ATXReview

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image
8.4

Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar

SeafoodRaw Bar

South CongressSouth Austin

$$$$Perfect For:Big GroupsBrunchDate NightDinner with the ParentsFirst/Early in the Game DatesOutdoor/Patio SituationPeople Watching
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If you’ve been in Austin for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard the names Clark’s and Perla’s thrown out interchangeably when talking about fancy seafood restaurants and oyster bars. And rightfully so. These sister restaurants—from the team behind Jeffrey’s, Sammie’s, and half the remaining restaurants in Austin—are two of the best upscale seafood spots in town. 

There’s a lot of overlap between the two. So much, in fact, that we wouldn’t be surprised if the restaurants were connected by a tiny tunnel under Town Lake, where servers raced back and forth with icy trays of New England oysters and chilled buckets of champagne. So what sets Perla’s apart from any other oyster bar in Austin? Armed with a dreamy patio on South Congress Avenue, and some of the freshest seafood in town, Perla’s is the inevitable answer to questions about where to go for date nights and special occasions. And it’s where you go to witness a $39 lobster roll, firsthand.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

We’ll get right to it—a meal at Perla’s is pricey. This isn’t a place you casually waltz into when you’re in the mood to eat Gulf oysters by the dozen. Part of that is because nobody casually waltzes outside of Disney movies, and another part is because Gulf oysters aren’t even served raw here (you can get them grilled). But the biggest part is because this isn’t a “dollar-oyster night” kind of place. This is the type of place where even the mac and cheese comes topped with lobster. On any given night, you’ll probably find a dozen varieties of oysters flown in from cold New England towns with fancy-sounding names, and even hot platters of grilled fish and crab cakes taste like they use the word “summer” as a verb. Don’t be surprised if an order of salmon a la planche finally convinces you that you could pull off being a pescatarian. But also don’t be shocked if you end up dropping a few bills on the whole experience.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image
Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image
Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

As memorable as a meal at Perla’s is, its biggest strength doesn’t lie in the near-army of East Coast oysters in its arsenal, or in its ability to transform Gulf seafood into plates we’d expect to find at a slightly toned-down version of Le Bernardin. Its biggest strength is its patio—a massive wooden deck standing just a few inches above the sidewalk of South Congress Avenue that feels like both a stage and an observation deck. There’s also a pretty large and elegant indoor dining room—complete with a giant fish tank—but outside is where you want to be. And when the weather is nice and the weekend hits, it’s one of the toughest reservations in Austin. But if you plan ahead a little, the patio can be all yours.

Food Rundown

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Oysters

Oysters are an almost-obligatory part of an order at Perla’s, the only questions tend to be—how many, and from where? Your server can probably help you with the latter, but you’re an adult so you get to decide exactly how many.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Wood-Grilled Oysters

These arrive still bubbling from the grill, topped with oregano butter, parmesan, and a generous amount of lemon that adds a tinge of acidity to each bite. We’re big fans of these. Ask for extra bread to soak up all the melted butter covering the plate.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Oak-Grilled Octopus

The octopus is grilled, cooled, and diced into small bite sized pieces that get tossed with a spicy carrot and ginger curtido. The meat is incredibly tender, and the slaw adds some brightness and a bit of texture to it all.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Little Gem Lettuce

Get this because you need to eat more vegetables. But also get this because it’s an incredibly light and refreshing salad that acts like a palate cleanser between bites of seafood.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar image

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Crispy Skin Rockfish

The skin is shatteringly crispy, with flaky, buttery meat that doesn’t feel a degree over medium. If this isn’t the best cooked fish dish in Austin, it’s certainly a contender.

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FOOD RUNDOWN

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