Ocean Grill & Bar

Ocean Grill & Bar is a casual Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown where, as its name might suggest, the shellfish is the main reason to stop by. Also true to its name, the inside is bright and beachy. You'll see plants, basket lights, and families spinning around a lazy susan full of razor clams and scallops. Order anything with scallion oil, like oysters loaded with crispy fried onion and garlic bits. And while salted egg yolk or garlic butter snails can occasionally be overcooked or under-seasoned, when dialed in, they’ll make you want to give each little shell a pat on the back.

Come with a group so you can split a bunch of things on the long menu (there are 11 preparations of snails alone and you’ll want to get a few). Luckily, the open space has tons of tables, some of which can fit up to 12 people. And though weekends are particularly packed at Ocean Grill & Bar, a few spots always seem open. So bring some friends and start digging into some snail shells—just be ready with a stack of napkins and maybe a backup shirt, rogue chili sauce drips are inevitable.