Little’s Oyster Bar

Something about the first cocktail on a drink menu being named “Golden Martini” gives you a clue as to what kind of spot you’re dining at: a bit over the top, maybe a tad opulent, and without a doubt expensive. Little’s Oyster Bar, a seafood restaurant from the folks at Houston’s homegrown family hospitality group Pappas (best known for its steakhouse), exemplifies all of those things, and also serves beautiful, excellent food. Yeah, Little’s has style, but we appreciate that it also has substance.

No matter the day, people pack out the glitzy Little’s dining room. You half expect to see folks wrapped in furs and flexing diamond cufflinks to each other given the restaurant’s Hollywood regency, art-deco-meets-coastal-resort vibe. We’re not sure if we should dress up for a roaring ‘20s party to dine here or a chic sailing outfit from the cover of a vintage J Crew catalog before grabbing a seat at the gleaming marble bar.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Without a doubt, Little’s is fancy. And even though you will spend at least $18 on a cocktail and $40 on an entree, everything on the menu lives up to the price of entry. Especially the $199 seafood platter with oysters, shiny stone crab claws, smoked trout roe, crisp tuna crudo, and a bright red lobster crown. As the tray leaves the oyster bar, it oozes decadence, and everyone will stare as it gets paraded through the dining room as though you are undersea royalty accepting an offering of fealty. We also love the rich but airy crab croquettes with an understated gazpacho and the seared grouper with little bites of pickled radish. 

While you may need to excavate a gold bar to afford dinner here, or perhaps shuffle around a few credit card points, Little’s Oyster Bar will deliver excellent, gorgeous food in equally luxurious digs. To which we say screw it, add on the caviar, and indulge your inner industrialist for a glamorous evening. If you are craving a seafood feast, need a classy spot to celebrate a special occasion, or just want to throw back some crisp oysters, get a reservation at Little’s.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Cocktails

Every cocktail here comes with a hefty price tag, but each one is playful and delicious, like the Garibaldi Spritz with a fluffy crown and twirly citrus peels, or the Golden Martini perfumed with chamomile.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Seafood Platter

We know that sometimes food looks too beautiful to eat, or even be real, but rest assured this absolutely stacked seafood platter is very real, very fancy, and very, very good.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Crab Croquettes

Somehow Little’s manages to keep this dish feeling light, despite the fact they stuffed the croquettes with so much crab that there’s even more crab garnished over top.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Grouper

The sweet, mild flavor of grouper complemented by a rich brown butter sauce feels like a great way to end a meal here. It’s understated, yet punchy and overstated, with pops of acid. And also, it just looks really pretty.