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    Public Fish & Oyster

    4.5 (636 reviews)
    PriceySeafood
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:30 PM

    Public Fish & Oyster Photos

    Business Info

    PUBLIC FISH & OYSTER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Public Fish & Oyster

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    Bar
    Chris M.

    Public Fish and Oyster is a place I go to fairly often when I'm in Charlottesville for work, and it's always a solid experience. Sitting at the bar is my favorite spot. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming. The service is friendly and attentive, the food is consistently well done, and they have a solid bourbon selection as well. Always has a great selection of oysters too.

    Apple Crumble
    Jazlene G.

    MUST get a reservation here as it is a very small restaurant, otherwise you might find yourself waiting for a spot at the bar. This is probably our favorite restaurant here in cville, and even after many years, it is still consistently amazing! We ordered a dozen raw oysters of different brine levels, and they tasted so fresh. I especially loved the oysters from Breakwaters Newport, RI. My favorite main to order here is always the Moules Frites. Tried the Classic Mariniere, and it was SO DELICIOUS OMG. The sauce was decadent, that I had to make sure to soak up every mussel and the crostinis. And idk how they do it, but their frites are perfectly seasoned and crispy! The portions for this is pretty large, and shared some with my husband too, and is worth every penny. My husband tried the Rockfish with Chimichurri, with was also very good and fresh! Loved the crispy skin with the chimicurri sauce, gave a nice crunch! But I felt the portion size was a bit on the smaller end For dessert, LOVED the Apple Crumble, not too sweet, loved the contrast of the vanilla ice cream with the warmed apples, and loved the layer of oats on top, gives really good contrast in texture

    Neptune's Tower

    Came here for date night and had such a lovely time. The service and overall atmosphere of this restaurant really stands out for me. We made a reservation before coming, arrived 15 minutes early, and were greeted and sat right away. Our server, Andre, was very pleasant, helpful, and patient as we navigated our first time there. It wasn't until the end of the night when I realized how busy the place had been the entire time because of how smooth the staff runs. We ordered a michelada, the Neptunes Tower, and a linguine dish with shrimp, peas, and asparagus that I can't remember the name of. The oysters were fresh and pretty good. The tower comes with only mildly briny ones, while we usually prefer higher brine, so I'll have to give the others a try before giving a hard review on those. The one and only critique of the night is that they could have been shucked better. The crab legs were perfect and easy to crack. Shrimp was also perfectly cooked. The pasta dish was spectacular. The crudo was heavenly and probably the best I've ever had. Can't wait to come back!!

    Crab Cake Sandwich
    Margaret J.

    Warning reservations are required and if you are late by 20 minutes, your table will be given away. Note they are known for their lobster rolls but only make a few so get there early or you will not get one. They open at 4pm. We arrived at 5:28 for a 5:15 reservation lost our table and were told that they were out of lobster rolls for the evening. So we ordered crab cake sandwiches, fried oysters, French fries, Bloody Mary and beer. We received an apology for losing our table reservation, had a very informative and friendly waiter and had a great time catching up with friends. The area was tightly packed with people and was very loud. There's not much room to move around and the temperature fluctuates between hot and cold due to overflow dining outside with heaters that come on intermittently

    Halibut
    Kathy T.

    Came here for dinner-cute place with friendly service. Some dishes were outstanding - hamachi crudo and halibut entree. Somewhat disappointed by the pan roast-shellfish in a lobster curry over rice-just didn't rise to the other dishes. Noticed many folks were having mussels with the Belgian fries. Mussels aren't my fave but those fries sure looked delicious!

    Righteous clam chowder
    Tony M.

    This is an incredibly cool place in downtown Charlottesville. It's a snug place, so don't be afraid to sit at the bar and trust that John and his co-pilot will take good care of you. You can sit out on the patio, but since it was almost 90 degrees out with 100% humidity, I wasn't entertaining that idea. Service is fantastic. You might wait a little for your food to be prepared, it's totally worth it. Your night will start of with an introduction, and from there on out, you're in for a treat. They obviously specialize in oysters, but the menu has so much more to offer, and check the board for specials (or ask John what's good). I had the clam chowder, which was absolutely on point, and went with the recommended Atlantic halibut. It was a luscious fresh piece of fish, done perfectly with a nice light buerre blanc. This is a must-stop in C'Ville, and I will definitely be stopping in again next time I'm in town.

    Smoked trout dip
    Aileen J.

    Niece J suggested going for Happy Hour on Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. With no reservation, we joined the line that formed just before they opened at 4pm. Fortunately, the 4 of us got seats at the corner of the bar, so it was easy to chat and share food. My Negroni cocktail and Niece K's Kir Royale were delightful. With 7 choices of fresh oysters on the half shell, we had a huge platter of 28 with plenty of lemon wedges, mignonette, cocktail sauce and horseradish. The smoked trout dip was a new item for me. It was very tasty on crackers with the housemade pickles. Next, we shared the lobster roll with the Belgian fries. I'm glad we chose the Connecticut Style, which was deliciously "hot and buttered". Good service, excellent fresh seafood.

    We tried three of each oyster and they were all good.
    Glenn N.

    My wife and I are in visiting our daughter and son in law. My daughter suggested public fish and oyster. We tried all of the oyster options and could not decide which ones to get more of as we lost track of the specific order. They were all pretty good. I ordered the oyster po boy. It was good but lacked seasoning in my opinion. The pickled vegetables were good and their mayo was spot on. The service was good our waitress was friendly and knew the menu well. The decor is inviting but kind of not eye catching. All in all I liked our meal

    Oysters
    Emily B.

    Wonderful service and food as per usual! One of my favorite intimate dining experiences in charlottesville. Our waiter, Alex, was wonderful and seemed to be a seafood master. We got plenty of help in picking out our main courses. The fried oysters continue to be my favorite on the menu. Perfectly lightly battered and served in creamy white sauce paired with a spicy red sauce for dipping. Oyster selection is exquisite with many offerings across the east coast. My favorites tend to be the most briny but the flavor profiles are all worthwhile. This is the best place to get a sample of everything! Thank you Alex and Public Oyster Bar!

    oysters
    Kathryn C.

    Had a variety of oysters per the waitress' recommendations. They were so delicious and fresh! They have happy hr deals and the oysters were around $2 each. Definitely need a reservation, especially on the weekends. It's a nice date spot close to the corner with outside seating available

    Smoked Troup Dip with bread and pickled veggies
    Kevin S.

    It's a small place that maximizes their seating. I guess it can't hold more than 50 people. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Our waitress Alexis was able to guide us through each selection. I wasn't looking for a full meal, maybe just shareables. We started we a dozen raw oysters, which were excellent. We then moved on to an order of mussels (Belgian style) which came with toasted bread and fries. We chose the tomato based lobster sauce that had a little heat. My wife then got a bowl of clam chowder, which was really good. Light broth. I selected the smoked trout dip. The pickled veggies really made this dish. Nice joint, I would recommend reservations.

    Cozy nook!
    Chloe B.

    Best seafood I've had ever! Loved the happy hour oysters, warm lobster rolls, curry moulles frites, and cocktails. Chef's kiss!

    Maine Style lobster roll - happy hour

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    4 months ago

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    3 days ago

    Jacob is the ultimate shucker exttradinaore and Danny the bartender is a class act! Love this space almost as much as Monticello!

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    4 months ago

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    13 days ago

    Awesome food. Loved the bartender's knowledge of the menu items. I ordered some type of local trout and it was phenomenal.

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    4 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    12 days ago

    Very disappointed with the meal. Presentation was poor and the fish did not appear to be fresh

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    11 months ago

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    18 days ago

    Nice fried oysters and crabcake.friendly and fast service. Pricesa bit high, but this is charlottesville.

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    7 months ago

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    Daniel K.

    That’s so great to hear! Thank you Chloe!!

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    2 years ago

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    2 months ago

    Food is fresh, high-quality, and prepared professionally. The atmosphere is fun and the servers and bartenders are wonderful.

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    Daniel K.

    Thanks for your review Joyce. Very much appreciate the nice words!

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    8 months ago

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    Daniel K.

    Love it!! Thanks for coming in and let’s do it again soon!!!

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    8 months ago

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    Daniel K.

    Thanks Scott! Join us again soon!

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    4 months ago

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    Aww thanks Bonnie! We will look forward to welcoming you back soon!

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