Shubert Ho’s downtown Edmonds cafe is tiny—a counter and a covered, heated patio. But it puts out a massive lineup of casual fish dishes. The lobster rolls have a devout following, but the menu’s full of finds, like lobster fries, green curry shrimp and grits, or a bag full of fried soft-shell crab. 

Back in 2010, Renee Erickson thought she was opening a casual, hidden-away oyster bar. Then came the buzz—and the excitement hasn’t diminished since. Yes, it’s a great place to eat oysters, but the broader food menu (part French, wholly Northwest) is full of inspired seafood dishes, not to mention pitch-perfect vegetables and a signature steak tartare. Come early, or plan to wait in the amaro bar next door.

Ivar Haglund, Seattle’s own P.T. Barnum with a yen for pranks, started a fish and chips counter on the waterfront in 1938. Today it’s grown to include more than 20 fast-casual outposts that serve chowder and fish and chips from Tacoma to Marysville—including the Alki Spud. Ivar’s also runs three full-service waterside restaurants, where the vibe is far from cool.

Chef Dan Mallahan meticulously sources his seafood from local waters, working with Quinault and Makah tribal members to bring in the best fish and shellfish and to support the people carrying on the state’s fishing traditions. The hyper-curated ingredients mean that the menu stays small, but it also doesn’t miss with items like halibut cheek terrine, pull-apart rolls with Dungeness crab fat butter, and Neah Bay spring king salmon. The prime spot on Alki Beach and excellent selection of local seafood friendly wines make it a top pick for celebrating a special occasion.

The folks behind Fremont’s Le Coin nail the current high-low mix that people want from seafood spots. We want to order a seafood tower for dinner with an upgrade to a whole Dungeness crab, but we also want to dip the house corn chips in some crab dip. While the entrées include seared sablefish with celeriac and Columbia River steelhead with mustard and herb velouté, the fries are also great—and there’s a late-night happy hour with caviar on the menu.

Mexico’s west coast meets the Northwest at this seafood counter inside Fair Isle Brewing. Though the PNW has traditionally shied away from messing with our oh-so-perfect seafood, LA transplants Bohden Tarantine and Lizbeth Dones bravely dial up the heat on dishes like scallop aguachile and seafood cocktail. Silky tuna and lush hamachi drape over crisp tostadas, with bold supporting casts of chile morita aioli, macha XO sauce, and smoked albacore salad. One of the casual, appetizer-size dishes works well as a bar snack; sharing two or three and an order of chips with roasted green chile queso makes it a fine meal.

Tom Douglas gives the people what they want, and what they want is seafood near Pike Place Market. This modern update to the classic oyster bar is cute and better than it needs to be, especially at happy hour when the mini-tinis are $10 and work well to wash down a roasted oyster with ’nduja butter or ginger shrimp nugget slider.

The most fortuitously located restaurant downtown is a pricey paean to oysters and their briny brethren—the shellfish-centric bar occupies a former haberdashery in the basement of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. In variety and freshness, the place does well by the bivalves, as the name implies, and particularly so when the prices drop during its happy hour, which manages to embody many of Seattle’s best stereotypes while rejecting one of its worst—frosty social skills.