13 Of The Most Expensive Seafood Restaurants In The U.S.
Fine dining restaurants hold sacred spaces in American culture as places where we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other monumental occasions. For most of us, these aren't the kind of establishments we frequent for a quick weekday meal. These are the restaurants we daydream about while we're supposed to be working. We study the menus and plan our meals weeks before dining. The kitchen is staffed with chefs instead of cooks. These are the restaurants we don't just visit for a meal; we come for the experience, and that experience often comes with a price tag that exceeds what we spend on a normal night out.
Options are plentiful when it comes to fine dining, but perhaps nothing is as classic as seafood. While price is not alway an indicator of quality, the restaurants featured here showcase exquisitely prepared fresh seafood. Many of them offer premier ocean views. They are places to see and be seen. But, you might want to save them for a special occasion, because these are some of the most expensive seafood restaurants in the U.S.
Le Benardin - New York City
Le Bernardin isn't just one of the most expensive seafood restaurants in the U.S — it's one of the most expensive restaurants, period. New York pretty much sets the bar for dining prices, and Le Barnardin is one of the priciest in the city. The price buys a quintessential fine dining experience. Jackets aren't required, but they are recommended. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and museum-quality art adorns the walls. Although it's expensive, Le Bernardin has a pedigree that says you get what you pay for. The restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars and has won more James Beard Awards than any other restaurant in New York.
The most extravagant way to sample the French seafood is ordering an eight-course chef's tasting menu. It starts at $350, but jumps to $530 with optional wine pairings. For a slightly lower price, there is a four-course prix fixe dinner menu available for $218. But, even then there are plenty of options for increasing the bill, such as adding a caviar supplement for $145 an ounce. The wine list provides other opportunities to splurge with a 15,000-bottle collection that includes vintages dating back to 1875. Le Bernardin is a culinary destination that offers an acclaimed menu and costs a small fortune.
(212) 554-1515
155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
Providence - Los Angeles
Providence serves some of the most expensive seafood on the West Coast, and, like Le Bernardin, it boasts a pedigree that helps justify the price. California's coastal location provides a bounty of seafood, but Providence is a standout among the options. Eater claimed that the Michelin-starred restaurant is "perhaps the most serious seafood restaurant in L.A." It was also included as one of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S. by Gourmet magazine, and our publication named it the best seafood restaurant in the state.
Luxury isn't cheap. The classic menu is $375, and the tasting menu starts at $495. Add-ons are available for the tasting menu that make it even costlier, such as the $45 A5 Wagyu. While seafood is the main draw, the restaurant is also praised for its chocolate, which is made in-house using cacao imported from Hawaii.
(323) 460-4170
5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Joe's Stone Crab - Miami
A 2025 report identified Miami as the least affordable U.S. city for dining out. That doesn't necessarily mean it has the most expensive restaurants in the country though. The crux of the study was comparing prices at mid-range restaurants to average salaries. Joe's isn't exactly mid-range, it has three dollar signs on Yelp with a menu that provides options to pay even more. This classic Miami restaurant opened in 1913, and is still serving crowds of locals and tourists.
The draw at Joe's is chilled and cracked stone crab claws. The claws come in sizes from medium to jumbo, with prices ranging from $49.95 to $129.95 per order. For an additional $30 you can turn an order of crab into a full menu with hashed brown potatoes, creamed spinach, and key lime pie. The menu also includes steaks, Chilean sea bass, and lobster tail. If you are looking for a budget-friendly option, the restaurant has fried chicken for the surprisingly reasonable price of $8.95. While it's an unexpected item to find at a seafood restaurant, it is highly praised by many customers.
(305) 673-0365
11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
AQUA by El Gaucho - Seattle
AQUA by El Gaucho offers fine-dining with a stunning view from the end of Pier 70 in Seattle. While the deck has million-dollar views of Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier, and the Space Needle, you don't have to pay quite that amount to eat at AQUA. But, it's not a cheap night out either. The main event is a seafood bacchanalia that serves two for $225. It includes lobster tails, seasonal fish, prawns, and scallops.
While that is already pricey, there are other menu items that can increase the bill further. Appetizers, such as local oysters, yellowfin poke, and scallops on the half shell, are in the $30 range, and a salad will add another $15 to $20. Then, there is a highly praised crab mac-n-cheese that costs $39 for a two to four person shareable side. However, one of the most expensive orders can be found on the dessert menu. For $125, you can "drink your dessert" with a premium cocktail made with rare and expensive liquors and served with a seasonal amuse. AQUA by El Gaucho is the place for spectacular views, fresh seafood, and one of the most expensive cocktails you can order.
(206) 956-9171
2801 Alaskan Way, Pier 70, Seattle, WA 98121
RPM Seafood - Chicago
RPM Seafood is a glitzy establishment that Thrillist named as one of the sexiest restaurants for a romantic date night in Chicago. One of the most expensive menu items is a Grand Tower from the cold bar. It includes lobster, king crab, prawns, and oysters for $255. There is also a mixed seafood grill that is flamed tableside for $94 and a Wagyu New York Strip for $105.
The wine list is equally extravagant. It offers a wide array of wine and Champagne with the most expensive bottles (a 1998 Montrachet from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) going for more than $9,000. For those who don't want to buy a full bottle, there is also an option to order by the glass. While some glasses cost around $15, the most expensive is $98. The cocktail list is also pricey. A Mile HIgh Club, mixed with Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-year, costs $34. Luckily for your pocketbook, RPM Seafood offers a happy hour with $10 cocktails and glasses of wine.
rpmrestaurants.com/rpm-seafood-chicago
(312) 900-9035
317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Estiatorio Milos - Multiple locations
Estiatorio Milos has 12 global locations, including five in the U.S. at places such as The Venetian in Las Vegas, Hudson Yards in New York, and Miami Beach. The restaurant seems to intentionally obscure how expensive it can be. Prices aren't printed on the online menus, and, at least at the Hudson Yards location, prices aren't printed on the display menu outside the restaurant either. However, Eater New York did the research to bring us the costs. According to their calculations, a three-course meal for two costs about $416, with tax and tip.
The Greek-style seafood is often described as refined, yet unpretentious. The focus is on fresh fish and high-quality ingredients. The food is generally highly praised at all the locations. Miami knows seafood, and the Miami New Times named Milo's one of the 50 best restaurants in the city in 2026 and one of the 25 greatest restaurants of the last 25 years.
Multiple Locations
The Sardine Factory - Monterey
The Sardine Factory is a fine dining institution that has been serving seafood on California's Central Coast since 1968. The menu is loaded with seafood options, including fresh pastas, smoked sardines, and a variety of fish. However, one of the priciest options is the tomahawk steak for two. This special menu includes soup, salad, and steak for $195.
The wine list at the Sardine Factory is particularly impressive. It has received Wine Spectator's Grand Award and Wine Enthusiast named The Sardine Factory as one of the 100 best wine restaurants in America. Its current selection includes more than 15,000 bottles, making it one of the largest collections in the world. The extensive selection includes several bottles with prices north of $1,000, and the most expensive we found cost $12,300. The Sardine Factory is classic California fine dining, with an impressive wine list.
(831) 373-3775
701 Wave St., Monterey, CA 93940
Marea - Multiple Locations
Marea originated New York before expanding to Beverly Hills and Aspen. While Manhattan has a plethora of Italian restaurants, Marea is a standout. When it opened in 2010, it won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and received the same designation from Esquire, Bon Appétit, and GQ. Marea advertises on its website that it "attracts those who don't chase luxury, but who live it." Apparently that is a crowd that includes the Obamas, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga, who have all dined at the destination restaurant.
It's helpful to have the bank balance of a former president or pop powerhouse when dining at Marea. Every section of the menu contains eye-popping prices. It opens with caviar selections that cost up to $350. A dozen oysters cost $58. The antipasti menu is full of selections that hover in the $50 range. Fish dishes include a $98 "Tunahawk" steak and a $115 pan-seared wild Dover sole, with an option to add a $44 caviar-and-butter sauce. Prices aren't any lower on the cocktail menu, where you can find a Marea Martini for $36.
Multiple Locations
Ostra - Boston
Ostra has been called Boston's answer to Le Bernardin. Like the New York establishment, Ostra offers acclaimed seafood at a premium price point. It is a Mediterranean restaurant that uses fresh Boston seafood. It's a pairing that Boston Uncovered called "a marriage made in heaven" in its rankings of Boston restaurants worth shell-ebrating.
Although the first restaurant to serve clam chowder was in Boston, you won't find this dish on the menu at Ostra. But you will find caviar, grilled Spanish octopus, and paella. Some of the more expensive entrées include broiled lobster ($135) and salt-crusted branzino ($150). Although it primarily serves seafood, there is also a steak section on the menu that features a 65-day dry-aged prime ribeye for $98. The restaurant also has a long wine list that includes a bottle that costs $18,335, or slightly more than a brand new Nissan Versa.
(617) 421-1200
One Charles Street South, Boston, MA 02116
Ocean Prime - Multiple locations
Ocean Prime is an upscale chain that straddles the line between seafood and steakhouse. While both labels are applicable for the restaurant, the ocean name and seafood-first menu make it a seafood restaurant in our estimation. The menu includes many splurge-worthy fish dishes, such as salmon, snapper, and Chilean sea bass. Although exact items and prices vary slightly by location, most of the fish entrées sell for between $50 and $60. Additionally, appetizers such as calamari, crab cakes, and sautéed shrimp with a Tabasco cream sauce are in the $20 to $30 range. The dessert menu includes a decadent ten-layer carrot cake for around $20, as well as other options, such as chocolate peanut butter pie and warm butter cake.
The restaurant is part of the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants group, which started in 1993 with a single restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The first Ocean Prime opened in Troy, Michigan, in 2008, and the chain has expanded from there. Now there are around 20 locations nationwide, including cities such as Dallas, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C. The pricey chain was named one of the 13 best seafood restaurants in Fort Lauderdale by the Miami New Times, and it earned a readers' choice award for Best Fine Dining from Las Vegas Weekly, among other accolades.
Multiple locations
Angler - San Francisco
Angler is a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco that serves fresh seafood in an upscale environment. Esquire named it the Best New Restaurant in the nation when it opened in 2018. Angler's menu opens with caviar service for $140 per ounce, and only gets slightly cheaper from there. Oysters are $5 each, making a dozen a cool $60.
Every dish is touched by live fire in some way, and the dining room offers views of the open hearth and San Francisco Bay. A prime example of the unique preparation is the Embered Whole Lobster for $97. "It's a stunner in presentation and taste, with a hint of char from the live fire," Eater proclaimed in a recent review. Angler boasts an extensive wine list — which is not surprising given the California roots. The wine list includes options in every price range except cheap. The most affordable bottles cost around $60 and prices continue to rise until topping out at $25,000 for a 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild.
(415) 872-9442
132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Charleston
Admittedly, it is significantly cheaper to dine at Hank's than at some of the other establishments we've covered. (It's one of the two restaurants on this list to "only" have three dollar signs on Yelp.) But, Hank's also serves a different type of seafood. You won't find caviar and crudo on the menu, instead there is shrimp and grits, fried fish, and a signature bouillabaisse. Hank's specializes in premium renditions of Lowcountry classics. It's almost mandatory to order a bowl of South Carolina-born she crab soup when in Charleston, and Hank's offers one that customers call one of the best in the city.
We aren't trying to imply that dining at Hank's is cheap. It's not. The aforementioned bouillabaisse costs $42, as does a platter of fried grouper, flounder, and shrimp. Even the buttermilk fried chicken costs $32, which is an expensive version of the dish. The wine list is long, with plenty of bottles that cost hundreds of dollars. While it doesn't cost as much as a Michelin-starred, Manhattan eatery, Hank's Seafood Restaurant is one of the most expensive places to visit for Southern seafood.
(843) 723-3474
10 Hayne St, Charleston, SC 29401
Truluck's - Multiple locations
Truluck's is a small chain of seafood restaurants with 12 locations. Most of them are in Texas or Florida, although there are also outposts in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Prices and availability can vary slightly by location, but we used the downtown Austin location as a point of reference. The most indulgent way to start the meal is with Trident Royale caviar service for $165. Stone crab is a specialty at Truluck's, and is priced individually based on the size of the claw. A medium costs $12 while a jumbo costs $39. Entrées are evenly split between prime seafood and steaks. Options include Ōra King salmon ($65), sesame seared tuna ($52), and prime ribeye ($69).
Some would claim the best way to serve shrimp cocktail is alongside a chilled martini. They would be pleased to find a martini experience section on the cocktail menu, but the martinis come with a hefty price tag of $28. However, Truluck's offers a daily happy hour featuring half-price cocktails and oysters, along with other small bites. It's an opportunity to sample the expensive seafood restaurant without breaking the bank.
Multiple Locations
Methodology
For this piece, we focused on identifying the most expensive seafood restaurants in metropolitan, urban centers known for high costs of living. We limited ourselves to establishments that market themselves as seafood restaurants as opposed to just having seafood on the menu. Sushi belongs in its own class, and sushi restaurants were excluded. The line between steakhouse and seafood restaurant can be razor thin. We included seafood restaurants that serve steak, but excluded steakhouses that serve fish. To identify the restaurants, we scoured reviews from publications such as Infatuation, Time Out, and Goop to find the most expensive restaurants in a city. We then filtered Yelp to only include $$$$ and browsed menus to compare prices. Rare exceptions (2) were made to include $$$ establishments, but only if they had some particularly pricey menu items.