(NEXSTAR) – If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. But first, he’ll need to tear open its slimy little body and yank out its fish-guts. And who wants to do that?
It’s much better to simply take that man to a nice seafood restaurant — preferably one with a lovely Chilean seabass.
Not sure where to go? Don’t worry. Yelp has released its 2024 list of the “Top 100 Seafood Spots” in the country, based largely on the reviews and ratings of its online community. Most of this year’s entries are located in coastal states (perhaps as expected), but plenty of Yelp’s users say great seafood can still be found in the Midwest and South, if you know where to look.
In total, restaurants across 25 states and D.C. made the list, with California and Florida tying for the most entries at 11 apiece. North Carolina, South Carolina and Nevada also made a good showing (seven entries each), with Texas (six) trailing closely behind.
Coming in at No. 1 in the country, however, is a “strip-mall restaurant” in Virginia, according to Yelp: Blue Seafood & Spirits in Virginia Beach is currently the top-reviewed seafood spot on the platform, earning an overall Yelp rating of 4.8 stars thanks to hundreds upon hundreds of highly favorable reviews.
The restaurant is located in Red Mill Commons, on Upton Drive. According to its website, Blue Seafood & Spirits has something for everyone, but its specialty is seafood! Chef Charles Thain, a culinary graduate of Johnson and Wales, opened the restaurant with his wife in 2013.
“Everything about this [restaurant] is amazing!” one recent reviewer wrote. “From the cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, the delicious food and wonderful wine selection … this place is a must!”
Too far from Virginia Beach? Take a look at Yelp’s top 25 below, then head over to the site for the full list of 100 well-reviewed restaurants that will de-scale and de-gut your sea creatures before bringing them to the table.
- Blue Seafood & Spirits – Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Bajamar Seafood & Tacos – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Holbox – Los Angeles, California
- 167 Raw Oyster Bar – Charleston, South Carolina
- Hook & Anchor – Newport Beach, California
- Happy Snapper Seafood Restaurant – Orlando, Florida
- J Crab House — Kissimmee, Florida
- Mr. Shuck’s Seafood – Brunswick, Georgia
- South Bay Wild Fish House – Astoria, Oregon
- Los Tortugo’s Seafood Market – Port Isabel, Texas
- Dockside Seafood Restaurant – Jacksonville Beach, Florida
- Oceana Restaurant – Palm Desert, California
- FreshCo Fish Market & Grill – Miami, Florida
- Joe’s Oyster Bar – Port Isabel, Texas
- Xi Yue Hui Seafood Hot Pot AYCE (All You Can Eat) – Brooklyn, New York
- Seafood Broiler – Norco, California
- Indialantic Seafood Company – Indialantic, Florida
- Scooter’s Fish House – Navarre, Florida
- Portofino – San Francisco, California
- The Crawfish Hut – Burien, Washington
- Stewby’s Seafood Shanty – Fort Walton Beach, Florida
- Albany Fish Company – Albany, Georgia
- Nine Seafood Restaurant – Cerritos, California
- Mariscos Costa Alegre – San Jose, California
- Matunuck Oyster Bar — South Kingstown, Rhode Island
In compiling its 2024 list of the “Top 100 Seafood Spots,” Yelp’s team limited its rankings to restaurants within the platform’s seafood category, concentrating on those with reviews that frequently mentioned the word “seafood,” specifically. These eateries were then ranked based on criteria including each restaurant’s Yelp ratings and volume of reviews as of Dec. 31, 2023. Yelp’s analysts also limited the number of list entries per state, for purposes of “geographic diversity.”
More information, along with a map of each restaurant’s location, can be found at Yelp’s official site.
