When It Comes To Quality Seafood, This Restaurant Chain Comes Out On Top

When it comes to fresh, high quality seafood, some restaurants regrettably miss the mark. That's why it's a good idea to do your research before dining out. (Check out our ranking of the best and worst seafood chains in America for starters!) A sure bet among the chains that serve the highest quality seafood is the Oceanaire Seafood Room. 

Established in 1998 with the goal of providing the freshest seafood imaginable to its guests, the Oceanaire Seafood Room is a fine-dining establishment with eight locations, including restaurants in Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Orlando, and Washington D.C. The upscale chain features sustainable seafood flown in daily from reputable global suppliers and a chef-driven menu that changes daily. Open for lunch and dinner, it offers seasonal specials such as Dover sole, a luxurious flatfish known for its mild, sweet flavor; stone crab (available October through March); Shucks and Sushi Sundays, featuring half-off sushi and $2 oysters; and premium Alaskan wild salmon and halibut. 

Depending on location, guests can typically expect to find a wide variety of seafood favorites on the menu such as fried calamari, grilled salmon, seared Yellowfin tuna, raw oysters, chef-crafted sushi, red king crab, Maine lobster, and sea scallops. Since 2010, the Oceanaire Seafood Room has been owned by Landry's, Inc., an international dining and hospitality group that also operates Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Joe's Crab Shack, and McCormick & Schmick's.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room has received several awards for its exceptional service, including TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence Award, Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence, and Open Table's Special Occasion Restaurant Award. In addition to it's celebrated ambiance, the upscale chain receives generally positive reviews, with most locations receiving at least 4 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor, 4.6 stars (Baltimore) on OpenTable, and a slightly lower score of 3.7 stars on Yelp for the Washington D.C. location. 

A significant number of reviewers describe the restaurant's seafood as fresh, tasty, and high quality. The negative reviews generally mention the high prices as well as a bad service experience for some. A restaurant-goer on Open Table, who dined at the Washington D.C. location, states, "This was our third visit to the restaurant, and we had an enjoyable time. The seafood is high quality, fresh, and a wide selection to choose from. It is a little pricy for some items and for other items, reasonable." 

Popular dishes mentioned on Yelp include the crab cakes, New England clam chowder, chicken fried lobster, lobster mac, and the shrimp scampi. Aside from its superior (albeit expensive) seafood, Oceanaire is known for its baked Alaska, an indulgent dessert featuring a sponge cake topped with a giant mound of meringue that is dramatically lit on fire at the table.