Moving from working-class food to stereotypical posh nosh, oysters are now increasingly popping up on menus across a wide range of restaurants, from classic to hip. Always here to help, we have rounded up the best cheap oysters in London.
In nineteenth-century London, pickled oysters were given away free in pubs to tempt working-class punters in for a drink and were a commonly-used cheap ingredient used to bulk out expensive beef in a meat pie filling. Fast-forward to the 80’s and they had been elevated into an elitist treat, eaten by the wealthy and typically only found in expensive restaurants.
Happily the pendulum is on its way back and oysters are not only much more widely available, but becoming increasingly both cool and affordable; check out our top suggestions for your part of town.
Central London
Parsons, Covent Garden
Sister restaurant to the fabulous 10 Cases across the road, Parsons has a modern seafood menu which includes this year’s ubiquitous (but no less delicious for that) hipster dish of smoked cod’s roe with crackers, plus some very reasonably-priced Jersey rock oysters. Add a glass of wine and that’s a job well done.
Price: from £5.00 for 3Available: All day
Best for: An excellent wine list
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Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, Mayfair
Okay, it may not the cheapest on this list, but you can’t talk about oysters in London without mentioning Richard Corrigan’s wonderful Mayfair restaurant, Bentley’s – it’s an institution.
Offering ‘the largest showcase of British wild, native and cultivated oysters’ you can choose your oyster by region; there is a genuine difference in both flavour and texture so true fans will have their favourites. Native oysters are more expensive than Pacific rock oysters as they take longer to grow and are not available all year round, but – dependent always on available supplies – you can pick up rock oysters at Bentleys from £4.50 each.
Price: from £4.50 eachAvailable: All day
Best for: Oyster aficionados, and being part of a London tradition
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North London
Oeno Maris, Newington Green
Primarily a top-class fishmongers run by Master Fishmonger Dan Murphy, there is a cosy hidden bar at the back run by his wife Sarah where you can sit back with a glass of low-intervention wine or sake. A selection of seasonal raw seafood, including sashimi as well as oysters is available.
Available: All day: last orders Thursday-Friday 6pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 4pm
Best for: Expert advice and buying some to take home
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Escocesa, Stoke Newington
Head Chef here is David Herrera, whose experience spans fine-dining destination restaurant Arzak in San Sebastián to The Waterside Inn in Bray and Soho’s Barrafina. Expect Spanish-inspired dishes and tapas with the focus on Scottish seafood, diverted back to our own shores and expertly prepared, and an excellent sherry list. Try the Lindisfarne oyster with mojo verde and a chilled manzanilla.
Price: from £2.00 eachAvailable: Monday-Friday before 7pm; all day Sunday
Best for: Those who like their oysters with a kick
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Chapel Market Kitchen, Angel
The menu varies depending what’s available in the market but oysters are a regular feature, with Maldon oysters just a quid each all day on Mondays. Choose a more expensive oyster and you will get 2 for the price of 1, so you can really go to town.
Available: All day – check website for opening hours
Best for: Top level quality and bargain basement prices
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London Shell Company, Hampstead
We miss their floating restaurants more than we can say, but at least we still have the fishmongers and seafood bar on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Their daily-changing menu includes the £2.00 Oyster Top-up happy hour deal: oysters for £2.00 each plus £2.00 off all glasses of wine and cocktails.
Price: £2.00 eachAvailable: Wednesday-Saturday 4pm-6pm
Best for: A double-whammy of savings
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East London
Pearly Queen, Shoreditch
Great British Menu favourite Tom Brown closed his Michelin-starred Hackney Wick restaurant Cornerstone this year to focus on his new seafood restaurant and oyster bar in Shoreditch. The main menu offers oysters done four different ways: raw oyster with a champagne mignonette; pickled oyster, horseradish, cucumber and dill; crispy buffalo oyster with a ranch dressing and a grilled oyster with smoked hollandaise and lemon.
True fans can order “The Pearly Dozen” which features all of them; at £58.00 for 12 it’s not the cheapest option on the list, but that’s top level cooking for less than a fiver per oyster. Alternatively, if you prefer your oysters as nature intended you can swoop in for the bargain happy hour offer; half a dozen raw oysters and a glass of Crémant (usually £9.00 a glass) for just £18.00, which brings that down to £1.50 per oyster. Nice.
Price: from £1.50 eachAvailable: All day
Best for: Inventive cooked oysters and celeb chef spotting
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Bambi, London Fields
On Wednesdays Maldon oysters are £2.00 each served raw with a classic mignonette, or go for the Bambi half dozen: 2 oysters with guindilla chilli relish, 2 oysters with fig leaf mignonette and 2 deep-fried oysters with aioli and tajin for just £15.00. There will be a special pet nat pairing of the week; pet nat wines are not only very hip at the moment (we are in deepest Hackney, after all) but are a great pairing for oysters, working well with their briny minerality.
If you’re not feeling the fizz, Bambi have a fabulous margs and martinis list; you can even order an oyster with a martini shot for £8.00. The restaurant/wine bar hybrid is also known for its music, with DJs drawing from their enviable collection of vinyls.
Price: £2.00 eachAvailable: Wednesdays, from 6pm
Best for: People-watching, cool vibes and DJs
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Sake & Oyster Bar, Ichiba, Japan Centre, Stratford
This in-store bar serves up fresh oysters with a yuzu ponzu sauce and fried oysters served with Japanese mayo. If your luck is in, fascinating sake expert Bowie Tsang will be behind the bar and explain the flavour profiles of each sake.
This is one of the best drinks pairings for oysters that you can get; it’s such a natural match, you can even tip your sake straight into the oyster shell! The classic saying ‘sake doesn’t fight with food’ is perfectly illustrated here, with the savoury umami flavours of both being intensified and highlighted. Once converted, you can buy a bottle of your favourite sake from the section opposite the bar.
Price: 2 for £4.45Available: All day
Best for: Expert sake pairing advice
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Cheapo Top Tip: Looking for affordable but fabulous places to drink sake in London? Check out our recommendations!
South London
Wright Brothers, Borough Market
This is the OG site, although you can also find them in Battersea Power Station and South Kensington, where they have a bonus Art Deco basement cocktail bar. Wright Brothers run a seafood wholesale and delivery company, so your can guarantee your oysters will be as fresh as it gets.
Their oyster happy hour is hard to beat, with ’Pound a Pop’ Oysters Mon-Weds 3-6pm; times vary slightly for other sites, so check their website for details.
Price: £1.00 eachAvailable: Monday-Wednesday 3pm-6pm
Best for: Bargain prices from a top supplier, plus a comfy seat in a busy market
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Richard Haward’s Oysters, Borough Market
The Haward family have been farming oysters for eight generations, since 1769. Their stand, located on Stoney Street, has limited seating and is also licensed, so you can add a glass of fizz to your very reasonably-priced oyster order. Oh, and his website has some great oyster boxes and themed gifts for delivery, if you’re thinking of shucking in the comfort of your own home.
Available: All day
Best for: Becoming part of London’s long and venerable oyster-farming history
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Shellseeker’s Fish & Game, Borough Market
Another option in Borough Market (and another with the chance to add prosecco or Pimm’s to your oyster feast) is Shellseeker’s, who have this stand-alone oyster bar in addition to their incredible fresh fish and seafood stall.
Available: All day
Best for: Oysters on the go, and a good choice of accompaniments
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Hausu, Peckham
This newly-opened family-run restaurant nudged up against Peckham Rye station is sending out some fabulous oysters served with vermouth and drops of herb oil. Their excellent gibson cocktail is made with brine from their own home-made seasonal pickles and is a treat of a pairing.
Available: All day
Best for: Knowing all the cool places, and good, clean flavours
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Darby’s, Vauxhall
Chef’s chef Robin Gill dishes up Jersey Rock oysters from £2.00 each during the happy hour at Darby’s, which has an Irish-American, New York vibe and its own oyster bar. Darby’s is also known for pouring a very decent pint of Guinness, so there’s your drinks pairing sorted – stout with oysters is a centuries-old Irish tradition.
Price: from £2.00 eachAvailable: Wednesday to Friday 5-7pm; Saturday 3-6pm & 9-11pm
Best for: The craic
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West London
The Sea, The Sea, Chelsea
This upmarket seafood bar has supremely Instagrammable counter seating alongside their fresh seafood displayed on ice, or you can choose to watch the beautiful people of Chelsea drift by from the heated and covered terrace.
Price: 6 rock oysters with a beetroot vinaigrette for £26.00Available: All day
Best for: Smart and stylish dining
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Faber, Hammersmith
Oysters are just £2.00 each at Faber during their extensive happy hour period, which basically runs on weekdays from lunchtime until early evening. Settle in for the long haul.
Price: £2.00 eachAvailable: Monday-Friday 12-6pm
Best for: Long lunches
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Oysters 101
Not sure about the etiquette? Brush up your oyster know-how with our quick how-to guide.
Can I only eat oysters if there is an ‘R’ in the month?
Traditionally this used to be true, partly because summer is the breeding season for native British oysters and partly because, in the days before refrigeration, they were much more likely to go bad in the heat before they could be eaten. Since the 1960s Britain has been farming and harvesting Pacific rock oysters, where breeding takes place in the hatchery rather than the sea, so these can be eaten all year round.
Is it wrong to chew an oyster?
This is a very common belief, but completely untrue. The liquor inside an oyster shell is undeniably delicious, but if you just swallow the oyster straight down, that will be the only flavour you get – mostly just a bit salty. Experts strongly advise chewing the oyster to make the most of its subtle, savoury, umami flavours.
Make sure the oyster has been loosened from its shell (you may be given a small fork to do this yourself) and tip it, and the liquid from the shell, into your mouth. Replace the shell, open side down to indicate it is empty, on the plate.
Should I add anything to the oyster before I eat it?
The classic accompaniment is a mignonette, which is made of finely-chopped shallots, red- or white-wine vinegar and pepper. Some hardline oyster fans claim that you just need the liquor from the shell, or perhaps a squeeze of fresh lemon juice; others will go for Tabasco, a mignonette or a vodka-tomato Bloody Mary-style sauce. As with most things in life – it’s your oyster, eat it however you like.
Are oysters good for you?
Oysters are absolute nutritional powerhouses. They are a rare complete protein source, meaning they contain all nine of the essential amino acids your body needs but cannot produce on its own. They are also low in calories, high in omega-3 fatty acids, contain as much calcium as a glass of milk and are packed with vitamins and minerals, including more zinc per serving than any other food.
Can you get food poisoning from oysters?
Like most foods, particularly seafood, oysters can be unsafe to eat if not completely fresh; however, in the UK there are strict rules on purifying them once harvested, before sale. Assuming you are eating them freshly shucked (i.e. just opened) then they should be plump, creamy in colour and smell gently of the sea, not strongly ‘fishy’. The liquid in the shell should be clear. If the oyster is dark grey or brown, dry, withered and the liquid cloudy and smelly, don’t eat it.
(It’s worth mentioning that many cases of apparent food poisoning from oysters, when someone is sick shortly after eating them or the next day, may actually be down to general overindulgence – including the alcohol that usually washes them down! #justsaying)
Is an oyster seafood, a shellfish or both?
Both – basically an oyster is a bivalve, which is a mollusc, which comes under shellfish, and then seafood. Let us explain.
Seafood is a very broad category usually defined as, quite literally, food from the sea – i.e. both fish and shellfish. Shellfish can then be divided into either crustaceans, such as prawns, crabs and lobsters, or molluscs, which in turn includes one group (cephalapods) containing octopus, squid and cuttlefish and another (bivalves) made up of oysters, mussels, clams and scallops.
Cheapo Top Tip: If you’re still not fully convinced that oysters are your thing, why not try them cooked first? The texture is completely different and you’ll have other flavours to balance them out, so you can ease yourself in gently.
