Restaurant in Bothell, United States
Capitol Hill's serious shellfish stop. Book it.
Taylor Shellfish is a Pacific Northwest raw bar with three consecutive years of Opinionated About Dining recognition (Ranked #253 in 2025) and a 4.5-star Google rating from over 1,600 reviews. Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner only, it is a strong choice for a special occasion centered on freshly sourced shellfish, with easy booking and a casual but focused format.
If you're choosing between Taylor Shellfish and a generic oyster platter at a mid-range Seattle seafood restaurant, pick Taylor Shellfish. Ranked #253 on the Opinionated About Dining Casual North America list for 2025 (up from #261 in 2024, and Recommended in 2023), this is a raw bar on a consistent upward trajectory, backed by 4.5 stars across 1,651 Google reviews. The progression in OAD rankings over three consecutive years is the clearest signal available that the quality is holding and improving. For a special occasion dinner centered on shellfish, it is a strong choice in its category.
Taylor Shellfish sits on Capitol Hill at 1521 Melrose Ave, Seattle, drawing from a family farming operation with deep roots in Pacific Northwest shellfish cultivation. Where other raw bars in the region lean on variety to compensate for sourcing inconsistency, this one is built around proximity to the supply chain. That's the operational core of why the product reads as fresh: the oysters, clams, and other shellfish arrive with a shorter distance to travel than at most comparable venues. The faint, clean salt-and-sea aroma that greets you when the shell hits the ice is a function of that sourcing relationship, not kitchen theatrics.
For a special occasion, the format works well. Dinner service runs Tuesday through Sunday from 17:00 to 21:00 (closed Monday), and the evening-only model gives it a focused, occasion-appropriate feel rather than the bustling throughput of an all-day oyster counter. Compare that to Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco, which operates as a daytime-only counter with long queues and a cash-only policy. Taylor Shellfish offers a more composed evening experience, which is better suited to a celebratory dinner than a lunchtime hustle.
The service philosophy here is direct and focused. This is not a white-tablecloth operation with tableside ceremony; the service style is knowledgeable and efficient rather than formal. That is a reasonable trade-off at a casual price tier, and it largely works. Where it earns the price point is in product quality and consistency, not in service polish. If your special occasion requires concierge-depth hospitality, a tasting-menu format at a higher price point would serve you better. If the occasion is about great shellfish shared with people you want to impress with taste rather than theatre, this format delivers.
Three consecutive years of OAD recognition in the Casual North America category (and a year-on-year climb in the ranked tier) provides a meaningful trust signal for a venue with no Michelin designation. OAD rankings in the casual category are driven by peer nominations from industry professionals, which makes a consistent presence on the list a credible indicator of sustained quality rather than a single strong moment. For context on how seriously the Pacific Northwest takes its shellfish culture, see our full Bothell restaurants guide for broader regional dining options.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 17:00–21:00; closed Monday. Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so walk-in or same-week booking is generally achievable, though weekend evenings for groups benefit from planning ahead. Dress: Casual, consistent with the OAD Casual designation. Budget: Price range data is not available in our current database; contact the venue directly or check their website for current pricing. Location: 1521 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 (Capitol Hill). For more on what to do before or after dinner, see our Bothell bars guide, Bothell hotels guide, and Bothell experiences guide.
For other raw bar benchmarks worth knowing: Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is the most direct category peer for West Coast shellfish, and La Docena in Mexico City offers a useful reference point for how the raw bar format travels across price tiers. If you're planning a broader Pacific Northwest dining trip, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg and Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder represent the fine-dining end of the Pacific and Mountain West spectrum. See also our Bothell wineries guide for pairing options near the venue.
The shellfish is the reason to be here. OAD's Casual North America recognition across three consecutive years reflects consistent product quality, and the core of that reputation is in the oysters and clams sourced directly from the Taylor family's Pacific Northwest farms. Specific menu items are not confirmed in our current data, so check the venue directly for current availability. For the broadest frame of reference on what a Pacific Northwest raw bar should deliver, Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is the clearest West Coast peer.
Yes. A raw bar format is one of the more comfortable solo dining structures: counter seating and a focused menu make it easy to order incrementally without the social pressure of a tasting-menu pacing. Capitol Hill in Seattle has strong walkable density around the venue, which makes it practical for a solo evening. Booking is rated Easy, so last-minute solo reservations are generally manageable on weeknights. For solo diners weighing Seattle-area options, Taylor Shellfish's OAD recognition gives it credibility above anonymous oyster bars in the same price tier.
For raw bar specifically in the broader Seattle area, Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is the West Coast benchmark if you're calibrating expectations by category. Locally, see our full Bothell restaurants guide for current options across cuisine types. If you want to step up to fine-dining seafood at the highest tier, Le Bernardin in New York City or Providence in Los Angeles are the relevant national references, though at a significantly different price point and formality level.
Seat count is not confirmed in our current data, so contact the venue directly for group bookings. The Easy booking difficulty rating suggests capacity is generally available, but weekend evenings for parties of four or more are better planned ahead rather than walked in. The casual format is well-suited to group dining in terms of ordering style, since a raw bar allows flexible, share-driven ordering. For groups that need a private dining room or structured event format, check with the venue or consult our Bothell restaurants guide for alternatives.
Dinner is your only option. Taylor Shellfish operates exclusively in the evening, Tuesday through Sunday, 17:00 to 21:00. There is no lunch service. This makes it categorically different from venues like Swan Oyster Depot, which is a daytime counter. The evening-only model suits occasion dining better than a casual midday shellfish stop, so if you're looking for a lunch raw bar in the Seattle area, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Yes, with realistic expectations about format. The evening-only hours, consistent OAD recognition (Ranked #253 in Casual North America 2025), and 4.5-star Google rating across 1,651 reviews position it well for a birthday dinner, anniversary, or date night built around exceptional shellfish. The service is knowledgeable rather than formal, so if your occasion requires ceremony and tableside theatre, a fine-dining option like The French Laundry or Addison in San Diego would serve that need better. For a celebration where the food is the centrepiece and the atmosphere is relaxed and confident, Taylor Shellfish works well.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Shellfish | Easy | — | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Lazy Bear | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Atelier Crenn | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Benu | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Taylor Shellfish and alternatives.
Focus on the oysters — Taylor Shellfish operates its own Pacific Northwest farming operation, so the bivalves here are sourced closer to the origin than almost any comparable raw bar in Seattle. Clams and geoduck are also core to the family operation's output. The menu rotates with availability, so ask what's freshest that evening rather than arriving with a fixed order in mind.
Yes. A raw bar format is one of the better solo dining setups — you can order incrementally, and the counter experience at Capitol Hill doesn't require a full table commitment. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 17:00, so a weeknight visit on the early side is the lowest-friction option for a solo seat.
The venue itself is located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighbourhood at 1521 Melrose Ave, not Bothell proper. For West Coast shellfish benchmarks, Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is the most direct category peer. In Seattle, look at The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard as the main local competitor for a serious oyster-focused raw bar experience.
Raw bar formats with limited seating windows — here, a 17:00–21:00 service Tuesday through Sunday — can be tight for larger parties. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means same-week reservations are generally achievable, but groups of four or more should book ahead rather than attempting a walk-in to guarantee seating together.
Dinner only — Taylor Shellfish operates exclusively in the evening, opening at 17:00 Tuesday through Sunday with no lunch service. If a daytime shellfish option is what you need, this venue won't work; look elsewhere for a midday raw bar.
It works well for a low-key celebration where quality matters more than ceremony. Ranked #253 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list for 2025, it carries real category credibility without the formality or price ceiling of a tasting-menu venue. If you want a dedicated private dining room or a multi-course progression, look at a different format — but for a focused, high-quality shellfish dinner, it holds up.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
