Seafood Restaurants in Hoboken NJ: Where to Eat Fresh Fish, Oysters & More

Hoboken has a food scene that covers nearly every craving — and when it comes to fresh seafood, the Mile Square delivers.

From briny oysters and colossal crab to chilled seafood towers built for sharing, the city’s best seafood spots know how to turn a dinner into an event. At The Madison Bar & Grill on Washington Street, the Seafood and Sips menu brings that same energy to one of Hoboken’s most reliable neighborhood restaurants — where fresh shellfish, craft cocktails, and a room worth sitting in all come together.

Whether you are a local looking for your next go-to dinner spot or a visitor crossing over from Manhattan, Hoboken’s seafood scene is worth your attention.

Why is Hoboken NJ a  Great City for Fresh Seafood?

Hoboken sits just across the Hudson from Manhattan, which means the city draws from the same high-quality supply chains that feed New York’s best kitchens. Fresh shellfish, seasonal catches, and premium ingredients move through this corridor regularly.

The city’s density also works in its favor. A compact, walkable dining strip along Washington Street and the waterfront means restaurants compete hard on quality. That competition keeps the food good and the menus honest.

For seafood lovers, Hoboken offers everything from dedicated raw bars and uptown neighborhood restaurants to waterfront dining with Manhattan skyline views. The price point tends to be friendlier than Manhattan too, without sacrificing the quality that makes a seafood dinner memorable.

Seafood and Sips at Madison Bar & Grill: The Full Menu

The Madison Bar & Grill runs a dedicated Seafood and Sips menu that pairs fresh shellfish selections with a curated list of wines and sparkling options. It is the kind of menu that works equally well as a starter spread for two or a full evening built around the raw bar.

Here is exactly what is on the menu.

Raw Bar and Shellfish

Clams — $3 each (minimum 6)

Fresh local clams served simply, letting the brine do the work. Order a half dozen to start and let the table decide if they need more.

Oysters — $3 each (minimum 3)

The Madison rotates its oyster selection weekly between East Coast and West Coast varieties. Ask your server what is in this week. East Coast oysters tend to run saltier and more briny. West Coast oysters are typically meatier and sweeter. Either way, at $3 each, this is one of the best oyster deals in Hoboken.

Shrimp Cocktail — $8 each

U6 shrimp served with a house made cocktail sauce. U6 means under 6 shrimp per pound — these are genuinely large, premium shrimp. Not the frozen, rubbery versions that give shrimp cocktails a bad reputation.

Colossal Crab Cocktail — $24

Three ounces of colossal crab served with lemon and cocktail sauce. Clean, cold, and straightforward. A solid anchor for any seafood spread.

The Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll — $32

Lobster, celery, Old Bay aioli, and a toasted buttered roll. This is the version that gets the details right. The Old Bay aioli gives it a distinctly East Coast character, and the buttered roll holds up without getting soggy. At $32, it sits at a fair price for Hoboken given the quality of the build.

The Seafood Towers: When You Want to Make It an Event

This is where the Madison seafood menu becomes a genuine destination experience.

Chilled Seafood Tower for 2 — $95

Half lobster, 3 oz colossal crab, 6 shrimp, 6 oysters, 6 local clams. A proper spread for two people who want to make a full meal of the raw bar without ordering everything à la carte.

Chilled Seafood Tower for 4 — $180

Whole lobster, colossal crab meat, 12 shrimp, 12 oysters, 12 local clams. The centerpiece of the table. At $45 per person for this amount of fresh shellfish, the value holds up. If you are celebrating something or just want the full experience, this is the order.

What to Drink with Seafood at The Madison?

The Seafood and Sips menu comes with a curated selection of wines specifically chosen to complement shellfish and fresh seafood dishes.

La Marca Prosecco — $14 glass / $48 bottle

The classic pairing for oysters and raw bar. Light, effervescent, and dry enough to cut through the brine without overwhelming it.

Sparkling Rosé, La Marca, Italy — $14 glass / $48 bottle

A rosé with bubbles brings a little more fruit to the table, which works particularly well alongside the crab cocktail and the lobster roll.

Sauvignon Blanc, Whitehaven, New Zealand — $13 glass / $44 bottle

Whitehaven is a consistently clean Sauvignon Blanc with citrus and herbal notes. It holds up against the shrimp and clams without competing with the food. A reliable, food-forward choice and one of the best value glasses on the list.

Where to Get Oysters in Hoboken

Oysters are one of the most searched-for seafood items in Hoboken, and for good reason. A well-kept oyster service at a neighborhood bar is one of the better ways to spend an evening in the city.

At The Madison, oysters come in at $3 each with a minimum order of three. The weekly rotation between East Coast and West Coast selections keeps the menu fresh and gives regulars a reason to return regularly to see what is in this week.

East Coast oysters from the Atlantic seaboard tend to have a firmer texture and a more pronounced salt finish. West Coast oysters, typically from the Pacific Northwest, run sweeter and carry a cleaner cucumber note. Both are worth ordering depending on what you prefer.

Ask your server which variety is on this week before you decide. The La Marca Prosecco at $14 a glass is the natural pairing. The bubbles clean the palate between oysters in a way that still wine simply does not.

Seafood Meets the Full Bar: Why Madison Stands Apart

Most dedicated seafood restaurants in Hoboken do one thing and do it well. The Madison does something more interesting.

The Seafood and Sips menu runs alongside a full American kitchen with burgers, steak, pasta, and classic bar staples. A table of four can split a chilled seafood tower as a starter, with one person going for the lobster roll as a main, another ordering the steak, and the whole table sharing another round of oysters before dessert.

That flexibility is genuinely rare. The seafood here is not a section of a menu that exists because it has to. It is a proper offering built around sourcing quality shellfish and pairing it with the right wine and cocktail program.

The bar runs a full selection of handcrafted cocktails alongside the Seafood and Sips wine list. The Aperol Spritz pairs particularly well with oysters. The Espresso Martini is a strong finish after the tower.

Seafood at Brunch: The Crab Cake Benedict

The seafood story at Madison does not stop at dinner.

The Sunday brunch menu features the Crab Cake Benedict at $26 — poached eggs, colossal crab, hollandaise, a toasted English muffin, and a million layer potato on the side. It is a proper brunch dish built around real crab meat, not a filler-heavy patty.

Pair it with the live jazz trio that performs every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM and you have one of the better Sunday morning experiences available in uptown Hoboken.

The Tuna Tartare Over Crispy Rice at $21 is another option worth knowing — available across the menu as a starter and one of the more interesting plates at the bar for a light lunch.

Location, Hours and Reservations

The Madison Bar & Grill sits at 1316 Washington Street in uptown Hoboken, close to the 13th Street PATH stop and walkable from most of the Mile Square.

Open seven days a week:

• Monday through Thursday: 11:30 AM to 2 AM
• Friday: 11:30 AM to 3 AM
• Saturday: 11 AM to 3 AM
• Sunday: 10 AM to 2 AM

Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 PM to 6 PM, which makes a pre-dinner oyster order at the bar a genuinely good idea on any given weekday. The raw bar pairs well with the Seafood and Sips wine list during that window.

Reservations fill up on weekends, especially for Sunday brunch. Book ahead via Resy or call (201) 386-0300 directly.

Frequently Asked Questions — Seafood Restaurants in Hoboken, NJ