We were two couples this evening and chose to sit at a high top table in the bar area. We stuck primarily to fresh shucked oysters (4 doz.), some Rockefeller oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab & artichoke dip, and bacon wrapped scallops, hush puppies and some great apple pie with rum sauce. Service was ideal, drinks were great (we had beer, wine, and whisky) and the ambience totally conducive to leisurely conversation. We splurged, we knew we doing so and everything was grand. Despite the naysayers, I found that this restaurant very much still hits the mark.
I had dinner here and sat at the bar as a walk-in with my group. We had a great view of the kitchen and the staff shucking oysters right in front of us. Our server was friendly and attentive. The hush puppies were very tasty with a little hint of sweetness. I ordered the Caesar side salad, the Virginia sea scallops, and a side of the cheese potatoes. The salad was good, with a well-balanced quantity of dressing, cheese, and croutons. The scallops were excellent - tender and flavorful with a little spice and garlic. They were definitely the star of my meal. The cheese potatoes were very cheesy, more than I anticipated. They were good but quite rich. The restaurant decor kept with the seafood theme and included a display of the NC political figures who have dined at the establishment.
We tried the steamed clams, baked oyster sampler, shrimp & grits, cheesy potato, and the fried green tomatoes. This was way too much food for two people, but we enjoyed everything (and had some leftovers). They also bring hush puppies to the table to start. The cheesy potato was especially delicious. For the baked oysters, I liked the 42nd Street the best by far. Fried green tomatoes were surprisingly filling because we didn’t realize they came with shrimp, but we loved it! Wish we would have had room for key lime pie, but we will just have to try it next time.
Was recommended to try this place out for seafood by the hotel we stayed at. The wife and I were still a bit full from lunch but wanted to grab a quick bite before heading to our concert. We grabbed half a dozen oysters, crab dip, and fried shrimp. All the appetizers dishes tasted fresh and and crisp! This restaurant has a lot of history behind it and is packed. Lots of families and the service was amazing. They have a nice selection of wine and craft beer which I enjoyed! The parking situation is a little odd for, I’ve seen paid valet service in USA but not in Canada, maybe it’s a culture thing. I would recommend just parking on the street and saving yourself some money.
Very good seafood. We had the crab artichoke dip, mussels, oysters, fried green tomatoes with pamento cheese, Norfolk stew and seafood stew, apple pie and caramel sundae. Everything was delicious. Spent $200 plus tip for 3 of us. Best oysters I've ever had. Server pretty good. A bit cramped inside.
42nd Street Osyter Bar has been serving up fresh seafood since 1931. We've always experienced the best service at every visit, and the old school ambience is great. Scattered throughout the restaurant, visitors will find vintage photos of 42nd Street and downtown Raleigh, assorted old signs and politicans' license plates, and an old wooden phone booth. The oysters are always great whether raw, steamed, or cooked.
Really great seafood spot in downtown Raleigh with a ton of history (it’s been around for 90 years!). We sat at the counter, where we were served by one of the oyster shuckers, a young man named Owen who was super attentive and did a great job. They serve free hush puppies as soon as you sit down instead of bread! I’ve never seen that before. We started with a dozen shucked-to-order raw oysters, two of every variety they had that day (Chesapeakes, Core Sounders, Beaufort Brines, Pamlicos, Pirate Pearls and Southern Salts). They even printed the ticket when they served the oysters to us so we could keep track, which I thought was a nice touch. Then for entrees, we had the Blackened Swordfish and the Sea Bass. Both were excellent. Awesome experience overall.
Anna Kate was our server. She was lovely and very helpful in deciding what to order. We ordered the bacon wrapped scallops and oysters Rockefeller for appetizers. Both excellent!! Would highly recommend them. For entrees my sister and her husband split the 42nd St Platter with blackened swordfish, shrimp and scallops. They loved it. I had the Penne Primavera with shrimp. Very tasty! Shrimp was fresh and delicious. Pasta so good too. My wife had the shrimp and crabmeat fettuccine. Very rich - as you’d imagine - but also very good. We had a side of coke slaw which was good too. No room for dessert but next time I’m saving room for the apple pie with rum sauce! Like the terminator says: “We’ll be back”!
Amazing server who gave plenty of dish recommendations and knew everything about the different types of oysters.
Food:
Complementary hush puppies; delicious, very difficult to not fill up on them before the meal!
Oysters; so many different kinds, truly high end. The pirates pearl were great.
The bacon wrapped scallops are delicious, decadent, and a must-have. The sauce they came with was to die for as well.
The Norfolk style crabmeat was delicious and had tons of flavor (and butter). It was very garlic-y. The collard greens were also delicious. It's a smaller dish though, so definitely get an appetizer with it.
The blackened Asian seabass was an amazing dish, with very crispy and flavorful shoestring potatoes, super fresh and flavorful seabass, on a bed of garlic-y spinach that absorbs all of the delicious fish flavors and seasonings. The couple of cherry tomatoes burst in your mouth with a hot, buttery, and flavorful pop.
The side salads were covered in croutons, and not the best.
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I had chicken at the oyster place. This is on me because I asked for a recommendation that was not shellfish (at the oyster place). I came in hoping to get the rare tuna from the online menu but it wasn’t available. I assumed the recommendation would be for another fish but the recommendation was Chicken Creole. It was simple but not in a bad way. Trinity was rustic cut and braised in broth? Definitely not a roux. The chicken was pounded breast thin cut and grilled with Creole seasoning and served on a pilaf style rice. It was good. Light. You won’t feel guilty eating this and you won’t feel disappointed unless you really wanted a lot of butter and roux. The salad starter was basic but again good and none of the house cocktails jumped out for me but the dirty martini I ordered was tasty and the extra olives were appreciated. The service was attentive and the recommendations were helpful. I’m not rushing back here but that’s mostly because I have been avoiding shellfish and the menu gets small here when you eliminate the shellfish. Two drinks an entree with tip came in just under $60.
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