Shuck Oyster Bar

i’ve been meaning to check this place out for a while.
last weekend, i was able to check this place off my bucket list.
this place is located inside the oc mix.
so, they have a lot of different choice and each oyster is 3 buck. oysters are fresh and according to their website, the oysters are less than 1 day old. something to do, if you don’t know oysters that well. is to get a sample of 6 (chef choice) and then save the shells of the ones you like and ask the person shucking the oysters if they recommend anything else similar to this.
we also got the grilled cheese sandwich. it was good, but for 12 bucks, i do not think it was worth it…
honestly, don’t get me wrong. the food and service were great, but the bill adds up fast if you don’t pay attention.

This place is a hidden gem! It’s located right inside the OC Mix in Costa Mesa. We came on a Tuesday afternoon, just right after the lunch rush so was able to find great seats in the corner. If I didn’t have the little ones with me, I would have chosen to sit at the oyster bar. I just love watching them shuck oysters while I wait for food.
The staff were all friendly and very attentive. Everything on the menu looked so good, so we wanted to try a bit of everything:
— A Dozen Oysters (Chef’s selection) — I wish I remembered which ones she gave me lol. They were all very fresh, it reminded me being back in Seattle where I had some really fresh ones. Now I don’t have to go so far!
— Lobster Mac n cheese — the kids really loved this, it was creamy and had chunks of lobsters. It’s a must try!
— Caesar salad w/​anchovy — my favorite part of the salad was the anchovies that they placed on top. It gives the salad that salty kick that you really want in a caesar salad.
— Smoked salmon crostini — this was really good, but be prepared that it’s not a small appetizer. They load each (3) crostini’s with a ton of smoked salmon. So delicious!
— Bloody Mary — I told our bartender, this is probably one of the best that I’ve had. It’s spicy but not overly powerful. Very refreshing and goes well with the oysters.
The kids absolutely loved this place as much as we did. I would definitely come back and anyone looking for fresh oysters should definitely come here!

A www, Shucks! I’m smitten with this place. Great fresh oysters from all over the US.
Sonny is amazing and Mina creates dishes that are out of this world.
I’m gonna blush now… just know that this is my go-​to!

The oysters here are fresh fresh fresh!
They taste good fried, and taste good raw. Either way, you can’t go wrong. I liked them so much, I didn’t add any sauces or condiments. They tasted fine by themselves.
The Lobster Roll and Lobster Grilled Cheese were just ordinary though. I didn’t think the lobster was highlighted or added to the dish as a whole.
Tip: $ 2 cocktails and oysters during happy hour

How have I not been here before — especially with my known love of oysters!
Came here yesterday to do some early birthday week celebrating (yup, I’m one of those peoples who has to celebrate ALL. WEEK. LONG.) and what better way to start things off than with a few dozen oysters! Tried maybe 10 varieties and in the end Sea Cows and French Kiss oysters were my favorite. Just the right size, brine, and bitter-​sweetness. Highly recommend — I also heard the Naked Cowgirl was great, but much larger than the ones we enjoyed.
Their accouterments for the oysters (sauces, specifically) are a little different, but very good. The chili sauce was probably my favorite as I am not usually a fan on mignonette.
Also … read the comments and order the grilled cheese. Yeah yeah, skip the lobster/​crab/​seafood stuffed variety and just get it plain. Aside from the oysters, that is the best damn thing here.
I had the clam chowder — which was a little too floury for my taste, but can’t deny that EVERY spoonful was chalked full of clams — and the Caesar salad with fresh anchovies — man, I’m a sucker for using real anchovies in your dressing.
I promise you, you will have the best time here and the muscular guys behind the counter — do not be fooled. They may look SWOL, but they really know their stuff. They’ve got great recommendations and they know which way to steer you if you don’t have a clue about the available varieties.

Wanted to try this place for a while. Came here on a Friday night for a friend’s birthday.
This place is very small and doesn’t fit too many people. Food is on the pricier side.
Ordered a grilled cheese, cioppino, and some oysters.
I’m a big seafood person and honesty I feel like this place is all about the vibe. the food is so so.
I asked the waiter to pick 6 oysters towards the sweeter for us. The oyster was bitter and not sweet at all. I’m not sure how their standard of sweet works.
Cioppino was small and more sour compare to other places but it was alright. Doesn’t have much seafood in it. Not the best but not bad.
Grilled cheese was pretty good. Very heavy though.
I’m pretty disappointed and I don’t think I’ll come back again. With the price and rating, I think they could have done better with their food.

This was my first time at Shucks and at trying oysters, and after my experience, I believe it’s the perfect place to start for a newbie. My friends and I sat at the bar in order to get more education on what we were ordering. Jesse and Sean were really great servers!
By the way this is a BYOB (bring your own beer/​wine) spot!
Oysters: we decided to try a dozen assorted oysters (sweet and salty) just get a feel for each kind and see what we liked. They have really cool names for the oysters for example, French Kiss, Point LooKout, Naked Cowgirl, DD Cup etc…
The Point lookout was a bit sweet for me but a bit of hot sauce adds a nice kick to it. We also tried the French Kiss (my favorite) which is sweet and salty and a decent size. Shibumi oysters were a bit bland for my taste but that’s why there’s condiments :-). The Stellar bay gold oysters were bigger than the others; so first-​timers if you can handle this one then try the Fat Babies or the DD Cup next! :-). Overall it was an awesome experience, decent prices and I definitely recommend.
A lot of parking space, it’s located in a shopping area and Mon-​Wed 1−6pm is happy hour!!!

Rocking fresh oysters, incredible service, helpfully informative staff.
This smallish place basically specializes of fresh shucked oysters from all over. They do a great job sourcing and a great job shucking. Their other items are good but poorly plated leaving the presentation questionable.
Given the eclectic atmosphere in the Nuevo Mall this place will do well and if the food continues on par will do well.

07/​03/​2014
This is a little out of my area but I heard good things about from a couple friends. The Lobster Roll was nothing fancy but it was definitely delicious. It had the right amount of flavoring within the roll. The only thing I wished was that there was more Lobster in the roll.
Service was ok & food came in a timely manner. I would probably try this place again to try another item on their menu.

Weekday night and the place was about ¼ full. Small oyster bar inside the OC Mix. It’s clean and bright. Sat at the oyster bar and service was outstanding. They were engaging and dropped some knowledge about oysters. The oysters were fresh and the clam chowder tasted of clam.
Oysters: ⁵⁄₅ ($ 3-​$ 4 each, fresh and yum).
Clam Chowder: 3.5÷5 ($ 10, tasty, but a bit gluggy. The bread that came with it was average).
Bathroom: None in the restaurant, but a few around the OC Mix
Parking: ⁵⁄₅ (Free. Weekday parking was wide open. I was able to pull front first into a space with no cars on either side of me).

Who doesn’t like raw oysters, grill cheese sandwiches and Sangria? I don’t know, you tell me cause I haven’t met anybody that doesn’t like them.
Oysters: We ordered 3 different types of oysters 2 of each and a total of 6 oysters. My favorite was the Naked Cowgirl. Super catchy name & it was super fat and juicy. YUM. All oysters were very clean and very fresh.
Grilled Cheese aka Crab Louie: WOW. I have not had such a a satisfying grill cheese sandwich in a long time. All I can say this order definitely can feed 2 – 3 as an appetizer maybe even 4. If you’re coming here this is a MUST order. I loved every bite of it. It was definitely a hit at our table.
Sangria: Homemade sangria with lots of Strawberrys. Probably not THE best Sangria i’ve tasted but it was great for the warm afternoon and was just as refreshing as a mojito.
I definitely recommend this place for a small group get together for brunch or lunch.

I came here on a Sunday afternoon looking to splurge on a solo birthday lunch. There were a few people dining, but it was more on the empty side. I enjoyed the ambiance, which gave me «east coast oyster house» vibes. I ordered the lobster roll, clam chowder, and 1 oyster (since I’ve never had oyster before). Sadly, I wasn’t too impressed. I love me a lobster roll! I’ve tried rolls in Boston, DC, Denver, Pasadena, and now here. Of all the rolls I’ve tried, I would say this was my least favorite.
I think two of the biggest problems with the lobster roll are: 1) The bread is quite big, which doesn’t do well for the bread to lobster ratio (4:1) since they don’t give you much lobster to supplement the excess of bread. You end up eating bread mostly 2) The lobster portion of the sandwich itself was bland in taste. So sad, since I was looking forward to it.
⁵⁄₁₀ rating
The clam chowder was good, but came to my table lukewarm. It wasn’t crazy about it overall.
⁷⁄₁₀ rating
Since I’ve never had oyster before, I decided to get 1 just to try. I let the server guide me to a particular oyster since I didn’t know how to choose or even how to eat it. He was kind enough to explain it to me. I ate the oyster with the honey habanero sauce. I like the sauce since it was spicy. The best way to describe the taste of the oyster upon my first try was that it tasted like the ocean. Haha. Interesting taste. Perhaps it’s more of an acquired taste. I remember not likely sashimi much when u first tried it. I can’t see myself solely eating oysters as a meal. I enjoyed the experience however. The presentation was lovely.
⁷⁄₁₀
Overall I don’t think I will come back. It’s in a nice location. However the menu items are not cheap, but that’s okay given the location and also that it’s seafood I do think however that the oyster are fairly priced. However the lobster roll was quite expensive. It was big in size, but it was mostly bread. The servers weren’t very attentive. I asked for water at the beginning of my meal and never received it. Although I do enjoy not being bothered during my meal, I do think a check up would have been nice so I don’t have to wave down one of the servers for my check.

Fell in love with this oyster bar! Upon walking in, my friends and I loved the décor as everything was either tones of white or a light grey. Super classy and gorgeous! After sitting, i saw that they had around 8 – 10 different types of east and west coast oysters (each not total) which is a really great variety. We ended up ordering two dozen oysters, lobster grilled cheese, lobster roll, and clam chowder.
The server really knew her oysters– since I love Kusshi, she recommended two smaller ones that is similar to the taste. We got the glacier point which was delicious and the naked cowboy which were smaller than usual! The oysters comes with four different sauces– two habaneros, fresh horseradish, and one mignonette. The orange habanero sauce is SPICY, and I love my spicy. I was literally downing water to cure the spiciness but it was oh so good! Could not stop adding it to my oyster even though it destroyed me haha.
The lobster grilled cheese was a favorite as well– the bread was toasted to a crisp and the cheese was all melty and gooey with the lobster. Yum! The lobster roll was solid but there was a little too much bread for my preference! I like how they added avocado in it though.
The quality of the food and knowledge of the servers really impressed me– they know what they’re doing here! I was able to have a good five minute talk on oysters with my server which really surprised me, and their other entrees were delicious as well! Oysters were extremely fresh and chilled. Hoping they open a location in la~ they would do well!

LOCATION: The oyster bar is located inside «The OC Mix», a fairly new, but a very up and coming place filled with a lot of cute shops and great restaurants.
FOOD QUALITY: The lobster mac was delicious and well-​prepared. It wasn’t too heavy and greasy, so I didn’t start feeling full early on like I normally would when I eat mac dishes elsewhere. The oysters are incredibly raw! They serve only the freshest oysters and their variety selections all tasted fantastic. The cioppino was pretty good, too. This place is pretty expensive, but it’s fair for what you receive in exchange because the quality of their seafood is outstanding.
THE WAIT: I came here on a Saturday night around 7 – 8 PM. The wait for 3 people was about 30 – 40 minutes, but it was worth it for the great experience, especially since we are all seafood lovers.
CHECK-​IN DEAL: No corkage fee. Hey, might as well bring a bottle of wine and share it with great company over a dozen oysters and some chowder.
RETURN: Most definitely!!!

Been here twice and both times I left a happy camper. I love oysters but I’m not that knowledgable about the different varieties and whatnot. The staff seemed knowledgeable and were able to make some good recommendations. The oysters were wonderfully fresh, and you pay for the quality – this isn’t a cheap oyster spot. In addition to oysters, they serve up other types of eats, and their grilled cheese is to die for. The sfaff were also very nice and accommodating. Whenever I feel like getting my oysters on in that area, I know where to go.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Awesome food and service, but can be a bit pricey.

I think half the reason why I like this place is the no-​corkage fee for wine. As such, you automatically save $ 15-​$ 20 for this, alone.
As the name suggests, come here for the oysters. They oysters are solid. If you don’t like oysters I’d prob pass on this place.
Oysters — $ 3 each — above average ⁴⁄₅
–The oysters are really good. They had a wide variety from different areas of the states (See below).
Grilled Cheese sandwich — $ 12 — Above average ⁴⁄₅
–On a grilled Panini bread. Let’s be honest, the sandwich is just there to carb you and fill you up. Surprisingly, it’s pretty good and does the job. I wouldn’t get the lobster sandwich though.
Seafood soup, Ciopino — $ 18 — Decent
The ciopino is decent & does the job. The shrimp is really fresh. Comes w/​3 – 4 pieces of bread. This soup is also used to carb you up and make you full at the end of your meal.
PROS:
–Wide selection of Oysters. During our visit, they had oysters in Canada, Virginia, NY, Washington, Rhode Island, etc. They were enjoyable. My favorite was Canada, NY, and Rhode Island.
–Oysters are fresh & tasty. You can see them open it right in front of you.
–No corkage fee
CONS:
–Pricey, oysters are $ 3 each.
–Food is decent, but not awesome/​super good. Best described as «does the job.»
TIPS:
–Aside from the oysters, the food is whatever. You are pretty much ordering other stuff to carb up/​make yourself full. You might want to eat in-​n-​out before/​after coming here, and just order oysters when you arrive & bring a bottle of wine.

Its always Sunny at Shucks!
Sonny is always such a hoot to be around and super knowledgeable when it comes to oysters. Me and a buddy shared an Oyster Po’boy and half a dozen of the shucker’s (sonny) choice. The Oysters were amazingly fresh and gave me the refreshing taste of the ocean. The Clam chowder here reminds me of the eastcoast, which is the only way ill eat it. The grilled cheese with three different types of cheeses was a tad rich for me, but good nevertheless.
Cant wait to come back.

Aphrodisiacs r us the sign should say below the title line. A plethora of oysters to select from? C’mon! Let’s Get It On!
Sadly, my date is allergic to the little buggers, and not willing to make her have a bad reaction if we kissed, I had to peruse the impressive list wistfully. Perhaps another day. Nonetheless, I planned on getting the chowda and a grilled cheese to split, so it all worked out in the end. It was early afternoon when we stopped by and our server said it was happy hour. Too bad, oysters were only $ 2 apiece instead of $ 3.
The chowda was perfect. Chunky veggies meet the creamy base with lots of fresh clams clearly not from a can. The mini baguette with a slab of butter was divine and perfect for dipping. Furthermore, the press-​grilled sandwich oozed delicious cheese and was delightfully flavorful with minimal oil separation. Because we split it the kitchen cut the sandwich into six wedges. I recommend both items heartily, but beware– A light lunch it is not.

What’s not to love about shuck oyster bar? They always change their menu with a variety of oysters from all over! They have champagne and wine and a major plus is that they don’t have a cork fee! How awesome is that?
Parking can get really crazy on weekends, so I usually just valet. Love the area, too! Great shopping and desserts!
Ps… Alway always ALWAYS order the fried oysters and scallop ceviche!

I’m really diggin’ this place! Found tucked away in the OC Mix, this place is a hidden gem. The food, service, ambience is all on point!
First and foremost, the oyster selection! They offer about 16 different varieties of oysters in different regions: East Coast, West Coast, Pacific NW, Canada, New Zealand… you name it! I love the variety and you can mix and match, and try them all! I love oysters! They shuck it right in front of you and it’s so fresh! Sometimes they have live clams too. I really like their homemade sauces that accompany the oysters. If you love spicy like I do, ask for their homemade habanero sauce! (Not automatically provided unless you ask.)
Second, the food is
! They have a small, but adequate food menu. They are in the process of expanding the menu too. I’ve tried the grilled cheese sandwich (yummy and oozing with cheese!), clam chowder (savory), and clams w/​chorizo (like wow!). Everything was satisfying!
Lastly, great service! The guys are fun to chat with and they offer free corkage on 1^st bottle. Bring a bottle to drink with your meal and they will chill it, cork it, and serve it for you! I think that’s just awesome. :)