Oyster Express

This is a great spot to try a variety of freshly shucked oysters. The server was super friendly, efficient, helpful and patient as we asked her about the different types available. I just wish the menu offered a little more variety for dinner. The boyfriend was hungry when we arrived, so in addition to our oysters we ordered the most filling items, the grilled cheese sandwich and the clam chowder. Both were delicious, but felt more like lunch items than dinner items. We’re planning on coming back for their happy hour next time!

Had some happy hour oysters — Glacier bay oysters this time around. This place is terrific. Great staff/​service and oysters are consistently shucked clean. They have an awesome spicy jalapeño infused vodka sauce, amongst others, to go with your oysters — pretty awesome.
Watchmaker!

This is my favourite dinner spot in the city. The atmosphere is intimate and the menu is simple. If you’re an oyster-​lover this is exactly where you want to be. They have the best selection in the city and there is always something new to try.

Pleasant place with good service and fair prices. The happy hour oysters were average size. We had 30 for two people, which was about the right amount of food. This included 6 premium oysters, which did not seem much different than the $ 1.50 special. Overall charming place perhaps a little off the beaten path for a tourist. If you have to wait to be seated there is a Starbucks just one block away.

This place was the best discovery made while traveling around Vancouver. The service was great, knowledgable, helpful, and kind. There were at least 10 types of oysters to choose from, and we tried about 4 – 6 of them. We’re lucky to have lived in areas where seafood selection is plentiful, and these were some of the best oysters we’ve ever had. Also had the bucket of mussels, which were steamed to perfection. Very excellent food for an excellent price. We had such a great time trying the different oysters, and chatting with our server. Just a wonderful spot overall, a hidden gem for sure. We’ll definitely be back when we’re in Vancouver next!

Very fresh oysters, excellent service! I have been to most the places around the city for oyster and this definitely is a top contender for one of the best!
If this is your type of food this is where you need to be!

Wow, what a way to end our vac in Vancouver. Our gentleman server was great. He made recommendations for the oyster selection. And I also ordered the clam chowder. And all washed down with a beer. I ordered the grilled cheese and fries for my son. They were also yummy. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Don’t be discouraged by the location. The food is well worth it. It’s a small restaurant with about 8 – 9 tables. Either get there early or after the rush hours or try to make a reservation.

Rating as a dine-​in dinner spot on a rainy day.
Cozy, cute location. Great service — friendly, knowledgeable, and tailored for the particular dining experience. Simple menu that speaks to their focus. Solid quality food (had the Po Boy and a dozen different oysters). Also, a couple things we wanted were sold out that evening — may be all psychological, but that says fresh ingredients to me!
I like how it’s busy, but not overrun with people. Great for oyster cravings. Will be back!

LOVE this place. It’s my partner and my favorite place for fresh oysters. Cute lil place, service is great and the owner is friendly. At one point, the menu had fish chowder and it was to die for but it’s no longer available. Boo. It’s a great place for a date or a lil intimate gathering with 3 – 4 people. If you don’t likie oysters then this place might be a lil challenging because the menu selection is limited.
The tiramisu dessert is quite good too.

Tucked away at an inconspicuous corner at the edge of Chinatown, this homely little haunt is an oyster aficionado’s heaven. When we visited, the board boasted 10 types of oysters, featuring a wide selection of oysters harvested locally, on the east coast (from Prince Edward Island) to even overseas.
The oysters are lovingly served with a side of fresh horseradish, lemon and an assortment of homemade and bottled sauces. Star of the night were the Kaipara flown in overnight from New Zealand, simply sublime. The steamed muscles were sizeable, steeped in a rich creamy broth complemented by fresh onions that added some crunch to the taste.
Perhaps the only disappointment was the freshly shuckled live sea scallop from Qualicum, BC. At $ 7 a pop I was expecting fireworks, but the taste was slightly underwhelming.

This place definitely satisfied an oyster craving. Lovely little hole in the wall in Chinatown. The price was reasonable, the staff were knowledgeable and the place itself was suitable… for a Friday before a long weekend.
I wonder what’s the meaning behind the expression «the world is your oyster?» In any case, the oysters were fresh and delicious. Doesn’t have a fishy taste. We tried all the oysters on the menu and found the Gorge Harbours the best, creamy and sweet.
We didn’t try any other items on their menu, so we’ll have to come back another time. Though their specialty is oysters after all.

Cute small space, great service, quality oysters, with a generously long happy hour — that pretty much sums up our experience at Oyster Express.
Awesome happy hour Tuesdays — $ 1.50/oyster (4:30−9pm, what what!) The «express» is a bit deceiving as it’s definitely slower given its popularity vs. the small space/​number of employees.
Since it’s such a small space, they don’t take reservations for more than 2 people. The wait to get a table for 4 took about 45 minutes even though there was only 1 group ahead of us on the waitlist. Not a big deal, as we grabbed a beer nearby to kill some time. They take your name and number down to call you when your table is ready, which is fantastic.
We ordered the regular fries and yam fries to start. Their fries are lightly coated and SUPER crispy. The fries came with a side of ketchup while the yam fries came with chipotle mayo. The fries were a great way to tie our stomachs over until the oysters arrived. There was only one guy shucking away 4 dozen oysters for us 4 ladies (poor guy!) so it did take a little while before they reached our table — 2 dozen at a time (not to mention he also had to shuck for the rest of the guests in the restaurant!)
Great gem in Chinatown, close to Phnom Penh, so if you’re still feeling hungry after sucking back 48 oysters and still have room for 2 orders of chicken wings, it’s a block away (which is what may or may not have happened last night for us…) ;)

Great staff and oyster p’oh boy was the best I ever had. Oysters were super chilled and fresh tasting.

Maybe cus I wasn’t that hungry when I went, but it didn’t wow me.
Their winning point is their seasonal and fresh abundance of choices in oysters. I don’t really know much about oysters, so I just ordered the happy hour special. While it was delicious, the size was inconsistent, and some oysters were unusually thin and tiny compared to others. I had a dozen oysters, and half of them were below-​average size (thinner than paper).
We also ordered the Po boy, which was alright. I think the fried batter ruined some of the oyster flavor.
TBH, I like the idea of the place and the friendly staff, but compared to some other oyster places in van, I just don’t think this place is as awesome as people claim it to be. To be fair though, I will probably come back again.

I’ve been to this place several times after finding it on Unilocal.Awesome variety, good prices and i love their little sauces, mignonettes and daily specials.
Definitely recommend if your looking for good oysters, wine and great hosts!

My kids treated me to Mothers Day dinner here tonight :) another absolutely awesome meal!!!

Tried going there on x-​mas eve and didn’t work out. Felt very lucky that they were open today. I’ve been waiting to try this place for a long time. Waited 45 minutes which was long but worth my time. Maybe reservation would’ve been better?
Food was very good. Kushi oysters were very delicious. I liked it with caesar sauce and tasted very yummy. Fried oysters were hot, fresh and crispy. At the same time oysters were juicy.
Service was fast and servers were very friendly. I wish this restaurant was near my home.

The name makes it feel a little cheap, Oyster Express but it was anything but that. Warm and rustic feel with the wooden interior, mirrors and fireplace. We were instantly greeted and welcomed with a glass of water and menus. The waitress was well versed in her oysters and explained the varieties available. Of course we each had to go for a dozen happy hour oysters ($ 1.50/oyster). Today’s oysters were Tinywing, sweet, salty and varying in sizes but they were still plump regardless of sizes. They were shucked pretty quickly and we were able to start slurping right away! Dressing up your oyster with fresh horseradish, very hot pepper vinegar, cocktail sauce, Tabasco, or a mignonette. My dozen was super fresh and delicious but sadly I had two teeth grinding pieces of shell when I slurped my oysters… luckily I didn’t swallow them and was able to carefully pick them out of my mouth but very unfortunate that that happened. Not so clean shucking but it didn’t effect my impression of the place as much because the other food and service was amazing!
Fried oysters were hot and crispy. The outer fried layer wasn’t overly greasy and it was thing and crisp with the oysters being juicy and plump on the inside. The light mayo sauce was a pleasant accompany to the fried oysters.
The steamed mussels were super delicious with the mussels being steamed right, still plump and soft. The broth was rich and flavorful, full of mussel essence. Loved the bread that came with it so you could soak up all the goodness. Appreciated the waitress asking if we needed more bread, because there was a lot of soup left that needed to be sopped up into our mouths!
Lastly, the waitress who was helping us was absolutely lovely. She was very attentive to our questions, topped up our ice waters so it was never below half a glass, cleared out our shell bucket so it was never full, cleared our empty plates, and checked up on us to see if everything was okay. She was an absolute delight and made our stay very pleasant. I wish I got her name because she was awesome!
Overall, it was a cozy and lovely place to chat with my girlfriends while enjoying a delicious meal of all things seafood. We made a reservation on a Tuesday night. It was a rainy night but luckily I found some free street parking after 6pm just across the street. Might be a different story if I come here on a busier night but I guess I’ll have to come back to find out, which I definitely will!

The interior does NOT feel like any part of Chinatown. It’s clean, modern, and hip.
The oysters are fresh EVERY SINGLE DAY, which is the sole reason why we decided to give this place a try. The staff was amazing in recommendations and were very attentive.
Oyster of the Day ($ 1.50 each)
Ordered a dozen without even know what they were, but once they came, we cheers’d and took a shot. It was GREAT! You can really taste the freshness. And like a Pringle, once you pop, YOU CAN’T STOP! Those suckers just keep down. We found ourselves ordering another half dozen because we just couldn’t get enough.
Fries ($ 4.50)
A little pricey for some French fries, but they are so good. Fried perfectly, and you receive a pretty generous portion. Make sure you grab a buddy to share with (unless you’re just super greedy and/​or super hungry).
Homemade Iced Tea ($ 3.75)
Here is another pricey item on the menu, especially because this iced tea does NOT come with free refills. It’s a great tasting iced tea though. I enjoyed it, but it would’ve really gave me a bang for my buck if I got at least one refill. Nope.
New England Fish Chowder.
The fish was a little different, but soup itself was amazing. Rich in flavor. Nice and thick with huge pieces of fish. With every scoop, you get SOMETHING on in your spoon besides the broth.
This place is great, especially if you’re in the mood for just some oysters. Next time, I’d probably get 3 dozen oysters and not any of the over-​priced side dishes. Great oysters at an even better price.

This place is truly beautiful. $ 1 oysters during certain times, and some really nice classy ambience.
Parking is available in the side streets, but you’ll have to look around a bit.
The bar itself is really cozy. There are only 20 or so seats, so be sure to keep your group small.
There are a wide variety of oysters available here, but the $ 1 special only applies to 1 type.
Beers and wines are also available, to help you wash down the goodness.
The oysters are fresh, and are shucked to order. Absolutely no complaints.
I will definitely be back. Recommended.