Island Creek Oyster Bar

Island Creek Oyster Bar at 500 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston's Kenmore Square is the restaurant arm of Island Creek Oyster Farm in Duxbury, Massachusetts — one of the most celebrated shellfish operations on the East Coast — and has served as one of Boston's most important seafood destinations since opening in 2010. The farm-to-table connection here is literal and immediate: the Island Creek oysters on the half shell, grown in the cold, clean waters of Duxbury Bay, arrive at the restaurant at their peak condition because the distance between farm and table is measured in tens of miles rather than hundreds. The oyster program is the restaurant's core identity, with the house Island Creek variety supplemented by rotating selections from other New England and Canadian growing regions. The lobster stew — a buttery, cream-enriched preparation with chunks of claw and tail meat — is considered one of Boston's finest and most imitated preparations. The smoked bluefish pâté, a New England product rarely treated with this level of care, is an exemplary appetizer. The dining room is handsome and energetic, with an open kitchen, long communal tables, and a bar program that features beers and wines specifically selected to complement cold-water shellfish. The Kenmore Square location makes it a natural pre-Fenway stop, and the dinner service after Red Sox games is among the most vibrant in the neighborhood.