for fried seafood and soulful sides like hush puppies, mac and cheese, and collard greens. It’s no-frills seafood at its best. Just note that the restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Coni'Seafood

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Is there a more excellent fish in Los Angeles than the whole grilled snook from Nayarit-style standby Coni’Seafood? Take apart the flakey, hefty river fish and taste the kiss of the grill’s fire, along with an even smothering of chile paste. The impeccably fresh aguachile doused in fiery green sauce and served with cucumber and red onion is also a must-order.

Providence

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It’s not just that chef Michael Cimarusti’s tasting-menu seafood restaurant is one of the most sought-after reservations in Los Angeles, 17 years in. Or that he and his team source pristine seafood to create elegant courses like salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns, or Hokkaido sea scallops with chanterelles, pancetta, celery root, and black truffle. It’s also that dinner at Providence is a well-choreographed affair with a laser-focused attention to detail, so that every single guest and meal feels special.

The “Ugly Bunch” dish from Los Angeles’s Providence restaurant: a gray-beige bowl filled with an artful array of uni, glistening salmon roe, and edible floral garnishes.
The “Ugly Bunch” at Providence.
Noe Montes

La Cevicheria

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Head to Pico Boulevard to discover the joys of Guatemalan seafood at La Cevicheria. There’s a reason why every table orders the ceviche with blood clams dressed in citrus, tomato, avocado, and mint — it’s bloody delicious.

Rich Crab

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Rich Crab specializes in ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) and is located inside a popular 3rd Street strip mall. The set menu includes spicy braised salmon head, a kimchi pancake, and two types of crab — the spicy iteration is caked with a chile sauce, while the ganjang version boasts a sweet and rich marinade. The meal finishes with sliced crabs served in a spicy stew.

Found Oyster

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Found Oyster, a tiny shoebox of a clam and oyster bar in East Hollywood, has a superbly satisfying seafood menu that includes sky-high seafood towers, an excellent scallop tostada, New England-style clam chowder, and an ode to Swan Oyster Depot’s iconic crudo. Chef Ari Kolender has also drawn raves for his bisque-dressed lobster roll.

Oysters and clams on ice at Found Oyster in LA.
Raw bar selections from Found Oyster.
Wonho Frank Lee

Gilberto Cetina of Chichen Itza serves up Mexican seafood specialties at Holbox inside the Mercado la Paloma. Look for ceviches and tostadas using ingredients sourced from Baja and the Yucatán, including hard-to-find blood clams.

Colorful uni-topped ceviche tostada on a white plate with colorful tablecloth.
Ceviche at Holbox inside Mercado La Paloma.
Farley Elliott

Playita Mariscos

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In 2021, the owner behind the popular Guisados Tacos chain took over the longstanding El Siete Mares spot in Silver Lake and transformed it into the stellar Playita Mariscos. Owner Armando De La Torre Jr. drew inspiration from his family’s road trips to ports and fishing towns in Mexico. A casual walk-up window with a covered patio, Playita Mariscos transports diners to these places through its food. Beer-battered fish and shrimp tacos, seafood dorado, aguachile, and ceviche are all solid options, and can be finished with a bottle of Mexican Coke or Jarritos. 

Ceviche Project

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After years of popping up at hotels and food festivals, Ceviche Project chef and owner Octavio Olivas now has a home all his own. This tiny Silver Lake space — which serves the likes of Beausoleil oysters topped with trout roe, Japanese seaweed, serrano oil, yuzu gelee, and borage flower — is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Razor clam ceviche on ice in a bowl, from Ceviche Project.
Razor clam ceviche at Ceviche Project.
Jakob N. Layman

Oh Manna Fish Market

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Oh Manna Fish Market serves up stellar deep-fried seafood in a former Wienerschnitzel (complete with the classic A-frame building). Nearly everyone orders the catfish and hush puppies, which should be eaten immediately to savor the batter’s hot, crisp crunch.

Mariscos Jalisco

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The deep-fried shrimp tacos from Mariscos Jaliscos are as iconic as it gets, but don’t sleep on the rest of the menu from this legendary seafood truck, which has a few locations around town. The cocteles are outstanding, as are the seafood tostadas.

Fried shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco
Deep-fried shrimp tacos from Mariscos Jalisco.
Matthew Kang

Fishwives

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Pasadena’s own seafood counter spot is bright and airy, with vibrant seafood to match. Grab a spot at the counter or sidle into a booth in the minimalist space, then dig into an extensive listof daily oyster and shellfish offerings. The entrees nod to the East Coast, with options like a steamer basket, Maine lobster and Dungeness crab rolls, and blue-crab jumbo crab cakes with a mustard vinaigrette.

Sáu Can Tho Vietnamese Kitchen

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Head to this Vietnamese seafood specialist for its signature baked catfish — a crispy-skinned, 2-to-3 pounder that’s served with herbs, lettuce, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber spears, vermicelli rice noodles, rice papers, and best of all, a tangy-sweet tamarind dipping sauce. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

Boston Lobster Seafood Restaurant

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This San Gabriel Valley staple is a great choice for a casual seafood dinner with a group. Here, the flavors are Vietnamese and Chinese, and it’s unusual to see a table without a plate of lobster stir-fried with garlic and green onions and piled on a mess of garlic noodles — a house specialty and a must-order. Viet-style catfish and clams in basil sauce are also favorites, and although it’s not seafood, a visit would be remiss without a plate of the restaurant’s outstanding shaking beef.

Mariscos Odalys

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Crowds flock to this Fontana seafood truck — a TikTok sensation, no less — for Sonora-style caguamanta, a stew of stingray filets, tomatoes, vegetables, shrimp, and tuna fin in a seafood stock flavored with spices and dried chiles. Adding to its popularity are molcajetes piled high with shellfish and served with lime and Mexican cocktail sauces, and giant to-go platters of seafood (charolas) on aluminum trays. The truck is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The molcajetes at Mariscos Odaly are named after infamous Mexican cartel members
The El Chapo molcajete at Mariscos Odaly.
Matthew Kang

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Broad Street Oyster Company

Broad Street Oyster Company, the once-nomadic raw bar setup known for Sunday sessions at Smorgasburg, is the busiest restaurant in Malibu, with long lines stretching on the weekends. The lobster rolls are a thing of beauty, but don’t skip on the razor clams and fresh uni either. Wash down your selections with natural wine or a craft beer.

Broad Street Oyster Company Farley Elliott

Crudo e Nudo

This tiny restaurant, almost entirely outdoors and born from the pandemic-age parklets that dot Santa Monica’s Main Street, is not only a fantastic place to down plates of namesake crudo, it’s also the kind of restaurant that reminds LA what resiliency, happiness, and a sense of place can look like. Order the caviar nachos, which are really just heaped-on potato chips with creme fraiche, ikura, masago, and a hint of Calabrian chile spice.

Dear Jane's

This waterfront stunner comes from a team of true pros — namely, Hans Rockenwagner, Patti Rockenwagner, and Josiah Citrin of Dear John’s. So it’s no surprise that the Marina Del Rey beauty, with its crystal-clear view of the marina and sophisticated nautical elements, has been packed since day one. Keep things classic with a seafood tower or an order of fish and chips served with a chock-full-of-pickles tartar sauce, or opt for more playful items like “bougie” fish sticks topped with caviar.

Raw oysters, clams, and horseradish on ice at Dear Jane’s.
A close-up of the JLC seafood tower at Dear Jane’s.
Wonho Frank Lee

Fishing With Dynamite

For nearly a decade, chef David Lefevre’s Fishing With Dynamite has been steadily serving its Manhattan Beach community all that’s good and fresh: Peruvian scallops served on the half-shell, Maryland-style crab cakes, and grilled wild swordfish. The squash rolls with rosemary butter and Key lime pie are as essential as the seafood headliners.

Mel's Fish Shack

Opened in 2008 on the corner of West Jefferson and Farmdale, Mel’s Fish Shack is a longstanding neighborhood favorite for fried seafood and soulful sides like hush puppies, mac and cheese, and collard greens. It’s no-frills seafood at its best. Just note that the restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Coni'Seafood

Is there a more excellent fish in Los Angeles than the whole grilled snook from Nayarit-style standby Coni’Seafood? Take apart the flakey, hefty river fish and taste the kiss of the grill’s fire, along with an even smothering of chile paste. The impeccably fresh aguachile doused in fiery green sauce and served with cucumber and red onion is also a must-order.

Providence

It’s not just that chef Michael Cimarusti’s tasting-menu seafood restaurant is one of the most sought-after reservations in Los Angeles, 17 years in. Or that he and his team source pristine seafood to create elegant courses like salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns, or Hokkaido sea scallops with chanterelles, pancetta, celery root, and black truffle. It’s also that dinner at Providence is a well-choreographed affair with a laser-focused attention to detail, so that every single guest and meal feels special.

The “Ugly Bunch” dish from Los Angeles’s Providence restaurant: a gray-beige bowl filled with an artful array of uni, glistening salmon roe, and edible floral garnishes.
The “Ugly Bunch” at Providence.
Noe Montes

La Cevicheria

Head to Pico Boulevard to discover the joys of Guatemalan seafood at La Cevicheria. There’s a reason why every table orders the ceviche with blood clams dressed in citrus, tomato, avocado, and mint — it’s bloody delicious.

Rich Crab

Rich Crab specializes in ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) and is located inside a popular 3rd Street strip mall. The set menu includes spicy braised salmon head, a kimchi pancake, and two types of crab — the spicy iteration is caked with a chile sauce, while the ganjang version boasts a sweet and rich marinade. The meal finishes with sliced crabs served in a spicy stew.

Found Oyster

Found Oyster, a tiny shoebox of a clam and oyster bar in East Hollywood, has a superbly satisfying seafood menu that includes sky-high seafood towers, an excellent scallop tostada, New England-style clam chowder, and an ode to Swan Oyster Depot’s iconic crudo. Chef Ari Kolender has also drawn raves for his bisque-dressed lobster roll.

Oysters and clams on ice at Found Oyster in LA.
Raw bar selections from Found Oyster.
Wonho Frank Lee

Holbox

Gilberto Cetina of Chichen Itza serves up Mexican seafood specialties at Holbox inside the Mercado la Paloma. Look for ceviches and tostadas using ingredients sourced from Baja and the Yucatán, including hard-to-find blood clams.

Colorful uni-topped ceviche tostada on a white plate with colorful tablecloth.
Ceviche at Holbox inside Mercado La Paloma.
Farley Elliott

Playita Mariscos

In 2021, the owner behind the popular Guisados Tacos chain took over the longstanding El Siete Mares spot in Silver Lake and transformed it into the stellar Playita Mariscos. Owner Armando De La Torre Jr. drew inspiration from his family’s road trips to ports and fishing towns in Mexico. A casual walk-up window with a covered patio, Playita Mariscos transports diners to these places through its food. Beer-battered fish and shrimp tacos, seafood dorado, aguachile, and ceviche are all solid options, and can be finished with a bottle of Mexican Coke or Jarritos. 

Ceviche Project

After years of popping up at hotels and food festivals, Ceviche Project chef and owner Octavio Olivas now has a home all his own. This tiny Silver Lake space — which serves the likes of Beausoleil oysters topped with trout roe, Japanese seaweed, serrano oil, yuzu gelee, and borage flower — is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Razor clam ceviche on ice in a bowl, from Ceviche Project.
Razor clam ceviche at Ceviche Project.
Jakob N. Layman

Oh Manna Fish Market

Oh Manna Fish Market serves up stellar deep-fried seafood in a former Wienerschnitzel (complete with the classic A-frame building). Nearly everyone orders the catfish and hush puppies, which should be eaten immediately to savor the batter’s hot, crisp crunch.

Mariscos Jalisco

The deep-fried shrimp tacos from Mariscos Jaliscos are as iconic as it gets, but don’t sleep on the rest of the menu from this legendary seafood truck, which has a few locations around town. The cocteles are outstanding, as are the seafood tostadas.

Fried shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco
Deep-fried shrimp tacos from Mariscos Jalisco.
Matthew Kang

Related Maps

Fishwives

Pasadena’s own seafood counter spot is bright and airy, with vibrant seafood to match. Grab a spot at the counter or sidle into a booth in the minimalist space, then dig into an extensive listof daily oyster and shellfish offerings. The entrees nod to the East Coast, with options like a steamer basket, Maine lobster and Dungeness crab rolls, and blue-crab jumbo crab cakes with a mustard vinaigrette.

Sáu Can Tho Vietnamese Kitchen

Head to this Vietnamese seafood specialist for its signature baked catfish — a crispy-skinned, 2-to-3 pounder that’s served with herbs, lettuce, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber spears, vermicelli rice noodles, rice papers, and best of all, a tangy-sweet tamarind dipping sauce. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

Boston Lobster Seafood Restaurant

This San Gabriel Valley staple is a great choice for a casual seafood dinner with a group. Here, the flavors are Vietnamese and Chinese, and it’s unusual to see a table without a plate of lobster stir-fried with garlic and green onions and piled on a mess of garlic noodles — a house specialty and a must-order. Viet-style catfish and clams in basil sauce are also favorites, and although it’s not seafood, a visit would be remiss without a plate of the restaurant’s outstanding shaking beef.

Mariscos Odalys

Crowds flock to this Fontana seafood truck — a TikTok sensation, no less — for Sonora-style caguamanta, a stew of stingray filets, tomatoes, vegetables, shrimp, and tuna fin in a seafood stock flavored with spices and dried chiles. Adding to its popularity are molcajetes piled high with shellfish and served with lime and Mexican cocktail sauces, and giant to-go platters of seafood (charolas) on aluminum trays. The truck is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The molcajetes at Mariscos Odaly are named after infamous Mexican cartel members
The El Chapo molcajete at Mariscos Odaly.
Matthew Kang

Related Maps