While seafood is a year-round favorite, there’s something about summer that makes oysters, ceviche, and all things chilled and briny especially craveable. From icy shellfish towers to vibrant crudos and perfectly seared scallops, these Philadelphia restaurants (and one standout suburban spot) are making waves with seasonal seafood dishes and weekly specials that celebrate the best of the sea.
Featured destinations include Alice, Assembly Rooftop Lounge, Attico Rooftop, Bolo, Jansen, Keating’s Rope & Anchor, Oltremare, Stella of New Hope, and Urban Farmer—plus weekly crowd-pleasing seafood specials at Red Owl Tavern, Square 1682, and The Twisted Tail.
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Alice, a seasonal American restaurant found in the heart of the Italian Market, presents a seafood-forward menu designed to showcase innovative dishes that honor the flavors of the sea. Oyster options include the Barnegat Bay Oysters ($19) with cucumber aguachile, and the Coal Roasted Oysters ($21) with garlic lager butter and house hot sauce. Specialty shareable plates feature Bluefin Tuna Crudo ($28) with Calabrian chile and charred lemon; CoalRoasted Octopus ($26) with green chile and preserved lemon; and Bluefin Toro Tartare ($28) served with fennel pollen potato chips and osetra caviar. Designed for two, the Grilled Whole Bronzino ($70) is served with satsuma and baby fennel herbs.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made via Resy here.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday 5pm—10pm and Sunday 5pm—9pm
901 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA | 215.798.6766 | Website | Instagram
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Assembly Rooftop Lounge, Center City’s swanky year around rooftop lounge boasting unparalleled views of the Art Museum, City Hall and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is the perfect summer destination to enjoy refreshing coastal bites. Guests can indulge in Assembly’s renowned Lobster Roll ($21) made with succulent Maine lobster, celery, chives, lemon aioli, and espelette pepper served on a brioche bun and a side of potato chips.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made here.
Hours of operation: Sunday through Thursday 4pm – 10:30pm; bar closes at 12am; Friday and Saturday 4pm – 10pm; bar closes at 2am; Happy Hour is Sunday through Thursday 4pm – 5pm
1840 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy • 215.783.4171 | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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Attico Rooftop, the colorful, plant-studded urban getaway perched on the 16th floor of the Cambria Hotel in the heart of Center City’s vibrant Avenue of the Arts, is the perfect spot to indulge in a variety of seafood-centric dishes including Shrimp Cocktails ($8 for bar bites, $21 for dinner), served with poached jumbo shrimp, calabrian chili, and lemon; Daily Selection of Oysters ($22/6, $42/12) with a side of seasonal mignonette; and Angry Lobster Toast ($34), plated with warm buttered brioche, Maine lobster, endive, and Korean chili mayo.
Attico Rooftop Kitchen and Lounge is located at 219 S Broad St, with hours of operation spanning Wednesday and Thursday 4—11pm, Friday 4pm—2am, Saturday 10:30am—2am, and Sunday 10:30am—11pm.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made online here.
219 S Broad St | 267-519-0965 | www.atticorooftop.com | @atticorooftop
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Bolo, Chef Yun Fuentes’ Latin American dining room and rum bar nestled in bustling Rittenhouse Square, offers a seafood-rich selection of small plates and seasonal specialties. Highlights include a trio of ceviches such as Tuna con Coco ($22) with Thai young coconut salsa, Shrimp en Sofrito ($19) with avocado and charred tomato, and Snapper Nikkei ($23) with key lime–ponzu and garlic chips. Guests can also enjoy grilled Pinchos like Pescado ($10 mahi mahi), Vieiras ($12 scallops), and Pulpo ($10 octopus),or opt for heartier mains like the Red Snapper Sancocho ($43) with steamed in banana leaves, ají dulce brûlée, springtime sancocho, mini tostones.
Reservations can be made via Resy.
Hours of operation: Monday through Sunday, 5pm – 10pm for dinner, Saturday 10pm – 12am for late night, and Monday through Friday, 5pm – 7pm for happy hour
2025 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | WebsiteInstagram
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Jansen, Mt. Airy’s contemporary and award-winning New American restaurant by Chef David Jansen, offers refined seafood dishes that balance global flavors with seasonal finesse. Starters include the Tuna Rosette ($21) with black sesame soil, edamame purée, and crispy rice puff; Octopus Fritto ($21) with tomato, white bean, hazelnut, and candied lemon; and House-Cured Salmon Gravlax ($21) with roasted beets, caraway puff, and tahini-lemon yogurt. Entrées feature Norwegian Salmon ($38) over Mediterranean quinoa salad with baba ghanoush–olive tapenade and tomato vinaigrette; Miso Glazed Cod ($40) with tempura eggplant and wasabi avocado aioli; and Halibut ($42) served with crab and brie arancini, asparagus purée, and lemon fumet.
Reservations are highly encouraged and can be made via Resy.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Thursday from 5 – 8pm and Friday – Saturday 5 – 9pm
7402 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA | 267.335.5041 | WebsiteInstagramFacebookX
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Keating’s Rope & Anchor, a contemporary American restaurant and bar at the Hilton Penn’s Landing boasting waterfront views, offers a seafood-forward menu featuring locally sourced ingredients. Available on the lunch and dinner menu, guests can enjoy the Crab and Avocado Salad ($25) with lump crabmeat, butter lettuce, avocado, pickled pepper marinade and tarragon caper dressing, and the Grilled Bronzino ($35) with sautéed onion, pepper, olives and capers tossed with fregola in a white wine butter sauce.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made here.
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday 6:30am – 10:00pm; Saturday – Sunday 7:00am – 10:00pm
201 S Christopher Columbus Blvd | 215.521.6509 | Website | Facebook | Instagram
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Oltremare, the new seafood-forward modern Italian restaurant from Chef-Owner Townsend Wentz, showcases ultra-seasonal coastal fare rooted in Italian tradition and technique. Current standouts from the refreshed summer menu include antipasti offerings of Oysters with pear-ginger mignonette ($4 each); Scallops alla Veneziana ($21) with preserved lemon purée, parsley, fennel, uni butter, and breadcrumbs; and Hamachi Crudo ($19) featuring blood orange and Calabrian chile salsa verde. Primi and secondi offerings feature standout plates like Frutti di Mare ($32) with shrimp, calamari, mussels, squid ink, and ’nduja; Jumbo Lump Crab Cavatelli ($32) with fava beans, English peas, cherry tomatoes, and pancetta; Grilled Branzino ($32) with asparagus, taggiasca olives, romesco, and almond gremolata; and Roasted Salmon ‘Ribollita’ ($32) served over zucchini, cannellini beans, and focaccia croutons.
Reservations can be made via Resy.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Sunday from 4:30pm – 10pm.
2121 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | 445.223.2093 | Website | Instagram
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Stella of New Hope, Bucks County’s modern American restaurant located in the Ghost Light Inn with 180 degree views of the Delaware River, is the perfect summer destination to enjoy a standout seafood dish on the expansive outdoor patio. Featured on the dinner menu, the Diver Scallops ($45) are served with pickled shallots, pancetta, crispy Hidden Valley quinoa, and apple–sunchoke purée.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made here.
Hours of operation: Thursday 5 – 12am, Friday 5 – 2am, Saturday 8 – 2am
50 S Main St, New Hope, PA 18938 • 267.740.2691 • Website • Instagram • Facebook
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UrbanFarmer, the modern American steakhouse located in the Logan Hotel known for its locally sourced ingredients and in-house butcher shop and mushroom program, is a hidden gem for seafood-lovers seeking elevated ocean fare. Available on the dinner menu, guests can indulge in the Seafood Tower ($86), featuring Atlantic lobster, shrimp, oysters, jumbo lump crab, crab claws, clams, salmon rillette, mignonette, cocktail sauce, toasted pumpernickel, and housemade crackers.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made via OpenTable.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 8am – 9pm, and Sunday, 8am – 3pm
1850 Benjamin Franklin Parkway | 215.963.2788 | Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
WEEKLY SEAFOOD SPECIALS
Red Owl Tavern, a modern kitchen and bar just steps from Independence Hall in Old City, has launched fresh summer offerings featuring a variety of seafood dishes across its updated dinner menu. Among the highlights is Mussel Mondays — every Monday from 5 PM to close, guests can enjoy 1.5 lbs of PEI mussels simmered in bold, globally inspired broths that rotate weekly with the season, served alongside golden fries for just $25.
Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made via OpenTable here.
Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30am—10:45am, Saturday and Sunday 8am—10am (breakfast); Monday through Friday 11:30am—4:30pm (lunch); Monday through Friday 4:30pm—10pm, Saturday 5pm—10pm (dinner); and Saturday 10am—4pm and Sunday 10am—2pm (brunch)
433 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA | 215.923.2267 | Website | Instagram
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Square 1682, the lively modern American kitchen located inside the Kimpton Hotel Palomar, has recently rolled out a newly refreshed dinner menu crafted by Executive Chef Patrick Czerniak, showcasing coastal flavors and seafood favorites. Every Tuesday from 5–8 PM, guests can indulge in Buck-A-Shuck & Bubbles, featuring $1 oysters and $8 pours of bubbly.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made via OpenTable here.
Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 8am—11am for breakfast; Monday through Thursday 11:30am—2pm, Friday 11:30am—3pm for lunch; Tuesday through Thursday 5pm—10pm, Friday and Saturday 5pm—11pm for dinner; Friday and Saturday 3pm—5pm for mid-day menu; Saturday 9am—3pm, Sunday 9am—2pm for brunch
121 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, PA | 215.563.5008 | Website | Instagram
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The Twisted Tail, the Southern-inspired restaurant, bar, and live music venue in Headhouse Square, is embracing the flavors of the season with a lineup of fresh seafood favorites. During The Twisted Tail’s Social Hour, offered daily from 4 pm to 6 pm, guests are invited to grab a seat at the expansive indoor bar and enjoy Buck-a-Shuck Oysters (a half dozen oysters for just $6) served with vodka cocktail sauce, hot sauce, and mignonette. On the dinner menu, available daily from 4 pm to 10 pm, standouts include the Scallop Ceviche ($13), made with jalapeño, tomato, citrus, and truffle, served alongside crispy corn chips, and the Grilled Swordfish ($30), paired with chipotle-mango sauce, frisée, celery, and sherry vinaigrette.
Reservations are encouraged and can be made here.
Hours of operation: Monday – Thursday 4 pm – 10 pm; Friday 4 pm – 12 am; Saturday 11 am – 12 am; Sunday 10 am – 10 pm
509 S. 2nd St. | 215.558.2471 | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter