Are you a fan of ocean-fresh, perfectly cooked seafood? Even though Atlanta has no access to the coast, the city will surprise every seafood lover with its restaurants and eateries, offering everything from Japanese seared ahi tuna, delicately grilled Mediterranean octopus to fish and chips. Atlanta seafood restaurants are an integral part of that thriving culinary scene, filled with friendly neighborhood joints, eclectic upscale restaurants, and vibrant pubs.
The hunt for the best seafood restaurant in Atlanta shouldn’t be hard but it will be challenging. With so many options on the bucket list, one cannot simply choose one. Worry not if you too have multiple favorites, or even better, if you’re yet to choose your best ones, Atlanta will blow your mind.
And if you’re tired of the same old boring menu items and looking for a change of pace from the usual fare, go check out one of these great seafood restaurants in Atlanta.
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The 10 Best Atlanta Seafood Restaurants & Markets
C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar
3240 Cobb Pkwy. SE, Atlanta // +17702720999
With a goal to fill the gap in Atlanta’s restaurant scene, Clark & Schwenks Seafood & Oyster Bar serves up fresh seafood and oysters from around the world. Known as C&S, the restaurant is the culmination of two food scene veterans with experience in French and American restaurants in Atlanta, as well as a dual passion for excellent food.
Among the restaurant’s many specialties are RC’s chargrilled oysters with garlic butter and parmesan, a well-stocked oyster bar, and crispy shrimp spring rolls.
The menu includes two types of caviar, Golden Imperia Osetra and California White Sturgeon, roasted shellfish platter for two, red snapper, Ora king salmon, flounder, and tones of other devices. And before moving to the entrees, pair something from raw bar favorites such as oysters, shrimp cocktail, or boiled seafood platters with your C&S Manhattan of Filthy Old Fashioned.
Cajun Seafood Market
1722 Campbellton Rd. SW, Atlanta // +14047550073
Cajun Seafood Market offers a simple menu with fresh seafood, steak cooked on a grill, and garden salads prepared fresh daily.
Their menu comprises crab cakes, boiled shellfish, steamed snow crab, mussels, shrimp, corn, and potatoes, as well as a traditional Louisiana Platter featuring boiled shellfish, steamed snow crab, mussels, crawfish, and shrimp.
A takeout counter offers Cajun-style seafood combo platters at this seafood market on Campbellton Road next to a Chevron.
The restaurant offers platters like fried whiting and shrimp with fries, or steamed fish and shrimp served with corn and potatoes. Aside from gator and calamari, Cajun Seafood Market also serves okra, andouille sausage, and hush puppies.
Bankhead Seafood
1651 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy. NW, Atlanta // +14047946904
When it comes to fresh seafood and Southern hospitality, Bankhead Seafood has been an Atlanta tradition for more than 50 years. This family-owned and operated restaurant has served seafood specialties with a friendly smile since 1968 and now finally re-opened its doors to new customers in the summer of 2021.
Bankhead Seafood serves delicious and traditional Southern seafood as well as salads, sandwiches, and chicken. The restaurant became iconic because of its dedication to serving fresh seafood at reasonable prices in a friendly atmosphere.
If you go to Atlanta, you should definitely stop by. They serve seriously delicious dishes, including the best hush puppies you’ll ever have!
Trederick’s Seafood & Grill
609 Whitehall St. SW, Atlanta // +14703432175
Trederick’s Seafood & Grill is a cozy restaurant just west of the Mechanicsville neighborhood near downtown Atlanta. This local favorite has been serving up Southern seafood comfort food on its menu for more than three decades.
Their menu offers lump crab cakes with remoulade sauce, baskets of fried catfish and shrimp, fried whiting sandwiches, as well as steamed lobster tails, and snow crab served with corn and potatoes.
Don’t forget to order a side of mac and cheese or hushpuppies, too. You can also choose to sit inside or outside on the patio after you order at the counter.
Lure
1106 Crescent Ave. NE, Atlanta // +14048173650
Lure is a seafood lover’s paradise located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.
Featuring an extensive menu made with fresh catches of the day, this upscale eatery offers a wide variety of dishes. Among the menu items at this restaurant are appetizers, entrees, and desserts. It also has a beautiful bar, modern furnishings, and dim lighting.
When it comes to the food at Lure, you’ll find that not only are their oysters fresh, but they actually offer a variety of oysters.
From East Coast oysters to West Coast and more, they have anything an oyster lover would want. They also have specialty seafood offerings, including Lobster ceviche, Shrimp Tagliatelle, Charred Spanish Octopus, and Baked Crab Dip.
One thing to try if you land there are the Charbroiled Oysters that with a choice to mix and match them with Dynamite sauce, crawfish Mornay sauce or order them in Rockefeller style with smoked bacon and hollandaise sauce.
Bon Ton Atlanta
674 Myrtle St. NE, Atlanta // +14049966177
When you’re craving seafood, Bon Ton is the place to go. Bon Ton is conveniently located across from Mary Mac’s and offers seafood dishes like boiled and fried seafood, shrimp burgers, catfish banh mi, and a family-style “Crabstravaganza” that includes snow crabs, smoked snow crabs, king crabs, crawfish, fried shrimp, sausage, and Cajun fries.
Getting both great decor and great food in a restaurant is a win-win, and that’s exactly what you get in Bon Ton.
The vibe here is super cool and funky – walking into the compact space, you will feel like you have discovered something unique and underground, with amazing Cajun & Vietnamese seafood.
W. H. Stiles Fish Camp
675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta // +16782353929
The W.H. Stiles Fish Camp is a modern, urban fish shack run by Star Provisions, the folks who operate Bacchanalia and Floataway Café. The seafood menu features lobster rolls, pan-seared shrimp po’boys, and trout skin BLTs.
You can choose from the daily oyster menu, the fresh catch or the clams & shrimps, or try their Lobster Bisque, Crispy Clam Strip Po’ Boy, and even a Poke ball.
Wash it all done with lemonade or a strawberry lime seltzer, an IPA, or a lager.
Watchman’s
99 Krog St. NE Suite Y, Atlanta // +14042540141
Watchman’s Seafood & Spirits at Krog Street Market at the Ticonderoga Club is a restaurant that specializes in sustainable seafood and oysters from the same team behind Decatur’s Kimball House.
Few of their stellar appetizers are the classic shrimp cocktail with avocado and pico sauce and the wide choice of oysters served with dozens of different condiments. And just when you think you had the best you could here, wait until you try The Captain’s Platter – a seafood abundance of catfish, shrimp, and hushpuppies married with fries and tartar sauce.
BeetleCat
299 North Highland Avenue Northeast // +16787320360
BeetleCat, owned by Atlanta-based restaurateur Ford Fry, is an upscale oyster-ette and cocktail lounge in Atlanta’s Inman Quarter that serves globally inspired seafood dishes and inventive cocktail concoctions.
This seafood-centric restaurant takes its inspiration from the Optimist fish house on Westside.
There is a serious oyster bar at BeetleCat, a wide variety of delectable small plates with global influences, and an enchanting atmosphere reminiscent of a cruise ship.
There is a variety of fresh fish, as well as fresh conch fritters, salt and pepper squid, steelhead trout dip, and lobster rolls, as well as salads and sides like grouper, snapper, collar, and whole Branzino.
Fontaine’s Oyster House
1026 1/2 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta // +14048720869
Fontaine’s Oyster House is an old-fashioned public house with a large, outdoor patio that houses a seafood restaurant with a raw bar.
Featuring a casual menu of seafood dishes, Fountaine’s serves fresh oysters, lobster bisque, spicy jambalaya, crab balls, shrimp tacos, crab legs, and pasta and scallops.
There are specials at the Oyster House every day of the week, including oyster Tuesday, half-price appetizers on Thursdays, and great Sunday specials. You should find the time and try them all when you can!
This Oyster house has also plenty of choices of craft beers, Bloody Mary’s, and fine wines from around the globe.
Summary Of The Best Atlanta Seafood Restaurants & Markets
Even though is a bit unlikely to associate Atlanta, a city lying 1000 feet above sea level with seafood, the city still counts a plethora of excellent seafood restaurants. You’ll be spoiled for choices and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
It is an eclectic city that’s known for many things, like the iconic Turner Broadcasting Building, the Coca-Cola Company, and Peachtree Street. While many people know Atlanta for its amazing architecture and attractions, I believe it is best known for its unbelievable food scene.
Visiting other destinations in Georgia? Check out our other delicious guides:
- 9 Must-Try Restaurants In Cartersville, Georgia
- 6 Must-Try Restaurants in Helen, GA
- Best Georgia Food
- Best Bainbridge GA Restaurants
- 10 Best Inman Park Restaurants
- 16 Amazing Things To Do In Georgia USA
- 9 Must-Try Jekyll Island Restaurants
- 10 Must-Try Augusta Restaurants
Like seafood? Check out our other guides on the best seafood in the US:
- Baltimore’s Best 10 Seafood Restaurants
- The 10 Best Seafood Restaurants In Boston
- Must-Try Seattle Seafood Restaurants
Which of these Atlanta seafood restaurants will you try first? Let us know in the comments section below!
Igor Jovanovski is an aspiring digital nomad, travel blogger and graphic designer who really loves food. He also has a creative side, and he works as a freelance graphic designer in his spare time. He has traveled across Europe quite a few times since he was young and recently started his mission to visit every country in the world! Igor’s favorite thing about traveling is the way he gets to know new people, food, places and cultures.
This exciting experience helps him create his own stories and make memories that will last forever