Best Seafood in Rice Village: Oysters, Gulf Fish, Crab and Poke

For the best seafood in Rice Village, book Navy Blue on Times Boulevard for Gulf oysters, seafood gumbo and crawfish risotto, or slide into the bar at Hudson House or Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette for discounted oysters. For something quicker, D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe does crab claws and mussels, Cyclone Anaya's does ceviche and shrimp, and two poke shops on Rice Boulevard build ahi and salmon bowls. All eight picks below sit within the same few blocks of Houston's Rice Village, so you can park once and walk.

Here's the part most people miss: Rice Village's seafood story didn't start with the current oyster bars. According to the D'Amico family's own history page, Nash D'Amico's Pasta & Clam Bar opened at 2421 Times Blvd in Rice Village on November 4, 1983, and ran for ten years, on the same stretch of Times Boulevard where Navy Blue now serves oysters three ways.

Where does Rice Village start and stop?

For this guide, Rice Village means the blocks between Kirby Drive on the west and Greenbriar Drive on the east, from Bissonnet Street on the north down to Times Boulevard on the south. That takes in the Morningside Drive and University Boulevard dining strip and the shops along Rice Boulevard. Every pick sits inside those lines; Navy Blue is right on the southern edge. Rice University's campus is just across Greenbriar Drive to the east. For the wider neighborhood, see our Rice Village and West U area guide.

The quick list

• For the big seafood dinner: Navy Blue, Aaron Bludorn's Gulf Coast seafood restaurant.
• For oysters every afternoon: Navy Blue's Oyster Hour, typically daily at the bar.
• For weekday oysters and a martini: Hudson House's bar happy hour.
• For cheap Gulf oysters on Tuesdays and Fridays: Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette's Oyster Social.
• For crab claws and mussels with your pasta: D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe.
• For ceviche and shrimp with a margarita: Cyclone Anaya's.
• For seafood with a wine flight: Sixty Vines.
• For a fast, cheap fish fix: Pokeworks or K-Town Poke on Rice Boulevard.

How we chose

We looked for restaurants where seafood is a real reason to go, not a single token dish, and that sit inside our Rice Village boundaries. Every pick had to show its Rice Village address, plus hours or a current menu, on its own official website when we checked in November 2026. Dishes named below come from those official menus. Where a chain publishes one menu for all locations, we say so.

We left out places we couldn't confirm on an official site, and well-known seafood spots that sit just outside the neighborhood. Menus, hours and specials change, so treat every schedule below as typical and check the restaurant's site before you go.

Oyster bars and seafood dinners

1. Navy Blue

2445 Times Blvd · Gulf Coast seafood · lunch weekdays, dinner nightly, weekend brunch

Navy Blue in Rice Village is chef Aaron Bludorn's seafood restaurant, and it describes itself as a modern American seafood concept that pays homage to the gems of the Texas Gulf Coast. In our view it's the most complete seafood menu in the neighborhood. Oysters come raw, fried or grilled, and the dinner menu runs from a Seafood Plateau with oysters, shrimp and salmon crudo to Seafood Gumbo with crab, shrimp, oyster and okra.

What to order: the Crawfish Risotto with andouille and filé powder is our pick for the most Louisiana-leaning plate in Rice Village, and the BBQ Shrimp comes with a cheddar scallion biscuit. At lunch, the Po' Boy is stacked with shrimp and oyster.

Insider tip: the bar's Oyster Hour is typically 2 to 5 p.m. every day, bar seating only, with discounted oysters and an oyster shooter made with tomatillo, citrus, chili and mezcal. Dinner typically starts at 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 5 p.m. on weekends. Book on Navy Blue's site.

2. Hudson House

2414 University Blvd, Suite 100 · oysters and East Coast seafood · open daily

Hudson House on University Boulevard is the neighborhood's easygoing oyster-and-martini room. The Rice Village menu lists East Coast oysters (ask your server which ones are on that day), shrimp cocktail, Dynamite Shrimp and a New England-style lobster roll that the menu flags as limited availability.

What to order: the Pan Seared Redfish, lightly blackened with a lemon beurre blanc, or the blackened redfish fish tacos. At weekend brunch, look for the Lobster Eggs Benedict.

Insider tip: happy hour typically runs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at the bar only, with discounted East Coast oysters and half-price martinis and wine by the glass. Hours are on the Hudson House Rice Village page.

3. Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette

5212 Morningside Dr · oyster bar, coastal fare and sushi · lunch, dinner and weekend brunch

Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette on Morningside Drive is the newest Liberty Kitchen location, joining the River Oaks and Memorial restaurants. The restaurant describes its menu as fresh coastal fare, Texas beef, sushi and house-made pastas, and the raw bar is the main event.

What to order: start with Texas Gulf oysters on the half shell from the raw bar, then work through the coastal side of the menu.

Insider tip: Liberty Kitchen runs an Oyster Social on Tuesdays and Fridays, with discounted Gulf and East Coast oysters all day, plus a happy hour it calls Royale Hour (typically Tuesday to Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.) and a reverse happy hour on Sundays and Mondays from 4 p.m. to close. The restaurant notes that restrictions may apply, so confirm the Rice Village deals when you book on Liberty Kitchen's site.

Seafood on menus you might not expect

4. D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe

5510 Morningside Dr, Suite 140 · Sicilian cafe, deli and market · open daily

D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe has been on Morningside Drive since August 7, 1996, and it calls itself Houston's own Little Italy. It's a full-service restaurant, an Italian deli and an imported-food market in one room, and the menu promises an array of seafood alongside house-made pasta and wood-fired pizza.

What to order: Crab Claws D'Amico in a spicy lemon butter sauce, Steamed Mussels in marinara or lemon butter, and calamari, fried or sautéed. Grab a bottle of imported olive oil from the shelves on your way out.

The story: before this cafe, the family ran Nash D'Amico's Pasta & Clam Bar on Times Boulevard from 1983 to 1993. The cafe, in the family's words, was a return to the area where it all began. Hours typically run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, later on Friday and Saturday, and from noon on Sunday; see D'Amico's site.

5. Cyclone Anaya's

5214 Morningside Dr · Tex-Mex · open daily

Cyclone Anaya's has been serving Tex-Mex in Houston since 1966, by its own account, and its Rice Village location sits next door to Liberty Kitchen on Morningside Drive. Seafood isn't the headline here, but the menu has more of it than you'd expect.

What to order: the Ceviche with lime-cured white fish, shrimp and scallops and plantain chips, the Camarones a la Parrilla (bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp stuffed with Monterey Jack and red jalapeño), or the Bomba Shrimp Taco with crispy rock shrimp.

Insider tip: the weekday happy hour, typically 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, includes mini ceviche tostadas and a blackened fish taco. Cyclone Anaya's publishes one menu for its locations, so check the official site with Rice Village selected.

6. Sixty Vines

2540 University Blvd · wine bar and restaurant · open daily

Sixty Vines sits where University Boulevard meets Kirby Drive and pours 60 wines on tap, which makes it the pick when the wine matters as much as the fish. The two-story restaurant has a greenhouse patio.

What to order: the Tuna Crudo made with seared ahi, Wood Grilled Shrimp to share, then Chilean Sea Bass or Rainbow Trout. There's also a shrimp and smoked bacon pizza from the wood-fired oven.

Insider tip: happy hour, typically Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. in the bar and lounge, takes money off shared plates and select wines. See the Sixty Vines Rice Village page.

Quick, cheap fish: poke on Rice Boulevard

7. Pokeworks

2514 Rice Blvd · poke bowls and hot plates · typically 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Pokeworks in Rice Village is the reliable lunch move: build your own bowl or order a signature one. The Spicy Ahi comes with sriracha aioli and masago, the Yuzu Ponzu Salmon adds pineapple and cilantro, and the hot-plate menu includes Dynamite Spicy Shrimp. The menu is chain-wide; hours are on the Pokeworks Rice Village page.

8. K-Town Poke

2424 Rice Blvd · Korean-Hawaiian poke

K-Town Poke on Rice Boulevard blends Korean flavors with Hawaiian poke, and its sauces are made in house. Try the Hawaiian Classic Tuna or Salmon Heaven, or the Baked Salmon bowl with crab meat for something warm. K-Town's site doesn't post opening hours, so check the online menu before you walk over. For more bowls citywide, see our best poke in Houston guide.

Can you get boiled crawfish in Rice Village?

Not really, and that's worth knowing before you go. None of the restaurants we verified in Rice Village listed a crawfish boil on its official site. For crawfish in Rice Village, your best bet is Navy Blue's Crawfish Risotto. For trays of boiled crawfish in season, use our Houston crawfish guide, which covers the season and the Viet-Cajun spots.

Save this: the Rice Village oyster week

Three oyster deals in one neighborhood means you can eat discounted oysters in Rice Village almost every day of the week. Screenshot this, then check each restaurant's site the day you go, because specials change and holidays are often excluded.

• Every day: Navy Blue's Oyster Hour, typically 2 to 5 p.m., bar only.
• Monday to Friday: Hudson House's bar happy hour, typically 3 to 6 p.m., with East Coast oysters.
• Tuesday and Friday: Liberty Kitchen's all-day Oyster Social, with Gulf and East Coast oysters.
• Weeknights after work: Cyclone Anaya's mini ceviche tostadas, typically until 7 p.m.

The one-evening walking route: start with oysters at the Navy Blue bar before 5 p.m., walk up to D'Amico's on Morningside for crab claws and a glass of wine, and finish with a nightcap from our Rice Village bars guide.

Getting there and parking

Rice Village sits between West University Place and the Texas Medical Center, right next to Rice University. Park once: the Rice Village district says the Main Garage and rooftop lot, both entered from Kelvin Drive, typically give you two hours free, and surface spaces are paid through the ParkMobile app. Navy Blue also offers valet. Weekend evenings get busy, so book dinner at Navy Blue, Hudson House or Liberty Kitchen ahead.

More seafood and Rice Village guides

For a full night out, pair this with our Rice Village date night guide or the wider best restaurants in Rice Village. If you're chasing oysters across town, our best oysters in Houston guide and best seafood restaurants in Houston pick up where this one stops.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best seafood restaurant in Rice Village?

Navy Blue at 2445 Times Blvd is, in our view, Rice Village's most complete seafood restaurant. Chef Aaron Bludorn's menu covers Gulf oysters raw, fried or grilled, seafood gumbo, crawfish risotto and fish entrées such as branzino, red snapper and Dover sole.

Where can I get oyster happy hour in Rice Village?

Navy Blue runs an Oyster Hour typically every day from 2 to 5 p.m. at the bar. Hudson House has discounted East Coast oysters at its weekday bar happy hour, typically 3 to 6 p.m., and Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette holds an all-day Oyster Social on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Can you get crawfish in Rice Village?

Yes, but not boiled by the tray. Navy Blue serves a Crawfish Risotto with andouille and filé powder; none of the Rice Village restaurants we verified listed a crawfish boil on its official site.

Is there sushi or poke in Rice Village?

Yes. Pokeworks at 2514 Rice Blvd and K-Town Poke at 2424 Rice Blvd both serve ahi and salmon poke bowls, and Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette on Morningside Drive includes sushi on its menu.

Was there a seafood restaurant in Rice Village before Navy Blue?

Yes. According to the D'Amico family's history page, Nash D'Amico's Pasta & Clam Bar operated at 2421 Times Blvd in Rice Village from 1983 to 1993. The family's D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe has been on Morningside Drive since 1996.

What are the boundaries of Rice Village?

For this guide, Rice Village runs from Kirby Drive east to Greenbriar Drive and from Bissonnet Street south to Times Boulevard. It includes the Morningside Drive, University Boulevard and Rice Boulevard dining strips.