Liv’s Oyster Bar

My husband is not a fan of happy hour, but when it comes to Liv’s Oyster Bar I had no trouble convincing him. He’s an oyster fanatic and will never turn down buck-​a-​shuck! But the guy is ALWAYS late. And as I sat nervously at the bar like Cinderella, worrying that the clock would strike six before he arrived, he texted me to order him two dozen. Me, I can eat a bivalve or two, but was much happier with the adorable trio of tiny tuna tartare tacos and a cup of Liv’s famous clam chowder (a $ 3.50 bargain). I’m a fan of their New England version: not too thick, a bit briny, and studded with a couple of teeny fresh biscuits floating on top. We couldn’t resist the truffle fries (two baskets later) and you shouldn’t, either. The bar menu sports a bunch of Liv’s tried and true (the calamari here is crisp and spicy, a perfect combo), plus some fun and heftier additions like short rib quesadillas ($ 9.95). Happy Hour specials include a wine by the glass for $ 5 and a nightly cocktail for $ 8. Get there early, the bar was full by five pm.
Happy Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 4 to 6pm. Happy hour oysters, 3 varieties are $ 1 on Wednesdays, and $ 1.50 (one variety on special) on other days.

When we arrived, the restaurant was half-​empty. At least the front portion. We were given the center table of three in a row along the wall on the left. A tiny table, jammed up against the wall in between two other tables which were occupied. My husband and I are big, however this would still be a small space for petite people (albeit more manageable). We really did not fit and it was not relaxing. We asked the hostess who seated us if we could have a different table (there were several across the way which were empty and perhaps more in the back). She said, «No, the others are all reserved.» My husband was prepared to cram himself in and sit, and I was like, «No, I’m not doing this.» Because why am I going to pay full price for a meal to be that uncomfortable and not relaxed and just wanting to get out of there? So, we decided to leave. At this point, another hostess or manager called us back on our way out the door insisting that they could find another place for us. They seated us in a much more comfortable section (one of the empty tables across from the crammed in table). Once seated, a manager did check on us and insist that they wanted our business. I did appreciate that. However, I hate to say that the damage was kind of done. Not to mention, it took three-​quarters of our meal for anyone else to be seated in our area. The tiny table remained empty. Food was good — I had a lobster roll that was very good and we had a drink. But I felt on edge and conspicuous, though I appreciate the manager and hostess’s efforts to make us feel comfortable. I wish I hadn’t had to ask, and I wish I hadn’t been told, «no,» when I did.

Service slower than the 95 on Memorial Day weekend. Food was ok but nothing you should have to wait 2 hours for. Also, if you want crab you can find it at the hostess table.

We sat at the bar, had a glass of wine and a few appetizers. The oysters, clam chowder, warm asparagus salad, and tuna tartar were all excellent. The choices of wines by the glass were adequate. We would definitely go back.

We had a very romantic dinner at this upbeat restaurant last Friday night. The staff did everything they could to accommodate our early (too early for our reservation) arrival on a rainy, cold night. The fried oysters are fantastic, and the cocktails were creative and yummy.

Loved it! Amazing food, although a bit pricey. We brought friends in from out of town and all had an amazing dinner.

Totally over rated, snarky female «owner» who has no idea about customer service. Maybe they will survive in this restaurant starved town, but no where else. Go to the Red Hen where the food and service is surperp.

We did return, but this time was just OK. The lobster roll was very small, consisting of only knuckle meat (for $ 21.95), and the pasta was overly spicy. The service was also mediocre.

This was a great dinner and the service was excellent, don’t expect to get filled up though!

I have experienced (and it IS an «experience!») Liv’s Oyster Bar several times (I don’t even eat oysters!) and treated a friend for her birthday. We enjoyed our sparkling water (one of my tests of a restaurant’s quality is whether the waiter gets it right when I request «wedges, NOT slices» of lemon & lime with my sparkling water. This waiter got it right the first time) and perfect appetizer of squash blossoms (tempura-​style — goat cheese, pesto, etc.). Then our entrée — skewered swordfish pieces on a bed of couscous, with accompanying veggies. My guest declared the dinner «PERFECTION,» and I echo her opinion.
I have to say that our waiter, «Joe,» was an exemplar of what all waiters should be. Not witty, not «entertaining,» not cloying, not show-​off, not hovering. Attentive, low-​profile (this, a waiter SHOULD be!), entirely unobtrusive and respectful of our conversation, in fact well-​nigh invisible, yet acutely tuned to our every comfort and request. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better waiter — EVER! I guess pretty-​much the same could be said of the food preparation — nowhere better.
I imagine the inner room might get noisy on weekends (we were there on a Saturday night), but we were seated right near the front of the restaurant, tucked into a corner, and thank goodness, it was quiet enough (even though the restaurant was full) for us to hear ourselves converse. The only slight criticism is the width (or depth?) of the table — it was such that I felt very far away from my guest! Had it been any noisier, we wouldn’t have had the option of leaning closer to each other in order to hear — the table would have prevented that!

Best everything! Their seafood and raw bar is delicious and their dessert is ammmazing! I don’t think there is one thing on the menu I didn’t like!

My boyfriend brought me here on a date. The food and service was great! If I am ever in town again I would definitely come back to this place!

Great spot with outdoor seating! Food was fresh and very creative, I especially enjoyed the tuna tartare! Simply Devine! Although our service was not the greatest we will definitely go back for a fun night of tasting their creations.

I would like to start by saying we would give 5 stars but our waitress forgot about us several times to the point other patrons noticed we were not being serviced in a timely manner. This is all I will say about this.
The restaurant had great ambience and had a really tasty menu we ordered 3 appetizers with the tasting platter for the raw bar. It was very fresh and so delicious. All the appetizers were good. I wish I had more. The tempura fried squash blossoms were to die for. So delicate and prepared with so much flavor. BRAVO! This is a really Fabulous taste and if my wife wasn’t there I would have ordered a few of them lol. The tuna tartare was my wife’s favorite. What a lite and delicious mixture of veggies and tuna with the right mixture of chips DELICIOUS!!! We ended our introduction with the oyster platter. Wow. This was awesome and so fresh!
For our main course we ate lite we had the fish tacos (sword fish) and the fish and chips. Both were better than we expected and so fulfilling And to close our evening. We shared dessert. They have a awesome dessert chef. The butterscotch pots de crème was to die for and the coffee smores pie. OMG it was good. We will be back. They deserve 5 stars but our service was just so annoyingly slow. And it was only us being taken care of this slow. Restaurant is awesome!!!

We hadn’t been back to Liv’s for 2 years, because the prices had soared and the quality had not. We went back last night to find that the food and service were spectacular, and that the prices were really high. 6 oysters for $ 17; most apps for just under $ 20. But everything was absolutely delicious, beautifully prepared and presented, and the service was just great. This is a special place for a special dinner.

Once again Liv’s did an outstanding job in making my son’s 21^st birthday special. Oysters and shrimp started the meal. They were so fresh. Hanger steak was very tender. The scallops were large and delicious. The last dish was a pasta and shrimp dish that was a hit. And we couldn’t leave without trying each of the four deserts. The butterscotch pudding, left me licking the dish. Hats off to Bryan our waiter for his excellent service. John we missed you, but thanks for making Dan’s birthday dinner so special.

My husband and I dined here the Friday night of 4^th of July weekend. If you are a raw oyster fan, the oysters were phenominal. But I’m only giving 2 stars because the rest of the food was wildly inconsistent, and service was poor.
We ordered Moonstone, Noank, and Island Creek oysters which were all very good (Moonstone were our favorite) and fresh, but it took over 30 minutes for 9 oysters to come out, and another 15 minutes for our bottle of wine. So 45 minutes after we arrived, that’s all that made it to our table.
My husband also got the New England Clam chowder, which was very thin and somewhat bland, and I ordered the asparagus soup, which looked beautiful but also had very little flavor.
Our main dishes, arriving after 2 hours at the table, were the lamb chops and bucatini pasta. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly but again a little bland. However, I really enjoyed the bucatini with lemon cream sauce, bacon, peas, shrimp and mushrooms. The pasta seemed homemade, and the sauce was rich and creamy without being too heavy or oily. I would recommend this dish.
Two waitresses promoted the banana cream dessert as the best on the menu, but the crust on it seemed almost stale, and again was lacking in flavor and was light on actual pieces of banana.
This is a good spot if all you want is oysters; but for a full meal we were very disappointed overall. Luckily we weren’t in a rush, but our meal took 3 ½ hours from the time we sat down until we paid the check and left.

Be sure to check that it is in fact a dollar oyster night/​time slot. They are delicious, but can be very pricy if you don’t get the special. Bring a sweater-​they pump the a/​c

My lady and I travel all over New England weekly in search of new restaurants and venues and happened upon Liv’s as they were offering a Groupon deal. We sat at the bar waiting for our daughter to eventually join us for dinner. It was not overly crowded yet it took the bartender some time to take our order. She initially seemed pleasant but was distracted talking to other patrons and paid little attention to us. She finally came back and took our oyster order which admittedly they were very good once we received them.
Now the experience completely took a turn for the worst. We inquired about Groupon and instantly her demeanor toward us changed. In fact, she had not been back over to us in over 15 minutes while my empty beer glass sat on the bar. She and a manger went into the kitchen right past us, discussed something, then came back out and he started tending the bar. My glass sat empty for another 5 minutes while he laughed-​it-​up with other patrons at the bar. Finally he came down our end, took my empty beer glass, turned and walked away. We were, for lack of a better word, flabbergasted at this complete disregard for service.
Well my lady had enough of this and went over to talk to the another manager at the hostess station to explain what had happened. She also inquired about a table for dinner and was told they were all booked. There were literally only 4 or 5 of about 30 tables seated at the time. She told her we wanted to cash out and presented our Groupon. The manager took it over to the bar and the rude bar manager prepared our bill, not honoring the Groupon and comping only one of our drinks. My lady asked why they did not redeem the Groupon (which exceeded our bill) and was not given a response. They eventually comped the whole bill and we were on our way.
In our many adventures we have never been treated so poorly without reason or provocation. We would strongly discourage other customers from patronizing this snobotorium, unless of course you are one of the regulars that seem to be the only ones deserving of credible service at Liv’s.
Kevin R.

Love love love Liv’s!
Great food, nice atmosphere and during off season Weds night is dollar night oysters.
They make fantastic cocktails as well.