Raw Bar Near Me in Brickell: The River Oyster Bar's $2 Happy Hour

The River Oyster Bar has been shucking at 33 SE 7th Street in Brickell for 22 years, and every day from 3 to 7 pm its happy hour sells chef's selection oysters at $2 each, La Tropical draft at $5 a pint, and wine and well cocktails at $8. That daily window makes it the raw bar near me for Brickell. At dinner, the Grand Seafood Plateau with oysters, clams, shrimp, mussels, crab cocktail and ceviche is $125.

The owner's note on the About page describes opening the restaurant twenty-two years ago as a local bistro serving high-quality oysters and seafood with friendly, knowledgeable service, and the homepage now carries a Celebrating 22 years banner. Chef David Bracha's name is on the Tuesday lobster night, and the kitchen buys only whole fresh fish and butchers it in-house.

The oysters are flown in from across the United States, often straight from the farm, and each batch is tagged with its harvest area and date. The kitchen leans on Florida suppliers elsewhere on the menu: grass-fed Florida beef, Homestead tomatoes and honey, shrimp from Cape Canaveral and stone crabs from the Florida Keys.

This is a rare Brickell happy hour that runs seven days a week. From 3 to 7 pm, the chef's selection oysters are $2 each, La Tropical draft is $5 a pint, and house white, red, rosé and sparkling wines, well cocktails and basic martinis are $8. Featured spritzes with Aperol, St. Germain or Campari are $12, as are the River l'Auberge Paloma and the Dark & Handsome.

The bar snack list is available in the bar area all day. Roasted oysters with sofrito butter, Manchego and chorizo are $12 there, compared with $22 on the dinner menu, and calamari fritti is $12. A dozen $2 oysters plus a roasted oyster plate and a pint comes in under $45, which is the best-value seafood hour in the neighborhood.

At full price, the raw section is broader than oysters. Ceviche mixto with squid, shrimp and octopus is $26, hamachi sashimi with white soy and lava salt is $22, sea scallop aguachile with watermelon and serrano is $22, and snapper tartare with yuzu and wasabi tobiko is $20. Bloody Mary oyster shooters are $12, and an oyster topped with caviar is $12 each.

For a group, the Seafood Platter with oysters, shrimp, clams and mussels verde is $35, and the Grand Seafood Plateau at $125 adds a crab cocktail and the ceviche mixto. A 1.25-pound Maine lobster cocktail is $45, and 30 grams of Russian Karat Osetra caviar with warm blinis is $135.

An honest call: skip the $135 caviar service. The $12 oyster with caviar gives you the same pairing in one bite, and the money is better spent on hot seafood. The menu leans Spanish and Latin, so try the conch bisque with corn and saffron at $16 or the bacalao croquettes with saffron aioli at $15.

For a main, the Chinese-style whole fried yellowtail snapper is $55 and feeds two, and the gnocchi with jumbo lump crab and black truffle is $46. On Tuesdays from 7 to 10 pm, the lobster night offers steamed lobster, roasted lobster with anchovy butter, or lobster curry at $35.

The restaurant is open seven days a week: Monday to Thursday 12 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 12 to 10:30 pm, and Sunday 12 to 9 pm. Lunch runs from 12 to 4 pm, and dinner from 5:30 pm until close. On weekdays the $35 three-course lunch includes an oyster tasting as one of the starter choices, and the lunch menu changes monthly.

Parking is the main headache in Brickell. The garage above the restaurant, entered on its west side, costs $20 before 6 pm and $50 after. The valet on the east side is $10 before 6 pm and $15 after, both with restaurant validation, so the valet is the cheaper choice. Reservations are taken through Resy.

The restaurant also runs a live music night and a lobster feast on its events page, and it books private parties, so a weekday evening can bring a birthday group at the long tables. The staff are trained to talk about the wine list and the oysters, which the owner's note calls a priority, so ask which harvest areas are on the ice that day and taste two side by side.

Because happy hour starts at 3 pm and runs until 7, the bar sees two waves: an early stretch that suits anyone with a flexible afternoon, and an after-work rush once the Brickell offices empty. The weekday lunch menu notes that the lunch menu declines modifications and sharing, so order individual plates if you are doing the $35 lunch.

Arrive by 4 pm on weekdays for a bar seat during happy hour; after 6 the after-work crowd peaks. If the bar is full and the wait looks longer than 20 minutes, sit at a table and order from the raw menu at full price, or move on.

If you want a different oyster scene after dinner, Over Under at 151 East Flagler Street in Downtown Miami keeps its kitchen open until midnight and pours Sebastian Silver oysters from Florida's Treasure Coast at $18 for a half dozen. It is a short ride north across the Miami River from Brickell.

For a riverside nightcap instead, Seaspice at 412 NW North River Drive stays open until midnight from Tuesday to Sunday and runs a Friday Sunset Hour from 5 to 8 pm with $10 cocktails. Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to pick the right stop for the rest of your evening.

Address: The River Oyster Bar, 33 SE 7th Street, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33131, in Brickell. Hours: Monday to Thursday 12 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 12 to 10:30 pm, Sunday 12 to 9 pm. Lunch 12 to 4 pm, dinner from 5:30 pm. Happy hour daily 3 to 7 pm. Reservations on Resy.

Prices: happy-hour oysters $2 each, La Tropical draft $5, wine and well cocktails $8; ceviche mixto $26, hamachi sashimi $22, Seafood Platter $35, Grand Seafood Plateau $125, Bloody Mary oyster shooter $12, Tuesday lobster night $35, weekday three-course lunch $35. Valet $10 before 6 pm with validation, garage $20 before 6 pm.