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Public Fish & Oyster, Charlottesville, VA

Public Fish & Oyster

4.8
4.8
2699 Reviews
$31 to $50
Seafood
513 W. Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
9:30 PM
Booked 47 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for happy hour
  • Lively
Public Fish and Oyster serves only the freshest and responsibly sourced seafood. We believe in the complete dining experience and our knowledgeable staff is eager to provide you with the best dining experience Charlottesville has to offer.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Contemporary American, Oyster Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Happy Hour Daily 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Dylan Allwood
  • Neighborhood
    Charlottesville
  • Cross street
    6th St. NW
  • Parking details
    Parking is available in our shared lot adjacent to the restaurant. In addition there is ample street parking and a free city lot a block away in the Ambemarle Hotel lot.
  • Public transit
    Bus line and trolly service right outside our door.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • 2025 UVA Graduation Weekend May 16th-18th

    $25.00 per person

    Prepaid

    May 16, 2025 - May 18, 2025
    For the weekend of UVA Graduation, Public Fish and Oyster will be offering a three course, prix-fixe menu for $85 per person. To reserve a $25 deposit per person is required which will be applied towards your bill the day of your reservation.
    2025 UVA Graduation Weekend May 16th-18th Photo

What 2,699 people are saying

Public Fish & Oyster reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Virginia

    Seafood

  • Charlottesville

    Best Overall

  • Charlottesville

    Best Food

  • Charlottesville

    Best Service

  • Charlottesville

    Best Value

  • Charlottesville

    Hot spot

  • Charlottesville

    Neighborhood gem

  • Charlottesville

    Lively

  • Charlottesville

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Public Fish & Oyster delivers an outstanding seafood experience with "top quality" dishes like Maine oysters and gluten-free crab cakes. Renowned for its "fantastic service," the restaurant boasts a "first-rate" wine list and a vibrant atmosphere. Regulars rave about its "freshest seafood" and "amazing" cocktails.
2,699 Reviews
  1. Henry

    Chicago8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Crab legs and crabcakes were terrific; service was pleasant but irregular; lots of requests got forgotten. Prices are outrageous

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  2. Mark VIP

    New York City99 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great seafood and raw bar. Friendly service. Outdoor dining is quieter than interior. Always consistently excellent.

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  3. Wyatt

    Washington DC2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Awesome restaurant, great food, great service. Alex and John are awesome but so is everyone there. Top place

    Is this helpful?

  4. Robert

    Atlanta4 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Oysters and Specialty Gin drinks were outstanding. The Crab cake was bland. The flounder special was overcooked and was lacking flavor

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  5. Jennifer VIP

    San Francisco5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was exceptional as always. The service is always outstanding.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Cheryl VIP

    San Francisco9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lobster bisque was creamy with chunks of lobster and plenty of upscale flavor. Also loved the fried oysters. They were little crunchy puffs of air with a soft salty center. Thank you for my oyster shooters, it was a fun evening with great atmosphere.

    Is this helpful?

  7. jackie

    Hawaii3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    It’s really quite noisy in the bar area and service was a bit slow but, on a Wednesday evening, it was very busy indeed and that’s a good sign for a successful business. The food was top quality - exquisite Maine oysters, gluten-free crab cakes rich with lump meat, huge bowl of perfect mussels, and tuna tataki to write home about. We will be back soon and often.

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  8. Dalton

    Richmond2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything about our experience was outstanding even given how busy the staff were with a full house prior to the Billy Strings show.

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  9. Nicole

    Washington DC1 review

    4.0

    Dined on April 14, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great food, but really loud. Hard to have a conversation. And tables were tight. Servers were all wonderful and friendly.

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  10. Corey

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A meal at Public Fish & Oyster is always good! Sunday afternoons at Public Fish & Oyster are particularly delightful. The specials are always tasty, oysters fresh, the wait staff pleasant and attentive, the bartender knows his way around a cocktail, and the atmosphere is just "buzzy" enough.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Public Fish & Oyster is rated 4.8 stars by 2699 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Virginia
  4. Charlottesville
  5. Charlottesville

Make a reservation


Booked 47 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Public Fish & Oyster

513 W. Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    6th St. NW
  • Neighborhood
    Charlottesville
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Happy Hour Daily 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Contemporary American, Oyster Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Parking is available in our shared lot adjacent to the restaurant. In addition there is ample street parking and a free city lot a block away in the Ambemarle Hotel lot.
  • Public transit
    Bus line and trolly service right outside our door.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Dylan Allwood
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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