Best Seafood Restaurants at Smorgasburg Los Angeles
Smorgasburg Los Angeles radiates magic every Sunday, buzzing with energy and exciting smells. Follow your nose through a curated collection of food, shop small with unique businesses, and enjoy libations in the beer garden. A family friendly weekend gathering, Smorgasburg has something for everyone… especially seafood lovers.
Here are the top three seafood restaurants and what to order.
Starting off mightily in third place is Lobsterdamus. Live-caught Maine lobsters get grilled over hot mesquite coals, enticing curious patrons with a billowing cloud of ocean scented smoke. Butter drizzles down liberally, and the only thing left to ponder is whether to pair the lobster with truffle fries or garlic noodles. There’s no wrong choice. Though the menu is small, Lobsterdamus ensures quality over quantity, proving that simplicity doesn’t mean basic.
In second place stands Evil Cooks. Offering both land and sea options, they technically aren’t a seafood restaurant. But Evil Cooks has mastered a truly special item that cannot be overlooked. Aptly named is the Poseidon. A mound of curlicues protrude vertically as octopus gets stacked and grilled al pastor style. The tower of tentacles looks like something out of an oceanic horror movie, yet the aromas are inviting and irresistable. Sliced from the spit and placed generously in a taco, salsa verde, cilantro, and lime top the Poseidon for the perfectly balanced bite. This one heavenly wonder is delicious enough to keep Evil Cooks on the greatest seafood list.
Standing boldly at number one for the best seafood restaurant in Smorgasburg Los Angeles is Broad Street Oyster Company. Like a lighthouse leading you to shore, this rip-roaring good time joint feels like coming home. Known for their world famous lobster rolls served on lightly toasted brioche buns, Broad Street Oyster Co. serves them two ways: warm with drawn butter and chilled with mayonnaise. If that doesn’t sound decadent enough, add a few delicate dollops of caviar and a lavish serving of uni. Yes, you read that correctly. Caviar and uni on a lobster roll.
A combination so gluttonously briney, devilishly naughty, and straight up out of this world could only come from one person: chef Christopher Tompkins.
Founder and owner of Broad Street Oyster Company, Christopher was born in New York and developed a love for the ocean and seafood at a very young age. After having lived in Boston, Sydney, and Brooklyn, he took a chance and moved west. Christopher shucked oysters as a pop-up on the streets of Santa Barbara, armed only with ice, lemons, and a knife. His energy and zest brought the seafood centric raw bar to Los Angeles, and the rest is seafood history They are located not only in Los Angeles, but also in Santa Barbara, Miami, Malibu, and the Grand Central Market.
Broad Street Oyster Co. is now a mini-chain, but the Smorgasburg Los Angeles location is the original. It feels like a New England crab shack plopped down in the middle of LA where East Coast and West Coast seafood culture blend into something totally new. One of the many five-star Yelp reviews proclaims, “I came to Smorgasburg specifically for the lobster roll from Broad Street Oyster Company! The lobster roll was completely worth it…. The brioche bun was buttered perfectly and the lobster itself tasted so fresh. Every bite was heaven.”
Beyond the roll, Broad Street Oyster Co. features some of the finest local shellfish. From Santa Barbara sea urchin, stone crab, mussels, and more, the menu reads like a surfy seafood pit stop. Start light with ceviche swimming in citrus or the shrimp cocktail served with homemade sauce. Finish with creative main entrees ranging from colossal seafood burgers, a sumptuous uni spaghetti, or a shatteringly crispy fried fish sandwich. Old school classics like oysters rockefeller bubble in a half shell and the seafood tower gets served on a bed of ice cold enough to quench a summer thirst.
This LA seafood destination has a decidedly laid-back beachy atmosphere, but don’t let that fool you. Broad Street Oyster Co. takes the food seriously. Christopher and his team of oyster shucking pirates strive to bring together family, friends, crustaceans, and banter into a truly memorable experience at Smorgasburg LA. Come for the seafood, and stay for the party. You’ll never want to leave.
Sundays are a chance for discovery at Smorgasburg LA, providing a peek into bold new tastes and uncharted waters of a new generation of chefs. The canopy of tents house inventive dishes, refreshing classics, and simplified seafood at the largest open air market in the country. Smorgasburg LA gives a platform to the future of west coast cuisine, so don’t miss the boat.