Elmdale Oyster House & Tavern

Upscale tavern does a nice job of blending the old with the new. Interesting menu, and good sharing options with a focus on oysters. Hope to be back with friends for an evening of live music and munchies.

This is a bit of a strange place. It looks like a standard pub/​bar, but definitely has a hipster vibe to it. The food quality is certainly not standard pub fare. The oysters were fantastic, as was the lobster dish. Granted, the prices were expensive for the amount of food received, but the quality of the meals were above any pub I’ve been to. The beer and alcohol choices are outstanding as well. I would recommend this place!

Good food. The price point is about $ 3 too high on everything served. Not as cute as the sister resto — the Whalesbone.

So disappointed! The only reason you get a one is the oysters were good. The service from the moment we walked in the front door was bad… told we had to be out by 830. The halibut was very small, dry and tasteless for $ 32. The purée was just as bland and the potatoes very salty. Our waiter was Arrogant and the food runner wore a filthy baseball cap. The restaurant itself is dark, dingy and very loud making it hard to have a conversation. After spending over $ 300 we were reminded to leave because the next party was there… We were finishing up our wine and desert having to abandon both. We made a reservation over a week in advance and were given the worst table in the place… We are Hintonburg residence who dine out very often and are asked for recommendation regularity. Elmdale oyster tavern is off the list!!!

Great selection of oysters, attentive service. We sat at the bar and were promptly served. Beer kept being offered without having to look for the waiter. Server was more than nice to our teenager who was a bit intimidated — she had the blue cheese wedge salad and kept commenting about how good it was.
In my opinion, a very good place to spend an afternoon — weekends are busy, make a reservation and enjoy the oysters.