Monroe Bay Oysterette
15111 Washington St #113
Haymarket VA 20169
571-248-0861
www.monroebayoysterette.com

Seafood | $$

Located in Haymarket, VA, this little gem offers some of the best seafood in Northern Virginia.

There are about eight tables inside, so this outdoor summer-time seating helps.

This kitchen has an amazing history. Pre-COVID Chef Anne Thomas created stunning dishes here when she opened AKT Nourish.

I ordered the crab cake sandwich, and it was nothing short of spectacular. This was not your average crab cake — it was a towering masterpiece, easily twice the size of what most restaurants serve. Each bite was rich with sweet, succulent crab, held together by just enough binder to keep it intact. Grilled to golden perfection, it arrived on a nice bun with a velvety aioli that tied everything together beautifully. The seasoned fries on the side were crisp, flavorful, and the perfect partner to this star of the plate. Simply put, this is the crab cake every other restaurant should aspire to serve.

My wife ordered the butter-poached scallops, delicately paired with corn Elote — a clever nod to classic Mexican street fare. From the first bite, she was captivated. In fact, she talked about the dish all the way home, marveling at their silky texture and rich, buttery flavor balanced by the sweetness of the corn.

You don’t have to see the ocean to have great seafood. Just head over to Monroe Bay Oysterette in Haymarket. Seating is limited so they are not able to seat any party larger than five. The menu has plenty of choices and the prices are very reasonable. It’s a great place for date night. With limited seating, noise is almost non-existent, and you can actually hear the person you are with. Our waitress was fantastic and really hustled. At one point I saw her break into a short sprint to get something from the back of the restaurant.

Make sure you go with people who like seafood. This is a seafood restaurant, not a restaurant that serves seafood. The only non-seafood option on the menu is a Ruben, not a burger in sight. If you love seafood, make your way to Monroe Bay Oysterette. It’s the kind of restaurant you can’t help but tell your friends about — but secretly, you’ll want to keep it all to yourself.