12 of the World’s Most Stunning Seafood Towers
There’s no quicker way to cause a scene than a tiered platter of the world’s finest fruits de mer, and these stylish spots from the port in Monaco to cliffside in Mexico go far beyond traditional oyster trays with ceremonial spreads of crudo and crustaceans
The French can be credited with heralding in some of the most iconic culinary trends, but perhaps the most showstopping is the plateau de fruits de mer, iced, seafood-stacked tiered towers that were paraded through Parisian brasseries in the Belle Époque era. In the centuries since, the concept hasn’t lost its decadence—in fact, it’s become even more exuberant as restaurants flaunt towers with more tiers than the most lavish of wedding cakes. From design-driven displays as gallery-worthy as sculptures to oversized platters of freshly sourced shellfish and sashimi everywhere from Britain to Baja, Galerie has curated a list of the world’s most spectacular seafood towers that’ll make your next meal—or trip—all the more extravagant.
1. Wild Cherry, New York
James Beard Award-winning chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr—the duo who have mastered New York’s take on French fare at Frenchette, Le Rock, and Le Veau d’Or—have transformed the traditional tower into a Tetris of retro-inspired seafood cocktails and crudos as part of Wild Cherry’s modernized spin on a supper club. Mix and match between dishes like Dungeness crab à la russe layered with capers, egg, and minced chives; scungilli (conch) prepped as a sculptural salad inside a shell; Bangs Island Mussels swimming in green curry; or tuna crudo and diver scallops. One version of surf and turf you’re not likely to find anywhere else? A half-dozen oysters paired with chipolatas, or small sausages.
2. Aldo’s at Le Sirenuse, Positano, Amalfi Coast
At Le Sirenuse, the cuisine is just as captivating as the pastel-hued sunset over Positano’s stacked, cliffside villages. At Aldo’s candlelit terrace suspended over the sea, oysters and seafood are straight off the boat or sourced from some of the most prized purveyors, like France’s shell-engraved Gillardeau. The Plateau Royal, however, pays homage to some of Italy’s most sought-after seafood, from Sicilian red prawns to Mediterranean langoustine and tartares. Of course, the oyster selection is so spectacular, it arrives on its own platter, so all you have to decide is how many you’d like on the half shell.
3. Les Perles de Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Across the principality from glitzy Monte Carlo and its namesake Belle Époque casino, Les Perles de Monte-Carlo is the opposite of flash. Unfolding along the edge of the smaller harbor in Fontvieille, you won’t find white tablecloths or luxury cars framing the entry to the pierside oyster bar tucked under the Prince’s Palace. Reservations are a must any time of the year, especially during the Monaco Grand Prix, when tenders drop celebrity guests at the handful of high-top tables huddled along the water. The duo of biologists behind the low-key eatery claim Monaco’s only locally farmed oysters, and the no-frills platters allow the quality of the shellfish to shine—the highlight being a selection of oysters and shrimp paired alongside organic Provence rosé.
4. The Champagne Bar at The Plaza, New York
The Plaza has long played host to Hollywood blockbusters and hits like Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, but one of the New York grande dame’s best-kept secrets is the indulgent seafood selection at The Champagne Bar, the century-plus-old favorite that’s counted regulars like the Prince of Wales. The list of champagnes by the glass is a selling factor alone (and even includes half bottles of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and a flight of three types of bubbles), especially when sipped alongside the classic, namesake Plaza Seafood Tower adorned with Maine prawns, East Coast oysters, Boston lobster, tuna tartare, and bite-size portions of Alaskan king crab legs.
5. Seabird at The Hoxton, Southwark, London
At Seabird, which sprawls across the 14th floor of The Hoxton, Southwark, sweeping views of the city and River Thames come with Spanish- and Portuguese-inspired plates that blend the best of Cornish produce with touches of southern Europe (think Cornish sea bass crudo and grilled Galician octopus). While the rooftop restaurant specializes in seafood of practically every form, from smoked to skewered, the triple-tiered Afternoon Sea tower is the hallmark here. The chef’s selection of oysters, from Ayrshire, Scotland, to Louth, Ireland, are shucked and paired with scallop crudo, Cornish mussels, langoustine, red prawns, octopus carpaccio, dressed crab, and an eye-catching half native lobster crowning the top.
6. Bagatelle Miami River, Miami
In a city where each new restaurant one-ups the next, seafood can often take on a showy experience (read: speckled in gold leaf and misting with dry ice)—but some of the over-the-top takes are worth the indulgence. At the new Bagatelle Miami River, cruise to the restaurant’s 192-foot dock, which opens to an elevated waterfront terrace and Saint-Tropez-inspired dining room—the work of House of Kirschner and French designer Sam Baron, known for crafting collections for Dior Maison and Vista Alegre. Bagatelle’s corporate executive chef Rocco Seminara, who cut his teeth alongside some of the finest in France, from Alain Ducasse to Joël Robuchon, has reimagined the traditional seafood tower as a lavish, seven-tier display designed to be as decadent an experience as sparkler-clad bottles. Martini glass-shaped towers and sculpted bowls are layered with jumbo shrimp, lobster, octopus, sea bass ceviche, oysters, and caviar and plated as ornately as a Michelin-starred menu.
7. The Crossing at The Cooper, Charleston
A new addition on Charleston’s waterfront, The Cooper’s quartet of restaurants overlook the harbor and namesake river, with signature concept The Crossing serving Mediterranean-inspired fare fused with the best of Lowcountry. Crafted from a blend of warm teak, gilded honey onyx, and crystal light fixtures shaped like sails, the nautical chic decor sets the tone for the expansive raw bar divided between market-fresh crudo and chilled shellfish, like the Royal Mediterranean, a bronze, two-tiered tower cradling a dozen oysters, prawns, stone crab claws, and a meaty lobster stealing the attention on the top.
8. Twenty8 Nomad at NoMad London, London
Unfolding in NoMad London’s airy, Twenty8 NoMad nods to classic French brasseries, adding a touch of whimsy through beautifully embroidered rattan chairs, Moroccan-style carpets, and tulip-shaped lanterns dangling like centerpieces in the palm-filled glass atrium. The Art Deco-inspired seafood tower nods to the restaurant’s midcentury modern decor, delicately balancing a duo of seaweed-strewn brass bowls curated with sweet Atlantic prawns, freshly shucked oysters hailing from British and Irish waters, and the pièce de résistance: plump, pre-cracked king crab legs—all designed to be savored solo or paired with pink peppercorn mignotte and housemade cocktail sauce.
9. Champagne Terrace at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Mexico
At Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal’s Champagne Terrace, lantern-lit tables cling to the rugged cliffside overlooking the Pacific—the inspiration and source for the ocean-to-table menu highlighted by an ever-changing roster of champagne. Championing the best of Baja, the Savor the Sea tower is divvied up to showcase sea scallops with ikura (salmon roe), chocolate clams with black habanero and pineapple, king crab with yuzu koshō (a fermented Japanese green chili and yuzu zest paste), and poached blue shrimp from Bahía Magdalena on the lower tier. The top level is equally as inventive, blending Asian touches with daily, fisherman-caught fare like snow crab with ginger and piquín chile, bluefin tuna sashimi with chile crisp, and black abalones dressed in a tangerine miso emulsion. If you’d like to throw in hot shellfish with caper butter or a trio of caviar, there’s a slew of equally impressive additions.
10. Coco’s at The Vineta Hotel, Palm Beach
Palm Beach’s renaissance shows no sign of slowing down, and the latest example is London-based interior designer Tino Zervudachi’s revamp of century-old Mediterranean Revival The Vineta Hotel, situated two blocks from Worth Avenue. Mediterranean Coco’s capitalizes on the city’s penchant for indoor-outdoor dining with Provence-inspired terracotta and mint shades framing the courtyard space. Regulars at Oetker Collection sister spot Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the illustrious Cap d’Antibes may recognize some of the signatures from executive chef Sébastien Broda, such as the sea bass with crushed San Marzano tomatoes and basil mayonnaise, but the afternoon tea-inspired tiered tower layered with West Coast oysters, Maine lobster, tiger prawns, Alaskan king crab, and yellowfin tuna is also a must-order.
11. The Darling Oyster Bar, Charleston
Helmed in two of the South’s most charming culinary cities, Charleston and Savannah, The Darling Oyster Bar in Downtown Charleston resides in a restored early-1900s storefront. Picture soaring ceilings, original brick walls, and expansive windows peering out at Downtown’s main drag, King Street. The curved marble-clad raw bar is shimmied up against the glass so you can people-watch while eyeing oysters shucked on the spot for plateaus piled with crab legs, chilled shrimp, littleneck clams, and a generous lobster tail.
12. Tuba Club, Marseille
Part of the allure of the former diving club-turned-design darling at the gateway to the Calanques’ limestone cliffs is the no-fuss feel from the striped sunflower loungers strewn along the rocks to the adjacent wooden tables perched so close to the waves you’re bound to receive a slight spray. Tuba Club’s sharing-style plates spotlight the best of the Mediterranean and neighboring fishing village of Les Goudes, at the edge of Marseille, and the best way to sample a taste of it all is on a plateau de fruits de mer of raw oysters, delicately sliced sashimi on scallop shells, and gildas, skewers of anchovies, olives, and pickled peppers.