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Public Fish and Oyster
About
- 4.6 (35 reviews)
- 20-55, $$, $$$
Public Fish and Oyster is a full service seafood restaurant and raw bar specializing in fresh, New England-style seafood in Central Virginia. Our commitment is to hospitality, quality ingredients and fair prices in a warm, inviting atmosphere.
| Day of the Week | Opening Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 16:00 - 21:00 |
| Tuesday | 16:00 - 21:30 |
| Wednesday | 16:00 - 21:30 |
| Thursday | 16:00 - 21:30 |
| Friday | 16:00 - 22:00 |
| Saturday | 16:00 - 22:00 |
| Sunday | 16:00 - 21:00 |
Cuisines
- 🍔 American
- 🦞 Seafood
- 🏙️ Contemporary
Dining Options
- 💺 Seating
- ♿ Wheelchair Accessible
- 🥡 Takeout
- 🍽️ Table service
- 📅 Reservations
- 🍷 Serves Alcohol
- 🅿️ Parking Available
- 💳 Accepts Credit Cards
- 🌳 Outdoor Seating
- 🍸 Full Bar
- 💳 Accepts Visa
- 💳 Accepts Mastercard
- 🍷🍺 Wine and Beer
- 💳 Accepts American Express
- 💳 Accepts Discover
- 🍽️ Dinner
Accepts Credit Cards
Recommended Reviews
4.6
Brian Hammill
This was an amazing experience in dining shared with 2 colleagues. The small plates to share go very well and you can order as many as you need for the size group.
Shirle Newman
Small place, but very nice staff. I don't eat oysters but the party I went with said they were excellent. I ordered the crab cakes, excellent with lots of meat (hardly any fillers).
Andrew Mercer
Amazing quality seafood, friendly service, intimate atmosphere.
Debra Maclin
Great place, food is excellent, service was very good. Would encourage to make a reservation since place is small. Very good happy hour
Virginia Stockwell
The raw oysters are the obvious star, but you'll also be delighted with the *new* bartender's offerings and of course the main courses. I had the PFO Pan Roast after asking 2 staff members what they personally liked best. It did not disappoint! They also have a beer/oyster happy hour that I may be a new regular for! Recommend.
Sean Crook
Happy hour is $1 off Virginia oysters. At $2.35 per, that's almost buck-a-shuck, and for Tom's Cove Chincoteague oysters? Forget about it! Draft beers are $2 off too. The shellfish is fresh and dressed to impress.
Kristina Scrimshaw
The food is amazing and the bar staff were super friendly. David, the oyster man, was so cool to chat with. Highly recommend this restaurant! 5 stars!
Mitchell Vernazza
The most amazing place. Great waitstaff and even better food. Would recommend to anyone who likes upscale laid backdining. Oyster selection is second to none this far from beach. Oysters come from all over east coast. Just an amazing experience and our server Colleen is a true asset to the business. .
Kaleb Rod
Highly recommend going here. If you love seafood this is the best in cville and probably the best in hundreds of miles. I got the lobster roll which they stop serving at 6pm so show up early.ðŸ‘
Cory Middleton
Absolutely amazing dinner. Sat at bar, but felt like we were sitting in the dining room. Great staff, great food, highly recommended!
Carol Riley
This is my seafood place, so I hope that says all that I would need to say. Great Food and Atmosphere.
Karen Miller
We had a party of 7. We ordered and after nearly an hour got our oysters. We waited another 45 minutes and asked where our food was. Said it would be cooked. 15 minutes later we paid for what we got and left. We had lost our appetite by then. But the tables around us were served great looking food. When the table turned they too had great looking food.
Peter Hedlund
Best place to get oysters in Charlottesville. Lots of choices and an occasional west coast option. Generally very good shuckers.
Danna Scott
Compliments to the chef; the food and presentation were excellent. We had steak and crab cake, whick melts in your mouth. I believe that $12 for a mixed drink (rum and coke) is too much for that location...we are not in NYC.Our server Nicholas, was curt, short and overall a bit arrogant. Perhaps we were not his preferred customer, but we were paying customers.
Brent Presnell
More of a local bar/restaurant. Not my type of place at all but an unusual, irreversible circumstance had me eating here. I had the grilled shrimp and I have to say they were delicous. Service was good and quick also. Probably unfair of me but I just can't give 5 stars to a bar no matter how good the food is.
Gaurav Verma
My favorite seafood place in town. They currently have a $29 three-course meal going on for the restaurant week in Cville which I highly recommend. If you miss it, their a-la-carte is quite brilliant too. So far everything has impressed. Expect to spend $25-50 per person, depending on your appetite.
Kelly Sorensen
The food is fine but the service has all the warm of the raw oysters they serve. I felt so uncomfortable that I literally asked for the rest of my meal to be boxed up and walked out. Additionally, the fans were in when it was in the forties outside and it was uncomfortably cold. I as told that they could turn the fans off but that the system works better if they leave them on. I’d be less annoyed if the whole experience hadn’t set me back $80 for dinner, an appetizer, and two glasses of inexpensive wine. The trout and dessert weren’t worth finishing. I feel bad for folks who go here for a special occasion meal. At least some of my cost was covered by my per diem.
Pasha Alan
The Service was Magnificent ,The Food was a Culinary Delight...As transplanted New Yorkers ,we loved going to the Noth Shore of of Long Island for Great and fresh seafood. When we moved to Shenandoah Valley; we figured that we would never taste fresh and delicious seafood, until we would visit back to our old stomping grounds in NY or up the East Coast. That was before we stopped by the Public Fish & Oyster restaurant. Our server was Jennifer ,she was simply a delight.. She was courteous and focused on our total satisfaction. I had fresh Oysters and they were as good as any I had in the Big Easy My wife's lobster Roll was the Best she has ever had and I'm talking about our trips to Maine and Rhode island to boot. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the room as (well as the bathroom) was spotless. If your seeking quality seafood and excellent service, at a reasonable price. Run ,dont walk to PF&O..A TASTE OF HEAVEN..
Sha ZHU
Wonderful spot for seafood lovers. The shrimp cocktail is COLOSSAL. Crab cake + hanger steak is a reliable entry choice- among many others we didn't have a chance to try. Bartender/Manager John is very attentive and friendly. Would recommend it highly.
Jane Jing
Busy seafood restaurant. The food was delicious and fresh. The waiter and waitress were friendly. Stylish decor.
Heidi Filter
Excellent Raw Oysters. Knowledgable bartender/server.
BrewCrew Jake
Outstanding food, drinks and service! We spent our anniversary here from out of town and couldn’t be happier with our experience! Our server Lisa was one of the best we’ve ever had and introduced my wife to her first oyster. EVERYTHING was great here!
Libby Schultz
Great service and good portions of really well made food. Only downside is that the glasses of wine are almost as much as the very high end whiskey.
Alexis Arendt
First, this restaurant is very small, so it's a good idea to reserve a table.However, the ambience is convivial rather than cramped. We visited during happy hour, and there were great specials going on! The clam chowder, while excellent, is a bit brothier than you might expect for New England style, just so you're aware. The clam were tender and plentiful.My scallops were phenomenal, and came with a generous helping of oyster mushrooms sauteed with bacon and hidden under perfectly dressed greens. The flavors worked together amazingly.My daughter devoured almost a whole bowl of mussels by herself (not unusual as she LOVES mussels). The ones I was able to steal were perfectly cooked.
Gillian Lanier
Great food, although restaurant week really limited our choices. I would love to try the regular menu. However, oysters were delicious. And, the trout amandine was wonderful.
Pamela Wang
Excellent oysters! Inspired menu. Foie gras! Delicious.
Faria Zahura
All the dishes were delicious. Nice place m.
Nitchakarn Laichuthai
Nice and fresh seafood. Oysters were OK. Service was good.
Kevin Vellanki
While the food was pricey, this is hands-down the best seafood in Charlottesville. The fried oysters had this melt in your mouth quality while retaining the flavor of the oyster inside, I've never tasted anything like it. The lobster & scallops was quite good, with the mushrooms/bacon pairing well with the flavors of the seafood. The scallops were perfectly cooked, with a crunchy sear on top and a soft interior that parted so nicely when bitten into. The lobster was a bit overdone, but seasoned nicely; it was just enough to accent the taste of the meat without overpowering it. The homemade ice cream was also excellent. Despite the high price tag, this restaurant is definitely worth the visit. I would dine here every week if I could.
Sviriniuc Cristina
Great place with good food and great service ! Thanks John!
Kirsten Miles
We chose fish new to us and were not disappointed. The Rockfish was tasty and moist, with crispy skin. The Alaskan Char was special, hovering just above rare, but not, amazingly tender - I suspect I was given a true taste of this trout/salmon flavor that is seldom attained and the caramelized onions a perfect foil.
Colby Anderson
I have never been so satisfied with a dinner than I was here. Oysters were delightful and the crab cake meal was amazing. Everything on the plate was perfectly paired with the other. Everything was full of flavor and delicious. I am definitely coming back
Amber Hermann
We arrived with no reservation but got two seats at the bar. The staff was professional, courteous and attentive. After raw oysters, the Virginia green salad, peel and eat shrimp for me and mussels for my husband we were full & satisfied with our pick of restaurants. Our bartender suggested instead of my coffee and Baileys I try his Irish coffee instead. It was perfect for the winter weather. We really enjoyed ourselves. 👌
Diana McLemore
Love this place! Casual, great happy hour and food is delicious.
Tech Turf
There's nothing close to PFO in Charlottesville. A landslide when it comes to seafood restaurants, absolutely amazing food, service, drinks and atmosphere every single time I've ever been here. We will be having our rehearsal dinner at PFO next October!Also Mandi J. How can you leave a negative review because you FAILED to make a reservation at the best seafood restaurant in town?? What an idiot!!!