Shuck Oyster Bar
| Address: | 3313 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA |
| Phone: | +1 949-420-0478 |
| Site: | shuckoysterbar.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 1
Reviews 6
WA
Walter Macalma
I love these little Bivalve Mollusks. They can range from briny, sweet, earthy with a hint of umami, soft, and obviously a full range between. Living in Southern California we have access to a few different kinds from the PNW and Baja readily, but the Maryland, VA, East coast and other worldly oysters are the biggest supply issue. Sure you can get them, but youll pay for them and its a matter of having the right source. A lot of big seafood companies procure oysters in bulk, but youll never find the specialized variety, the quality and freshness that true fish mongers get you. Seafood gets a bad rap for a few reasons. People seem to think that all seafood comes from the same place and is sourced the same. The term "sushi" grade is not to be used lightly and respected as such. A few fishes seafood dishes and we forget what praise we should give to the fresh seafood versus paying disrespect to less than fresh seafood. What I like about Shuck is that its the first of its kind in the area. Its oyster specific, but does offer a few other items like Clam Chowder which isnt as thick as youd think, but the clam juice used is much more fresh and with the fresh herbs really sings. The clams arent tough and its not loaded with too many potatoes and cream making it too heavy to where you lose the overall clam flavor. Were so used to chicken Caesar I was surprised how good the anchovy is, its not a lot, but its enough. The freshness has a meaty steak like flavor. All their items are well plated and simple. Not that I was disappointed with their grilled cheese, but a 10 minute drive to Santa Anas Grilled Cheese Spot can get you dozens of bread, cheese, toppings, sauces, etc options for grilled cheese and to me there was nothing special about it. I mean I guess you have to try and make it kid friendly, which it isnt kind of. Oyster Po Boy is typically a New Orleans variety. The southern creole variety using fresh caught oysters quick rinsed, battered in a corn meal based coat and fried, they cook quickly. A large hoagie, non-baguette type. All the fixings of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, house made remoulade. The Shuck variety I cant tell what they use to fry, but it was stuffed with 6 oysters, but not enough sauce. Its a little too fancy for me. Its open, its bright, its simple, its clean and they cater to everyone. The newbie, the novice and the backstory and history of their species is nice. I know more about regions than species, so I learned a thing or two. GO EARLY, they source daily from all over the country and Im positive their timetable from anywhere on the West Coast is impeccable based solely on fresh taste and texture. Their east coast counterparts I cant speak to specifically on timetables. Shaved ice in trays, homemade horseradish, house sauce, sides of lemon and enough of the briny own liquid to readily go down. Most east coast oysters are have a brinier taste due to the Atlantic having higher salinity. I like PNW because the natural sweetness of the oyster itself sings through more. Its not this super high end restaurant pushing fresh seafood, its an oyster bar service the freshest daily catch. You shouldnt fill up on this and at $3 per its not too bad. Maybe not here, but if you can find Wellfleets or Bluepoints and Olympias. Together that combination just does it for me. I think its the northern colder nature of the oysters that I like hence my love for the Tomahawk from Mass. I sometimes forget names. I suggest calling in to see what they have and their supplys if you cant come early. No corkage fee, but I prefer a cocktail with my oysters than beer and Im surprised at the reds because we all know seafood goes better with white and I dont see any beef dishes (sausage excluded). The servers service can be hit or miss, but the chefs and most everyone associated here gives an excellent experience all the way around. Dont plan on being here for hours and hours either, its not a 5 course meal type of place.
JE
Jen H
Very knowledgable staff with a huge chalkboard display of their menu. Besides the yummy oysters, Shuck also offers chowder and sorts. Im not sure if its the best place for dinner, but definitely a place to enjoy some drinks (no corkage fee) and oysters! Along with your oysters, they give fresh toppings for your oysters, e.g. Freshly grated Horseradish. Seating around the bar is always fun, but they do offer some tables as well. Another plus here is that their water is infused with cucumber and citrus of sorts, very refreshing! I also want to note that they have one of the best grilled cheese sandwich I had in a long while, the bread is thick and the cheese was perfectly textured. As for the oysters, Tomahawk was my favorite: an oyster from Mass: creamy and sweet, its their biggest shell available. Shuck is located inside the OC mix Mart and a great place for a first date or catching up with some old friends with oysters! No HH available yet at Shucks, but its still relatively new...lets hope they come up with more specials!
LI
Lisa Bothmann
WORST RESTAURANT WEVE EVER BEEN TO!! My husband and I cant stop talking about the lack of food(we had to go eat at another place afterwards), lack of service, ridiculous prices and what seemed forever to wait for 12 oysters,soup and.... "toast points"!!!! WTH is that? Absolutely NOTHING was worth $75!! So mad we stayed just hoping it would get better. Shocked & Amazed this place even exists!!??!! Cant believe theres even one good review. Please save your $$ and just move on. Weve traveled all over but never posted a review till now. All we can do is laugh at the experience & warn others to run,dont walk away!!
TH
The Real Mike
Weekday night and the place was about 1/4 full. Small oyster bar inside the OC Mix. Its clean and bright. Sat at the oyster bar and service was outstanding. They were engaging and dropped some knowledge about oysters. The oysters were fresh and the clam chowder tasted of clam. Oysters: 5/5 ($3-$4 each, fresh and yum). Clam Chowder: 3.5/5 ($10, tasty, but a bit gluggy. The bread that came with it was average). Parking: 5/5 (Free. Weekday parking was wide open. I was able to pull front first into a space with no cars on either side of me).
CO
Colin Lim
This is the oyster connoisseurs place to be. The crew genuinely cares about the oysters and their guests experience of oysters. The oysters themselves are flown next day air and are less than 24 hours fresh out of the water, with varietals ranging from Alaska, New Zealand, and the Pacific Northwest to the briney Northeast. If you are a newbie to oysters, the crew will help you figure out what fancies your palette. If you are a connoisseur, then Shuck Oyster Bar will be your pearl, serving as your access point to the worlds oysters.
GA
Galen Meyer
Finally made it here for work happy hour. Nothing really unique about this place. They mostly have drinks with a small appetizer menu. We got the dip and crab Rangoon. Like the waitress warned us, its mostly just there to soak up the alcohol. Neither dish was that great. The drinks were quite tasty. They are all $13 each and you get what you pay for. They actually seemed like a decent deal. I just got 1. Smart decision as they are very strong and delicious. I would come back. But I would make sure to eat beforehand.
