10 Most Iconic Seafood Restaurants in Miami

October in Miami means one thing for seafood lovers: it’s time to get cracking. Stone crab season kicks off October 15, and with National Seafood Month in full swing, there’s no better excuse to revisit the city’s most iconic seafood spots. From famed stone crab claws to king crab feasts and fresh catches worth dressing up for, these Miami classics deserve a spot on your dining list.

A Fish Called Avalon

Ocean Drive has no shortage of places to eat, but A Fish Called Avalon has been holding its own since 1989. Set inside the historic Avalon Hotel, this Art Deco mainstay brings seafood with tropical influences to a setting of floor-to-ceiling windows, sidewalk dining, and live music. The menu’s standouts include macadamia-crusted snapper and an orzo seafood paella for two loaded with Maine lobster, shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, and calamari.

When stone crab season arrives, you can find the beloved crustacean on the menu with Chef Kal’s signature three-mustard horseradish sauce and a recommended chardonnay pairing. Settle onto the terrace for dinner and a little live entertainment, and you’ve got a classic South Beach evening with plenty of zest.

A Fish Called Avalon is located at 700 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, FL 33139 (South Beach). For more information, visit their official website.

Casablanca Seafood Bar & Grill

Perched on the Miami River, Casablanca Seafood Bar & Grill pairs waterfront views with a raw bar, daily catches, and seafood plates built for lingering outside. Highlights include grilled whole fish and seafood paella brimming with shrimp, clams, mussels, and more.

The breezy patio is made for watching boats drift by while you dig into fresh fish, which is exactly why Casablanca still belongs in the conversation when the craving is seafood with a view.

Casablanca Seafood Bar & Grill is located at 400 NW North River Dr., Miami, FL 33128 (Miami River). For more information, visit their official website.

CJ’s Crab Shack

CJ’s Crab Shack is the no-frills Miami Beach staple for crab lovers who want generous portions without ceremony. Along Ocean Drive, the kitchen sends out Alaskan king crab, snow crab, and its famous garlic crab dressed in rich, garlicky sauce.

The outdoor seating keeps the mood easy, the seafood is built for cracking into with both hands, and the price point is friendlier than many of its South Beach neighbors.

Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market

A Miami institution, Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market brings fresh, locally sourced seafood straight from the water to your plate. This family-run restaurant along the Miami River has been serving crowd favorites like stone crabs, grilled dolphin fish, and fried shrimp since 1966.

The setting is unfussy in the best way: waterfront tables, a working-fish-market feel, and seafood that lets the product do most of the talking.

Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market is located at 398 NW North River Dr., Miami, FL 33128 (Miami River). For more information, visit their official website.

Joe’s Stone Crab

Some Miami restaurants chase the spotlight, but Joe’s Stone Crab has had it for more than a century, and that speaks volumes. Since opening in 1913, this South Beach institution has built its reputation on impeccable service, legendary Florida stone crabs, and a dining room that feels like a Miami rite of passage.

Order those famous claws with the classic sides, then add the stone crab bisque and lump crab cakes for good measure. Too much crab? Never!

Joe’s Stone Crab is located at 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139 (South Beach). For more information, visit their official website.

Klaw

Norwegian king crab takes center stage at Klaw, where the prized crustaceans arrive from the Barents Sea and make a rather grand entrance. Set inside the historic Miami Women’s Club in Edgewater, the restaurant pairs its seafood with a soaring dining room and a rooftop overlooking Biscayne Bay.

The menu leans into ceremony, with colossal king crab alongside fresh fish and a serious steak program featuring Black Angus Nebraskan beef. For a seafood dinner with a little spectacle, Klaw makes a compelling case for looking beyond Miami’s usual waterfront haunts—just be ready to splurge.

Klaw is located at 1737 N Bayshore Dr., Miami, FL 33132 (Edgewater). For more information, visit their official website.

The Lobster Shack

For a casual seafood fix, The Lobster Shack remains a South of Fifth favorite. The menu brings New England-style seafood to Florida’s sunny shores, from the warm, butter-drizzled Naked Lobster Roll to the oversized Monstrous Lobster Cocktail.

The raw bar and snow crab platters make it easy to build a full seafood spread, while kid-friendly options like PB&J sandwiches and quesadillas keep the family-outing logistics simple.

The River Oyster Bar

Tucked into Brickell, The River Oyster Bar offers a refined seafood experience in the heart of Miami. The menu showcases fresh oysters sourced from both coasts, backed by a well-curated wine list and a room that works for date night, business dinners, and polished catch-ups.

Signature dishes like grilled octopus and pan-seared snapper keep locals and visitors coming back, while the oyster selection gives the place its staying power.

The River Oyster Bar is located at 33 SE 7th St., Miami, FL 33131 (Brickell). For more information, visit their official website.

Seaspice

Few Miami restaurants make a spectacle of waterfront dining quite like Seaspice. Set on the Miami River, the longtime destination pairs passing yachts and skyline views with a seafood-heavy menu that knows its way around indulgence.

Think barbacoa-grilled oysters, tender octopus a la plancha, market fish in a sea salt crust, crudo, tataki, sushi, seafood cocktails, and more. The restaurant is also entering a new chapter with Seaspice Omakase by Chef Wu, bringing a more intimate, chef-led Japanese seafood experience into the mix.

Seaspice is located at 412 NW North River Dr., Miami, FL 33128 (Miami River). For more information, visit their official website.

Sexy Fish

Miami’s seafood scene has its old-school institutions, and then there’s Sexy Fish, which has become practically synonymous with the city’s see-and-be-seen dining scene. The London-born restaurant brought Japanese-inspired seafood to Brickell, pairing sushi, sashimi, and robata-grilled specialties with an extravagant underwater-inspired interior.

Under Michelin-starred chef Björn Weissgerber, the marine menu spans yellowtail sashimi with green mandarin ponzu, signature Sexy Fish maki, and caramelized black cod with spicy miso. Add the Champagne list, theatrical cocktails, and late-night DJs, and you have a distinctly Miami expression of seafood dining: indulgent, design-driven, and never low-key.

Sexy Fish is located at 1001 S Miami Ave., Miami, FL 33130 (Brickell). For more information, visit their official website.

Whether you’re chasing stone crab season, a polished Brickell dinner, or a low-key Miami River table, this list covers the city’s seafood range without pretending every occasion calls for the same room.

Keep exploring with our guides to the best seafood restaurants in Miami, the best restaurants in Miami Beach, and the best restaurants in Brickell.