Searching seafood near me in Williamsburg returns two economies: the timed oyster-hour discount that vanishes at seven, and the fish counter where you buy by the pound and the fishmonger will tell you what came in this morning. The dollar-oyster deal costs more once you add the mandatory drink minimum, and the whole-fish option at the market costs less than the fillet if you know how to ask. The clock matters because the oyster price doubles when happy hour ends, and the day matters because most fish arrives Tuesday or Wednesday and the Sunday-Monday case is what is left from Friday's delivery.
Ask Karpo which Williamsburg fish counter is open now, or which oyster spot has the tightest window before the price doubles. The app routes you to the block and tells you what time the deal ends.
The oyster-hour arithmetic
Lamonte at 557 Driggs Avenue runs one of the most consistent oyster happy hours in Williamsburg: two-fifty oysters and shrimp cocktail, Sunday through Thursday all day and Friday through Saturday until seven. The room opened as an American bistro with an Argentinian accent, serving cast iron provoletta, tagliata, and a double cheeseburger that regulars call one of the best in North Brooklyn. The raw bar is the draw before dinner service: East and West Coast oysters on ice, cocktail shrimp, and house martinis for ten dollars during the happy-hour window.
The math changes when you add drinks: a dozen oysters at two-fifty each is thirty dollars, but most oyster-hour venues enforce a drink minimum after five, and a cocktail or glass of wine brings the real cost to forty-five to fifty dollars for twelve oysters and a drink. The alternative is ordering oysters without the happy-hour discount after seven on Friday or Saturday, when the same dozen typically costs forty-eight to sixty dollars depending on the variety. After five, Lamonte becomes a twenty-one-plus room, and weekend brunch runs all seven days with espresso martinis and mimosas served well into the afternoon.
Maison Premiere at 298 Bedford Avenue holds its oyster bar open from noon to one weekdays and extends to two on Friday and Saturday, with weekend brunch starting at ten. The oval bar draws consistent crowds for the raw selection and martinis, and reviewers recommend making a reservation because the room fills fast on weekends. The pricing follows standard oyster-bar arithmetic: happy-hour rates run lower than evening rates, and a full meal with drinks pushes the total above the sticker price of the raw bar alone.
The fish counter as restaurant
Metropolitan Fish Market at 1110 Manhattan Avenue sells whole fish, fillets, shellfish and sushi-grade cuts by the pound. The counter stocks salmon, tuna, swordfish, cod, tilapia, sole, flounder, fluke, halibut, Chilean sea bass, brook trout, porgy, dorado, bronzino, striped bass, red snapper, whitefish, monkfish, sardines, mackerel, octopus, lobster, shrimp, crab, scallops, mussels, oysters and clams, with inventory changing based on daily availability. The market has operated in the neighbourhood since 1983 and is one of the remaining Italian-anchored businesses in East Williamsburg. Customers report buying sushi-grade tuna, salmon and scallops at prices lower than delivery services, and the whole-fish option costs less per pound than pre-cut fillets if you are willing to break down the fish yourself or ask the counter to do it.
The fishmonger will tell you what arrived that morning and what has been sitting since the previous delivery, which matters because most wholesale fish arrives midweek. A Monday or Sunday purchase is typically from Friday's supply unless the market received a weekend delivery, which is less common. The operational detail regulars use: call ahead to confirm the day's inventory rather than arriving and finding the specific cut is sold out.
Broadway Fish Market at 292 Broadway operates as both counter and kitchen, selling fresh fish by the pound and steaming fish with vegetables to order. Customers pick a slab of fish from the case, choose seasonings, and the kitchen steams it with dollar packs of vegetables including red potatoes, snap beans, carrots, cabbage, and corn. The operation runs under the J/M/Z Marcy stop with one table and three chairs, and reviewers call out the six-fifty tilapia-and-vegetables meal as proof you can eat healthy and cheap in the neighbourhood. The counter also fries shrimp and whiting, with fried shrimp running four-fifty for ten pieces.
The raw bar after the window closes
Lamonte at 557 Driggs Avenue holds its oyster happy hour until seven on Friday and Saturday, and all day Sunday through Thursday. After the window closes on weekend evenings, the oyster price resets to full menu rate, typically three-fifty to four dollars per oyster depending on East or West Coast selection. The room stays open late, with the kitchen firing twelve-inch pizzas from eleven until one on Friday and Saturday nights. The bar pours Lamonte Martinis with cornichon brine, espresso martinis, and a hand-picked list of organic and biodynamic wines from small producers in France, Austria, and Croatia.
The alternative to the fixed happy-hour window is arriving early enough to catch the tail end of the discount, or accepting the higher per-oyster cost in exchange for no time constraint. The happy-hour window at Lamonte runs longer than most Williamsburg spots, holding the two-fifty price all day four days a week. Arriving at six-thirty on a Friday means you have thirty minutes before the price resets. Arriving at seven-fifteen means you pay the evening price, which is roughly forty percent higher than the happy-hour rate.
The whole-fish option
Metropolitan Fish Market at 1110 Manhattan Avenue sells whole fish including brook trout, porgy, dorado, bronzino, sea bass, striped bass, red snapper, cod, whitefish and monkfish. A whole fish costs less per pound than the same fish sold as fillets because you are paying for the head, bones and skin. The counter will clean and scale the fish at no extra charge, and some customers ask the fishmonger to fillet the whole fish on the spot, which removes the head and bones but still costs the whole-fish price per pound rather than the fillet price.
The operational advantage is price: a two-pound whole bronzino might cost twelve dollars, while a pound of bronzino fillets costs fourteen dollars, meaning you pay less for more fish if you are willing to handle the bones. The disadvantage is that you need to know how to cook a whole fish or trust the fishmonger to fillet it in a way that maximises the edible weight. Regulars buy whole fish on Tuesday or Wednesday, when the supply is freshest, and avoid Sunday or Monday purchases unless they have confirmed a weekend delivery.
The Sunday-Monday fish-case gap
Most wholesale fish deliveries to New York arrive Tuesday through Thursday, which means the fish case at Metropolitan Fish Market and other Williamsburg counters is fullest midweek. By Sunday, the inventory is typically what remains from Friday's delivery unless the market received a Saturday shipment, which is less common. The operational pattern: the Tuesday or Wednesday fish case has the widest selection and the freshest cuts, and the Sunday or Monday case has a narrower selection and older stock.
The gap matters if you are buying sushi-grade tuna or salmon, which has a shorter shelf life than other cuts. A midweek purchase is more likely to be day-of or day-after delivery, while a Sunday purchase is more likely to be two or three days old. The fish is still safe and properly stored, but the texture and colour change after forty-eight hours even under refrigeration. The workaround: call ahead on Sunday or Monday and ask when the last delivery arrived, or shift your purchase to Tuesday and plan meals around the midweek supply.
Practical notes
Metropolitan Fish Market at 1110 Manhattan Avenue stocks whole fish, fillets and shellfish with inventory changing daily; call ahead to confirm availability. Lamonte at 557 Driggs Avenue runs oyster happy hour with two-fifty oysters and shrimp cocktail Sunday through Thursday all day, Friday and Saturday until seven, with a twenty-one-plus policy after five. Maison Premiere at 298 Bedford Avenue serves oysters and cocktails from noon to one weekdays and until two on Friday and Saturday, with weekend brunch starting at ten; reservations recommended for weekend evenings. Broadway Fish Market at 292 Broadway steams fish with vegetables to order and sells fresh fish by the pound, operating under the J/M/Z Marcy stop with limited seating. The typical oyster happy hour runs five to seven, and the price per oyster resets after the window closes. Most fish counters receive deliveries Tuesday through Thursday, making midweek the best time to buy sushi-grade cuts or whole fish. Whole fish costs less per pound than fillets if you handle the bones yourself or ask the counter to fillet on the spot.
Tags: #WilliamsburgBrooklyn #SeafoodNearMe #OysterHappyHour #FishMarket #MetropolitanFishMarket #Lamonte #MaisonPremiere #BroadwayFishMarket #RawBar #WholeFish #SushiGrade #FishCounter #EastWilliamsburg #BrooklynSeafood
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Ask Karpo first
Ask Karpo which Williamsburg fish counters are open now, when Metropolitan Fish Market last received a delivery, or which raw bar has seating available before the oyster-hour window closes. The app tells you exact hours, current inventory patterns, and how long the walk is from where you are standing. It routes you to the block and updates if a venue closes early or runs out of stock.
