They say it was a brave man who ate the first oyster. Thanks to him we don’t need such courage. Just an appetite.

Arcadia
Yes, Arcadia is a steakhouse, but the restaurant also serves some great oysters. They’re especially good sitting at the restaurant’s stylish bar.

Crawdaddy
The boiled crawfish are the specialty of the house, but this Story Road restaurant also sells fresh, fat oysters by the bagful.

The Fish Market
The Fish Market seems like it hasn’t changed in 20 years and that’s a good thing. The restaurant is a no-frills source for fresh fish and changing line-up oysters is part of the appeal. Happy hour deals make the bivalves go down even easier.

McCormick & Schmick’s
While it doesn’t have an oyster bar per se this downtown San Jose seafood house does offer a good list of premium oysters. If available, the Hood Canal oysters from Puget Sound are especially good.

Yankee Pier
The tidy oyster bar at this Santana Row restaurant has a little oyster bar with tagged bags of oysters resting on a bed of crushed ice. Although few people probably ever look at them, the tags are proof of the oysters’ place of origin and your best assurance that you’re not being sold a lesser-quality oyster under a different name for more money.