Dallas may be hundreds of miles away from the nearest coastline, but that doesn’t stop the city from being a prime destination for fresh seafood. Home to modern brasseries with South African influences, beachfront-inspired seafood shacks, and suburban gems with butter-soaked seafood platters, the city is bountiful when it comes to finding great seafood. Whether it’s boiled, fried, grilled, or stuffed in a roll, Dallas has it all. Consider this guide for a top-quality exploration of Dallas’ best seafood dishes.
Red Crab Juicy Seafood
This Florida-based chain has three DFW locations, and is known for its indulgent seafood boils. Find heaping platters of plump head-on or head-off shrimp, king crab legs, and savory green or black mussels with corn, potatoes and sausage drenched in Cajun sauce, lemon pepper, or garlic butter. Be adventurous, and combine all three for the mouth-watering Juicy special… and if you can handle it, make it spicy. Red Crab Juicy Seafood offers five spice levels, ranking from no spice to extra hot, with the medium known to cause a sweat. Multiple locations, redcrabseafood.com
Even Coast
Nearing its one year anniversary, Even Coast has become prime real estate for long, wine soaked dinners with lavish platters of fruits de mer. The polished space, with clean nautical touches, is anchored by a centerpiece bar. The sea- and land-focused menu comes from two-time James Beard Award nominee Omar Flores. The chef stuns with a chewy, charred octopus and a richly marbled 32-ounce Côte de Boeuf. 5463 Belt Line Rd., Dallas, even-coast.com
Dock Local
Dock Local entered the Dallas dining scene in 2020, courtesy of service industry veteran Brett Curtis. Along with offering mouthwatering lobster rolls, the food hall puts an innovative spin on classic coastal fare and goes the extra mile with its housemade sauces and specialty Dockside pickles and “crab” chips. The Lobster Grinder is a staple of the menu. Lobster, Langostino lobster tails, shrimp, lobster claw, and knuckle meat are tossed in light mayo and generously stuffed into a fluffy roll before being topped with herbs, a drizzle of house sauce, and melted butter. Multiple locations, thedocktexas.com
Green Point Seafood & Oyster Bar
Brothers, Greg and Nik Katz, bring a little bit of Green Point to Dallas with Green Point Seafood & Oyster Bar. The suburb of Cape Town, South Africa is where their grandparents live, and the duo’s restaurant gives Dallasites a little taste of the beachside town, with a dash of New Orleans, and a whole lot of the Gulf. The seafood gumbo is a must, and the La Perla Platter serves as a great sampling, combining four each of the oysters, jumbo cocktail shrimp, and crab claws with a serving of red snapper and shrimp ceviche. 3219 Knox St., Dallas, greenpointdallas.com
S.&D. Oyster Company
For 47 years, restaurateur Herb Story was at the helm of S.&D. Oyster Company. In 2023, he passed the torch to the co-owners of Rex’s Seafood and Market. It was a smooth transition, and S.&D.’s loyal fanbase remains. The dining room inside the 130-plus-year-old building boasts classic red gingham tablecloths and exposed brick, offering a charming setting in which to dine. Guests can also take to the courtyard, a breezy space to slurp freshly shucked oysters or a serving of New Orleans Bar-B-Q shrimp. 2701 McKinney Ave., Dallas, sdoyster.com
Aw Shucks
For more than four decades, the Peterson family has brought a little bit of the beach to the greater Dallas area. Aw Shucks has grown from a beach-front inspired shack on Lower Greenville to five locations across North Texas under the Aw Shucks and Big Shucks names. Gulf oysters from Prestige Oysters are served on ice by the half dozen, and a make-your-own cocktail sauce bar adds to the experience. Highlights of the menu include the house specialty shrimp cocktail served in a chilled beer mug, whole Mississippi catfish, and showstopping seafood boils. The Shucks boil comes with a pound each of snow crab and head-on shrimp, a half pound of sausage, corn, and potatoes. Drench it in Aw Shucks spicy garlic seasoning for a bold punch of flavor. Multiple locations, awshucksdallas.com
Rex’s Seafood and Market
Nearly 20 years ago, Rex Bellomy set his sights on bringing the ocean’s finest catches to landlocked Dallas with Rex’s Seafood and Market. What began as a market quickly expanded into a full-blown restaurant by popular demand. In 2015, his youngest son, Beau, took the torch and continues his father’s legacy with classics like battered fish and chips and the still-operational market. Come for a shrimp pesto flatbread during lunch, and return for dinner for crawfish hushpuppies, a Steamer Bowl filled with mussels, clams, crab fingers and sausage swimming in a white wine butter sauce. 6713 W. Northwest Hwy., northwest.rexsseafood.com
La Calle Doce
For more than four decades, La Calle Doce has spotlighted Mexican mariscos in a repurposed Oak Cliff bungalow. The inside is homey with plenty of space, but secure a table on the charming wraparound porch, an ideal setup for al fresco dining. The lineup includes hangover-curing cocteles, steaming sopa de mariscos, and zingy aguachile. Awaken your taste buds with the Vuelve a la Vida, a tangy, spicy mix of oysters, shrimp, scallops and shrimp in a house cocktail sauce. 415 W. Twelfth St., lacalledoce-dallas.com
Pesca Coastal Classics and Boozy Cocktails
West Dallas’ restaurant hub, Trinity Groves, is undergoing a new wave of revitalization that includes this seafood gem. Pesca Coastal Classics showcases owner Jesus Carmona’s Mexican heritage in every bite. Spicy shrimp shooters come boozed up with smoky mezcal, while Baja ceviche gets a fiery kick from serrano peppers. The weekday happy hour is 9-to-5 friendly, running from 3 to 7 p.m. at the bar. Stop by for $7 cocktails like the mezcal Aperol spritz, plus $8 sliders and crab meat-stuffed mushrooms. 3011 Gulden Ln., Ste. 107, pescacoastalclassics.com
Montlake Cut
This Preston Center, dinner-only restaurant is named after Washington’s Montlake Cut, part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal that flows into Puget Sound, where chef-owner Nick Badovinus grew up fishing. Drift to the Pacific Northwest beneath a bar crowned with flat-blade oars, while enjoying a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Le Rosé MV and a complimentary ramekin of Goldfish—an elite high-low combo. The Seattle-inspired menu features a raw bar, various fish preps including Gulf Coast Style BBQ-spiced fish, small plates, and large-format plates. 8220 Westchester Dr.,B, Dallas, flavorhookdallas.com
Nate’s Seafood and Steak
It’s not hard to spot Nate’s Seafood and Steak. Simply look for the Pepto Bismol-pink building with a jam-packed parking lot at the corner of Midway Road and Beltline. You’ll find a rambunctious patio full of lingering regulars. Inside feels like a time portal. It’s dark, gloomy, and lined with decorative bass fish, with smoke still hanging in the air. (Yes, smoking indoors is still legal in Addison.) Diners pack the house during crawfish season, and for live music on Thursdays and Blues on Sundays. If you’re here for the bugs, go for the garlicky Desi’s Bon Temps Sauce, a crowd favorite. 14951 Midway Rd., Addison, nateseafood.com
Hugo’s Seafood Bar
This seafood-focused Bishop Arts spot is what you make of it. Impress a date with a caviar sampler, seafood platter, or 12-ounce NY Strip served with bone marrow butter in the moody dining room. Or, stop by for a nightcap at the small but mighty bar, helmed by one of Dallas’ most cherished bartenders, Hugo Osorio. The kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with drinks until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 335 W. Davis St., Dallas, hugoseafoodbar.com
Hudson House
Hudson House is beloved for its stellar happy hour, offered on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. during which the restaurant features half-price martinis, bellinis, and wines by the glass in the bar. Boasting the self-proclaimed title of the “World’s Coldest Martinis,” the menu features six options. The Bleu & Gold, a dirty martini with bleu cheese-stuffed olives and rimmed with a sharp bleu cheese salt, pairs perfectly with East Coast oysters or the standout, gooey cheeseburger. Multiple locations, hudsonhousehp.com
Aunt Irene’s Kitchen
Aunt Irene’s Kitchen pays heartfelt homage to chef Dresha Harrison’s aunt, who raised her and sparked her love of cooking. The to-go South Dallas spot is a social media phenomenon, with more than 121,000 Instagram followers, thanks in large part to the famous Black Boxes. These signature foil-wrapped, black styrofoam trays come bursting with made-to-order, sauce-drenched seafood boils packed with plump shrimp, lobster tails, crab clusters, sausage, corn, and potatoes. The fried boxes are just as beloved. Try the All Fried Box, a combination of shrimp, lemon pepper-seasoned catfish, wings, fried corn, and a fried lobster tail. 2802 Lagow St., aikdallas.com
St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin
This Deep Ellum watering hole is where tabs stay open, the game is always on, and Cam’s Fish and Chips land golden brown, with flaky cod on the inside. They’re served with a tangy housemade tartar sauce that’s good enough to drink. Save room for Connie’s Baklava, a nod to owner Pete Zotos’ Greek roots. 2730 Commerce St., Dallas, stpetesdancingmarlin.com
