For freshly shucked oysters straight on the half-shell, Shucks Bar, a neighbourhood oyster bar and seafood restaurant at the Manly Esplanade is the place to be.
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Options change with the seasons but Shucks is the go-to for fresh oysters all year ’round, sourced from different regions in Australia – from the famous Coffin Bay oysters to St Helens in Tasmania; to the Sydney rocks in Port Stephens and even Stradbroke Island.
Open since 2017, this nautical-themed seafood spot was the brainchild of restaurateur Belinda Ho, who spent over a decade in the design agency industry in London and in Brisbane, before venturing into food business.
Ms Ho decided to take her love for oysters to the next level after seeing a need for an oyster bar in the bayside neighbourhood. Also hoping to see a bit of change in Manly’s food scene, Ms Ho finally gave it a go and launched her oyster bar half a decade ago.
At first, there were customers who would look for some steak or burgers and even coffee. But through the years, they eventually received a cult following, with seafood lovers coming over for dressed, grilled, or natural oysters.
Diners would dig into comforting seafood dishes like sardine toast with agrodolce, whipped buffalo curd or local prawns with charred tomato sambal. For the spring menu, they have added grilled zucchini or grilled broccoli as options.
Wash it all down with a glass of wine or choose from their extensive drinks menu that includes beers, spirits, cocktails, and non-boozy drinks.
Meanwhile, bargain hunters should try the Sunday Happy Hour: half-price natural oysters freshly shucked to order, available every Sunday lunch from noon until 3:00 p.m.
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Shucks Bar is located at 459 Esplanade, Manly. You can follow them on Facebook for more details.