The Best Seafood Restaurants in Atlanta
Written by Emily Rubin and Trisha Pintavorn
Living in Atlanta has many perks, but being 5 hours away from the beach is definitely not one of them. Luckily, we’re here to fulfill even your saltiest dreams – with the best seafood restaurants in Atlanta! Many restaurants across Atlanta are serving up all kinds of fresh fish and fresh seafood, from cajun fare to crab legs to fried seafood platters. Although you may not be able to feel the ocean breeze from Atlanta, these seafood restaurants are sure to satisfy your seafood cravings.
1.Atlanta Fish Market
265 Pharr Rd NE | Atlanta, GA 30305
What better way to spend a night than on a dinner cruise? Although you won’t actually be on the water, dining at Atlanta Fish Market will make you feel as though you’re feasting at sea. The beautiful ship-like interior is coupled with a huge display of fresh seafood, making Atlanta Fish Market the perfect excuse to pretend that you’re chillin’ beachside. Their miso seabass is famous around the city, and they also surprisingly have a fantastic selection of sushi!
2. Beetlecat
299 North Highland Avenue Northeast | Atlanta, GA 30307
You can’t talk about seafood in the city without including Beetlecat, an Inman Park spot with fun East coast vibes and the best lobster roll in the city. You can always expect an extensive menu of fresh oysters from all over the country–visit them from 4 to 5pm on a weekday for their $1.50 oyster happy hour. Their fry bread is also incredible, and they even offer a donut brunch on the weekends that’s pure decadence!
3. Big B’s Fish Joint
4600 Roswell Rd d140 | Sandy Springs, GA 30342
We love everything at this casual, family-friendly Sandy Springs joint. Like the name suggests, this is the place to go for a variety of fresh fish: Gulf Red Salmon, Yellow Fin Tuna, and Carolina Rainbow Trout are just some of the items on the menu. They’ve also got a mean lobster roll!
4. Bon Ton Atlanta
674 Myrtle St NE | Atlanta, GA 30308
It’s rare that a restaurant has both awesome decor and awesome food, but that’s exactly what you get at Bon Ton. It’s a super cool, hip atmosphere–walking in to this compact space and you will truly feel like you’ve discovered something underground and special–plus Vietnamese/Cajun food that pleases every time.
5. C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar
SEVERAL LOCATIONS
The food at Clark & Schwenks Seafood & Oyster Bar aims to fill a gap in the Atlanta restaurant scene. C&S, for short, is a collaboration between two Atlanta food scene veterans with experience in fine French & American restaurants in Atlanta and a dual passion for excellent food. The focus is on fresh seafood, a well-stocked raw bar and oyster bar, and classic prime steaks. Combine that with a menu that is formidable and spans the fare of the classic Manhattan steakhouse to that of a Parisian brasserie.
6. Canoe
4199 Paces Ferry Rd SE | Atlanta, GA 30339
It’s not the beach, but it’s about as close as you can get in Atlanta. A meal at Canoe will take you on a beautiful journey, all the way down to the Chattahoochee River. With an expertly crafted seafood menu spanning from shrimp and fish to octopus and crab, the sound of the river is the icing on the cake (or, in this case, the oyster on the cracker) of this magical seafood experience.
7. Chops Lobster Bar
70 W Paces Ferry Rd NW | Atlanta, GA 30305
You can’t talk Buckhead without talking about Buckhead Life Restaurants Group, a popular group of restaurants among the well-heeled in Atlanta. And Chops is fantastic not only for their steak, but for their fresh fish flown in daily. Their fried lobster tail is a true sight to behold, and they’ve also got a killer ahi tuna and lobster bisque!
8. Cousins Maine Lobster Restaurant
3393 Peachtree Rd NE | Atlanta, GA 30326
Lobster rolls are calling and you can get them in Atlanta on the go! Whether you want to dine in or take it to go, Cousins Maine Lobster restaurant makes it possible. Good seafood that’ll make you feel near the sea, that’s the goal here.
9. Fishmonger
674 North Highland Ave | Atlanta, GA 30306
Fishmonger always is serving their fresh fish with amazing flavor. There is outdoor and indoor seating with a market and an open kitchen. Fishmonger does have limited options but all with mind-blowing taste like their ceviche and shrimp roll. A great dish that can never go wrong is the grouper with a caesar salad!
10. Hook, Line, & Schooner
4600 W Village Way Suite 3009 | Smyrna, GA 30080
Smyrna’s Hook, Line, & Schooner is one of the best value seafood places in town. Everything is fresh and delicious, with sizeable portions too! It’s a family-friendly, no muss kind of atmosphere that will quickly become your neighborhood go-to spot. Their mayo-based lobster roll is the most popular item on the menu–they sell *tons* in a day–but be sure to leave room for some cake!
11. Hugo’s Oyster Bar
10360 Alpharetta St | Roswell, GA 30075
If you’re looking for some quality spice to cure your hankering for the water, the food at Hugo’s Oyster Bar is sure to transport you to the Gulf. The signature oysters with bacon, jalapeño, and cheddar are unreal (seriously – we still can’t believe these things) and the Po’ Boys will have you crying “oh boy”. Some people say “go for the gold”, we say go for the gumbo. But really, you can’t go wrong at Hugo’s Oyster Bar.
12. Lagarde
5090 Peachtree Blvd Suite D-100 | Chamblee, GA 30341
For a cajun and creole take on seafood, there’s few spots as great as Lagarde. Atlanta Chef Jamie Adams comes from a rich cajun background, with two parents born and raised in New Orleans. He’s taken his history and combined it with his expertise in the kitchen to create LaGarde – Chamblee’s best new restaurant for cajun cuisine. Whether it’s BBQ shrimp, oyster po boys, red beans and rice, or a succulent sazerac – every dish at LaGarde feels like you just strolled in after throwing some back at Lafitte’s or Napoleon House and you’re ready for more.
13. Louisiana Bistreaux
SEVERAL LOCATIONS
Louisiana Bistreaux has been an East Point staple for cajun food for years, and now they’ve expanded to Decatur and Buckhead. Their signature dishes have to be a toss-up between the very decadent “Angus Ribeye Orleans,” which is a grilled ribeye topped with crawfish and lump crabmeat and their “Crawtator Grouper,” a grouper crusted with Zapp’s crawtator chips in a cajun crawfish sauce on jalapeno gouda grits. Yeah, it’s a flavor bomb that’ll put you into a food stupor in the best way possible.
14. Mac’s Raw Bar
23 N Park Square | Marietta, Ga 30060
Mac’s Raw Bar is one of the newest delicious additions to Marietta. They live up to their name with an incredibly fresh raw bar, and they have tons of seafood favorites like lobster rolls, po’ boys and fish tacos. One of our favorites – their baked cheesy crab dip. It’s still bubbling when it comes to the table and stretches to the heavens when you dip it. Another great feature at Mac’s are their cooked take-home meals, where you can get terrific to go options like low country boils and more.
15. Marietta Fish Market
3185 Canton Rd | Marietta, GA 30066
At Marietta Fish Market, the seafood is flown in daily. Whether it’s flounder from the Northeast, crab legs from Alaska, shrimp and grouper from the gulf, lobsters from Maine, Chilean sea bass or Greek lavraki – there’s a fresh fish from somewhere around the world at the market. A great night for family seafood dining, you’ll get a feel for the ocean too – with an enormous fish tank, a lighthouse on the top of the restaurant and boats and sand throughout the parking lot, it’s like the Marietta Fish Market washed ashore to make you a delicious seafood dinner.
16. The Optimist
914 Howell Mill Rd | Atlanta, GA 30318
You didn’t really think we’d talk about seafood without mentioning one of Atlanta’s all time favorites… did you? The Optimist is always an unforgettable dining experience, thanks to Owner-Chef Ford Fry and Executive Chef Tye Carpenter. The bar is absolutely stunning, perfectly designed for oyster slurping. The featured seafood is hearth-roasted and delicious, but a favorite is the salmon crudo with strawberries – the perfect summer fish dish. Even if you’ve got the beach blues, The Optimist’s Georgia Shrimp a la Plancha will remind you why you love it here.
17. The Pirate’s Boil
2451 Cobb Pkwy SE | Smyrna, GA 30080
This Smyrna spot is where you want to go for seafood boils! Pick from various spice levels and prepared to take some food home, because the portions are huge! This place is definitely a hole-in-the-wall, but you’ll leave happier with a stomach full of crawfish, crab, and all the seafood fixings your heart desires.
18. Six Feet Under
Multiple Locations
For killer views but unpretentious and affordable seafood, check out Six Feet Under in Grant Park and West Midtown. They’ve got all the fried seafood platters and baskets your heart could possibly desire, with hushpuppies and fries and all that good stuff. Enjoy their oysters rockefeller to get your oyster fix or go a little adventurous with their gator bites. Be sure to visit the rooftop to take in the breathtaking Atlanta skyline views–they totally steal the show.
19. Steami’s Lobster
3350 Steve Reynolds Blvd Ste 206 Duluth, GA 30096
For a lobster roll that’s absolutely worth the drive, head to Steami’s Lounge in Duluth, GA. They’re serving up lobster rolls every which way. Want to really ball out? For $58, get the lobster roll trio with your choice of a Maine or Connecticut Lobster roll, a Shrimp roll, and a Crab roll.
20. Wild Crab
Multiple Locations
What’s better than a wild night with a fishbowl sized cocktail and one of the best boils in a bag you can find in Atlanta? At Wild Crab you can get it all – along with fun vibes – in two locations, Hiram and Decatur. They make great shrimp and grits, seafood pastas and fried favorites on top of their boils – basically, anything you’d want from a seafood place, you can find at Wild Crab. They’ve also got spectacular smashburgers, along with their aforementioned cocktails.
