tasty bites at Shuck Oyster Bar

I didn’t plan on going to Shuck, after all, with my oyster allergy, I figured there wasn’t much I could eat anyway. So when Austin suggested we lunch there, I was a bit skeptical, but he assured me there were other things besides oysters on the menu.

Located at SoCo, I immediately liked the airy space with that minimalistic feel. There are a few tables but prime seating at the counter is highly suggested. This is where you can watch first hand, master shuckers opening oysters to order.

Just because I can’t partake in the oysters doesn’t mean the others can’t. The $20 Oyster was extravagance on a shell. A Belon oyster is topped with creme fraiche, a dollop of osetra caviar and some citrus caviar (fingerling lime) finished with lemon zest. It looked scrumptious — and I was told it was.

Oyster fans can pick their own array from the menu board.

There were items on the menu for me and we ordered almost all of them starting with Grilled Cheese ($10), beautifully pressed cheesy sandwiches made with OC Baking Company’s delicious bread. I was very pleased with these non-greasy grilled cheese morsels. Unfortunately, I only got one piece since my son hogged most of the plate.

Next came Clam Chowda ($8), again, impressing my finicky palate. It was seasoned just right with a consistency I’m happy with. Honestly, there was nothing I would do to tweak it, it was pretty perfect with plump clams throughout.

Seafood Stew ($14) was reminiscent of cioppino with a tomato base and comprised of mussels, clams and mahi mahi. Even my boy slurped the flavorful broth with glee and soaking up the remainder liquid with the accompanying toast.

Since we were all clam fans, we couldn’t leave without trying Sausage and Clams ($10) which were wonderfully seasoned with bits of sausage resembling chorizo dotted between the plump clams. So delicious!! I absolutely loved this.

Everything was perfectly executed and tasted great. They can get busy so if you don’t want to wait, go during the mid-afternoon lull, you’ll get to chowing down in no time.

Shuck Oyster Bar
3313 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel: 949-420-0478