Had never been here before and I sure have been missing some great eats. Came here for a Yelp Elite Dinner Event and it was great. I decided to splurge and use the Valet--very reasonably priced and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The dinner from start to finish was very tasty. Much thanks to the entire Oceanaire Staff, from Brittney Fear (Sales & Event Manager), the Chef and his team, and Servers that made this wonderful event possible. Service was impeccable and I liked the hot towels after eating the oysters. Very cozy and intimate room for the dinner and it was great sharing and enjoying the meal with fellow Yelpers. The East & West Coast Oyster Duet with Fennel Cream & Caviar were tasty (I liked the East Coast one the best). The Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops with Tomato Risotto, Arugula Emulsion & Toasted Parmesan was just Yummy--all the flavors melded together perfectly. The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Macerated Strawberry with Blueberry Granita & Candied Mint was a great end to a wonderful meal. Found it to be very creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. It's hard to find street parking, but there are plenty of parking garages and the valet service is very reasonable. Free WiFi is very convenient. This is the perfect location to book social, corporate or association holiday parties. You can also enjoy dinner before going to the theater since the Denver Performing Arts is right down the street. I have heard they have a great Happy Hour so will definitely be coming back to try.
(5)
Adriana C.
Now THAT'S what I call fine dining! I came here last night for a Yelp Event and left thoroughly impressed with the food and service! First Course- East & West Coast Oyster Duet: The east coast oyster blew the west coast out of the water. I couldn't believe how different the flavors were, the west coast oyster to me tasted like mushy, sandy, ocean water. Note: This was my first time EVER having oysters, so take my review on these with a grain of salt (or sand). Neverthless, very enjoyable to eat. I really liked the East Coast one! They also had caviar on top- my first time having that as well! Are you noticing a trend here? Second Course- Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumble Sea Scallops: This was fantastic! I love scallops and these were made perfectly. The toasted parmesan on top was a nice touch. Third Course- Buttermilk Panna Cotta: This dessert was interesting, I had never had anything like this either. I did enjoy it, but couldn't finish it due to only having, unfortunately, one stomach. The chardonnay I enjoyed throughout the meal was, simply, the BEST I have ever had. I am not sure what the brand was and I feel like this will haunt me to my grave. I had to pace myself to not down my whole glass in one sip! The GM also snuck my table a crab cake- OMG! So much crab in this bad boy, if I ever came back that would be the first thing I ordered. Us Yelpers were treated like royalty from beginning to end, with hot towels brought in between courses to clean our hands and our glasses never going empty. I almost asked people to start calling me Kate Middleton. Just kidding, kind of... Thank you Frances for putting on this event, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this swanky joint in the future. I hope to check out their HH soon!
(5)
Anita S.
Staff, decor, seafood is wonderful. Oysters, scallops and wine oh my!
(4)
Nicole P.
ok It's official, I don't have to move back to Massachusetts to get amazing seafood. Everything tasted fresh and beautifully prepared. I find a lot of seafood served in landlocked places try to hide the seafood with lots of other heavy flavors, but not Oceanaire. It was really quite delightful. I had an oyster duo, one east and one west coast. prepared with some fancy foodie words that I forget. My preference leaned towards the heartier west coast oyster. This plate opened me up to oysters in a way I would have snubbed off before. The main course was Massachusetts Scollops with risotto, heirloom tomatoes, and a parmesan crustini. The flavors were light but bold, and delicately balanced. I 110% recommend this dish and will definitely make the return trip to eat it again. This mermaid can die happy knowing this dish is served in Denver. and of course I wolfed down the pana cotta for dessert, served with strawberry and basil, and a blueberry granita. It was really creamy and delicious. Definitely recommend everything I've eaten here. I can't wait to return.
(5)
Jaclyn B.
My visit was a great experience from start to finish. Greeted by the hostess when we walked in and sat at a bar table. The decor was fitting for the type of restaurant. Big marlin at the bar surrouned by other sea decor. Our waitress was curtious and very attentive. She also was working the bar. I had the crab cake sliders. First time trying crab it was a very different flavor and texture. It had a swipe of mayo and a little bit of shredded lettuce. Never seen crab cakes presented this way. Great service and ambience.
(5)
Christian B.
my visit tonight was courtesy of a private party, although the service was on par with top of the line service that you would expect at a fine dining establishment such as this and the food was well prepared and delicious, I found that the portions and the food that was served were a little unusual to me. The amuse bouche was the size of a dime, but this didn't concern me since if I'm going to try something new for the first time, id rather have it small. what concerned me was what they had selected for the main entree, which was 3 pan seared sea scallops on a bed of risotto with arugula sauce, now Ive been to many a seafood restaurant and a sea scallop is usually considered an appetizer and not a main course, many of the other patrons sitting at my table were also confused at to where the main course was only to be disappointed to later find out it was the sea scallops after they served pana cotta for desert. I usually dont go downtown on a weekday night, but this was a good outing for me.
(4)
Dan N.
We stopped in to Oceanaire Seafood Room randomly for Pre-theater drinks and small bites. The restaurant runs an all day "Admirals Hour" drinks and small bites special at the bar. We sat at the Raw Bar section, which has a large display of fresh oysters with their origin, and characteristics. The downside of the raw bar setting is it tends to block access to the bartenders. Getting their attention was problematic. We ordered the Chopped House Salad, Filet Mignon Sliders, and Shrimp & Grits. The Shrimp was the standout, with the White Cheddar Grits, and a vinegary chili sauce that both of us loved. The Sliders were very tasty with the horseradish kick. Finally, the salad rounded out a perfect small plate, pre theater meal. We will be back to try the restaurant very soon.
(4)
Brian H.
OH MY GAWD! Becky Look at her Cut...that scallop in half before scarfing it down!!! My gf and I went on a double date here and had one of the most enjoyable experiences EVER! We have been to several fine dining restaurants and to me, Oceanaire was no different. A tad over priced for the ambiance and quality, not to mention the looks of judgment from other patrons as you walk to your table...what I expected. Not at this place! I got there a tad early and took my pc in to get some work done. I was greeted by the hostess who was super cute and friendly. Then a gentleman (Justin?) gave me the wifi password and had me seated at the bar to set up shop until the rest of my part got there. I ordered a Colette since it was only $4 on their happy hour. Once I was seated with my party our waiter, Ryan, kept the drinks flowing and was Super attentive! Brad, the manager, even stopped by to make sure we were enjoying ourselves which may be expected at a place like this but he demonstrated genuine interest coupled with honest authentic recommendations as to what to order. In line with his recommendation, I ordered the Massachusetts Scallops off the Fresh menu, added Black and Bleu, topped with Crab. We ordered the brussels sprouts as a family style side. Before the main, enjoyed the Fondue style cheese dip which was delicious, but could have a been a tad runnier, the lobster bisque with freshly ground pepper which was perfect, and the seafood salad which really hit the spot. (Please note: my gf and I split a bowl of bisque and one order of the salad. The table of 4 split the cheese dip.). After all this, we ordered a slice of salted pretzel/caramel cheese cake AND a slice of the Lemon Meringue pie. If your mouth isn't watering by know you must just naturally have a daily issues with dry mouth. The Bisque: Buttery with a nice thicker texture. Hints of fennel and hearty chunks of lobster. Salad: Finely chopped, waiter plated for us, chunks of crab. Nice house made dressing that complimented the peppers, onions, greens, and cucumbers that we enjoyed in the salad. Fondue: Sourdough was life changing, cheese came out piping hot, but cooled quickly. As it cooled it because a bit tougher to dish onto the amazing bread. Flavor was mild. No seasoning needed. Scallops: This has to be what I would order as my last meal on death row...provided that I was on death row. These scallops were perfectly prepared. Seared and hot. The black and bleu added a perfect element with the blue cheese and if I could top everything, from now on, with crab I WOULD! Thanks to Brad for this amazing recommendation. Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake: UNBELIEVABLE! Perfect balance of sweet and savory. Very rich and SUPER delicious. Key Lime Pie: I don't even like lime. Especially lime desserts. That being said, I tried this pie and it really wasn't what I had in mind. The lime was a compliment to the creamy texture and the whipped cream balanced out the limey flavor perfectly. Conclusion: We don't go to restaurants like Oceanaire every week. Because of that one reason, we choose to try out different ones when we do get to enjoy a fine meal. Based on this experience, I would be fine if every other Fine Dining Seafood joint went out of business because the BEST one of all of them still stood! Bravo Oceanaire!
(5)
Audrey S.
Delicious! I went here with 9 ladies a week ago to celebrate a birthday before heading to the Buell Theatre to see Cinderella. If you're a health nut craving a cheat day the brussel sprouts appetizers are the perfect solution! Then have a nice juicy slice of fish so you don't feel so bad about the deep fried brussel sprout yumminess! Upon arrival the table was set up, and the menus even said "Happy Birthday Audrey!" at the top. Very customized and welcoming. We had a few people running late, and the staff was extremely helpful and determined to get us to the show on time. I would recommend to any friend who has some extra cash that they go to this restaurant before seeing any show at the DPAC. The location is convenient, and the food is tasty.
(4)
Jasmine G.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. It is definitely one of the best seafood restaurants in Denver, hands-down! They are a little bit pricey, but they specialize in every fish you could think of. Additionally, some of the servers here are just truly some of the best you'll ever experience in your life. we were talking to one of them, and he was saying how his whole life revolves around hospitality, and it definitely shows. They are so knowledgeable and attentive. I know that there are other restaurants in Denver that might be considered "the best," but this one NEEDS to be the best. I can always count on an amazing experience here. I was here with my family one time, and a beer spilled while talking a family picture, and the manager went out of his way to bring out some cloth napkins and place them along the table. I really appreciate the high-end hospitality here!
(5)
John P.
Excellent food and service. Great menu options. Waiter was attentive, manager came by. Nice place.
(4)
Jay K.
One word answer....UNDERWHELIMNG. Happy hour and app's are good but the dinner service left me underwhelmed and disappointed. The slow braised pork belly steak appetizer used to be tender and succulent with a hint of sweetness. This time it was burned, tough and...well basically a hunk of dessicated pork jerky. My filet was cold and bland...plus steak should NOT be served on a cold plate.
(2)
Michelle A.
I have been avoiding this place and now I wonder why? We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few glasses of HH wine and a chopped salad with shrimp. We also tried the ceviche. It was all very good and 1/2 the price the main restaurant. We had friends dine in the main room and their shrimp cocktail looked so yummy and the shrimp were so big. When they found out what we spent they said they would try it the next time they go to the theater. The women next to us even tried my shrimp salad and were impressed. Great place before the theater. I cannot wait to go back and try something else on the HH menu.
(4)
Mark F.
I'm not an oyster fan, but if I were, I'd be in heaven. They've got quite a collection of fresh ones daily. However, I love fresh seafood. And they've got that too. I've had the scallops and the haddock. Both were great. And the staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's a little pricey....but for fresh seafood and special occasions it's where we go.
(5)
Dawn W.
Had a not so great welcome but the follow up by the GM has been impressive. I will be giving it another try soon.
(4)
Linda S.
Oh My Goodness! I can't even say how great our experience was at Oceanaire! Cari, our server was exceptional!! She went above and beyond! She made out night exceptional! Brad, the Sommelier, spent extra time providing us with the most amazing wine to accompany every course. Ming, the bartender, stopped by often to make sure everything was to our liking and described all our entrees and wines perfectly! We will be back again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
(5)
Annette S.
To bad they were bought out by Landry's...lackluster, ordinary, expensive seafood. We were UNDERWHELMED & DISAPPOINTED.
(2)
Jason G.
I am going to be very honest here!!! Once i discover a restaurant is a big chain, owned by a corporate giant it automatically loses points in my book. So here is what I loved about this place-- the Service is top notch and truly attentive from start to finish. If you enjoy big busy places to dine this spot could appeal more to you. Personally I like more of an intimate quiet place to have a fine meal, especially when you are going to easily spend $50+ a person. While the prices are high, you do get very and I mean very large portions of food! In my book is a bit more quantity than quality at Oceanaire. If you want to charge top end prices then please please please deliver on quality ingredients. For me there's better seafood in town and I think for the money it is not worth the bill. For Happy Hour count me in! If you are charging you meal on a corporate card then bottoms up, eat-drink-be merry! On your personal account try if you want, but for Denver we have much better food than this place offers.
(3)
Jessica M.
Well, yippee skippee this is delightful! We randomly ventured downtown last week for some cocktails and found ourselves famished and searching for dinner knowing that there was nothing in the fridge at home. After Yelping and checking out some menus, we settled on Oceanaire and are so happy we did! For starters, they have happy hour from open to close in the bar....and it's a pretty decent selection of stuff on that menu. Cocktails, beer, wine, salads, oysters, sliders, fish tacos, etc., all for $5, $6, or $7. Sold. We also really liked the ambience of the place. The restaurant is meant to evoke feelings of an old ocean liner, but it's done in a nice un-dingy way. Looking forward to going back to this one!
(4)
Shellie D.
This is a great spot for HH which is pretty much all day. I enjoyed the mussels and fish tacos. The mussels were pretty much perfect. Could have passed on the mini crab sliders because they were super small and the bun was a bit greasy. The ambiance is very classy and romantic.
(4)
Lyna P.
Made reservations here for Denver's Restaurant Week on a Friday night at 7. It goes without saying that I expected the restaurant to be packed and booked for the event. Although this was the case, a fine dining restaurant such as Oceanaire shouldn't lack customer service or suffer from a forcibly rushed dining experience. When choosing to dine out, you're paying as much for the food as much as your are the experience. The entrees ordered (Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna & Scottish Steelhead Trout) were above average. We also ordered extra appetizers on top of the prix fix menus. They tasted good and were cooked to the right temperatures. The service on the other hand was not to par, especially when the label of fine dining is applied. Our lead server, Rashid, was quick to judge our party of college students. We were not uncourteous by any means, letting him know that a couple of people were running late due to extraneous circumstance. Nevertheless, we decided to order anyways because we all knew personally how irritating it would be to have to wait on a table on a busy night such as this. Rashid was very abrupt when taking orders, cutting me off when I asked him questions and leaving mid sentence. I had to remind him to bring bread to the table. Towards the end of the meal he tried to deter me from ordering the Salted Pretzel Caramel Sundae, probably because he had to prepare the desserts himself. This came out without the chocolate as stated in the menu, but I had no qualms as it was busy and it was a minuscule detail --in such a fine restaurant. Finally, Rashid came to the table to tell us that he was not normally so abrupt with his service and that he didn't care if he got no more tables for the night because he had already been working since early that day. He just had to rush the experience because his manager was telling him to get our table in and out for the next guests. Although, I sympathized with him and undoubtedly left him a fine tip, my experience was not fine. ************* Bottom line: food was good, but the price you pay doesn't include a fine dining experience as promised.
(3)
Greg D.
What a beautiful restaurant! The food was excellent and service was amazing. Our entire group enjoyed their meals and cocktails. They have a huge selection of fresh seafood.
(4)
Dana S.
Decided to check out Happy Hour here before a night at the theatre. Loved the mussels and sliders, other items were okay! Not very impressed with the level of service or the quality of drinks at the bar...
(3)
jennifer s.
Gahhh. If I could give more stars I would! I am so in love with Oceanaire it's ridiculous. I was first introduced at restaurant week back in March-ish. It was fabulous! Then, we returned last night as I have been craving a baked alaska, completely under dressed, we ended up staying for happy hour, oysters, and the baked alaska, everything was amazing, our servers were so sweet, and I just love the overall feel of this restaurant. The ambiance is very very nice. Thank you for forever showing us a great time!
(5)
Robin B.
Stopped in here after a show for some late night appies. We had the bar to ourselves and get this, it was Happy Hour. The bartender was great and our food was good. I'd recommend this place if you're not up for the very loud Corner Office after a show.
(4)
Yasser S.
I tried the happy hour menu which gives you plenty of choice for a low price. i loved the grilled shrimp,and the Crabcakes. I tried the steak sliders but unfortunately forgot to mention how it should be done,so i wasnt much of a fan,cause it was salty. The server was great in explaining what i should get and ofcourse the environment was comforting with no noise and enough lighting,but not enough to instagram your food ;)
(4)
Grace B.
My boyfriend took me to Oceanaire for Valentine's Day last month and I wasn't too impressed. To start off, we had the New England Clam Chowder and it wasn't as good as the one I had at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle but it was pretty good. Then, we had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for appetizers and those were the best crab cakes I've ever tasted! Now I've never had the Maryland Crab Cakes but these were amazing! You can really taste the fresh crabs in the cake. Once I was done with appetizer, I thought "we are off to a great start!" However, that is when my entree came to the table, Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops 'Dynamite'. I love scallops and I really love to taste it alone but there was too much of 'Dynamite' that diluted the flavor of the scallops for me. 'Dynamite' is what seems to be another word for "crab cakes." So, in restaurants defense, maybe I ordered the wrong dish but having crab cakes for appetizers is one thing but having it on top of my scallops was not my style. On the other hand, my boyfriend had a fish entree from the Chef's Selections and it was ok. Not very impressive. Moving on to the finale, dessert, Baked Alaska. Keep in note that the waiter did not recommend the Baked Alaska. He actually said that it wasn't his favorite but my friend had told me about it when I told her I was going to Oceanaire so I had to try it for her sake. One word, Ugh. Maybe that wasn't even a word but it was edible but not good. Once the meringue (marshmallow-like) was lit on fire and you blow the fire out, the waiter cuts into the meringue and inside is two scoops of ice cream (chocolate and raspberry sorbet) with sponge-like cake at the bottom. My boyfriend and I don't like marshmallow so the meringue was not our favorite and the ice creams were way too sweet and don't even get me started on the cake. That cake was so dry and dense that it was hardly edible. What a shame, the night started off great but ended in a disappointment. Ambiance: fancy with little romance; Staff: very friendly; Decor: very blue; Taste: good, but not good enough for the price--would love to try their happy hour sometime though
I am an East Coast Girl, through and through. Spending the day fishing and crabbing and shrimpin was pretty typical. And when you're used to things being a certain way because of freshness and respect for the product that you just caught, it's often difficult to find that same integrity when you switch out the ocean for mountains. This is especially true when it comes to crab cakes. I don't know how it is that every single restaurant I've ordered crab cakes at in the past few years could screw them up so incredibly, but somehow they manage to do just that. BUT!! That is so not the case with Oceanaire! I actually got a hankering for a real crab cake one day, and scoured all the pictures of crab cakes in Yelp. When I finally came across the ones in the photos above (seriously... stop reading and go look at the pictures), I knew that I had found a restaurant that knew exactly how to handle a stupid crab cake. And I was right! They are just like the crab cakes that you find all over the North East, on the Eastern Shore, and that all crabbers make in their own kitchens. True lump that hasn't been handled to the point of shredding, and broiled instead of being coated to death with breading and fried. On top of that, the service was impeccable. Our waiter was both comical and on top of it, as were the bussers. As for the rest of the food we ordered (and there was a lot).... I really don't care. They have truly legitimate crab cakes. And that is all that matters.
(5)
Lauren D.
I was here for Denver Restaurant Week a few days ago and kind of have some mixed feelings. The service was great. We were seated right away, addressed by the wait staff within seconds of sitting down and our waiter was both very educated about the menu and friendly. Food-wise, however, was kind of hit or miss. Example: crab cakes were a hit, paella was a miss. If it hadn't been for the total mouthgasm that was the grilled steelhead, dinner at the Oceanaire might not have been that memorable but that dish was so dang good that it made up for anything that missed the mark. This place is pretty expensive so I'm not sure it'd be worth going back if it wasn't Denver Restaurant week, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone who'd never been from going. I'd just made sure to tell them to order the steelhead over the paella.
(3)
David R.
We came for the cocktails and stayed for dinner. Again. Oceanaire is where we usually go for a drink before/after the theatre, it's not normally out dinner spot due to price. But, Mario is a spectacular bartender (and this come from an ex-bartender). Note that, bartender NOT mixologist. We came for the best manhattan in town and ended up staying for dinner, and were introduced to some soon-tp-be cocktails as an after dinner drink. Spectacular stuff. We will be back for sure. The cocktails are great, the food is very good (but you pay for it) and again, Mario is simply the best.
(5)
Steve B.
Sorry "Sea Food Snob", but I'm from the San Francisco area, and this kind of food wouldn't cut it. Portion sizes were nice, service was terrific but the food was very mixed and slow to arrive at our table. Some of the best calamari and clam chowder I've had. Good oysters and fries too. But also, about the worst fish dishes I've tasted in a long time. My wife had the Petrale Sole Florentine which was just awful. No flavor to the fish, and the rest of the dish was unimaginative and bland. I had the Haddock with added "black and blue", which for an additional $3 was supposed to be Cajun seasoning and blue cheese. The seasoning was definitely not Cajun, and all they did was put a small melon-baller sized lump of blue cheese on top of the fish. All of this spread upon a bed of ridiculously sweet grilled onions, which were totally wrong for the dish. Very weird. Grits, in the shrimp and grits, were bland. It was my wife's birthday, and the waiter made sure to tell us he had something "special for dessert". It was baked Alaska, which was alright, but they charged us for it after implying they were treating her. Not a big deal at $10, but unexpected. We won't be going back.
(1)
Carly B.
I had never even considered Oceanaire as somewhere I ever wanted to go. It's not that I had heard bad things, it's just that I hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'm weird with seafood-centric restaurants like that (see Jax Fish House review). This review is for their bar happy hour which goes until 10, so you are never cutting it close. We were there at about 8:30 on a Friday night and there was plenty of bar space. They have a nice list of small plates as well as some discounted cocktails. I went for a mojito for $6 (small in size but surprisingly boozy) as well as the $7 shrimp and grits. David P and Kristen N each had an order of blackened fish tacos ($5 for two). My shrimp and grits was delicious and the perfect size for a mini "out drinking" meal. The grits were topped with white cheddar and little bit of gumbo type gravy and were accompanied with three, nice sized shrimp. Dave and Kristen seemed to enjoy their tacos as well. Still not sure if I'd ever have a meal here as fancy seafood just isn't really my scene. But if you're looking for a late, low-key food and drink happy hour this is a great stop.
(4)
Christopher S.
Excellent high end restaurant. Great seafood, perfect preparation and presentation. Love the family style sides and salads big enough to share. If wanting to impress someone and cost is not a concern, this will definitely impress. I ordered the swordfish "dynamite" and it was definitely that. Not as spicy as they said, but I really do like heavy spice. All 6 meal that were brought for the group left all satisfied in terms of both flavor and serving size.
(5)
Christine A.
I can't really give a review on the drinks or food, just the service. Why? I wasn't given the opportunity enjoy food or drink. They have a horrible bartender there. He took forever to give me a menu - and even then, he wouldn't give me a drink menu until I asked him 3x. After another 10 minutes, he still hadn't taken my drink order. Finally, I said something and he replied "I'll make it right away." To him, "right away" meant after he continued his constant conversation with another group of patrons. As I watched him chat with them, I left. I told the host what happened and he didn't seem to care one little bit. This is a horrible place.
(1)
Ryan G.
Make no mistakes about it - this is one of those 'you get what you pay for' type of meals. The prices are on the high side, but the service and quality match them well. The restaurant is known for it's fresh fish offerings which are flown in daily creating a menu that will likely change between each visit. They also offer a wide variety of wines by the glass and by the bottle, however we didn't try the wine so I can't comment much about the quality. As for the meal itself the starter course was tasty, and what you would expect from most upper end steak and seafood restaurants with some great soups and salads. We tried 3 varieties of oysters (there were over a dozen varieties to choose from), and I must say they were the best I have ever had. I've tried fresh shucked oysters from both coasts, and none of them had the amazing texture and almost sweet flavors that these had to offer. For the main course I had a scampi that was full of flavor without being heavy in either butter or oil. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the whole dish had just a hint of spice which I loved. For the table we split a couple of desserts; an extremely light and flavorful carrot cake and a caramel chocolate cake that everyone agreed would be worth coming back for alone. It was slightly warm with a delicious chocolate cake base, a layer of caramel in the middle, and a chocolate cake topping that had just a bit of a crunch to it. Very rich, and worth every bite.
(5)
John D.
Food was wonderful, but pricey. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the open to close happy hour food specials. We ordered almost half of the menu. Good quality seafood. They had your classic appetizer style offerings (happy hour bar menu) like calamari and steamed mussels. The sliders (both crab cake and filet) were much better than I would expected. They also had some not-so-common offerings like shrimp and grits, which turned out to be my favorite. I did not order from the full dinner menu, although the offerings looked very good. Maybe I'll try it another time when I am in Denver. If you are looking for good fresh seafood (when not by the sea), then I would recommend this place. Ambience was unique. Blue lightning gave the place an aquarium feel.
(4)
Jennifer W.
We went on Super Bowl Sunday. Eerily quiet but not surprisingly so. Service was fairly fast and attentive. Happy hour was a good value. We shared mussels (yummy, but not enough bread!), fish tacos, and oysters. On Sundays they feature one type of oyster for $1 a piece.
(4)
Michael S.
The Sunday through Friday nonstop happy hour is outstanding, along with $1 oysters on Sunday. The trio of Filet Mignon sliders are a bargain at $8. The calamari is on pointe and Liam at the bar does not dissapoint. Highly recommend stopping in and checking out the bar/lounge at The Oceanaire.
(5)
Denise G.
Denver Restaurant Week always falls the same time of year as my birthday. It works well for me, because I get to have a fantastic dinner that I wouldn't normally get throughout the year. This year, I picked The Oceanaire. The menu looked great and so reservations were made. My party arrived and were seated promptly. Drinks were ordered and we went over the Denver Restaurant Week menu. It changed! I know the menu online states that the menu may change, but my dish that I had my heart set on, was now missing. Cooper was our server and he was nothing short of awesome. He explained that since they get fresh fish, the menu would only allow what fresh fish they got that day. I understand, but was still a little disappointed. I then decided to go with the grilled tenderloin tips with whipped potatoes, crispy onions and conac cream. Cooper suggested with this dish to add shrimp. I felt that was a great idea and so shrimp was added to my dish. It all tasted amazing and was cooked exactly as I like it. Brian went with the grilled loch etive steelhead trout served blackened with caramelized onions and blue cheese butter. This dish was also good, but the fish didn't seem to be the trout. It was pink and flaky inside like salmon. We were a bit confused. The dessert menu changed as well. Instead of salted caramel and pretzel sundae, which I also had my heart set on, they offered a mint chocolate chip sundae. It sounded good so we ordered this when we ordered the appetizer and main dish. By the time we got to the dessert, the restaurant ran out of the ice cream. At this point, I was getting a little annoyed with having to change my choice. The death by chocolate cake sounded heavy and rich, so I opted for the cookies. Yes, they offered cookies as dessert for the Denver Restaurant Week menu. This was such a lame option. The whole point of DRW is to impress people, not disappoint them. I was surprised they couldn't come up with something else for dessert. Overall, we added an appetizer and had a few drinks and spent much more than the $60 for DRW. It was nice to finally try this place, but sad that they lacked some options. Cooper was a great server and very helpful with suggestions. I am not sure if we would be back for the food, but we would for sure for the great service.
(3)
Whitney W.
My boyfriend called to be sure we could get in and we went here on a Friday night for dinner. Everything about the dinner was classy. The only thing was the servers helper needed more experience. We had amazing lobster bisque to start. We had a bottle of wine. I wish they carried a real sweet riesling. I ordered the Goat Cheese Encrusted Swordfish and it was just absolutely amazing. They Bacon buttermilk (aka homemade amazing ranch) was very delightful with the truffle fries that we ordered. The evening turned into a Fabulous Date Night!
(5)
Demitri R.
Stopped in here With Kate And Shaun S and Jese for a drink after BlueMan Group. It definitely does smell fishy lol. But inside its awesome. We Pulled up to the bar and I had a Oceanaire Mint Mojito Martini with muddled mint leaves which was delicious. Also had a sip of Moscato Wine. Yummly By Far. The Bartender was great and in no rush to hurry you out since he had "cleaning" to do. I can definitely see coming back to bring a special someone for date night when I get a Special someone. Bask In the Ambiance Bask in the Ambiance.
(5)
Shaun S.
New Happy Hour Menu Bad: Drink Prices Increased By $1 Good: 5 PM - 7 PM AND 8 PM - CLOSE Sun-Fri DRINKS $4 DRAFTS New Belgium Seasonal Guinness Fat Tire Coors Light $5 Wines By The Glass La Marca Prosecco Campanile Pinot Grigio Montgras Sauvignon Blanc McManis Cabernet Sauvignon Red Diamond Merlot $6 Specialty Drinks Oceanaire Mojito Martini Spiced Apple Manhattan Patronarita Perfect Bacardi Mojito $7 Specialty Martinis Lemon Drop Pomegranate Martini Ketel Cosmo James Bond Martini FOOD $8 Crab Cake Bites Ahi Tuna Bites Spicy Tuna Tartare $6 Grilled Beef Steak Bites Steamed Mussels Trio of Oysters Oysters Rockefeller $5 Old Fashioned Shrimp Cornmeal Fried Oysters Red Chili Calamari Fish & Chips
(4)
Amy D.
I went with five others to Oceanaire last Friday for their $30- 2 lb. lobster promotion (part of the same group Mike E. mentions in his review). We were seated quickly and our waiter was on top of everything. Unfortunately, that's going to be the highlight of this review. After we were seated the bread and relish trays were delivered to the table and our waiter took our drink order. Since we all knew we wanted lobster we didn't review the menu too much except for to choose a couple appetizers and sides to go with the main course. A few others and I got the clam chowder and loved it. Word around the table was the poke was yummy as well, though I didn't partake. Here's where the drama begins to creep in... Before the apps came, our server came to take our dinner order. Six lobsters, please. Our sever asked if we wanted those shelled. I expected them to be cracked, but I didn't even think getting it shelled was an option. Yes, please! All six of us. So the entrees are ordered, we're finishing up appetizers and order a second round of drinks. Somewhere around here the drawn butter was sent to the table. And it stayed there for an insane amount of time before the lobster actually arrived. As we're sitting there I'm noticing it's taking forever for the second round of drinks and there's almost no wait staff around. Anywhere. Where is everyone? A few minutes later more staff starts milling about and our second round of drinks arrive. My mojito was passable, but my friend's second Hendricks and tonic had two very old, very brown cucumbers floating at the top. Our server was quick to make it right, but according to the drinker, even the second attempt at fresh cucumbers wasn't all that great. We also got another bottle of wine for the table, one we thought was the same as our first bottle, but when it came out it wasn't. It turns out our first bottle was wrong - a more expensive reserve - that we didn't order. Thankfully they just charged us for two of the less expensive bottles so we didn't have to pay for the mistake of being given the wrong bottle in the first place. It was funny too because when the bill came we were told numerous times that even though the reserve was very pricey, we were only charged for the normal vintage. Um...thanks? After another little stint, a couple runners came out and delivered the entrees. Gorgeous lobsters in bright red shells. Hey wait a minute! Someone at the table mentioned they were supposed to be shelled and the runners, bless their hearts, said "We'll let your waiter talk to you about that." Uh-oh... So the server arrives after the lobsters are sitting in front of us and politely informed us there was a problem in the kitchen and essentially, they'd had some staff walk out and there was just too much lobster demand and not enough people to do the shelling. We were disappointed and it was odd and off-putting to know the kitchen staff ditched out, but whatever, we could power through for lobster. Er, well we could if we had the right utensils. We waited about ten minutes before the claw crackers were brought over and then another five or so for the tiny shellfish forks. The subpar drinks, cold butter, lack of utensils, wrong wine and a couple overcooked lobsters at the table made for an increasingly frustrating experience, so we asked that the manager come over. A few minutes later he arrives and instead of introducing himself, he announces to the table "So you all ordered the lobsters shelled and they didn't come that way, right?" Well, yes. He explained they were short staffed and he was just trying to keep up and make sure everyone got their lobsters. I don't think he actually ever said "I'm sorry," let alone "what can we do to make it right?" I get there are hiccups and challenges during any given service, but seriously Oceanaire, you're promoting lobster here. Awesome event idea, but horrible execution overall. The sides were nothing to shout about - the broccolini was all right, though not very stellar in the seasoning department. The jalapeno corn bread didn't include one jalapeno that I saw and was also undercooked (see: bites of batter). At the end of the meal our waiter, who was apologetic through the entire ordeal, inquired what the manager offered to do for us and we replied nothing. A few minutes later he came over with two glasses of dessert wine for our table of six. It was a really nice gesture, but didn't save the evening. I've been to Oceanaire in the past, not long before I began yelping actually, and that experience was much more positive than this one. Probably four or five star worthy. Unfortunately, after this experience we won't be giving it another shot.
(2)
Ryan W.
This place is amazing! A GO TO must have for happy hour. This place has the best happy hour in the city. And don't let the "hour" confuse you... It's all night! The staff is amazing John, Mario, and Kat are all fantastic. They always take great care of me while I'm there. Here are my favorites on the food menu: Shrimp ceviche, filet sliders, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, fish tacos and you must have the truffle fries! TO DIE FOR! And their loyalty program is pretty solid. For drinks I love the James Bond! For dessert go big and get the Baked Alaska! It's entertaining and delicious! Love it!
(5)
Kate G.
Love this restaurant. Great atmosphere, food and wine list. Although always a crowd we were seated right away with a great view. Our meal was delicious. Halibut was perfectly Cooked so was my dates steak. The sides the waiter suggested went really well with both dishes. We were also able to sit and talk and no one pushed us to leave. Wonderful restaurant.
(5)
Mike E.
I was part of a group of 6 that dined at Oceanaire last night. A couple people in the group are on their mailing list and recieved an email promoting a lobster special they were going to be running last night. We confirmed our orders the day before to make sure they would have a lobster reserved for each of us. It seemed like they were organized, always a good sign. However, through a combination of poor training, poor staffing, poor attitude by management, and a total lack of any type of team effort to deal with a situation in the kitchen - described as some type of revolt with more than half the kitchen staff walking out. Instead it was a series of what not to do's. Things started out good, a nice table and a server most people at the table had had on another trip in with a group celebrating a birthday. Drinks were ordered, bread delivered, relish trays dropped off. Then things began to slide a bit, only because the drinks seemed to take a long time to deliver. We then ordered some some spicy tuna poke and 3 also had clam chowder. The poke had a nice kick, and I like their presentation with a stack on wantons, they add some good texture, with tomatoes mixed in. We ordered a few sides for the table to share with the meal - salt potatoes and corn on the cob, honey jalepeno cornbread, and steamed broccolini with parmesan cheese and white truffle. Our server then asked if we would like our lobster completely shelled, which I had not done before. The claws had always been cracked open, and the body split with kitchen shears or a sharp butcher knife. This time everyone decided to get them shelled, why not give it a try. After a very long wait our server showed up with 6 small pitchers of clarified butter. He asks a runner that was near to pass it out so he can go and grab the drinks we had ordered a while back. After 10 minutes or so he showed back up with drinks, and a stressed look on his face. I figured the bartender was crashing and burning, but there was much more going on. Although one of the drinks was topped with a rotten cucumber, and the second bottle of wine that was supposed to be the same somehow was not. Then a while later runners show up with our lobsters, finally! Only they aren't shelled, and when we mention this they say that they know and that our server will let us know what's going on. Plus, the claws weren't cracked and there was only a small gash were someone (likely in anger) hit it with a dull knife, allowing lots of little shards of shell in the main cavity. When he does make it back over he begins to apologize profusely, and repeatedly tells us how embarrassed he is. He says that most of the kitchen staff had evidently just walked out. He says he will try to make it right and will get us tools to use for the lobster. After serveral more minutes he brings us each a bucket and a small cracker you use for crab legs. That worked for the smaller claws, but the bigger ones were too tough to crack with that tool. They really needed to be hit on the side with a small mallet on a cutting board. Oh, and those sides. The broccolini didn't have any seasoning, parm, or white truffle. It tasted like cardboard. The cornbread was easily the worst I've ever had, and if there were any jalepenos we couldn't see or taste any. And the corn and potatoes tasted like they had been holding in water for several hours. As things began to spiral out of control we asked to speak to the manager, not sure why he hadn't run interference on the situation in the first place. After some time the GM made his way over and said he heard there was a problem. Now that you mention it - some parts of the lobster needed the jaws of life to get to the growing cold meat, the sides taste horrible, the same bottle of wine became a different bottle, your serving drinks with rotting veggies, your team seems to not get along, and we heard most of your kitchen crew walked. I asked if the people that walked out were the only ones qualified to prepare lobsters. Not shell, just prepare to be served. While making sure not to really even offer any apologies he said he didn't like to make excuses. Then of course he made an excuse, he said 2 people were doing the job of 7 and they were trying their best. All I could think was "Then why weren't you, along with all the other suited managers, back there helping? Since you obviously weren't stopping by tables explaining the situtation" Our server came back and asked what the GM was going to do for us, we said evidently nothing. He seemed shocked, then went and "bought" our table of 6 a couple of dessert wines. Nice try, but too little, too late.
(2)
Diego R.
Brought my daughter here for dinner before going to the ballet. I think because I came here with a 5 year old they sat us near the kitchen. Not a huge deal, but the restaurant was not even half full. Service was very good, and several staff members went out of their way to be nice to my daughter. We had mussels and salmon. Both were excellent. Wish they had a healthier selection for the kids menu, everything was fried, but it's not really a kids kinda place. We came back after the show for the cookies and milk for my daughter, and a scotch for me. Both were great!
(4)
Larry R.
I have had better experiences at other Oceanaires. The food here was fair but definitely not worth the high prices. All the Oceanaires are high price but I felt I got better tasting food at other places. The fish was just not the best in terms of flavor. It was a little on the bland side. Also it took fifty minutes to get to our table! In addition my appetizer sat in full view on the counter while the wait person chatted with some people they knew or liked better than us because they ordered more expensive things? We won't be coming back.
(2)
Kristen H.
I used to love Oceanaire- it was one of my favorite places in Denver. Not anymore. Over the past few years, it seems to be going downhill and I figured out why- it was acquired by Landrys- where good food goes to die. SERVICE: We went here a few days ago and had a very mediocre experience. The server was pushy, a little rude and insincere. FOOD: The food was hit or miss. APPETIZERS: the crab cake is good here- a lot of crab, little breading. One of the best things on the menu and thank goodness, that has not been changed. The trout with potato chips sounded great but they put so much sauce on it, you could not even tell you were eating fish anymore. The BLT salad was actually very good but was a little gross when I found the food labels still on the tomato. SIDES: The Mexican lime-corn side was lovely. The hashbrowns were good but a little bland. The lobster mac and cheese sounded great but was lacking flavor. The potato-au-gratin was mushy and average. ENTREES: The steak was dry and overcooked. The scallops would have been good if they didn't have a pound of butter and crap on them, masking any real flavor. The grilled items were good. But don;t get the extras with it- too rich and overpowers the real flavor of the fish. I personally find that good restaurants let the seafood speak for itself and don;t try to mask the flavor. They definitely mask it at Oceanaire now- must not be using good quality seafood? PRICE: It is pricey- which I don't mind if the food is great. But for the quality of the food, I think it is overpriced. Oh and by the way- it took 2.5 hours to get through our meal. The kids with us were ready to explode. Overall, I raved about this place when it first opened but now, I would skip it. There are better seafood places in Denver for the same price.
(2)
Cliff T.
I love how it feels like you are in an ocean liner in the fifty's (orsomething. how would I know?) Yes! Happy-hour at the bar all day! Great drinks (Prosecco Sangria!) and eats (fish n' chips).
(4)
Shelby S.
The food was delicious and the service was great. GET THE CRAB CAKES! If you're looking to go on a low key night I would suggest Sunday. Probably less than 10 people in the restaurant. Gave it a three because for the price you pay I expected more...I would go again but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't.
(3)
Kate K.
Easily one of the best Happy Hours in town. So good, I'm almost hesitant to write a review for fear of exposing the little known gem. Sunday - Friday they have a 5- 7 pm Happy Hour. But they also have the lesser known 8 - 10 Happy Hour. Good wines for $4, cocktails and martinis for $5 - $6. And the food is tasty too. At some point I suppose I'll go back and have dinner there, but really, the Happy Hour makes it so that I don't even feel the need for dinner. Every time we've visited, we've had amazing service - the past 2 visits Alex took fantastic care of us. He remembered us from our previous visit, and in my book that's always a plus. All in all a great place.
(4)
a-p h.
We had a reservation, waited at the bar for 40 min and it turned out the hostess forgot us. My girlfriends sashimi was ok, my fish was raw inside. Pretty bad for an expensive restaurant like this. Don't go. Save your money and go to ocean prime or sushi den of you got the cash and want good food
(2)
Skip W.
I've been trying various seafood places as I travel. Most have the basics with little dabbles of neatness. But the Oceanaire has raised the bar. The experience has a classy twist that expresses the passion they have for food. Menu options packed with very fresh (3 day fresh) seafood and fish with large portions that fit the $bill. The staff are professional, attentive and great crumb scrapers. The food is very flavorful but separate, so if you have a lite pallet you can move things around to taste. Take the most important person in life here to eat and just soak in the expressions on their face. Then comes the warm towel and dessert menu. A true definition of dinning out. I had the Shrimp N Grits, Skuna Salmon black and blue and huge cheesecake like Key Lime pie. Not reviewing a single food item because I'm very positive that it's all very delicious.
(5)
Diane L.
We are very dissatisfied with our treatment when we ate here a couple weeks ago. The food was good but my wife ordered grouper grilled and the waiter told her he would put some kind of sauce on it. They way he presented it it would be at no cost to us. Boy we were wrong they added 17.50 to the cost to what she ordered. We visited with management about the issue and he told her he would give her a glass of wine on our next visit. We have decided their won't be a next visit. Watch them as they will add to your meal making you think it is free and you will be ending up paying for it. I'm telling all my friends about our treatment.
(1)
Ruth A.
I ordered the arctic charr that was lightly breaded and fried. It was fileted tableside. I have to say it was the most divine seafood I've had. The service was splendid; very attentive! A wonderful menu and delightful wine list! Bravo!
(5)
Michael C.
Always good and a fantastic steak. Great for dinner and a show. You can valet your car eat dinner, then walk across the street to the theater and then pick up your car later that night.
(4)
Ryan M.
Went with a group of friends before seeing a show at the Buell. We had 9 of us there and the service was excellent. I ordered the crab cake entree, and I think those are the best crab cakes I've ever had. I grew up on the east coast where I was always able to get fresh seafood and these top my favorite ones back there. My boyfriend ordered the trout Florentine and he was a fan. We will be back, especially for a nice date night or even happy hour at the bar.
(4)
Tricia H.
Another update...I received a $50 card in the mail from someone from Landry's corporate. Since Landry's owns tons of other restaurants, we chose Saltgrass Grill. The service and food there will be reviewed separately, but I thought it best to at least give credit to corporate for sending me the gift card. Regardless, how Landry's is doing business does not match my dining needs. A sales pitch on a frequent diner program, so-so food, and so-so service have me avoiding Landry's overall.
(3)
Rebecca E.
The food was all delicious, though pretentious. We are fans of nice restaurants when the service and meal match the price on the menu. This meal was incredibly overpriced ($40 for 6 scallops - nothing else - on a plate with a lemon wedge, grilled only with a little butter). They were delightful and well prepared, but left one wanting. As a table, we shared broccoli, asparagus and mashed potatoes but none of it was finished and there was much left wanting. The service was showy, but good with one exception. When we arrived, they asked if we had tickets to see the show and confirmed the start time. We had made reservations for an hour and a half before we had to leave. We received our meals only ten minutes before we had to walk out the door. We will likely eat somewhere else next time we go down for a show.
(2)
Rich H.
West coast oyster appetizers were fresh, delicious and well shucked - especially the kumomotos. Complementary veggies/pickles were sparse, though the waiter happily supplied pickled peppers when I remarked that I had been looking forward to having them. The 2 lb Lobsters were so-so. One had a shell full of dark spots, suggesting that the lobster was old. The waiter happily (insistently) replaced it, bringing a complementary shrimp cocktail as compensation. Even after replacement, the lobsters didn't rise above "meh," but Denver is a long way from Maine. Even with professional, friendly service it was hard to escape feeling that the Denver Oceanaire doesn't supply the same seafood quality/freshness as the east coast outlets.
(2)
Jennifer A.
Since Restaurant Week is almost upon us again (so glad it's happening twice this year!), I thought that I should probably review the restaurants I went to for restaurant week back in February. The Oceanaire was one of two that my SO and I tried, and I'm disappointed to report that the whole experience (food, service, atmosphere) was mediocre. Nothing was terrible, nothing was outstanding. The restaurant wasn't very full, so the server could have been more attentive, although the few times he did make it over to our table he was very friendly. But when you don't see the server from the time he takes your entree order until you're ready for the check, well...not good. And as stated, the food wasn't anything special. I'm glad we only paid restaurant week prices, although even that was a bit much for the quality. As for the atmosphere, well, the whole place has a really early 90s vibe to it. Just dated and kind of sad. I won't be giving it another shot, but who knows, plenty of other people on Yelp had a good experience, so maybe you will too.
(2)
Aileen D.
Something's slipped a little. My favorite crabcake is not the same. I don't know how to describe it other than it was wetter than I remembered. Maybe the kitchen is going light on the crab and using a more mayo? Service was a little lacking also as we had to ask for bread, and then again ask for butter. Weird. I will always think of Oceanaire when craving seafood but I am always open to finding THE seafood place.
(4)
Chuck S.
Restaurant #4 of 2012 5280. My cousin and I were dateless on a Saturday night so, he joined me for a 9:00 reservation on Saturday night. When we got there, a few minutes before 9:00, the place was insanely packed. The bar was several people deep almost all the way around and we were told that people were dining longer than expected and we'd have to wait a bit to be seated. We did manage to grab a couple seats at the bar and then had to wait about 15 minutes before a waiter came to take our drink order. At 9:30 the hostess came and found us and went to seat us at a table for 6 or 8 people so she changed her mind and had us follow her to another area of the restaurant. She took us to a circular booth table and just as we got there another hostess was sitting another party there. What confusion. The table right next to it was open so we asked why we couldn't just have that booth, she said she needed to go check up front so, we sat down and made ourselves at home. She came back and said it would be ok if we sat there. We felt a bit funny, two guys, sitting in a romantic booth setting! We had fun with it though. When we did get our bread we didn't get any bread plates until we requested them. I was a bit surprised by the stark atmosphere where white walls are adorned only with a few fish trophys. This paragraph is why the restaurant doesn't get 5 stars. From here our dining experience just got better and better. Jeff was our waiter and he put up with our crap and had a lot of fun with us. When he walked up, almost right away after us being seated, the first thing out of my cousin's mouth was, "We are not gay." From then on, we all played on that and Jeff jumped right on it too. He said we should just call him "Silly." And, that's what the night turned out to be. Jeff was a great waiter and took wonderful care of us. We both got the calamari appetizer and it was wonderful, with the calamari on a bed of a unique, I'll call it, "salsa" blend. I ordered the rockfish and my cousin ordered the salmon medium rare. Both plates were cooked to perfection and the fish was absolutely delicious. The salmon was on a bed of fennel creamed spinach and matchstick fries that complimented the flavor. The rockfish was on a bed of tomato andouille ragout and corn bread crumbs, it was absolute heaven! Jeff just brought all three different desserts to try, thank you Jeff! I'm not a key lime pie expert but, I really liked it! The cheesecake was to die for! Our table busser was Pablo, he was very quiet/shy at first until we started talking to him and then he really opened up and we had a great time joking with him too. If you are going to go out for fish in Denver, this might be "the" place to go. I was happily surprised to find a nice fish place 1000+ miles from the nearest ocean! It's very pricey but, absolutely delicious!
(4)
Amy O.
Oh man, this happy hour was great. (Happy hour, by the way, is all day, open to close, Sunday - Friday but only at the bar). The prosecco sangria is addicting. It's prosecco and captain morgan and is perfectly complimented and cooled by adding cucumbers. Also involved, strawberries for sweetness. I wanted a vat of it. ugh! The parmesan truffle fries were awesome, too. So much tasty truffle oil. I'd go back just for those two items. The filet mignon sliders were just okay. I got a weird piece of meat that was not very filet-y :( The bartender was a bit slow but we weren't in a rush, and he was friendly so it was all good.
(4)
Jeanne R.
I have been a big fan of The Oceanaire since the days when it was a small independent chain. It is still a pretty good place to go before the theater since Landry's bought it. We were there for the first time in a while a few weeks ago, and while the food and service is still great, I don't like what is going on with the wine list. I expect a markup of 200-300% on wine whent I go out, but the Oceanire seems to be taking things a little too far. For example, our go to wine with oysters on the half shell is Mantua Valey Sauv Blanc. A month ago it was $38 - a respectable markup for a $19 bottle of wine. Suddenly, it is now $48! So I started looking a little more critically at the list. Wines by the glass are $9 to $15 - and they give you a healthy pour. But, I looked at the $9 white - Canyon Road Chardonney. Not a bad wine, but it sells for $9.99 a bottle. This a 400% markup! The wine list in general has been upgraded in quality, but so have the prices. I still love their food, and I think this the only place to go for oysters in town, but I think I am going to have to limit my visits for a while to happy hour. Such a shame. Also, my previous review should be ignored. The menu has changed totally since Landry bought the restaurant.
(2)
Jeff T.
Came here for 5280 Denver Restaurant week. I just was not impressed at all. The rainbow trout was very so-so. Maybe it was just the meal I had, but I won't be coming back.
(2)
Lendy L.
For Denver restaurant week, I wasn't exactly blown away by the food but it was not all that horrible either. Of the many selections available for dine week my party of three each ordered an appetizer of creamy potato bisque and the New England clam chowder, which prepared our pallets just right since both appetizers were delicious. However, when it came to our entrees, the fried Colorado striped bass and pan seared salmon sort of made the meal experience go sour. Turns out the bass was coated in a Fresno hot sauce that pretty much is the same hot sauce used for hot wings. This combination of sauce with fish was not what I was expecting for a fish dish. As for the salmon dish, although it came on a bed of cream spinach, the salmon itself was disappointingly over salted. My party left feeling that these dishes are not the best to attract future customers. For our final third course meal, there was the New York Cheese cake and the chocolate mouse, which again both were edible but nothing to rave about. For $26.40 per person for dine week, it's a good deal, but for full prices during normal business offerings, not so much a great deal, if anything it would be straight up high way robbery! I am pretty sure I would never order these dishes again, however for also being a steakhouse I'd have to try their steak just to see if the hype is really anything to rave about.
(3)
Dave C.
Marginal value. Good not great food. Excellent service and decor. Painfully high prices.
(3)
Becca R.
Okay, I need to say- the service was right on- never had an empty glass or had to ask for anything. A+ on that. But, the food....man, I wanted to love this place. But, it was almost below average flavor profiles and just not impressive. There are some excellent seafood options out there that are actually more affordable.
(2)
Andrea P.
Besides the price, what is there not to love about this place? Service: Well in all fairness this was 52.80 week and there was a blizzard, so they were probably expecting to be full to the gills (gills, get it, it's a seafood place....yah my husband didn't laugh either) and this place probably was less full than a normal Sunday night for them. However, they had about 1 server to every 3 tables and then 1-2 support staff for those 3 tables. Meaning: you wanted bread, water, food, anything at all you got it. It was almost overwhelming. Amy was a great waitress who really knew how to speak about the menu and seemed to have a passion for her job and making sure everyone was well taken care of. Food: I'm not really a seafood connoisseur, so I got the surf and turf, minus the surf part that my husband gladly ate. Though I was sad there was no veggie or non-seafood related appetizers I still got plenty of really good food. Never really been a bok choy fan but it was so wonderfully prepared I might have to eat some at home now. I even had a bite of my husband's trout and it was awesome, I might actually come in and order that - that's a big statement out of a non-fish eater. Price: While I will agree you're getting what you pay for here, the cheap side of me still screams out you spent $120 + tip for dinner, are you a mad woman?!?! I could eat out every day this week for that same amount and other places. So I think this will be a special occasion place and not a regular...unless I hit the lotto and then who cares right?
(5)
Angie V.
Food was delicious, had the filet and king crab plate. The 2 stars is for the service, I have never felt so awkward in a restaurant in my life. We walk in and the host just kind of stares at us and the manager rudely asks what the name is our reservation is under, we didn't have one as it was early and on a Monday, he scoffs a bit and we are lead to our booth in the bar area. Our waiter was completely strange acting as well, before we ordered my gf got up and went to the ladies room, he came around and said he would be back to "explain the menu" to us further.... I told him we had already decided as we were on a bit of a time crunch. He then proceeded to tell me he would NOT take my order until the other party came back, very snippy! My point was that we didn't need an explanation because we already decided what we wanted to eat. Not sure why the attitude? We waited and waited on our food, finally we inquired why it was taking so long and the manager came over again VERY awkwardly to tell us the steaks had been overcooked and they should be out soon. I don't know why everyone was acting so nervous and weird that day, I have dined here before a few months ago and everything was EXCELLENT.
(2)
Garrett H.
Excellent cocktails, side dishes and service. The pecan crusted trout was awful - hardly any pecans or flavor and the fish had a lot of bones in it. If we did not have to get to a show I would have sent it back.
(3)
Brian M.
came here for Restaurant Week and as soon as we mentioned we'd be ordering from that menu our server immediately turned ice cold. she would barely make eye-contact and despite my attempts to be social and thank her for everything she never said much or even smiled. In the bar area while we waited for our table, a server came up and asked us if we wanted a drink, we hesitated for a second and before we could answer, he had walked away. Our food was fine, not memorable. Clam chowder app. was good, but pretty small. I had the Snapper Dynamite which was pretty good despite the amount of bones i pulled out of my mouth. Had key lime pie for dessert and it was as advertised, pretty standard.
(2)
Astrid M.
Three gripes: 1) one heck of a high price point 2) we went on a thursday evening in the winter, so it was sort of empty 3) we waited rather a long time for our food However the staff was really responsive and the food - from the little taster of pickled stuff and warm bread to the entree's themselves - was to die for! Yummy!!! They know their food! Also, we were celebrating my son's birthday and they brought out their flaming desert thing (don't ask me what it was called) for him as a surprise. That was a really nice touch.
(4)
Alicia H.
I will be back, no question there! A friend and I went here for 5280 week. Our waiter was excellent and took the time to explain in detail their menu. He mentioned they had won awards for their crap cake slider and their Caesar salad so I got both. My friend got the Caesar as well as calamari for our appetizer/salad portion of the meal. The Caesar was definitely award winning! The dressing was even over all the lettuce, the Parmesan was fresh, and they garnished it with an anchovy (which I have never eaten before) and it was delicious! The crab cake slider was very flavorful and had a sauce over the top that made the cake sing! I only ate half the bread that came with it though. Main course was fillet minion for him, and trout for me. The sauce on the steak was amazing! A little hint of sweet that complimented the steak perfectly. The trout (in whole fish with eyes and all) was de-boned stuffed with shrimp and cheeses was in a creamy lemon (I think) sauce. I could only eat 1/2 of this awesomeness. We also got a side of augratin loaded potatoes and WOW. For dessert (since my friend's sister worked there we got hooked up) we had a slice of the cheesecake, chocolate mouse, key lime, and the baked alaska. Each were veryvery good... I thought the mouse to be a little bitter at first taste, but "licked" the little shell plate in the end. For a great show though the baked alaska was a great finale! A foot tall dessert comes out and is lite on fire and gives off a s'more smell and then cinnamon is thrown onto the flame to give sparks... the knife is heated up in the flame and then cut into halves. YUM!
(5)
Jennifer B.
This is a fantastic place! I went here with a group of girls from work for a working dinner. We were greeted and sat immediately with a smile. I was a bit nervous since I am not a big fish person. I have been getting more adventurous but almost an entire menu of fish was a bit overwhelming but I was willing to try. After spending some time reviewing the menu I finally selected what I determined to be my best option - Alaskan Halibut with some king of creamy bacon sauce (everything tastes better with bacon). LOL. My friends had ordered some whole fish which sounded delicious. We ordered two sides, the au gratin potatoes and a side of asparagus. The food arrived and mine appeared to be an entire Halibut, the server slowly poured some of the bacony goodness over my beautiful fish. The other two had their whole fish arrive table side with two servers who de-boned the fish in front of us perfectly. They timed it so nice that they almost finished at exactly the same time. I wonder how I can become an expert de-boner?! That was pretty cool. The food was fabulous, I can't say enough about it. They turned a fish hater into a fish lover. I would go back there in a heart beat to try the rest of the menu. Be ready to be wined and dined and waited on hand and foot. What a surreal experience. I highly recommend this place for a romantic dinner or a fun business outing. Please enjoy.
(4)
Roxy J.
Pretty good seafood! Prices on wine were a little high. The mussel appetizer was delicious. I had the mahi mahi for the main appetizer - very good! A table mate had the stuffed shrimp, she loved it. The dessert was okay. I would skip it. A little pricey overall, but delicious meal (except for dessert). Our service was great. We will definitely be asking for Wade in the future!
(4)
Hokie F.
Seafood in Denver? What was I thinking? More akin to a steakhouse vibe with toppings and sides ala The Palm. A bit overseasoned for my taste.
(3)
Theresa L.
Our meal and service was superb! My husband had a bacon steak. Yes, that's right, a big hunk of lovin BACON, before its sliced into those crispy breakfast strips. Not a steak wrapped in bacon, a steak OF bacon. Need we say more.
(5)
Sungeeta A.
I had dinner here with my friend and we were both very impressed. I had the Black and Bleu swordfish, which was delicious. It had cajun spices, blue cheese, and caramalized onions. So flavorful! Slightly on the too salty side, though. For dessert we got the Baked Alaska, which they set on fire tableside! The meringue had a burnt caramel taste to it because of the fire, and it was amazing!! The chocolate cake part was pretty moist although not the best.
(4)
Lindsey K.
The location makes this a great spot for a Happy Hour app and drink before heading to the theater. My friend and I ordered crab cake bites, spicy tuna tartare, fish and chips and shrimp cocktail. I found their HH menu to be very heavy, with few choices for those trying to eat healthy. The 3 crab cake sliders were somewhat bland and seemed to contain a fair amount of filler. The tuna tartare was also lacking in punch. So much so that when I pulled up the menu online to write this review I was shocked that the word "spicy" was even in the name. I ordered it thinking it would be a healthy option and was sad that it came on top a heavily fried and still oily wonton. The shrimp cocktail was sizable, with 5 large prawns. Maybe I am used to the super nasal clearing powers of the cocktail sauce at Elway's, but I found theirs to be lacking in horseradish. The shrimp are boiled in some kind of seasoning, which may be a plus for some and not for others. My favorite dish was the fish and chips. Arguably the least healthy, it had 2 large pieces of fried fish and really delicious shoestring french fries. Service was fantastic at the bar and the hostesses seemed genuinely nice. I will likely give this place another try at some point, but with so many great restaurants in the area it's hard to justify a return trip based on my first impression: bland food.
(3)
Bryan M.
I know its a chain. I understand that. I didn't accidentally click the 4th star. This was no accident my friends. The only real reason I can't give them the 5th star is based solely on the fact that when I go to have fresh seafood in at Fino in SF or Ray's Cafe Seattle its a different experience. This place provided me with one of the best seafood experiences I've had... in my landlocked state of Colorado. There is a section of the menu with their constant favorites (i.e. the stuff you can get at each link in the chain), and then a section of locally sourced or at least locally crafted menu items. Things you can only get here. I liked the mixed approach. Their service is 7-star good, from the moment Marcia (sp?) met me at the front door. They knew my name, my guest's name... there was even a special printed menu for my friend Todd's birthday. Our server was fan-fuckin-tastic. After my experiences at Ambria and Oceanaire recently, I'm beginning to re-think my shitty attitude towards service in Denver. We started with the crab cake - near perfect. Not much filler. No chunks of celery or onion mucking up things. The jumbo shrimp cocktail is the low-light of the meal for me. Large, but dry and sort of tasteless shrimp. Thankfully the house made cocktail sauce had a lot of punch. I ordered the Diver Scallops (Oscar style). Todd had the Blackened Mahi. We shared an order of the cheesy bacon potatoes au gratin. Good portion of potatoes. Great melted crust on top. We meant to actually try each other's food at some point but independently finished our dishes, looked up and said, 'Sorry, dude.' Scallops were great. They brought a baked Alaska for Todd's birthday, which was nice... although I was promised a mariachi band and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"
(4)
Brittany B.
If loving a restaurant is wrong, I don't want to be right... I stepped into the lobby this evening and remembered just how much I love this place. The decor, the people, the food, the wine... My parents and I arrived a touch early for our early dinner reservation (they like to eat right after they get off work) and we were welcomed with smiles, sat, and immediately attended to. Everyone was very attentive without making us feel rushed. My mom enjoys asking a lot of questions, which were answered in a friendly and knowledgeable fashion. To be honest, I usually get embarrassed by her inquiries, but tonight we felt well taken care of and that no question was trivial or silly. We ordered a bottle of wine, followed by another of the same that nonetheless tasted just a bit different, still good but just different than the first (perhaps another batch from the same year) and after our server ensured we were satisfied with the second bottle though it wasn't identical to the first, she immediately delivered fresh wine glasses to each person so the tastes wouldn't mingle. We ordered a few oysters and she was happy to help us decide which to order based on our taste preferences. She also suggested the Shrimp and Grits appetizer, which is apparently one of their signature dishes, and it was fabulous. The portion of calamari for RW was smaller than in years past, but the quality was still superb. The clam chowder was beautifully done. The yellowtail sliders were fine, but not outstanding in any way (they weren't mine, but my dad loved them). On to the main courses: Rockfish with grits, fried asparagus, and barbecue sauce -- delicious! Fish cooked perfectly, the "BBQ sauce" was very light and added a slight kick to the dish, the grits were wonderful... and the portion was enough for me to have leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. I will gladly re-live this meal tomorrow... My dad ordered the trout with brie and crab. (this was my second choice, but I'm glad I went with the rockfish) Tasty but very rich and the brie kind of overpowered the bite I had. He was happy with it though and also had enough for a leftover meal. My mom ordered the clams, which had mussels intermingled, which she enjoyed. Dessert was great, if a little much for all that we'd already had. I didn't try the key lime pie, but the cheesecake with strawberries was wonderful and the chocolate mousse was delightful. Restaurants: THIS is how you do Restaurant Week! Take care of your patrons, allow them a leisurely experience, and put your best foot (food) forward. I'm a little sad I've only been once per year... I may have to splurge and return before DRW next year...
(5)
shea s.
I can am a seafood fanatic. I don't mind spending the money if it is good food. This is, in my opinion, the best sea food in Denver and surrounding area. I have been to all of the seafood restaurants in the area and not only does this one have the best, perfectly cooked, unique recipe, and exceptional taste, but the service was some of the best I have ever had.
(5)
Deb S.
Best fish restaurant I have ever been to. Possibly the best restaurant in Denver. The waitress my partner and I had was great. The meal incredible. The wine pairing delicious. I will be back
(5)
Shana W.
My first experience at Oceanaire will be my last. I was expecting mediocre, overpriced food with decent service. That's about what I got, though I was still surprised at how lacking the food and service were. My $40 plate of scallops was described as including beet greens. I had no idea that meant 1 tablespoon of beet microgreens sprikled over five scallops. The scallops were fine, but nothing more than I could have purchased at Whole Foods and made at home. The tomato mozzarella salad was good, but doused in italian dressing that tasted like it came straight out of a Sysco tub o' dressing. My companions were similarly unimpressed with their dishes. Tiny portions of mediocre fish and awkwardly composed side dishes. And the desserts were Cheesecake Factory style mega desserts with so much sugar you couldn't taste anything else. No nuance, no originality. Just an onslaught of sweet. What was really confusing was the service. It was earnest, but very awkward. A lengthy spiel was apparently necessary to explain the menu to us to start us off. I shouldn't need an explanation of how a menu works. Is it a list of food? Can I pick something and have you bring it to me? If it's more complicated than that, the concept needs a makeover. But that wasn't the waiter's fault. What kept standing out was repeated holes in the service. My iced tea disappeared during the middle of my meal, reappearing 10 minutes later. They forgot to bring utensils before the grand presentation of the birthday dessert, leaving it to sit and melt for 5-10 minutes after it was blown out. They removed someone's half-eaten dish without asking if she'd like a box and it went into the trash (though they graciously made an entire new dish for her to take home after she asked about it). The valets informed several people that they had to get their cars by 10pm because that's when the valet closed (which would have cut our dinner short by an hour, though the manager overruled them). None of this was egregious, but for the amount of money we spent, I expect much more. I ate at Oak in Boulder the previous night, got twice as much food, three times the flavor, and four times the service for less money.
(2)
Brian S.
Visited Oceanaire for 5280 week. The food was excellent, service was first class and overall our experience was 4 star. We will return for more. The fish was fresh and the steaks as tender as they come.
(5)
steve j.
This place is consistently great. The fish is the freshest in town and the service is impeccable. Our maître d even loaned me some change for the parking meter, and the wait staff are cordial and attentive. We had the mixed grill and the "fin and shell" fish stew, which are their classics. Both are fantastic.
(5)
Steven H.
Still a terrific place. Had a light dinner that started with a mix of Fanny Bay and Clear Creek oysters, both from British Columbia. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Then I had the best wedge salad I have eaten this year - the blue cheese dressing is amazing. Finished with the appetizer-sized crab cake, which was all sweet lump crabmeat and not a stingy portion, either. Service was friendly and very competent. Not a cheap meal, but in this case I got what I paid for. Left a happy man!
(4)
Stephen P.
Sat at the bar for happy hour. The food was pretty decent and the "dollar oysters" ended up being $2 oysters (which is not that great of a deal). The waiter took FOREVER to do ANYTHING. He seemed very focused on serving the older clientele (I am 26), which is fine because old people complain more but if stereotypes are correct they are more conservative tippers. I left a 10% tip, which i NEVER do (usually 25-35), and I felt bad but honestly I couldn't get a re-fill on my drink (because I was only drinking soda) and they had one bartender serving 20 people, with the other bartender only doing drinks for the restaurant. DEFINITE PASS.
(1)
Tonya J.
I went here with my mom for mother's day. She indulged in the lobster, which I tasted, and it was very very good. I had the rockfish Louie and it was AMAZING- topped with lump crab and caper butter yum! But what was really standout about the Oceanaire was the service. Our waiter (I wish I could remember his name!) was crazy friendly, but not in an overbearing or fake way- just very genuine. My mom can be just a liiiiittle bit of a tough customer on occasion, and he completely won her over. He was also incredibly well-versed about everything on both the dinner menu, and the wine menu. This was the perfect place to celebrate a special day and a special lady!
(4)
Josh D.
I know this is a chain, but every time I've been to this restaurant both in Denver and San Diego the seafood is always fresh, the service is always great and my wallet is a little bit lighter, but well worth it!
(5)
Steven M.
Ate at Ocenaire a few weeks back before the Opera. I had eaten at their Minneapolis location years ago and remember it being very good. This one was not as good, unfortunately. We were seated quickly which was nice and had reasonably attentive service. We ordered some oysters and entrees and asked the server to make sure it was prompt since we had a show to catch. At this point I think we had 90 minutes, so I figured we were good. Unfortunately, everything took forever to come out. We finished up and paid only 10 minutes before curtain! The food was pretty middling. Maybe it was because they were busy, but the fish I had was oversalted and a bit over cooked. My Girl's fish was slightly better, but nothing we couldn't outdo at home, honestly. As you know this place is outrageously expensive, but doesn't live up to the level in the quality of the food. I won't be back, especially given that Ocean Prime is only a couple blocks away and an order of magnitude better on every dimension.
(2)
Denice R.
I've been to Oceanaire in Washington D.C., several times, so I was excited to try the one in Denver. It was 5280 Restaurant Week, so we went with the price fixed menu. We did order one item off the menu (crab cake), which was the best part of the meal. I was not impressed with the Caesar salad nor the main entree (fried Colorado striped bass with Blue Cheese Grits, Fresno Hot Sauce). Actually, I didn't enjoy the grits at all and I love grits. Dessert (key lime pie) was delicious as usual and the service was impeccable. Overall, if I never eat at Oceanaire again, I will be just fine.
(3)
Andreas H.
OK, so our second trip to Oceanaire was during Denver Restaurant Week 2009. It went a little something like this: The Superb: The mussels appetizer in a white wine/curry sauce. Fantastic! It probably helps that it is the height of mussel season, but they were truly delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection! The service was great and the gratis appetizer of sourdough bread and pickle-plate is always a nice touch. The Average: I had a Mahi Mahi entree that was good, but truly forgettable. The saving grace was that it was cooked perfectly. The Horrid: Dessert. Seriously, I want my calories back. We didn't even complete our desserts. The "New York Style" cheesecake was a crustless square of goo. Oh yeah, not even set up. It tasted like it was out of a box. My wife's dessert, Key Lime Pie, also tasted similar. It barely had any citrus taste at all, but at least it was set. BONUS: We had some $6 a glass Sangiovese that was actually pretty awesome! YAY! It would have been a 3.5 if it had not been for the dessert, which put it to a 2.5, but I settled on a 3.
(3)
Nicole M.
I made reservations and they asked if it was a special occasion. I let them know it was our anniversary and when we arrived we were greeted quickly and shown to our table. The menu was personalized with the date and "Happy 21st Anniversary" to take along as a souvenir. Pretty cool. The place wasn't packed and the staff was extremely attentive. My husband ordered the appetizer crab cakes that were out of this world!!! 95% crab compared to the cheesy crab cakes at other restaurants that are all bread. I had a seafood trio platter for the main entree. The food was fantastic. We haven't had seafood this good since a trip to the Northwest Coast. A nice touch was a free dessert - a tall baked Alaska - for our anniversary! Showed up at the table and set afire. Nice touch. We were stuffed, but it was delicious! I have heard some negative reviews about bad service, etc. You need to let them know ahead of time if you are on your way to a show (Performing Arts center directly across the street). It avoids the hassle if you let them know when making reservations or even when you arrive. We will definitely go again. Parking is available in the Performing Arts garage or on the street.
(4)
Sarah S.
This is always a great meal. We come back again and again.
(4)
justin d.
this will be a easy review, the food was awsome, the service was great and the liquor selection is nuts! the birthday dessert they brought out was huge and words could not explain how it tasted!
(4)
Holly M.
Good service. Medocre food. Good atmosphere.
(3)
Mary Jo S.
Over the holidays, Ms. M, my theater partner, and I ate at Oceanaire before Jersey Boys. She made the reservations and told them we were celebrating my b-day a few weeks late. Entering Oceanaire sets the stage for a great dinner as it is lit low, has a beautiful bar with colored bottles glowing in the darkness, and dark paneled dining rooms offering intimate dining. We were seated and handed a daily menu (I love this feature as it tells you what fish were flown in that day) and to my surprise the menu had a Happy B-day MJ message printed at the top. Our server told us the daily special which we barely heard as we knew we were going to split the Grand Shellfish Platter. I had a cup of the clam chowder before our meal which was so rich and tasty. And then it arrived, a giant snow cone of ice filled with all kinds of seafood treats: lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, shrimp, oh my. 4 small bowls of sauce were placed between us and we were in dining heaven. As Ms. M and I sat back in satisfaction, our server then comes to the table with a towering desert compliments of the house for my b-day. It is Baked Alaska and she lights it on fire and taps her serving implements to make cinnamon fire sparkles. How special is that? It is pretty special I say and to top it off, the menu was rolled up and tied with a bow and presented to me as a gift accompanied with a birthday card signed by the staff. Now we are talking special!!!! All in all a great meal and a perfect celebration. Another big plus is that Oceanaire is only a block away from the theater so a nice stroll after dinner gets us there in time for the show. So, this is a 5 star experience. And I should give Oceanaire 5 stars. However, the prices are so outrageous that I expect Oceanaire to give this type of service and for the food to be over the top at all times. Sometimes it is not 100% and for that one less star.
(4)
Katie L.
The drinks are VERY strong as I experienced a squabble w this um boy after leaving here. Don't much want to think back on this night but we had a lot of delicious happy hour drinks and food. Service=great. Calamari=served w fried onions and peppers, so it's really like 1/2 calamari 1/2 veggies which I have no problem with, but it's just not mentioned on the menu.
(5)
Fred W.
Fantastic food and service. I had the Black & Blue Costa Rican Mahi Mahi and my wife the Yellowfin Tuna. Both excellent, however for the price the portions were pretty small. Why is that with every upscale restaurant? Oh well. We'll be back.......maybe that's why!
(4)
Josie P.
Denver Restaurant week was actually extended for an extra week here because people loved it so much. Lucky for me because that's the only reason I got to try it. It's definitely on the pricey side, but well worth it if you're craving some fresh seafood. Being a former coast-dweller, this made me very very happy. Everything we had there was fantastic and even though I usually prefer my salmon raw, they grilled it to perfection. The atmosphere is a bit fancier but fun if you want to have a dressed up night out on the town. It's a great place to go for happy hour too if you're on your way to a show at the Performing Arts Center. And if it's your birthday... or even if it's not, you've got to try the Baked Alaska. Even if you're too full, it's fun to watch it being served.
(4)
Lauren D.
I came here for the second time with my boyfriend for his birthday about a month ago. The first experience back in October was all around phenomenal! I usually don't venture out to corporate restaurants but we were a big party and majority vote. The second time I came in a month ago for my bfs bday was also good...but only thanks to our AMAZING waitor Wade. We had called ahead, as it was a Sunday and we weren't sure how busy they would be. We were told a reservation at 8pm was not needed and for us to come right in. When we came in (mind you we're a couple in our 20's dressed casual) the hostess was extremely rude and almost degrading! She was an older woman and the other hostess was young and kind. But the older hostess was appalled we didn't have a reservation even though we explained we were told one was not needed (and it didn't appear to be busy at all!) The older hostess even waved us to the side out of the doorway, we would not have even stayed at this point but it was his birthday and those crab cakes are to die for!!! When we were finally seated our waitor, I believe his name was Wade (an older gentleman, VERY professional and classe) greeted us promptly. Wade was without a doubt one of the best servers I have ever had. I have been a server myself for over ten years in various establishments from Chicago to Miami and now in Denver and he was the cream of the crop! I was in a pissy mood from the bitchy hostess and he turned it all around with his quick wit and excellent recommendations! He was both personable and hilarious to talk to! I could tell he was reading us from the get-go and based on our conversation, he was able to provide an excellent dining experience. His wine pairings with specific dishes was on point! We left happy, full and content with a wonderful birthday dinner. I would recommend Oceanaire if you have a special celebration or a little extra money to spend. Wade, you did a fantastic job and we will ask for you again soon! To the bitchy hostess lady, do not judge a book by its cover and learn to treat every guest with the utmost respect. You never know, we may just be YOUR boss one day.
(4)
Jen G.
I was terribly disappointed, and I *love* the Oceanaire in DC. The one in Denver had the worst service I have ever experienced. I had to order my drink 3 times before the waitress brought it over; we had to get up and refill our own water glasses; and no one bussed our table. In fact, when our entrees arrived, the food runner had to push aside dirty dishes from our appetizers and salads (he didn't take the dirty dishes, mind you). The food was surprisingly marginal. The crabcake appetizer and the salads were good (although the salads were extremely finely chopped, as though prepared for a very young child). My fish entree was overcooked. For dessert, I ordered the milk and cookies, which is my favorite at the DC restaurant. The cookies came out completely burnt. As in, charred black hockey pucks. The waitress expressed surprise when I told her they were inedible. The manager came over to tell us that it's hard to find good dessert chef in Denver, which a) yeah right, and b) it's not hard to set a timer for cookies. They charged us for the inedible cookies anyway. The service was so terrible, and the price so high, that I actually wrote to the manager. He wrote back and asked for my phone number so that he could discuss my dining experience...and then never called me or responded to my follow-up email. My take-away: this place doesn't care how they treat you, so long as you pay them a lot of money. Go to Jax instead. Heck, go to the Bonefish Grill.
(2)
Michael C.
My wife and I ate here on October 15th with another couple who were attending a trade show at the nearby convention center. Most folks will know, as we did, that this a pretty pricey restaurant. I don't mind a little pricey but prices here - $14 for a plain margarita - are, in my opinion, overboard. I had a steak and shrimp dish that fell far below my expectations - especially for the money. The filet had already been sliced into 4-5 small slices - I'll have to take their word for the fact that it was 6 ounces. The shrimp were very small for the price - my guess is that they'd fall into the 36-40 per pound variety - and my plate had 5-6 of them. My wife had a salmon that she said was very good. We split a side salad and our table split several side dishes that were good but nothing to write home about. Places like this where nothing's included - when the food quantity and quality do not impress - are just flat-out way overpriced - period.. There are enough folks with enough money to keep the owners of these type of establishments strolling to the banks with big fat smiles on but personally, I'd prefer to enjoy better quality and value over trying to impress my client or friends.
(3)
Dave A.
My wife and I had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner here. Everything was impeccable. The wait staff was tremendous. We arrived 10 min before our reservation and sat down on some bench behind the large blue neon bar. Someone immediately came up and offered us some glasses of water. Nice touch. Everyone from the hostess to our waiter (Andrew?) was friendly, prompt, and attentive. The ambience again was stellar. Be sure though to ask for seating next to the windows as the back room can be both a bit dark as well as somewhat spartan regarding decorations. As expected the food was 5-stars and expensive (the price being the only reason for the 4-star rating). But the service definitely made it worth it. Perfect location near DCPA also. The Oceanaire is on our list of special places for an impressive evening.
(4)
Shawn S.
I'm not a big fan of spending this much for a meal but I do like to splurge for special occasions. My boyfriend made reservations at Oceanaire for my birthday. When we walked in and gave our name, the hostess wished me a happy birthday. We were then seated and as I looked at my menu, I saw "Happy Birthday Shawn" across the top and a card on the table signed by all the staff. Our waiter, Matt, gave us plenty of helpful information about the menu without being overbearing/annoying and gave us plenty of time to think through all the great advice he provided. We had the Fried Red Chili Calamari - nice Asian twist made this a uniquely awesome appetizer. I had the Rockfish with the Crab Dynamite "enhancement" - simply delicious! The sweet taste of the rockfish with the spicy chili sauce worked well together. Aaron had the swordfish with the Black & Bleu "enhancement" - never would have thought of putting blue cheese on fish but it literally melted in your mouth. Double Thumbs Up!
(5)
Angela A.
I am a seafood lover, and miss it terribly. Back east there was a plethora of shellfish & fresh ocean creatures to eat, anytime of the year. I have found it difficult to find seafood the way I am used to it being prepared back home. Everything has a fancy sauce or something strange that covers up the natural good flavor of seafood! Crab cakes are one of my most favorite meals, and I almost gave up trying to find them here that could even compare to what I've had back home's so glad I gave the Oceanaire Seafood Room a try & I am so pleased to say....this place is amazing!! Of course it is pricey but it is worth every penny to taste seafood the way it's meant to be prepared. No frills, no crazy sauces, and a raw bar to die for! I will save my penny's to continue to dine here! I recommendt this place to all seafood lovers out there!
(5)
Nicole W.
Another Restuarant Week 2009 Dine I had no idea where this place was - I have gone to the theater plenty but never noticed this little dining local. I noticed the menu on line for 5280 and thought it sounded yummy!! I was late on booking reservations so we had to find some friends to get a 4 spot at 8:15pm - woah! We arrived a little early. Valet was a little backed up, so it was tricky to get the car out of traffic. When we checked in the front desk said they were pretty much right on the 8:15 time. We meandered over to the bar and ordered up some wine. I must say even not on happy hour they have some tasty beverages at the $6 mark. I did the australian Alice Shiraz and was very very happy. And their pours are not skimpy either! Woohoo! We were seated around 8:30 and the greeter indicated they had been having trouble with people enjoying their meals and coffee too long and throwing off their scheduling... Oh my. Some of it might be them though. Our plate arrivals were definitely spaced out! Our waiter was Chad and he was very nice. He got our beverages going, eventually brought the bread and crudatet. I went with the mussels - not as good as Cruise Room - but tasty. Hubby did the calamari - OMG - amazing! Next was the mahi mahi - with a lobster bisque - it was ok. We also added on the hashbrowns with oceanaire style - which means bacon, onion, and Tabasco - mmmm! For desert I was going to go with the apple crisp but was warned that sometimes it came without the topping and wasn't that great. So i did the cheese cake - and enjoyed it. Hubby went with the chocolate mouse. He liked it. It was a very enjoyable meal. I would definitely come back for some wine and calamari at the bar!
(3)
Mike R.
The smoked trout appetizer was excellent. Another great salad is the BLT salad. Great atmosphere in the bar area. Will give 5 stars next time if the food is brought out in a timely manner.
(4)
Peter L.
I should have known better than to eat seafood in Colorado. Had the clam chowder for appetizer and I think Campbell's soup tasted better. For entree, I had the scallops with braised short rib, weird combination, I think this is their idea of surf&turf. The scallops was slightly overcooked and flavor was bland. The braised short rib was dry. Both of which I was disappointed. I don't have much to say about this place but just a mediocre seafood restaurant but I was in the city for work so this meal was expense-able, because I will not want to pay for this meal.
(2)
Karen M.
Tres Chic! Based on Yelpers strong reviews, my Happy Hour crew decided to check Oceanaire out for one of our monthly meet-ups. I like trendy places, but this one was a bit odd. Picture this: six of us, all in a row, facing the glass partition. Wasn't exactly conducive for conversation, although I did get quality time with Tom, the person directly next to me, so that was fun. But otherwise, it all felt weird, passing appetizers back & forth down the line. We all know that I give points for good HH deals on good beer, so that $3 glass of a Hades draw made me pretty dang happy. But beware - the deal is Happy Hour pricing ONLY in the bar. I just never got that concept at restaurants, but, apparently someone has to take up those seats at the partition. Food was nice. Smoked trout was really unique. I would come back for that. Tom & I debated who has the better fries? Jonesy's or Oceanaire? We were split. We both appreciate good, simple fries and while you have to ask Jonesy's to "just keep 'em simple" I think they're the best. Tom's vote was for Oceaniare's lightly dressed salt & vinegar fries. So, while the food was a nice treat and the beer a good value, Happy Hour isn't as happy if you can't sit with your chums and have face-to-face time.
(3)
Ron K.
Well my wife and I had tickets to a musical at the Buell Theater which is right across the street. Now I myself am not a seafood lover. But my wife is. We have been looking for a restraunt in town that serves raw oysters and a good piece of meat. Well this place has both, and it delivers quality food for both as well. This was THE BEST STEAK I HAVE HAD AT A SEAFOOD RESTARAUNT. If you are a couple where one of you loves seafood and the other the turf. This is the place to go for both of you to get the food you want. We will return again and again.
(5)
Sherri K.
The service here was very good. I felt like my needs were fulfilled. The other guests in my group... not so much. One guests waited and waited for her martini. I saw the dinner rush and my food came in a timely manner and my dirty martini was the best dirty martini I had had in a desperately long time,but I noticed a lack of consistency. The oysters were tiny, but good. The food in general was delish. At happy hour prices, this was right up my alley, but I can imagine if seated in the dining room after 6p, I may not have been so pleased. The decor reminded me of "The Shining". Yes, Jack Nicholson. Dark wood bar, Titanic feel, ghosts in the air, etc etc.
(4)
Moon L.
I was super excited to go last night since I won the fb contest. My husband and I have been waiting for a chance to go back since our last visit. This place never disappoints! The oysters were so yummy and buttery and our bartender was incredibly accommodating and sweet. We plan on coming back again soon. Thank you OASFR!
(5)
Debbi B.
I am a big fan of Oceanaire, so I was very happy to receive a gift certificate from my brother and we went for my birthday tonight. This experience was totally different than in the past, but I'm giving it three stars based on past experiences and the green beans were still pretty yummmy. The issue tonight was service. After our appetizers, I noticed we had not received our bread or relish plate and had to ask for it. Okay - not terrible. Then, our waiter had a lengthy discussion with my husband about whether or not he should have the swordfish - he said it had been dry lately and convinced my husband instead to have the halibut with the swordfish presentation. Great. Only the swordfish was what arrived. When we asked about it, the waiter claimed that he thought my husband chose the swordfish. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. Bigger problem was that I had ordered the lobster. Normally the yummy warm butter is set up first - this time, lobster arrives and no butter. Lobster was cold before the butter arrived. In addition, once I finished my dinner, four different people came by the table and not one asked if they could remove my plate. Not cool. Lastly, and most surprisingly, a trip to the ladies room found all four stalls sans toilet paper. Call me crazy, but when you are paying this much for dinner, you have a right to not have to make a trip out to the hostess stand in order to use the bathroom. Anyway, I will try again as we have had four really great meals there but one more experience like this and I may have to cross off the list. PS - my coffee was cold!
(3)
Heather M.
I went here with my family and enjoyed one of the most delicious seafood dinners I have had in years. I must admit, I am usually a bit suspicious of seafood far from an ocean, but this food was divine. I had the swordfish, and my father had the halibut. We were both very pleased with our meals. The wine selection was comprehensive and the waitstaff knowledgeable and friendly, yet very formal. This is definitely a fancy restaurant, and good for a special occasion or a large crowd with money to spend. It was more formal that I am typically accustomed to, but very lovely, nonetheless. The ambiance is formal but on the modern side. We ate a late dinner after a show at the theatre and found the atmosphere to be lively and enjoyable. I have not been to many seafood restaurants in Denver, but I would most definitely return here.
(5)
Kim G.
Outstanding wait service: very knowledgeable, helpful, discreet. Loved the bib lettuce, apple, and candied walnut salad. Delicious, fresh, perfectly cleaned oysters. Yummy lobster. A wonderful spot for a special dinner. Only bad spot was the valet parking service damaged our car and didn't tell us. They caused a really big dent on the passenger side door. We didn't see it until the next day when it was light outside. I'd recommend parking your vehicle yourself!
(5)
Yanhua P.
Went there for a drink after dinner, they have happy hour after 8, and the bar was empty. Beers are good price ($3) and service is exceptional. If they bring back the dollar oyster I'd be there more often.
(5)
Shenna J.
Happy Hour menu is awesome and delish! I haven't tried the place for dinner yet but happy hour is a must try. Their margs were great!
(4)
Shelly R.
In 2010 Landry's rescued Oceanaire from sinking like the Titanic. Phew! Because I love this place and they still fly fresh seafood in daily! From the Jumbo Crab Cakes, Wild Costa Rican Mahi Mahi, Baked & Stuffed Idaho trout (shrimp, blue crab & brie cheese), to the Oysters Rockefellar and fresh baked sour dough bread... EVERYTHING is fresh and well prepared. During happy hour, I suggest trying the fat Chopped Salad that comes with loads of fresh crab and shrimp. The salad dressing is mouth watering. One large seafood salad, one top shelf cocktail, plus tip, comes to about $20-$25. A good way to enjoy this fabulous cuisine, without breaking the piggy bank! Some of the best servers in Denver! Consistantly great!
(4)
Lindsey H.
I was so excited to go here for my birthday. I grew up in Florida, and seafood is my comfort food. Unfortunately, everything was underwhelming, from the service to the food and cocktails. First irritation was that we arrived right on time for our reservation... and were made to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Which wouldn't be so bad if they had an actual waiting area besides the bar, as that is always packed with people eating the bar menu. We started with the smoked trout, which was the best thing we ate. I would definitely eat this again- delicious. Our entrees were completely forgettable. Our server was slow, inattentive and just... weird. Overpriced, and I'm still looking for amazing seafood in Colorado.
(3)
Tiara Q.
We returned for our anniversary this year. The menus are printed daily and if you tell them it's a special occasion, it winds up on your menu and every staff member will acknowledge it (at the bar, at the door, your waitstaff, the manager. They even gave us a card that they all signed - Cool! but if you're not into all the attention, don't inform them of your occasion). They will roll up your menu and tie a bow around it to take with you. We have them as keepsakes now. :) Before dinner, we visited the bar. I highly recommend the Bloody Cesar. It's a tall delicious bloody mary garnished with a colossal shrimp, olive and lime. Perfectly spicy. They have a decent happy hour menu which we will have to come back for. It's easy to get full quickly here so make sure you're Hungry. Before your meal ever arrives you get fresh baked bread and a huge relish plate. If you eat this you will be full before your first course. Don't make this rookie mistake! I like how they have whole bottles, half bottles and by the glass of wine and bubbles. There's so much to try and they make it so easy to come back again and again. EvErYtHinG here is magnificent so take your time and enjoy it. Until next time!
(5)
Amanda P.
Would have been 5 stars except the hostess walked past me 4 times without so much as a look in my direction, I was the only one standing in the lobby. Once another hostess acknowledged me, everything went uphill... I started with a delicious cesar salad and followed it with Baked Stuffed Shrimp with linguine. It was so amazing. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, the linguine was excellent. The crab meat stuffed in the shrimp was the best. Normally I am not a fan of capers but it totally added the right flavor to the linguine. The staff (with the exception of the first hostess) was exceptionally attentive. Chef Mine was delightfully friendly. He and his team does amazing work with food! I will certainly be back as there were a few more things on the menu that I want to try!
(4)
Natalie M.
Oceanaire Seafood Room is the place to go if you are looking for fresh, upscale seafood. It's kind of fancy and a bit pricey, but completely worth every bite. I decided to go here for restaurant week and figured that the portions would be downscaled for this reason, but was surprised by the fact that they were almost larger. There was so much food on our plates that we couldn't finish everything....it was a bit sad to leave such great food on the plate. The crab cake appetizer is a must try...it just melts in your mouth. I had the lobster bisque and it was perfect. My entree was the salmon and for desert we shared the cheesecake and key lime pie...mmm. Parking is kind of a pain, but they do offer valet...and if you're going to drop good money on dinner you may as well have them park your car and bring it to you when your done....especially if it's raining like it was the night we went. My four stars are justified by the great food and good service, but they lost one star due to the over-sized portions. It's my belief that when you go to an upscale restaurant, you should feel satisfied...NOT STUFFED.
(4)
Ben S.
I hadn't even heard of it, but OpenTable had a space, the web site looked real nice and the the menu looked solid, so we took a chance and were glad we did. The service is excellent and let us take our time... sometimes we move as fast as the service, but it was a Saturday night and we didn't want to rush, and the service had a nice pace, but not too fast. The waiter (steve) was very knowledgable, making suggestions and helping us make a few decisions. The food was real good - they have lots of fresh and high quality seafood, they have a steaks & chicken dishes, but those are bured on the menu in the bottom corner. Portions are BIG! We were warned thankfully, and still had too much food. We had an excellent green salad, one appetizer, but enough for 2. They had good sourdough bread and a great crudite - it was excellent! For dinner, I had the Black Cod, simply broiled, and it was great. My wife had the lump crab cakes - which were heavy on the crab, light on the filler - very good. We had one side, the sour cream and onion mashed potatoes - this was like 2 pounds of potatoes.. we nibbled a bit and it looked like we hadn't started yet! For dessert we split a piece of key lime pie, which again, was enough for 4. We each had some and left like 3/4 of it.. unreal portions! The drinks were excellent, they have their signature "fish" logo on all their dishes and glasses - see my pictures.
(4)
Hunter W.
Don't bother: Food is just OK, service is slow, and the prices are much higher than competing places. Everything is a la carte, and the entrees and sides are very expensive (asparagus $13). The service is very slow - 10 minutes to get our server to appear, 20 minutes to get drinks (and the bar is only 25 feet away). Place was not full - and no wonder. The beet salad ($11) was very nice, tho. I won't be going back.
(2)
Zorana P.
We made a reservation for this past Saturday night to celebrate Restaurant Week. I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was DISGUSTING. It was so overcooked, it resembled chicken more than any type of fish. It was super bland, had absolutely no sauce on it but was super oily, like sopping with butter or something nasty! For this being a high-end seafood restaurant, I thought that if I ordered fish, then that would be a safe bet but it was the worst piece of fish (if you can even call it that) in my entire life. For dessert, I got the pretzel caramel sundae. The sundae is very misleading in the name as this did not have a drop of fudge or nuts. I could have made a more enjoyable sundae at home with grocery store ice cream. I completely understand if a high end restaurant does not want to join restaurant week but if they choose to do so I would think they would want to showcase a few of their specialties to get people to come back and the food that I had was not going to cut it. The only saving grace was the oysters. This was my first time at this restaurant and could possibly be my last.
(1)
Erin S.
The dining room is huge and when I came here last week the restaurant was pretty empty (possibly due to the chance of snow), but the lack of patrons did make me uneasy....did this place suck and that is why no one was there? (my judgment flags went up) the answer - no! * the atmosphere. It's a beautiful restaurant with a nautical theme - you feel like you are on a luxury liner. * the service is fantastic * the bread is absolutely to die for. even though its filler - i love restaurant bread. its quality means a lot to me and is usually a sign of whats to come. * even though I would like to see more local options (they have Colorado bass), i do understand that we are a land locked state. but the menu is extensive and you can satisfy any seafood craving here. the co bass - btw - is outstanding * main courses are really tasty and the key lime pie (to be split amongst three) was so huge and sinfully tangy and rich, i swear it was a quarter slice of pie and even though this isn't my usual style of restaurant, i had a great experience and would def go back
(4)
Katy P.
Excellent service & amazing food. We wanted fresh and delicious, and we were not disappointed. Our waitress, Tina, knew the whole menu and very kindly educated us on the fish & any items we were unfamiliar with. Crab cakes were amazing, plus lobster & Swordfish Louie, finished off with fruit crisp and Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie. A GREAT experience.
(5)
Sarah J.
This is the most pretentious place i have ever been! The food was not good. Portions were small and the taste was bland. $200 later for only 3 of us for stuff we werent impressed with, I will never be back here!
(1)
Dayton R.
This was my first visit to the Denver Oceanaire; I have been to two other locations, Orlando and San Diego and have always been impressed with the service and food. We had tuna and crab cakes and both were very good after that things went downhill; the service was terrible our waiter hardly visited our table and our potatoes were served cold. We spoke to the manager and she did not charge us for the potatoes and comped us desert. When we ordered our desert our waiter said they were large and should order only one.
(3)
Liz K.
The king crab at Oceanaire is well worth the money! My hubby and I splurged on Oceanaire for the second time last night. The "2010 Menu" sucked us in. So I thought we could easily eat there for less than $100 this time. And, yes, we COULD have. But our usual favorites were screaming at us and some new things struck a chord as well. So much for the $20.10 menu of the night. We did however enjoy the $20.10 bottle of wine! They start you out with their pickled relish tray and the amazing bread. The pickled herring isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for us!! We love that stuff. We had an amuse bouche from the chef - a little shrimp with daikon sprouts on a cucumber - tasty. Then we delved into our menu choices. The fun started with a dozen oysters from the Pacific coast. A tasting of three different kinds - served with their cocktail sauce with freshly shaved horseradish and the mignonette. Then we moved on to what may be the best part of the night . . . Alaskan King Crab Clusters. FRESH Alaskan King Crab. Never frozen. Sooooooo scrumptious and decadent. This was our best memory from our 1st visit to Oceanaire so we had to have it again. They were perfectly steamed and our fantastic waiter - Keith - asked if we'd like them shelled. Uh - sure! So they had done all the work. Just some butter for dipping and it was perfection! After all of that we decided to share a caesar salad. It was a good thing we did - it was huge! The caesar was cold and crisp. The anchovies were perfectly salty. The croutons were big and crunchy. It was delicious. We then shared the 16 oz Halibut T-bone. We asked for medium and probably should have asked for medium rare. Strangely enough it was my least favorite part of the night - my entree - but it was still really good. We also shared a side order of the bacon steak. It was three huge slabs of bacon that were perfectly smokey and salty and it was the ideal accompaniment to our Halibut. The manager came over to check on us and he was very impressed with our order. We chose "the best things on the menu." As usual the best things are often the most simple. Just fresh, quality ingredients prepared really well. Nothing fancy about our preparation or our order. It was all just the best of what they had to offer. It was delicious and, like the first time, we are already talking about what special occasion will send us back for more. With tax and tip we spent just over $200. So, this isn't an every day meal for the every day man. But it's an amazing place to spend an amazing night!
(5)
Emily J.
One of the more memorable restaurant visits I have had! I went here with some girlfriends and was truly wowed by both the food and service. The claim chowder is a must, and save room for their impressive baked Alaska for dessert. We had a wonderful waiter, Justin, who made our visit extra fun and enjoyable. Everyone from the valet to the manager was extremely courteous and welcoming. Oceanaire has exceptional seafood for Denver and the restaurant itself is unique in its decor and atmosphere. A great place to have a delicious meal in a relaxing and luxurious setting. If you're lucky they'll even bring out the live lobsters so you can really pick your dinner.
(4)
Tracy C.
The food is fabulous you can read about the food on most of the other comments. What I was most impressed with was the service. They are open till 11PM we arrived at 9:30 on a Saturday night to find the place virtually empty. BUT, we never felt rushed or unwelcome on the contrary everyone was happy to have us. I will go back again and again.
(5)
David S.
This review is sort of an update. My original review was for 5 stars, then a 2 star for a less than stellar meal several of us had during restaurant week. After bringing our displeasure to the attention of Oceanaire's manager, he and the Oceanaire staff have reset balance in the 5280 universe. If I could give 6 stars for the experience, I would. They paired wines with each plate, making our gastronomic journey all the more delightful. First off, Idaho Trout, smoked in house daily. I normally am not a big trout fan, which says a lot, because I loved this. Perfectly done, watercress balancing the trout's flavor, paired with a Columbia Valley sparkling white. Second, a mixed greens salad. Something I love is when there is a mix of sweetness and tartness to wake up the taste buds. Raspberries, Strawberries, Granny Smith apples, together with a balsamic vinaigrette. A simple mix, with tastes that complement each other well. I would have been happy with just a large salad, and will try and duplicate this as home if I can't get a dinner sized portion at Oceanaire. The main course was bacon wrapped MahiMahi. This is the reason Oceanaire went to the trouble of waking my taste buds up. This may well have been the best MahiMahi I've ever had on its own, and then wrapped in their bacon? I think I must be on death row or something, and someone ordered my last meal for me. I can die happy now. This dish was well paired with a chardonnay by Joseph Drouhin St. Veran. Not a big chardonnay fan, at least not before this bottle. Outstanding. Last, and most certainly not least, was dessssert. The misspelling of dessert is intended, as the mnemonic I use to distinguish between the spelling of desert and dessert is that there are 2 S's in the one I want more of...now you understand why I put 4 S's there. A huge chocolate brownie covered in chocolate and caramel, with homemade vanilla ice cream...the vanilla actually popped with flavor. I am once again a fan of Oceanaire. Of all the meals I've enjoyed in Denver, this was one of the very best. Thank you, R.B. for you grace and hospitality.
(5)
Sara D.
Living in the Pacific NW I'm privy to fresh seafood and local oysters. I was not disappointed in the apps at the Oceanaire. We had a wonderful selection of oysters. However we did order the chilled seafood platter for 4, which included king crab legs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp and I was really surprised that a lot of the king crab legs were tough, stringy and obviously overcooked. I wondered WHEN they had been cooked. Also, I cracked into a lobster claw and was SPRAYED, literally sprayed in the face and arms, the booth was covered, and the spray even hit the people sitting to either side of me with some kind of crazy lobster goop from the one claw. I've never seen anything like it before. We were all amazed. After that I got freaked out and stopped eating the chilled platter. The main courses were awesome. I got the fillet Mignon, and the mashed potatoes were great. Overall, a mixed bag experience and not one that was work the $600 price tag.
(3)
Jenny S.
It's like walking into the set of Titanic. I was swept off my feet by the swing jazz and simple 40's decor. A real classy place. The daily menu is overwhelming, I felt dyslexic for a moment but the waiter promptly came to the table to decipher it and help me decide between the Hawaiian Poblano Cilantro Big-eye Tuna with plantain chips and the Copper River Salmon. "Grilled Salmon" doesn't sound that exciting but he sold me on a medium rare Copper River Salmon, being that it is only in season a few weeks and I could have the Tuna anytime. A lovely, large round sourdough roll and a pickled tray was set at the table and my salad and clam chowder quickly came out of the kitchen. My salmon was perfection, yes it was the best I've ever had. Now I'm ruined, I can no longer go into a store and buy my individually frozen salmon fillets and be happy. I've had delicious salmon at fine restaurants, but this one melted my panties off. The asparagus was on steroids, they were huge! I didn't pay much attention to them though because I knew dessert was coming and I was going to try the Baked Alaska. I've never had this and the only thing I knew about it is that it is flaming. It is ice cream on a chocolate sponge cake with a marshmellowy covering (like an ice cream cone) and they set that bitch on fire. I did it up with a fantastic latte. The service was excellent. As soon as you walk in you get greeted. Pleasant servers and the waiter was knowledgeable and on his game. The executive chef also checked on the meal (which is always nice...especially when they seem sincere). The bathrooms were even fabulous. Beautiful large white sinks, fluffy white hand towels, complimentary lotion, mouthwash, hairspray ( I did think it was kinda funny they had a cheapo can of Aqua-net!!). It is always nice to see a bathroom that is as upscale as the restaurant. I loved this place. I love fresh seafood. My only complaint is that I cannot afford to eat here as often as I'd like.
(5)
Steven B.
I've tried to go to this restaurant several times, but this was the first time I could get a reservation. I guess that shows how well Denver diners have taken to it. There were six of us with widely varying tastes and inclinations. We got there pretty early so sat at the bar for a bit before they were set up for us. The bartender was great even though we didn't order drinks. When we were taken to our table it was our server who handled it. I like that instead of getting handed off from person to person. The server stayed with us and took drink orders, but also answered several questions. One of us wanted something which was not on the menu and the server made a great recommendation with no big issues. The busboy had also arrived with bread and a veggie tray by then and he stayed around to see if there was anything else he could get us. Service was handled by a plethora of people, but it all seemed to be very well coordinated. I was really, as you can see, by the service here. Probably some of the best I've ever experienced in Denver. The food was superior; I had a selection of oysters on the half shell and they left a 'cheat sheet' so I could see which one I was slurping down. They were all good. I think everyone at the table ordered something different and there were several 'special' requests, all came out at the same time and were spot on. I think this is a bit more expensive than a couple of other top-notch seafood restaurants in Denver, but the location across the street from Denver Center for Performing Arts probably has a lot to do with that. The menu contains set pieces, but you can also order a cut of fresh fish and an ala carte side dish. I expect to go back for special occasions and when I have out-of-town company I want to impress.
(4)
Ming T.
Our evening at Oceanaire started off great. I had been dying to try this place out for a while now. I took my mom and a party of 9 total to the restaurant for the last night of 52.80. The little touches they did for my mom, like the special Birthday menu, and the card were great. The service was great, and the oysters, and so was the bread... then it started to go downhill. I don't know if it was due to restaurant week fatigue, or what, but the entrees were lackluster. The fish was underseasoned and overcooked. My sister and mom ordered the steak and shrimp plate and the shrimp were so overcooked they were like shrimp jerky. The desserts also fell flat, they were just so-so. The key-lime pie had a weird jello texture to it, and the apple berry crisp was just ok. They also gave us a Baked Alaska for my mom's b-day, but then tried to charge us for it. I noted this, and the server took it off right away. And for over $300 for the table?! I honestly don't know if we will ever be back. I just wish they had taken more care with the rest of the food, because ambiance only goes so far. The only superior part of the evening was the gregarious service of the hard working guys to took care of our large party. Verdict: I don't think I'll ever drop that much dough at this place again. This might be a nice place to grab oysters and drinks, but I was disappointed with the experience.
(3)
Jeremy K.
Oceanaire's "Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes" were listed as one of the top 100 must eats in the city by Denver Magazine, so I gave it a shot: Rating: 7 (out of 10) Price: $16 (appetizer) The Skinny: Lots of hype around this dish. When talking to other foodies, a few pointed to these crab cakes as their favorite on the whole must-eat list. And certainly a $31 price tag for the dinner portion (2 cakes) makes that promise. But for me, it didn't match up to the hype. Don't get me wrong - it was good. Probably even very good. The best bites were silky and tender, the soft pearls of crab barely held together by fillings. It was almost a naked crab mound, except for the tiny bit of mayo, egg and bread. But it's this simplicity that some love about the dish that I didn't. I like my crab cakes to have a crunch and a "bite" to the seared outside. It's the blending of the soft and crispy textures that hooks me. This was more one-note. My apologies to Denver's crab connoisseurs. I've got a picture of it up on the blog on my profile jko
(4)
Jenn D.
Very nicely done!! We enjoyed The Oceanaire for the first time during restaurant week. It is nice to know there is a place here in Denver where you can get really good fresh seafood. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The lighting is just right and made for a really relaxing evening. My husband and I ordered together, so we could get the best sampling. We started with the King-Crab bisque and the Crab cake slider. The Bisque was so amazing, the slider was the only food of the evening that was just ok. It didn't feel like it fit right with the menu...generic bun, lots of lettuce and not enough crab cake. For our entrees, we had the Pistachio Crusted Costa Rican Mahi Mahi with Orange-Mint Beurre Blanc and Hawaiian Tuna. They were both outstanding. Finished off with dessert of Chocolate Mousse (yum!) and Key Lime Pie. Both were great. Nice wine list, great Sour Dough bread and really great service rounded it out. Even though we stuck to the 5280 menu, we were impressed with the blackboard of fresh catches they had...right here in Denver. We will definitely be returning.
(5)
Yvonne C.
Stop 3 during restaurant week and I must say, pretty uneventful. The food was not bad by any means but it failed to excite me. The mussels were OK, but I prefer the ones at the Red Square. The Blue Marlin was a little tough, but maybe that's the way the fish is? The apple crisp was by far my favorite part of the meal. At the end of the night, I was slightly jealous of Jared's options. He ordered the Mahi Mahi with blue cheese butter and it was flaky and Delicious! And his cheesecake was so much better than my apple crisp. I don't normally get food envy but last night I did. :( The service was great but at one point, we were both thinking to ourselves, our food would be better if you would stop asking me how it is every 5 minutes. That was a little annoying since they seriously interrupted our conversation 6 times. I'm all about being attentive, but there is such a thing as smothering...
(3)
Amanda B.
This seafood restaurant is phenominal! We went for a romantic night out and were not disappointed! My boyfriend has never been exposed to "good" seafood, he had seared ahi tuna and was overwhelmed by how good it was! I had the fresh crab legs and they were some of the best I have ever had! We started with mussels and cocktails, added a bottle of wine and dessert and our meal was complete. I have no reservations about recommending this restaurant to any seafood lover!
(5)
Hans O.
The Oceanaire has an amazing management, at least in Denver; superb service. Since I had a not so great experience during the 5280 week, I've contacted Mr. RB whom was always cordial and wanted to rectify the problem ever since I've contacted him. So, I've settled for dinner today, and it was a phenomenal dining experience! He then proved that the Oceanaire is the place to have a great time. Let's talk about food now. Mr. RB and his executive chef "surprised" us with 4 distintict main courses: * First Course :: House Smoked Idaho Trout - Watercress Pesto, Yukon Gold Potato Chips (paired with Domaine Ste. Michelle, Brut, Columbia Valley) What a way to start our dining journey! The Yukon gold potato chips were a tad bitter, but later on I was able to understand the idea of the whole dish. The trout was super elaborated, whit sharp hints of sweetness (from the trout itself) and combining the trout with the watercress than a bit of bitterness from the potato chips was a food explosion in my mouth. To compliment the bitterness, the Brut was perfect, able to sharpen the sweetness of the fish back and cleanse my pallet. Genius! * Second Course :: Mixed Field Greens Salad - Granny Smith apple, raspberries, and Strawberries with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (paired with Sokol blosser, Evolution) The salad was the freshest I've ever tasted (the one that all components work in harmony). Even with so many seasonal fruits (they were ripe and sweet), this salad had a white balsamic vinaigrette which actually gave a mild acidity taste in conjunction of the natural sweetness from the fruits, the secret and final key note to make this salad perfect was the Evolution wine tying all the flavors together. * Third Course :: Bacon Wrapped Mahi Mahi - Aspargus, roasted peppers and Mustard Vinaigrette (paired with Joseph Drouhin St. Veran, Chardonnay) This was perfectly executed; the bed of mustard vinaigrette was perfecty acidic and a perfect marriage with the Mahi Mahi, providing that lemony flavor to the fish. The mahi mahi was perfectly cooked, very most, falling apart consistency and then... WRAPPED IN BACON! Really awesome dish. I was in nirvana. * Fourth Course :: FINALE - Super Carmel Brownie Deluxe :: With Ice Cream Alchemy's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (paired with Taylor Flagdale 10 Year Towny Port) Imagine a 4" diameter brownie, then at least 6" tall, smothered in fresh Carmel and chocolate sauce served my perfect young Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was really awesome, the brownie was not over sweet, it was made with semi sweet chocolate, warm, rich, and gooey in the center; ice cream was perfectly smoother, I'd say that it was super fresh, no traces of crystallization. The pairing was great, a nice digestive Port, very smooth with a cherry oak background, very smooth. Overall, this restaurant still one of my favorite places to dine in with good friends to make a memorable time. The fact that Mr. RB was pro-active to rectify the previous situation is a grand act. *** Review of 3/10/2009 (Update) Review for the "5280 Restaurant Week - 2009" Disappointing, underwhelming, waste of time and money. I've dine in and had happy hour before at this location. Even though the Oceanaire is a chain throughout the country, I had never had a bad experience, and always had the good feeling after eating a great meal, awesome waiting staff, and perfectly cooked seafood far away from the ocean. 1st course: George's Bank Calamari - Peppers, Red Onions, Chili Aioli: calamari was super soft, softer than fresh. Over marinated, super oily, and came with more vegetables than calamari. 2nd course: Hawaiian Blue Marlin "Black and Blue" - Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Butter: I had to sent this plate back to the kitchen twice! First time was really dry, so dry that I couldn't break the fish with a fork, I had to use a knife as well. Second time, the manager brought the dish saying: "the chef re did this dish, cooked to perfection, very moist inside", it was super dry outside, and cold raw inside. Sent it back and opted for "Idaho Rainbow Trout - Roasted Hazel Dell Mushrooms, Truffle Butter", trout was moist, flaky, crispy exterior, but the stuffing was too rich. By the time I got the trout, my friends (10 of us) were ordering dessert. 3rd course: New York Style Cheesecake - silky, creamy, rich crème. Oh, was that supposed to be a NY style?! Left underwhelmed, unhappy... Even for a 26.40 a person, it was a rip-off!
(5)
Kiersten S.
Not impressed with food or service. Too pricey for what you get. Landry's chain of restaurant's just doesn't impress me at all.
(2)
Katie H.
The Oceanaire crab cake is one my reasons for living. Seriously. I've occasionally branched out and tried some of the fish - good, but not amazing, and kind of overpriced (as are the drinks). But go, get crab cake (if you order a salad and a side, it's enough to share with a friend) and you won't be sorry. Unlike other crab cakes, filled with "filler", flattened and fried to a nearly unrecognisable crisp, these are little little snowballs of huge chunks of crab. Heaven.
(5)
Jina E.
I still only go when Kara is working...you want a rockin MARTINI? See this girl!
(5)
Brian G.
I have to tell ya...When I heard this was coming to Denver, I wasn't excited at all. The one in Dallas is full of the biggest retards I have ever seen attempt to run a restaurant. I wouldn't trust those people ("what do you mean THOSE people) with a Nerf football, little alone my food. Regardless, the Denver branch has done me well more than once. The management is always nice and the service is spot on all the time. They have Old Bay on the table and the menu changes frequently to accommodate what's fresh. The best part...a bacon steak...I'll give you a minute to process how wonderful that is.... Now that you've put your pants back on, I will say that it's something you only do once a year at best. It's a slab of smoked pork belly served with a steak knife. It's a side dish so we all shared it. You haven't lived until you've heaqd your heart wheeze. It's amazing.
(4)
Britney R.
My family and I dined at Oceanaire this past Tuesday night to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. We had a reservation for 6pm and opera tickets for 7:30pm, so we were a bit worried about time. We arrived at 5:45 in hopes of being seated early, and they took us right to our table. As we were seated, the Maitre D' exchanged the white linens for black for those of us wearing black. Truly a fine dining experience, right from the start. Oceanaire's menus are printed daily, and we were especially surprised to see that our 6 menus all said "Happy Birthday" at the top, since our reservation had noted a birthday. My grandmother was pleased with this small touch. I thought it was nice, but the 'green' in me was hoping that they recycle. 50+ menus printed daily does seem a bit silly. I understand they get new seafood daily, but there must be a better way to note the day's fresh options (perhaps solely on the chalkboard already dedicated to this purpose?) Our server was very friendly right from the start. I don't recall her name, but right away, she asked if we had tickets. She assured us that we would be done by 7:15, and told us that she would watch the clock for us, so we could just enjoy our meal. I thought this was very thoughtful. We started with the calamari, since my dad loves it. I think it's tasty, and enjoy the fried sweet peppers, onion and jalapenos that come along with it. My parents decided to split a caesar salad, which ended up being enough for the whole table to enjoy. I'm not always a huge caesar fan, but theirs is out of this world. The dressing was so great, I didn't want to stop eating it, even though I had more deliciousness coming. I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder. It tasted so fresh and meaty, it was reminiscent of my favorite Long Island Dock-side restaurant, where the clam chowder was made fresh daily. Far superior to any other clam chowder I've had in land-locked Colorado. After drooling over the idea of lobster or perhaps crablegs, I had a terrible time deciding what to order. My sister and I both knew we wanted some oysters, as well as either lobster or crablegs. We stumbled upon the "Grand Shellfish Platter" and knew it would be perfect. We decided to split two entrees: a petite filet mignon and a petite Shellfish Platter. We were worried the petite platter wouldn't be enough food, so we added the filet. Boy, were we wrong! for $45, the petite Shellfish Platter would've been plenty for both of us. It came with: ~4 PEI mussels ~4 Oysters on the half shell ~4 Jumbo shrimp ~half lobster ~over a pound of crablegs Every bite was delectable. Our seafood platter was served with drawn butter and 4 additional sauces, each better than the next. Our server explained what kind of oysters we were served, and told us their flavor profile. The filet was a tad overcooked, I think it's because they halved it for us before cooking. Still, it was tender and tasty. We finished eating at around 7:10, perfect timing to run to the restroom and head to the theatre. I'm not sure why so many people complain about the prices. My family enjoyed two bottles of wine, a HUGE meal, and still managed to spend only $50 per person. I think that's a 'moderate' price on the scale. However, I know when I take my boyfriend to dine there, we will end up spending around $100 per person after ordering a nice bottle of wine and enjoying far too many oysters. I can't wait for that date. I had a few crablegs and some filet left over, which they gladly boxed up for me and kept refrigerated while we enjoyed the opera. We picked up the leftovers on the way out, which was extremely convenient. I enjoyed a delicious leftover lunch the next day. Really can't wait to go back to Oceanaire!
(5)
Teresa W.
I really wanted to like this place. I miss having really fresh seafood and thought it would be a nice treat to get some from the Oceanaire for my birthday. I was expecting good service and great food, and just got kind of mediocre. My husband and I split a caesar salad (yes, they are huge! share!) and it was served with anchovies. They tout it as the best caesar salad in Denver or something, but I'm not sure it was all that - it was good, but not stellar. For a main, I got the king crab legs (shelled) and my husband got the cioppino. My crab legs (1 lb) came shelled with drawn butter. Yum! It was nice, good crab, but $40/lb? I'm a little torn whether it was worth that gas guzzling freshly flown in price. My husband's cioppino was pretty pathetic - it wasn't served with any rice or pasta or any of what I usually think of cioppino being served with. He was only slightly interested in it. Our service was only slightly better than average. I don't know if it was because there was a show that night or what, but our server was hard to flag down, and when it came time to check out, the floor manager ended up running our bill since he saw us waiting for so long. I guess, as a plus, they customize your menu if it's your birthday, and they gave us a baked alaska on the house. It was huge - with butterfinger ice cream. The meringue was a bit too burnt for my taste, but it was nice to get it gratis. The server said he'd save a menu for me to take home at the end of the night, but because he didn't reappear for a long time, I didn't get it. I wouldn't return. While the fish may be fresh, I may just have to wait until I'm in a city more suited for fresh fish consumption.
(3)
William P.
OK, so I'm an idiot. I went to a seafood place on a Tuesday night...the one night of the week that you're not supposed to go to a seafood place because their weekely fish deliveries usually come in on Wednesdays. Its not that the food was bad. Actually it was really good. Its just that they were out of a lot of kinds of fish. Lots of folks consider Oceanaire too expensive. We chose to stick to the three course prix fixe menu which had three choices of appetizer, three choices of entrees (two fish and one red meat), and three dessert choices. The cost is $33 per person. I started with a crispy deep fried calamari, served with breaded deep fried sweet peppers and a nice aioli. There was no mahi available, so the kitchen offered to substitute swordfish for their wonderful black and blue fish preparation. Unfortunately, it turned out that the swordfish wasn't up to par, so our server came back to the table and suggested salmon or halibut. We chose halibut which was perfectly cooked though a little on the cold side. It was served blackened with carmelized onions and blue cheese butter. For dessert, I chose a standard chocolate mousse which was good. But, hardly memorable. The service was attentive, but not intrusive. The three course dinner is a very good value for the money. It was a very good dinner value for the money
(4)
Miles S.
I went in the middle of the week for a business dinner, and both the food and service was excellent. I had a swordfish steak that was simple, but cooked to perfection. The wait staff didn't have many other people to deal with--the place was nearly empty, perhaps due to a forecasted blizzard--and were extremely attentive, but not quite to the point of hovering. The baked alaska was quite impressive.
(5)
G H.
Dined with a friend before a show last night. They are not kidding when they say allow two hours before your show time. We arrived at our 5:15 reservation and left at 7:15. We were seated promptly and allowed ample time to peruse the menu before ordering. All their table seem to be four person tables or folded out larger, so it was nice to have enough elbow room and a little space between our table and the other diners. Our waiter and a couple of others were very attentive and kept our table clean and our water refreshed. The atmosphere was clean and quiet, we were seated in an area with only seven other tables and I had no trouble hearing my friend and did not hear conversations from the other tables. The bread was fresh and the cold veggie plate was crisp, although the radishes were fairly bland. We started with Oysters Rockefeller. They were good sized and served warm on a bed of salt. For our entrees I ordered the Alaskan Cod "Louie" and a cup of clam chowder while my friend had the Baked Stuffed Shrimp and a cup of Seafood and Barely Soup. We shared a side of Steamed Broccoli. My cod was served with mashed potatoes. The portion size was perfect and the cod was very lightly flavored and well cooked. The potatoes were a good compliment and the broccoli was still crisp and flavorful and there was more than enough for two to share. The clam chowder was decent and the small cup was just enough. My glass of Riesling was a good pairing. My friend said her soup was a lot like gumbo and she enjoyed it. She was a little disappointed in the shrimp since it was a little rubbery, but the flavor of the stuffing was good and she liked the pasta side. The waiters recommendation for a sweeter Merlot was spot on for her tastes. We finished the evening with a Chocolate Caramel Cake that was big enough to feed an army and included two scoops of ice cream and both chocolate and caramel sauce. We didn't eat much because it was incredibly rich, but those bites were plenty. It was wonderful, but the portion really was enough for at least 4 people. All in all the experience was well worth it for the one big fancy girl's night out that we plan each year. This really is a special occasion place and make sure that you budget plenty of time to savor your dishes and dinner conversation.
(4)
George P.
The Oceanaire is a very decent place to eat if you're not on a budget. The staff provided excellent service. Very professional w/ and full of recommendations. The wine list was decent and the appetizers were delicious. Everything was fresh and the pickled vegetables that accompanied the appetizers appeared to be made in house. The oyster selection was excellent, and we picked about four different types (I'm not an expert, but we choose from several locations: Maryland, British Columbia, and a type from the Pacific). I'm giving it four stars instead of five because the main course didn't blow me away. I lobster platter with scallops and prawns. There's nothing that really bothered me though the scallops and lobster was just a tad overcooked. Overall, very enjoyable experience.
(4)
Chris L.
Maybe it was the combination of a Friday night and Restaurant Week, but the bottom line is this restaurant took advantage of people who were willing to try something new, as well as support RW. For last night's underwhelming experience, Oceanaire barely squeaks out a second star and that's only for the stellar service. Again with the concept restaurant - we can't just go out and eat anymore, we need themes!! Got it. Could be fine, I'm willing to play along. I lived in Florida in the 70's when this look was all the rage in seafood restaurants. Very quaint and service to match a much earlier era in much tonier places. But the din! I gave up trying to talk normally with my three dinner companions about five minutes in and just yelled like everyone else in the place. I haven't seen a relish tray in ages - it's a nice, old-fashioned touch that goes with the rest of the theme and the veggies were fresh except for the canned olives, that is. I stayed far away from the pickled herring. We had not one, but two waiters and both were attentive and professional. Before I went, someone told me that she didn't like all that attention. But I think it's ok when it's all part of an overall experience. I was prepared to like the food, too. The first course was shrimp, potato, leek soup and it was exceptional - all the flavors of the ingredients, but very subtle and no overwhelming notes. It had just the right balance of creaminess and heft for a winter soup. "Denver's Best Caesar Salad" had a very good dressing and lots of very average chopped romaine coated in it - that's a haphazard combination and a warning of things to come. The choices of fish for the 5280 menu were uninspired. Remember I mentioned Florida in the 70's? Back then, Marlin was JUST a sport fish - you know, big guys with big rods pulling in those beautiful teal green/blue fish, having them stuffed and mounted on the wall? Not now. Now they're on the menu. Eating one is what I imagine eating steak from a bull that had been working the rodeo ring for a few years would be like. Dense, tough, and chewy. And no, coating it with way too much "cajun" spices, blackening it, then adding a scoop of blue cheese butter doesn't rescue it from being inedible in the first place. I wouldn't have ordered it, two of my companions did that. The Mahi Mahi was grilled inexpertly (some of it was flaky, some of it was dry and chewy), then placed on top of a thin smear of tasteless whipped potatoes, and garnished with a snarl of leeks that looked like someone had used the tool that you use at Christmas to curl ribbon (the leek was much the worse for wear). The salmon was offered as either rare or medium rare - my companion chose the latter and got fish that was cooked medium well. Why ask if 1) you can't cook expertly enough to pull off what you offer or 2) you can't manage your kitchen well enough to pull off what you offer? Wine: bottle was overpriced (by a lot). Dessert: key lime pie tasted like a mashup of too much sugar and too much Rose's lime juice. Coffee: sitting around a long, long time before it reached our table. Service: always present, always helpful, but not always truthful (one waiter said the Marlin was the best thing on the menu). I won't be back, but I'm willing to believe that someone might find something on that extensive menu that the kitchen knows how to cook and can pull it off when there's less of a rush.
Went here with a gift certificate, attempting to decide between going all out and eating dinner, or "settling" with the bar menu. In the end- I settled. But gladly so. The mussels w. lemongrass are very good. Some poor guy obviously gets the job of sorting out the barely open ones, because each one I got had his (or her?) shell wide open to grab some curry lemongrass broth. The calamari is way better elsewhere. I think its gnarly when the calamari pieces are THICK bands instead of whole squid or thin bands. It's like chewing a fried rubber band. Also, from the bar, you get to watch the server drama unfold, which is the best part of dining in such a high end joint (and not ending up with a huge-ass bill)
(3)
Aaron M.
Went for boyfriend's birthday, which if you mention it when making reservations, the menu will be personalized. Neat. Everything was very well made and seasoned. Staff is friendly and courteous. If you find anything wrong with your dish, they Promptly replace it. The only quibble I have is with the fillet mignon and sides. Moms fillet looked like a hamburger patty sitting alone on the plate. For a $30 steak, I'd expect it to look like what it's worth. As far as sides, do French Fries really need to be $8.00? Perhaps, this place is a lil too out of my league, but for $350 I kind of expect a lil more food than we got. And I shouldn't have to double check the bill for discrepancies. Like charging for a free birthday dessert or charging a $90 bottle of wine instead of the $12 glass. Definitely nice place to go blow a wad of money or if somebody else is buying.
(4)
i n.
Best in town for seafood. Of course it isn't as good as the original in San Diego but when you are far from the ocean in Denver this place can't be beat! Food - Sashimi Tuna. They take about 10 oz of Ahi Tuna and design it like a rose, very high quility. -oysters any type are amaizing -Sea Bass is great -Salmon is good but don't sell yourself short since you can get it anywhere -Lobster is awesome -crab super good Service Amazing Wine menu isn't big but the Chef and Managment has pick a great selection. TIP! Go here durring 5280 week. 1 app, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine & 2 desserts for $52.80
(5)
T. R.
Great happy hour or a perfect stop for drinks before a show at the DCPA.
My husband and I loved eating here. We went for New Year's Eve for our first visit and will definitely be back. The whole experience took about two hours but we were told to expect that on the phone when they confirmed our reservations. The service was excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine on the recommendation of the assistant manager, which was perfect for the meal, and never once had to fill our own glasses. The food was simply to die for. Portion sizes were great and the desert was awesome. We had the crab cake to start, followed by the black and blue maui maui and the scallops, and ended with the brownie for desert (they pour carmel and chocolate over it at the table). It was pricey but with the food and the service, the entire experience was well worth the money.
(5)
O X.
Great seafood, but I left feeling overwhelmed and a little ill (see definition of oysters below). I ordered a bowl of clam chowder, 4 oysters, and a crabcake. The chowder and the crabcake were both so heavy and rich, I was glad I did not get an appetizer!! LOVE that they bring a dish of cold, fresh vegetables with the bread. Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, pickles, celery on ice. That was awesome and so much better than bread!! Chowder was packed with clams, and crabcake was all crab, as you might expect. Oysters were gritty, which was ick. I will DEFINITELY return, as the food was great (except the oysters -- which they are "known for"), but will split an entree, and get a salad. Enjoy!
(4)
Martine S.
Great dinner, lovely atmosphere, perfect for dinner before a play at the Performing Arts Center! Great service!
(4)
Susan D.
My husband and I had dinner with friends at Oceanaire last night for Denver Restaurant Week. I was really excited to try out the Denver location since we visited the one in San Diego and loved it. Unfortunately, we had an entirely different experience. Perhaps it was the 5280 menu misrepresenting what is normally offered or the extra tables that created a less intimate dining experience. Regardless, at a restaurant that offers prices normally at $30-$35 a plate, I would have expected a little more sophistication. After all, Restaurant Week is about enticing customers to come back, is it not? Our waitress was very friendly and happy to help with questions on the menu. Which made me wonder at first if it was just me not enjoying the meal, until our friends shared their same disappointment. Two of us got the Billi Bi (mussels soup). Not bad, but extremely rich, especially as an appetizer. My husband ordered the clam chowder, which was good. For the entree, two of us ordered the trout, stuffed with shrimp, brie, and crab. Again, incredibly rich (but not really in a good way, more in a "wow, this is obviously unhealthy and I'm not impressed enough to continue eating and overlook the massive calories" way.) Everything was mixed together so much where I couldn't taste the flavors of the crab, shrimp, or brie but rather just the butter sauce, creating an unnecessary richness and the trout itself had a slimy texture. My friend's trout had a lot of bones in it, to the point that she said it just wasn't enjoyable to eat. My husband said his Rockfish tasted almost underdone and the Carolina Barbecue Sauce wasn't really a sauce but rather more of an oil, which made for an an unappetizing taste about halfway through the meal. Overall, the best meal at the table was our friend's steak (at a seafood restaurant!) However, he even said it had a lot of sinew in it. For dessert, my husband and I ordered the key lime pie. Which actually should have been labeled a cheese cake with a hint of lime. It wasn't bad, but definitely not what we were expecting. We were quickly jealous of the chocolate moose our friends ordered. I probably would be a bit more forgiving of the fact that every time our meals were brought out, they placed them in front of the wrong person or that maybe the poor quality food and cramped dining was a result of a set menu during Restaurant Week. However, we were dining at a restaurant that boasts about being "sleek and sophisticated," having "exceptional service," and being voted "one of the best seafood restaurants in the country." I simply expected more.
I went to Oceanaire expecting a first-class seafood dining experience, which is hard to come by in Denver. What a LETDOWN! My partner's side-dish was very visibly dirty. The food was mediocre, not bad-- but I would have expected much better. My entree (Ono) was cooked unevenly, with one piece medium rare and the other piece well done (and tougher as a result). Calamari as an appetizer was also mediocre and relatively tough. Key Lime pie for dessert tasted like a jello pudding mix-- again, not bad, but I've had better Key Lime pie out of the grocer's freezer. The only pluses were the bread, the atmosphere, and the service. But when a restaurant charges $30+ per entree, the food better be spectacular in my opinion. The quality to dollar ratio was really poor I thought, and I will not be returning.
(2)
Michelle B.
I dined at the Oceanaire in DC and loved the vintage supper club feel of the place and the incredible service- the kind that mostly disappeared 30 years ago with the advancement of our fast food culture. My first visit to the Denver location didn't dissapoint. The deep red booths, white table cloths and the rich wood all took me back in time. The only thing that could have made it even more retro would be a giant fish tank with a showgirl 'mermaid' swimming inside. Our waiter was so attentive, charming and very knowledgeable about the menu. I was with two other ladies and we shared what I now refer to as the "Seafood Extravaganza"- a floral arrangement-like gathering of all the best the sea has to offer. A screaming deal at about $50. We ordered that plus the au gratin potato side and a side of the largest stalks of asparagas I think I've ever eaten. By the end we were completely stuffed, but somehow had enough room to split a creme brulee. It was one of those meals where you leave the place completely satisfied- all your hopes were fufilled, all your desires granted. Excellent service, excellent food and I'm still hoping for that giant fish tank. I'd even volunteer to be the mermaid, as long as the feed me!
(5)
Katie S.
The food was good but NOT worth the price. Got the calamari top pieces were decent size but then got to just fried pieces of breading. Sauce served with it made it taste like basic chinese food. Lobster tail over cooked definetly not worth 70 dollars. I still am not happy i paid so much for a meal that was not worth it. Not going back
(2)
Paul B.
Great seafood selection (best in Denver). Overpriced. Service is relaiable. Not personal.
(4)
Joanne L.
It's been a while since I ate here but I remember it being pretty good. The calamari here was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice. The waiter was very knowledgable and polite. The only thing I didn't like too much was the au gratin potatoes. The potatoes were undercooked so they were a little hard. Everything else was amazing.
(4)
Edward T.
Sadly to say, my favorite meal I had during restaurant week came from a chain restaurant. This place was packed on a wednesday night during restaurant week. Everything we had here was spot on and a great value. To start the meal they bring you pickled herring with crudite which was complimentary and very good . We got some east coast oysters which were not on the $52.80 menu but worth every penny. Calamari was thick cut but still very tender. I had the trout and my wife had the tuna. The tuna was simply amazing.... seared and still cold in the middle. The portion was beyond generous. Seriously would have been enough or two people. for dessert, go with the key lime pie....perfection. Also they also had a special $26.40 selection of wines. We went with cali chardonnay which went great with the seafood. It was our table neighbor's B-day, they gave her a baked alaska on the house which was very impressive. I'm saying its my B-day net time I'm there. This is the best seafood I've had in Denver.... Better than Jax, sushi sasa, and the fresh fish co. GB fish and chips and star kitchen come close though.
(5)
Jennifer L.
Okay I went to the Oceanaire in Seattle and I wasn't sure Colorado could compete but I was wrong. We stopped in for happy hour and were greeted by a helpful and cheerful hostess...Samantha. Sat at the bar which was pretty full as they have plenty of business for happy hour 7 days a week. We were severed by Keeli and let me tell you she can make a great martini w/ champagne worth the taste. Also the crab cake was delicious plenty of flavor and full of blue crab and not full of filler only CRAB. The salad was the perfect compliment with blue cheese and crispy granny smith apples. Hat off to head chef Matt. You sure did bring the Seattle Oceanaire to Colorado.
(5)
Daniel L.
Food was ok. You're paying mostly for a fine dining experience. The waiters remind me of car salesmen but with food.
(3)
Emily L.
This review is for happy hour at the bar only. I've heard the restaurant is fine but I don't know. Anyway, happy hour: the bartender told me that well drinks were half off and yet when the bill came for my rum and coke it was still $6. Really? So $12 is the regular price for a well rum and coke? What a rip off. I also ordered food from the bar menu, I got the fish and chips. Basically two over breaded fish-stick sized pieces of fish (and the fish was nothing spectacular) and a handful of fries for $9. I mean, I get it, it's happy hour, I'm at the bar, but I still feel like it was a lot of money for nothing.
(2)
Jessica K.
I dined out at three different locations for resturant week, and this one was by far the best! Though 5280 seemed to overwhelm other resturants, Oceanaire seemed on top of it. Staff was timely, polite, and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic! I really felt like I got a great value, as the regular menu is pricey. Still, I'll return even w/o 5280, as I was that impressed, and it's SO convenient for the theater!
(5)
Jian C.
I was there last Saturday night with two friends. We wanted to change to a seafood restaurant, because we had too much meat the previous evening. We ordered three appetizers: snail, clam, and oyster. All very good. For entrees, we had diver scallops, whole Colorado bass, and icelandic arctic charr. All very fresh and taste delicious. I am giving a 4 instead of 5, because the scallops come with too small size, or maybe it's because we did not order side with it. Recommended if you are visiting Denver. It is rare to have so fresh seafood in the mile-high-city.
(4)
Nate A.
So I took my wife for her birthday to this location of their chain and it was very good, but....The reason I choose this place is because I ate at their location in Miami when I was there on business. The food, service, etc. were all amazing and out of this world, in Miami. As for Denver, the design is very cool in color (and temp), the service was good but while I told the first person to our table it was my wife's birthday it was not passed along to anyone else, nor did the host ask. Anywhere else not a big deal but if they expect you to drop $200 on dinner they need to be asking the questions and passing the information. The escargots were a great app and were uniquely prepared, tasted really good. We both had the Black n Bleu bass special as I had had my fish prepared that way in Miami and it was excellent. To bad the fish was way overseasoned, the butter hard as a rock, and the fish overcooked this time. We still enjoyed it but sorry for $38 per 6oz of fish it has got to be perfect, and I mean perfect. The fish they choose doesn't work well with that heavy of a seasoning, it should be a thicker fish to allow more of the intense flavors to be offset by the meat of the fish, all in my opinion of course. We had a potato side dish which was reasonablly priced and tasted good. So I guess what my problem is with this place is they are just too expensive, we usually go to McCormick's but I wanted her to try this place instead. I am sorry I choose that as I felt the prices they charge are outrageous. We were dissapointed to learn that Landry's (who owns this place) bought McCormick's seafood chain, they truly are great and reasonably priced. One last ax to grind on this restaurant is the horrible music they have, you are spending an outrageous amount of money for a small piece of fish and you are listening to what sounds like teenage pop music mixed with club beats, seriously I guess I just belong at Morton's or McCormick's for special occasions (I am only 36 so not to old to like some of today's music)....anyway save your money and eat elsewhere, just not worth it (maybe the bar is, it looked like some good deals on drinks/apps/oysters)....
(2)
Mopsie B.
This is as good as it gets in Denver. Yes, Oceanaire is a chain, but it happens to be an excellent one. The vibe is old-school, the managers and hosts are all spiffied up and the servers wear crisp white jackets. The seafood is flown in fresh, daily and you pay for it here. But what wouldn't any self-respecting bon vivant pay for a well-made cocktail with his lobster? Factor in the AMAZING sourdough bread, well stocked wine list and the vanilla dixie cups for dessert and you've got yourself a winner. We've been twice and have yet to be disappointed. Oh- bonus points to "Christo" the waiter on Saturday night. Hilarious.
(4)
Brandon M.
Loved the swordfish, very fresh seafood. Key lime pie was very authentic.
(5)
Tatyana G.
We went there for 528o to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We had 7 adults and 4 kids in our party. 3 of us came a little bit earlier so we hit the bar. I don't drink and was pleased with a nice person at the bar who kept my water refilled and cold. For dinner we were seated in the corner which was a great place with kids. We were able to keep them away from other patrons. A very cute gesture is to have a menu with birthday boy's name on it. When we came the restaurant was almost empty and I made a comment about it. Spoke too soon! withing about 30 minutes they were almost full. The service was not the best. Probably, because they were packed. It was hard to get our waiter's attention, he kept forgetting things. Ok, we can understand. Then the food came. For first course some of us had calamari (very good) or clam chowder (could be better). I was the only one who had beet/feta cheese salad. It was light and tasty. For main course my husband and I ordered trout. Mine was great. My husband was not impressed with his. My friend ordered trout also but her's was full of bones. I never had this problem. People that ordered steak were surprized by the size of it. It was small! Well, it was 5280. Dessert was ok. Waiter made an excellent suggestion what to order for kids. Why only 3 stars? Well, the next day almost everyone had a stomach pain. Since we all had different food it was hard to pinpoint what caused it. I would go back there so I can be honest with my review but I don't think it would be very soon.
(3)
Rick R.
Every aspect met highest expectations-all on a busy New Year's Eve! Every dish delivered timely, fresh, perfectly cooked, well-sized, flavorful, and with unique presentation. Highest marks to the Field Greens Salad, Stuffed Idaho Rainbow Trout (stuffed with succulent crab meat, shrimp, and brie, in a white wine burre blanc - yum!), Petite Surf & Turf (with a sub of crab cake for the warm-water lobster tail, as cold-water is much better for lobster), and an exquisite Rice Pilaf. Superb Service: Seated on time (on a holiday!). Fully attentive but not intrusive, knowledgable and helfpul (especially with the advice on the surf & turf sub), and made us at home - no rush depsite it being New Year's Eve! A Bargain! The 1/2-size sides matched full-size at comparable a-la-carte style restaurants. The overall price was 15% below similar meals at comparable restaurants. I have raved to friends, and look forward to returning! This is now in my top 5, with the likes of Capital Grille, Roy's, and Morton's. When I'm in the mood for a top-notch seafood meal, this will be a first consideration.
(5)
Thomas S.
I found The Oceanaire to be very underwhelming. The service was great, but the food was very average. My salmon was overcooked and had little flavor. My wife had shrimp and cheese grits, which were comforting, but hardly anything that will bring me back. The BLT salad was very watery and the dressing had little flavor - the highlight was easily the bacon. The clam chowder was good - but I've had equally delightful chowder from a can. The desserts were good, but they did little with the presentation. I had a key lime pie, which was okay. I found the retro decor of the establishment to be cheesy bordering on creepy. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)
Dale P.
I am surprised at the number of unhappy customers recently. We had never been before, but went in for Denver restaurant week. For those from out of town, the promotion is that a restaurant serves full meal for two people for $52.80. We met some friends and had overpriced small cocktails at the bar. I say overpriced, but they were actually a normal price for downtown, but could have been larger for the price. Got our table and were promptly served fresh bread, butter, and a relish tray. The promotional dinner had a number of choices for the first course. There were appetizers, salads, soup to choose from. My partner order calamari, and he got the best deal. I had a crab cake slider and a small salad. It was very good, but I sure liked the calamari better. The main course had a choice from salmon, charr, mahi mahi, tuna, trout, top sirloin. We also ordered a side of mashed for the table. On their menu, things are al a carte. We ordered the charr, and it came with creamed spinach and fried fennel, the server recommended that we order the potatoes, and they were good, but probably would not have missed them had we not ordered them. Dessert was a choice of key lime pie, chocolate mousse, or new york style cheesecake. It was all delicious. Servings a bit smaller, but the price is right and it was plenty of food for us. The service was exceptional, and everyone really works together to make sure everything goes smoothly. Wish we could afford to go more.
(5)
maria w.
I wanted to love this restaurant and liked it a lot but in spite of the great atmosphere and service the food honestly fell short. Very yummy calamari to start but the wedge salad had globs of ice cold blue cheese dressing and cold bacon on top. My friend had the fillet which was good and I splurged on the $37 Dover scallops with truffle oil. While there were a lot of scallops on the plate they were slightly undercooked, lacked flavor and sweetness. Still worth a second try next time I'm in Denver...
(3)
Tracy R.
Food is always great and on a recent visit, the manager went and pick up our theater tickets while we finished dinner. Great service.
(5)
Helena P.
My husband and I had an excellent dinner at the Denver Oceanaire on New Years Eve. They were able to get us a last minute reservation even though they were busy due to the holiday. The service was top notch. The food was incredible. We loved the crab cake, the best part was that it didn't have a lot of breading, it was filled with tons of fresh crab and good flavors. I had a seared tuna steak for dinner and don't think I've ever had a better tuna (not even in Hawaii or California). We've also been to the Oceanaire in San Diego and we felt like this location was just as good if not better which is incredible considering the fish is being flown in to CO. If you want great fish and amazing service this is the place to go!
(5)
Laura B.
More like a 4.5....I need to go back there more often. My BF and I went about a year ago and spent a ton of money: ordered lobster, crab, bacon steak, oyesters, wine.....we went all out! I think our tab was around $350?? We have not gone back since and went last night for the clam bake bucket that Monica had written about. 'We decided to sit at the bar, because they have happy hour even on the weekends. I started with a great dirty martini (blue cheese olives) and then we moved on to a bottle of syrah that was on special for $20.10. Great deal!! We had some oysters, and some of the best spicy tuna tartar I have ever had!!! We then shared the lobster bucket that came with soup and salad....so much food!!!! The bucket was large with clams, mussels a whole lobster, taters, and corn. We had an amazing meal and with apps, drinks, wine, for around $100, much more reasonable! The also had several other specials for $29 3 course meals...great options! I have to go back and try that halibut t-bone! It is nice to know this place can be afforable (if you dont go with the delish $40 lb crab legs...Ill save those for a special occasion). The service is also great, both bartenders rocked! We will be back soon!
(4)
Corbin G.
Best Filet Mignon I have ever had in my life. Had it Medium/Medium Rare. Oscar style with Bearnaise sauce. Melted like butter in my mouth!
(5)
AnneMarie C.
Great for kids. I wanted to try the food because of the great yelp reviews, but was scared away because of the note: good for kids=no. That's just crazy. I called to check whether they could accommodate us with our kids and the host assured me they loved kids. This place was fantastic for our (fairly well-behaved) 2 & 5 year old. Toys for the kids; a comprehensive, if somewhat expensive, kids menu; and an outstandingly kind waitstaff. The manager came to our table before dessert to ask of the kids wanted to see some big lobsters. He took us back to the kitchen and gave us quite a show, putting a lobster to sleep by petting it. My kids were amazed and loved the experience.
(5)
Jerry S.
Not sure what all the hype is about. Went there because of all the good reviews...I was quite disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Had good service but the seafood was not so fresh. I could have caught them on a bad night. Saturday must be a slow day for them. A bit overpriced too.
(2)
Paul R.
It is great that Denver has a first class seafood restaurant in a sea of steakhouses. While I agree that the mark up on the wine is very high and the prices for the food are high, I think it is well worth the visit. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. The host staff can be a bit snobby but the servers are spectacular. The highlights of our visits have been ((1)) the shellfish platter (cold platter with a ton of fresh seafood- excellent and filling) ((2)) the crab cakes (mostly crab-- not bread crumbs) ((3)) the monkfish ((4)) the alaskan crab legs (I have never had such fresh, remarkable crab legs) ((4)) the trout simply prepared and ((5)) last but certainly not least, the Tuna. I asked for it extremely rare and they offered to serve it to me sushi style. This was the best tuna I have had in Colorado since we visited a fishmarket in Tokyo a few years ago. 10 ozs of pure heaven. Other nice touches: the veggie and pickled herring platter that come before the meal (gotta love a place that has pickled herring!), wonderful amuse-bouche before meals, chocolate candies to take home on valentines day, health pours for a glass of wine, etc... Things to note: the sides items are pretty heavy and not the highlight of the menu- I would skip them. parking can be a pain but they have valet, make reservations- can be packed, the desserts have not been that impressive but I am also not big on baked alaska... Overall- this is one restauran that I will keep going back to
(5)
c k n.
This was certainly one of the best dining experiences I've had. I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, using an online service (free) to make my reservation and even request a dessert for her (cheesecake, which I found they usually carry anyway, but which was also very good). The server we had was very friendly and knowledgeable, recommending fantastic dishes and the appropriate amount of each. We got the escargot for an appetizer, which was great, and for our mains we ordered the stuffed trout and crab cakes, both of which were absolutely superb. (I've had some fantastic, homemade crab cakes at a friend's house on the Chesapeake in Virginia, where they catch blue crabs, and these were on par with those: lots of actual crab meat, less breading). Dessert was also fantastic: we had the aforementioned cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries as well as a Baked Alaska....YUM. Ambiance was nice, service was excellent, the food absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. Fantastic! Recommended to anyone who likes seafood and wants a great meal in a classy restaurant.
(5)
alex b.
Went here last night to take advantage of the Spring special 3 course menu for 29.95 each. We were shocked to see that the regular price for the entrees alone were like 26.95! The portions were the same size as the a la carte entree. The salad had too much dressing, the calamari was delicious and the deserts were perfect. Great deal. One would be kind of crazy not to take advantage of this deal!
(4)
Buckwheat S.
Nice room good service, food was mediocre at best. There are too many great places to eat in Denver to spend top dollar for poor food. Small portions, tasteless, I could go on and on, but I already wasted my time and money. We go out to dinner several times per week I know poor food when I find it.
(1)
Ken S.
Well the wifie poo got a nother year old today and her choice for b-day dinning was The Oceanaire in Lodo...Nice choice babe....Our server was Chad and what a great night we had from the food to the service. Wifie had the Fijian Tombo Tuna and I the Pacific Swordfish....awsome... add the saffron rice pilaf and fried green beans and we were off to the moon...First we had the Prince Edward Island Mussels with a bottle of Pinot Grigio ...just great..a martinni and a Bye Bye Mai Tai to keep us company until the meals came...and about every 3 minutes we had waitstaff or management checking on us...A G M Phillip greated us at the table as we were seated and checked back at least 5 times to assure the we completely satisfied...and you know that goes a long way with me. The recomended late harvest ice wine with the compted Baked Alaska rounded out the feast...The Baby Spinach Salad with a warm Bacon Vinegrette shall not go un-mentioned...so much going on...but that salad was yummy times 10...Top to bottom...a night to be remembered... Thanks Oceanaire....when Momas happy...everybodies happy.. And Try to keep me away ... the Breeze loved it all...
(5)
William L.
Excellent food and service. Wine prices are very high for the quality.
(4)
Lowell M.
What a FANTASTIC restaurant. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted by friendly, professional and caring staff. You really feel welcome. What a surprise to actually get seated at the time of your reservation. The waitress was so nice and attentive. The wine glass never went dry without being asked if we wanted another nor the water glass filled as it got low. The only thing better than the staff and ambiance was the AWESOME food. I highly recommend the mussels and the blue marlin. If you are not a fish lover, the steak is absolutely out of this world. The side dishes are HUGE so you only need to order 1 and split it. Finish off the evening with their baked Alaska and you will be talking about the dinner for months.
(5)
Justin F.
I usually eat here for happy hour and its one of my favorites. There is definately better deals around, but Oceanaire is classy and the food is great. I usually order ahi tuna sliders, oysters, mussles or trout off of the happy hour menu for six dollars. The drink specials are ok at $6 for martini and select wines $7 however sometimes they have beers for $3 depending on what is left over from private parties. All in all if you love seafood and want to go some where nice oceanaire is the spot.
(5)
Archer D.
Expensive for Denver, but then again the seafood is spectacolor. And their portions of seafood are huge, don't bother with appitizers or sides, which our waitor was pretty honest about. Their lavender tuna was awesome! Wines were expensive, but they give you a very healthy poor. Cool art deco ambience, kind of reminded me of a mix of miami and the grand center oyster bar.
(5)
Dan B.
People, what is wrong with you? Don't stare at me with that stupid look like you don't know what i'm talking about. Oceanaire is dog meat. I truly can't understand it. I was minding my own business last night when a buddy invited me to join our mutual friends for 5280 week at Oceanaire. Because my wife was working late and there was nothing in the fridge i decided to blow $26.50 and give Dog-shit-aire one more chance. You see i'd eaten there three previous times and each time it sucked. Each time i went back i was HOPING to get a good experience as i would love to have a great fish place to frequent in D-town. But it's that kind of thing where, as time transpires, you forget just how bad a place was. Some strange malaise comes back over you and all of the sudden you find yourself thinking you actually might "like" this place and maybe YOU were the problem. It's like trying to get out of a bad relationship. Well, anyway, we get there and it's F-ing packed because apparently most of Denver enjoys the taste of Goodyear tires. I will admit the bar area is cool, but beyond that there's not much to salvage. At the recommendation of the General Manager we all ordered the same thing. Yup, five grown men all eating the exact same thing (lame)...black and blue marlin. It's hard to say whether or not this piece of fish actually started out with any flavor because it was drier than a fabric softener sheet. Unfortunately in hindsight i would've much preferred the taste of Downey over this thing on my plate they told me was fish. It pretty much looked like a deformed bar of soap and tasted, well, it had no taste. The error i made was actually trying to eat the whole thing, As if somehow i would start to enjoy it as my jaw went numb from chewing each bite 143 times. To make matters worse, the water service simply was non-existent. So i tried washing each bite down with a gulp of wine. Well, this was clearly a bad idea as i had started the night with two martinis. Before dinner was over i'm pretty sure i blacked out from the Super Tuscan (Terrible pairing with Marlin, thanks crappy a-hole, dummy waiter) we were drinking. I don't remember going home ( i didn't drive) and woke up in the bathtub at 4 am. Now here i am, at work pissed off because the only thing i have to show for that horrible meal is a hangover. OH, and by the way, who the hell do you think you are charging $8 for Valet, Ocean-dog-shit?? This isn't fucking Manhanttan or San Francisco. Fuck you, Ocean-Alpo-aire! See you in six months.
(1)
Kyrie C.
My husband and I came for our 10th anniversary and love love love this place. First of all, they printed special menus for us to keep with "Happy 10th Anniversary" at the top. The food was exquisite ... The crab cake is amazing, and the seafood is super fresh. Our server, Kyle, was topnotch. He even surprised us with a special dessert -- baked Alaska! If you haven't had it before, try it for the presentation of it (plus, it's yummy).. We will definitely be back and absolutely recommend this restaurant!
(5)
Chris H.
Last week my wife and I went out for a nice dinner compliments of my Mom, it was her treat given to us as a Valentine's Day present. Mom would probably drop dead if she new the final cost of this meal but I know for sure she would have enjoyed every last bite!!! I wanted to mention this because I do think it is important. I just read a review someone wrote about The Oceanaire that was not too favorable and I find it very surprising. I have never heard someone complain this much about a coat check. How was this so offensive? Coat check is pretty normal at an upper end restaurant? I thought it was a nice touch when they took my jacket for free? Keep up the good work! I have to say that the food was fantastic!! We had a selection of Oysters for the 1st course, the oysters were chosen by our waitress who was nice enough to give us a selection of the days catch. She also recommended a great bottle of wine, good enough to order a second! The salad we had was amazing as well, one item I usually like better at home. Not this one though, the Apple Fritter Salad will cause the biggest of meat eaters to fall in love... So after a nice bottle of wine, some oysters and a delicious salad our entries arrived to our delight. The only thing I was unhappy about was that I could not eat my dinner and my wife's dinner at the same time. This was a great meal!!!! I had the Big Eyed Tuna medium rare and it was perfect, my wife had the stuffed trout and it was out of this world. Both of us ate every bite even though they were huge servings, great food does that to us. The sides we had were excellent as well, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with holindase sauce. Succulent to say the least!!! For dessert we had the Key Lime Pie that can convert the biggest of Key Lime Pie haters. Another item that was just amazing and large enough for 4 people to share. My wife and I took the leftovers home and had pie 2 more times that week. So please do not runaway when they ask to take your coat!! Give in and enjoy a great dinning experience!! This is a restaurant where you go to have a nice long dinner, their goal is not to turn your table 4 times a night, it is to provide an amazing dinning experience... P.S. This place would get 5 stars if I gave them out that easy!! 5 stars are reserved for restaurants that make you want to kill for a reservation!
(4)
Suze P.
Great food, excellent service, nice atmosphere, but way too loud!
(4)
Sabrina C.
My fiance and I were extremely excited to take my parents to Oceanaire before a show at the Denver of Performng Arts. None of us were impressed from the minute we walked in the door. The first thing said to us was "Can we check your coat." Not really what I want to hear when I enter an EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE restaurant. After being seated and looking over the "al a cart" menu, I tried to have a good attitude and felt the meal would make up for the unprofessional entrance. We started with appetizers which in my opinion were over priced and not tasty. The clam chowder was cold the mussles were very sandy. The main meal was not impressive, my fish had bones in it, which was a real turn off. My dad had swordfish, which was very fishy tasting. The ahi tuna lacked a lot of flavor...the ahi tuna appetizer at PF Changs is 10 times better and 10 times cheaper. The side dishes were very sad, we had the flavorless potatoes and a big broccoli head that was very hard to share. We each had one drink, no dessert and our bill was about $250. I love food and don't mind spending on a great meal...but we were all very unhappy. Service was average. Overall, this was not the experience I was expecting for a seafood place in the middle of downtown Denver. So far I found The Fresh Fish Company to be priced very fair and their food is an absolute delight. I have alwasy had a great experience and great service!
(1)
Lucy M.
I really do not understand why anyone likes this restaurant. I was a few minutes early for my Restaurant week dinner but my table wasn't ready for at least 15 minutes. Now, I didn't really care about this as I had a good book and I'm pretty easygoing and the staffer who explained this was very nice. But it didn't get better from there. I looked at the wine list and wines by the glass were ridiculously expensive. There was nothing less than $9 and they were actually charging $15 a glass for Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. They should be ashamed of themselves. So I ordered San Pellegrino, which I never actually got. My server seemed completely uninterested in me. The app, tuna sliders were fine so I thought, OK, I'll still give this place a chance. The entree, baked scallops were very heavy rich and flavorless. A total disappointment. The chocolate mousse was completely unremarkable. Also, I couldn't stand the atmosphere of this place. Too loud music, too many tables packed into a little space, not a relaxing special place to have dinner for that much money. Never again.
(2)
Mark B.
Very good food, atmosphere, experience!!! Try the crab cakes and sidecar for a drink!...that's all I have to say. I ordered a tuna steak and it was quite delicious. The sidecar as you might be wondering was the drink of class during the 20's and 30's and trust me the barkeeps at Oceanaire know how to make them..hiccup! Have a good day!
(5)
Angela B.
Had another fabulous meal here last week; this is what I consider to be an "expense account" place. It's not cheap. However, they import a wide variety of seafood daily, it's expertly prepared, and the overall atmosphere is both stylish and classic. The side portions are all fresh and extremely generous, as are the salads and desserts. If you AREN'T on an expense account, the bar is fabulous and they do a solid happy hour. Service has been impeccable on every visit, and all the dark wood paneling with a classic cocktail menus is straight out of a rat pack movie.
(4)
E.J. F.
Last summer I visited the Oceanaire in Miami and posted a review after having an excellent experience. With that in mind, a friend and I decided to try the Oceanaire in our hometown after attending a concert nearby. Although it was good, it fell a little short of my expectations. After being seated (which took awhile), we waited for several minutes before someone approached us. We ordered off of the Spring Market fixed price menu, which offers three different choices of an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29 per person, a very good deal compared to the regular entree prices (plus the expense of adding sides since everything more or less is a la carte on an Oceanaire menu). My friend picked the New England clam chowder, which would've been good if the clams had not been so firm and chewy. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was soaked in dressing and somewhat bitter. I chose the salmon, which was accompanied with chutney, mixed field greens and a mustard vinaigrette. Unfortunately, the vinaigrette was too subtle to even notice, making the dish too sweet for my taste. After tracking down our waiter (who did not come back to check on the food after serving it - what ever happened to the two minute rule??) and bringing this to his attention, he suggested bringing a side of the mustard/mayo that is served with the crab cakes. This added the right touch of sour to balance it out, and I was happy with that. My companion chose the mahi mahi, which was very good, as were the somewhat smallish desserts. It was after 10 p.m. on a Saturday and they were almost empty, so the staff appeared to be focused on wrapping up things for the night. When the check arrived, our waiter had neglected to add a bottle of wine we had ordered to our bill, so we reminded him of that. Prior to leaving, a manager came by to query us about our experience, at which time we gave him some feedback, which he was receptive to hearing. I will remain a patron of Oceanaire and have no problem recommending to others. However, part of me feels like we were being forced to settle on the quality of the food [from the fixed price menu] because of the lower price, which isn't something I felt that great about since it came to over $100 when all was said and done.
(3)
Dan S.
Great ambiance and service. Overpriced for what you get. They seemed to feel compelled to mix meat into items that typically do not require meat (i.e. hashbrowns, rice pilaf, spinach, etc), so this wouldn't be a good place for vegetarians. King Crab was very good, but for some reason served on a hot plate. Halibut was good too but could have used some side sauce options. Caesar salad was excellent. Dessert menu could use some more staples.
(2)
Thomas M.
The food was excellent. However, the portions were small for the price. Also, beware of the bartenders and waitstaff pushing $19 glasses of wine. It wasn't that great and that markup is just obscene.
(3)
Lynn F.
Ocean Air in Denver ? True, not an ocean in sight, but you can't eat that fabulous mid-america steak every night. This swanky retro swing music playing restaurant is an easy walk from all the downtown hotels. They are just down the street from a big mall/ theater complex which could explain the rush to accomodate the early dining/ pre-theater crowd. We got ignored for a bit around 7:45p. As for the seafood, surprisingly good. They fly everything in fresh every day, so the menu changes daily. Some odd local delicacies thrown in like thick cut bacon. Lots of salads, sides, fish from around the world, oyster bar. Absolutely hugh menu full of choices. The mandatory steak is offered for fish haters. Loved the greek salad, which didn't seem greek as instead of feta there was bay shrimp and tiny bits o crab. All side dishes are hugh and sharable. Loved the corn. Desserts are architectual or on fire. Ordered the Baked Alaska for the spectacle. On the pricey side: $30 - $50.
(4)
Del A.
Bottom line- exceptional service, ultra fresh seafood, not cheap. Oceanaire is to seafood as Mortons is to steak. The menu is a la carte and you order sides to share. Quality and freshness is superior. For this type of quality and service I would expect greatness and Oceanaire delivers. The oysters are beautiful- if you like them briney and salty I recommend the Hurricane variety from the East Coast. They taste like you're drinking in fresh sea air- amazing! The crabcakes are CRAB with very little cake and ingredients that highlight rather then cover up the flavor of the sweet lump crabmeat. The petite Grand Shellfish platter was piled with crab, lobster, steamed mussels and more oysters- all was sweet and fresh shellfish served with a nice accompaniment of sauces. (though the sauces weren't really needed - the fish is good on its own) And a shared side of the salt and vinegar fries- thin, crispy, flavorful. Great dipped in the mustard sauce that came with the shellfish. I had a bloody mary that was perfectly seasoned and great with the oysters. Followed by a reasonably priced Pinot Grigo/Sauvgnion Blanc blend, suggested by our waiter, that lent itself very well to the shellfish. One of my favorite restaurants in Denver and a lovely treat!
(5)
Nolemana V.
I've been here a couple of times and wanted to wait to review it until after my second visit so that I've had a chance to try a few dishes. And I have to say, this place is pretty damn good. I've tried the calamari, tuna sliders, oysters, seafood app tower, Hawaiian opah, halibut, es car go, and even the sea urchin app special. Everything tasted fresh, was cooked almost to perfection, well prepared and presented. The staff provided an excellent experience as well- very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, my experience at Oceanaire has me wanting to go back for more. But just a heads up, if there is one drawback to this place, it's what you'll pay for the "experience"...definitely not cheap!
(4)
Sandi D.
Happy Hour at the Oceanaire: Although I haven't had the opportunity to formally dine at Oceanaire, I've had the pleasure to HH it. My most recent experience was yesterday afternoon, where I decided to wait out the traffic into the burbs ( That's becoming a theme with me -- but did you see that traffic) I arrived at Oceanaire at 5:30ish -- only 2 other people sat at the bar; the restaurant empty....still early for dinner, and it was a Monday night---a tough night for any restaurant, let alone one where people consider it a special occasion place. During the 90 or so minutes I was there, only a handful of people showed for the HH specials, the restaurant itself stood virtually empty. While I'm surprised more people didn't take advantage of HH; I'm not too surprised at the empty dining room. After hearing about the latest closings ( Gallagher's, Ocean for example) it's evident that even the expense account set is cutting back. I know I'm sounding doom/gloom, but that was the atmosphere at Oceanaire --at least that's how the uptight atmosphere came off as. Let me explain: Upon arriving, each person is given "The Treatment" . The hostess guides you to either your table or to the bar, where they formally introduce you to your server, or in my case, bartender. Maybe it comes off better for dinner, but it was too much for drinks and an appy. The bartender shakes your hand, asks your name, where you're from, and other small talk, as if you're at a cocktail party; all in the attempt to have you bond with the staff. HH menu itself is limited, but no more than most places. They have 6 or so wines for $7 a glass, martinis and small plates for $6. I had a Sangiovese that was tasty at $7, but not one I would order outside HH pricing ($12), as a whole bottle sells for less than $9. Restaurants who price 1 glass for more than a whole bottle gets my gourd; what ever happened to doubling a bottle, tripling the glass price. Now we're upcharging over 4x the cost? Wow. But back to our show -- Ok, I had my conversation, poured my sample, then the glass of wine....do I want bread/butter asks my new friend, Ian. I decline, and ask for a snack suggestion. My next stool neighbor pipes in, telling me the smoked trout was terrific. Sounds good to me, and it was. A decent portion for $6; the smoked trout was floating in a very good olive oil, surrounded by fresh kettle chips. The idea is to place a small amount of trout on the chip, substituting toast points or perhaps flat bread. It works in theory, however the amount of oil made the chips soggy, and soon became too fishy. So why the 4 stars? Well, I like the place. I like how hard they try. I like fish, and I love wine. Even though they only have 6 on HH, they do have something like 300 bottles, and it was fun as hell to look at the menu. They even gave me the Captain's wine list, which was in a book; the holy bible for us oenophiles. I would give them a try for dinner -- especially on a night like last night where Marlin was part of the 3 course for $30 something.
(4)
Rodrigo S.
I would say this place was OK, I did not have seafood I opted for the lamb. Sort of interesting that they provide a cold plate with pickled herring (not my thing). The waiter sounded like a humming bird on blow when he rattled off the specials and closed with the king crab legs are straight out of the "Arctic Sea" just like on the Deadliest Catch, obviously he was confused (it's actually the Bering Sea). I had the Caesar salad, the lamb and some fries. All was good but the fries came out barely warm. A highlight is the guy who filled the water glasses etc., he was very professional and johnny on the spot when our drinks needed a refresh. I will probably not visit this place again.
(2)
Alice G.
3-4 stars- above average Landry's chain (aka Bubba Gumps) higher end restaurant. I've eaten here 3 times now and have actually always been pleased, however there is that over-glossed feel of a slick chain including some up selling techniques at the table. I have mostly stuck to the cold seafood platters and oysters here, which are quite good. Also, the drinks are great, but expensive- our G&Ts were $15 each!
(4)
Gretchen G.
Restaurant week success. Oceanaire has hardly been on the trendy list so it skews to a little older/ conference center audience (clearly using company credit cards). That being said, they've got a happy hour I apparently need to go back for. The waiter did a great job of explaining the restaurant week menu, portion sizes etc. The crab cake taster was delicious but small as he explained it would be. The clam chowder was very creamy, yum. The steelhead was well cooked and a large portion. I could have skipped cookie dessert.
(4)
Kyra R.
The schtick here is that the chef changes the menu every day, depending on what has been flown in fresh. Perhaps the chef needs time to perfect a few dishes before switching things up. The mussles app was enormous and tasted like the bottom of a rock. The shrimp cocktail sauce was overly spicy, and the entree was conspicuously salty. I think the spice & salt are to compensate for the fishy nature of the poorly prepped seafood. By the end of the meal, both my husband's and my mouths were raw. Served the wrong entree (ordered trout - received salmon). The most awkward restroom decor on planet Earth. In decal letters a foot tall, the womens' restroom wall says, "The iodine content of fish helps prevent goiter and other ills." Seems like a last ditch effort to convince people that this meal was a good choice.
(1)
Stewart L.
Confessions of a seafood snob :-) I'm originally from Maryland Mecca to me at least of seafood so needless to say I'm very hard to impress I don't know how they do it but they did it the seafood done here is FANTASTIC !!! Crabcakes crabcakes General manager is a East Coast guy like myself so he knows the importance of good crabcakes so you're not going to get a lot of filler filler like a lot of breadcrumbs that's sacrilegious in crabcake land now that's moving along and talk about oysters being a seafood snob ironically enough I've only had oysters fried I am a texture type of person if it doesn't feel good in my mouth I'm not going to swallow it (insert sexual innuendo) LOL :-) The chef makes oysters so so very good if you like briny you can do that if you like subtle flavors with a sneaky punch The chef can do that too overall I'm very impressed with this restaurant
(5)
Megan H.
My fiance made a reservation at Oceanaire for my birthday dinner in mid-August. I actually had no idea where we were going until we walked up - love when my honey surprises me! Anyway, from the SECOND we walked in the door, the service was utterly outstanding. We were about 10 minutes early for our reservation. The young ladies at the hostess stand offered to go ahead and seat us or suggested we get a drink at the bar. They have an AMAZING happy hour in their bar area. $7 martinis! And they didn't skimp on the vodka either! If you ever want to go and just do their small plates in the bar area, those looked and sounded fantastic as well. After ordering our 2nd martini, we realized that we were now 15 minutes past our reservation time. So we grabbed our drinks and went to our table. When we sat down, they handed us our menus, and mine had "Happy Birthday" printed on it! I was delighted! The girl then handed me a birthday card that all of the staff working that night had signed. I thought this was such a cool, personal touch. (I'm a bit of a cheeseball though and like little things like this). Our waiter came over very quickly and explained some of the fresh fish they currently had as well as some of the other specials, including a prix fixe menu. We ended up both deciding to do the prix fixe menu which was $85/person. We felt this was a really good deal considering this menu included 4 courses of food PLUS a dessert AND a wine pairing with each course. I am a huge wino, but I was still a bit concerned about having 4 glasses of wine after 2 martinis ha ha. Luckily, they said that because they were pairings they were a bit smaller pour. Good thing or I would have had to be carried out of there ha! Each course was sincerely better than the last. SO good - the timing was perfect on all of them. I have to give a shout-out to our amazing server Ryan. He had an awesome attitude, was super nice, answered our 10,000 questions without getting annoyed. He truly made the experience that much more enjoyable. His assistant server was named Mike, and he also provided outstanding service. At one point, they brought out the wrong course - it was on the prix fixe menu, but it was a course too early (so basically in the wrong order). The manager came over and apologized profusely and brought us an additional appetizer to snack on while they were preparing the correct course. Mistakes happen, and they handled it so smoothly, so we weren't even bothered by it. The food was SO GOOD. I grew up in Houston where fresh seafood is readily available - that is one thing I have missed dearly since moving to Denver. So I was excited to eat at this caliber of restaurant where they fly it in fresh daily. Overall, we were at dinner for probably about 2 1/2 hours. It was an AWESOME experience!! We weren't in any hurry, it was a Friday night, it was a special occasion, etc. I just cannot compliment Oceanaire enough on their staff and their food and the entire dining experience. Cannot wait for another special occasion to justify spending that amount of money again! :-)
(5)
Horacio J.
Yes. The food is delicious. Shrimps are HUGE. I gave it a 4 because the limited drinks for happy hour. All in a great experience.
(4)
Lindy L.
My boyfriend loves seafood, so we went here for his birthday. He really enjoyed the meal and so did I, even though I prefer my seafood in sushi form. Service was excellent, and the setting was pretty swanky, which is fun for a special, celebratory night. They start everyone with bread and butter, accompanied by relish, which I learned is pickles, olives, radishes, carrots, and celery. My boyfriend really liked the endive salad with blue cheese dressing. I passed on trying it because the salad had quite a bit of blue cheese dressing, and I'm not a big salad dressing fan. I ordered the stuffed sole Florentine, which was very good and very rich. My boyfriend ordered the Alaskan Barracuda black and bleu, which was even better than the sole and not quite as rich. My favorite parts of the meal were the hashed browns and dessert. We shared the hashed browns a la Oceanaire, a huge serving of nicely crisp hashed browns with bacon and Tabasco sauce. We were beyond full, but had to have a birthday dessert, and our server very generously provided us with a complimentary birthday treat, the chocolate caramel cake. The cake was served with warm hot fudge and caramel sauce. And ice cream. The cake was very, very good. Oceanaire did a very, very good job of making a special night even more special.
My server here was fantastic, however the 45 minute wait for a table as well as the next 45 minute wait for food really left me questioning why I was paying top dollar for this experience. I asked for a manager and the GM came by my table for a visit . He was pretty demeaning and tried to blame our server for the restaurants poor execution . Sorry but this place is not worth the price tag .
(1)
Elaine P.
Dinner last night was my third time at Oceanaire Seafood Room and each dinner was top notch. Best service by far of any restaurant we've been to. The food is always amazing also. Even the service for valet parking is top notch. Very pleasant men and women. It was very cold and very busy and the workers are ALL very pleasant which makes it pleasurable. Thank you for a great night
(5)
Dale Z.
Dave Barry said, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." This was pretty much how I felt after having Happy Hours drinks and HH bites in the bar area of The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I felt like I just scratched the surface of Oceanaire. In many ways, I had a 4-star experience, but the multiple minor annoyances knocked it down to a 3. For example, there are only three beers choices on the HH menu (all from Great Divide). And although I like many of their offerings, the two regular choices are the Pale Ale and the IPA (Great Divide Denver Pale Ale & Great Divide Titan IPA), which seem a tad too similar for my "dis"liking. I had the seasonal (the Colette), and it was okay, but not enjoyable enough to want another. I toyed with ordering the Prosecco Sangria, but my dining companions said it was rather sour, somewhat bitter, and too vegetal. Most other choices seemed rather minty and mojito oriented. So, I went with "The Oceanaire" (Our Signature made with Absolut vodka, blue curacao and white cranberry juice) for my second drink. The blue curacao made the drink resemble a Windex martini. The flavors were okay (if overly sweet), but nothing special. This felt like I was drinking a cocktail from 1988. For food, I went with the Shrimp and Grits (Jumbo Shrimp, Creamy White Cheddar Grits). The shrimp were quite large, and well seasoned, but were some what tough in texture. The grits were very good, with nice cheesy flavor. The texture was that non-homogeneous mix of creamy and not quite creamy that I enjoy in my grits. I also had the Tequila Shrimp Ceviche (Avocado, Chile Dusted Tortilla Chips). I was glad that they had a "shrimp only" ceviche. I enjoy this dish, but not with fish (ooh, how Seussical). It was a generous portion for the price. There really was a lot of chopped shrimp (although it was somewhat tough). This dish, however, was lacking in acid and in heat. I borrowed some lime wedges from a dining companion, but it was not enough. It was a pity that this dish was so bland. Our service was mostly very good, but it was sometimes hard to flag down our waiter to put in additional orders.
(3)
Krystal M.
Things I like about The Oceanaire... They have happy hour EVERYDAY until closing, their fish & chips is really good, as are the oysters. They also have pretty friendly bartenders and they make really good mixed drinks and also have Great Divide on tap. Certain items may be a little expensive, but this is a nice place and definitely worth it. Also, I love the ambiance here... the blue glow in the bar area is just cool. I haven't had dinner here yet... but at some point I will. For now, the bar does me just fine and I know I'll be back to frequent the happy hour.
(4)
Josh H.
Reminded me of a cruise ship, but the food was delicious and wait staff were friendly. Nothing extraordinary popped out about this restaurant but it was good nonetheless.
Pros: the menu changes daily Cons: the menu changes daily I was hoping for swordfish. I ended up making reservations on a night that swordfish was not offered. I know this sounds a bit picky but after having swordfish two other times at The Oceannaire the trout that I ended up settling for just did not compare. The drinks are strong, you definitely get what you pay for! And the Au Gratin potatoes are some of the best I've ever had!
(4)
Michelle H.
This place was so good - I can't wait to go back! Our waiter, Jack, was extremely knowledgable and very friendly. He took his time to explain everything to us, and he didn't rush us through our order. We tried three of the oysters he suggested and his descriptions were spot-on and great recommendations! I ordered the cobia, prepared Louie style and it was delicious. I also recommend the tequila shrimp ceviche. Everyone's meals were fresh, delicious, and we were served well.
(5)
Robert V.
Oceania used to be a very good place, then Landry's happened. Now so bad. Tonight at 9PM I tried to sit at the bar for Oysters. Not only was there not an oyster menu, there was no server to give me one. After 15 minutes of sitting completely ignored, with wait staff walking past me, (they were no way near busy btw mostly empty tables), I gave up and left. Besides last tim e I ate there with a friend, fish was greasy and tasteless. A shame.
(1)
Michael F.
Good food - good service. Prices so high it felt cartoonish. Just got to laugh and chalk this experience up to "been there done that"but will never go again.
(3)
Monica L.
I love to have dessert at the bar before a show at the DCPA. Last night I tried the new white chocolate & raspberry bread pudding. It was superb. Sometimes white chocolate is not very good, but this raspberry bread pudding was topped with excellent white chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend.
(5)
Erin M.
I may have said this before, but this is truly the best steak I have ever had in my entire life! Truly, I can't think of any I have ever had that would top it. My New York Strip was juicy, even though I ordered it medium-well, was well seasoned (even without any additions) and was plentiful in portion at 16 oz. And, even though NY Strip steaks can often be a little less tender, this particular NY Strip was like butter...MMM... I ordered it with a side of the sour cream potatoes (large enough to share among our group of 4) and asparagus (also enough to share with the group). The sour cream potatoes, while I'm sure not uber healthful, made up for the diet "cheat" because they were so darn creamy and delightful. I could return today after dining last night and eat a bowlful by myself in 1 sitting. Someone stop me now! The asparagus was decent, and I am sure was even better with the Hollandaise sauce (I'm not a fan of Hollandaise sauce ever on any occasion, so I didn't sample it). The supporting actor of the show was the dessert, which was nearly as delectable as my steak. We had both Baked Alaska (due to the fact that it was free for a birthday at our table) and the Key Lime pie. (We were advised to order only 1 as the portions are large, and we should have heeded the advice given. I was uncomfortably full after dessert (and I wasn't the only one)!). The Baked Alaska is fun. The production made of dousing it in flames at the table makes it both dessert and an event. This particular Baked Alaska was served with black cherry ice cream, which made it even better (the sweet and tart of the ice cream mixed perfectly with the marshmallow meringue). The Key Lime pie was great as well! I wasn't super into the decor, which feels a little minimalist, until it was pointed out that Oceanaire is designed to look the a cruise ship from the 1920's. Once I noticed the Art Deco touches and the way certain elements like the blue lighting at the bar brought the look together, I appreciated it more. Both our table service and valet service were also great. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)
Carol E.
Stopped in on Restaurant Week, hoping to grab 2 stools at the bar. No problem once the dinner crowb ebbed~ I'm a wus, I valet most times to let the boys do something, but there was plenty of parking on the street. Sat at the seafood bar. Kumamotos~ lushish! Normally I wouldn't do oysters on a month not ending in the letter, 'R"... am I the only one here on this? But, they assured me oysters were flown in fresh that morning. Well, true to their word, again I say lushish. Creamy, sweet with a hint of mineral on the finish.. I chased them down with a nice med red wine. We had the grilled salmon, simply made with sans accrutremants and a side of grilled asparagus. It was stellar. Perfectly cooked and every spear of the asparagus, sweet. Well done! Miss the East Coast seafood, this fits the bill every time!! Yay
(5)
Nicole P.
Eaten here a few times. Always delicious. Baked Alaska? YUMMY!!!
Had reservations at Oceanaire before the theater last Saturday. Our server (Juan) was very knowledgeable about both the food and wine and was extremely accommodating. We ordered halibut and swordfish, both were excellent. Did a calorie splurge and ordered macaroni and cheese as a side along with a vegetable. Unable to eat even half of our dinner, our server kindly boxed up the leftovers and held them in the kitchen refrigerator until the play let out. Had a great experience.
(5)
Tricia D.
I didn't realize Oceanaire's a chain. I also didn't realize that I was in for quite a treat that night, and by quite a treat, I mean two words... BAKED ALASKA! The baked alaska dessert is by far their most popular. It is a slice of chocolate cake with cherry ice cream piled on top. A light meringue envelopes the ice cream, forming a fluffy, puffy dome. Your waitress/waiter will then drizzle alchy (I think it was Bacardi and cherry liqueur) and light that sucker on fire! Quite the tableside experience. I've had better chocolate cake, but I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert. My main course consisted of mahi mahi, which is flakier and not as "steak-y" as tilapia. It was so fresh, and now I know I'm a fan of the mahi^2! Service was excellent, and make sure you have that alaska when you stop in Denver!
(4)
Julia S.
I went here for Denver Restaurant Week which I realize limits food options given the prix fixe menu. That being said, the service was absolutely fantastic, but food-wise, I wasn't that impressed. I really, really like the crab cake, but the mahi-mahi I got was so-so. It was also paired with an arugula salad and sweet potato fries, which I thought was odd. The server was good in the fact that he did warn us that the portions are smaller due to DRW, which I didn't like, so we had to order extra sides. I always use DRW as an opportunity for restaurants to showcase their food, as I'll always go back if I'm impressed. Unfortunately, I've simply had better seafood in Denver.
(3)
Pixie M.
You know you've had a memorable meal at a restaurant, when two days later you turn to your spouse and say "I can still hear the crisp crack of the duck skin as my knife cut into the moist meat" and he replies, "I'm still dreaming about those scallops..." Let me start at the beginning, my parents were in town for the Christmas holidays and we decided we wanted to take them out somewhere really nice. So Christmas Eve at Oceanaire sounded perfect and arrangements were made for a special dinner prepared by Matt Mine, the executive chef. We drove up to the valet, whoosh, all four car doors opened simultaneously as we were each guided out of the car toward the front door where two different staff members whisked our coats away. The interior is crisp, classy, elegant and inviting. Our server, Michelle, was efficient, knowledgeable and we really enjoyed chatting with her. The additional staff removing our plates, refilling the waters, and checking in on us throughout the evening were all top-notch. This is the type of service that many restaurants strive for, and the Oceanaire staff was on the mark 110%. Our meal started with cream of cauliflower soup, garnished with poached lobster, seasoned with vanilla. Sounds odd, right? It was perfect and paired with a crisp glass of Prosecco. I never would have chosen this combo of flavored but was floored by how amazing this was. My husband isn't a cauliflower eater and devoured most of his...the part he didn't eat were the spoonfuls I swiped after my bowl was already empty. The duck. With a dried cherry glaze. And white beans. I don't even know how to begin. Decedent, delicious, rich....did I already tell you about echo of the crack the crisp skin made when I cut into it? I did? Hold on...I'm closing my eyes and reliving it. I like duck and have had it frequently in other restaurants, but I know I've never had duck this amazing. Large, juicy, seared scallops served with mouthwatering short ribs with an intensely thick, beefy flavor. Zoinks. All past and future "surf and turf" meals have been blown out of the water by this combo. I glanced around the table to see eyes closed, slight smiles and the utterances of "wow....this is incredible" and "I love these scallops..." The Brussel sprouts, bacon and Maytag bleu cheese side dish was a Brussel sprout lover's dream. I was in heaven. Delicate, flaky monkfish with a thick, warm bleu cheese crust. By this point in the dinner, I was so full but couldn't not have this....the fish was flawlessly cooked. Dessert? We couldn't do it. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that I wasn't able to save room. Next time. Next time, I leave room for chocolate cake.
(5)
Natalie G.
I so wanted to love Oceanaire, I love seafood. Sadly, this is not somewhere I would go back to by choice. I can get better elsewhere, and for less. The marquee outside is great, and valet anywhere in Denver is nice, but given we hit on a Friday night and they have a bit of construction on Arapahoe, to say it was a nightmare is being kind. We managed to just make our 7:30 reservation, however, we were missing half of our group due to traffic. We were seated in a small room around the left of the bar which was actually quite nice and made it a bit more cozy. The place was packed, after all, it was Friday, in the middle of Restaurant Week. I noted that the person who seated us switched out the napkin of the person named on the reservation (from white to black), so that the waiter knew whom to address by name when he came over for introductions and drinks. First impression of Kevin (our waiter) was that he was going to be attentive, and a bit of fun. Since we knew we had a little wait, we ordered a bottle of wine and the calamari. We were pleasantly surprised with the fresh veggie tray that came but purposely avoided the mini half loaf of bread so that we would be able to eat our meals. The calamari was tasty, and the dipping sauce was a bit different, but we enjoyed it. Our other diners arrived about fifteen minutes behind us, but everyone was ready to order as we had perused the 5280 menu prior to arrival. Right off the bat, there had been a slight change in the menu, but Kevin did accommodate the change. We had a mix of field greens, New England clam chowder and the Billie B. soup. The latter was a last minute change after Kevin explained that it was a cream based soup with mussels in it. Sadly it did not live up to the hype he gave it. There was only about three small chunks of mussel in the actual soup and it was a bit thin for a cream based soup. The chowder was better but not what you would expect from a seafood restaurant. It was more on par with an all American place. Entrees arrived in good time, and we partook in the red snapper, trout and rockfish choices. The rainbow trout dynamite was ok, but with trout you always get bones. The crab dynamite on top looked more like a dark greasy hashbrown. The flavor of crab was almost non-existent. The fish itself was cooked well, and the sauce was tasty. The rockfish came seated on white cheddar grits. We were all excited to try them, but only 1 of the four at the table liked them. The other three of us could have done (and have) better at home. Not as creamy as a true grit, and again, just nothing to write home about. To be fair there were three southerners in the group. "You don't mess with our grits!" We had two key lime pies and two chocolate mousse at our table. The key lime pie, while setting atop a delicious graham cracker crust and light and fluffy really needed to be a bit more tart. For those who don't know what a great Key Lime Pie is supposed to taste like, it would be a nice sweet treat, but all four of us really wished it had been a bit more tart. The chocolate mousse on the other hand was absolutely decadent! Very rich, so much so that this choco-phile could not finish it. Over all the food was OK and the ambiance nice. The last hour we were there we could have used another bottle of wine but we never saw our waiter. The water situation throughout dinner was also completely unacceptable. Empty glasses of water is what I will remember most of our visit. That and that we spent 20 minutes at the end trying to get our waiters attention, who never bothered to say thank you for coming in. It was clear he was frazzled, but good manners should always win out when you are representing a quality restaurant that charges what they do.
(2)
Alexis G.
I decided to try Oceanaire for Denver Restaurant Week because I love seafood and I am always in search of a great seafood restaurant in Denver. The ambiance and service at Oceanaire was top of the line, but the food left a lot to be desired. I started off with the calamari. It was inconsistent with some of it was perfectly cooked and very tasty, but some of it was rubbery and overcooked. My mom ordered their award winning clam chowder for her first course. Unfortunately, it was watery and one dimensional and did not taste like award winning chowder to me. We both ordered the snapper for our main course. The fish was served fried, but it was dry and the aioli added no flavor. Finally, we had the key lime pie and chocolate mousse for dessert. They were both good, but the mousse was a bit too rich for my liking. In my opinion, restaurants should give their best effort during restaurant week to tempt us to come back and pay top dollar for their yummy food. Unfortunately, Oceanaire did not put their best food forward. Meanwhile, the search for a great seafood restaurant in Denver continues. Any suggestions?
(3)
Lacey K.
A group of 9 of us ate here last night (8/5/14). Half of our table liked it, the other half hated it. Upon arrival it was all hands on deck by the staff, which was great! The restaurant is very modern & nice. After being seated (reservations at 5:45 it was a ghost town), we all started looking over the menu. The server does explain the menu very thoroughly. This is where the night started going down hill.... We ordered our appetizers & meal at the same time. We asked the apps be brought out first. 40 minutes later... We finally get our apps. There were only 3 apps to prepare! 40 minutes? Our shrimp cocktail was not good. They were VERY over-cooked. I almost couldn't chew them. After they clear the apps away, most of our table is still hungry. We have bread plates, but no bread. They never brought any. We had to ask them for the bread. I know that may not seem like a huge thing, but remember the price you are paying for your meal.... They boast about their superior treatment. So, we are sitting waiting for our main course & the waiter comes to the table to let me know they are out of the chicken I ordered. This would not have been an issue had they come out & told me the hour and a half i had been sitting there waiting. I ordered fish & chips instead. When we finally got our meal I was yet again displeased. The fish had no taste and were exceedingly greasy. Another couple at our table both had over cooked fish. Overall, the quality was bad & the service was slower than I even thought imaginable. I expected the ridiculous pricing---I didn't expect to leave feeling cheated. Others have had good experiences...but this was ours.
(1)
Pam B.
Great place .... Fabulous Seafood. The Death by chocolate cake, we'll just say it is to die for!!!!!!
(4)
Eden R.
I've been meaning to write this review for a while and just kept forgetting to do it. We went to Oceanaire a month or so ago before seeing a show at the Buell. Because it's been a month, I can't remember our waiter's name, which is unfortunate because he was fantastic. We were a couple of weeks out from a trip to Sonoma so we were really pleased to see so many bottles on the wine list from Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. We each had a bowl of clam chowder which was DELICIOUS (and had a yummy tangy kick to it) and filling. Because the chowder was so filling, we decided to share the Halibut Cheeks at our waiter's suggestion. We were going to order some additional mashed potatoes with it (most things on the menu are ala carte) but he suggested that we not since the fish came on a bed of mashed potatoes (we were so full by the end of the meal, I'm very thankful that he told us not to order the extra potatoes just to increase our bill and hence extra tip). We also had the Brussels Sprouts on the side which were also AMAZING. The kitchen separated our shared meal on to two plates which was a nice touch. We didn't finish our wine and had some food left over at the end, the waiter knew that we were going to a show so he offered to keep our food and wine in the back for us to pick up after the show which I thought was really nice. This was our second time at Oceanaire, second time with great food and great service. Will definitely be back.
(5)
Dave P.
My Birthday Bash was here, and it was wonderful! The happy hour! OMG, the happy hour! It's all friggin day! Signature drinks and awesome food...it was perfect! Staff was very helpful...our waiter even told us that a large party was about to come in, so we should put in our food orders now, to avoid any wait. And he was right on! A group of 40 came in, and it got busy...but we didn't seem to notice. We got everything quickly and it was so good. I will go back again and again and again...
(5)
Mike C.
I had a lousy dinner here Thursday night. I was very disappointed as I have eaten here before and had a great meal - which is why I came back vs trying somewhere new. On the recommendation of our server I ordered the Halibut Cheeks and my co worker ordered rainbow trout. The Halibut was awful - I actually didn't finish it. It tasted like nothing and just didn't seem right. I've had halibut cheeks before and this was not good. Not sure how fresh it was - and just no flavor. Bland and blah. My co-workers trout was not much better. I couldn't believe what they served her. The fillet was paper thin - hardly any meat. Unfortunately very bummed....
(1)
Phung L.
Good appetizers. Crab cakes were delicious. Got to try different kinds of oysters as far as east coast and west coast, can definitely taste the difference when it came to the brininess and such. Complementary dessert for my friend's birthday was quite a spectacle as they lit it on fire which was cool. Very nice ambiance.
(4)
Elky M.
This. Was. Incredible. Salmon. Shrimp & Grits. Old fashioned jumbo fried shrimp. I know it's part of a huge restaurant group but it takes size and power to pull off fresh seafood flown in daily at mostly affordable prices. You need to go to there!
(5)
Valery L.
The red chile calamari at this place is divine, and the happy hour drinks are great. The crudite plate served before your meal is nice and refreshing. After having two dinners at this place, I've decided if I go back it will only be to sit at the bar and have drinks/apps, as dinner is overpriced and nothing special. The blue lights in this restaurant and decor in the bar area are gorgeous.
(3)
Holly M.
Good service. Medocre food. Good atmosphere.
(3)
Dave A.
My wife and I had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner here. Everything was impeccable. The wait staff was tremendous. We arrived 10 min before our reservation and sat down on some bench behind the large blue neon bar. Someone immediately came up and offered us some glasses of water. Nice touch. Everyone from the hostess to our waiter (Andrew?) was friendly, prompt, and attentive. The ambience again was stellar. Be sure though to ask for seating next to the windows as the back room can be both a bit dark as well as somewhat spartan regarding decorations. As expected the food was 5-stars and expensive (the price being the only reason for the 4-star rating). But the service definitely made it worth it. Perfect location near DCPA also. The Oceanaire is on our list of special places for an impressive evening.
(4)
Shawn S.
I'm not a big fan of spending this much for a meal but I do like to splurge for special occasions. My boyfriend made reservations at Oceanaire for my birthday. When we walked in and gave our name, the hostess wished me a happy birthday. We were then seated and as I looked at my menu, I saw "Happy Birthday Shawn" across the top and a card on the table signed by all the staff. Our waiter, Matt, gave us plenty of helpful information about the menu without being overbearing/annoying and gave us plenty of time to think through all the great advice he provided. We had the Fried Red Chili Calamari - nice Asian twist made this a uniquely awesome appetizer. I had the Rockfish with the Crab Dynamite "enhancement" - simply delicious! The sweet taste of the rockfish with the spicy chili sauce worked well together. Aaron had the swordfish with the Black & Bleu "enhancement" - never would have thought of putting blue cheese on fish but it literally melted in your mouth. Double Thumbs Up!
(5)
Angela A.
I am a seafood lover, and miss it terribly. Back east there was a plethora of shellfish & fresh ocean creatures to eat, anytime of the year. I have found it difficult to find seafood the way I am used to it being prepared back home. Everything has a fancy sauce or something strange that covers up the natural good flavor of seafood! Crab cakes are one of my most favorite meals, and I almost gave up trying to find them here that could even compare to what I've had back home's so glad I gave the Oceanaire Seafood Room a try & I am so pleased to say....this place is amazing!! Of course it is pricey but it is worth every penny to taste seafood the way it's meant to be prepared. No frills, no crazy sauces, and a raw bar to die for! I will save my penny's to continue to dine here! I recommendt this place to all seafood lovers out there!
(5)
Sherri K.
The service here was very good. I felt like my needs were fulfilled. The other guests in my group... not so much. One guests waited and waited for her martini. I saw the dinner rush and my food came in a timely manner and my dirty martini was the best dirty martini I had had in a desperately long time,but I noticed a lack of consistency. The oysters were tiny, but good. The food in general was delish. At happy hour prices, this was right up my alley, but I can imagine if seated in the dining room after 6p, I may not have been so pleased. The decor reminded me of "The Shining". Yes, Jack Nicholson. Dark wood bar, Titanic feel, ghosts in the air, etc etc.
(4)
Nicole W.
Another Restuarant Week 2009 Dine I had no idea where this place was - I have gone to the theater plenty but never noticed this little dining local. I noticed the menu on line for 5280 and thought it sounded yummy!! I was late on booking reservations so we had to find some friends to get a 4 spot at 8:15pm - woah! We arrived a little early. Valet was a little backed up, so it was tricky to get the car out of traffic. When we checked in the front desk said they were pretty much right on the 8:15 time. We meandered over to the bar and ordered up some wine. I must say even not on happy hour they have some tasty beverages at the $6 mark. I did the australian Alice Shiraz and was very very happy. And their pours are not skimpy either! Woohoo! We were seated around 8:30 and the greeter indicated they had been having trouble with people enjoying their meals and coffee too long and throwing off their scheduling... Oh my. Some of it might be them though. Our plate arrivals were definitely spaced out! Our waiter was Chad and he was very nice. He got our beverages going, eventually brought the bread and crudatet. I went with the mussels - not as good as Cruise Room - but tasty. Hubby did the calamari - OMG - amazing! Next was the mahi mahi - with a lobster bisque - it was ok. We also added on the hashbrowns with oceanaire style - which means bacon, onion, and Tabasco - mmmm! For desert I was going to go with the apple crisp but was warned that sometimes it came without the topping and wasn't that great. So i did the cheese cake - and enjoyed it. Hubby went with the chocolate mouse. He liked it. It was a very enjoyable meal. I would definitely come back for some wine and calamari at the bar!
(3)
Karen M.
Tres Chic! Based on Yelpers strong reviews, my Happy Hour crew decided to check Oceanaire out for one of our monthly meet-ups. I like trendy places, but this one was a bit odd. Picture this: six of us, all in a row, facing the glass partition. Wasn't exactly conducive for conversation, although I did get quality time with Tom, the person directly next to me, so that was fun. But otherwise, it all felt weird, passing appetizers back & forth down the line. We all know that I give points for good HH deals on good beer, so that $3 glass of a Hades draw made me pretty dang happy. But beware - the deal is Happy Hour pricing ONLY in the bar. I just never got that concept at restaurants, but, apparently someone has to take up those seats at the partition. Food was nice. Smoked trout was really unique. I would come back for that. Tom & I debated who has the better fries? Jonesy's or Oceanaire? We were split. We both appreciate good, simple fries and while you have to ask Jonesy's to "just keep 'em simple" I think they're the best. Tom's vote was for Oceaniare's lightly dressed salt & vinegar fries. So, while the food was a nice treat and the beer a good value, Happy Hour isn't as happy if you can't sit with your chums and have face-to-face time.
(3)
Ron K.
Well my wife and I had tickets to a musical at the Buell Theater which is right across the street. Now I myself am not a seafood lover. But my wife is. We have been looking for a restraunt in town that serves raw oysters and a good piece of meat. Well this place has both, and it delivers quality food for both as well. This was THE BEST STEAK I HAVE HAD AT A SEAFOOD RESTARAUNT. If you are a couple where one of you loves seafood and the other the turf. This is the place to go for both of you to get the food you want. We will return again and again.
(5)
Debbi B.
I am a big fan of Oceanaire, so I was very happy to receive a gift certificate from my brother and we went for my birthday tonight. This experience was totally different than in the past, but I'm giving it three stars based on past experiences and the green beans were still pretty yummmy. The issue tonight was service. After our appetizers, I noticed we had not received our bread or relish plate and had to ask for it. Okay - not terrible. Then, our waiter had a lengthy discussion with my husband about whether or not he should have the swordfish - he said it had been dry lately and convinced my husband instead to have the halibut with the swordfish presentation. Great. Only the swordfish was what arrived. When we asked about it, the waiter claimed that he thought my husband chose the swordfish. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. Bigger problem was that I had ordered the lobster. Normally the yummy warm butter is set up first - this time, lobster arrives and no butter. Lobster was cold before the butter arrived. In addition, once I finished my dinner, four different people came by the table and not one asked if they could remove my plate. Not cool. Lastly, and most surprisingly, a trip to the ladies room found all four stalls sans toilet paper. Call me crazy, but when you are paying this much for dinner, you have a right to not have to make a trip out to the hostess stand in order to use the bathroom. Anyway, I will try again as we have had four really great meals there but one more experience like this and I may have to cross off the list. PS - my coffee was cold!
(3)
Heather M.
I went here with my family and enjoyed one of the most delicious seafood dinners I have had in years. I must admit, I am usually a bit suspicious of seafood far from an ocean, but this food was divine. I had the swordfish, and my father had the halibut. We were both very pleased with our meals. The wine selection was comprehensive and the waitstaff knowledgeable and friendly, yet very formal. This is definitely a fancy restaurant, and good for a special occasion or a large crowd with money to spend. It was more formal that I am typically accustomed to, but very lovely, nonetheless. The ambiance is formal but on the modern side. We ate a late dinner after a show at the theatre and found the atmosphere to be lively and enjoyable. I have not been to many seafood restaurants in Denver, but I would most definitely return here.
(5)
Kim G.
Outstanding wait service: very knowledgeable, helpful, discreet. Loved the bib lettuce, apple, and candied walnut salad. Delicious, fresh, perfectly cleaned oysters. Yummy lobster. A wonderful spot for a special dinner. Only bad spot was the valet parking service damaged our car and didn't tell us. They caused a really big dent on the passenger side door. We didn't see it until the next day when it was light outside. I'd recommend parking your vehicle yourself!
(5)
Yanhua P.
Went there for a drink after dinner, they have happy hour after 8, and the bar was empty. Beers are good price ($3) and service is exceptional. If they bring back the dollar oyster I'd be there more often.
(5)
Shenna J.
Happy Hour menu is awesome and delish! I haven't tried the place for dinner yet but happy hour is a must try. Their margs were great!
(4)
Shelly R.
In 2010 Landry's rescued Oceanaire from sinking like the Titanic. Phew! Because I love this place and they still fly fresh seafood in daily! From the Jumbo Crab Cakes, Wild Costa Rican Mahi Mahi, Baked & Stuffed Idaho trout (shrimp, blue crab & brie cheese), to the Oysters Rockefellar and fresh baked sour dough bread... EVERYTHING is fresh and well prepared. During happy hour, I suggest trying the fat Chopped Salad that comes with loads of fresh crab and shrimp. The salad dressing is mouth watering. One large seafood salad, one top shelf cocktail, plus tip, comes to about $20-$25. A good way to enjoy this fabulous cuisine, without breaking the piggy bank! Some of the best servers in Denver! Consistantly great!
(4)
Lindsey H.
I was so excited to go here for my birthday. I grew up in Florida, and seafood is my comfort food. Unfortunately, everything was underwhelming, from the service to the food and cocktails. First irritation was that we arrived right on time for our reservation... and were made to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Which wouldn't be so bad if they had an actual waiting area besides the bar, as that is always packed with people eating the bar menu. We started with the smoked trout, which was the best thing we ate. I would definitely eat this again- delicious. Our entrees were completely forgettable. Our server was slow, inattentive and just... weird. Overpriced, and I'm still looking for amazing seafood in Colorado.
(3)
Tiara Q.
We returned for our anniversary this year. The menus are printed daily and if you tell them it's a special occasion, it winds up on your menu and every staff member will acknowledge it (at the bar, at the door, your waitstaff, the manager. They even gave us a card that they all signed - Cool! but if you're not into all the attention, don't inform them of your occasion). They will roll up your menu and tie a bow around it to take with you. We have them as keepsakes now. :) Before dinner, we visited the bar. I highly recommend the Bloody Cesar. It's a tall delicious bloody mary garnished with a colossal shrimp, olive and lime. Perfectly spicy. They have a decent happy hour menu which we will have to come back for. It's easy to get full quickly here so make sure you're Hungry. Before your meal ever arrives you get fresh baked bread and a huge relish plate. If you eat this you will be full before your first course. Don't make this rookie mistake! I like how they have whole bottles, half bottles and by the glass of wine and bubbles. There's so much to try and they make it so easy to come back again and again. EvErYtHinG here is magnificent so take your time and enjoy it. Until next time!
(5)
Amanda P.
Would have been 5 stars except the hostess walked past me 4 times without so much as a look in my direction, I was the only one standing in the lobby. Once another hostess acknowledged me, everything went uphill... I started with a delicious cesar salad and followed it with Baked Stuffed Shrimp with linguine. It was so amazing. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, the linguine was excellent. The crab meat stuffed in the shrimp was the best. Normally I am not a fan of capers but it totally added the right flavor to the linguine. The staff (with the exception of the first hostess) was exceptionally attentive. Chef Mine was delightfully friendly. He and his team does amazing work with food! I will certainly be back as there were a few more things on the menu that I want to try!
(4)
Natalie M.
Oceanaire Seafood Room is the place to go if you are looking for fresh, upscale seafood. It's kind of fancy and a bit pricey, but completely worth every bite. I decided to go here for restaurant week and figured that the portions would be downscaled for this reason, but was surprised by the fact that they were almost larger. There was so much food on our plates that we couldn't finish everything....it was a bit sad to leave such great food on the plate. The crab cake appetizer is a must try...it just melts in your mouth. I had the lobster bisque and it was perfect. My entree was the salmon and for desert we shared the cheesecake and key lime pie...mmm. Parking is kind of a pain, but they do offer valet...and if you're going to drop good money on dinner you may as well have them park your car and bring it to you when your done....especially if it's raining like it was the night we went. My four stars are justified by the great food and good service, but they lost one star due to the over-sized portions. It's my belief that when you go to an upscale restaurant, you should feel satisfied...NOT STUFFED.
(4)
Ben S.
I hadn't even heard of it, but OpenTable had a space, the web site looked real nice and the the menu looked solid, so we took a chance and were glad we did. The service is excellent and let us take our time... sometimes we move as fast as the service, but it was a Saturday night and we didn't want to rush, and the service had a nice pace, but not too fast. The waiter (steve) was very knowledgable, making suggestions and helping us make a few decisions. The food was real good - they have lots of fresh and high quality seafood, they have a steaks & chicken dishes, but those are bured on the menu in the bottom corner. Portions are BIG! We were warned thankfully, and still had too much food. We had an excellent green salad, one appetizer, but enough for 2. They had good sourdough bread and a great crudite - it was excellent! For dinner, I had the Black Cod, simply broiled, and it was great. My wife had the lump crab cakes - which were heavy on the crab, light on the filler - very good. We had one side, the sour cream and onion mashed potatoes - this was like 2 pounds of potatoes.. we nibbled a bit and it looked like we hadn't started yet! For dessert we split a piece of key lime pie, which again, was enough for 4. We each had some and left like 3/4 of it.. unreal portions! The drinks were excellent, they have their signature "fish" logo on all their dishes and glasses - see my pictures.
(4)
Zorana P.
We made a reservation for this past Saturday night to celebrate Restaurant Week. I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was DISGUSTING. It was so overcooked, it resembled chicken more than any type of fish. It was super bland, had absolutely no sauce on it but was super oily, like sopping with butter or something nasty! For this being a high-end seafood restaurant, I thought that if I ordered fish, then that would be a safe bet but it was the worst piece of fish (if you can even call it that) in my entire life. For dessert, I got the pretzel caramel sundae. The sundae is very misleading in the name as this did not have a drop of fudge or nuts. I could have made a more enjoyable sundae at home with grocery store ice cream. I completely understand if a high end restaurant does not want to join restaurant week but if they choose to do so I would think they would want to showcase a few of their specialties to get people to come back and the food that I had was not going to cut it. The only saving grace was the oysters. This was my first time at this restaurant and could possibly be my last.
(1)
Erin S.
The dining room is huge and when I came here last week the restaurant was pretty empty (possibly due to the chance of snow), but the lack of patrons did make me uneasy....did this place suck and that is why no one was there? (my judgment flags went up) the answer - no! * the atmosphere. It's a beautiful restaurant with a nautical theme - you feel like you are on a luxury liner. * the service is fantastic * the bread is absolutely to die for. even though its filler - i love restaurant bread. its quality means a lot to me and is usually a sign of whats to come. * even though I would like to see more local options (they have Colorado bass), i do understand that we are a land locked state. but the menu is extensive and you can satisfy any seafood craving here. the co bass - btw - is outstanding * main courses are really tasty and the key lime pie (to be split amongst three) was so huge and sinfully tangy and rich, i swear it was a quarter slice of pie and even though this isn't my usual style of restaurant, i had a great experience and would def go back
(4)
Liz K.
The king crab at Oceanaire is well worth the money! My hubby and I splurged on Oceanaire for the second time last night. The "2010 Menu" sucked us in. So I thought we could easily eat there for less than $100 this time. And, yes, we COULD have. But our usual favorites were screaming at us and some new things struck a chord as well. So much for the $20.10 menu of the night. We did however enjoy the $20.10 bottle of wine! They start you out with their pickled relish tray and the amazing bread. The pickled herring isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for us!! We love that stuff. We had an amuse bouche from the chef - a little shrimp with daikon sprouts on a cucumber - tasty. Then we delved into our menu choices. The fun started with a dozen oysters from the Pacific coast. A tasting of three different kinds - served with their cocktail sauce with freshly shaved horseradish and the mignonette. Then we moved on to what may be the best part of the night . . . Alaskan King Crab Clusters. FRESH Alaskan King Crab. Never frozen. Sooooooo scrumptious and decadent. This was our best memory from our 1st visit to Oceanaire so we had to have it again. They were perfectly steamed and our fantastic waiter - Keith - asked if we'd like them shelled. Uh - sure! So they had done all the work. Just some butter for dipping and it was perfection! After all of that we decided to share a caesar salad. It was a good thing we did - it was huge! The caesar was cold and crisp. The anchovies were perfectly salty. The croutons were big and crunchy. It was delicious. We then shared the 16 oz Halibut T-bone. We asked for medium and probably should have asked for medium rare. Strangely enough it was my least favorite part of the night - my entree - but it was still really good. We also shared a side order of the bacon steak. It was three huge slabs of bacon that were perfectly smokey and salty and it was the ideal accompaniment to our Halibut. The manager came over to check on us and he was very impressed with our order. We chose "the best things on the menu." As usual the best things are often the most simple. Just fresh, quality ingredients prepared really well. Nothing fancy about our preparation or our order. It was all just the best of what they had to offer. It was delicious and, like the first time, we are already talking about what special occasion will send us back for more. With tax and tip we spent just over $200. So, this isn't an every day meal for the every day man. But it's an amazing place to spend an amazing night!
(5)
Emily J.
One of the more memorable restaurant visits I have had! I went here with some girlfriends and was truly wowed by both the food and service. The claim chowder is a must, and save room for their impressive baked Alaska for dessert. We had a wonderful waiter, Justin, who made our visit extra fun and enjoyable. Everyone from the valet to the manager was extremely courteous and welcoming. Oceanaire has exceptional seafood for Denver and the restaurant itself is unique in its decor and atmosphere. A great place to have a delicious meal in a relaxing and luxurious setting. If you're lucky they'll even bring out the live lobsters so you can really pick your dinner.
(4)
Tracy C.
The food is fabulous you can read about the food on most of the other comments. What I was most impressed with was the service. They are open till 11PM we arrived at 9:30 on a Saturday night to find the place virtually empty. BUT, we never felt rushed or unwelcome on the contrary everyone was happy to have us. I will go back again and again.
(5)
David S.
This review is sort of an update. My original review was for 5 stars, then a 2 star for a less than stellar meal several of us had during restaurant week. After bringing our displeasure to the attention of Oceanaire's manager, he and the Oceanaire staff have reset balance in the 5280 universe. If I could give 6 stars for the experience, I would. They paired wines with each plate, making our gastronomic journey all the more delightful. First off, Idaho Trout, smoked in house daily. I normally am not a big trout fan, which says a lot, because I loved this. Perfectly done, watercress balancing the trout's flavor, paired with a Columbia Valley sparkling white. Second, a mixed greens salad. Something I love is when there is a mix of sweetness and tartness to wake up the taste buds. Raspberries, Strawberries, Granny Smith apples, together with a balsamic vinaigrette. A simple mix, with tastes that complement each other well. I would have been happy with just a large salad, and will try and duplicate this as home if I can't get a dinner sized portion at Oceanaire. The main course was bacon wrapped MahiMahi. This is the reason Oceanaire went to the trouble of waking my taste buds up. This may well have been the best MahiMahi I've ever had on its own, and then wrapped in their bacon? I think I must be on death row or something, and someone ordered my last meal for me. I can die happy now. This dish was well paired with a chardonnay by Joseph Drouhin St. Veran. Not a big chardonnay fan, at least not before this bottle. Outstanding. Last, and most certainly not least, was dessssert. The misspelling of dessert is intended, as the mnemonic I use to distinguish between the spelling of desert and dessert is that there are 2 S's in the one I want more of...now you understand why I put 4 S's there. A huge chocolate brownie covered in chocolate and caramel, with homemade vanilla ice cream...the vanilla actually popped with flavor. I am once again a fan of Oceanaire. Of all the meals I've enjoyed in Denver, this was one of the very best. Thank you, R.B. for you grace and hospitality.
(5)
Sara D.
Living in the Pacific NW I'm privy to fresh seafood and local oysters. I was not disappointed in the apps at the Oceanaire. We had a wonderful selection of oysters. However we did order the chilled seafood platter for 4, which included king crab legs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp and I was really surprised that a lot of the king crab legs were tough, stringy and obviously overcooked. I wondered WHEN they had been cooked. Also, I cracked into a lobster claw and was SPRAYED, literally sprayed in the face and arms, the booth was covered, and the spray even hit the people sitting to either side of me with some kind of crazy lobster goop from the one claw. I've never seen anything like it before. We were all amazed. After that I got freaked out and stopped eating the chilled platter. The main courses were awesome. I got the fillet Mignon, and the mashed potatoes were great. Overall, a mixed bag experience and not one that was work the $600 price tag.
(3)
Jenny S.
It's like walking into the set of Titanic. I was swept off my feet by the swing jazz and simple 40's decor. A real classy place. The daily menu is overwhelming, I felt dyslexic for a moment but the waiter promptly came to the table to decipher it and help me decide between the Hawaiian Poblano Cilantro Big-eye Tuna with plantain chips and the Copper River Salmon. "Grilled Salmon" doesn't sound that exciting but he sold me on a medium rare Copper River Salmon, being that it is only in season a few weeks and I could have the Tuna anytime. A lovely, large round sourdough roll and a pickled tray was set at the table and my salad and clam chowder quickly came out of the kitchen. My salmon was perfection, yes it was the best I've ever had. Now I'm ruined, I can no longer go into a store and buy my individually frozen salmon fillets and be happy. I've had delicious salmon at fine restaurants, but this one melted my panties off. The asparagus was on steroids, they were huge! I didn't pay much attention to them though because I knew dessert was coming and I was going to try the Baked Alaska. I've never had this and the only thing I knew about it is that it is flaming. It is ice cream on a chocolate sponge cake with a marshmellowy covering (like an ice cream cone) and they set that bitch on fire. I did it up with a fantastic latte. The service was excellent. As soon as you walk in you get greeted. Pleasant servers and the waiter was knowledgeable and on his game. The executive chef also checked on the meal (which is always nice...especially when they seem sincere). The bathrooms were even fabulous. Beautiful large white sinks, fluffy white hand towels, complimentary lotion, mouthwash, hairspray ( I did think it was kinda funny they had a cheapo can of Aqua-net!!). It is always nice to see a bathroom that is as upscale as the restaurant. I loved this place. I love fresh seafood. My only complaint is that I cannot afford to eat here as often as I'd like.
(5)
Steven B.
I've tried to go to this restaurant several times, but this was the first time I could get a reservation. I guess that shows how well Denver diners have taken to it. There were six of us with widely varying tastes and inclinations. We got there pretty early so sat at the bar for a bit before they were set up for us. The bartender was great even though we didn't order drinks. When we were taken to our table it was our server who handled it. I like that instead of getting handed off from person to person. The server stayed with us and took drink orders, but also answered several questions. One of us wanted something which was not on the menu and the server made a great recommendation with no big issues. The busboy had also arrived with bread and a veggie tray by then and he stayed around to see if there was anything else he could get us. Service was handled by a plethora of people, but it all seemed to be very well coordinated. I was really, as you can see, by the service here. Probably some of the best I've ever experienced in Denver. The food was superior; I had a selection of oysters on the half shell and they left a 'cheat sheet' so I could see which one I was slurping down. They were all good. I think everyone at the table ordered something different and there were several 'special' requests, all came out at the same time and were spot on. I think this is a bit more expensive than a couple of other top-notch seafood restaurants in Denver, but the location across the street from Denver Center for Performing Arts probably has a lot to do with that. The menu contains set pieces, but you can also order a cut of fresh fish and an ala carte side dish. I expect to go back for special occasions and when I have out-of-town company I want to impress.
(4)
Ming T.
Our evening at Oceanaire started off great. I had been dying to try this place out for a while now. I took my mom and a party of 9 total to the restaurant for the last night of 52.80. The little touches they did for my mom, like the special Birthday menu, and the card were great. The service was great, and the oysters, and so was the bread... then it started to go downhill. I don't know if it was due to restaurant week fatigue, or what, but the entrees were lackluster. The fish was underseasoned and overcooked. My sister and mom ordered the steak and shrimp plate and the shrimp were so overcooked they were like shrimp jerky. The desserts also fell flat, they were just so-so. The key-lime pie had a weird jello texture to it, and the apple berry crisp was just ok. They also gave us a Baked Alaska for my mom's b-day, but then tried to charge us for it. I noted this, and the server took it off right away. And for over $300 for the table?! I honestly don't know if we will ever be back. I just wish they had taken more care with the rest of the food, because ambiance only goes so far. The only superior part of the evening was the gregarious service of the hard working guys to took care of our large party. Verdict: I don't think I'll ever drop that much dough at this place again. This might be a nice place to grab oysters and drinks, but I was disappointed with the experience.
(3)
Jeremy K.
Oceanaire's "Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes" were listed as one of the top 100 must eats in the city by Denver Magazine, so I gave it a shot: Rating: 7 (out of 10) Price: $16 (appetizer) The Skinny: Lots of hype around this dish. When talking to other foodies, a few pointed to these crab cakes as their favorite on the whole must-eat list. And certainly a $31 price tag for the dinner portion (2 cakes) makes that promise. But for me, it didn't match up to the hype. Don't get me wrong - it was good. Probably even very good. The best bites were silky and tender, the soft pearls of crab barely held together by fillings. It was almost a naked crab mound, except for the tiny bit of mayo, egg and bread. But it's this simplicity that some love about the dish that I didn't. I like my crab cakes to have a crunch and a "bite" to the seared outside. It's the blending of the soft and crispy textures that hooks me. This was more one-note. My apologies to Denver's crab connoisseurs. I've got a picture of it up on the blog on my profile jko
(4)
Jenn D.
Very nicely done!! We enjoyed The Oceanaire for the first time during restaurant week. It is nice to know there is a place here in Denver where you can get really good fresh seafood. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The lighting is just right and made for a really relaxing evening. My husband and I ordered together, so we could get the best sampling. We started with the King-Crab bisque and the Crab cake slider. The Bisque was so amazing, the slider was the only food of the evening that was just ok. It didn't feel like it fit right with the menu...generic bun, lots of lettuce and not enough crab cake. For our entrees, we had the Pistachio Crusted Costa Rican Mahi Mahi with Orange-Mint Beurre Blanc and Hawaiian Tuna. They were both outstanding. Finished off with dessert of Chocolate Mousse (yum!) and Key Lime Pie. Both were great. Nice wine list, great Sour Dough bread and really great service rounded it out. Even though we stuck to the 5280 menu, we were impressed with the blackboard of fresh catches they had...right here in Denver. We will definitely be returning.
(5)
Yvonne C.
Stop 3 during restaurant week and I must say, pretty uneventful. The food was not bad by any means but it failed to excite me. The mussels were OK, but I prefer the ones at the Red Square. The Blue Marlin was a little tough, but maybe that's the way the fish is? The apple crisp was by far my favorite part of the meal. At the end of the night, I was slightly jealous of Jared's options. He ordered the Mahi Mahi with blue cheese butter and it was flaky and Delicious! And his cheesecake was so much better than my apple crisp. I don't normally get food envy but last night I did. :( The service was great but at one point, we were both thinking to ourselves, our food would be better if you would stop asking me how it is every 5 minutes. That was a little annoying since they seriously interrupted our conversation 6 times. I'm all about being attentive, but there is such a thing as smothering...
(3)
Amanda B.
This seafood restaurant is phenominal! We went for a romantic night out and were not disappointed! My boyfriend has never been exposed to "good" seafood, he had seared ahi tuna and was overwhelmed by how good it was! I had the fresh crab legs and they were some of the best I have ever had! We started with mussels and cocktails, added a bottle of wine and dessert and our meal was complete. I have no reservations about recommending this restaurant to any seafood lover!
(5)
Hans O.
The Oceanaire has an amazing management, at least in Denver; superb service. Since I had a not so great experience during the 5280 week, I've contacted Mr. RB whom was always cordial and wanted to rectify the problem ever since I've contacted him. So, I've settled for dinner today, and it was a phenomenal dining experience! He then proved that the Oceanaire is the place to have a great time. Let's talk about food now. Mr. RB and his executive chef "surprised" us with 4 distintict main courses: * First Course :: House Smoked Idaho Trout - Watercress Pesto, Yukon Gold Potato Chips (paired with Domaine Ste. Michelle, Brut, Columbia Valley) What a way to start our dining journey! The Yukon gold potato chips were a tad bitter, but later on I was able to understand the idea of the whole dish. The trout was super elaborated, whit sharp hints of sweetness (from the trout itself) and combining the trout with the watercress than a bit of bitterness from the potato chips was a food explosion in my mouth. To compliment the bitterness, the Brut was perfect, able to sharpen the sweetness of the fish back and cleanse my pallet. Genius! * Second Course :: Mixed Field Greens Salad - Granny Smith apple, raspberries, and Strawberries with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (paired with Sokol blosser, Evolution) The salad was the freshest I've ever tasted (the one that all components work in harmony). Even with so many seasonal fruits (they were ripe and sweet), this salad had a white balsamic vinaigrette which actually gave a mild acidity taste in conjunction of the natural sweetness from the fruits, the secret and final key note to make this salad perfect was the Evolution wine tying all the flavors together. * Third Course :: Bacon Wrapped Mahi Mahi - Aspargus, roasted peppers and Mustard Vinaigrette (paired with Joseph Drouhin St. Veran, Chardonnay) This was perfectly executed; the bed of mustard vinaigrette was perfecty acidic and a perfect marriage with the Mahi Mahi, providing that lemony flavor to the fish. The mahi mahi was perfectly cooked, very most, falling apart consistency and then... WRAPPED IN BACON! Really awesome dish. I was in nirvana. * Fourth Course :: FINALE - Super Carmel Brownie Deluxe :: With Ice Cream Alchemy's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (paired with Taylor Flagdale 10 Year Towny Port) Imagine a 4" diameter brownie, then at least 6" tall, smothered in fresh Carmel and chocolate sauce served my perfect young Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was really awesome, the brownie was not over sweet, it was made with semi sweet chocolate, warm, rich, and gooey in the center; ice cream was perfectly smoother, I'd say that it was super fresh, no traces of crystallization. The pairing was great, a nice digestive Port, very smooth with a cherry oak background, very smooth. Overall, this restaurant still one of my favorite places to dine in with good friends to make a memorable time. The fact that Mr. RB was pro-active to rectify the previous situation is a grand act. *** Review of 3/10/2009 (Update) Review for the "5280 Restaurant Week - 2009" Disappointing, underwhelming, waste of time and money. I've dine in and had happy hour before at this location. Even though the Oceanaire is a chain throughout the country, I had never had a bad experience, and always had the good feeling after eating a great meal, awesome waiting staff, and perfectly cooked seafood far away from the ocean. 1st course: George's Bank Calamari - Peppers, Red Onions, Chili Aioli: calamari was super soft, softer than fresh. Over marinated, super oily, and came with more vegetables than calamari. 2nd course: Hawaiian Blue Marlin "Black and Blue" - Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Butter: I had to sent this plate back to the kitchen twice! First time was really dry, so dry that I couldn't break the fish with a fork, I had to use a knife as well. Second time, the manager brought the dish saying: "the chef re did this dish, cooked to perfection, very moist inside", it was super dry outside, and cold raw inside. Sent it back and opted for "Idaho Rainbow Trout - Roasted Hazel Dell Mushrooms, Truffle Butter", trout was moist, flaky, crispy exterior, but the stuffing was too rich. By the time I got the trout, my friends (10 of us) were ordering dessert. 3rd course: New York Style Cheesecake - silky, creamy, rich crème. Oh, was that supposed to be a NY style?! Left underwhelmed, unhappy... Even for a 26.40 a person, it was a rip-off!
(5)
Kiersten S.
Not impressed with food or service. Too pricey for what you get. Landry's chain of restaurant's just doesn't impress me at all.
(2)
Katie H.
The Oceanaire crab cake is one my reasons for living. Seriously. I've occasionally branched out and tried some of the fish - good, but not amazing, and kind of overpriced (as are the drinks). But go, get crab cake (if you order a salad and a side, it's enough to share with a friend) and you won't be sorry. Unlike other crab cakes, filled with "filler", flattened and fried to a nearly unrecognisable crisp, these are little little snowballs of huge chunks of crab. Heaven.
(5)
Katie L.
The drinks are VERY strong as I experienced a squabble w this um boy after leaving here. Don't much want to think back on this night but we had a lot of delicious happy hour drinks and food. Service=great. Calamari=served w fried onions and peppers, so it's really like 1/2 calamari 1/2 veggies which I have no problem with, but it's just not mentioned on the menu.
(5)
Mike R.
The smoked trout appetizer was excellent. Another great salad is the BLT salad. Great atmosphere in the bar area. Will give 5 stars next time if the food is brought out in a timely manner.
(4)
Britney R.
My family and I dined at Oceanaire this past Tuesday night to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. We had a reservation for 6pm and opera tickets for 7:30pm, so we were a bit worried about time. We arrived at 5:45 in hopes of being seated early, and they took us right to our table. As we were seated, the Maitre D' exchanged the white linens for black for those of us wearing black. Truly a fine dining experience, right from the start. Oceanaire's menus are printed daily, and we were especially surprised to see that our 6 menus all said "Happy Birthday" at the top, since our reservation had noted a birthday. My grandmother was pleased with this small touch. I thought it was nice, but the 'green' in me was hoping that they recycle. 50+ menus printed daily does seem a bit silly. I understand they get new seafood daily, but there must be a better way to note the day's fresh options (perhaps solely on the chalkboard already dedicated to this purpose?) Our server was very friendly right from the start. I don't recall her name, but right away, she asked if we had tickets. She assured us that we would be done by 7:15, and told us that she would watch the clock for us, so we could just enjoy our meal. I thought this was very thoughtful. We started with the calamari, since my dad loves it. I think it's tasty, and enjoy the fried sweet peppers, onion and jalapenos that come along with it. My parents decided to split a caesar salad, which ended up being enough for the whole table to enjoy. I'm not always a huge caesar fan, but theirs is out of this world. The dressing was so great, I didn't want to stop eating it, even though I had more deliciousness coming. I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder. It tasted so fresh and meaty, it was reminiscent of my favorite Long Island Dock-side restaurant, where the clam chowder was made fresh daily. Far superior to any other clam chowder I've had in land-locked Colorado. After drooling over the idea of lobster or perhaps crablegs, I had a terrible time deciding what to order. My sister and I both knew we wanted some oysters, as well as either lobster or crablegs. We stumbled upon the "Grand Shellfish Platter" and knew it would be perfect. We decided to split two entrees: a petite filet mignon and a petite Shellfish Platter. We were worried the petite platter wouldn't be enough food, so we added the filet. Boy, were we wrong! for $45, the petite Shellfish Platter would've been plenty for both of us. It came with: ~4 PEI mussels ~4 Oysters on the half shell ~4 Jumbo shrimp ~half lobster ~over a pound of crablegs Every bite was delectable. Our seafood platter was served with drawn butter and 4 additional sauces, each better than the next. Our server explained what kind of oysters we were served, and told us their flavor profile. The filet was a tad overcooked, I think it's because they halved it for us before cooking. Still, it was tender and tasty. We finished eating at around 7:10, perfect timing to run to the restroom and head to the theatre. I'm not sure why so many people complain about the prices. My family enjoyed two bottles of wine, a HUGE meal, and still managed to spend only $50 per person. I think that's a 'moderate' price on the scale. However, I know when I take my boyfriend to dine there, we will end up spending around $100 per person after ordering a nice bottle of wine and enjoying far too many oysters. I can't wait for that date. I had a few crablegs and some filet left over, which they gladly boxed up for me and kept refrigerated while we enjoyed the opera. We picked up the leftovers on the way out, which was extremely convenient. I enjoyed a delicious leftover lunch the next day. Really can't wait to go back to Oceanaire!
(5)
Teresa W.
I really wanted to like this place. I miss having really fresh seafood and thought it would be a nice treat to get some from the Oceanaire for my birthday. I was expecting good service and great food, and just got kind of mediocre. My husband and I split a caesar salad (yes, they are huge! share!) and it was served with anchovies. They tout it as the best caesar salad in Denver or something, but I'm not sure it was all that - it was good, but not stellar. For a main, I got the king crab legs (shelled) and my husband got the cioppino. My crab legs (1 lb) came shelled with drawn butter. Yum! It was nice, good crab, but $40/lb? I'm a little torn whether it was worth that gas guzzling freshly flown in price. My husband's cioppino was pretty pathetic - it wasn't served with any rice or pasta or any of what I usually think of cioppino being served with. He was only slightly interested in it. Our service was only slightly better than average. I don't know if it was because there was a show that night or what, but our server was hard to flag down, and when it came time to check out, the floor manager ended up running our bill since he saw us waiting for so long. I guess, as a plus, they customize your menu if it's your birthday, and they gave us a baked alaska on the house. It was huge - with butterfinger ice cream. The meringue was a bit too burnt for my taste, but it was nice to get it gratis. The server said he'd save a menu for me to take home at the end of the night, but because he didn't reappear for a long time, I didn't get it. I wouldn't return. While the fish may be fresh, I may just have to wait until I'm in a city more suited for fresh fish consumption.
(3)
William P.
OK, so I'm an idiot. I went to a seafood place on a Tuesday night...the one night of the week that you're not supposed to go to a seafood place because their weekely fish deliveries usually come in on Wednesdays. Its not that the food was bad. Actually it was really good. Its just that they were out of a lot of kinds of fish. Lots of folks consider Oceanaire too expensive. We chose to stick to the three course prix fixe menu which had three choices of appetizer, three choices of entrees (two fish and one red meat), and three dessert choices. The cost is $33 per person. I started with a crispy deep fried calamari, served with breaded deep fried sweet peppers and a nice aioli. There was no mahi available, so the kitchen offered to substitute swordfish for their wonderful black and blue fish preparation. Unfortunately, it turned out that the swordfish wasn't up to par, so our server came back to the table and suggested salmon or halibut. We chose halibut which was perfectly cooked though a little on the cold side. It was served blackened with carmelized onions and blue cheese butter. For dessert, I chose a standard chocolate mousse which was good. But, hardly memorable. The service was attentive, but not intrusive. The three course dinner is a very good value for the money. It was a very good dinner value for the money
(4)
Miles S.
I went in the middle of the week for a business dinner, and both the food and service was excellent. I had a swordfish steak that was simple, but cooked to perfection. The wait staff didn't have many other people to deal with--the place was nearly empty, perhaps due to a forecasted blizzard--and were extremely attentive, but not quite to the point of hovering. The baked alaska was quite impressive.
(5)
G H.
Dined with a friend before a show last night. They are not kidding when they say allow two hours before your show time. We arrived at our 5:15 reservation and left at 7:15. We were seated promptly and allowed ample time to peruse the menu before ordering. All their table seem to be four person tables or folded out larger, so it was nice to have enough elbow room and a little space between our table and the other diners. Our waiter and a couple of others were very attentive and kept our table clean and our water refreshed. The atmosphere was clean and quiet, we were seated in an area with only seven other tables and I had no trouble hearing my friend and did not hear conversations from the other tables. The bread was fresh and the cold veggie plate was crisp, although the radishes were fairly bland. We started with Oysters Rockefeller. They were good sized and served warm on a bed of salt. For our entrees I ordered the Alaskan Cod "Louie" and a cup of clam chowder while my friend had the Baked Stuffed Shrimp and a cup of Seafood and Barely Soup. We shared a side of Steamed Broccoli. My cod was served with mashed potatoes. The portion size was perfect and the cod was very lightly flavored and well cooked. The potatoes were a good compliment and the broccoli was still crisp and flavorful and there was more than enough for two to share. The clam chowder was decent and the small cup was just enough. My glass of Riesling was a good pairing. My friend said her soup was a lot like gumbo and she enjoyed it. She was a little disappointed in the shrimp since it was a little rubbery, but the flavor of the stuffing was good and she liked the pasta side. The waiters recommendation for a sweeter Merlot was spot on for her tastes. We finished the evening with a Chocolate Caramel Cake that was big enough to feed an army and included two scoops of ice cream and both chocolate and caramel sauce. We didn't eat much because it was incredibly rich, but those bites were plenty. It was wonderful, but the portion really was enough for at least 4 people. All in all the experience was well worth it for the one big fancy girl's night out that we plan each year. This really is a special occasion place and make sure that you budget plenty of time to savor your dishes and dinner conversation.
(4)
George P.
The Oceanaire is a very decent place to eat if you're not on a budget. The staff provided excellent service. Very professional w/ and full of recommendations. The wine list was decent and the appetizers were delicious. Everything was fresh and the pickled vegetables that accompanied the appetizers appeared to be made in house. The oyster selection was excellent, and we picked about four different types (I'm not an expert, but we choose from several locations: Maryland, British Columbia, and a type from the Pacific). I'm giving it four stars instead of five because the main course didn't blow me away. I lobster platter with scallops and prawns. There's nothing that really bothered me though the scallops and lobster was just a tad overcooked. Overall, very enjoyable experience.
(4)
Chris L.
Maybe it was the combination of a Friday night and Restaurant Week, but the bottom line is this restaurant took advantage of people who were willing to try something new, as well as support RW. For last night's underwhelming experience, Oceanaire barely squeaks out a second star and that's only for the stellar service. Again with the concept restaurant - we can't just go out and eat anymore, we need themes!! Got it. Could be fine, I'm willing to play along. I lived in Florida in the 70's when this look was all the rage in seafood restaurants. Very quaint and service to match a much earlier era in much tonier places. But the din! I gave up trying to talk normally with my three dinner companions about five minutes in and just yelled like everyone else in the place. I haven't seen a relish tray in ages - it's a nice, old-fashioned touch that goes with the rest of the theme and the veggies were fresh except for the canned olives, that is. I stayed far away from the pickled herring. We had not one, but two waiters and both were attentive and professional. Before I went, someone told me that she didn't like all that attention. But I think it's ok when it's all part of an overall experience. I was prepared to like the food, too. The first course was shrimp, potato, leek soup and it was exceptional - all the flavors of the ingredients, but very subtle and no overwhelming notes. It had just the right balance of creaminess and heft for a winter soup. "Denver's Best Caesar Salad" had a very good dressing and lots of very average chopped romaine coated in it - that's a haphazard combination and a warning of things to come. The choices of fish for the 5280 menu were uninspired. Remember I mentioned Florida in the 70's? Back then, Marlin was JUST a sport fish - you know, big guys with big rods pulling in those beautiful teal green/blue fish, having them stuffed and mounted on the wall? Not now. Now they're on the menu. Eating one is what I imagine eating steak from a bull that had been working the rodeo ring for a few years would be like. Dense, tough, and chewy. And no, coating it with way too much "cajun" spices, blackening it, then adding a scoop of blue cheese butter doesn't rescue it from being inedible in the first place. I wouldn't have ordered it, two of my companions did that. The Mahi Mahi was grilled inexpertly (some of it was flaky, some of it was dry and chewy), then placed on top of a thin smear of tasteless whipped potatoes, and garnished with a snarl of leeks that looked like someone had used the tool that you use at Christmas to curl ribbon (the leek was much the worse for wear). The salmon was offered as either rare or medium rare - my companion chose the latter and got fish that was cooked medium well. Why ask if 1) you can't cook expertly enough to pull off what you offer or 2) you can't manage your kitchen well enough to pull off what you offer? Wine: bottle was overpriced (by a lot). Dessert: key lime pie tasted like a mashup of too much sugar and too much Rose's lime juice. Coffee: sitting around a long, long time before it reached our table. Service: always present, always helpful, but not always truthful (one waiter said the Marlin was the best thing on the menu). I won't be back, but I'm willing to believe that someone might find something on that extensive menu that the kitchen knows how to cook and can pull it off when there's less of a rush.
Fantastic food and service. I had the Black & Blue Costa Rican Mahi Mahi and my wife the Yellowfin Tuna. Both excellent, however for the price the portions were pretty small. Why is that with every upscale restaurant? Oh well. We'll be back.......maybe that's why!
(4)
Josie P.
Denver Restaurant week was actually extended for an extra week here because people loved it so much. Lucky for me because that's the only reason I got to try it. It's definitely on the pricey side, but well worth it if you're craving some fresh seafood. Being a former coast-dweller, this made me very very happy. Everything we had there was fantastic and even though I usually prefer my salmon raw, they grilled it to perfection. The atmosphere is a bit fancier but fun if you want to have a dressed up night out on the town. It's a great place to go for happy hour too if you're on your way to a show at the Performing Arts Center. And if it's your birthday... or even if it's not, you've got to try the Baked Alaska. Even if you're too full, it's fun to watch it being served.
(4)
kelli s.
Went here with a gift certificate, attempting to decide between going all out and eating dinner, or "settling" with the bar menu. In the end- I settled. But gladly so. The mussels w. lemongrass are very good. Some poor guy obviously gets the job of sorting out the barely open ones, because each one I got had his (or her?) shell wide open to grab some curry lemongrass broth. The calamari is way better elsewhere. I think its gnarly when the calamari pieces are THICK bands instead of whole squid or thin bands. It's like chewing a fried rubber band. Also, from the bar, you get to watch the server drama unfold, which is the best part of dining in such a high end joint (and not ending up with a huge-ass bill)
My husband and I loved eating here. We went for New Year's Eve for our first visit and will definitely be back. The whole experience took about two hours but we were told to expect that on the phone when they confirmed our reservations. The service was excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine on the recommendation of the assistant manager, which was perfect for the meal, and never once had to fill our own glasses. The food was simply to die for. Portion sizes were great and the desert was awesome. We had the crab cake to start, followed by the black and blue maui maui and the scallops, and ended with the brownie for desert (they pour carmel and chocolate over it at the table). It was pricey but with the food and the service, the entire experience was well worth the money.
(5)
Aaron M.
Went for boyfriend's birthday, which if you mention it when making reservations, the menu will be personalized. Neat. Everything was very well made and seasoned. Staff is friendly and courteous. If you find anything wrong with your dish, they Promptly replace it. The only quibble I have is with the fillet mignon and sides. Moms fillet looked like a hamburger patty sitting alone on the plate. For a $30 steak, I'd expect it to look like what it's worth. As far as sides, do French Fries really need to be $8.00? Perhaps, this place is a lil too out of my league, but for $350 I kind of expect a lil more food than we got. And I shouldn't have to double check the bill for discrepancies. Like charging for a free birthday dessert or charging a $90 bottle of wine instead of the $12 glass. Definitely nice place to go blow a wad of money or if somebody else is buying.
(4)
i n.
Best in town for seafood. Of course it isn't as good as the original in San Diego but when you are far from the ocean in Denver this place can't be beat! Food - Sashimi Tuna. They take about 10 oz of Ahi Tuna and design it like a rose, very high quility. -oysters any type are amaizing -Sea Bass is great -Salmon is good but don't sell yourself short since you can get it anywhere -Lobster is awesome -crab super good Service Amazing Wine menu isn't big but the Chef and Managment has pick a great selection. TIP! Go here durring 5280 week. 1 app, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine & 2 desserts for $52.80
(5)
T. R.
Great happy hour or a perfect stop for drinks before a show at the DCPA.
(5)
Jina E.
I still only go when Kara is working...you want a rockin MARTINI? See this girl!
(5)
Brian G.
I have to tell ya...When I heard this was coming to Denver, I wasn't excited at all. The one in Dallas is full of the biggest retards I have ever seen attempt to run a restaurant. I wouldn't trust those people ("what do you mean THOSE people) with a Nerf football, little alone my food. Regardless, the Denver branch has done me well more than once. The management is always nice and the service is spot on all the time. They have Old Bay on the table and the menu changes frequently to accommodate what's fresh. The best part...a bacon steak...I'll give you a minute to process how wonderful that is.... Now that you've put your pants back on, I will say that it's something you only do once a year at best. It's a slab of smoked pork belly served with a steak knife. It's a side dish so we all shared it. You haven't lived until you've heaqd your heart wheeze. It's amazing.
(4)
Hunter W.
Don't bother: Food is just OK, service is slow, and the prices are much higher than competing places. Everything is a la carte, and the entrees and sides are very expensive (asparagus $13). The service is very slow - 10 minutes to get our server to appear, 20 minutes to get drinks (and the bar is only 25 feet away). Place was not full - and no wonder. The beet salad ($11) was very nice, tho. I won't be going back.
(2)
O X.
Great seafood, but I left feeling overwhelmed and a little ill (see definition of oysters below). I ordered a bowl of clam chowder, 4 oysters, and a crabcake. The chowder and the crabcake were both so heavy and rich, I was glad I did not get an appetizer!! LOVE that they bring a dish of cold, fresh vegetables with the bread. Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, pickles, celery on ice. That was awesome and so much better than bread!! Chowder was packed with clams, and crabcake was all crab, as you might expect. Oysters were gritty, which was ick. I will DEFINITELY return, as the food was great (except the oysters -- which they are "known for"), but will split an entree, and get a salad. Enjoy!
(4)
Martine S.
Great dinner, lovely atmosphere, perfect for dinner before a play at the Performing Arts Center! Great service!
(4)
Susan D.
My husband and I had dinner with friends at Oceanaire last night for Denver Restaurant Week. I was really excited to try out the Denver location since we visited the one in San Diego and loved it. Unfortunately, we had an entirely different experience. Perhaps it was the 5280 menu misrepresenting what is normally offered or the extra tables that created a less intimate dining experience. Regardless, at a restaurant that offers prices normally at $30-$35 a plate, I would have expected a little more sophistication. After all, Restaurant Week is about enticing customers to come back, is it not? Our waitress was very friendly and happy to help with questions on the menu. Which made me wonder at first if it was just me not enjoying the meal, until our friends shared their same disappointment. Two of us got the Billi Bi (mussels soup). Not bad, but extremely rich, especially as an appetizer. My husband ordered the clam chowder, which was good. For the entree, two of us ordered the trout, stuffed with shrimp, brie, and crab. Again, incredibly rich (but not really in a good way, more in a "wow, this is obviously unhealthy and I'm not impressed enough to continue eating and overlook the massive calories" way.) Everything was mixed together so much where I couldn't taste the flavors of the crab, shrimp, or brie but rather just the butter sauce, creating an unnecessary richness and the trout itself had a slimy texture. My friend's trout had a lot of bones in it, to the point that she said it just wasn't enjoyable to eat. My husband said his Rockfish tasted almost underdone and the Carolina Barbecue Sauce wasn't really a sauce but rather more of an oil, which made for an an unappetizing taste about halfway through the meal. Overall, the best meal at the table was our friend's steak (at a seafood restaurant!) However, he even said it had a lot of sinew in it. For dessert, my husband and I ordered the key lime pie. Which actually should have been labeled a cheese cake with a hint of lime. It wasn't bad, but definitely not what we were expecting. We were quickly jealous of the chocolate moose our friends ordered. I probably would be a bit more forgiving of the fact that every time our meals were brought out, they placed them in front of the wrong person or that maybe the poor quality food and cramped dining was a result of a set menu during Restaurant Week. However, we were dining at a restaurant that boasts about being "sleek and sophisticated," having "exceptional service," and being voted "one of the best seafood restaurants in the country." I simply expected more.
(2)
Grace B.
My boyfriend took me to Oceanaire for Valentine's Day last month and I wasn't too impressed. To start off, we had the New England Clam Chowder and it wasn't as good as the one I had at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle but it was pretty good. Then, we had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for appetizers and those were the best crab cakes I've ever tasted! Now I've never had the Maryland Crab Cakes but these were amazing! You can really taste the fresh crabs in the cake. Once I was done with appetizer, I thought "we are off to a great start!" However, that is when my entree came to the table, Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops 'Dynamite'. I love scallops and I really love to taste it alone but there was too much of 'Dynamite' that diluted the flavor of the scallops for me. 'Dynamite' is what seems to be another word for "crab cakes." So, in restaurants defense, maybe I ordered the wrong dish but having crab cakes for appetizers is one thing but having it on top of my scallops was not my style. On the other hand, my boyfriend had a fish entree from the Chef's Selections and it was ok. Not very impressive. Moving on to the finale, dessert, Baked Alaska. Keep in note that the waiter did not recommend the Baked Alaska. He actually said that it wasn't his favorite but my friend had told me about it when I told her I was going to Oceanaire so I had to try it for her sake. One word, Ugh. Maybe that wasn't even a word but it was edible but not good. Once the meringue (marshmallow-like) was lit on fire and you blow the fire out, the waiter cuts into the meringue and inside is two scoops of ice cream (chocolate and raspberry sorbet) with sponge-like cake at the bottom. My boyfriend and I don't like marshmallow so the meringue was not our favorite and the ice creams were way too sweet and don't even get me started on the cake. That cake was so dry and dense that it was hardly edible. What a shame, the night started off great but ended in a disappointment. Ambiance: fancy with little romance; Staff: very friendly; Decor: very blue; Taste: good, but not good enough for the price--would love to try their happy hour sometime though
We went on Super Bowl Sunday. Eerily quiet but not surprisingly so. Service was fairly fast and attentive. Happy hour was a good value. We shared mussels (yummy, but not enough bread!), fish tacos, and oysters. On Sundays they feature one type of oyster for $1 a piece.
(4)
Michael S.
The Sunday through Friday nonstop happy hour is outstanding, along with $1 oysters on Sunday. The trio of Filet Mignon sliders are a bargain at $8. The calamari is on pointe and Liam at the bar does not dissapoint. Highly recommend stopping in and checking out the bar/lounge at The Oceanaire.
(5)
Gen M.
I am an East Coast Girl, through and through. Spending the day fishing and crabbing and shrimpin was pretty typical. And when you're used to things being a certain way because of freshness and respect for the product that you just caught, it's often difficult to find that same integrity when you switch out the ocean for mountains. This is especially true when it comes to crab cakes. I don't know how it is that every single restaurant I've ordered crab cakes at in the past few years could screw them up so incredibly, but somehow they manage to do just that. BUT!! That is so not the case with Oceanaire! I actually got a hankering for a real crab cake one day, and scoured all the pictures of crab cakes in Yelp. When I finally came across the ones in the photos above (seriously... stop reading and go look at the pictures), I knew that I had found a restaurant that knew exactly how to handle a stupid crab cake. And I was right! They are just like the crab cakes that you find all over the North East, on the Eastern Shore, and that all crabbers make in their own kitchens. True lump that hasn't been handled to the point of shredding, and broiled instead of being coated to death with breading and fried. On top of that, the service was impeccable. Our waiter was both comical and on top of it, as were the bussers. As for the rest of the food we ordered (and there was a lot).... I really don't care. They have truly legitimate crab cakes. And that is all that matters.
(5)
Lauren D.
I was here for Denver Restaurant Week a few days ago and kind of have some mixed feelings. The service was great. We were seated right away, addressed by the wait staff within seconds of sitting down and our waiter was both very educated about the menu and friendly. Food-wise, however, was kind of hit or miss. Example: crab cakes were a hit, paella was a miss. If it hadn't been for the total mouthgasm that was the grilled steelhead, dinner at the Oceanaire might not have been that memorable but that dish was so dang good that it made up for anything that missed the mark. This place is pretty expensive so I'm not sure it'd be worth going back if it wasn't Denver Restaurant week, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone who'd never been from going. I'd just made sure to tell them to order the steelhead over the paella.
(3)
David R.
We came for the cocktails and stayed for dinner. Again. Oceanaire is where we usually go for a drink before/after the theatre, it's not normally out dinner spot due to price. But, Mario is a spectacular bartender (and this come from an ex-bartender). Note that, bartender NOT mixologist. We came for the best manhattan in town and ended up staying for dinner, and were introduced to some soon-tp-be cocktails as an after dinner drink. Spectacular stuff. We will be back for sure. The cocktails are great, the food is very good (but you pay for it) and again, Mario is simply the best.
(5)
Steve B.
Sorry "Sea Food Snob", but I'm from the San Francisco area, and this kind of food wouldn't cut it. Portion sizes were nice, service was terrific but the food was very mixed and slow to arrive at our table. Some of the best calamari and clam chowder I've had. Good oysters and fries too. But also, about the worst fish dishes I've tasted in a long time. My wife had the Petrale Sole Florentine which was just awful. No flavor to the fish, and the rest of the dish was unimaginative and bland. I had the Haddock with added "black and blue", which for an additional $3 was supposed to be Cajun seasoning and blue cheese. The seasoning was definitely not Cajun, and all they did was put a small melon-baller sized lump of blue cheese on top of the fish. All of this spread upon a bed of ridiculously sweet grilled onions, which were totally wrong for the dish. Very weird. Grits, in the shrimp and grits, were bland. It was my wife's birthday, and the waiter made sure to tell us he had something "special for dessert". It was baked Alaska, which was alright, but they charged us for it after implying they were treating her. Not a big deal at $10, but unexpected. We won't be going back.
(1)
Carly B.
I had never even considered Oceanaire as somewhere I ever wanted to go. It's not that I had heard bad things, it's just that I hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'm weird with seafood-centric restaurants like that (see Jax Fish House review). This review is for their bar happy hour which goes until 10, so you are never cutting it close. We were there at about 8:30 on a Friday night and there was plenty of bar space. They have a nice list of small plates as well as some discounted cocktails. I went for a mojito for $6 (small in size but surprisingly boozy) as well as the $7 shrimp and grits. David P and Kristen N each had an order of blackened fish tacos ($5 for two). My shrimp and grits was delicious and the perfect size for a mini "out drinking" meal. The grits were topped with white cheddar and little bit of gumbo type gravy and were accompanied with three, nice sized shrimp. Dave and Kristen seemed to enjoy their tacos as well. Still not sure if I'd ever have a meal here as fancy seafood just isn't really my scene. But if you're looking for a late, low-key food and drink happy hour this is a great stop.
(4)
Christopher S.
Excellent high end restaurant. Great seafood, perfect preparation and presentation. Love the family style sides and salads big enough to share. If wanting to impress someone and cost is not a concern, this will definitely impress. I ordered the swordfish "dynamite" and it was definitely that. Not as spicy as they said, but I really do like heavy spice. All 6 meal that were brought for the group left all satisfied in terms of both flavor and serving size.
(5)
Demitri R.
Stopped in here With Kate And Shaun S and Jese for a drink after BlueMan Group. It definitely does smell fishy lol. But inside its awesome. We Pulled up to the bar and I had a Oceanaire Mint Mojito Martini with muddled mint leaves which was delicious. Also had a sip of Moscato Wine. Yummly By Far. The Bartender was great and in no rush to hurry you out since he had "cleaning" to do. I can definitely see coming back to bring a special someone for date night when I get a Special someone. Bask In the Ambiance Bask in the Ambiance.
(5)
Ryan G.
Make no mistakes about it - this is one of those 'you get what you pay for' type of meals. The prices are on the high side, but the service and quality match them well. The restaurant is known for it's fresh fish offerings which are flown in daily creating a menu that will likely change between each visit. They also offer a wide variety of wines by the glass and by the bottle, however we didn't try the wine so I can't comment much about the quality. As for the meal itself the starter course was tasty, and what you would expect from most upper end steak and seafood restaurants with some great soups and salads. We tried 3 varieties of oysters (there were over a dozen varieties to choose from), and I must say they were the best I have ever had. I've tried fresh shucked oysters from both coasts, and none of them had the amazing texture and almost sweet flavors that these had to offer. For the main course I had a scampi that was full of flavor without being heavy in either butter or oil. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the whole dish had just a hint of spice which I loved. For the table we split a couple of desserts; an extremely light and flavorful carrot cake and a caramel chocolate cake that everyone agreed would be worth coming back for alone. It was slightly warm with a delicious chocolate cake base, a layer of caramel in the middle, and a chocolate cake topping that had just a bit of a crunch to it. Very rich, and worth every bite.
(5)
John D.
Food was wonderful, but pricey. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the open to close happy hour food specials. We ordered almost half of the menu. Good quality seafood. They had your classic appetizer style offerings (happy hour bar menu) like calamari and steamed mussels. The sliders (both crab cake and filet) were much better than I would expected. They also had some not-so-common offerings like shrimp and grits, which turned out to be my favorite. I did not order from the full dinner menu, although the offerings looked very good. Maybe I'll try it another time when I am in Denver. If you are looking for good fresh seafood (when not by the sea), then I would recommend this place. Ambience was unique. Blue lightning gave the place an aquarium feel.
(4)
Tonya J.
I went here with my mom for mother's day. She indulged in the lobster, which I tasted, and it was very very good. I had the rockfish Louie and it was AMAZING- topped with lump crab and caper butter yum! But what was really standout about the Oceanaire was the service. Our waiter (I wish I could remember his name!) was crazy friendly, but not in an overbearing or fake way- just very genuine. My mom can be just a liiiiittle bit of a tough customer on occasion, and he completely won her over. He was also incredibly well-versed about everything on both the dinner menu, and the wine menu. This was the perfect place to celebrate a special day and a special lady!
(4)
Josh D.
I know this is a chain, but every time I've been to this restaurant both in Denver and San Diego the seafood is always fresh, the service is always great and my wallet is a little bit lighter, but well worth it!
(5)
Denise G.
Denver Restaurant Week always falls the same time of year as my birthday. It works well for me, because I get to have a fantastic dinner that I wouldn't normally get throughout the year. This year, I picked The Oceanaire. The menu looked great and so reservations were made. My party arrived and were seated promptly. Drinks were ordered and we went over the Denver Restaurant Week menu. It changed! I know the menu online states that the menu may change, but my dish that I had my heart set on, was now missing. Cooper was our server and he was nothing short of awesome. He explained that since they get fresh fish, the menu would only allow what fresh fish they got that day. I understand, but was still a little disappointed. I then decided to go with the grilled tenderloin tips with whipped potatoes, crispy onions and conac cream. Cooper suggested with this dish to add shrimp. I felt that was a great idea and so shrimp was added to my dish. It all tasted amazing and was cooked exactly as I like it. Brian went with the grilled loch etive steelhead trout served blackened with caramelized onions and blue cheese butter. This dish was also good, but the fish didn't seem to be the trout. It was pink and flaky inside like salmon. We were a bit confused. The dessert menu changed as well. Instead of salted caramel and pretzel sundae, which I also had my heart set on, they offered a mint chocolate chip sundae. It sounded good so we ordered this when we ordered the appetizer and main dish. By the time we got to the dessert, the restaurant ran out of the ice cream. At this point, I was getting a little annoyed with having to change my choice. The death by chocolate cake sounded heavy and rich, so I opted for the cookies. Yes, they offered cookies as dessert for the Denver Restaurant Week menu. This was such a lame option. The whole point of DRW is to impress people, not disappoint them. I was surprised they couldn't come up with something else for dessert. Overall, we added an appetizer and had a few drinks and spent much more than the $60 for DRW. It was nice to finally try this place, but sad that they lacked some options. Cooper was a great server and very helpful with suggestions. I am not sure if we would be back for the food, but we would for sure for the great service.
(3)
Whitney W.
My boyfriend called to be sure we could get in and we went here on a Friday night for dinner. Everything about the dinner was classy. The only thing was the servers helper needed more experience. We had amazing lobster bisque to start. We had a bottle of wine. I wish they carried a real sweet riesling. I ordered the Goat Cheese Encrusted Swordfish and it was just absolutely amazing. They Bacon buttermilk (aka homemade amazing ranch) was very delightful with the truffle fries that we ordered. The evening turned into a Fabulous Date Night!
(5)
Christine A.
I can't really give a review on the drinks or food, just the service. Why? I wasn't given the opportunity enjoy food or drink. They have a horrible bartender there. He took forever to give me a menu - and even then, he wouldn't give me a drink menu until I asked him 3x. After another 10 minutes, he still hadn't taken my drink order. Finally, I said something and he replied "I'll make it right away." To him, "right away" meant after he continued his constant conversation with another group of patrons. As I watched him chat with them, I left. I told the host what happened and he didn't seem to care one little bit. This is a horrible place.
(1)
Lindy L.
My boyfriend loves seafood, so we went here for his birthday. He really enjoyed the meal and so did I, even though I prefer my seafood in sushi form. Service was excellent, and the setting was pretty swanky, which is fun for a special, celebratory night. They start everyone with bread and butter, accompanied by relish, which I learned is pickles, olives, radishes, carrots, and celery. My boyfriend really liked the endive salad with blue cheese dressing. I passed on trying it because the salad had quite a bit of blue cheese dressing, and I'm not a big salad dressing fan. I ordered the stuffed sole Florentine, which was very good and very rich. My boyfriend ordered the Alaskan Barracuda black and bleu, which was even better than the sole and not quite as rich. My favorite parts of the meal were the hashed browns and dessert. We shared the hashed browns a la Oceanaire, a huge serving of nicely crisp hashed browns with bacon and Tabasco sauce. We were beyond full, but had to have a birthday dessert, and our server very generously provided us with a complimentary birthday treat, the chocolate caramel cake. The cake was served with warm hot fudge and caramel sauce. And ice cream. The cake was very, very good. Oceanaire did a very, very good job of making a special night even more special.
My server here was fantastic, however the 45 minute wait for a table as well as the next 45 minute wait for food really left me questioning why I was paying top dollar for this experience. I asked for a manager and the GM came by my table for a visit . He was pretty demeaning and tried to blame our server for the restaurants poor execution . Sorry but this place is not worth the price tag .
(1)
Elaine P.
Dinner last night was my third time at Oceanaire Seafood Room and each dinner was top notch. Best service by far of any restaurant we've been to. The food is always amazing also. Even the service for valet parking is top notch. Very pleasant men and women. It was very cold and very busy and the workers are ALL very pleasant which makes it pleasurable. Thank you for a great night
(5)
Dale Z.
Dave Barry said, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." This was pretty much how I felt after having Happy Hours drinks and HH bites in the bar area of The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I felt like I just scratched the surface of Oceanaire. In many ways, I had a 4-star experience, but the multiple minor annoyances knocked it down to a 3. For example, there are only three beers choices on the HH menu (all from Great Divide). And although I like many of their offerings, the two regular choices are the Pale Ale and the IPA (Great Divide Denver Pale Ale & Great Divide Titan IPA), which seem a tad too similar for my "dis"liking. I had the seasonal (the Colette), and it was okay, but not enjoyable enough to want another. I toyed with ordering the Prosecco Sangria, but my dining companions said it was rather sour, somewhat bitter, and too vegetal. Most other choices seemed rather minty and mojito oriented. So, I went with "The Oceanaire" (Our Signature made with Absolut vodka, blue curacao and white cranberry juice) for my second drink. The blue curacao made the drink resemble a Windex martini. The flavors were okay (if overly sweet), but nothing special. This felt like I was drinking a cocktail from 1988. For food, I went with the Shrimp and Grits (Jumbo Shrimp, Creamy White Cheddar Grits). The shrimp were quite large, and well seasoned, but were some what tough in texture. The grits were very good, with nice cheesy flavor. The texture was that non-homogeneous mix of creamy and not quite creamy that I enjoy in my grits. I also had the Tequila Shrimp Ceviche (Avocado, Chile Dusted Tortilla Chips). I was glad that they had a "shrimp only" ceviche. I enjoy this dish, but not with fish (ooh, how Seussical). It was a generous portion for the price. There really was a lot of chopped shrimp (although it was somewhat tough). This dish, however, was lacking in acid and in heat. I borrowed some lime wedges from a dining companion, but it was not enough. It was a pity that this dish was so bland. Our service was mostly very good, but it was sometimes hard to flag down our waiter to put in additional orders.
(3)
Krystal M.
Things I like about The Oceanaire... They have happy hour EVERYDAY until closing, their fish & chips is really good, as are the oysters. They also have pretty friendly bartenders and they make really good mixed drinks and also have Great Divide on tap. Certain items may be a little expensive, but this is a nice place and definitely worth it. Also, I love the ambiance here... the blue glow in the bar area is just cool. I haven't had dinner here yet... but at some point I will. For now, the bar does me just fine and I know I'll be back to frequent the happy hour.
(4)
Josh H.
Reminded me of a cruise ship, but the food was delicious and wait staff were friendly. Nothing extraordinary popped out about this restaurant but it was good nonetheless.
Pros: the menu changes daily Cons: the menu changes daily I was hoping for swordfish. I ended up making reservations on a night that swordfish was not offered. I know this sounds a bit picky but after having swordfish two other times at The Oceannaire the trout that I ended up settling for just did not compare. The drinks are strong, you definitely get what you pay for! And the Au Gratin potatoes are some of the best I've ever had!
(4)
Michelle H.
This place was so good - I can't wait to go back! Our waiter, Jack, was extremely knowledgable and very friendly. He took his time to explain everything to us, and he didn't rush us through our order. We tried three of the oysters he suggested and his descriptions were spot-on and great recommendations! I ordered the cobia, prepared Louie style and it was delicious. I also recommend the tequila shrimp ceviche. Everyone's meals were fresh, delicious, and we were served well.
(5)
Robert V.
Oceania used to be a very good place, then Landry's happened. Now so bad. Tonight at 9PM I tried to sit at the bar for Oysters. Not only was there not an oyster menu, there was no server to give me one. After 15 minutes of sitting completely ignored, with wait staff walking past me, (they were no way near busy btw mostly empty tables), I gave up and left. Besides last tim e I ate there with a friend, fish was greasy and tasteless. A shame.
(1)
Michael F.
Good food - good service. Prices so high it felt cartoonish. Just got to laugh and chalk this experience up to "been there done that"but will never go again.
(3)
Monica L.
I love to have dessert at the bar before a show at the DCPA. Last night I tried the new white chocolate & raspberry bread pudding. It was superb. Sometimes white chocolate is not very good, but this raspberry bread pudding was topped with excellent white chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend.
(5)
Erin M.
I may have said this before, but this is truly the best steak I have ever had in my entire life! Truly, I can't think of any I have ever had that would top it. My New York Strip was juicy, even though I ordered it medium-well, was well seasoned (even without any additions) and was plentiful in portion at 16 oz. And, even though NY Strip steaks can often be a little less tender, this particular NY Strip was like butter...MMM... I ordered it with a side of the sour cream potatoes (large enough to share among our group of 4) and asparagus (also enough to share with the group). The sour cream potatoes, while I'm sure not uber healthful, made up for the diet "cheat" because they were so darn creamy and delightful. I could return today after dining last night and eat a bowlful by myself in 1 sitting. Someone stop me now! The asparagus was decent, and I am sure was even better with the Hollandaise sauce (I'm not a fan of Hollandaise sauce ever on any occasion, so I didn't sample it). The supporting actor of the show was the dessert, which was nearly as delectable as my steak. We had both Baked Alaska (due to the fact that it was free for a birthday at our table) and the Key Lime pie. (We were advised to order only 1 as the portions are large, and we should have heeded the advice given. I was uncomfortably full after dessert (and I wasn't the only one)!). The Baked Alaska is fun. The production made of dousing it in flames at the table makes it both dessert and an event. This particular Baked Alaska was served with black cherry ice cream, which made it even better (the sweet and tart of the ice cream mixed perfectly with the marshmallow meringue). The Key Lime pie was great as well! I wasn't super into the decor, which feels a little minimalist, until it was pointed out that Oceanaire is designed to look the a cruise ship from the 1920's. Once I noticed the Art Deco touches and the way certain elements like the blue lighting at the bar brought the look together, I appreciated it more. Both our table service and valet service were also great. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)
Carol E.
Stopped in on Restaurant Week, hoping to grab 2 stools at the bar. No problem once the dinner crowb ebbed~ I'm a wus, I valet most times to let the boys do something, but there was plenty of parking on the street. Sat at the seafood bar. Kumamotos~ lushish! Normally I wouldn't do oysters on a month not ending in the letter, 'R"... am I the only one here on this? But, they assured me oysters were flown in fresh that morning. Well, true to their word, again I say lushish. Creamy, sweet with a hint of mineral on the finish.. I chased them down with a nice med red wine. We had the grilled salmon, simply made with sans accrutremants and a side of grilled asparagus. It was stellar. Perfectly cooked and every spear of the asparagus, sweet. Well done! Miss the East Coast seafood, this fits the bill every time!! Yay
(5)
Nicole P.
Eaten here a few times. Always delicious. Baked Alaska? YUMMY!!!
Had reservations at Oceanaire before the theater last Saturday. Our server (Juan) was very knowledgeable about both the food and wine and was extremely accommodating. We ordered halibut and swordfish, both were excellent. Did a calorie splurge and ordered macaroni and cheese as a side along with a vegetable. Unable to eat even half of our dinner, our server kindly boxed up the leftovers and held them in the kitchen refrigerator until the play let out. Had a great experience.
(5)
Tricia D.
I didn't realize Oceanaire's a chain. I also didn't realize that I was in for quite a treat that night, and by quite a treat, I mean two words... BAKED ALASKA! The baked alaska dessert is by far their most popular. It is a slice of chocolate cake with cherry ice cream piled on top. A light meringue envelopes the ice cream, forming a fluffy, puffy dome. Your waitress/waiter will then drizzle alchy (I think it was Bacardi and cherry liqueur) and light that sucker on fire! Quite the tableside experience. I've had better chocolate cake, but I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert. My main course consisted of mahi mahi, which is flakier and not as "steak-y" as tilapia. It was so fresh, and now I know I'm a fan of the mahi^2! Service was excellent, and make sure you have that alaska when you stop in Denver!
(4)
Julia S.
I went here for Denver Restaurant Week which I realize limits food options given the prix fixe menu. That being said, the service was absolutely fantastic, but food-wise, I wasn't that impressed. I really, really like the crab cake, but the mahi-mahi I got was so-so. It was also paired with an arugula salad and sweet potato fries, which I thought was odd. The server was good in the fact that he did warn us that the portions are smaller due to DRW, which I didn't like, so we had to order extra sides. I always use DRW as an opportunity for restaurants to showcase their food, as I'll always go back if I'm impressed. Unfortunately, I've simply had better seafood in Denver.
(3)
Pixie M.
You know you've had a memorable meal at a restaurant, when two days later you turn to your spouse and say "I can still hear the crisp crack of the duck skin as my knife cut into the moist meat" and he replies, "I'm still dreaming about those scallops..." Let me start at the beginning, my parents were in town for the Christmas holidays and we decided we wanted to take them out somewhere really nice. So Christmas Eve at Oceanaire sounded perfect and arrangements were made for a special dinner prepared by Matt Mine, the executive chef. We drove up to the valet, whoosh, all four car doors opened simultaneously as we were each guided out of the car toward the front door where two different staff members whisked our coats away. The interior is crisp, classy, elegant and inviting. Our server, Michelle, was efficient, knowledgeable and we really enjoyed chatting with her. The additional staff removing our plates, refilling the waters, and checking in on us throughout the evening were all top-notch. This is the type of service that many restaurants strive for, and the Oceanaire staff was on the mark 110%. Our meal started with cream of cauliflower soup, garnished with poached lobster, seasoned with vanilla. Sounds odd, right? It was perfect and paired with a crisp glass of Prosecco. I never would have chosen this combo of flavored but was floored by how amazing this was. My husband isn't a cauliflower eater and devoured most of his...the part he didn't eat were the spoonfuls I swiped after my bowl was already empty. The duck. With a dried cherry glaze. And white beans. I don't even know how to begin. Decedent, delicious, rich....did I already tell you about echo of the crack the crisp skin made when I cut into it? I did? Hold on...I'm closing my eyes and reliving it. I like duck and have had it frequently in other restaurants, but I know I've never had duck this amazing. Large, juicy, seared scallops served with mouthwatering short ribs with an intensely thick, beefy flavor. Zoinks. All past and future "surf and turf" meals have been blown out of the water by this combo. I glanced around the table to see eyes closed, slight smiles and the utterances of "wow....this is incredible" and "I love these scallops..." The Brussel sprouts, bacon and Maytag bleu cheese side dish was a Brussel sprout lover's dream. I was in heaven. Delicate, flaky monkfish with a thick, warm bleu cheese crust. By this point in the dinner, I was so full but couldn't not have this....the fish was flawlessly cooked. Dessert? We couldn't do it. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that I wasn't able to save room. Next time. Next time, I leave room for chocolate cake.
(5)
Natalie G.
I so wanted to love Oceanaire, I love seafood. Sadly, this is not somewhere I would go back to by choice. I can get better elsewhere, and for less. The marquee outside is great, and valet anywhere in Denver is nice, but given we hit on a Friday night and they have a bit of construction on Arapahoe, to say it was a nightmare is being kind. We managed to just make our 7:30 reservation, however, we were missing half of our group due to traffic. We were seated in a small room around the left of the bar which was actually quite nice and made it a bit more cozy. The place was packed, after all, it was Friday, in the middle of Restaurant Week. I noted that the person who seated us switched out the napkin of the person named on the reservation (from white to black), so that the waiter knew whom to address by name when he came over for introductions and drinks. First impression of Kevin (our waiter) was that he was going to be attentive, and a bit of fun. Since we knew we had a little wait, we ordered a bottle of wine and the calamari. We were pleasantly surprised with the fresh veggie tray that came but purposely avoided the mini half loaf of bread so that we would be able to eat our meals. The calamari was tasty, and the dipping sauce was a bit different, but we enjoyed it. Our other diners arrived about fifteen minutes behind us, but everyone was ready to order as we had perused the 5280 menu prior to arrival. Right off the bat, there had been a slight change in the menu, but Kevin did accommodate the change. We had a mix of field greens, New England clam chowder and the Billie B. soup. The latter was a last minute change after Kevin explained that it was a cream based soup with mussels in it. Sadly it did not live up to the hype he gave it. There was only about three small chunks of mussel in the actual soup and it was a bit thin for a cream based soup. The chowder was better but not what you would expect from a seafood restaurant. It was more on par with an all American place. Entrees arrived in good time, and we partook in the red snapper, trout and rockfish choices. The rainbow trout dynamite was ok, but with trout you always get bones. The crab dynamite on top looked more like a dark greasy hashbrown. The flavor of crab was almost non-existent. The fish itself was cooked well, and the sauce was tasty. The rockfish came seated on white cheddar grits. We were all excited to try them, but only 1 of the four at the table liked them. The other three of us could have done (and have) better at home. Not as creamy as a true grit, and again, just nothing to write home about. To be fair there were three southerners in the group. "You don't mess with our grits!" We had two key lime pies and two chocolate mousse at our table. The key lime pie, while setting atop a delicious graham cracker crust and light and fluffy really needed to be a bit more tart. For those who don't know what a great Key Lime Pie is supposed to taste like, it would be a nice sweet treat, but all four of us really wished it had been a bit more tart. The chocolate mousse on the other hand was absolutely decadent! Very rich, so much so that this choco-phile could not finish it. Over all the food was OK and the ambiance nice. The last hour we were there we could have used another bottle of wine but we never saw our waiter. The water situation throughout dinner was also completely unacceptable. Empty glasses of water is what I will remember most of our visit. That and that we spent 20 minutes at the end trying to get our waiters attention, who never bothered to say thank you for coming in. It was clear he was frazzled, but good manners should always win out when you are representing a quality restaurant that charges what they do.
(2)
Alexis G.
I decided to try Oceanaire for Denver Restaurant Week because I love seafood and I am always in search of a great seafood restaurant in Denver. The ambiance and service at Oceanaire was top of the line, but the food left a lot to be desired. I started off with the calamari. It was inconsistent with some of it was perfectly cooked and very tasty, but some of it was rubbery and overcooked. My mom ordered their award winning clam chowder for her first course. Unfortunately, it was watery and one dimensional and did not taste like award winning chowder to me. We both ordered the snapper for our main course. The fish was served fried, but it was dry and the aioli added no flavor. Finally, we had the key lime pie and chocolate mousse for dessert. They were both good, but the mousse was a bit too rich for my liking. In my opinion, restaurants should give their best effort during restaurant week to tempt us to come back and pay top dollar for their yummy food. Unfortunately, Oceanaire did not put their best food forward. Meanwhile, the search for a great seafood restaurant in Denver continues. Any suggestions?
(3)
Lacey K.
A group of 9 of us ate here last night (8/5/14). Half of our table liked it, the other half hated it. Upon arrival it was all hands on deck by the staff, which was great! The restaurant is very modern & nice. After being seated (reservations at 5:45 it was a ghost town), we all started looking over the menu. The server does explain the menu very thoroughly. This is where the night started going down hill.... We ordered our appetizers & meal at the same time. We asked the apps be brought out first. 40 minutes later... We finally get our apps. There were only 3 apps to prepare! 40 minutes? Our shrimp cocktail was not good. They were VERY over-cooked. I almost couldn't chew them. After they clear the apps away, most of our table is still hungry. We have bread plates, but no bread. They never brought any. We had to ask them for the bread. I know that may not seem like a huge thing, but remember the price you are paying for your meal.... They boast about their superior treatment. So, we are sitting waiting for our main course & the waiter comes to the table to let me know they are out of the chicken I ordered. This would not have been an issue had they come out & told me the hour and a half i had been sitting there waiting. I ordered fish & chips instead. When we finally got our meal I was yet again displeased. The fish had no taste and were exceedingly greasy. Another couple at our table both had over cooked fish. Overall, the quality was bad & the service was slower than I even thought imaginable. I expected the ridiculous pricing---I didn't expect to leave feeling cheated. Others have had good experiences...but this was ours.
(1)
Pam B.
Great place .... Fabulous Seafood. The Death by chocolate cake, we'll just say it is to die for!!!!!!
(4)
Eden R.
I've been meaning to write this review for a while and just kept forgetting to do it. We went to Oceanaire a month or so ago before seeing a show at the Buell. Because it's been a month, I can't remember our waiter's name, which is unfortunate because he was fantastic. We were a couple of weeks out from a trip to Sonoma so we were really pleased to see so many bottles on the wine list from Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. We each had a bowl of clam chowder which was DELICIOUS (and had a yummy tangy kick to it) and filling. Because the chowder was so filling, we decided to share the Halibut Cheeks at our waiter's suggestion. We were going to order some additional mashed potatoes with it (most things on the menu are ala carte) but he suggested that we not since the fish came on a bed of mashed potatoes (we were so full by the end of the meal, I'm very thankful that he told us not to order the extra potatoes just to increase our bill and hence extra tip). We also had the Brussels Sprouts on the side which were also AMAZING. The kitchen separated our shared meal on to two plates which was a nice touch. We didn't finish our wine and had some food left over at the end, the waiter knew that we were going to a show so he offered to keep our food and wine in the back for us to pick up after the show which I thought was really nice. This was our second time at Oceanaire, second time with great food and great service. Will definitely be back.
(5)
Dave P.
My Birthday Bash was here, and it was wonderful! The happy hour! OMG, the happy hour! It's all friggin day! Signature drinks and awesome food...it was perfect! Staff was very helpful...our waiter even told us that a large party was about to come in, so we should put in our food orders now, to avoid any wait. And he was right on! A group of 40 came in, and it got busy...but we didn't seem to notice. We got everything quickly and it was so good. I will go back again and again and again...
(5)
Mike C.
I had a lousy dinner here Thursday night. I was very disappointed as I have eaten here before and had a great meal - which is why I came back vs trying somewhere new. On the recommendation of our server I ordered the Halibut Cheeks and my co worker ordered rainbow trout. The Halibut was awful - I actually didn't finish it. It tasted like nothing and just didn't seem right. I've had halibut cheeks before and this was not good. Not sure how fresh it was - and just no flavor. Bland and blah. My co-workers trout was not much better. I couldn't believe what they served her. The fillet was paper thin - hardly any meat. Unfortunately very bummed....
(1)
Phung L.
Good appetizers. Crab cakes were delicious. Got to try different kinds of oysters as far as east coast and west coast, can definitely taste the difference when it came to the brininess and such. Complementary dessert for my friend's birthday was quite a spectacle as they lit it on fire which was cool. Very nice ambiance.
(4)
Elky M.
This. Was. Incredible. Salmon. Shrimp & Grits. Old fashioned jumbo fried shrimp. I know it's part of a huge restaurant group but it takes size and power to pull off fresh seafood flown in daily at mostly affordable prices. You need to go to there!
(5)
Shaun S.
New Happy Hour Menu Bad: Drink Prices Increased By $1 Good: 5 PM - 7 PM AND 8 PM - CLOSE Sun-Fri DRINKS $4 DRAFTS New Belgium Seasonal Guinness Fat Tire Coors Light $5 Wines By The Glass La Marca Prosecco Campanile Pinot Grigio Montgras Sauvignon Blanc McManis Cabernet Sauvignon Red Diamond Merlot $6 Specialty Drinks Oceanaire Mojito Martini Spiced Apple Manhattan Patronarita Perfect Bacardi Mojito $7 Specialty Martinis Lemon Drop Pomegranate Martini Ketel Cosmo James Bond Martini FOOD $8 Crab Cake Bites Ahi Tuna Bites Spicy Tuna Tartare $6 Grilled Beef Steak Bites Steamed Mussels Trio of Oysters Oysters Rockefeller $5 Old Fashioned Shrimp Cornmeal Fried Oysters Red Chili Calamari Fish & Chips
(4)
Amy D.
I went with five others to Oceanaire last Friday for their $30- 2 lb. lobster promotion (part of the same group Mike E. mentions in his review). We were seated quickly and our waiter was on top of everything. Unfortunately, that's going to be the highlight of this review. After we were seated the bread and relish trays were delivered to the table and our waiter took our drink order. Since we all knew we wanted lobster we didn't review the menu too much except for to choose a couple appetizers and sides to go with the main course. A few others and I got the clam chowder and loved it. Word around the table was the poke was yummy as well, though I didn't partake. Here's where the drama begins to creep in... Before the apps came, our server came to take our dinner order. Six lobsters, please. Our sever asked if we wanted those shelled. I expected them to be cracked, but I didn't even think getting it shelled was an option. Yes, please! All six of us. So the entrees are ordered, we're finishing up appetizers and order a second round of drinks. Somewhere around here the drawn butter was sent to the table. And it stayed there for an insane amount of time before the lobster actually arrived. As we're sitting there I'm noticing it's taking forever for the second round of drinks and there's almost no wait staff around. Anywhere. Where is everyone? A few minutes later more staff starts milling about and our second round of drinks arrive. My mojito was passable, but my friend's second Hendricks and tonic had two very old, very brown cucumbers floating at the top. Our server was quick to make it right, but according to the drinker, even the second attempt at fresh cucumbers wasn't all that great. We also got another bottle of wine for the table, one we thought was the same as our first bottle, but when it came out it wasn't. It turns out our first bottle was wrong - a more expensive reserve - that we didn't order. Thankfully they just charged us for two of the less expensive bottles so we didn't have to pay for the mistake of being given the wrong bottle in the first place. It was funny too because when the bill came we were told numerous times that even though the reserve was very pricey, we were only charged for the normal vintage. Um...thanks? After another little stint, a couple runners came out and delivered the entrees. Gorgeous lobsters in bright red shells. Hey wait a minute! Someone at the table mentioned they were supposed to be shelled and the runners, bless their hearts, said "We'll let your waiter talk to you about that." Uh-oh... So the server arrives after the lobsters are sitting in front of us and politely informed us there was a problem in the kitchen and essentially, they'd had some staff walk out and there was just too much lobster demand and not enough people to do the shelling. We were disappointed and it was odd and off-putting to know the kitchen staff ditched out, but whatever, we could power through for lobster. Er, well we could if we had the right utensils. We waited about ten minutes before the claw crackers were brought over and then another five or so for the tiny shellfish forks. The subpar drinks, cold butter, lack of utensils, wrong wine and a couple overcooked lobsters at the table made for an increasingly frustrating experience, so we asked that the manager come over. A few minutes later he arrives and instead of introducing himself, he announces to the table "So you all ordered the lobsters shelled and they didn't come that way, right?" Well, yes. He explained they were short staffed and he was just trying to keep up and make sure everyone got their lobsters. I don't think he actually ever said "I'm sorry," let alone "what can we do to make it right?" I get there are hiccups and challenges during any given service, but seriously Oceanaire, you're promoting lobster here. Awesome event idea, but horrible execution overall. The sides were nothing to shout about - the broccolini was all right, though not very stellar in the seasoning department. The jalapeno corn bread didn't include one jalapeno that I saw and was also undercooked (see: bites of batter). At the end of the meal our waiter, who was apologetic through the entire ordeal, inquired what the manager offered to do for us and we replied nothing. A few minutes later he came over with two glasses of dessert wine for our table of six. It was a really nice gesture, but didn't save the evening. I've been to Oceanaire in the past, not long before I began yelping actually, and that experience was much more positive than this one. Probably four or five star worthy. Unfortunately, after this experience we won't be giving it another shot.
(2)
Ryan W.
This place is amazing! A GO TO must have for happy hour. This place has the best happy hour in the city. And don't let the "hour" confuse you... It's all night! The staff is amazing John, Mario, and Kat are all fantastic. They always take great care of me while I'm there. Here are my favorites on the food menu: Shrimp ceviche, filet sliders, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, fish tacos and you must have the truffle fries! TO DIE FOR! And their loyalty program is pretty solid. For drinks I love the James Bond! For dessert go big and get the Baked Alaska! It's entertaining and delicious! Love it!
(5)
Kate G.
Love this restaurant. Great atmosphere, food and wine list. Although always a crowd we were seated right away with a great view. Our meal was delicious. Halibut was perfectly Cooked so was my dates steak. The sides the waiter suggested went really well with both dishes. We were also able to sit and talk and no one pushed us to leave. Wonderful restaurant.
(5)
Mike E.
I was part of a group of 6 that dined at Oceanaire last night. A couple people in the group are on their mailing list and recieved an email promoting a lobster special they were going to be running last night. We confirmed our orders the day before to make sure they would have a lobster reserved for each of us. It seemed like they were organized, always a good sign. However, through a combination of poor training, poor staffing, poor attitude by management, and a total lack of any type of team effort to deal with a situation in the kitchen - described as some type of revolt with more than half the kitchen staff walking out. Instead it was a series of what not to do's. Things started out good, a nice table and a server most people at the table had had on another trip in with a group celebrating a birthday. Drinks were ordered, bread delivered, relish trays dropped off. Then things began to slide a bit, only because the drinks seemed to take a long time to deliver. We then ordered some some spicy tuna poke and 3 also had clam chowder. The poke had a nice kick, and I like their presentation with a stack on wantons, they add some good texture, with tomatoes mixed in. We ordered a few sides for the table to share with the meal - salt potatoes and corn on the cob, honey jalepeno cornbread, and steamed broccolini with parmesan cheese and white truffle. Our server then asked if we would like our lobster completely shelled, which I had not done before. The claws had always been cracked open, and the body split with kitchen shears or a sharp butcher knife. This time everyone decided to get them shelled, why not give it a try. After a very long wait our server showed up with 6 small pitchers of clarified butter. He asks a runner that was near to pass it out so he can go and grab the drinks we had ordered a while back. After 10 minutes or so he showed back up with drinks, and a stressed look on his face. I figured the bartender was crashing and burning, but there was much more going on. Although one of the drinks was topped with a rotten cucumber, and the second bottle of wine that was supposed to be the same somehow was not. Then a while later runners show up with our lobsters, finally! Only they aren't shelled, and when we mention this they say that they know and that our server will let us know what's going on. Plus, the claws weren't cracked and there was only a small gash were someone (likely in anger) hit it with a dull knife, allowing lots of little shards of shell in the main cavity. When he does make it back over he begins to apologize profusely, and repeatedly tells us how embarrassed he is. He says that most of the kitchen staff had evidently just walked out. He says he will try to make it right and will get us tools to use for the lobster. After serveral more minutes he brings us each a bucket and a small cracker you use for crab legs. That worked for the smaller claws, but the bigger ones were too tough to crack with that tool. They really needed to be hit on the side with a small mallet on a cutting board. Oh, and those sides. The broccolini didn't have any seasoning, parm, or white truffle. It tasted like cardboard. The cornbread was easily the worst I've ever had, and if there were any jalepenos we couldn't see or taste any. And the corn and potatoes tasted like they had been holding in water for several hours. As things began to spiral out of control we asked to speak to the manager, not sure why he hadn't run interference on the situation in the first place. After some time the GM made his way over and said he heard there was a problem. Now that you mention it - some parts of the lobster needed the jaws of life to get to the growing cold meat, the sides taste horrible, the same bottle of wine became a different bottle, your serving drinks with rotting veggies, your team seems to not get along, and we heard most of your kitchen crew walked. I asked if the people that walked out were the only ones qualified to prepare lobsters. Not shell, just prepare to be served. While making sure not to really even offer any apologies he said he didn't like to make excuses. Then of course he made an excuse, he said 2 people were doing the job of 7 and they were trying their best. All I could think was "Then why weren't you, along with all the other suited managers, back there helping? Since you obviously weren't stopping by tables explaining the situtation" Our server came back and asked what the GM was going to do for us, we said evidently nothing. He seemed shocked, then went and "bought" our table of 6 a couple of dessert wines. Nice try, but too little, too late.
(2)
Diego R.
Brought my daughter here for dinner before going to the ballet. I think because I came here with a 5 year old they sat us near the kitchen. Not a huge deal, but the restaurant was not even half full. Service was very good, and several staff members went out of their way to be nice to my daughter. We had mussels and salmon. Both were excellent. Wish they had a healthier selection for the kids menu, everything was fried, but it's not really a kids kinda place. We came back after the show for the cookies and milk for my daughter, and a scotch for me. Both were great!
(4)
Amy O.
Oh man, this happy hour was great. (Happy hour, by the way, is all day, open to close, Sunday - Friday but only at the bar). The prosecco sangria is addicting. It's prosecco and captain morgan and is perfectly complimented and cooled by adding cucumbers. Also involved, strawberries for sweetness. I wanted a vat of it. ugh! The parmesan truffle fries were awesome, too. So much tasty truffle oil. I'd go back just for those two items. The filet mignon sliders were just okay. I got a weird piece of meat that was not very filet-y :( The bartender was a bit slow but we weren't in a rush, and he was friendly so it was all good.
(4)
Kristen H.
I used to love Oceanaire- it was one of my favorite places in Denver. Not anymore. Over the past few years, it seems to be going downhill and I figured out why- it was acquired by Landrys- where good food goes to die. SERVICE: We went here a few days ago and had a very mediocre experience. The server was pushy, a little rude and insincere. FOOD: The food was hit or miss. APPETIZERS: the crab cake is good here- a lot of crab, little breading. One of the best things on the menu and thank goodness, that has not been changed. The trout with potato chips sounded great but they put so much sauce on it, you could not even tell you were eating fish anymore. The BLT salad was actually very good but was a little gross when I found the food labels still on the tomato. SIDES: The Mexican lime-corn side was lovely. The hashbrowns were good but a little bland. The lobster mac and cheese sounded great but was lacking flavor. The potato-au-gratin was mushy and average. ENTREES: The steak was dry and overcooked. The scallops would have been good if they didn't have a pound of butter and crap on them, masking any real flavor. The grilled items were good. But don;t get the extras with it- too rich and overpowers the real flavor of the fish. I personally find that good restaurants let the seafood speak for itself and don;t try to mask the flavor. They definitely mask it at Oceanaire now- must not be using good quality seafood? PRICE: It is pricey- which I don't mind if the food is great. But for the quality of the food, I think it is overpriced. Oh and by the way- it took 2.5 hours to get through our meal. The kids with us were ready to explode. Overall, I raved about this place when it first opened but now, I would skip it. There are better seafood places in Denver for the same price.
(2)
Cliff T.
I love how it feels like you are in an ocean liner in the fifty's (orsomething. how would I know?) Yes! Happy-hour at the bar all day! Great drinks (Prosecco Sangria!) and eats (fish n' chips).
(4)
Shelby S.
The food was delicious and the service was great. GET THE CRAB CAKES! If you're looking to go on a low key night I would suggest Sunday. Probably less than 10 people in the restaurant. Gave it a three because for the price you pay I expected more...I would go again but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't.
(3)
Kate K.
Easily one of the best Happy Hours in town. So good, I'm almost hesitant to write a review for fear of exposing the little known gem. Sunday - Friday they have a 5- 7 pm Happy Hour. But they also have the lesser known 8 - 10 Happy Hour. Good wines for $4, cocktails and martinis for $5 - $6. And the food is tasty too. At some point I suppose I'll go back and have dinner there, but really, the Happy Hour makes it so that I don't even feel the need for dinner. Every time we've visited, we've had amazing service - the past 2 visits Alex took fantastic care of us. He remembered us from our previous visit, and in my book that's always a plus. All in all a great place.
(4)
a-p h.
We had a reservation, waited at the bar for 40 min and it turned out the hostess forgot us. My girlfriends sashimi was ok, my fish was raw inside. Pretty bad for an expensive restaurant like this. Don't go. Save your money and go to ocean prime or sushi den of you got the cash and want good food
(2)
Skip W.
I've been trying various seafood places as I travel. Most have the basics with little dabbles of neatness. But the Oceanaire has raised the bar. The experience has a classy twist that expresses the passion they have for food. Menu options packed with very fresh (3 day fresh) seafood and fish with large portions that fit the $bill. The staff are professional, attentive and great crumb scrapers. The food is very flavorful but separate, so if you have a lite pallet you can move things around to taste. Take the most important person in life here to eat and just soak in the expressions on their face. Then comes the warm towel and dessert menu. A true definition of dinning out. I had the Shrimp N Grits, Skuna Salmon black and blue and huge cheesecake like Key Lime pie. Not reviewing a single food item because I'm very positive that it's all very delicious.
(5)
Diane L.
We are very dissatisfied with our treatment when we ate here a couple weeks ago. The food was good but my wife ordered grouper grilled and the waiter told her he would put some kind of sauce on it. They way he presented it it would be at no cost to us. Boy we were wrong they added 17.50 to the cost to what she ordered. We visited with management about the issue and he told her he would give her a glass of wine on our next visit. We have decided their won't be a next visit. Watch them as they will add to your meal making you think it is free and you will be ending up paying for it. I'm telling all my friends about our treatment.
(1)
Ruth A.
I ordered the arctic charr that was lightly breaded and fried. It was fileted tableside. I have to say it was the most divine seafood I've had. The service was splendid; very attentive! A wonderful menu and delightful wine list! Bravo!
(5)
Michael C.
Always good and a fantastic steak. Great for dinner and a show. You can valet your car eat dinner, then walk across the street to the theater and then pick up your car later that night.
(4)
Ryan M.
Went with a group of friends before seeing a show at the Buell. We had 9 of us there and the service was excellent. I ordered the crab cake entree, and I think those are the best crab cakes I've ever had. I grew up on the east coast where I was always able to get fresh seafood and these top my favorite ones back there. My boyfriend ordered the trout Florentine and he was a fan. We will be back, especially for a nice date night or even happy hour at the bar.
(4)
Tricia H.
Another update...I received a $50 card in the mail from someone from Landry's corporate. Since Landry's owns tons of other restaurants, we chose Saltgrass Grill. The service and food there will be reviewed separately, but I thought it best to at least give credit to corporate for sending me the gift card. Regardless, how Landry's is doing business does not match my dining needs. A sales pitch on a frequent diner program, so-so food, and so-so service have me avoiding Landry's overall.
(3)
Rebecca E.
The food was all delicious, though pretentious. We are fans of nice restaurants when the service and meal match the price on the menu. This meal was incredibly overpriced ($40 for 6 scallops - nothing else - on a plate with a lemon wedge, grilled only with a little butter). They were delightful and well prepared, but left one wanting. As a table, we shared broccoli, asparagus and mashed potatoes but none of it was finished and there was much left wanting. The service was showy, but good with one exception. When we arrived, they asked if we had tickets to see the show and confirmed the start time. We had made reservations for an hour and a half before we had to leave. We received our meals only ten minutes before we had to walk out the door. We will likely eat somewhere else next time we go down for a show.
(2)
Rich H.
West coast oyster appetizers were fresh, delicious and well shucked - especially the kumomotos. Complementary veggies/pickles were sparse, though the waiter happily supplied pickled peppers when I remarked that I had been looking forward to having them. The 2 lb Lobsters were so-so. One had a shell full of dark spots, suggesting that the lobster was old. The waiter happily (insistently) replaced it, bringing a complementary shrimp cocktail as compensation. Even after replacement, the lobsters didn't rise above "meh," but Denver is a long way from Maine. Even with professional, friendly service it was hard to escape feeling that the Denver Oceanaire doesn't supply the same seafood quality/freshness as the east coast outlets.
(2)
Jennifer A.
Since Restaurant Week is almost upon us again (so glad it's happening twice this year!), I thought that I should probably review the restaurants I went to for restaurant week back in February. The Oceanaire was one of two that my SO and I tried, and I'm disappointed to report that the whole experience (food, service, atmosphere) was mediocre. Nothing was terrible, nothing was outstanding. The restaurant wasn't very full, so the server could have been more attentive, although the few times he did make it over to our table he was very friendly. But when you don't see the server from the time he takes your entree order until you're ready for the check, well...not good. And as stated, the food wasn't anything special. I'm glad we only paid restaurant week prices, although even that was a bit much for the quality. As for the atmosphere, well, the whole place has a really early 90s vibe to it. Just dated and kind of sad. I won't be giving it another shot, but who knows, plenty of other people on Yelp had a good experience, so maybe you will too.
(2)
Aileen D.
Something's slipped a little. My favorite crabcake is not the same. I don't know how to describe it other than it was wetter than I remembered. Maybe the kitchen is going light on the crab and using a more mayo? Service was a little lacking also as we had to ask for bread, and then again ask for butter. Weird. I will always think of Oceanaire when craving seafood but I am always open to finding THE seafood place.
(4)
Chuck S.
Restaurant #4 of 2012 5280. My cousin and I were dateless on a Saturday night so, he joined me for a 9:00 reservation on Saturday night. When we got there, a few minutes before 9:00, the place was insanely packed. The bar was several people deep almost all the way around and we were told that people were dining longer than expected and we'd have to wait a bit to be seated. We did manage to grab a couple seats at the bar and then had to wait about 15 minutes before a waiter came to take our drink order. At 9:30 the hostess came and found us and went to seat us at a table for 6 or 8 people so she changed her mind and had us follow her to another area of the restaurant. She took us to a circular booth table and just as we got there another hostess was sitting another party there. What confusion. The table right next to it was open so we asked why we couldn't just have that booth, she said she needed to go check up front so, we sat down and made ourselves at home. She came back and said it would be ok if we sat there. We felt a bit funny, two guys, sitting in a romantic booth setting! We had fun with it though. When we did get our bread we didn't get any bread plates until we requested them. I was a bit surprised by the stark atmosphere where white walls are adorned only with a few fish trophys. This paragraph is why the restaurant doesn't get 5 stars. From here our dining experience just got better and better. Jeff was our waiter and he put up with our crap and had a lot of fun with us. When he walked up, almost right away after us being seated, the first thing out of my cousin's mouth was, "We are not gay." From then on, we all played on that and Jeff jumped right on it too. He said we should just call him "Silly." And, that's what the night turned out to be. Jeff was a great waiter and took wonderful care of us. We both got the calamari appetizer and it was wonderful, with the calamari on a bed of a unique, I'll call it, "salsa" blend. I ordered the rockfish and my cousin ordered the salmon medium rare. Both plates were cooked to perfection and the fish was absolutely delicious. The salmon was on a bed of fennel creamed spinach and matchstick fries that complimented the flavor. The rockfish was on a bed of tomato andouille ragout and corn bread crumbs, it was absolute heaven! Jeff just brought all three different desserts to try, thank you Jeff! I'm not a key lime pie expert but, I really liked it! The cheesecake was to die for! Our table busser was Pablo, he was very quiet/shy at first until we started talking to him and then he really opened up and we had a great time joking with him too. If you are going to go out for fish in Denver, this might be "the" place to go. I was happily surprised to find a nice fish place 1000+ miles from the nearest ocean! It's very pricey but, absolutely delicious!
(4)
Stephen P.
Sat at the bar for happy hour. The food was pretty decent and the "dollar oysters" ended up being $2 oysters (which is not that great of a deal). The waiter took FOREVER to do ANYTHING. He seemed very focused on serving the older clientele (I am 26), which is fine because old people complain more but if stereotypes are correct they are more conservative tippers. I left a 10% tip, which i NEVER do (usually 25-35), and I felt bad but honestly I couldn't get a re-fill on my drink (because I was only drinking soda) and they had one bartender serving 20 people, with the other bartender only doing drinks for the restaurant. DEFINITE PASS.
(1)
Jeanne R.
I have been a big fan of The Oceanaire since the days when it was a small independent chain. It is still a pretty good place to go before the theater since Landry's bought it. We were there for the first time in a while a few weeks ago, and while the food and service is still great, I don't like what is going on with the wine list. I expect a markup of 200-300% on wine whent I go out, but the Oceanire seems to be taking things a little too far. For example, our go to wine with oysters on the half shell is Mantua Valey Sauv Blanc. A month ago it was $38 - a respectable markup for a $19 bottle of wine. Suddenly, it is now $48! So I started looking a little more critically at the list. Wines by the glass are $9 to $15 - and they give you a healthy pour. But, I looked at the $9 white - Canyon Road Chardonney. Not a bad wine, but it sells for $9.99 a bottle. This a 400% markup! The wine list in general has been upgraded in quality, but so have the prices. I still love their food, and I think this the only place to go for oysters in town, but I think I am going to have to limit my visits for a while to happy hour. Such a shame. Also, my previous review should be ignored. The menu has changed totally since Landry bought the restaurant.
(2)
Jeff T.
Came here for 5280 Denver Restaurant week. I just was not impressed at all. The rainbow trout was very so-so. Maybe it was just the meal I had, but I won't be coming back.
(2)
Lendy L.
For Denver restaurant week, I wasn't exactly blown away by the food but it was not all that horrible either. Of the many selections available for dine week my party of three each ordered an appetizer of creamy potato bisque and the New England clam chowder, which prepared our pallets just right since both appetizers were delicious. However, when it came to our entrees, the fried Colorado striped bass and pan seared salmon sort of made the meal experience go sour. Turns out the bass was coated in a Fresno hot sauce that pretty much is the same hot sauce used for hot wings. This combination of sauce with fish was not what I was expecting for a fish dish. As for the salmon dish, although it came on a bed of cream spinach, the salmon itself was disappointingly over salted. My party left feeling that these dishes are not the best to attract future customers. For our final third course meal, there was the New York Cheese cake and the chocolate mouse, which again both were edible but nothing to rave about. For $26.40 per person for dine week, it's a good deal, but for full prices during normal business offerings, not so much a great deal, if anything it would be straight up high way robbery! I am pretty sure I would never order these dishes again, however for also being a steakhouse I'd have to try their steak just to see if the hype is really anything to rave about.
(3)
Dave C.
Marginal value. Good not great food. Excellent service and decor. Painfully high prices.
(3)
Becca R.
Okay, I need to say- the service was right on- never had an empty glass or had to ask for anything. A+ on that. But, the food....man, I wanted to love this place. But, it was almost below average flavor profiles and just not impressive. There are some excellent seafood options out there that are actually more affordable.
(2)
Andrea P.
Besides the price, what is there not to love about this place? Service: Well in all fairness this was 52.80 week and there was a blizzard, so they were probably expecting to be full to the gills (gills, get it, it's a seafood place....yah my husband didn't laugh either) and this place probably was less full than a normal Sunday night for them. However, they had about 1 server to every 3 tables and then 1-2 support staff for those 3 tables. Meaning: you wanted bread, water, food, anything at all you got it. It was almost overwhelming. Amy was a great waitress who really knew how to speak about the menu and seemed to have a passion for her job and making sure everyone was well taken care of. Food: I'm not really a seafood connoisseur, so I got the surf and turf, minus the surf part that my husband gladly ate. Though I was sad there was no veggie or non-seafood related appetizers I still got plenty of really good food. Never really been a bok choy fan but it was so wonderfully prepared I might have to eat some at home now. I even had a bite of my husband's trout and it was awesome, I might actually come in and order that - that's a big statement out of a non-fish eater. Price: While I will agree you're getting what you pay for here, the cheap side of me still screams out you spent $120 + tip for dinner, are you a mad woman?!?! I could eat out every day this week for that same amount and other places. So I think this will be a special occasion place and not a regular...unless I hit the lotto and then who cares right?
(5)
Angie V.
Food was delicious, had the filet and king crab plate. The 2 stars is for the service, I have never felt so awkward in a restaurant in my life. We walk in and the host just kind of stares at us and the manager rudely asks what the name is our reservation is under, we didn't have one as it was early and on a Monday, he scoffs a bit and we are lead to our booth in the bar area. Our waiter was completely strange acting as well, before we ordered my gf got up and went to the ladies room, he came around and said he would be back to "explain the menu" to us further.... I told him we had already decided as we were on a bit of a time crunch. He then proceeded to tell me he would NOT take my order until the other party came back, very snippy! My point was that we didn't need an explanation because we already decided what we wanted to eat. Not sure why the attitude? We waited and waited on our food, finally we inquired why it was taking so long and the manager came over again VERY awkwardly to tell us the steaks had been overcooked and they should be out soon. I don't know why everyone was acting so nervous and weird that day, I have dined here before a few months ago and everything was EXCELLENT.
(2)
Garrett H.
Excellent cocktails, side dishes and service. The pecan crusted trout was awful - hardly any pecans or flavor and the fish had a lot of bones in it. If we did not have to get to a show I would have sent it back.
(3)
Brian M.
came here for Restaurant Week and as soon as we mentioned we'd be ordering from that menu our server immediately turned ice cold. she would barely make eye-contact and despite my attempts to be social and thank her for everything she never said much or even smiled. In the bar area while we waited for our table, a server came up and asked us if we wanted a drink, we hesitated for a second and before we could answer, he had walked away. Our food was fine, not memorable. Clam chowder app. was good, but pretty small. I had the Snapper Dynamite which was pretty good despite the amount of bones i pulled out of my mouth. Had key lime pie for dessert and it was as advertised, pretty standard.
(2)
Astrid M.
Three gripes: 1) one heck of a high price point 2) we went on a thursday evening in the winter, so it was sort of empty 3) we waited rather a long time for our food However the staff was really responsive and the food - from the little taster of pickled stuff and warm bread to the entree's themselves - was to die for! Yummy!!! They know their food! Also, we were celebrating my son's birthday and they brought out their flaming desert thing (don't ask me what it was called) for him as a surprise. That was a really nice touch.
(4)
Alicia H.
I will be back, no question there! A friend and I went here for 5280 week. Our waiter was excellent and took the time to explain in detail their menu. He mentioned they had won awards for their crap cake slider and their Caesar salad so I got both. My friend got the Caesar as well as calamari for our appetizer/salad portion of the meal. The Caesar was definitely award winning! The dressing was even over all the lettuce, the Parmesan was fresh, and they garnished it with an anchovy (which I have never eaten before) and it was delicious! The crab cake slider was very flavorful and had a sauce over the top that made the cake sing! I only ate half the bread that came with it though. Main course was fillet minion for him, and trout for me. The sauce on the steak was amazing! A little hint of sweet that complimented the steak perfectly. The trout (in whole fish with eyes and all) was de-boned stuffed with shrimp and cheeses was in a creamy lemon (I think) sauce. I could only eat 1/2 of this awesomeness. We also got a side of augratin loaded potatoes and WOW. For dessert (since my friend's sister worked there we got hooked up) we had a slice of the cheesecake, chocolate mouse, key lime, and the baked alaska. Each were veryvery good... I thought the mouse to be a little bitter at first taste, but "licked" the little shell plate in the end. For a great show though the baked alaska was a great finale! A foot tall dessert comes out and is lite on fire and gives off a s'more smell and then cinnamon is thrown onto the flame to give sparks... the knife is heated up in the flame and then cut into halves. YUM!
(5)
Jennifer B.
This is a fantastic place! I went here with a group of girls from work for a working dinner. We were greeted and sat immediately with a smile. I was a bit nervous since I am not a big fish person. I have been getting more adventurous but almost an entire menu of fish was a bit overwhelming but I was willing to try. After spending some time reviewing the menu I finally selected what I determined to be my best option - Alaskan Halibut with some king of creamy bacon sauce (everything tastes better with bacon). LOL. My friends had ordered some whole fish which sounded delicious. We ordered two sides, the au gratin potatoes and a side of asparagus. The food arrived and mine appeared to be an entire Halibut, the server slowly poured some of the bacony goodness over my beautiful fish. The other two had their whole fish arrive table side with two servers who de-boned the fish in front of us perfectly. They timed it so nice that they almost finished at exactly the same time. I wonder how I can become an expert de-boner?! That was pretty cool. The food was fabulous, I can't say enough about it. They turned a fish hater into a fish lover. I would go back there in a heart beat to try the rest of the menu. Be ready to be wined and dined and waited on hand and foot. What a surreal experience. I highly recommend this place for a romantic dinner or a fun business outing. Please enjoy.
(4)
Roxy J.
Pretty good seafood! Prices on wine were a little high. The mussel appetizer was delicious. I had the mahi mahi for the main appetizer - very good! A table mate had the stuffed shrimp, she loved it. The dessert was okay. I would skip it. A little pricey overall, but delicious meal (except for dessert). Our service was great. We will definitely be asking for Wade in the future!
(4)
Hokie F.
Seafood in Denver? What was I thinking? More akin to a steakhouse vibe with toppings and sides ala The Palm. A bit overseasoned for my taste.
(3)
Theresa L.
Our meal and service was superb! My husband had a bacon steak. Yes, that's right, a big hunk of lovin BACON, before its sliced into those crispy breakfast strips. Not a steak wrapped in bacon, a steak OF bacon. Need we say more.
(5)
Larry R.
I have had better experiences at other Oceanaires. The food here was fair but definitely not worth the high prices. All the Oceanaires are high price but I felt I got better tasting food at other places. The fish was just not the best in terms of flavor. It was a little on the bland side. Also it took fifty minutes to get to our table! In addition my appetizer sat in full view on the counter while the wait person chatted with some people they knew or liked better than us because they ordered more expensive things? We won't be coming back.
(2)
Sungeeta A.
I had dinner here with my friend and we were both very impressed. I had the Black and Bleu swordfish, which was delicious. It had cajun spices, blue cheese, and caramalized onions. So flavorful! Slightly on the too salty side, though. For dessert we got the Baked Alaska, which they set on fire tableside! The meringue had a burnt caramel taste to it because of the fire, and it was amazing!! The chocolate cake part was pretty moist although not the best.
(4)
Lindsey K.
The location makes this a great spot for a Happy Hour app and drink before heading to the theater. My friend and I ordered crab cake bites, spicy tuna tartare, fish and chips and shrimp cocktail. I found their HH menu to be very heavy, with few choices for those trying to eat healthy. The 3 crab cake sliders were somewhat bland and seemed to contain a fair amount of filler. The tuna tartare was also lacking in punch. So much so that when I pulled up the menu online to write this review I was shocked that the word "spicy" was even in the name. I ordered it thinking it would be a healthy option and was sad that it came on top a heavily fried and still oily wonton. The shrimp cocktail was sizable, with 5 large prawns. Maybe I am used to the super nasal clearing powers of the cocktail sauce at Elway's, but I found theirs to be lacking in horseradish. The shrimp are boiled in some kind of seasoning, which may be a plus for some and not for others. My favorite dish was the fish and chips. Arguably the least healthy, it had 2 large pieces of fried fish and really delicious shoestring french fries. Service was fantastic at the bar and the hostesses seemed genuinely nice. I will likely give this place another try at some point, but with so many great restaurants in the area it's hard to justify a return trip based on my first impression: bland food.
(3)
Bryan M.
I know its a chain. I understand that. I didn't accidentally click the 4th star. This was no accident my friends. The only real reason I can't give them the 5th star is based solely on the fact that when I go to have fresh seafood in at Fino in SF or Ray's Cafe Seattle its a different experience. This place provided me with one of the best seafood experiences I've had... in my landlocked state of Colorado. There is a section of the menu with their constant favorites (i.e. the stuff you can get at each link in the chain), and then a section of locally sourced or at least locally crafted menu items. Things you can only get here. I liked the mixed approach. Their service is 7-star good, from the moment Marcia (sp?) met me at the front door. They knew my name, my guest's name... there was even a special printed menu for my friend Todd's birthday. Our server was fan-fuckin-tastic. After my experiences at Ambria and Oceanaire recently, I'm beginning to re-think my shitty attitude towards service in Denver. We started with the crab cake - near perfect. Not much filler. No chunks of celery or onion mucking up things. The jumbo shrimp cocktail is the low-light of the meal for me. Large, but dry and sort of tasteless shrimp. Thankfully the house made cocktail sauce had a lot of punch. I ordered the Diver Scallops (Oscar style). Todd had the Blackened Mahi. We shared an order of the cheesy bacon potatoes au gratin. Good portion of potatoes. Great melted crust on top. We meant to actually try each other's food at some point but independently finished our dishes, looked up and said, 'Sorry, dude.' Scallops were great. They brought a baked Alaska for Todd's birthday, which was nice... although I was promised a mariachi band and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"
(4)
Brittany B.
If loving a restaurant is wrong, I don't want to be right... I stepped into the lobby this evening and remembered just how much I love this place. The decor, the people, the food, the wine... My parents and I arrived a touch early for our early dinner reservation (they like to eat right after they get off work) and we were welcomed with smiles, sat, and immediately attended to. Everyone was very attentive without making us feel rushed. My mom enjoys asking a lot of questions, which were answered in a friendly and knowledgeable fashion. To be honest, I usually get embarrassed by her inquiries, but tonight we felt well taken care of and that no question was trivial or silly. We ordered a bottle of wine, followed by another of the same that nonetheless tasted just a bit different, still good but just different than the first (perhaps another batch from the same year) and after our server ensured we were satisfied with the second bottle though it wasn't identical to the first, she immediately delivered fresh wine glasses to each person so the tastes wouldn't mingle. We ordered a few oysters and she was happy to help us decide which to order based on our taste preferences. She also suggested the Shrimp and Grits appetizer, which is apparently one of their signature dishes, and it was fabulous. The portion of calamari for RW was smaller than in years past, but the quality was still superb. The clam chowder was beautifully done. The yellowtail sliders were fine, but not outstanding in any way (they weren't mine, but my dad loved them). On to the main courses: Rockfish with grits, fried asparagus, and barbecue sauce -- delicious! Fish cooked perfectly, the "BBQ sauce" was very light and added a slight kick to the dish, the grits were wonderful... and the portion was enough for me to have leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. I will gladly re-live this meal tomorrow... My dad ordered the trout with brie and crab. (this was my second choice, but I'm glad I went with the rockfish) Tasty but very rich and the brie kind of overpowered the bite I had. He was happy with it though and also had enough for a leftover meal. My mom ordered the clams, which had mussels intermingled, which she enjoyed. Dessert was great, if a little much for all that we'd already had. I didn't try the key lime pie, but the cheesecake with strawberries was wonderful and the chocolate mousse was delightful. Restaurants: THIS is how you do Restaurant Week! Take care of your patrons, allow them a leisurely experience, and put your best foot (food) forward. I'm a little sad I've only been once per year... I may have to splurge and return before DRW next year...
(5)
shea s.
I can am a seafood fanatic. I don't mind spending the money if it is good food. This is, in my opinion, the best sea food in Denver and surrounding area. I have been to all of the seafood restaurants in the area and not only does this one have the best, perfectly cooked, unique recipe, and exceptional taste, but the service was some of the best I have ever had.
(5)
Deb S.
Best fish restaurant I have ever been to. Possibly the best restaurant in Denver. The waitress my partner and I had was great. The meal incredible. The wine pairing delicious. I will be back
(5)
Shana W.
My first experience at Oceanaire will be my last. I was expecting mediocre, overpriced food with decent service. That's about what I got, though I was still surprised at how lacking the food and service were. My $40 plate of scallops was described as including beet greens. I had no idea that meant 1 tablespoon of beet microgreens sprikled over five scallops. The scallops were fine, but nothing more than I could have purchased at Whole Foods and made at home. The tomato mozzarella salad was good, but doused in italian dressing that tasted like it came straight out of a Sysco tub o' dressing. My companions were similarly unimpressed with their dishes. Tiny portions of mediocre fish and awkwardly composed side dishes. And the desserts were Cheesecake Factory style mega desserts with so much sugar you couldn't taste anything else. No nuance, no originality. Just an onslaught of sweet. What was really confusing was the service. It was earnest, but very awkward. A lengthy spiel was apparently necessary to explain the menu to us to start us off. I shouldn't need an explanation of how a menu works. Is it a list of food? Can I pick something and have you bring it to me? If it's more complicated than that, the concept needs a makeover. But that wasn't the waiter's fault. What kept standing out was repeated holes in the service. My iced tea disappeared during the middle of my meal, reappearing 10 minutes later. They forgot to bring utensils before the grand presentation of the birthday dessert, leaving it to sit and melt for 5-10 minutes after it was blown out. They removed someone's half-eaten dish without asking if she'd like a box and it went into the trash (though they graciously made an entire new dish for her to take home after she asked about it). The valets informed several people that they had to get their cars by 10pm because that's when the valet closed (which would have cut our dinner short by an hour, though the manager overruled them). None of this was egregious, but for the amount of money we spent, I expect much more. I ate at Oak in Boulder the previous night, got twice as much food, three times the flavor, and four times the service for less money.
(2)
Brian S.
Visited Oceanaire for 5280 week. The food was excellent, service was first class and overall our experience was 4 star. We will return for more. The fish was fresh and the steaks as tender as they come.
(5)
steve j.
This place is consistently great. The fish is the freshest in town and the service is impeccable. Our maître d even loaned me some change for the parking meter, and the wait staff are cordial and attentive. We had the mixed grill and the "fin and shell" fish stew, which are their classics. Both are fantastic.
(5)
Steven H.
Still a terrific place. Had a light dinner that started with a mix of Fanny Bay and Clear Creek oysters, both from British Columbia. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Then I had the best wedge salad I have eaten this year - the blue cheese dressing is amazing. Finished with the appetizer-sized crab cake, which was all sweet lump crabmeat and not a stingy portion, either. Service was friendly and very competent. Not a cheap meal, but in this case I got what I paid for. Left a happy man!
(4)
Steven M.
Ate at Ocenaire a few weeks back before the Opera. I had eaten at their Minneapolis location years ago and remember it being very good. This one was not as good, unfortunately. We were seated quickly which was nice and had reasonably attentive service. We ordered some oysters and entrees and asked the server to make sure it was prompt since we had a show to catch. At this point I think we had 90 minutes, so I figured we were good. Unfortunately, everything took forever to come out. We finished up and paid only 10 minutes before curtain! The food was pretty middling. Maybe it was because they were busy, but the fish I had was oversalted and a bit over cooked. My Girl's fish was slightly better, but nothing we couldn't outdo at home, honestly. As you know this place is outrageously expensive, but doesn't live up to the level in the quality of the food. I won't be back, especially given that Ocean Prime is only a couple blocks away and an order of magnitude better on every dimension.
(2)
Denice R.
I've been to Oceanaire in Washington D.C., several times, so I was excited to try the one in Denver. It was 5280 Restaurant Week, so we went with the price fixed menu. We did order one item off the menu (crab cake), which was the best part of the meal. I was not impressed with the Caesar salad nor the main entree (fried Colorado striped bass with Blue Cheese Grits, Fresno Hot Sauce). Actually, I didn't enjoy the grits at all and I love grits. Dessert (key lime pie) was delicious as usual and the service was impeccable. Overall, if I never eat at Oceanaire again, I will be just fine.
(3)
Andreas H.
OK, so our second trip to Oceanaire was during Denver Restaurant Week 2009. It went a little something like this: The Superb: The mussels appetizer in a white wine/curry sauce. Fantastic! It probably helps that it is the height of mussel season, but they were truly delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection! The service was great and the gratis appetizer of sourdough bread and pickle-plate is always a nice touch. The Average: I had a Mahi Mahi entree that was good, but truly forgettable. The saving grace was that it was cooked perfectly. The Horrid: Dessert. Seriously, I want my calories back. We didn't even complete our desserts. The "New York Style" cheesecake was a crustless square of goo. Oh yeah, not even set up. It tasted like it was out of a box. My wife's dessert, Key Lime Pie, also tasted similar. It barely had any citrus taste at all, but at least it was set. BONUS: We had some $6 a glass Sangiovese that was actually pretty awesome! YAY! It would have been a 3.5 if it had not been for the dessert, which put it to a 2.5, but I settled on a 3.
(3)
Jian C.
I was there last Saturday night with two friends. We wanted to change to a seafood restaurant, because we had too much meat the previous evening. We ordered three appetizers: snail, clam, and oyster. All very good. For entrees, we had diver scallops, whole Colorado bass, and icelandic arctic charr. All very fresh and taste delicious. I am giving a 4 instead of 5, because the scallops come with too small size, or maybe it's because we did not order side with it. Recommended if you are visiting Denver. It is rare to have so fresh seafood in the mile-high-city.
(4)
Nicole M.
I made reservations and they asked if it was a special occasion. I let them know it was our anniversary and when we arrived we were greeted quickly and shown to our table. The menu was personalized with the date and "Happy 21st Anniversary" to take along as a souvenir. Pretty cool. The place wasn't packed and the staff was extremely attentive. My husband ordered the appetizer crab cakes that were out of this world!!! 95% crab compared to the cheesy crab cakes at other restaurants that are all bread. I had a seafood trio platter for the main entree. The food was fantastic. We haven't had seafood this good since a trip to the Northwest Coast. A nice touch was a free dessert - a tall baked Alaska - for our anniversary! Showed up at the table and set afire. Nice touch. We were stuffed, but it was delicious! I have heard some negative reviews about bad service, etc. You need to let them know ahead of time if you are on your way to a show (Performing Arts center directly across the street). It avoids the hassle if you let them know when making reservations or even when you arrive. We will definitely go again. Parking is available in the Performing Arts garage or on the street.
(4)
Sarah S.
This is always a great meal. We come back again and again.
(4)
Mary Jo S.
Over the holidays, Ms. M, my theater partner, and I ate at Oceanaire before Jersey Boys. She made the reservations and told them we were celebrating my b-day a few weeks late. Entering Oceanaire sets the stage for a great dinner as it is lit low, has a beautiful bar with colored bottles glowing in the darkness, and dark paneled dining rooms offering intimate dining. We were seated and handed a daily menu (I love this feature as it tells you what fish were flown in that day) and to my surprise the menu had a Happy B-day MJ message printed at the top. Our server told us the daily special which we barely heard as we knew we were going to split the Grand Shellfish Platter. I had a cup of the clam chowder before our meal which was so rich and tasty. And then it arrived, a giant snow cone of ice filled with all kinds of seafood treats: lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, shrimp, oh my. 4 small bowls of sauce were placed between us and we were in dining heaven. As Ms. M and I sat back in satisfaction, our server then comes to the table with a towering desert compliments of the house for my b-day. It is Baked Alaska and she lights it on fire and taps her serving implements to make cinnamon fire sparkles. How special is that? It is pretty special I say and to top it off, the menu was rolled up and tied with a bow and presented to me as a gift accompanied with a birthday card signed by the staff. Now we are talking special!!!! All in all a great meal and a perfect celebration. Another big plus is that Oceanaire is only a block away from the theater so a nice stroll after dinner gets us there in time for the show. So, this is a 5 star experience. And I should give Oceanaire 5 stars. However, the prices are so outrageous that I expect Oceanaire to give this type of service and for the food to be over the top at all times. Sometimes it is not 100% and for that one less star.
(4)
Lauren D.
I came here for the second time with my boyfriend for his birthday about a month ago. The first experience back in October was all around phenomenal! I usually don't venture out to corporate restaurants but we were a big party and majority vote. The second time I came in a month ago for my bfs bday was also good...but only thanks to our AMAZING waitor Wade. We had called ahead, as it was a Sunday and we weren't sure how busy they would be. We were told a reservation at 8pm was not needed and for us to come right in. When we came in (mind you we're a couple in our 20's dressed casual) the hostess was extremely rude and almost degrading! She was an older woman and the other hostess was young and kind. But the older hostess was appalled we didn't have a reservation even though we explained we were told one was not needed (and it didn't appear to be busy at all!) The older hostess even waved us to the side out of the doorway, we would not have even stayed at this point but it was his birthday and those crab cakes are to die for!!! When we were finally seated our waitor, I believe his name was Wade (an older gentleman, VERY professional and classe) greeted us promptly. Wade was without a doubt one of the best servers I have ever had. I have been a server myself for over ten years in various establishments from Chicago to Miami and now in Denver and he was the cream of the crop! I was in a pissy mood from the bitchy hostess and he turned it all around with his quick wit and excellent recommendations! He was both personable and hilarious to talk to! I could tell he was reading us from the get-go and based on our conversation, he was able to provide an excellent dining experience. His wine pairings with specific dishes was on point! We left happy, full and content with a wonderful birthday dinner. I would recommend Oceanaire if you have a special celebration or a little extra money to spend. Wade, you did a fantastic job and we will ask for you again soon! To the bitchy hostess lady, do not judge a book by its cover and learn to treat every guest with the utmost respect. You never know, we may just be YOUR boss one day.
(4)
Jen G.
I was terribly disappointed, and I *love* the Oceanaire in DC. The one in Denver had the worst service I have ever experienced. I had to order my drink 3 times before the waitress brought it over; we had to get up and refill our own water glasses; and no one bussed our table. In fact, when our entrees arrived, the food runner had to push aside dirty dishes from our appetizers and salads (he didn't take the dirty dishes, mind you). The food was surprisingly marginal. The crabcake appetizer and the salads were good (although the salads were extremely finely chopped, as though prepared for a very young child). My fish entree was overcooked. For dessert, I ordered the milk and cookies, which is my favorite at the DC restaurant. The cookies came out completely burnt. As in, charred black hockey pucks. The waitress expressed surprise when I told her they were inedible. The manager came over to tell us that it's hard to find good dessert chef in Denver, which a) yeah right, and b) it's not hard to set a timer for cookies. They charged us for the inedible cookies anyway. The service was so terrible, and the price so high, that I actually wrote to the manager. He wrote back and asked for my phone number so that he could discuss my dining experience...and then never called me or responded to my follow-up email. My take-away: this place doesn't care how they treat you, so long as you pay them a lot of money. Go to Jax instead. Heck, go to the Bonefish Grill.
(2)
Michael C.
My wife and I ate here on October 15th with another couple who were attending a trade show at the nearby convention center. Most folks will know, as we did, that this a pretty pricey restaurant. I don't mind a little pricey but prices here - $14 for a plain margarita - are, in my opinion, overboard. I had a steak and shrimp dish that fell far below my expectations - especially for the money. The filet had already been sliced into 4-5 small slices - I'll have to take their word for the fact that it was 6 ounces. The shrimp were very small for the price - my guess is that they'd fall into the 36-40 per pound variety - and my plate had 5-6 of them. My wife had a salmon that she said was very good. We split a side salad and our table split several side dishes that were good but nothing to write home about. Places like this where nothing's included - when the food quantity and quality do not impress - are just flat-out way overpriced - period.. There are enough folks with enough money to keep the owners of these type of establishments strolling to the banks with big fat smiles on but personally, I'd prefer to enjoy better quality and value over trying to impress my client or friends.
(3)
Peter L.
I should have known better than to eat seafood in Colorado. Had the clam chowder for appetizer and I think Campbell's soup tasted better. For entree, I had the scallops with braised short rib, weird combination, I think this is their idea of surf&turf. The scallops was slightly overcooked and flavor was bland. The braised short rib was dry. Both of which I was disappointed. I don't have much to say about this place but just a mediocre seafood restaurant but I was in the city for work so this meal was expense-able, because I will not want to pay for this meal.
(2)
Katy P.
Excellent service & amazing food. We wanted fresh and delicious, and we were not disappointed. Our waitress, Tina, knew the whole menu and very kindly educated us on the fish & any items we were unfamiliar with. Crab cakes were amazing, plus lobster & Swordfish Louie, finished off with fruit crisp and Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie. A GREAT experience.
(5)
Sarah J.
This is the most pretentious place i have ever been! The food was not good. Portions were small and the taste was bland. $200 later for only 3 of us for stuff we werent impressed with, I will never be back here!
(1)
Dayton R.
This was my first visit to the Denver Oceanaire; I have been to two other locations, Orlando and San Diego and have always been impressed with the service and food. We had tuna and crab cakes and both were very good after that things went downhill; the service was terrible our waiter hardly visited our table and our potatoes were served cold. We spoke to the manager and she did not charge us for the potatoes and comped us desert. When we ordered our desert our waiter said they were large and should order only one.
(3)
justin d.
this will be a easy review, the food was awsome, the service was great and the liquor selection is nuts! the birthday dessert they brought out was huge and words could not explain how it tasted!
I went to Oceanaire expecting a first-class seafood dining experience, which is hard to come by in Denver. What a LETDOWN! My partner's side-dish was very visibly dirty. The food was mediocre, not bad-- but I would have expected much better. My entree (Ono) was cooked unevenly, with one piece medium rare and the other piece well done (and tougher as a result). Calamari as an appetizer was also mediocre and relatively tough. Key Lime pie for dessert tasted like a jello pudding mix-- again, not bad, but I've had better Key Lime pie out of the grocer's freezer. The only pluses were the bread, the atmosphere, and the service. But when a restaurant charges $30+ per entree, the food better be spectacular in my opinion. The quality to dollar ratio was really poor I thought, and I will not be returning.
(2)
Michelle B.
I dined at the Oceanaire in DC and loved the vintage supper club feel of the place and the incredible service- the kind that mostly disappeared 30 years ago with the advancement of our fast food culture. My first visit to the Denver location didn't dissapoint. The deep red booths, white table cloths and the rich wood all took me back in time. The only thing that could have made it even more retro would be a giant fish tank with a showgirl 'mermaid' swimming inside. Our waiter was so attentive, charming and very knowledgeable about the menu. I was with two other ladies and we shared what I now refer to as the "Seafood Extravaganza"- a floral arrangement-like gathering of all the best the sea has to offer. A screaming deal at about $50. We ordered that plus the au gratin potato side and a side of the largest stalks of asparagas I think I've ever eaten. By the end we were completely stuffed, but somehow had enough room to split a creme brulee. It was one of those meals where you leave the place completely satisfied- all your hopes were fufilled, all your desires granted. Excellent service, excellent food and I'm still hoping for that giant fish tank. I'd even volunteer to be the mermaid, as long as the feed me!
(5)
Katie S.
The food was good but NOT worth the price. Got the calamari top pieces were decent size but then got to just fried pieces of breading. Sauce served with it made it taste like basic chinese food. Lobster tail over cooked definetly not worth 70 dollars. I still am not happy i paid so much for a meal that was not worth it. Not going back
(2)
Paul B.
Great seafood selection (best in Denver). Overpriced. Service is relaiable. Not personal.
(4)
Joanne L.
It's been a while since I ate here but I remember it being pretty good. The calamari here was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice. The waiter was very knowledgable and polite. The only thing I didn't like too much was the au gratin potatoes. The potatoes were undercooked so they were a little hard. Everything else was amazing.
(4)
Edward T.
Sadly to say, my favorite meal I had during restaurant week came from a chain restaurant. This place was packed on a wednesday night during restaurant week. Everything we had here was spot on and a great value. To start the meal they bring you pickled herring with crudite which was complimentary and very good . We got some east coast oysters which were not on the $52.80 menu but worth every penny. Calamari was thick cut but still very tender. I had the trout and my wife had the tuna. The tuna was simply amazing.... seared and still cold in the middle. The portion was beyond generous. Seriously would have been enough or two people. for dessert, go with the key lime pie....perfection. Also they also had a special $26.40 selection of wines. We went with cali chardonnay which went great with the seafood. It was our table neighbor's B-day, they gave her a baked alaska on the house which was very impressive. I'm saying its my B-day net time I'm there. This is the best seafood I've had in Denver.... Better than Jax, sushi sasa, and the fresh fish co. GB fish and chips and star kitchen come close though.
(5)
Jennifer L.
Okay I went to the Oceanaire in Seattle and I wasn't sure Colorado could compete but I was wrong. We stopped in for happy hour and were greeted by a helpful and cheerful hostess...Samantha. Sat at the bar which was pretty full as they have plenty of business for happy hour 7 days a week. We were severed by Keeli and let me tell you she can make a great martini w/ champagne worth the taste. Also the crab cake was delicious plenty of flavor and full of blue crab and not full of filler only CRAB. The salad was the perfect compliment with blue cheese and crispy granny smith apples. Hat off to head chef Matt. You sure did bring the Seattle Oceanaire to Colorado.
(5)
Daniel L.
Food was ok. You're paying mostly for a fine dining experience. The waiters remind me of car salesmen but with food.
(3)
Emily L.
This review is for happy hour at the bar only. I've heard the restaurant is fine but I don't know. Anyway, happy hour: the bartender told me that well drinks were half off and yet when the bill came for my rum and coke it was still $6. Really? So $12 is the regular price for a well rum and coke? What a rip off. I also ordered food from the bar menu, I got the fish and chips. Basically two over breaded fish-stick sized pieces of fish (and the fish was nothing spectacular) and a handful of fries for $9. I mean, I get it, it's happy hour, I'm at the bar, but I still feel like it was a lot of money for nothing.
(2)
Jessica K.
I dined out at three different locations for resturant week, and this one was by far the best! Though 5280 seemed to overwhelm other resturants, Oceanaire seemed on top of it. Staff was timely, polite, and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic! I really felt like I got a great value, as the regular menu is pricey. Still, I'll return even w/o 5280, as I was that impressed, and it's SO convenient for the theater!
(5)
Nate A.
So I took my wife for her birthday to this location of their chain and it was very good, but....The reason I choose this place is because I ate at their location in Miami when I was there on business. The food, service, etc. were all amazing and out of this world, in Miami. As for Denver, the design is very cool in color (and temp), the service was good but while I told the first person to our table it was my wife's birthday it was not passed along to anyone else, nor did the host ask. Anywhere else not a big deal but if they expect you to drop $200 on dinner they need to be asking the questions and passing the information. The escargots were a great app and were uniquely prepared, tasted really good. We both had the Black n Bleu bass special as I had had my fish prepared that way in Miami and it was excellent. To bad the fish was way overseasoned, the butter hard as a rock, and the fish overcooked this time. We still enjoyed it but sorry for $38 per 6oz of fish it has got to be perfect, and I mean perfect. The fish they choose doesn't work well with that heavy of a seasoning, it should be a thicker fish to allow more of the intense flavors to be offset by the meat of the fish, all in my opinion of course. We had a potato side dish which was reasonablly priced and tasted good. So I guess what my problem is with this place is they are just too expensive, we usually go to McCormick's but I wanted her to try this place instead. I am sorry I choose that as I felt the prices they charge are outrageous. We were dissapointed to learn that Landry's (who owns this place) bought McCormick's seafood chain, they truly are great and reasonably priced. One last ax to grind on this restaurant is the horrible music they have, you are spending an outrageous amount of money for a small piece of fish and you are listening to what sounds like teenage pop music mixed with club beats, seriously I guess I just belong at Morton's or McCormick's for special occasions (I am only 36 so not to old to like some of today's music)....anyway save your money and eat elsewhere, just not worth it (maybe the bar is, it looked like some good deals on drinks/apps/oysters)....
(2)
Tatyana G.
We went there for 528o to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We had 7 adults and 4 kids in our party. 3 of us came a little bit earlier so we hit the bar. I don't drink and was pleased with a nice person at the bar who kept my water refilled and cold. For dinner we were seated in the corner which was a great place with kids. We were able to keep them away from other patrons. A very cute gesture is to have a menu with birthday boy's name on it. When we came the restaurant was almost empty and I made a comment about it. Spoke too soon! withing about 30 minutes they were almost full. The service was not the best. Probably, because they were packed. It was hard to get our waiter's attention, he kept forgetting things. Ok, we can understand. Then the food came. For first course some of us had calamari (very good) or clam chowder (could be better). I was the only one who had beet/feta cheese salad. It was light and tasty. For main course my husband and I ordered trout. Mine was great. My husband was not impressed with his. My friend ordered trout also but her's was full of bones. I never had this problem. People that ordered steak were surprized by the size of it. It was small! Well, it was 5280. Dessert was ok. Waiter made an excellent suggestion what to order for kids. Why only 3 stars? Well, the next day almost everyone had a stomach pain. Since we all had different food it was hard to pinpoint what caused it. I would go back there so I can be honest with my review but I don't think it would be very soon.
(3)
Rick R.
Every aspect met highest expectations-all on a busy New Year's Eve! Every dish delivered timely, fresh, perfectly cooked, well-sized, flavorful, and with unique presentation. Highest marks to the Field Greens Salad, Stuffed Idaho Rainbow Trout (stuffed with succulent crab meat, shrimp, and brie, in a white wine burre blanc - yum!), Petite Surf & Turf (with a sub of crab cake for the warm-water lobster tail, as cold-water is much better for lobster), and an exquisite Rice Pilaf. Superb Service: Seated on time (on a holiday!). Fully attentive but not intrusive, knowledgable and helfpul (especially with the advice on the surf & turf sub), and made us at home - no rush depsite it being New Year's Eve! A Bargain! The 1/2-size sides matched full-size at comparable a-la-carte style restaurants. The overall price was 15% below similar meals at comparable restaurants. I have raved to friends, and look forward to returning! This is now in my top 5, with the likes of Capital Grille, Roy's, and Morton's. When I'm in the mood for a top-notch seafood meal, this will be a first consideration.
(5)
Thomas S.
I found The Oceanaire to be very underwhelming. The service was great, but the food was very average. My salmon was overcooked and had little flavor. My wife had shrimp and cheese grits, which were comforting, but hardly anything that will bring me back. The BLT salad was very watery and the dressing had little flavor - the highlight was easily the bacon. The clam chowder was good - but I've had equally delightful chowder from a can. The desserts were good, but they did little with the presentation. I had a key lime pie, which was okay. I found the retro decor of the establishment to be cheesy bordering on creepy. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)
Dale P.
I am surprised at the number of unhappy customers recently. We had never been before, but went in for Denver restaurant week. For those from out of town, the promotion is that a restaurant serves full meal for two people for $52.80. We met some friends and had overpriced small cocktails at the bar. I say overpriced, but they were actually a normal price for downtown, but could have been larger for the price. Got our table and were promptly served fresh bread, butter, and a relish tray. The promotional dinner had a number of choices for the first course. There were appetizers, salads, soup to choose from. My partner order calamari, and he got the best deal. I had a crab cake slider and a small salad. It was very good, but I sure liked the calamari better. The main course had a choice from salmon, charr, mahi mahi, tuna, trout, top sirloin. We also ordered a side of mashed for the table. On their menu, things are al a carte. We ordered the charr, and it came with creamed spinach and fried fennel, the server recommended that we order the potatoes, and they were good, but probably would not have missed them had we not ordered them. Dessert was a choice of key lime pie, chocolate mousse, or new york style cheesecake. It was all delicious. Servings a bit smaller, but the price is right and it was plenty of food for us. The service was exceptional, and everyone really works together to make sure everything goes smoothly. Wish we could afford to go more.
(5)
Mopsie B.
This is as good as it gets in Denver. Yes, Oceanaire is a chain, but it happens to be an excellent one. The vibe is old-school, the managers and hosts are all spiffied up and the servers wear crisp white jackets. The seafood is flown in fresh, daily and you pay for it here. But what wouldn't any self-respecting bon vivant pay for a well-made cocktail with his lobster? Factor in the AMAZING sourdough bread, well stocked wine list and the vanilla dixie cups for dessert and you've got yourself a winner. We've been twice and have yet to be disappointed. Oh- bonus points to "Christo" the waiter on Saturday night. Hilarious.
(4)
Brandon M.
Loved the swordfish, very fresh seafood. Key lime pie was very authentic.
(5)
Laura B.
More like a 4.5....I need to go back there more often. My BF and I went about a year ago and spent a ton of money: ordered lobster, crab, bacon steak, oyesters, wine.....we went all out! I think our tab was around $350?? We have not gone back since and went last night for the clam bake bucket that Monica had written about. 'We decided to sit at the bar, because they have happy hour even on the weekends. I started with a great dirty martini (blue cheese olives) and then we moved on to a bottle of syrah that was on special for $20.10. Great deal!! We had some oysters, and some of the best spicy tuna tartar I have ever had!!! We then shared the lobster bucket that came with soup and salad....so much food!!!! The bucket was large with clams, mussels a whole lobster, taters, and corn. We had an amazing meal and with apps, drinks, wine, for around $100, much more reasonable! The also had several other specials for $29 3 course meals...great options! I have to go back and try that halibut t-bone! It is nice to know this place can be afforable (if you dont go with the delish $40 lb crab legs...Ill save those for a special occasion). The service is also great, both bartenders rocked! We will be back soon!
(4)
Corbin G.
Best Filet Mignon I have ever had in my life. Had it Medium/Medium Rare. Oscar style with Bearnaise sauce. Melted like butter in my mouth!
(5)
AnneMarie C.
Great for kids. I wanted to try the food because of the great yelp reviews, but was scared away because of the note: good for kids=no. That's just crazy. I called to check whether they could accommodate us with our kids and the host assured me they loved kids. This place was fantastic for our (fairly well-behaved) 2 & 5 year old. Toys for the kids; a comprehensive, if somewhat expensive, kids menu; and an outstandingly kind waitstaff. The manager came to our table before dessert to ask of the kids wanted to see some big lobsters. He took us back to the kitchen and gave us quite a show, putting a lobster to sleep by petting it. My kids were amazed and loved the experience.
(5)
Jerry S.
Not sure what all the hype is about. Went there because of all the good reviews...I was quite disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Had good service but the seafood was not so fresh. I could have caught them on a bad night. Saturday must be a slow day for them. A bit overpriced too.
(2)
Paul R.
It is great that Denver has a first class seafood restaurant in a sea of steakhouses. While I agree that the mark up on the wine is very high and the prices for the food are high, I think it is well worth the visit. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. The host staff can be a bit snobby but the servers are spectacular. The highlights of our visits have been ((1)) the shellfish platter (cold platter with a ton of fresh seafood- excellent and filling) ((2)) the crab cakes (mostly crab-- not bread crumbs) ((3)) the monkfish ((4)) the alaskan crab legs (I have never had such fresh, remarkable crab legs) ((4)) the trout simply prepared and ((5)) last but certainly not least, the Tuna. I asked for it extremely rare and they offered to serve it to me sushi style. This was the best tuna I have had in Colorado since we visited a fishmarket in Tokyo a few years ago. 10 ozs of pure heaven. Other nice touches: the veggie and pickled herring platter that come before the meal (gotta love a place that has pickled herring!), wonderful amuse-bouche before meals, chocolate candies to take home on valentines day, health pours for a glass of wine, etc... Things to note: the sides items are pretty heavy and not the highlight of the menu- I would skip them. parking can be a pain but they have valet, make reservations- can be packed, the desserts have not been that impressive but I am also not big on baked alaska... Overall- this is one restauran that I will keep going back to
(5)
c k n.
This was certainly one of the best dining experiences I've had. I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, using an online service (free) to make my reservation and even request a dessert for her (cheesecake, which I found they usually carry anyway, but which was also very good). The server we had was very friendly and knowledgeable, recommending fantastic dishes and the appropriate amount of each. We got the escargot for an appetizer, which was great, and for our mains we ordered the stuffed trout and crab cakes, both of which were absolutely superb. (I've had some fantastic, homemade crab cakes at a friend's house on the Chesapeake in Virginia, where they catch blue crabs, and these were on par with those: lots of actual crab meat, less breading). Dessert was also fantastic: we had the aforementioned cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries as well as a Baked Alaska....YUM. Ambiance was nice, service was excellent, the food absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. Fantastic! Recommended to anyone who likes seafood and wants a great meal in a classy restaurant.
(5)
Moon L.
I was super excited to go last night since I won the fb contest. My husband and I have been waiting for a chance to go back since our last visit. This place never disappoints! The oysters were so yummy and buttery and our bartender was incredibly accommodating and sweet. We plan on coming back again soon. Thank you OASFR!
(5)
Ken S.
Well the wifie poo got a nother year old today and her choice for b-day dinning was The Oceanaire in Lodo...Nice choice babe....Our server was Chad and what a great night we had from the food to the service. Wifie had the Fijian Tombo Tuna and I the Pacific Swordfish....awsome... add the saffron rice pilaf and fried green beans and we were off to the moon...First we had the Prince Edward Island Mussels with a bottle of Pinot Grigio ...just great..a martinni and a Bye Bye Mai Tai to keep us company until the meals came...and about every 3 minutes we had waitstaff or management checking on us...A G M Phillip greated us at the table as we were seated and checked back at least 5 times to assure the we completely satisfied...and you know that goes a long way with me. The recomended late harvest ice wine with the compted Baked Alaska rounded out the feast...The Baby Spinach Salad with a warm Bacon Vinegrette shall not go un-mentioned...so much going on...but that salad was yummy times 10...Top to bottom...a night to be remembered... Thanks Oceanaire....when Momas happy...everybodies happy.. And Try to keep me away ... the Breeze loved it all...
(5)
William L.
Excellent food and service. Wine prices are very high for the quality.
(4)
Lowell M.
What a FANTASTIC restaurant. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted by friendly, professional and caring staff. You really feel welcome. What a surprise to actually get seated at the time of your reservation. The waitress was so nice and attentive. The wine glass never went dry without being asked if we wanted another nor the water glass filled as it got low. The only thing better than the staff and ambiance was the AWESOME food. I highly recommend the mussels and the blue marlin. If you are not a fish lover, the steak is absolutely out of this world. The side dishes are HUGE so you only need to order 1 and split it. Finish off the evening with their baked Alaska and you will be talking about the dinner for months.
(5)
Justin F.
I usually eat here for happy hour and its one of my favorites. There is definately better deals around, but Oceanaire is classy and the food is great. I usually order ahi tuna sliders, oysters, mussles or trout off of the happy hour menu for six dollars. The drink specials are ok at $6 for martini and select wines $7 however sometimes they have beers for $3 depending on what is left over from private parties. All in all if you love seafood and want to go some where nice oceanaire is the spot.
(5)
Archer D.
Expensive for Denver, but then again the seafood is spectacolor. And their portions of seafood are huge, don't bother with appitizers or sides, which our waitor was pretty honest about. Their lavender tuna was awesome! Wines were expensive, but they give you a very healthy poor. Cool art deco ambience, kind of reminded me of a mix of miami and the grand center oyster bar.
(5)
Dan B.
People, what is wrong with you? Don't stare at me with that stupid look like you don't know what i'm talking about. Oceanaire is dog meat. I truly can't understand it. I was minding my own business last night when a buddy invited me to join our mutual friends for 5280 week at Oceanaire. Because my wife was working late and there was nothing in the fridge i decided to blow $26.50 and give Dog-shit-aire one more chance. You see i'd eaten there three previous times and each time it sucked. Each time i went back i was HOPING to get a good experience as i would love to have a great fish place to frequent in D-town. But it's that kind of thing where, as time transpires, you forget just how bad a place was. Some strange malaise comes back over you and all of the sudden you find yourself thinking you actually might "like" this place and maybe YOU were the problem. It's like trying to get out of a bad relationship. Well, anyway, we get there and it's F-ing packed because apparently most of Denver enjoys the taste of Goodyear tires. I will admit the bar area is cool, but beyond that there's not much to salvage. At the recommendation of the General Manager we all ordered the same thing. Yup, five grown men all eating the exact same thing (lame)...black and blue marlin. It's hard to say whether or not this piece of fish actually started out with any flavor because it was drier than a fabric softener sheet. Unfortunately in hindsight i would've much preferred the taste of Downey over this thing on my plate they told me was fish. It pretty much looked like a deformed bar of soap and tasted, well, it had no taste. The error i made was actually trying to eat the whole thing, As if somehow i would start to enjoy it as my jaw went numb from chewing each bite 143 times. To make matters worse, the water service simply was non-existent. So i tried washing each bite down with a gulp of wine. Well, this was clearly a bad idea as i had started the night with two martinis. Before dinner was over i'm pretty sure i blacked out from the Super Tuscan (Terrible pairing with Marlin, thanks crappy a-hole, dummy waiter) we were drinking. I don't remember going home ( i didn't drive) and woke up in the bathtub at 4 am. Now here i am, at work pissed off because the only thing i have to show for that horrible meal is a hangover. OH, and by the way, who the hell do you think you are charging $8 for Valet, Ocean-dog-shit?? This isn't fucking Manhanttan or San Francisco. Fuck you, Ocean-Alpo-aire! See you in six months.
(1)
Kyrie C.
My husband and I came for our 10th anniversary and love love love this place. First of all, they printed special menus for us to keep with "Happy 10th Anniversary" at the top. The food was exquisite ... The crab cake is amazing, and the seafood is super fresh. Our server, Kyle, was topnotch. He even surprised us with a special dessert -- baked Alaska! If you haven't had it before, try it for the presentation of it (plus, it's yummy).. We will definitely be back and absolutely recommend this restaurant!
(5)
Chris H.
Last week my wife and I went out for a nice dinner compliments of my Mom, it was her treat given to us as a Valentine's Day present. Mom would probably drop dead if she new the final cost of this meal but I know for sure she would have enjoyed every last bite!!! I wanted to mention this because I do think it is important. I just read a review someone wrote about The Oceanaire that was not too favorable and I find it very surprising. I have never heard someone complain this much about a coat check. How was this so offensive? Coat check is pretty normal at an upper end restaurant? I thought it was a nice touch when they took my jacket for free? Keep up the good work! I have to say that the food was fantastic!! We had a selection of Oysters for the 1st course, the oysters were chosen by our waitress who was nice enough to give us a selection of the days catch. She also recommended a great bottle of wine, good enough to order a second! The salad we had was amazing as well, one item I usually like better at home. Not this one though, the Apple Fritter Salad will cause the biggest of meat eaters to fall in love... So after a nice bottle of wine, some oysters and a delicious salad our entries arrived to our delight. The only thing I was unhappy about was that I could not eat my dinner and my wife's dinner at the same time. This was a great meal!!!! I had the Big Eyed Tuna medium rare and it was perfect, my wife had the stuffed trout and it was out of this world. Both of us ate every bite even though they were huge servings, great food does that to us. The sides we had were excellent as well, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with holindase sauce. Succulent to say the least!!! For dessert we had the Key Lime Pie that can convert the biggest of Key Lime Pie haters. Another item that was just amazing and large enough for 4 people to share. My wife and I took the leftovers home and had pie 2 more times that week. So please do not runaway when they ask to take your coat!! Give in and enjoy a great dinning experience!! This is a restaurant where you go to have a nice long dinner, their goal is not to turn your table 4 times a night, it is to provide an amazing dinning experience... P.S. This place would get 5 stars if I gave them out that easy!! 5 stars are reserved for restaurants that make you want to kill for a reservation!
(4)
alex b.
Went here last night to take advantage of the Spring special 3 course menu for 29.95 each. We were shocked to see that the regular price for the entrees alone were like 26.95! The portions were the same size as the a la carte entree. The salad had too much dressing, the calamari was delicious and the deserts were perfect. Great deal. One would be kind of crazy not to take advantage of this deal!
(4)
Buckwheat S.
Nice room good service, food was mediocre at best. There are too many great places to eat in Denver to spend top dollar for poor food. Small portions, tasteless, I could go on and on, but I already wasted my time and money. We go out to dinner several times per week I know poor food when I find it.
(1)
Sabrina C.
My fiance and I were extremely excited to take my parents to Oceanaire before a show at the Denver of Performng Arts. None of us were impressed from the minute we walked in the door. The first thing said to us was "Can we check your coat." Not really what I want to hear when I enter an EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE restaurant. After being seated and looking over the "al a cart" menu, I tried to have a good attitude and felt the meal would make up for the unprofessional entrance. We started with appetizers which in my opinion were over priced and not tasty. The clam chowder was cold the mussles were very sandy. The main meal was not impressive, my fish had bones in it, which was a real turn off. My dad had swordfish, which was very fishy tasting. The ahi tuna lacked a lot of flavor...the ahi tuna appetizer at PF Changs is 10 times better and 10 times cheaper. The side dishes were very sad, we had the flavorless potatoes and a big broccoli head that was very hard to share. We each had one drink, no dessert and our bill was about $250. I love food and don't mind spending on a great meal...but we were all very unhappy. Service was average. Overall, this was not the experience I was expecting for a seafood place in the middle of downtown Denver. So far I found The Fresh Fish Company to be priced very fair and their food is an absolute delight. I have alwasy had a great experience and great service!
(1)
Lucy M.
I really do not understand why anyone likes this restaurant. I was a few minutes early for my Restaurant week dinner but my table wasn't ready for at least 15 minutes. Now, I didn't really care about this as I had a good book and I'm pretty easygoing and the staffer who explained this was very nice. But it didn't get better from there. I looked at the wine list and wines by the glass were ridiculously expensive. There was nothing less than $9 and they were actually charging $15 a glass for Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. They should be ashamed of themselves. So I ordered San Pellegrino, which I never actually got. My server seemed completely uninterested in me. The app, tuna sliders were fine so I thought, OK, I'll still give this place a chance. The entree, baked scallops were very heavy rich and flavorless. A total disappointment. The chocolate mousse was completely unremarkable. Also, I couldn't stand the atmosphere of this place. Too loud music, too many tables packed into a little space, not a relaxing special place to have dinner for that much money. Never again.
(2)
Mark B.
Very good food, atmosphere, experience!!! Try the crab cakes and sidecar for a drink!...that's all I have to say. I ordered a tuna steak and it was quite delicious. The sidecar as you might be wondering was the drink of class during the 20's and 30's and trust me the barkeeps at Oceanaire know how to make them..hiccup! Have a good day!
(5)
Angela B.
Had another fabulous meal here last week; this is what I consider to be an "expense account" place. It's not cheap. However, they import a wide variety of seafood daily, it's expertly prepared, and the overall atmosphere is both stylish and classic. The side portions are all fresh and extremely generous, as are the salads and desserts. If you AREN'T on an expense account, the bar is fabulous and they do a solid happy hour. Service has been impeccable on every visit, and all the dark wood paneling with a classic cocktail menus is straight out of a rat pack movie.
(4)
E.J. F.
Last summer I visited the Oceanaire in Miami and posted a review after having an excellent experience. With that in mind, a friend and I decided to try the Oceanaire in our hometown after attending a concert nearby. Although it was good, it fell a little short of my expectations. After being seated (which took awhile), we waited for several minutes before someone approached us. We ordered off of the Spring Market fixed price menu, which offers three different choices of an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29 per person, a very good deal compared to the regular entree prices (plus the expense of adding sides since everything more or less is a la carte on an Oceanaire menu). My friend picked the New England clam chowder, which would've been good if the clams had not been so firm and chewy. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was soaked in dressing and somewhat bitter. I chose the salmon, which was accompanied with chutney, mixed field greens and a mustard vinaigrette. Unfortunately, the vinaigrette was too subtle to even notice, making the dish too sweet for my taste. After tracking down our waiter (who did not come back to check on the food after serving it - what ever happened to the two minute rule??) and bringing this to his attention, he suggested bringing a side of the mustard/mayo that is served with the crab cakes. This added the right touch of sour to balance it out, and I was happy with that. My companion chose the mahi mahi, which was very good, as were the somewhat smallish desserts. It was after 10 p.m. on a Saturday and they were almost empty, so the staff appeared to be focused on wrapping up things for the night. When the check arrived, our waiter had neglected to add a bottle of wine we had ordered to our bill, so we reminded him of that. Prior to leaving, a manager came by to query us about our experience, at which time we gave him some feedback, which he was receptive to hearing. I will remain a patron of Oceanaire and have no problem recommending to others. However, part of me feels like we were being forced to settle on the quality of the food [from the fixed price menu] because of the lower price, which isn't something I felt that great about since it came to over $100 when all was said and done.
(3)
Dan S.
Great ambiance and service. Overpriced for what you get. They seemed to feel compelled to mix meat into items that typically do not require meat (i.e. hashbrowns, rice pilaf, spinach, etc), so this wouldn't be a good place for vegetarians. King Crab was very good, but for some reason served on a hot plate. Halibut was good too but could have used some side sauce options. Caesar salad was excellent. Dessert menu could use some more staples.
(2)
Thomas M.
The food was excellent. However, the portions were small for the price. Also, beware of the bartenders and waitstaff pushing $19 glasses of wine. It wasn't that great and that markup is just obscene.
(3)
Lynn F.
Ocean Air in Denver ? True, not an ocean in sight, but you can't eat that fabulous mid-america steak every night. This swanky retro swing music playing restaurant is an easy walk from all the downtown hotels. They are just down the street from a big mall/ theater complex which could explain the rush to accomodate the early dining/ pre-theater crowd. We got ignored for a bit around 7:45p. As for the seafood, surprisingly good. They fly everything in fresh every day, so the menu changes daily. Some odd local delicacies thrown in like thick cut bacon. Lots of salads, sides, fish from around the world, oyster bar. Absolutely hugh menu full of choices. The mandatory steak is offered for fish haters. Loved the greek salad, which didn't seem greek as instead of feta there was bay shrimp and tiny bits o crab. All side dishes are hugh and sharable. Loved the corn. Desserts are architectual or on fire. Ordered the Baked Alaska for the spectacle. On the pricey side: $30 - $50.
(4)
Suze P.
Great food, excellent service, nice atmosphere, but way too loud!
(4)
Del A.
Bottom line- exceptional service, ultra fresh seafood, not cheap. Oceanaire is to seafood as Mortons is to steak. The menu is a la carte and you order sides to share. Quality and freshness is superior. For this type of quality and service I would expect greatness and Oceanaire delivers. The oysters are beautiful- if you like them briney and salty I recommend the Hurricane variety from the East Coast. They taste like you're drinking in fresh sea air- amazing! The crabcakes are CRAB with very little cake and ingredients that highlight rather then cover up the flavor of the sweet lump crabmeat. The petite Grand Shellfish platter was piled with crab, lobster, steamed mussels and more oysters- all was sweet and fresh shellfish served with a nice accompaniment of sauces. (though the sauces weren't really needed - the fish is good on its own) And a shared side of the salt and vinegar fries- thin, crispy, flavorful. Great dipped in the mustard sauce that came with the shellfish. I had a bloody mary that was perfectly seasoned and great with the oysters. Followed by a reasonably priced Pinot Grigo/Sauvgnion Blanc blend, suggested by our waiter, that lent itself very well to the shellfish. One of my favorite restaurants in Denver and a lovely treat!
(5)
Nolemana V.
I've been here a couple of times and wanted to wait to review it until after my second visit so that I've had a chance to try a few dishes. And I have to say, this place is pretty damn good. I've tried the calamari, tuna sliders, oysters, seafood app tower, Hawaiian opah, halibut, es car go, and even the sea urchin app special. Everything tasted fresh, was cooked almost to perfection, well prepared and presented. The staff provided an excellent experience as well- very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, my experience at Oceanaire has me wanting to go back for more. But just a heads up, if there is one drawback to this place, it's what you'll pay for the "experience"...definitely not cheap!
(4)
Sandi D.
Happy Hour at the Oceanaire: Although I haven't had the opportunity to formally dine at Oceanaire, I've had the pleasure to HH it. My most recent experience was yesterday afternoon, where I decided to wait out the traffic into the burbs ( That's becoming a theme with me -- but did you see that traffic) I arrived at Oceanaire at 5:30ish -- only 2 other people sat at the bar; the restaurant empty....still early for dinner, and it was a Monday night---a tough night for any restaurant, let alone one where people consider it a special occasion place. During the 90 or so minutes I was there, only a handful of people showed for the HH specials, the restaurant itself stood virtually empty. While I'm surprised more people didn't take advantage of HH; I'm not too surprised at the empty dining room. After hearing about the latest closings ( Gallagher's, Ocean for example) it's evident that even the expense account set is cutting back. I know I'm sounding doom/gloom, but that was the atmosphere at Oceanaire --at least that's how the uptight atmosphere came off as. Let me explain: Upon arriving, each person is given "The Treatment" . The hostess guides you to either your table or to the bar, where they formally introduce you to your server, or in my case, bartender. Maybe it comes off better for dinner, but it was too much for drinks and an appy. The bartender shakes your hand, asks your name, where you're from, and other small talk, as if you're at a cocktail party; all in the attempt to have you bond with the staff. HH menu itself is limited, but no more than most places. They have 6 or so wines for $7 a glass, martinis and small plates for $6. I had a Sangiovese that was tasty at $7, but not one I would order outside HH pricing ($12), as a whole bottle sells for less than $9. Restaurants who price 1 glass for more than a whole bottle gets my gourd; what ever happened to doubling a bottle, tripling the glass price. Now we're upcharging over 4x the cost? Wow. But back to our show -- Ok, I had my conversation, poured my sample, then the glass of wine....do I want bread/butter asks my new friend, Ian. I decline, and ask for a snack suggestion. My next stool neighbor pipes in, telling me the smoked trout was terrific. Sounds good to me, and it was. A decent portion for $6; the smoked trout was floating in a very good olive oil, surrounded by fresh kettle chips. The idea is to place a small amount of trout on the chip, substituting toast points or perhaps flat bread. It works in theory, however the amount of oil made the chips soggy, and soon became too fishy. So why the 4 stars? Well, I like the place. I like how hard they try. I like fish, and I love wine. Even though they only have 6 on HH, they do have something like 300 bottles, and it was fun as hell to look at the menu. They even gave me the Captain's wine list, which was in a book; the holy bible for us oenophiles. I would give them a try for dinner -- especially on a night like last night where Marlin was part of the 3 course for $30 something.
(4)
Rodrigo S.
I would say this place was OK, I did not have seafood I opted for the lamb. Sort of interesting that they provide a cold plate with pickled herring (not my thing). The waiter sounded like a humming bird on blow when he rattled off the specials and closed with the king crab legs are straight out of the "Arctic Sea" just like on the Deadliest Catch, obviously he was confused (it's actually the Bering Sea). I had the Caesar salad, the lamb and some fries. All was good but the fries came out barely warm. A highlight is the guy who filled the water glasses etc., he was very professional and johnny on the spot when our drinks needed a refresh. I will probably not visit this place again.
(2)
Horacio J.
Yes. The food is delicious. Shrimps are HUGE. I gave it a 4 because the limited drinks for happy hour. All in a great experience.
(4)
Valery L.
The red chile calamari at this place is divine, and the happy hour drinks are great. The crudite plate served before your meal is nice and refreshing. After having two dinners at this place, I've decided if I go back it will only be to sit at the bar and have drinks/apps, as dinner is overpriced and nothing special. The blue lights in this restaurant and decor in the bar area are gorgeous.
(3)
Kyra R.
The schtick here is that the chef changes the menu every day, depending on what has been flown in fresh. Perhaps the chef needs time to perfect a few dishes before switching things up. The mussles app was enormous and tasted like the bottom of a rock. The shrimp cocktail sauce was overly spicy, and the entree was conspicuously salty. I think the spice & salt are to compensate for the fishy nature of the poorly prepped seafood. By the end of the meal, both my husband's and my mouths were raw. Served the wrong entree (ordered trout - received salmon). The most awkward restroom decor on planet Earth. In decal letters a foot tall, the womens' restroom wall says, "The iodine content of fish helps prevent goiter and other ills." Seems like a last ditch effort to convince people that this meal was a good choice.
(1)
Stewart L.
Confessions of a seafood snob :-) I'm originally from Maryland Mecca to me at least of seafood so needless to say I'm very hard to impress I don't know how they do it but they did it the seafood done here is FANTASTIC !!! Crabcakes crabcakes General manager is a East Coast guy like myself so he knows the importance of good crabcakes so you're not going to get a lot of filler filler like a lot of breadcrumbs that's sacrilegious in crabcake land now that's moving along and talk about oysters being a seafood snob ironically enough I've only had oysters fried I am a texture type of person if it doesn't feel good in my mouth I'm not going to swallow it (insert sexual innuendo) LOL :-) The chef makes oysters so so very good if you like briny you can do that if you like subtle flavors with a sneaky punch The chef can do that too overall I'm very impressed with this restaurant
(5)
Megan H.
My fiance made a reservation at Oceanaire for my birthday dinner in mid-August. I actually had no idea where we were going until we walked up - love when my honey surprises me! Anyway, from the SECOND we walked in the door, the service was utterly outstanding. We were about 10 minutes early for our reservation. The young ladies at the hostess stand offered to go ahead and seat us or suggested we get a drink at the bar. They have an AMAZING happy hour in their bar area. $7 martinis! And they didn't skimp on the vodka either! If you ever want to go and just do their small plates in the bar area, those looked and sounded fantastic as well. After ordering our 2nd martini, we realized that we were now 15 minutes past our reservation time. So we grabbed our drinks and went to our table. When we sat down, they handed us our menus, and mine had "Happy Birthday" printed on it! I was delighted! The girl then handed me a birthday card that all of the staff working that night had signed. I thought this was such a cool, personal touch. (I'm a bit of a cheeseball though and like little things like this). Our waiter came over very quickly and explained some of the fresh fish they currently had as well as some of the other specials, including a prix fixe menu. We ended up both deciding to do the prix fixe menu which was $85/person. We felt this was a really good deal considering this menu included 4 courses of food PLUS a dessert AND a wine pairing with each course. I am a huge wino, but I was still a bit concerned about having 4 glasses of wine after 2 martinis ha ha. Luckily, they said that because they were pairings they were a bit smaller pour. Good thing or I would have had to be carried out of there ha! Each course was sincerely better than the last. SO good - the timing was perfect on all of them. I have to give a shout-out to our amazing server Ryan. He had an awesome attitude, was super nice, answered our 10,000 questions without getting annoyed. He truly made the experience that much more enjoyable. His assistant server was named Mike, and he also provided outstanding service. At one point, they brought out the wrong course - it was on the prix fixe menu, but it was a course too early (so basically in the wrong order). The manager came over and apologized profusely and brought us an additional appetizer to snack on while they were preparing the correct course. Mistakes happen, and they handled it so smoothly, so we weren't even bothered by it. The food was SO GOOD. I grew up in Houston where fresh seafood is readily available - that is one thing I have missed dearly since moving to Denver. So I was excited to eat at this caliber of restaurant where they fly it in fresh daily. Overall, we were at dinner for probably about 2 1/2 hours. It was an AWESOME experience!! We weren't in any hurry, it was a Friday night, it was a special occasion, etc. I just cannot compliment Oceanaire enough on their staff and their food and the entire dining experience. Cannot wait for another special occasion to justify spending that amount of money again! :-)
(5)
Alice G.
3-4 stars- above average Landry's chain (aka Bubba Gumps) higher end restaurant. I've eaten here 3 times now and have actually always been pleased, however there is that over-glossed feel of a slick chain including some up selling techniques at the table. I have mostly stuck to the cold seafood platters and oysters here, which are quite good. Also, the drinks are great, but expensive- our G&Ts were $15 each!
(4)
Vilma S.
Had never been here before and I sure have been missing some great eats. Came here for a Yelp Elite Dinner Event and it was great. I decided to splurge and use the Valet--very reasonably priced and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The dinner from start to finish was very tasty. Much thanks to the entire Oceanaire Staff, from Brittney Fear (Sales & Event Manager), the Chef and his team, and Servers that made this wonderful event possible. Service was impeccable and I liked the hot towels after eating the oysters. Very cozy and intimate room for the dinner and it was great sharing and enjoying the meal with fellow Yelpers. The East & West Coast Oyster Duet with Fennel Cream & Caviar were tasty (I liked the East Coast one the best). The Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops with Tomato Risotto, Arugula Emulsion & Toasted Parmesan was just Yummy--all the flavors melded together perfectly. The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Macerated Strawberry with Blueberry Granita & Candied Mint was a great end to a wonderful meal. Found it to be very creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. It's hard to find street parking, but there are plenty of parking garages and the valet service is very reasonable. Free WiFi is very convenient. This is the perfect location to book social, corporate or association holiday parties. You can also enjoy dinner before going to the theater since the Denver Performing Arts is right down the street. I have heard they have a great Happy Hour so will definitely be coming back to try.
(5)
Adriana C.
Now THAT'S what I call fine dining! I came here last night for a Yelp Event and left thoroughly impressed with the food and service! First Course- East & West Coast Oyster Duet: The east coast oyster blew the west coast out of the water. I couldn't believe how different the flavors were, the west coast oyster to me tasted like mushy, sandy, ocean water. Note: This was my first time EVER having oysters, so take my review on these with a grain of salt (or sand). Neverthless, very enjoyable to eat. I really liked the East Coast one! They also had caviar on top- my first time having that as well! Are you noticing a trend here? Second Course- Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumble Sea Scallops: This was fantastic! I love scallops and these were made perfectly. The toasted parmesan on top was a nice touch. Third Course- Buttermilk Panna Cotta: This dessert was interesting, I had never had anything like this either. I did enjoy it, but couldn't finish it due to only having, unfortunately, one stomach. The chardonnay I enjoyed throughout the meal was, simply, the BEST I have ever had. I am not sure what the brand was and I feel like this will haunt me to my grave. I had to pace myself to not down my whole glass in one sip! The GM also snuck my table a crab cake- OMG! So much crab in this bad boy, if I ever came back that would be the first thing I ordered. Us Yelpers were treated like royalty from beginning to end, with hot towels brought in between courses to clean our hands and our glasses never going empty. I almost asked people to start calling me Kate Middleton. Just kidding, kind of... Thank you Frances for putting on this event, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this swanky joint in the future. I hope to check out their HH soon!
(5)
Anita S.
Staff, decor, seafood is wonderful. Oysters, scallops and wine oh my!
(4)
Nicole P.
ok It's official, I don't have to move back to Massachusetts to get amazing seafood. Everything tasted fresh and beautifully prepared. I find a lot of seafood served in landlocked places try to hide the seafood with lots of other heavy flavors, but not Oceanaire. It was really quite delightful. I had an oyster duo, one east and one west coast. prepared with some fancy foodie words that I forget. My preference leaned towards the heartier west coast oyster. This plate opened me up to oysters in a way I would have snubbed off before. The main course was Massachusetts Scollops with risotto, heirloom tomatoes, and a parmesan crustini. The flavors were light but bold, and delicately balanced. I 110% recommend this dish and will definitely make the return trip to eat it again. This mermaid can die happy knowing this dish is served in Denver. and of course I wolfed down the pana cotta for dessert, served with strawberry and basil, and a blueberry granita. It was really creamy and delicious. Definitely recommend everything I've eaten here. I can't wait to return.
(5)
Jaclyn B.
My visit was a great experience from start to finish. Greeted by the hostess when we walked in and sat at a bar table. The decor was fitting for the type of restaurant. Big marlin at the bar surrouned by other sea decor. Our waitress was curtious and very attentive. She also was working the bar. I had the crab cake sliders. First time trying crab it was a very different flavor and texture. It had a swipe of mayo and a little bit of shredded lettuce. Never seen crab cakes presented this way. Great service and ambience.
(5)
Christian B.
my visit tonight was courtesy of a private party, although the service was on par with top of the line service that you would expect at a fine dining establishment such as this and the food was well prepared and delicious, I found that the portions and the food that was served were a little unusual to me. The amuse bouche was the size of a dime, but this didn't concern me since if I'm going to try something new for the first time, id rather have it small. what concerned me was what they had selected for the main entree, which was 3 pan seared sea scallops on a bed of risotto with arugula sauce, now Ive been to many a seafood restaurant and a sea scallop is usually considered an appetizer and not a main course, many of the other patrons sitting at my table were also confused at to where the main course was only to be disappointed to later find out it was the sea scallops after they served pana cotta for desert. I usually dont go downtown on a weekday night, but this was a good outing for me.
(4)
Dan N.
We stopped in to Oceanaire Seafood Room randomly for Pre-theater drinks and small bites. The restaurant runs an all day "Admirals Hour" drinks and small bites special at the bar. We sat at the Raw Bar section, which has a large display of fresh oysters with their origin, and characteristics. The downside of the raw bar setting is it tends to block access to the bartenders. Getting their attention was problematic. We ordered the Chopped House Salad, Filet Mignon Sliders, and Shrimp & Grits. The Shrimp was the standout, with the White Cheddar Grits, and a vinegary chili sauce that both of us loved. The Sliders were very tasty with the horseradish kick. Finally, the salad rounded out a perfect small plate, pre theater meal. We will be back to try the restaurant very soon.
(4)
Brian H.
OH MY GAWD! Becky Look at her Cut...that scallop in half before scarfing it down!!! My gf and I went on a double date here and had one of the most enjoyable experiences EVER! We have been to several fine dining restaurants and to me, Oceanaire was no different. A tad over priced for the ambiance and quality, not to mention the looks of judgment from other patrons as you walk to your table...what I expected. Not at this place! I got there a tad early and took my pc in to get some work done. I was greeted by the hostess who was super cute and friendly. Then a gentleman (Justin?) gave me the wifi password and had me seated at the bar to set up shop until the rest of my part got there. I ordered a Colette since it was only $4 on their happy hour. Once I was seated with my party our waiter, Ryan, kept the drinks flowing and was Super attentive! Brad, the manager, even stopped by to make sure we were enjoying ourselves which may be expected at a place like this but he demonstrated genuine interest coupled with honest authentic recommendations as to what to order. In line with his recommendation, I ordered the Massachusetts Scallops off the Fresh menu, added Black and Bleu, topped with Crab. We ordered the brussels sprouts as a family style side. Before the main, enjoyed the Fondue style cheese dip which was delicious, but could have a been a tad runnier, the lobster bisque with freshly ground pepper which was perfect, and the seafood salad which really hit the spot. (Please note: my gf and I split a bowl of bisque and one order of the salad. The table of 4 split the cheese dip.). After all this, we ordered a slice of salted pretzel/caramel cheese cake AND a slice of the Lemon Meringue pie. If your mouth isn't watering by know you must just naturally have a daily issues with dry mouth. The Bisque: Buttery with a nice thicker texture. Hints of fennel and hearty chunks of lobster. Salad: Finely chopped, waiter plated for us, chunks of crab. Nice house made dressing that complimented the peppers, onions, greens, and cucumbers that we enjoyed in the salad. Fondue: Sourdough was life changing, cheese came out piping hot, but cooled quickly. As it cooled it because a bit tougher to dish onto the amazing bread. Flavor was mild. No seasoning needed. Scallops: This has to be what I would order as my last meal on death row...provided that I was on death row. These scallops were perfectly prepared. Seared and hot. The black and bleu added a perfect element with the blue cheese and if I could top everything, from now on, with crab I WOULD! Thanks to Brad for this amazing recommendation. Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake: UNBELIEVABLE! Perfect balance of sweet and savory. Very rich and SUPER delicious. Key Lime Pie: I don't even like lime. Especially lime desserts. That being said, I tried this pie and it really wasn't what I had in mind. The lime was a compliment to the creamy texture and the whipped cream balanced out the limey flavor perfectly. Conclusion: We don't go to restaurants like Oceanaire every week. Because of that one reason, we choose to try out different ones when we do get to enjoy a fine meal. Based on this experience, I would be fine if every other Fine Dining Seafood joint went out of business because the BEST one of all of them still stood! Bravo Oceanaire!
(5)
Gretchen G.
Restaurant week success. Oceanaire has hardly been on the trendy list so it skews to a little older/ conference center audience (clearly using company credit cards). That being said, they've got a happy hour I apparently need to go back for. The waiter did a great job of explaining the restaurant week menu, portion sizes etc. The crab cake taster was delicious but small as he explained it would be. The clam chowder was very creamy, yum. The steelhead was well cooked and a large portion. I could have skipped cookie dessert.
(4)
Audrey S.
Delicious! I went here with 9 ladies a week ago to celebrate a birthday before heading to the Buell Theatre to see Cinderella. If you're a health nut craving a cheat day the brussel sprouts appetizers are the perfect solution! Then have a nice juicy slice of fish so you don't feel so bad about the deep fried brussel sprout yumminess! Upon arrival the table was set up, and the menus even said "Happy Birthday Audrey!" at the top. Very customized and welcoming. We had a few people running late, and the staff was extremely helpful and determined to get us to the show on time. I would recommend to any friend who has some extra cash that they go to this restaurant before seeing any show at the DPAC. The location is convenient, and the food is tasty.
(4)
Jasmine G.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. It is definitely one of the best seafood restaurants in Denver, hands-down! They are a little bit pricey, but they specialize in every fish you could think of. Additionally, some of the servers here are just truly some of the best you'll ever experience in your life. we were talking to one of them, and he was saying how his whole life revolves around hospitality, and it definitely shows. They are so knowledgeable and attentive. I know that there are other restaurants in Denver that might be considered "the best," but this one NEEDS to be the best. I can always count on an amazing experience here. I was here with my family one time, and a beer spilled while talking a family picture, and the manager went out of his way to bring out some cloth napkins and place them along the table. I really appreciate the high-end hospitality here!
(5)
John P.
Excellent food and service. Great menu options. Waiter was attentive, manager came by. Nice place.
(4)
Jay K.
One word answer....UNDERWHELIMNG. Happy hour and app's are good but the dinner service left me underwhelmed and disappointed. The slow braised pork belly steak appetizer used to be tender and succulent with a hint of sweetness. This time it was burned, tough and...well basically a hunk of dessicated pork jerky. My filet was cold and bland...plus steak should NOT be served on a cold plate.
(2)
Michelle A.
I have been avoiding this place and now I wonder why? We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few glasses of HH wine and a chopped salad with shrimp. We also tried the ceviche. It was all very good and 1/2 the price the main restaurant. We had friends dine in the main room and their shrimp cocktail looked so yummy and the shrimp were so big. When they found out what we spent they said they would try it the next time they go to the theater. The women next to us even tried my shrimp salad and were impressed. Great place before the theater. I cannot wait to go back and try something else on the HH menu.
(4)
Mark F.
I'm not an oyster fan, but if I were, I'd be in heaven. They've got quite a collection of fresh ones daily. However, I love fresh seafood. And they've got that too. I've had the scallops and the haddock. Both were great. And the staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's a little pricey....but for fresh seafood and special occasions it's where we go.
(5)
Dawn W.
Had a not so great welcome but the follow up by the GM has been impressive. I will be giving it another try soon.
(4)
Linda S.
Oh My Goodness! I can't even say how great our experience was at Oceanaire! Cari, our server was exceptional!! She went above and beyond! She made out night exceptional! Brad, the Sommelier, spent extra time providing us with the most amazing wine to accompany every course. Ming, the bartender, stopped by often to make sure everything was to our liking and described all our entrees and wines perfectly! We will be back again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
(5)
Annette S.
To bad they were bought out by Landry's...lackluster, ordinary, expensive seafood. We were UNDERWHELMED & DISAPPOINTED.
(2)
Jason G.
I am going to be very honest here!!! Once i discover a restaurant is a big chain, owned by a corporate giant it automatically loses points in my book. So here is what I loved about this place-- the Service is top notch and truly attentive from start to finish. If you enjoy big busy places to dine this spot could appeal more to you. Personally I like more of an intimate quiet place to have a fine meal, especially when you are going to easily spend $50+ a person. While the prices are high, you do get very and I mean very large portions of food! In my book is a bit more quantity than quality at Oceanaire. If you want to charge top end prices then please please please deliver on quality ingredients. For me there's better seafood in town and I think for the money it is not worth the bill. For Happy Hour count me in! If you are charging you meal on a corporate card then bottoms up, eat-drink-be merry! On your personal account try if you want, but for Denver we have much better food than this place offers.
(3)
Jessica M.
Well, yippee skippee this is delightful! We randomly ventured downtown last week for some cocktails and found ourselves famished and searching for dinner knowing that there was nothing in the fridge at home. After Yelping and checking out some menus, we settled on Oceanaire and are so happy we did! For starters, they have happy hour from open to close in the bar....and it's a pretty decent selection of stuff on that menu. Cocktails, beer, wine, salads, oysters, sliders, fish tacos, etc., all for $5, $6, or $7. Sold. We also really liked the ambience of the place. The restaurant is meant to evoke feelings of an old ocean liner, but it's done in a nice un-dingy way. Looking forward to going back to this one!
(4)
Lyna P.
Made reservations here for Denver's Restaurant Week on a Friday night at 7. It goes without saying that I expected the restaurant to be packed and booked for the event. Although this was the case, a fine dining restaurant such as Oceanaire shouldn't lack customer service or suffer from a forcibly rushed dining experience. When choosing to dine out, you're paying as much for the food as much as your are the experience. The entrees ordered (Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna & Scottish Steelhead Trout) were above average. We also ordered extra appetizers on top of the prix fix menus. They tasted good and were cooked to the right temperatures. The service on the other hand was not to par, especially when the label of fine dining is applied. Our lead server, Rashid, was quick to judge our party of college students. We were not uncourteous by any means, letting him know that a couple of people were running late due to extraneous circumstance. Nevertheless, we decided to order anyways because we all knew personally how irritating it would be to have to wait on a table on a busy night such as this. Rashid was very abrupt when taking orders, cutting me off when I asked him questions and leaving mid sentence. I had to remind him to bring bread to the table. Towards the end of the meal he tried to deter me from ordering the Salted Pretzel Caramel Sundae, probably because he had to prepare the desserts himself. This came out without the chocolate as stated in the menu, but I had no qualms as it was busy and it was a minuscule detail --in such a fine restaurant. Finally, Rashid came to the table to tell us that he was not normally so abrupt with his service and that he didn't care if he got no more tables for the night because he had already been working since early that day. He just had to rush the experience because his manager was telling him to get our table in and out for the next guests. Although, I sympathized with him and undoubtedly left him a fine tip, my experience was not fine. ************* Bottom line: food was good, but the price you pay doesn't include a fine dining experience as promised.
(3)
Greg D.
What a beautiful restaurant! The food was excellent and service was amazing. Our entire group enjoyed their meals and cocktails. They have a huge selection of fresh seafood.
(4)
Dana S.
Decided to check out Happy Hour here before a night at the theatre. Loved the mussels and sliders, other items were okay! Not very impressed with the level of service or the quality of drinks at the bar...
(3)
jennifer s.
Gahhh. If I could give more stars I would! I am so in love with Oceanaire it's ridiculous. I was first introduced at restaurant week back in March-ish. It was fabulous! Then, we returned last night as I have been craving a baked alaska, completely under dressed, we ended up staying for happy hour, oysters, and the baked alaska, everything was amazing, our servers were so sweet, and I just love the overall feel of this restaurant. The ambiance is very very nice. Thank you for forever showing us a great time!
(5)
Robin B.
Stopped in here after a show for some late night appies. We had the bar to ourselves and get this, it was Happy Hour. The bartender was great and our food was good. I'd recommend this place if you're not up for the very loud Corner Office after a show.
(4)
Shellie D.
This is a great spot for HH which is pretty much all day. I enjoyed the mussels and fish tacos. The mussels were pretty much perfect. Could have passed on the mini crab sliders because they were super small and the bun was a bit greasy. The ambiance is very classy and romantic.
(4)
Yasser S.
I tried the happy hour menu which gives you plenty of choice for a low price. i loved the grilled shrimp,and the Crabcakes. I tried the steak sliders but unfortunately forgot to mention how it should be done,so i wasnt much of a fan,cause it was salty. The server was great in explaining what i should get and ofcourse the environment was comforting with no noise and enough lighting,but not enough to instagram your food ;)
(4)
maria w.
I wanted to love this restaurant and liked it a lot but in spite of the great atmosphere and service the food honestly fell short. Very yummy calamari to start but the wedge salad had globs of ice cold blue cheese dressing and cold bacon on top. My friend had the fillet which was good and I splurged on the $37 Dover scallops with truffle oil. While there were a lot of scallops on the plate they were slightly undercooked, lacked flavor and sweetness. Still worth a second try next time I'm in Denver...
(3)
Tracy R.
Food is always great and on a recent visit, the manager went and pick up our theater tickets while we finished dinner. Great service.
(5)
Helena P.
My husband and I had an excellent dinner at the Denver Oceanaire on New Years Eve. They were able to get us a last minute reservation even though they were busy due to the holiday. The service was top notch. The food was incredible. We loved the crab cake, the best part was that it didn't have a lot of breading, it was filled with tons of fresh crab and good flavors. I had a seared tuna steak for dinner and don't think I've ever had a better tuna (not even in Hawaii or California). We've also been to the Oceanaire in San Diego and we felt like this location was just as good if not better which is incredible considering the fish is being flown in to CO. If you want great fish and amazing service this is the place to go!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Valet Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Upscale Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Vilma S.
Had never been here before and I sure have been missing some great eats. Came here for a Yelp Elite Dinner Event and it was great. I decided to splurge and use the Valet--very reasonably priced and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The dinner from start to finish was very tasty. Much thanks to the entire Oceanaire Staff, from Brittney Fear (Sales & Event Manager), the Chef and his team, and Servers that made this wonderful event possible. Service was impeccable and I liked the hot towels after eating the oysters. Very cozy and intimate room for the dinner and it was great sharing and enjoying the meal with fellow Yelpers. The East & West Coast Oyster Duet with Fennel Cream & Caviar were tasty (I liked the East Coast one the best). The Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops with Tomato Risotto, Arugula Emulsion & Toasted Parmesan was just Yummy--all the flavors melded together perfectly. The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Macerated Strawberry with Blueberry Granita & Candied Mint was a great end to a wonderful meal. Found it to be very creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. It's hard to find street parking, but there are plenty of parking garages and the valet service is very reasonable. Free WiFi is very convenient. This is the perfect location to book social, corporate or association holiday parties. You can also enjoy dinner before going to the theater since the Denver Performing Arts is right down the street. I have heard they have a great Happy Hour so will definitely be coming back to try.
(5)Adriana C.
Now THAT'S what I call fine dining! I came here last night for a Yelp Event and left thoroughly impressed with the food and service! First Course- East & West Coast Oyster Duet: The east coast oyster blew the west coast out of the water. I couldn't believe how different the flavors were, the west coast oyster to me tasted like mushy, sandy, ocean water. Note: This was my first time EVER having oysters, so take my review on these with a grain of salt (or sand). Neverthless, very enjoyable to eat. I really liked the East Coast one! They also had caviar on top- my first time having that as well! Are you noticing a trend here? Second Course- Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumble Sea Scallops: This was fantastic! I love scallops and these were made perfectly. The toasted parmesan on top was a nice touch. Third Course- Buttermilk Panna Cotta: This dessert was interesting, I had never had anything like this either. I did enjoy it, but couldn't finish it due to only having, unfortunately, one stomach. The chardonnay I enjoyed throughout the meal was, simply, the BEST I have ever had. I am not sure what the brand was and I feel like this will haunt me to my grave. I had to pace myself to not down my whole glass in one sip! The GM also snuck my table a crab cake- OMG! So much crab in this bad boy, if I ever came back that would be the first thing I ordered. Us Yelpers were treated like royalty from beginning to end, with hot towels brought in between courses to clean our hands and our glasses never going empty. I almost asked people to start calling me Kate Middleton. Just kidding, kind of... Thank you Frances for putting on this event, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this swanky joint in the future. I hope to check out their HH soon!
(5)Anita S.
Staff, decor, seafood is wonderful. Oysters, scallops and wine oh my!
(4)Nicole P.
ok It's official, I don't have to move back to Massachusetts to get amazing seafood. Everything tasted fresh and beautifully prepared. I find a lot of seafood served in landlocked places try to hide the seafood with lots of other heavy flavors, but not Oceanaire. It was really quite delightful. I had an oyster duo, one east and one west coast. prepared with some fancy foodie words that I forget. My preference leaned towards the heartier west coast oyster. This plate opened me up to oysters in a way I would have snubbed off before. The main course was Massachusetts Scollops with risotto, heirloom tomatoes, and a parmesan crustini. The flavors were light but bold, and delicately balanced. I 110% recommend this dish and will definitely make the return trip to eat it again. This mermaid can die happy knowing this dish is served in Denver. and of course I wolfed down the pana cotta for dessert, served with strawberry and basil, and a blueberry granita. It was really creamy and delicious. Definitely recommend everything I've eaten here. I can't wait to return.
(5)Jaclyn B.
My visit was a great experience from start to finish. Greeted by the hostess when we walked in and sat at a bar table. The decor was fitting for the type of restaurant. Big marlin at the bar surrouned by other sea decor. Our waitress was curtious and very attentive. She also was working the bar. I had the crab cake sliders. First time trying crab it was a very different flavor and texture. It had a swipe of mayo and a little bit of shredded lettuce. Never seen crab cakes presented this way. Great service and ambience.
(5)Christian B.
my visit tonight was courtesy of a private party, although the service was on par with top of the line service that you would expect at a fine dining establishment such as this and the food was well prepared and delicious, I found that the portions and the food that was served were a little unusual to me. The amuse bouche was the size of a dime, but this didn't concern me since if I'm going to try something new for the first time, id rather have it small. what concerned me was what they had selected for the main entree, which was 3 pan seared sea scallops on a bed of risotto with arugula sauce, now Ive been to many a seafood restaurant and a sea scallop is usually considered an appetizer and not a main course, many of the other patrons sitting at my table were also confused at to where the main course was only to be disappointed to later find out it was the sea scallops after they served pana cotta for desert. I usually dont go downtown on a weekday night, but this was a good outing for me.
(4)Dan N.
We stopped in to Oceanaire Seafood Room randomly for Pre-theater drinks and small bites. The restaurant runs an all day "Admirals Hour" drinks and small bites special at the bar. We sat at the Raw Bar section, which has a large display of fresh oysters with their origin, and characteristics. The downside of the raw bar setting is it tends to block access to the bartenders. Getting their attention was problematic. We ordered the Chopped House Salad, Filet Mignon Sliders, and Shrimp & Grits. The Shrimp was the standout, with the White Cheddar Grits, and a vinegary chili sauce that both of us loved. The Sliders were very tasty with the horseradish kick. Finally, the salad rounded out a perfect small plate, pre theater meal. We will be back to try the restaurant very soon.
(4)Brian H.
OH MY GAWD! Becky Look at her Cut...that scallop in half before scarfing it down!!! My gf and I went on a double date here and had one of the most enjoyable experiences EVER! We have been to several fine dining restaurants and to me, Oceanaire was no different. A tad over priced for the ambiance and quality, not to mention the looks of judgment from other patrons as you walk to your table...what I expected. Not at this place! I got there a tad early and took my pc in to get some work done. I was greeted by the hostess who was super cute and friendly. Then a gentleman (Justin?) gave me the wifi password and had me seated at the bar to set up shop until the rest of my part got there. I ordered a Colette since it was only $4 on their happy hour. Once I was seated with my party our waiter, Ryan, kept the drinks flowing and was Super attentive! Brad, the manager, even stopped by to make sure we were enjoying ourselves which may be expected at a place like this but he demonstrated genuine interest coupled with honest authentic recommendations as to what to order. In line with his recommendation, I ordered the Massachusetts Scallops off the Fresh menu, added Black and Bleu, topped with Crab. We ordered the brussels sprouts as a family style side. Before the main, enjoyed the Fondue style cheese dip which was delicious, but could have a been a tad runnier, the lobster bisque with freshly ground pepper which was perfect, and the seafood salad which really hit the spot. (Please note: my gf and I split a bowl of bisque and one order of the salad. The table of 4 split the cheese dip.). After all this, we ordered a slice of salted pretzel/caramel cheese cake AND a slice of the Lemon Meringue pie. If your mouth isn't watering by know you must just naturally have a daily issues with dry mouth. The Bisque: Buttery with a nice thicker texture. Hints of fennel and hearty chunks of lobster. Salad: Finely chopped, waiter plated for us, chunks of crab. Nice house made dressing that complimented the peppers, onions, greens, and cucumbers that we enjoyed in the salad. Fondue: Sourdough was life changing, cheese came out piping hot, but cooled quickly. As it cooled it because a bit tougher to dish onto the amazing bread. Flavor was mild. No seasoning needed. Scallops: This has to be what I would order as my last meal on death row...provided that I was on death row. These scallops were perfectly prepared. Seared and hot. The black and bleu added a perfect element with the blue cheese and if I could top everything, from now on, with crab I WOULD! Thanks to Brad for this amazing recommendation. Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake: UNBELIEVABLE! Perfect balance of sweet and savory. Very rich and SUPER delicious. Key Lime Pie: I don't even like lime. Especially lime desserts. That being said, I tried this pie and it really wasn't what I had in mind. The lime was a compliment to the creamy texture and the whipped cream balanced out the limey flavor perfectly. Conclusion: We don't go to restaurants like Oceanaire every week. Because of that one reason, we choose to try out different ones when we do get to enjoy a fine meal. Based on this experience, I would be fine if every other Fine Dining Seafood joint went out of business because the BEST one of all of them still stood! Bravo Oceanaire!
(5)Audrey S.
Delicious! I went here with 9 ladies a week ago to celebrate a birthday before heading to the Buell Theatre to see Cinderella. If you're a health nut craving a cheat day the brussel sprouts appetizers are the perfect solution! Then have a nice juicy slice of fish so you don't feel so bad about the deep fried brussel sprout yumminess! Upon arrival the table was set up, and the menus even said "Happy Birthday Audrey!" at the top. Very customized and welcoming. We had a few people running late, and the staff was extremely helpful and determined to get us to the show on time. I would recommend to any friend who has some extra cash that they go to this restaurant before seeing any show at the DPAC. The location is convenient, and the food is tasty.
(4)Jasmine G.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. It is definitely one of the best seafood restaurants in Denver, hands-down! They are a little bit pricey, but they specialize in every fish you could think of. Additionally, some of the servers here are just truly some of the best you'll ever experience in your life. we were talking to one of them, and he was saying how his whole life revolves around hospitality, and it definitely shows. They are so knowledgeable and attentive. I know that there are other restaurants in Denver that might be considered "the best," but this one NEEDS to be the best. I can always count on an amazing experience here. I was here with my family one time, and a beer spilled while talking a family picture, and the manager went out of his way to bring out some cloth napkins and place them along the table. I really appreciate the high-end hospitality here!
(5)John P.
Excellent food and service. Great menu options. Waiter was attentive, manager came by. Nice place.
(4)Jay K.
One word answer....UNDERWHELIMNG. Happy hour and app's are good but the dinner service left me underwhelmed and disappointed. The slow braised pork belly steak appetizer used to be tender and succulent with a hint of sweetness. This time it was burned, tough and...well basically a hunk of dessicated pork jerky. My filet was cold and bland...plus steak should NOT be served on a cold plate.
(2)Michelle A.
I have been avoiding this place and now I wonder why? We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few glasses of HH wine and a chopped salad with shrimp. We also tried the ceviche. It was all very good and 1/2 the price the main restaurant. We had friends dine in the main room and their shrimp cocktail looked so yummy and the shrimp were so big. When they found out what we spent they said they would try it the next time they go to the theater. The women next to us even tried my shrimp salad and were impressed. Great place before the theater. I cannot wait to go back and try something else on the HH menu.
(4)Mark F.
I'm not an oyster fan, but if I were, I'd be in heaven. They've got quite a collection of fresh ones daily. However, I love fresh seafood. And they've got that too. I've had the scallops and the haddock. Both were great. And the staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's a little pricey....but for fresh seafood and special occasions it's where we go.
(5)Dawn W.
Had a not so great welcome but the follow up by the GM has been impressive. I will be giving it another try soon.
(4)Linda S.
Oh My Goodness! I can't even say how great our experience was at Oceanaire! Cari, our server was exceptional!! She went above and beyond! She made out night exceptional! Brad, the Sommelier, spent extra time providing us with the most amazing wine to accompany every course. Ming, the bartender, stopped by often to make sure everything was to our liking and described all our entrees and wines perfectly! We will be back again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
(5)Annette S.
To bad they were bought out by Landry's...lackluster, ordinary, expensive seafood. We were UNDERWHELMED & DISAPPOINTED.
(2)Jason G.
I am going to be very honest here!!! Once i discover a restaurant is a big chain, owned by a corporate giant it automatically loses points in my book. So here is what I loved about this place-- the Service is top notch and truly attentive from start to finish. If you enjoy big busy places to dine this spot could appeal more to you. Personally I like more of an intimate quiet place to have a fine meal, especially when you are going to easily spend $50+ a person. While the prices are high, you do get very and I mean very large portions of food! In my book is a bit more quantity than quality at Oceanaire. If you want to charge top end prices then please please please deliver on quality ingredients. For me there's better seafood in town and I think for the money it is not worth the bill. For Happy Hour count me in! If you are charging you meal on a corporate card then bottoms up, eat-drink-be merry! On your personal account try if you want, but for Denver we have much better food than this place offers.
(3)Jessica M.
Well, yippee skippee this is delightful! We randomly ventured downtown last week for some cocktails and found ourselves famished and searching for dinner knowing that there was nothing in the fridge at home. After Yelping and checking out some menus, we settled on Oceanaire and are so happy we did! For starters, they have happy hour from open to close in the bar....and it's a pretty decent selection of stuff on that menu. Cocktails, beer, wine, salads, oysters, sliders, fish tacos, etc., all for $5, $6, or $7. Sold. We also really liked the ambience of the place. The restaurant is meant to evoke feelings of an old ocean liner, but it's done in a nice un-dingy way. Looking forward to going back to this one!
(4)Shellie D.
This is a great spot for HH which is pretty much all day. I enjoyed the mussels and fish tacos. The mussels were pretty much perfect. Could have passed on the mini crab sliders because they were super small and the bun was a bit greasy. The ambiance is very classy and romantic.
(4)Lyna P.
Made reservations here for Denver's Restaurant Week on a Friday night at 7. It goes without saying that I expected the restaurant to be packed and booked for the event. Although this was the case, a fine dining restaurant such as Oceanaire shouldn't lack customer service or suffer from a forcibly rushed dining experience. When choosing to dine out, you're paying as much for the food as much as your are the experience. The entrees ordered (Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna & Scottish Steelhead Trout) were above average. We also ordered extra appetizers on top of the prix fix menus. They tasted good and were cooked to the right temperatures. The service on the other hand was not to par, especially when the label of fine dining is applied. Our lead server, Rashid, was quick to judge our party of college students. We were not uncourteous by any means, letting him know that a couple of people were running late due to extraneous circumstance. Nevertheless, we decided to order anyways because we all knew personally how irritating it would be to have to wait on a table on a busy night such as this. Rashid was very abrupt when taking orders, cutting me off when I asked him questions and leaving mid sentence. I had to remind him to bring bread to the table. Towards the end of the meal he tried to deter me from ordering the Salted Pretzel Caramel Sundae, probably because he had to prepare the desserts himself. This came out without the chocolate as stated in the menu, but I had no qualms as it was busy and it was a minuscule detail --in such a fine restaurant. Finally, Rashid came to the table to tell us that he was not normally so abrupt with his service and that he didn't care if he got no more tables for the night because he had already been working since early that day. He just had to rush the experience because his manager was telling him to get our table in and out for the next guests. Although, I sympathized with him and undoubtedly left him a fine tip, my experience was not fine. ************* Bottom line: food was good, but the price you pay doesn't include a fine dining experience as promised.
(3)Greg D.
What a beautiful restaurant! The food was excellent and service was amazing. Our entire group enjoyed their meals and cocktails. They have a huge selection of fresh seafood.
(4)Dana S.
Decided to check out Happy Hour here before a night at the theatre. Loved the mussels and sliders, other items were okay! Not very impressed with the level of service or the quality of drinks at the bar...
(3)jennifer s.
Gahhh. If I could give more stars I would! I am so in love with Oceanaire it's ridiculous. I was first introduced at restaurant week back in March-ish. It was fabulous! Then, we returned last night as I have been craving a baked alaska, completely under dressed, we ended up staying for happy hour, oysters, and the baked alaska, everything was amazing, our servers were so sweet, and I just love the overall feel of this restaurant. The ambiance is very very nice. Thank you for forever showing us a great time!
(5)Robin B.
Stopped in here after a show for some late night appies. We had the bar to ourselves and get this, it was Happy Hour. The bartender was great and our food was good. I'd recommend this place if you're not up for the very loud Corner Office after a show.
(4)Yasser S.
I tried the happy hour menu which gives you plenty of choice for a low price. i loved the grilled shrimp,and the Crabcakes. I tried the steak sliders but unfortunately forgot to mention how it should be done,so i wasnt much of a fan,cause it was salty. The server was great in explaining what i should get and ofcourse the environment was comforting with no noise and enough lighting,but not enough to instagram your food ;)
(4)Grace B.
My boyfriend took me to Oceanaire for Valentine's Day last month and I wasn't too impressed. To start off, we had the New England Clam Chowder and it wasn't as good as the one I had at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle but it was pretty good. Then, we had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for appetizers and those were the best crab cakes I've ever tasted! Now I've never had the Maryland Crab Cakes but these were amazing! You can really taste the fresh crabs in the cake. Once I was done with appetizer, I thought "we are off to a great start!" However, that is when my entree came to the table, Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops 'Dynamite'. I love scallops and I really love to taste it alone but there was too much of 'Dynamite' that diluted the flavor of the scallops for me. 'Dynamite' is what seems to be another word for "crab cakes." So, in restaurants defense, maybe I ordered the wrong dish but having crab cakes for appetizers is one thing but having it on top of my scallops was not my style. On the other hand, my boyfriend had a fish entree from the Chef's Selections and it was ok. Not very impressive. Moving on to the finale, dessert, Baked Alaska. Keep in note that the waiter did not recommend the Baked Alaska. He actually said that it wasn't his favorite but my friend had told me about it when I told her I was going to Oceanaire so I had to try it for her sake. One word, Ugh. Maybe that wasn't even a word but it was edible but not good. Once the meringue (marshmallow-like) was lit on fire and you blow the fire out, the waiter cuts into the meringue and inside is two scoops of ice cream (chocolate and raspberry sorbet) with sponge-like cake at the bottom. My boyfriend and I don't like marshmallow so the meringue was not our favorite and the ice creams were way too sweet and don't even get me started on the cake. That cake was so dry and dense that it was hardly edible. What a shame, the night started off great but ended in a disappointment. Ambiance: fancy with little romance; Staff: very friendly; Decor: very blue; Taste: good, but not good enough for the price--would love to try their happy hour sometime though
(3)Jasmine H.
My fiancé and I came here on the last day of restaurant week and we were able to take advantage of the great deals on that menu. We were able to pick a starter, an entrée and a desert for $30 a person (I think). The food was good but the service was phenomenal! All of the staff were very attentive. My fiancé received the wrong entrée so to make it up our waiter brought us two glasses of Moët :). The decor is a little more on the modern side which I loved. All in all I enjoyed my meal here and plan to make a return visit
(5)Gen M.
I am an East Coast Girl, through and through. Spending the day fishing and crabbing and shrimpin was pretty typical. And when you're used to things being a certain way because of freshness and respect for the product that you just caught, it's often difficult to find that same integrity when you switch out the ocean for mountains. This is especially true when it comes to crab cakes. I don't know how it is that every single restaurant I've ordered crab cakes at in the past few years could screw them up so incredibly, but somehow they manage to do just that. BUT!! That is so not the case with Oceanaire! I actually got a hankering for a real crab cake one day, and scoured all the pictures of crab cakes in Yelp. When I finally came across the ones in the photos above (seriously... stop reading and go look at the pictures), I knew that I had found a restaurant that knew exactly how to handle a stupid crab cake. And I was right! They are just like the crab cakes that you find all over the North East, on the Eastern Shore, and that all crabbers make in their own kitchens. True lump that hasn't been handled to the point of shredding, and broiled instead of being coated to death with breading and fried. On top of that, the service was impeccable. Our waiter was both comical and on top of it, as were the bussers. As for the rest of the food we ordered (and there was a lot).... I really don't care. They have truly legitimate crab cakes. And that is all that matters.
(5)Lauren D.
I was here for Denver Restaurant Week a few days ago and kind of have some mixed feelings. The service was great. We were seated right away, addressed by the wait staff within seconds of sitting down and our waiter was both very educated about the menu and friendly. Food-wise, however, was kind of hit or miss. Example: crab cakes were a hit, paella was a miss. If it hadn't been for the total mouthgasm that was the grilled steelhead, dinner at the Oceanaire might not have been that memorable but that dish was so dang good that it made up for anything that missed the mark. This place is pretty expensive so I'm not sure it'd be worth going back if it wasn't Denver Restaurant week, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone who'd never been from going. I'd just made sure to tell them to order the steelhead over the paella.
(3)David R.
We came for the cocktails and stayed for dinner. Again. Oceanaire is where we usually go for a drink before/after the theatre, it's not normally out dinner spot due to price. But, Mario is a spectacular bartender (and this come from an ex-bartender). Note that, bartender NOT mixologist. We came for the best manhattan in town and ended up staying for dinner, and were introduced to some soon-tp-be cocktails as an after dinner drink. Spectacular stuff. We will be back for sure. The cocktails are great, the food is very good (but you pay for it) and again, Mario is simply the best.
(5)Steve B.
Sorry "Sea Food Snob", but I'm from the San Francisco area, and this kind of food wouldn't cut it. Portion sizes were nice, service was terrific but the food was very mixed and slow to arrive at our table. Some of the best calamari and clam chowder I've had. Good oysters and fries too. But also, about the worst fish dishes I've tasted in a long time. My wife had the Petrale Sole Florentine which was just awful. No flavor to the fish, and the rest of the dish was unimaginative and bland. I had the Haddock with added "black and blue", which for an additional $3 was supposed to be Cajun seasoning and blue cheese. The seasoning was definitely not Cajun, and all they did was put a small melon-baller sized lump of blue cheese on top of the fish. All of this spread upon a bed of ridiculously sweet grilled onions, which were totally wrong for the dish. Very weird. Grits, in the shrimp and grits, were bland. It was my wife's birthday, and the waiter made sure to tell us he had something "special for dessert". It was baked Alaska, which was alright, but they charged us for it after implying they were treating her. Not a big deal at $10, but unexpected. We won't be going back.
(1)Carly B.
I had never even considered Oceanaire as somewhere I ever wanted to go. It's not that I had heard bad things, it's just that I hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'm weird with seafood-centric restaurants like that (see Jax Fish House review). This review is for their bar happy hour which goes until 10, so you are never cutting it close. We were there at about 8:30 on a Friday night and there was plenty of bar space. They have a nice list of small plates as well as some discounted cocktails. I went for a mojito for $6 (small in size but surprisingly boozy) as well as the $7 shrimp and grits. David P and Kristen N each had an order of blackened fish tacos ($5 for two). My shrimp and grits was delicious and the perfect size for a mini "out drinking" meal. The grits were topped with white cheddar and little bit of gumbo type gravy and were accompanied with three, nice sized shrimp. Dave and Kristen seemed to enjoy their tacos as well. Still not sure if I'd ever have a meal here as fancy seafood just isn't really my scene. But if you're looking for a late, low-key food and drink happy hour this is a great stop.
(4)Christopher S.
Excellent high end restaurant. Great seafood, perfect preparation and presentation. Love the family style sides and salads big enough to share. If wanting to impress someone and cost is not a concern, this will definitely impress. I ordered the swordfish "dynamite" and it was definitely that. Not as spicy as they said, but I really do like heavy spice. All 6 meal that were brought for the group left all satisfied in terms of both flavor and serving size.
(5)Christine A.
I can't really give a review on the drinks or food, just the service. Why? I wasn't given the opportunity enjoy food or drink. They have a horrible bartender there. He took forever to give me a menu - and even then, he wouldn't give me a drink menu until I asked him 3x. After another 10 minutes, he still hadn't taken my drink order. Finally, I said something and he replied "I'll make it right away." To him, "right away" meant after he continued his constant conversation with another group of patrons. As I watched him chat with them, I left. I told the host what happened and he didn't seem to care one little bit. This is a horrible place.
(1)Ryan G.
Make no mistakes about it - this is one of those 'you get what you pay for' type of meals. The prices are on the high side, but the service and quality match them well. The restaurant is known for it's fresh fish offerings which are flown in daily creating a menu that will likely change between each visit. They also offer a wide variety of wines by the glass and by the bottle, however we didn't try the wine so I can't comment much about the quality. As for the meal itself the starter course was tasty, and what you would expect from most upper end steak and seafood restaurants with some great soups and salads. We tried 3 varieties of oysters (there were over a dozen varieties to choose from), and I must say they were the best I have ever had. I've tried fresh shucked oysters from both coasts, and none of them had the amazing texture and almost sweet flavors that these had to offer. For the main course I had a scampi that was full of flavor without being heavy in either butter or oil. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the whole dish had just a hint of spice which I loved. For the table we split a couple of desserts; an extremely light and flavorful carrot cake and a caramel chocolate cake that everyone agreed would be worth coming back for alone. It was slightly warm with a delicious chocolate cake base, a layer of caramel in the middle, and a chocolate cake topping that had just a bit of a crunch to it. Very rich, and worth every bite.
(5)John D.
Food was wonderful, but pricey. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the open to close happy hour food specials. We ordered almost half of the menu. Good quality seafood. They had your classic appetizer style offerings (happy hour bar menu) like calamari and steamed mussels. The sliders (both crab cake and filet) were much better than I would expected. They also had some not-so-common offerings like shrimp and grits, which turned out to be my favorite. I did not order from the full dinner menu, although the offerings looked very good. Maybe I'll try it another time when I am in Denver. If you are looking for good fresh seafood (when not by the sea), then I would recommend this place. Ambience was unique. Blue lightning gave the place an aquarium feel.
(4)Jennifer W.
We went on Super Bowl Sunday. Eerily quiet but not surprisingly so. Service was fairly fast and attentive. Happy hour was a good value. We shared mussels (yummy, but not enough bread!), fish tacos, and oysters. On Sundays they feature one type of oyster for $1 a piece.
(4)Michael S.
The Sunday through Friday nonstop happy hour is outstanding, along with $1 oysters on Sunday. The trio of Filet Mignon sliders are a bargain at $8. The calamari is on pointe and Liam at the bar does not dissapoint. Highly recommend stopping in and checking out the bar/lounge at The Oceanaire.
(5)Denise G.
Denver Restaurant Week always falls the same time of year as my birthday. It works well for me, because I get to have a fantastic dinner that I wouldn't normally get throughout the year. This year, I picked The Oceanaire. The menu looked great and so reservations were made. My party arrived and were seated promptly. Drinks were ordered and we went over the Denver Restaurant Week menu. It changed! I know the menu online states that the menu may change, but my dish that I had my heart set on, was now missing. Cooper was our server and he was nothing short of awesome. He explained that since they get fresh fish, the menu would only allow what fresh fish they got that day. I understand, but was still a little disappointed. I then decided to go with the grilled tenderloin tips with whipped potatoes, crispy onions and conac cream. Cooper suggested with this dish to add shrimp. I felt that was a great idea and so shrimp was added to my dish. It all tasted amazing and was cooked exactly as I like it. Brian went with the grilled loch etive steelhead trout served blackened with caramelized onions and blue cheese butter. This dish was also good, but the fish didn't seem to be the trout. It was pink and flaky inside like salmon. We were a bit confused. The dessert menu changed as well. Instead of salted caramel and pretzel sundae, which I also had my heart set on, they offered a mint chocolate chip sundae. It sounded good so we ordered this when we ordered the appetizer and main dish. By the time we got to the dessert, the restaurant ran out of the ice cream. At this point, I was getting a little annoyed with having to change my choice. The death by chocolate cake sounded heavy and rich, so I opted for the cookies. Yes, they offered cookies as dessert for the Denver Restaurant Week menu. This was such a lame option. The whole point of DRW is to impress people, not disappoint them. I was surprised they couldn't come up with something else for dessert. Overall, we added an appetizer and had a few drinks and spent much more than the $60 for DRW. It was nice to finally try this place, but sad that they lacked some options. Cooper was a great server and very helpful with suggestions. I am not sure if we would be back for the food, but we would for sure for the great service.
(3)Whitney W.
My boyfriend called to be sure we could get in and we went here on a Friday night for dinner. Everything about the dinner was classy. The only thing was the servers helper needed more experience. We had amazing lobster bisque to start. We had a bottle of wine. I wish they carried a real sweet riesling. I ordered the Goat Cheese Encrusted Swordfish and it was just absolutely amazing. They Bacon buttermilk (aka homemade amazing ranch) was very delightful with the truffle fries that we ordered. The evening turned into a Fabulous Date Night!
(5)Demitri R.
Stopped in here With Kate And Shaun S and Jese for a drink after BlueMan Group. It definitely does smell fishy lol. But inside its awesome. We Pulled up to the bar and I had a Oceanaire Mint Mojito Martini with muddled mint leaves which was delicious. Also had a sip of Moscato Wine. Yummly By Far. The Bartender was great and in no rush to hurry you out since he had "cleaning" to do. I can definitely see coming back to bring a special someone for date night when I get a Special someone. Bask In the Ambiance Bask in the Ambiance.
(5)Shaun S.
New Happy Hour Menu Bad: Drink Prices Increased By $1 Good: 5 PM - 7 PM AND 8 PM - CLOSE Sun-Fri DRINKS $4 DRAFTS New Belgium Seasonal Guinness Fat Tire Coors Light $5 Wines By The Glass La Marca Prosecco Campanile Pinot Grigio Montgras Sauvignon Blanc McManis Cabernet Sauvignon Red Diamond Merlot $6 Specialty Drinks Oceanaire Mojito Martini Spiced Apple Manhattan Patronarita Perfect Bacardi Mojito $7 Specialty Martinis Lemon Drop Pomegranate Martini Ketel Cosmo James Bond Martini FOOD $8 Crab Cake Bites Ahi Tuna Bites Spicy Tuna Tartare $6 Grilled Beef Steak Bites Steamed Mussels Trio of Oysters Oysters Rockefeller $5 Old Fashioned Shrimp Cornmeal Fried Oysters Red Chili Calamari Fish & Chips
(4)Amy D.
I went with five others to Oceanaire last Friday for their $30- 2 lb. lobster promotion (part of the same group Mike E. mentions in his review). We were seated quickly and our waiter was on top of everything. Unfortunately, that's going to be the highlight of this review. After we were seated the bread and relish trays were delivered to the table and our waiter took our drink order. Since we all knew we wanted lobster we didn't review the menu too much except for to choose a couple appetizers and sides to go with the main course. A few others and I got the clam chowder and loved it. Word around the table was the poke was yummy as well, though I didn't partake. Here's where the drama begins to creep in... Before the apps came, our server came to take our dinner order. Six lobsters, please. Our sever asked if we wanted those shelled. I expected them to be cracked, but I didn't even think getting it shelled was an option. Yes, please! All six of us. So the entrees are ordered, we're finishing up appetizers and order a second round of drinks. Somewhere around here the drawn butter was sent to the table. And it stayed there for an insane amount of time before the lobster actually arrived. As we're sitting there I'm noticing it's taking forever for the second round of drinks and there's almost no wait staff around. Anywhere. Where is everyone? A few minutes later more staff starts milling about and our second round of drinks arrive. My mojito was passable, but my friend's second Hendricks and tonic had two very old, very brown cucumbers floating at the top. Our server was quick to make it right, but according to the drinker, even the second attempt at fresh cucumbers wasn't all that great. We also got another bottle of wine for the table, one we thought was the same as our first bottle, but when it came out it wasn't. It turns out our first bottle was wrong - a more expensive reserve - that we didn't order. Thankfully they just charged us for two of the less expensive bottles so we didn't have to pay for the mistake of being given the wrong bottle in the first place. It was funny too because when the bill came we were told numerous times that even though the reserve was very pricey, we were only charged for the normal vintage. Um...thanks? After another little stint, a couple runners came out and delivered the entrees. Gorgeous lobsters in bright red shells. Hey wait a minute! Someone at the table mentioned they were supposed to be shelled and the runners, bless their hearts, said "We'll let your waiter talk to you about that." Uh-oh... So the server arrives after the lobsters are sitting in front of us and politely informed us there was a problem in the kitchen and essentially, they'd had some staff walk out and there was just too much lobster demand and not enough people to do the shelling. We were disappointed and it was odd and off-putting to know the kitchen staff ditched out, but whatever, we could power through for lobster. Er, well we could if we had the right utensils. We waited about ten minutes before the claw crackers were brought over and then another five or so for the tiny shellfish forks. The subpar drinks, cold butter, lack of utensils, wrong wine and a couple overcooked lobsters at the table made for an increasingly frustrating experience, so we asked that the manager come over. A few minutes later he arrives and instead of introducing himself, he announces to the table "So you all ordered the lobsters shelled and they didn't come that way, right?" Well, yes. He explained they were short staffed and he was just trying to keep up and make sure everyone got their lobsters. I don't think he actually ever said "I'm sorry," let alone "what can we do to make it right?" I get there are hiccups and challenges during any given service, but seriously Oceanaire, you're promoting lobster here. Awesome event idea, but horrible execution overall. The sides were nothing to shout about - the broccolini was all right, though not very stellar in the seasoning department. The jalapeno corn bread didn't include one jalapeno that I saw and was also undercooked (see: bites of batter). At the end of the meal our waiter, who was apologetic through the entire ordeal, inquired what the manager offered to do for us and we replied nothing. A few minutes later he came over with two glasses of dessert wine for our table of six. It was a really nice gesture, but didn't save the evening. I've been to Oceanaire in the past, not long before I began yelping actually, and that experience was much more positive than this one. Probably four or five star worthy. Unfortunately, after this experience we won't be giving it another shot.
(2)Ryan W.
This place is amazing! A GO TO must have for happy hour. This place has the best happy hour in the city. And don't let the "hour" confuse you... It's all night! The staff is amazing John, Mario, and Kat are all fantastic. They always take great care of me while I'm there. Here are my favorites on the food menu: Shrimp ceviche, filet sliders, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, fish tacos and you must have the truffle fries! TO DIE FOR! And their loyalty program is pretty solid. For drinks I love the James Bond! For dessert go big and get the Baked Alaska! It's entertaining and delicious! Love it!
(5)Kate G.
Love this restaurant. Great atmosphere, food and wine list. Although always a crowd we were seated right away with a great view. Our meal was delicious. Halibut was perfectly Cooked so was my dates steak. The sides the waiter suggested went really well with both dishes. We were also able to sit and talk and no one pushed us to leave. Wonderful restaurant.
(5)Mike E.
I was part of a group of 6 that dined at Oceanaire last night. A couple people in the group are on their mailing list and recieved an email promoting a lobster special they were going to be running last night. We confirmed our orders the day before to make sure they would have a lobster reserved for each of us. It seemed like they were organized, always a good sign. However, through a combination of poor training, poor staffing, poor attitude by management, and a total lack of any type of team effort to deal with a situation in the kitchen - described as some type of revolt with more than half the kitchen staff walking out. Instead it was a series of what not to do's. Things started out good, a nice table and a server most people at the table had had on another trip in with a group celebrating a birthday. Drinks were ordered, bread delivered, relish trays dropped off. Then things began to slide a bit, only because the drinks seemed to take a long time to deliver. We then ordered some some spicy tuna poke and 3 also had clam chowder. The poke had a nice kick, and I like their presentation with a stack on wantons, they add some good texture, with tomatoes mixed in. We ordered a few sides for the table to share with the meal - salt potatoes and corn on the cob, honey jalepeno cornbread, and steamed broccolini with parmesan cheese and white truffle. Our server then asked if we would like our lobster completely shelled, which I had not done before. The claws had always been cracked open, and the body split with kitchen shears or a sharp butcher knife. This time everyone decided to get them shelled, why not give it a try. After a very long wait our server showed up with 6 small pitchers of clarified butter. He asks a runner that was near to pass it out so he can go and grab the drinks we had ordered a while back. After 10 minutes or so he showed back up with drinks, and a stressed look on his face. I figured the bartender was crashing and burning, but there was much more going on. Although one of the drinks was topped with a rotten cucumber, and the second bottle of wine that was supposed to be the same somehow was not. Then a while later runners show up with our lobsters, finally! Only they aren't shelled, and when we mention this they say that they know and that our server will let us know what's going on. Plus, the claws weren't cracked and there was only a small gash were someone (likely in anger) hit it with a dull knife, allowing lots of little shards of shell in the main cavity. When he does make it back over he begins to apologize profusely, and repeatedly tells us how embarrassed he is. He says that most of the kitchen staff had evidently just walked out. He says he will try to make it right and will get us tools to use for the lobster. After serveral more minutes he brings us each a bucket and a small cracker you use for crab legs. That worked for the smaller claws, but the bigger ones were too tough to crack with that tool. They really needed to be hit on the side with a small mallet on a cutting board. Oh, and those sides. The broccolini didn't have any seasoning, parm, or white truffle. It tasted like cardboard. The cornbread was easily the worst I've ever had, and if there were any jalepenos we couldn't see or taste any. And the corn and potatoes tasted like they had been holding in water for several hours. As things began to spiral out of control we asked to speak to the manager, not sure why he hadn't run interference on the situation in the first place. After some time the GM made his way over and said he heard there was a problem. Now that you mention it - some parts of the lobster needed the jaws of life to get to the growing cold meat, the sides taste horrible, the same bottle of wine became a different bottle, your serving drinks with rotting veggies, your team seems to not get along, and we heard most of your kitchen crew walked. I asked if the people that walked out were the only ones qualified to prepare lobsters. Not shell, just prepare to be served. While making sure not to really even offer any apologies he said he didn't like to make excuses. Then of course he made an excuse, he said 2 people were doing the job of 7 and they were trying their best. All I could think was "Then why weren't you, along with all the other suited managers, back there helping? Since you obviously weren't stopping by tables explaining the situtation" Our server came back and asked what the GM was going to do for us, we said evidently nothing. He seemed shocked, then went and "bought" our table of 6 a couple of dessert wines. Nice try, but too little, too late.
(2)Diego R.
Brought my daughter here for dinner before going to the ballet. I think because I came here with a 5 year old they sat us near the kitchen. Not a huge deal, but the restaurant was not even half full. Service was very good, and several staff members went out of their way to be nice to my daughter. We had mussels and salmon. Both were excellent. Wish they had a healthier selection for the kids menu, everything was fried, but it's not really a kids kinda place. We came back after the show for the cookies and milk for my daughter, and a scotch for me. Both were great!
(4)Larry R.
I have had better experiences at other Oceanaires. The food here was fair but definitely not worth the high prices. All the Oceanaires are high price but I felt I got better tasting food at other places. The fish was just not the best in terms of flavor. It was a little on the bland side. Also it took fifty minutes to get to our table! In addition my appetizer sat in full view on the counter while the wait person chatted with some people they knew or liked better than us because they ordered more expensive things? We won't be coming back.
(2)Kristen H.
I used to love Oceanaire- it was one of my favorite places in Denver. Not anymore. Over the past few years, it seems to be going downhill and I figured out why- it was acquired by Landrys- where good food goes to die. SERVICE: We went here a few days ago and had a very mediocre experience. The server was pushy, a little rude and insincere. FOOD: The food was hit or miss. APPETIZERS: the crab cake is good here- a lot of crab, little breading. One of the best things on the menu and thank goodness, that has not been changed. The trout with potato chips sounded great but they put so much sauce on it, you could not even tell you were eating fish anymore. The BLT salad was actually very good but was a little gross when I found the food labels still on the tomato. SIDES: The Mexican lime-corn side was lovely. The hashbrowns were good but a little bland. The lobster mac and cheese sounded great but was lacking flavor. The potato-au-gratin was mushy and average. ENTREES: The steak was dry and overcooked. The scallops would have been good if they didn't have a pound of butter and crap on them, masking any real flavor. The grilled items were good. But don;t get the extras with it- too rich and overpowers the real flavor of the fish. I personally find that good restaurants let the seafood speak for itself and don;t try to mask the flavor. They definitely mask it at Oceanaire now- must not be using good quality seafood? PRICE: It is pricey- which I don't mind if the food is great. But for the quality of the food, I think it is overpriced. Oh and by the way- it took 2.5 hours to get through our meal. The kids with us were ready to explode. Overall, I raved about this place when it first opened but now, I would skip it. There are better seafood places in Denver for the same price.
(2)Cliff T.
I love how it feels like you are in an ocean liner in the fifty's (orsomething. how would I know?) Yes! Happy-hour at the bar all day! Great drinks (Prosecco Sangria!) and eats (fish n' chips).
(4)Shelby S.
The food was delicious and the service was great. GET THE CRAB CAKES! If you're looking to go on a low key night I would suggest Sunday. Probably less than 10 people in the restaurant. Gave it a three because for the price you pay I expected more...I would go again but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't.
(3)Kate K.
Easily one of the best Happy Hours in town. So good, I'm almost hesitant to write a review for fear of exposing the little known gem. Sunday - Friday they have a 5- 7 pm Happy Hour. But they also have the lesser known 8 - 10 Happy Hour. Good wines for $4, cocktails and martinis for $5 - $6. And the food is tasty too. At some point I suppose I'll go back and have dinner there, but really, the Happy Hour makes it so that I don't even feel the need for dinner. Every time we've visited, we've had amazing service - the past 2 visits Alex took fantastic care of us. He remembered us from our previous visit, and in my book that's always a plus. All in all a great place.
(4)a-p h.
We had a reservation, waited at the bar for 40 min and it turned out the hostess forgot us. My girlfriends sashimi was ok, my fish was raw inside. Pretty bad for an expensive restaurant like this. Don't go. Save your money and go to ocean prime or sushi den of you got the cash and want good food
(2)Skip W.
I've been trying various seafood places as I travel. Most have the basics with little dabbles of neatness. But the Oceanaire has raised the bar. The experience has a classy twist that expresses the passion they have for food. Menu options packed with very fresh (3 day fresh) seafood and fish with large portions that fit the $bill. The staff are professional, attentive and great crumb scrapers. The food is very flavorful but separate, so if you have a lite pallet you can move things around to taste. Take the most important person in life here to eat and just soak in the expressions on their face. Then comes the warm towel and dessert menu. A true definition of dinning out. I had the Shrimp N Grits, Skuna Salmon black and blue and huge cheesecake like Key Lime pie. Not reviewing a single food item because I'm very positive that it's all very delicious.
(5)Diane L.
We are very dissatisfied with our treatment when we ate here a couple weeks ago. The food was good but my wife ordered grouper grilled and the waiter told her he would put some kind of sauce on it. They way he presented it it would be at no cost to us. Boy we were wrong they added 17.50 to the cost to what she ordered. We visited with management about the issue and he told her he would give her a glass of wine on our next visit. We have decided their won't be a next visit. Watch them as they will add to your meal making you think it is free and you will be ending up paying for it. I'm telling all my friends about our treatment.
(1)Ruth A.
I ordered the arctic charr that was lightly breaded and fried. It was fileted tableside. I have to say it was the most divine seafood I've had. The service was splendid; very attentive! A wonderful menu and delightful wine list! Bravo!
(5)Michael C.
Always good and a fantastic steak. Great for dinner and a show. You can valet your car eat dinner, then walk across the street to the theater and then pick up your car later that night.
(4)Ryan M.
Went with a group of friends before seeing a show at the Buell. We had 9 of us there and the service was excellent. I ordered the crab cake entree, and I think those are the best crab cakes I've ever had. I grew up on the east coast where I was always able to get fresh seafood and these top my favorite ones back there. My boyfriend ordered the trout Florentine and he was a fan. We will be back, especially for a nice date night or even happy hour at the bar.
(4)Tricia H.
Another update...I received a $50 card in the mail from someone from Landry's corporate. Since Landry's owns tons of other restaurants, we chose Saltgrass Grill. The service and food there will be reviewed separately, but I thought it best to at least give credit to corporate for sending me the gift card. Regardless, how Landry's is doing business does not match my dining needs. A sales pitch on a frequent diner program, so-so food, and so-so service have me avoiding Landry's overall.
(3)Rebecca E.
The food was all delicious, though pretentious. We are fans of nice restaurants when the service and meal match the price on the menu. This meal was incredibly overpriced ($40 for 6 scallops - nothing else - on a plate with a lemon wedge, grilled only with a little butter). They were delightful and well prepared, but left one wanting. As a table, we shared broccoli, asparagus and mashed potatoes but none of it was finished and there was much left wanting. The service was showy, but good with one exception. When we arrived, they asked if we had tickets to see the show and confirmed the start time. We had made reservations for an hour and a half before we had to leave. We received our meals only ten minutes before we had to walk out the door. We will likely eat somewhere else next time we go down for a show.
(2)Rich H.
West coast oyster appetizers were fresh, delicious and well shucked - especially the kumomotos. Complementary veggies/pickles were sparse, though the waiter happily supplied pickled peppers when I remarked that I had been looking forward to having them. The 2 lb Lobsters were so-so. One had a shell full of dark spots, suggesting that the lobster was old. The waiter happily (insistently) replaced it, bringing a complementary shrimp cocktail as compensation. Even after replacement, the lobsters didn't rise above "meh," but Denver is a long way from Maine. Even with professional, friendly service it was hard to escape feeling that the Denver Oceanaire doesn't supply the same seafood quality/freshness as the east coast outlets.
(2)Jennifer A.
Since Restaurant Week is almost upon us again (so glad it's happening twice this year!), I thought that I should probably review the restaurants I went to for restaurant week back in February. The Oceanaire was one of two that my SO and I tried, and I'm disappointed to report that the whole experience (food, service, atmosphere) was mediocre. Nothing was terrible, nothing was outstanding. The restaurant wasn't very full, so the server could have been more attentive, although the few times he did make it over to our table he was very friendly. But when you don't see the server from the time he takes your entree order until you're ready for the check, well...not good. And as stated, the food wasn't anything special. I'm glad we only paid restaurant week prices, although even that was a bit much for the quality. As for the atmosphere, well, the whole place has a really early 90s vibe to it. Just dated and kind of sad. I won't be giving it another shot, but who knows, plenty of other people on Yelp had a good experience, so maybe you will too.
(2)Aileen D.
Something's slipped a little. My favorite crabcake is not the same. I don't know how to describe it other than it was wetter than I remembered. Maybe the kitchen is going light on the crab and using a more mayo? Service was a little lacking also as we had to ask for bread, and then again ask for butter. Weird. I will always think of Oceanaire when craving seafood but I am always open to finding THE seafood place.
(4)Chuck S.
Restaurant #4 of 2012 5280. My cousin and I were dateless on a Saturday night so, he joined me for a 9:00 reservation on Saturday night. When we got there, a few minutes before 9:00, the place was insanely packed. The bar was several people deep almost all the way around and we were told that people were dining longer than expected and we'd have to wait a bit to be seated. We did manage to grab a couple seats at the bar and then had to wait about 15 minutes before a waiter came to take our drink order. At 9:30 the hostess came and found us and went to seat us at a table for 6 or 8 people so she changed her mind and had us follow her to another area of the restaurant. She took us to a circular booth table and just as we got there another hostess was sitting another party there. What confusion. The table right next to it was open so we asked why we couldn't just have that booth, she said she needed to go check up front so, we sat down and made ourselves at home. She came back and said it would be ok if we sat there. We felt a bit funny, two guys, sitting in a romantic booth setting! We had fun with it though. When we did get our bread we didn't get any bread plates until we requested them. I was a bit surprised by the stark atmosphere where white walls are adorned only with a few fish trophys. This paragraph is why the restaurant doesn't get 5 stars. From here our dining experience just got better and better. Jeff was our waiter and he put up with our crap and had a lot of fun with us. When he walked up, almost right away after us being seated, the first thing out of my cousin's mouth was, "We are not gay." From then on, we all played on that and Jeff jumped right on it too. He said we should just call him "Silly." And, that's what the night turned out to be. Jeff was a great waiter and took wonderful care of us. We both got the calamari appetizer and it was wonderful, with the calamari on a bed of a unique, I'll call it, "salsa" blend. I ordered the rockfish and my cousin ordered the salmon medium rare. Both plates were cooked to perfection and the fish was absolutely delicious. The salmon was on a bed of fennel creamed spinach and matchstick fries that complimented the flavor. The rockfish was on a bed of tomato andouille ragout and corn bread crumbs, it was absolute heaven! Jeff just brought all three different desserts to try, thank you Jeff! I'm not a key lime pie expert but, I really liked it! The cheesecake was to die for! Our table busser was Pablo, he was very quiet/shy at first until we started talking to him and then he really opened up and we had a great time joking with him too. If you are going to go out for fish in Denver, this might be "the" place to go. I was happily surprised to find a nice fish place 1000+ miles from the nearest ocean! It's very pricey but, absolutely delicious!
(4)Amy O.
Oh man, this happy hour was great. (Happy hour, by the way, is all day, open to close, Sunday - Friday but only at the bar). The prosecco sangria is addicting. It's prosecco and captain morgan and is perfectly complimented and cooled by adding cucumbers. Also involved, strawberries for sweetness. I wanted a vat of it. ugh! The parmesan truffle fries were awesome, too. So much tasty truffle oil. I'd go back just for those two items. The filet mignon sliders were just okay. I got a weird piece of meat that was not very filet-y :( The bartender was a bit slow but we weren't in a rush, and he was friendly so it was all good.
(4)Jeanne R.
I have been a big fan of The Oceanaire since the days when it was a small independent chain. It is still a pretty good place to go before the theater since Landry's bought it. We were there for the first time in a while a few weeks ago, and while the food and service is still great, I don't like what is going on with the wine list. I expect a markup of 200-300% on wine whent I go out, but the Oceanire seems to be taking things a little too far. For example, our go to wine with oysters on the half shell is Mantua Valey Sauv Blanc. A month ago it was $38 - a respectable markup for a $19 bottle of wine. Suddenly, it is now $48! So I started looking a little more critically at the list. Wines by the glass are $9 to $15 - and they give you a healthy pour. But, I looked at the $9 white - Canyon Road Chardonney. Not a bad wine, but it sells for $9.99 a bottle. This a 400% markup! The wine list in general has been upgraded in quality, but so have the prices. I still love their food, and I think this the only place to go for oysters in town, but I think I am going to have to limit my visits for a while to happy hour. Such a shame. Also, my previous review should be ignored. The menu has changed totally since Landry bought the restaurant.
(2)Jeff T.
Came here for 5280 Denver Restaurant week. I just was not impressed at all. The rainbow trout was very so-so. Maybe it was just the meal I had, but I won't be coming back.
(2)Lendy L.
For Denver restaurant week, I wasn't exactly blown away by the food but it was not all that horrible either. Of the many selections available for dine week my party of three each ordered an appetizer of creamy potato bisque and the New England clam chowder, which prepared our pallets just right since both appetizers were delicious. However, when it came to our entrees, the fried Colorado striped bass and pan seared salmon sort of made the meal experience go sour. Turns out the bass was coated in a Fresno hot sauce that pretty much is the same hot sauce used for hot wings. This combination of sauce with fish was not what I was expecting for a fish dish. As for the salmon dish, although it came on a bed of cream spinach, the salmon itself was disappointingly over salted. My party left feeling that these dishes are not the best to attract future customers. For our final third course meal, there was the New York Cheese cake and the chocolate mouse, which again both were edible but nothing to rave about. For $26.40 per person for dine week, it's a good deal, but for full prices during normal business offerings, not so much a great deal, if anything it would be straight up high way robbery! I am pretty sure I would never order these dishes again, however for also being a steakhouse I'd have to try their steak just to see if the hype is really anything to rave about.
(3)Dave C.
Marginal value. Good not great food. Excellent service and decor. Painfully high prices.
(3)Becca R.
Okay, I need to say- the service was right on- never had an empty glass or had to ask for anything. A+ on that. But, the food....man, I wanted to love this place. But, it was almost below average flavor profiles and just not impressive. There are some excellent seafood options out there that are actually more affordable.
(2)Andrea P.
Besides the price, what is there not to love about this place? Service: Well in all fairness this was 52.80 week and there was a blizzard, so they were probably expecting to be full to the gills (gills, get it, it's a seafood place....yah my husband didn't laugh either) and this place probably was less full than a normal Sunday night for them. However, they had about 1 server to every 3 tables and then 1-2 support staff for those 3 tables. Meaning: you wanted bread, water, food, anything at all you got it. It was almost overwhelming. Amy was a great waitress who really knew how to speak about the menu and seemed to have a passion for her job and making sure everyone was well taken care of. Food: I'm not really a seafood connoisseur, so I got the surf and turf, minus the surf part that my husband gladly ate. Though I was sad there was no veggie or non-seafood related appetizers I still got plenty of really good food. Never really been a bok choy fan but it was so wonderfully prepared I might have to eat some at home now. I even had a bite of my husband's trout and it was awesome, I might actually come in and order that - that's a big statement out of a non-fish eater. Price: While I will agree you're getting what you pay for here, the cheap side of me still screams out you spent $120 + tip for dinner, are you a mad woman?!?! I could eat out every day this week for that same amount and other places. So I think this will be a special occasion place and not a regular...unless I hit the lotto and then who cares right?
(5)Angie V.
Food was delicious, had the filet and king crab plate. The 2 stars is for the service, I have never felt so awkward in a restaurant in my life. We walk in and the host just kind of stares at us and the manager rudely asks what the name is our reservation is under, we didn't have one as it was early and on a Monday, he scoffs a bit and we are lead to our booth in the bar area. Our waiter was completely strange acting as well, before we ordered my gf got up and went to the ladies room, he came around and said he would be back to "explain the menu" to us further.... I told him we had already decided as we were on a bit of a time crunch. He then proceeded to tell me he would NOT take my order until the other party came back, very snippy! My point was that we didn't need an explanation because we already decided what we wanted to eat. Not sure why the attitude? We waited and waited on our food, finally we inquired why it was taking so long and the manager came over again VERY awkwardly to tell us the steaks had been overcooked and they should be out soon. I don't know why everyone was acting so nervous and weird that day, I have dined here before a few months ago and everything was EXCELLENT.
(2)Garrett H.
Excellent cocktails, side dishes and service. The pecan crusted trout was awful - hardly any pecans or flavor and the fish had a lot of bones in it. If we did not have to get to a show I would have sent it back.
(3)Brian M.
came here for Restaurant Week and as soon as we mentioned we'd be ordering from that menu our server immediately turned ice cold. she would barely make eye-contact and despite my attempts to be social and thank her for everything she never said much or even smiled. In the bar area while we waited for our table, a server came up and asked us if we wanted a drink, we hesitated for a second and before we could answer, he had walked away. Our food was fine, not memorable. Clam chowder app. was good, but pretty small. I had the Snapper Dynamite which was pretty good despite the amount of bones i pulled out of my mouth. Had key lime pie for dessert and it was as advertised, pretty standard.
(2)Astrid M.
Three gripes: 1) one heck of a high price point 2) we went on a thursday evening in the winter, so it was sort of empty 3) we waited rather a long time for our food However the staff was really responsive and the food - from the little taster of pickled stuff and warm bread to the entree's themselves - was to die for! Yummy!!! They know their food! Also, we were celebrating my son's birthday and they brought out their flaming desert thing (don't ask me what it was called) for him as a surprise. That was a really nice touch.
(4)Alicia H.
I will be back, no question there! A friend and I went here for 5280 week. Our waiter was excellent and took the time to explain in detail their menu. He mentioned they had won awards for their crap cake slider and their Caesar salad so I got both. My friend got the Caesar as well as calamari for our appetizer/salad portion of the meal. The Caesar was definitely award winning! The dressing was even over all the lettuce, the Parmesan was fresh, and they garnished it with an anchovy (which I have never eaten before) and it was delicious! The crab cake slider was very flavorful and had a sauce over the top that made the cake sing! I only ate half the bread that came with it though. Main course was fillet minion for him, and trout for me. The sauce on the steak was amazing! A little hint of sweet that complimented the steak perfectly. The trout (in whole fish with eyes and all) was de-boned stuffed with shrimp and cheeses was in a creamy lemon (I think) sauce. I could only eat 1/2 of this awesomeness. We also got a side of augratin loaded potatoes and WOW. For dessert (since my friend's sister worked there we got hooked up) we had a slice of the cheesecake, chocolate mouse, key lime, and the baked alaska. Each were veryvery good... I thought the mouse to be a little bitter at first taste, but "licked" the little shell plate in the end. For a great show though the baked alaska was a great finale! A foot tall dessert comes out and is lite on fire and gives off a s'more smell and then cinnamon is thrown onto the flame to give sparks... the knife is heated up in the flame and then cut into halves. YUM!
(5)Jennifer B.
This is a fantastic place! I went here with a group of girls from work for a working dinner. We were greeted and sat immediately with a smile. I was a bit nervous since I am not a big fish person. I have been getting more adventurous but almost an entire menu of fish was a bit overwhelming but I was willing to try. After spending some time reviewing the menu I finally selected what I determined to be my best option - Alaskan Halibut with some king of creamy bacon sauce (everything tastes better with bacon). LOL. My friends had ordered some whole fish which sounded delicious. We ordered two sides, the au gratin potatoes and a side of asparagus. The food arrived and mine appeared to be an entire Halibut, the server slowly poured some of the bacony goodness over my beautiful fish. The other two had their whole fish arrive table side with two servers who de-boned the fish in front of us perfectly. They timed it so nice that they almost finished at exactly the same time. I wonder how I can become an expert de-boner?! That was pretty cool. The food was fabulous, I can't say enough about it. They turned a fish hater into a fish lover. I would go back there in a heart beat to try the rest of the menu. Be ready to be wined and dined and waited on hand and foot. What a surreal experience. I highly recommend this place for a romantic dinner or a fun business outing. Please enjoy.
(4)Roxy J.
Pretty good seafood! Prices on wine were a little high. The mussel appetizer was delicious. I had the mahi mahi for the main appetizer - very good! A table mate had the stuffed shrimp, she loved it. The dessert was okay. I would skip it. A little pricey overall, but delicious meal (except for dessert). Our service was great. We will definitely be asking for Wade in the future!
(4)Hokie F.
Seafood in Denver? What was I thinking? More akin to a steakhouse vibe with toppings and sides ala The Palm. A bit overseasoned for my taste.
(3)Theresa L.
Our meal and service was superb! My husband had a bacon steak. Yes, that's right, a big hunk of lovin BACON, before its sliced into those crispy breakfast strips. Not a steak wrapped in bacon, a steak OF bacon. Need we say more.
(5)Sungeeta A.
I had dinner here with my friend and we were both very impressed. I had the Black and Bleu swordfish, which was delicious. It had cajun spices, blue cheese, and caramalized onions. So flavorful! Slightly on the too salty side, though. For dessert we got the Baked Alaska, which they set on fire tableside! The meringue had a burnt caramel taste to it because of the fire, and it was amazing!! The chocolate cake part was pretty moist although not the best.
(4)Lindsey K.
The location makes this a great spot for a Happy Hour app and drink before heading to the theater. My friend and I ordered crab cake bites, spicy tuna tartare, fish and chips and shrimp cocktail. I found their HH menu to be very heavy, with few choices for those trying to eat healthy. The 3 crab cake sliders were somewhat bland and seemed to contain a fair amount of filler. The tuna tartare was also lacking in punch. So much so that when I pulled up the menu online to write this review I was shocked that the word "spicy" was even in the name. I ordered it thinking it would be a healthy option and was sad that it came on top a heavily fried and still oily wonton. The shrimp cocktail was sizable, with 5 large prawns. Maybe I am used to the super nasal clearing powers of the cocktail sauce at Elway's, but I found theirs to be lacking in horseradish. The shrimp are boiled in some kind of seasoning, which may be a plus for some and not for others. My favorite dish was the fish and chips. Arguably the least healthy, it had 2 large pieces of fried fish and really delicious shoestring french fries. Service was fantastic at the bar and the hostesses seemed genuinely nice. I will likely give this place another try at some point, but with so many great restaurants in the area it's hard to justify a return trip based on my first impression: bland food.
(3)Bryan M.
I know its a chain. I understand that. I didn't accidentally click the 4th star. This was no accident my friends. The only real reason I can't give them the 5th star is based solely on the fact that when I go to have fresh seafood in at Fino in SF or Ray's Cafe Seattle its a different experience. This place provided me with one of the best seafood experiences I've had... in my landlocked state of Colorado. There is a section of the menu with their constant favorites (i.e. the stuff you can get at each link in the chain), and then a section of locally sourced or at least locally crafted menu items. Things you can only get here. I liked the mixed approach. Their service is 7-star good, from the moment Marcia (sp?) met me at the front door. They knew my name, my guest's name... there was even a special printed menu for my friend Todd's birthday. Our server was fan-fuckin-tastic. After my experiences at Ambria and Oceanaire recently, I'm beginning to re-think my shitty attitude towards service in Denver. We started with the crab cake - near perfect. Not much filler. No chunks of celery or onion mucking up things. The jumbo shrimp cocktail is the low-light of the meal for me. Large, but dry and sort of tasteless shrimp. Thankfully the house made cocktail sauce had a lot of punch. I ordered the Diver Scallops (Oscar style). Todd had the Blackened Mahi. We shared an order of the cheesy bacon potatoes au gratin. Good portion of potatoes. Great melted crust on top. We meant to actually try each other's food at some point but independently finished our dishes, looked up and said, 'Sorry, dude.' Scallops were great. They brought a baked Alaska for Todd's birthday, which was nice... although I was promised a mariachi band and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"
(4)Brittany B.
If loving a restaurant is wrong, I don't want to be right... I stepped into the lobby this evening and remembered just how much I love this place. The decor, the people, the food, the wine... My parents and I arrived a touch early for our early dinner reservation (they like to eat right after they get off work) and we were welcomed with smiles, sat, and immediately attended to. Everyone was very attentive without making us feel rushed. My mom enjoys asking a lot of questions, which were answered in a friendly and knowledgeable fashion. To be honest, I usually get embarrassed by her inquiries, but tonight we felt well taken care of and that no question was trivial or silly. We ordered a bottle of wine, followed by another of the same that nonetheless tasted just a bit different, still good but just different than the first (perhaps another batch from the same year) and after our server ensured we were satisfied with the second bottle though it wasn't identical to the first, she immediately delivered fresh wine glasses to each person so the tastes wouldn't mingle. We ordered a few oysters and she was happy to help us decide which to order based on our taste preferences. She also suggested the Shrimp and Grits appetizer, which is apparently one of their signature dishes, and it was fabulous. The portion of calamari for RW was smaller than in years past, but the quality was still superb. The clam chowder was beautifully done. The yellowtail sliders were fine, but not outstanding in any way (they weren't mine, but my dad loved them). On to the main courses: Rockfish with grits, fried asparagus, and barbecue sauce -- delicious! Fish cooked perfectly, the "BBQ sauce" was very light and added a slight kick to the dish, the grits were wonderful... and the portion was enough for me to have leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. I will gladly re-live this meal tomorrow... My dad ordered the trout with brie and crab. (this was my second choice, but I'm glad I went with the rockfish) Tasty but very rich and the brie kind of overpowered the bite I had. He was happy with it though and also had enough for a leftover meal. My mom ordered the clams, which had mussels intermingled, which she enjoyed. Dessert was great, if a little much for all that we'd already had. I didn't try the key lime pie, but the cheesecake with strawberries was wonderful and the chocolate mousse was delightful. Restaurants: THIS is how you do Restaurant Week! Take care of your patrons, allow them a leisurely experience, and put your best foot (food) forward. I'm a little sad I've only been once per year... I may have to splurge and return before DRW next year...
(5)shea s.
I can am a seafood fanatic. I don't mind spending the money if it is good food. This is, in my opinion, the best sea food in Denver and surrounding area. I have been to all of the seafood restaurants in the area and not only does this one have the best, perfectly cooked, unique recipe, and exceptional taste, but the service was some of the best I have ever had.
(5)Deb S.
Best fish restaurant I have ever been to. Possibly the best restaurant in Denver. The waitress my partner and I had was great. The meal incredible. The wine pairing delicious. I will be back
(5)Shana W.
My first experience at Oceanaire will be my last. I was expecting mediocre, overpriced food with decent service. That's about what I got, though I was still surprised at how lacking the food and service were. My $40 plate of scallops was described as including beet greens. I had no idea that meant 1 tablespoon of beet microgreens sprikled over five scallops. The scallops were fine, but nothing more than I could have purchased at Whole Foods and made at home. The tomato mozzarella salad was good, but doused in italian dressing that tasted like it came straight out of a Sysco tub o' dressing. My companions were similarly unimpressed with their dishes. Tiny portions of mediocre fish and awkwardly composed side dishes. And the desserts were Cheesecake Factory style mega desserts with so much sugar you couldn't taste anything else. No nuance, no originality. Just an onslaught of sweet. What was really confusing was the service. It was earnest, but very awkward. A lengthy spiel was apparently necessary to explain the menu to us to start us off. I shouldn't need an explanation of how a menu works. Is it a list of food? Can I pick something and have you bring it to me? If it's more complicated than that, the concept needs a makeover. But that wasn't the waiter's fault. What kept standing out was repeated holes in the service. My iced tea disappeared during the middle of my meal, reappearing 10 minutes later. They forgot to bring utensils before the grand presentation of the birthday dessert, leaving it to sit and melt for 5-10 minutes after it was blown out. They removed someone's half-eaten dish without asking if she'd like a box and it went into the trash (though they graciously made an entire new dish for her to take home after she asked about it). The valets informed several people that they had to get their cars by 10pm because that's when the valet closed (which would have cut our dinner short by an hour, though the manager overruled them). None of this was egregious, but for the amount of money we spent, I expect much more. I ate at Oak in Boulder the previous night, got twice as much food, three times the flavor, and four times the service for less money.
(2)Brian S.
Visited Oceanaire for 5280 week. The food was excellent, service was first class and overall our experience was 4 star. We will return for more. The fish was fresh and the steaks as tender as they come.
(5)steve j.
This place is consistently great. The fish is the freshest in town and the service is impeccable. Our maître d even loaned me some change for the parking meter, and the wait staff are cordial and attentive. We had the mixed grill and the "fin and shell" fish stew, which are their classics. Both are fantastic.
(5)Steven H.
Still a terrific place. Had a light dinner that started with a mix of Fanny Bay and Clear Creek oysters, both from British Columbia. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Then I had the best wedge salad I have eaten this year - the blue cheese dressing is amazing. Finished with the appetizer-sized crab cake, which was all sweet lump crabmeat and not a stingy portion, either. Service was friendly and very competent. Not a cheap meal, but in this case I got what I paid for. Left a happy man!
(4)Stephen P.
Sat at the bar for happy hour. The food was pretty decent and the "dollar oysters" ended up being $2 oysters (which is not that great of a deal). The waiter took FOREVER to do ANYTHING. He seemed very focused on serving the older clientele (I am 26), which is fine because old people complain more but if stereotypes are correct they are more conservative tippers. I left a 10% tip, which i NEVER do (usually 25-35), and I felt bad but honestly I couldn't get a re-fill on my drink (because I was only drinking soda) and they had one bartender serving 20 people, with the other bartender only doing drinks for the restaurant. DEFINITE PASS.
(1)Tonya J.
I went here with my mom for mother's day. She indulged in the lobster, which I tasted, and it was very very good. I had the rockfish Louie and it was AMAZING- topped with lump crab and caper butter yum! But what was really standout about the Oceanaire was the service. Our waiter (I wish I could remember his name!) was crazy friendly, but not in an overbearing or fake way- just very genuine. My mom can be just a liiiiittle bit of a tough customer on occasion, and he completely won her over. He was also incredibly well-versed about everything on both the dinner menu, and the wine menu. This was the perfect place to celebrate a special day and a special lady!
(4)Josh D.
I know this is a chain, but every time I've been to this restaurant both in Denver and San Diego the seafood is always fresh, the service is always great and my wallet is a little bit lighter, but well worth it!
(5)Steven M.
Ate at Ocenaire a few weeks back before the Opera. I had eaten at their Minneapolis location years ago and remember it being very good. This one was not as good, unfortunately. We were seated quickly which was nice and had reasonably attentive service. We ordered some oysters and entrees and asked the server to make sure it was prompt since we had a show to catch. At this point I think we had 90 minutes, so I figured we were good. Unfortunately, everything took forever to come out. We finished up and paid only 10 minutes before curtain! The food was pretty middling. Maybe it was because they were busy, but the fish I had was oversalted and a bit over cooked. My Girl's fish was slightly better, but nothing we couldn't outdo at home, honestly. As you know this place is outrageously expensive, but doesn't live up to the level in the quality of the food. I won't be back, especially given that Ocean Prime is only a couple blocks away and an order of magnitude better on every dimension.
(2)Denice R.
I've been to Oceanaire in Washington D.C., several times, so I was excited to try the one in Denver. It was 5280 Restaurant Week, so we went with the price fixed menu. We did order one item off the menu (crab cake), which was the best part of the meal. I was not impressed with the Caesar salad nor the main entree (fried Colorado striped bass with Blue Cheese Grits, Fresno Hot Sauce). Actually, I didn't enjoy the grits at all and I love grits. Dessert (key lime pie) was delicious as usual and the service was impeccable. Overall, if I never eat at Oceanaire again, I will be just fine.
(3)Andreas H.
OK, so our second trip to Oceanaire was during Denver Restaurant Week 2009. It went a little something like this: The Superb: The mussels appetizer in a white wine/curry sauce. Fantastic! It probably helps that it is the height of mussel season, but they were truly delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection! The service was great and the gratis appetizer of sourdough bread and pickle-plate is always a nice touch. The Average: I had a Mahi Mahi entree that was good, but truly forgettable. The saving grace was that it was cooked perfectly. The Horrid: Dessert. Seriously, I want my calories back. We didn't even complete our desserts. The "New York Style" cheesecake was a crustless square of goo. Oh yeah, not even set up. It tasted like it was out of a box. My wife's dessert, Key Lime Pie, also tasted similar. It barely had any citrus taste at all, but at least it was set. BONUS: We had some $6 a glass Sangiovese that was actually pretty awesome! YAY! It would have been a 3.5 if it had not been for the dessert, which put it to a 2.5, but I settled on a 3.
(3)Nicole M.
I made reservations and they asked if it was a special occasion. I let them know it was our anniversary and when we arrived we were greeted quickly and shown to our table. The menu was personalized with the date and "Happy 21st Anniversary" to take along as a souvenir. Pretty cool. The place wasn't packed and the staff was extremely attentive. My husband ordered the appetizer crab cakes that were out of this world!!! 95% crab compared to the cheesy crab cakes at other restaurants that are all bread. I had a seafood trio platter for the main entree. The food was fantastic. We haven't had seafood this good since a trip to the Northwest Coast. A nice touch was a free dessert - a tall baked Alaska - for our anniversary! Showed up at the table and set afire. Nice touch. We were stuffed, but it was delicious! I have heard some negative reviews about bad service, etc. You need to let them know ahead of time if you are on your way to a show (Performing Arts center directly across the street). It avoids the hassle if you let them know when making reservations or even when you arrive. We will definitely go again. Parking is available in the Performing Arts garage or on the street.
(4)Sarah S.
This is always a great meal. We come back again and again.
(4)justin d.
this will be a easy review, the food was awsome, the service was great and the liquor selection is nuts! the birthday dessert they brought out was huge and words could not explain how it tasted!
(4)Holly M.
Good service. Medocre food. Good atmosphere.
(3)Mary Jo S.
Over the holidays, Ms. M, my theater partner, and I ate at Oceanaire before Jersey Boys. She made the reservations and told them we were celebrating my b-day a few weeks late. Entering Oceanaire sets the stage for a great dinner as it is lit low, has a beautiful bar with colored bottles glowing in the darkness, and dark paneled dining rooms offering intimate dining. We were seated and handed a daily menu (I love this feature as it tells you what fish were flown in that day) and to my surprise the menu had a Happy B-day MJ message printed at the top. Our server told us the daily special which we barely heard as we knew we were going to split the Grand Shellfish Platter. I had a cup of the clam chowder before our meal which was so rich and tasty. And then it arrived, a giant snow cone of ice filled with all kinds of seafood treats: lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, shrimp, oh my. 4 small bowls of sauce were placed between us and we were in dining heaven. As Ms. M and I sat back in satisfaction, our server then comes to the table with a towering desert compliments of the house for my b-day. It is Baked Alaska and she lights it on fire and taps her serving implements to make cinnamon fire sparkles. How special is that? It is pretty special I say and to top it off, the menu was rolled up and tied with a bow and presented to me as a gift accompanied with a birthday card signed by the staff. Now we are talking special!!!! All in all a great meal and a perfect celebration. Another big plus is that Oceanaire is only a block away from the theater so a nice stroll after dinner gets us there in time for the show. So, this is a 5 star experience. And I should give Oceanaire 5 stars. However, the prices are so outrageous that I expect Oceanaire to give this type of service and for the food to be over the top at all times. Sometimes it is not 100% and for that one less star.
(4)Katie L.
The drinks are VERY strong as I experienced a squabble w this um boy after leaving here. Don't much want to think back on this night but we had a lot of delicious happy hour drinks and food. Service=great. Calamari=served w fried onions and peppers, so it's really like 1/2 calamari 1/2 veggies which I have no problem with, but it's just not mentioned on the menu.
(5)Fred W.
Fantastic food and service. I had the Black & Blue Costa Rican Mahi Mahi and my wife the Yellowfin Tuna. Both excellent, however for the price the portions were pretty small. Why is that with every upscale restaurant? Oh well. We'll be back.......maybe that's why!
(4)Josie P.
Denver Restaurant week was actually extended for an extra week here because people loved it so much. Lucky for me because that's the only reason I got to try it. It's definitely on the pricey side, but well worth it if you're craving some fresh seafood. Being a former coast-dweller, this made me very very happy. Everything we had there was fantastic and even though I usually prefer my salmon raw, they grilled it to perfection. The atmosphere is a bit fancier but fun if you want to have a dressed up night out on the town. It's a great place to go for happy hour too if you're on your way to a show at the Performing Arts Center. And if it's your birthday... or even if it's not, you've got to try the Baked Alaska. Even if you're too full, it's fun to watch it being served.
(4)Lauren D.
I came here for the second time with my boyfriend for his birthday about a month ago. The first experience back in October was all around phenomenal! I usually don't venture out to corporate restaurants but we were a big party and majority vote. The second time I came in a month ago for my bfs bday was also good...but only thanks to our AMAZING waitor Wade. We had called ahead, as it was a Sunday and we weren't sure how busy they would be. We were told a reservation at 8pm was not needed and for us to come right in. When we came in (mind you we're a couple in our 20's dressed casual) the hostess was extremely rude and almost degrading! She was an older woman and the other hostess was young and kind. But the older hostess was appalled we didn't have a reservation even though we explained we were told one was not needed (and it didn't appear to be busy at all!) The older hostess even waved us to the side out of the doorway, we would not have even stayed at this point but it was his birthday and those crab cakes are to die for!!! When we were finally seated our waitor, I believe his name was Wade (an older gentleman, VERY professional and classe) greeted us promptly. Wade was without a doubt one of the best servers I have ever had. I have been a server myself for over ten years in various establishments from Chicago to Miami and now in Denver and he was the cream of the crop! I was in a pissy mood from the bitchy hostess and he turned it all around with his quick wit and excellent recommendations! He was both personable and hilarious to talk to! I could tell he was reading us from the get-go and based on our conversation, he was able to provide an excellent dining experience. His wine pairings with specific dishes was on point! We left happy, full and content with a wonderful birthday dinner. I would recommend Oceanaire if you have a special celebration or a little extra money to spend. Wade, you did a fantastic job and we will ask for you again soon! To the bitchy hostess lady, do not judge a book by its cover and learn to treat every guest with the utmost respect. You never know, we may just be YOUR boss one day.
(4)Jen G.
I was terribly disappointed, and I *love* the Oceanaire in DC. The one in Denver had the worst service I have ever experienced. I had to order my drink 3 times before the waitress brought it over; we had to get up and refill our own water glasses; and no one bussed our table. In fact, when our entrees arrived, the food runner had to push aside dirty dishes from our appetizers and salads (he didn't take the dirty dishes, mind you). The food was surprisingly marginal. The crabcake appetizer and the salads were good (although the salads were extremely finely chopped, as though prepared for a very young child). My fish entree was overcooked. For dessert, I ordered the milk and cookies, which is my favorite at the DC restaurant. The cookies came out completely burnt. As in, charred black hockey pucks. The waitress expressed surprise when I told her they were inedible. The manager came over to tell us that it's hard to find good dessert chef in Denver, which a) yeah right, and b) it's not hard to set a timer for cookies. They charged us for the inedible cookies anyway. The service was so terrible, and the price so high, that I actually wrote to the manager. He wrote back and asked for my phone number so that he could discuss my dining experience...and then never called me or responded to my follow-up email. My take-away: this place doesn't care how they treat you, so long as you pay them a lot of money. Go to Jax instead. Heck, go to the Bonefish Grill.
(2)Michael C.
My wife and I ate here on October 15th with another couple who were attending a trade show at the nearby convention center. Most folks will know, as we did, that this a pretty pricey restaurant. I don't mind a little pricey but prices here - $14 for a plain margarita - are, in my opinion, overboard. I had a steak and shrimp dish that fell far below my expectations - especially for the money. The filet had already been sliced into 4-5 small slices - I'll have to take their word for the fact that it was 6 ounces. The shrimp were very small for the price - my guess is that they'd fall into the 36-40 per pound variety - and my plate had 5-6 of them. My wife had a salmon that she said was very good. We split a side salad and our table split several side dishes that were good but nothing to write home about. Places like this where nothing's included - when the food quantity and quality do not impress - are just flat-out way overpriced - period.. There are enough folks with enough money to keep the owners of these type of establishments strolling to the banks with big fat smiles on but personally, I'd prefer to enjoy better quality and value over trying to impress my client or friends.
(3)Dave A.
My wife and I had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner here. Everything was impeccable. The wait staff was tremendous. We arrived 10 min before our reservation and sat down on some bench behind the large blue neon bar. Someone immediately came up and offered us some glasses of water. Nice touch. Everyone from the hostess to our waiter (Andrew?) was friendly, prompt, and attentive. The ambience again was stellar. Be sure though to ask for seating next to the windows as the back room can be both a bit dark as well as somewhat spartan regarding decorations. As expected the food was 5-stars and expensive (the price being the only reason for the 4-star rating). But the service definitely made it worth it. Perfect location near DCPA also. The Oceanaire is on our list of special places for an impressive evening.
(4)Shawn S.
I'm not a big fan of spending this much for a meal but I do like to splurge for special occasions. My boyfriend made reservations at Oceanaire for my birthday. When we walked in and gave our name, the hostess wished me a happy birthday. We were then seated and as I looked at my menu, I saw "Happy Birthday Shawn" across the top and a card on the table signed by all the staff. Our waiter, Matt, gave us plenty of helpful information about the menu without being overbearing/annoying and gave us plenty of time to think through all the great advice he provided. We had the Fried Red Chili Calamari - nice Asian twist made this a uniquely awesome appetizer. I had the Rockfish with the Crab Dynamite "enhancement" - simply delicious! The sweet taste of the rockfish with the spicy chili sauce worked well together. Aaron had the swordfish with the Black & Bleu "enhancement" - never would have thought of putting blue cheese on fish but it literally melted in your mouth. Double Thumbs Up!
(5)Angela A.
I am a seafood lover, and miss it terribly. Back east there was a plethora of shellfish & fresh ocean creatures to eat, anytime of the year. I have found it difficult to find seafood the way I am used to it being prepared back home. Everything has a fancy sauce or something strange that covers up the natural good flavor of seafood! Crab cakes are one of my most favorite meals, and I almost gave up trying to find them here that could even compare to what I've had back home's so glad I gave the Oceanaire Seafood Room a try & I am so pleased to say....this place is amazing!! Of course it is pricey but it is worth every penny to taste seafood the way it's meant to be prepared. No frills, no crazy sauces, and a raw bar to die for! I will save my penny's to continue to dine here! I recommendt this place to all seafood lovers out there!
(5)Nicole W.
Another Restuarant Week 2009 Dine I had no idea where this place was - I have gone to the theater plenty but never noticed this little dining local. I noticed the menu on line for 5280 and thought it sounded yummy!! I was late on booking reservations so we had to find some friends to get a 4 spot at 8:15pm - woah! We arrived a little early. Valet was a little backed up, so it was tricky to get the car out of traffic. When we checked in the front desk said they were pretty much right on the 8:15 time. We meandered over to the bar and ordered up some wine. I must say even not on happy hour they have some tasty beverages at the $6 mark. I did the australian Alice Shiraz and was very very happy. And their pours are not skimpy either! Woohoo! We were seated around 8:30 and the greeter indicated they had been having trouble with people enjoying their meals and coffee too long and throwing off their scheduling... Oh my. Some of it might be them though. Our plate arrivals were definitely spaced out! Our waiter was Chad and he was very nice. He got our beverages going, eventually brought the bread and crudatet. I went with the mussels - not as good as Cruise Room - but tasty. Hubby did the calamari - OMG - amazing! Next was the mahi mahi - with a lobster bisque - it was ok. We also added on the hashbrowns with oceanaire style - which means bacon, onion, and Tabasco - mmmm! For desert I was going to go with the apple crisp but was warned that sometimes it came without the topping and wasn't that great. So i did the cheese cake - and enjoyed it. Hubby went with the chocolate mouse. He liked it. It was a very enjoyable meal. I would definitely come back for some wine and calamari at the bar!
(3)Mike R.
The smoked trout appetizer was excellent. Another great salad is the BLT salad. Great atmosphere in the bar area. Will give 5 stars next time if the food is brought out in a timely manner.
(4)Peter L.
I should have known better than to eat seafood in Colorado. Had the clam chowder for appetizer and I think Campbell's soup tasted better. For entree, I had the scallops with braised short rib, weird combination, I think this is their idea of surf&turf. The scallops was slightly overcooked and flavor was bland. The braised short rib was dry. Both of which I was disappointed. I don't have much to say about this place but just a mediocre seafood restaurant but I was in the city for work so this meal was expense-able, because I will not want to pay for this meal.
(2)Karen M.
Tres Chic! Based on Yelpers strong reviews, my Happy Hour crew decided to check Oceanaire out for one of our monthly meet-ups. I like trendy places, but this one was a bit odd. Picture this: six of us, all in a row, facing the glass partition. Wasn't exactly conducive for conversation, although I did get quality time with Tom, the person directly next to me, so that was fun. But otherwise, it all felt weird, passing appetizers back & forth down the line. We all know that I give points for good HH deals on good beer, so that $3 glass of a Hades draw made me pretty dang happy. But beware - the deal is Happy Hour pricing ONLY in the bar. I just never got that concept at restaurants, but, apparently someone has to take up those seats at the partition. Food was nice. Smoked trout was really unique. I would come back for that. Tom & I debated who has the better fries? Jonesy's or Oceanaire? We were split. We both appreciate good, simple fries and while you have to ask Jonesy's to "just keep 'em simple" I think they're the best. Tom's vote was for Oceaniare's lightly dressed salt & vinegar fries. So, while the food was a nice treat and the beer a good value, Happy Hour isn't as happy if you can't sit with your chums and have face-to-face time.
(3)Ron K.
Well my wife and I had tickets to a musical at the Buell Theater which is right across the street. Now I myself am not a seafood lover. But my wife is. We have been looking for a restraunt in town that serves raw oysters and a good piece of meat. Well this place has both, and it delivers quality food for both as well. This was THE BEST STEAK I HAVE HAD AT A SEAFOOD RESTARAUNT. If you are a couple where one of you loves seafood and the other the turf. This is the place to go for both of you to get the food you want. We will return again and again.
(5)Sherri K.
The service here was very good. I felt like my needs were fulfilled. The other guests in my group... not so much. One guests waited and waited for her martini. I saw the dinner rush and my food came in a timely manner and my dirty martini was the best dirty martini I had had in a desperately long time,but I noticed a lack of consistency. The oysters were tiny, but good. The food in general was delish. At happy hour prices, this was right up my alley, but I can imagine if seated in the dining room after 6p, I may not have been so pleased. The decor reminded me of "The Shining". Yes, Jack Nicholson. Dark wood bar, Titanic feel, ghosts in the air, etc etc.
(4)Moon L.
I was super excited to go last night since I won the fb contest. My husband and I have been waiting for a chance to go back since our last visit. This place never disappoints! The oysters were so yummy and buttery and our bartender was incredibly accommodating and sweet. We plan on coming back again soon. Thank you OASFR!
(5)Debbi B.
I am a big fan of Oceanaire, so I was very happy to receive a gift certificate from my brother and we went for my birthday tonight. This experience was totally different than in the past, but I'm giving it three stars based on past experiences and the green beans were still pretty yummmy. The issue tonight was service. After our appetizers, I noticed we had not received our bread or relish plate and had to ask for it. Okay - not terrible. Then, our waiter had a lengthy discussion with my husband about whether or not he should have the swordfish - he said it had been dry lately and convinced my husband instead to have the halibut with the swordfish presentation. Great. Only the swordfish was what arrived. When we asked about it, the waiter claimed that he thought my husband chose the swordfish. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. Bigger problem was that I had ordered the lobster. Normally the yummy warm butter is set up first - this time, lobster arrives and no butter. Lobster was cold before the butter arrived. In addition, once I finished my dinner, four different people came by the table and not one asked if they could remove my plate. Not cool. Lastly, and most surprisingly, a trip to the ladies room found all four stalls sans toilet paper. Call me crazy, but when you are paying this much for dinner, you have a right to not have to make a trip out to the hostess stand in order to use the bathroom. Anyway, I will try again as we have had four really great meals there but one more experience like this and I may have to cross off the list. PS - my coffee was cold!
(3)Heather M.
I went here with my family and enjoyed one of the most delicious seafood dinners I have had in years. I must admit, I am usually a bit suspicious of seafood far from an ocean, but this food was divine. I had the swordfish, and my father had the halibut. We were both very pleased with our meals. The wine selection was comprehensive and the waitstaff knowledgeable and friendly, yet very formal. This is definitely a fancy restaurant, and good for a special occasion or a large crowd with money to spend. It was more formal that I am typically accustomed to, but very lovely, nonetheless. The ambiance is formal but on the modern side. We ate a late dinner after a show at the theatre and found the atmosphere to be lively and enjoyable. I have not been to many seafood restaurants in Denver, but I would most definitely return here.
(5)Kim G.
Outstanding wait service: very knowledgeable, helpful, discreet. Loved the bib lettuce, apple, and candied walnut salad. Delicious, fresh, perfectly cleaned oysters. Yummy lobster. A wonderful spot for a special dinner. Only bad spot was the valet parking service damaged our car and didn't tell us. They caused a really big dent on the passenger side door. We didn't see it until the next day when it was light outside. I'd recommend parking your vehicle yourself!
(5)Yanhua P.
Went there for a drink after dinner, they have happy hour after 8, and the bar was empty. Beers are good price ($3) and service is exceptional. If they bring back the dollar oyster I'd be there more often.
(5)Shenna J.
Happy Hour menu is awesome and delish! I haven't tried the place for dinner yet but happy hour is a must try. Their margs were great!
(4)Shelly R.
In 2010 Landry's rescued Oceanaire from sinking like the Titanic. Phew! Because I love this place and they still fly fresh seafood in daily! From the Jumbo Crab Cakes, Wild Costa Rican Mahi Mahi, Baked & Stuffed Idaho trout (shrimp, blue crab & brie cheese), to the Oysters Rockefellar and fresh baked sour dough bread... EVERYTHING is fresh and well prepared. During happy hour, I suggest trying the fat Chopped Salad that comes with loads of fresh crab and shrimp. The salad dressing is mouth watering. One large seafood salad, one top shelf cocktail, plus tip, comes to about $20-$25. A good way to enjoy this fabulous cuisine, without breaking the piggy bank! Some of the best servers in Denver! Consistantly great!
(4)Lindsey H.
I was so excited to go here for my birthday. I grew up in Florida, and seafood is my comfort food. Unfortunately, everything was underwhelming, from the service to the food and cocktails. First irritation was that we arrived right on time for our reservation... and were made to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Which wouldn't be so bad if they had an actual waiting area besides the bar, as that is always packed with people eating the bar menu. We started with the smoked trout, which was the best thing we ate. I would definitely eat this again- delicious. Our entrees were completely forgettable. Our server was slow, inattentive and just... weird. Overpriced, and I'm still looking for amazing seafood in Colorado.
(3)Tiara Q.
We returned for our anniversary this year. The menus are printed daily and if you tell them it's a special occasion, it winds up on your menu and every staff member will acknowledge it (at the bar, at the door, your waitstaff, the manager. They even gave us a card that they all signed - Cool! but if you're not into all the attention, don't inform them of your occasion). They will roll up your menu and tie a bow around it to take with you. We have them as keepsakes now. :) Before dinner, we visited the bar. I highly recommend the Bloody Cesar. It's a tall delicious bloody mary garnished with a colossal shrimp, olive and lime. Perfectly spicy. They have a decent happy hour menu which we will have to come back for. It's easy to get full quickly here so make sure you're Hungry. Before your meal ever arrives you get fresh baked bread and a huge relish plate. If you eat this you will be full before your first course. Don't make this rookie mistake! I like how they have whole bottles, half bottles and by the glass of wine and bubbles. There's so much to try and they make it so easy to come back again and again. EvErYtHinG here is magnificent so take your time and enjoy it. Until next time!
(5)Amanda P.
Would have been 5 stars except the hostess walked past me 4 times without so much as a look in my direction, I was the only one standing in the lobby. Once another hostess acknowledged me, everything went uphill... I started with a delicious cesar salad and followed it with Baked Stuffed Shrimp with linguine. It was so amazing. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, the linguine was excellent. The crab meat stuffed in the shrimp was the best. Normally I am not a fan of capers but it totally added the right flavor to the linguine. The staff (with the exception of the first hostess) was exceptionally attentive. Chef Mine was delightfully friendly. He and his team does amazing work with food! I will certainly be back as there were a few more things on the menu that I want to try!
(4)Natalie M.
Oceanaire Seafood Room is the place to go if you are looking for fresh, upscale seafood. It's kind of fancy and a bit pricey, but completely worth every bite. I decided to go here for restaurant week and figured that the portions would be downscaled for this reason, but was surprised by the fact that they were almost larger. There was so much food on our plates that we couldn't finish everything....it was a bit sad to leave such great food on the plate. The crab cake appetizer is a must try...it just melts in your mouth. I had the lobster bisque and it was perfect. My entree was the salmon and for desert we shared the cheesecake and key lime pie...mmm. Parking is kind of a pain, but they do offer valet...and if you're going to drop good money on dinner you may as well have them park your car and bring it to you when your done....especially if it's raining like it was the night we went. My four stars are justified by the great food and good service, but they lost one star due to the over-sized portions. It's my belief that when you go to an upscale restaurant, you should feel satisfied...NOT STUFFED.
(4)Ben S.
I hadn't even heard of it, but OpenTable had a space, the web site looked real nice and the the menu looked solid, so we took a chance and were glad we did. The service is excellent and let us take our time... sometimes we move as fast as the service, but it was a Saturday night and we didn't want to rush, and the service had a nice pace, but not too fast. The waiter (steve) was very knowledgable, making suggestions and helping us make a few decisions. The food was real good - they have lots of fresh and high quality seafood, they have a steaks & chicken dishes, but those are bured on the menu in the bottom corner. Portions are BIG! We were warned thankfully, and still had too much food. We had an excellent green salad, one appetizer, but enough for 2. They had good sourdough bread and a great crudite - it was excellent! For dinner, I had the Black Cod, simply broiled, and it was great. My wife had the lump crab cakes - which were heavy on the crab, light on the filler - very good. We had one side, the sour cream and onion mashed potatoes - this was like 2 pounds of potatoes.. we nibbled a bit and it looked like we hadn't started yet! For dessert we split a piece of key lime pie, which again, was enough for 4. We each had some and left like 3/4 of it.. unreal portions! The drinks were excellent, they have their signature "fish" logo on all their dishes and glasses - see my pictures.
(4)Hunter W.
Don't bother: Food is just OK, service is slow, and the prices are much higher than competing places. Everything is a la carte, and the entrees and sides are very expensive (asparagus $13). The service is very slow - 10 minutes to get our server to appear, 20 minutes to get drinks (and the bar is only 25 feet away). Place was not full - and no wonder. The beet salad ($11) was very nice, tho. I won't be going back.
(2)Zorana P.
We made a reservation for this past Saturday night to celebrate Restaurant Week. I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was DISGUSTING. It was so overcooked, it resembled chicken more than any type of fish. It was super bland, had absolutely no sauce on it but was super oily, like sopping with butter or something nasty! For this being a high-end seafood restaurant, I thought that if I ordered fish, then that would be a safe bet but it was the worst piece of fish (if you can even call it that) in my entire life. For dessert, I got the pretzel caramel sundae. The sundae is very misleading in the name as this did not have a drop of fudge or nuts. I could have made a more enjoyable sundae at home with grocery store ice cream. I completely understand if a high end restaurant does not want to join restaurant week but if they choose to do so I would think they would want to showcase a few of their specialties to get people to come back and the food that I had was not going to cut it. The only saving grace was the oysters. This was my first time at this restaurant and could possibly be my last.
(1)Erin S.
The dining room is huge and when I came here last week the restaurant was pretty empty (possibly due to the chance of snow), but the lack of patrons did make me uneasy....did this place suck and that is why no one was there? (my judgment flags went up) the answer - no! * the atmosphere. It's a beautiful restaurant with a nautical theme - you feel like you are on a luxury liner. * the service is fantastic * the bread is absolutely to die for. even though its filler - i love restaurant bread. its quality means a lot to me and is usually a sign of whats to come. * even though I would like to see more local options (they have Colorado bass), i do understand that we are a land locked state. but the menu is extensive and you can satisfy any seafood craving here. the co bass - btw - is outstanding * main courses are really tasty and the key lime pie (to be split amongst three) was so huge and sinfully tangy and rich, i swear it was a quarter slice of pie and even though this isn't my usual style of restaurant, i had a great experience and would def go back
(4)Katy P.
Excellent service & amazing food. We wanted fresh and delicious, and we were not disappointed. Our waitress, Tina, knew the whole menu and very kindly educated us on the fish & any items we were unfamiliar with. Crab cakes were amazing, plus lobster & Swordfish Louie, finished off with fruit crisp and Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie. A GREAT experience.
(5)Sarah J.
This is the most pretentious place i have ever been! The food was not good. Portions were small and the taste was bland. $200 later for only 3 of us for stuff we werent impressed with, I will never be back here!
(1)Dayton R.
This was my first visit to the Denver Oceanaire; I have been to two other locations, Orlando and San Diego and have always been impressed with the service and food. We had tuna and crab cakes and both were very good after that things went downhill; the service was terrible our waiter hardly visited our table and our potatoes were served cold. We spoke to the manager and she did not charge us for the potatoes and comped us desert. When we ordered our desert our waiter said they were large and should order only one.
(3)Liz K.
The king crab at Oceanaire is well worth the money! My hubby and I splurged on Oceanaire for the second time last night. The "2010 Menu" sucked us in. So I thought we could easily eat there for less than $100 this time. And, yes, we COULD have. But our usual favorites were screaming at us and some new things struck a chord as well. So much for the $20.10 menu of the night. We did however enjoy the $20.10 bottle of wine! They start you out with their pickled relish tray and the amazing bread. The pickled herring isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for us!! We love that stuff. We had an amuse bouche from the chef - a little shrimp with daikon sprouts on a cucumber - tasty. Then we delved into our menu choices. The fun started with a dozen oysters from the Pacific coast. A tasting of three different kinds - served with their cocktail sauce with freshly shaved horseradish and the mignonette. Then we moved on to what may be the best part of the night . . . Alaskan King Crab Clusters. FRESH Alaskan King Crab. Never frozen. Sooooooo scrumptious and decadent. This was our best memory from our 1st visit to Oceanaire so we had to have it again. They were perfectly steamed and our fantastic waiter - Keith - asked if we'd like them shelled. Uh - sure! So they had done all the work. Just some butter for dipping and it was perfection! After all of that we decided to share a caesar salad. It was a good thing we did - it was huge! The caesar was cold and crisp. The anchovies were perfectly salty. The croutons were big and crunchy. It was delicious. We then shared the 16 oz Halibut T-bone. We asked for medium and probably should have asked for medium rare. Strangely enough it was my least favorite part of the night - my entree - but it was still really good. We also shared a side order of the bacon steak. It was three huge slabs of bacon that were perfectly smokey and salty and it was the ideal accompaniment to our Halibut. The manager came over to check on us and he was very impressed with our order. We chose "the best things on the menu." As usual the best things are often the most simple. Just fresh, quality ingredients prepared really well. Nothing fancy about our preparation or our order. It was all just the best of what they had to offer. It was delicious and, like the first time, we are already talking about what special occasion will send us back for more. With tax and tip we spent just over $200. So, this isn't an every day meal for the every day man. But it's an amazing place to spend an amazing night!
(5)Emily J.
One of the more memorable restaurant visits I have had! I went here with some girlfriends and was truly wowed by both the food and service. The claim chowder is a must, and save room for their impressive baked Alaska for dessert. We had a wonderful waiter, Justin, who made our visit extra fun and enjoyable. Everyone from the valet to the manager was extremely courteous and welcoming. Oceanaire has exceptional seafood for Denver and the restaurant itself is unique in its decor and atmosphere. A great place to have a delicious meal in a relaxing and luxurious setting. If you're lucky they'll even bring out the live lobsters so you can really pick your dinner.
(4)Tracy C.
The food is fabulous you can read about the food on most of the other comments. What I was most impressed with was the service. They are open till 11PM we arrived at 9:30 on a Saturday night to find the place virtually empty. BUT, we never felt rushed or unwelcome on the contrary everyone was happy to have us. I will go back again and again.
(5)David S.
This review is sort of an update. My original review was for 5 stars, then a 2 star for a less than stellar meal several of us had during restaurant week. After bringing our displeasure to the attention of Oceanaire's manager, he and the Oceanaire staff have reset balance in the 5280 universe. If I could give 6 stars for the experience, I would. They paired wines with each plate, making our gastronomic journey all the more delightful. First off, Idaho Trout, smoked in house daily. I normally am not a big trout fan, which says a lot, because I loved this. Perfectly done, watercress balancing the trout's flavor, paired with a Columbia Valley sparkling white. Second, a mixed greens salad. Something I love is when there is a mix of sweetness and tartness to wake up the taste buds. Raspberries, Strawberries, Granny Smith apples, together with a balsamic vinaigrette. A simple mix, with tastes that complement each other well. I would have been happy with just a large salad, and will try and duplicate this as home if I can't get a dinner sized portion at Oceanaire. The main course was bacon wrapped MahiMahi. This is the reason Oceanaire went to the trouble of waking my taste buds up. This may well have been the best MahiMahi I've ever had on its own, and then wrapped in their bacon? I think I must be on death row or something, and someone ordered my last meal for me. I can die happy now. This dish was well paired with a chardonnay by Joseph Drouhin St. Veran. Not a big chardonnay fan, at least not before this bottle. Outstanding. Last, and most certainly not least, was dessssert. The misspelling of dessert is intended, as the mnemonic I use to distinguish between the spelling of desert and dessert is that there are 2 S's in the one I want more of...now you understand why I put 4 S's there. A huge chocolate brownie covered in chocolate and caramel, with homemade vanilla ice cream...the vanilla actually popped with flavor. I am once again a fan of Oceanaire. Of all the meals I've enjoyed in Denver, this was one of the very best. Thank you, R.B. for you grace and hospitality.
(5)Sara D.
Living in the Pacific NW I'm privy to fresh seafood and local oysters. I was not disappointed in the apps at the Oceanaire. We had a wonderful selection of oysters. However we did order the chilled seafood platter for 4, which included king crab legs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp and I was really surprised that a lot of the king crab legs were tough, stringy and obviously overcooked. I wondered WHEN they had been cooked. Also, I cracked into a lobster claw and was SPRAYED, literally sprayed in the face and arms, the booth was covered, and the spray even hit the people sitting to either side of me with some kind of crazy lobster goop from the one claw. I've never seen anything like it before. We were all amazed. After that I got freaked out and stopped eating the chilled platter. The main courses were awesome. I got the fillet Mignon, and the mashed potatoes were great. Overall, a mixed bag experience and not one that was work the $600 price tag.
(3)Jenny S.
It's like walking into the set of Titanic. I was swept off my feet by the swing jazz and simple 40's decor. A real classy place. The daily menu is overwhelming, I felt dyslexic for a moment but the waiter promptly came to the table to decipher it and help me decide between the Hawaiian Poblano Cilantro Big-eye Tuna with plantain chips and the Copper River Salmon. "Grilled Salmon" doesn't sound that exciting but he sold me on a medium rare Copper River Salmon, being that it is only in season a few weeks and I could have the Tuna anytime. A lovely, large round sourdough roll and a pickled tray was set at the table and my salad and clam chowder quickly came out of the kitchen. My salmon was perfection, yes it was the best I've ever had. Now I'm ruined, I can no longer go into a store and buy my individually frozen salmon fillets and be happy. I've had delicious salmon at fine restaurants, but this one melted my panties off. The asparagus was on steroids, they were huge! I didn't pay much attention to them though because I knew dessert was coming and I was going to try the Baked Alaska. I've never had this and the only thing I knew about it is that it is flaming. It is ice cream on a chocolate sponge cake with a marshmellowy covering (like an ice cream cone) and they set that bitch on fire. I did it up with a fantastic latte. The service was excellent. As soon as you walk in you get greeted. Pleasant servers and the waiter was knowledgeable and on his game. The executive chef also checked on the meal (which is always nice...especially when they seem sincere). The bathrooms were even fabulous. Beautiful large white sinks, fluffy white hand towels, complimentary lotion, mouthwash, hairspray ( I did think it was kinda funny they had a cheapo can of Aqua-net!!). It is always nice to see a bathroom that is as upscale as the restaurant. I loved this place. I love fresh seafood. My only complaint is that I cannot afford to eat here as often as I'd like.
(5)Steven B.
I've tried to go to this restaurant several times, but this was the first time I could get a reservation. I guess that shows how well Denver diners have taken to it. There were six of us with widely varying tastes and inclinations. We got there pretty early so sat at the bar for a bit before they were set up for us. The bartender was great even though we didn't order drinks. When we were taken to our table it was our server who handled it. I like that instead of getting handed off from person to person. The server stayed with us and took drink orders, but also answered several questions. One of us wanted something which was not on the menu and the server made a great recommendation with no big issues. The busboy had also arrived with bread and a veggie tray by then and he stayed around to see if there was anything else he could get us. Service was handled by a plethora of people, but it all seemed to be very well coordinated. I was really, as you can see, by the service here. Probably some of the best I've ever experienced in Denver. The food was superior; I had a selection of oysters on the half shell and they left a 'cheat sheet' so I could see which one I was slurping down. They were all good. I think everyone at the table ordered something different and there were several 'special' requests, all came out at the same time and were spot on. I think this is a bit more expensive than a couple of other top-notch seafood restaurants in Denver, but the location across the street from Denver Center for Performing Arts probably has a lot to do with that. The menu contains set pieces, but you can also order a cut of fresh fish and an ala carte side dish. I expect to go back for special occasions and when I have out-of-town company I want to impress.
(4)Ming T.
Our evening at Oceanaire started off great. I had been dying to try this place out for a while now. I took my mom and a party of 9 total to the restaurant for the last night of 52.80. The little touches they did for my mom, like the special Birthday menu, and the card were great. The service was great, and the oysters, and so was the bread... then it started to go downhill. I don't know if it was due to restaurant week fatigue, or what, but the entrees were lackluster. The fish was underseasoned and overcooked. My sister and mom ordered the steak and shrimp plate and the shrimp were so overcooked they were like shrimp jerky. The desserts also fell flat, they were just so-so. The key-lime pie had a weird jello texture to it, and the apple berry crisp was just ok. They also gave us a Baked Alaska for my mom's b-day, but then tried to charge us for it. I noted this, and the server took it off right away. And for over $300 for the table?! I honestly don't know if we will ever be back. I just wish they had taken more care with the rest of the food, because ambiance only goes so far. The only superior part of the evening was the gregarious service of the hard working guys to took care of our large party. Verdict: I don't think I'll ever drop that much dough at this place again. This might be a nice place to grab oysters and drinks, but I was disappointed with the experience.
(3)Jeremy K.
Oceanaire's "Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes" were listed as one of the top 100 must eats in the city by Denver Magazine, so I gave it a shot: Rating: 7 (out of 10) Price: $16 (appetizer) The Skinny: Lots of hype around this dish. When talking to other foodies, a few pointed to these crab cakes as their favorite on the whole must-eat list. And certainly a $31 price tag for the dinner portion (2 cakes) makes that promise. But for me, it didn't match up to the hype. Don't get me wrong - it was good. Probably even very good. The best bites were silky and tender, the soft pearls of crab barely held together by fillings. It was almost a naked crab mound, except for the tiny bit of mayo, egg and bread. But it's this simplicity that some love about the dish that I didn't. I like my crab cakes to have a crunch and a "bite" to the seared outside. It's the blending of the soft and crispy textures that hooks me. This was more one-note. My apologies to Denver's crab connoisseurs. I've got a picture of it up on the blog on my profile jko
(4)Jenn D.
Very nicely done!! We enjoyed The Oceanaire for the first time during restaurant week. It is nice to know there is a place here in Denver where you can get really good fresh seafood. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The lighting is just right and made for a really relaxing evening. My husband and I ordered together, so we could get the best sampling. We started with the King-Crab bisque and the Crab cake slider. The Bisque was so amazing, the slider was the only food of the evening that was just ok. It didn't feel like it fit right with the menu...generic bun, lots of lettuce and not enough crab cake. For our entrees, we had the Pistachio Crusted Costa Rican Mahi Mahi with Orange-Mint Beurre Blanc and Hawaiian Tuna. They were both outstanding. Finished off with dessert of Chocolate Mousse (yum!) and Key Lime Pie. Both were great. Nice wine list, great Sour Dough bread and really great service rounded it out. Even though we stuck to the 5280 menu, we were impressed with the blackboard of fresh catches they had...right here in Denver. We will definitely be returning.
(5)Yvonne C.
Stop 3 during restaurant week and I must say, pretty uneventful. The food was not bad by any means but it failed to excite me. The mussels were OK, but I prefer the ones at the Red Square. The Blue Marlin was a little tough, but maybe that's the way the fish is? The apple crisp was by far my favorite part of the meal. At the end of the night, I was slightly jealous of Jared's options. He ordered the Mahi Mahi with blue cheese butter and it was flaky and Delicious! And his cheesecake was so much better than my apple crisp. I don't normally get food envy but last night I did. :( The service was great but at one point, we were both thinking to ourselves, our food would be better if you would stop asking me how it is every 5 minutes. That was a little annoying since they seriously interrupted our conversation 6 times. I'm all about being attentive, but there is such a thing as smothering...
(3)Amanda B.
This seafood restaurant is phenominal! We went for a romantic night out and were not disappointed! My boyfriend has never been exposed to "good" seafood, he had seared ahi tuna and was overwhelmed by how good it was! I had the fresh crab legs and they were some of the best I have ever had! We started with mussels and cocktails, added a bottle of wine and dessert and our meal was complete. I have no reservations about recommending this restaurant to any seafood lover!
(5)Hans O.
The Oceanaire has an amazing management, at least in Denver; superb service. Since I had a not so great experience during the 5280 week, I've contacted Mr. RB whom was always cordial and wanted to rectify the problem ever since I've contacted him. So, I've settled for dinner today, and it was a phenomenal dining experience! He then proved that the Oceanaire is the place to have a great time. Let's talk about food now. Mr. RB and his executive chef "surprised" us with 4 distintict main courses: * First Course :: House Smoked Idaho Trout - Watercress Pesto, Yukon Gold Potato Chips (paired with Domaine Ste. Michelle, Brut, Columbia Valley) What a way to start our dining journey! The Yukon gold potato chips were a tad bitter, but later on I was able to understand the idea of the whole dish. The trout was super elaborated, whit sharp hints of sweetness (from the trout itself) and combining the trout with the watercress than a bit of bitterness from the potato chips was a food explosion in my mouth. To compliment the bitterness, the Brut was perfect, able to sharpen the sweetness of the fish back and cleanse my pallet. Genius! * Second Course :: Mixed Field Greens Salad - Granny Smith apple, raspberries, and Strawberries with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (paired with Sokol blosser, Evolution) The salad was the freshest I've ever tasted (the one that all components work in harmony). Even with so many seasonal fruits (they were ripe and sweet), this salad had a white balsamic vinaigrette which actually gave a mild acidity taste in conjunction of the natural sweetness from the fruits, the secret and final key note to make this salad perfect was the Evolution wine tying all the flavors together. * Third Course :: Bacon Wrapped Mahi Mahi - Aspargus, roasted peppers and Mustard Vinaigrette (paired with Joseph Drouhin St. Veran, Chardonnay) This was perfectly executed; the bed of mustard vinaigrette was perfecty acidic and a perfect marriage with the Mahi Mahi, providing that lemony flavor to the fish. The mahi mahi was perfectly cooked, very most, falling apart consistency and then... WRAPPED IN BACON! Really awesome dish. I was in nirvana. * Fourth Course :: FINALE - Super Carmel Brownie Deluxe :: With Ice Cream Alchemy's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (paired with Taylor Flagdale 10 Year Towny Port) Imagine a 4" diameter brownie, then at least 6" tall, smothered in fresh Carmel and chocolate sauce served my perfect young Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was really awesome, the brownie was not over sweet, it was made with semi sweet chocolate, warm, rich, and gooey in the center; ice cream was perfectly smoother, I'd say that it was super fresh, no traces of crystallization. The pairing was great, a nice digestive Port, very smooth with a cherry oak background, very smooth. Overall, this restaurant still one of my favorite places to dine in with good friends to make a memorable time. The fact that Mr. RB was pro-active to rectify the previous situation is a grand act. *** Review of 3/10/2009 (Update) Review for the "5280 Restaurant Week - 2009" Disappointing, underwhelming, waste of time and money. I've dine in and had happy hour before at this location. Even though the Oceanaire is a chain throughout the country, I had never had a bad experience, and always had the good feeling after eating a great meal, awesome waiting staff, and perfectly cooked seafood far away from the ocean. 1st course: George's Bank Calamari - Peppers, Red Onions, Chili Aioli: calamari was super soft, softer than fresh. Over marinated, super oily, and came with more vegetables than calamari. 2nd course: Hawaiian Blue Marlin "Black and Blue" - Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Butter: I had to sent this plate back to the kitchen twice! First time was really dry, so dry that I couldn't break the fish with a fork, I had to use a knife as well. Second time, the manager brought the dish saying: "the chef re did this dish, cooked to perfection, very moist inside", it was super dry outside, and cold raw inside. Sent it back and opted for "Idaho Rainbow Trout - Roasted Hazel Dell Mushrooms, Truffle Butter", trout was moist, flaky, crispy exterior, but the stuffing was too rich. By the time I got the trout, my friends (10 of us) were ordering dessert. 3rd course: New York Style Cheesecake - silky, creamy, rich crème. Oh, was that supposed to be a NY style?! Left underwhelmed, unhappy... Even for a 26.40 a person, it was a rip-off!
(5)Kiersten S.
Not impressed with food or service. Too pricey for what you get. Landry's chain of restaurant's just doesn't impress me at all.
(2)Katie H.
The Oceanaire crab cake is one my reasons for living. Seriously. I've occasionally branched out and tried some of the fish - good, but not amazing, and kind of overpriced (as are the drinks). But go, get crab cake (if you order a salad and a side, it's enough to share with a friend) and you won't be sorry. Unlike other crab cakes, filled with "filler", flattened and fried to a nearly unrecognisable crisp, these are little little snowballs of huge chunks of crab. Heaven.
(5)Jina E.
I still only go when Kara is working...you want a rockin MARTINI? See this girl!
(5)Brian G.
I have to tell ya...When I heard this was coming to Denver, I wasn't excited at all. The one in Dallas is full of the biggest retards I have ever seen attempt to run a restaurant. I wouldn't trust those people ("what do you mean THOSE people) with a Nerf football, little alone my food. Regardless, the Denver branch has done me well more than once. The management is always nice and the service is spot on all the time. They have Old Bay on the table and the menu changes frequently to accommodate what's fresh. The best part...a bacon steak...I'll give you a minute to process how wonderful that is.... Now that you've put your pants back on, I will say that it's something you only do once a year at best. It's a slab of smoked pork belly served with a steak knife. It's a side dish so we all shared it. You haven't lived until you've heaqd your heart wheeze. It's amazing.
(4)Britney R.
My family and I dined at Oceanaire this past Tuesday night to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. We had a reservation for 6pm and opera tickets for 7:30pm, so we were a bit worried about time. We arrived at 5:45 in hopes of being seated early, and they took us right to our table. As we were seated, the Maitre D' exchanged the white linens for black for those of us wearing black. Truly a fine dining experience, right from the start. Oceanaire's menus are printed daily, and we were especially surprised to see that our 6 menus all said "Happy Birthday" at the top, since our reservation had noted a birthday. My grandmother was pleased with this small touch. I thought it was nice, but the 'green' in me was hoping that they recycle. 50+ menus printed daily does seem a bit silly. I understand they get new seafood daily, but there must be a better way to note the day's fresh options (perhaps solely on the chalkboard already dedicated to this purpose?) Our server was very friendly right from the start. I don't recall her name, but right away, she asked if we had tickets. She assured us that we would be done by 7:15, and told us that she would watch the clock for us, so we could just enjoy our meal. I thought this was very thoughtful. We started with the calamari, since my dad loves it. I think it's tasty, and enjoy the fried sweet peppers, onion and jalapenos that come along with it. My parents decided to split a caesar salad, which ended up being enough for the whole table to enjoy. I'm not always a huge caesar fan, but theirs is out of this world. The dressing was so great, I didn't want to stop eating it, even though I had more deliciousness coming. I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder. It tasted so fresh and meaty, it was reminiscent of my favorite Long Island Dock-side restaurant, where the clam chowder was made fresh daily. Far superior to any other clam chowder I've had in land-locked Colorado. After drooling over the idea of lobster or perhaps crablegs, I had a terrible time deciding what to order. My sister and I both knew we wanted some oysters, as well as either lobster or crablegs. We stumbled upon the "Grand Shellfish Platter" and knew it would be perfect. We decided to split two entrees: a petite filet mignon and a petite Shellfish Platter. We were worried the petite platter wouldn't be enough food, so we added the filet. Boy, were we wrong! for $45, the petite Shellfish Platter would've been plenty for both of us. It came with: ~4 PEI mussels ~4 Oysters on the half shell ~4 Jumbo shrimp ~half lobster ~over a pound of crablegs Every bite was delectable. Our seafood platter was served with drawn butter and 4 additional sauces, each better than the next. Our server explained what kind of oysters we were served, and told us their flavor profile. The filet was a tad overcooked, I think it's because they halved it for us before cooking. Still, it was tender and tasty. We finished eating at around 7:10, perfect timing to run to the restroom and head to the theatre. I'm not sure why so many people complain about the prices. My family enjoyed two bottles of wine, a HUGE meal, and still managed to spend only $50 per person. I think that's a 'moderate' price on the scale. However, I know when I take my boyfriend to dine there, we will end up spending around $100 per person after ordering a nice bottle of wine and enjoying far too many oysters. I can't wait for that date. I had a few crablegs and some filet left over, which they gladly boxed up for me and kept refrigerated while we enjoyed the opera. We picked up the leftovers on the way out, which was extremely convenient. I enjoyed a delicious leftover lunch the next day. Really can't wait to go back to Oceanaire!
(5)Teresa W.
I really wanted to like this place. I miss having really fresh seafood and thought it would be a nice treat to get some from the Oceanaire for my birthday. I was expecting good service and great food, and just got kind of mediocre. My husband and I split a caesar salad (yes, they are huge! share!) and it was served with anchovies. They tout it as the best caesar salad in Denver or something, but I'm not sure it was all that - it was good, but not stellar. For a main, I got the king crab legs (shelled) and my husband got the cioppino. My crab legs (1 lb) came shelled with drawn butter. Yum! It was nice, good crab, but $40/lb? I'm a little torn whether it was worth that gas guzzling freshly flown in price. My husband's cioppino was pretty pathetic - it wasn't served with any rice or pasta or any of what I usually think of cioppino being served with. He was only slightly interested in it. Our service was only slightly better than average. I don't know if it was because there was a show that night or what, but our server was hard to flag down, and when it came time to check out, the floor manager ended up running our bill since he saw us waiting for so long. I guess, as a plus, they customize your menu if it's your birthday, and they gave us a baked alaska on the house. It was huge - with butterfinger ice cream. The meringue was a bit too burnt for my taste, but it was nice to get it gratis. The server said he'd save a menu for me to take home at the end of the night, but because he didn't reappear for a long time, I didn't get it. I wouldn't return. While the fish may be fresh, I may just have to wait until I'm in a city more suited for fresh fish consumption.
(3)William P.
OK, so I'm an idiot. I went to a seafood place on a Tuesday night...the one night of the week that you're not supposed to go to a seafood place because their weekely fish deliveries usually come in on Wednesdays. Its not that the food was bad. Actually it was really good. Its just that they were out of a lot of kinds of fish. Lots of folks consider Oceanaire too expensive. We chose to stick to the three course prix fixe menu which had three choices of appetizer, three choices of entrees (two fish and one red meat), and three dessert choices. The cost is $33 per person. I started with a crispy deep fried calamari, served with breaded deep fried sweet peppers and a nice aioli. There was no mahi available, so the kitchen offered to substitute swordfish for their wonderful black and blue fish preparation. Unfortunately, it turned out that the swordfish wasn't up to par, so our server came back to the table and suggested salmon or halibut. We chose halibut which was perfectly cooked though a little on the cold side. It was served blackened with carmelized onions and blue cheese butter. For dessert, I chose a standard chocolate mousse which was good. But, hardly memorable. The service was attentive, but not intrusive. The three course dinner is a very good value for the money. It was a very good dinner value for the money
(4)Miles S.
I went in the middle of the week for a business dinner, and both the food and service was excellent. I had a swordfish steak that was simple, but cooked to perfection. The wait staff didn't have many other people to deal with--the place was nearly empty, perhaps due to a forecasted blizzard--and were extremely attentive, but not quite to the point of hovering. The baked alaska was quite impressive.
(5)G H.
Dined with a friend before a show last night. They are not kidding when they say allow two hours before your show time. We arrived at our 5:15 reservation and left at 7:15. We were seated promptly and allowed ample time to peruse the menu before ordering. All their table seem to be four person tables or folded out larger, so it was nice to have enough elbow room and a little space between our table and the other diners. Our waiter and a couple of others were very attentive and kept our table clean and our water refreshed. The atmosphere was clean and quiet, we were seated in an area with only seven other tables and I had no trouble hearing my friend and did not hear conversations from the other tables. The bread was fresh and the cold veggie plate was crisp, although the radishes were fairly bland. We started with Oysters Rockefeller. They were good sized and served warm on a bed of salt. For our entrees I ordered the Alaskan Cod "Louie" and a cup of clam chowder while my friend had the Baked Stuffed Shrimp and a cup of Seafood and Barely Soup. We shared a side of Steamed Broccoli. My cod was served with mashed potatoes. The portion size was perfect and the cod was very lightly flavored and well cooked. The potatoes were a good compliment and the broccoli was still crisp and flavorful and there was more than enough for two to share. The clam chowder was decent and the small cup was just enough. My glass of Riesling was a good pairing. My friend said her soup was a lot like gumbo and she enjoyed it. She was a little disappointed in the shrimp since it was a little rubbery, but the flavor of the stuffing was good and she liked the pasta side. The waiters recommendation for a sweeter Merlot was spot on for her tastes. We finished the evening with a Chocolate Caramel Cake that was big enough to feed an army and included two scoops of ice cream and both chocolate and caramel sauce. We didn't eat much because it was incredibly rich, but those bites were plenty. It was wonderful, but the portion really was enough for at least 4 people. All in all the experience was well worth it for the one big fancy girl's night out that we plan each year. This really is a special occasion place and make sure that you budget plenty of time to savor your dishes and dinner conversation.
(4)George P.
The Oceanaire is a very decent place to eat if you're not on a budget. The staff provided excellent service. Very professional w/ and full of recommendations. The wine list was decent and the appetizers were delicious. Everything was fresh and the pickled vegetables that accompanied the appetizers appeared to be made in house. The oyster selection was excellent, and we picked about four different types (I'm not an expert, but we choose from several locations: Maryland, British Columbia, and a type from the Pacific). I'm giving it four stars instead of five because the main course didn't blow me away. I lobster platter with scallops and prawns. There's nothing that really bothered me though the scallops and lobster was just a tad overcooked. Overall, very enjoyable experience.
(4)Chris L.
Maybe it was the combination of a Friday night and Restaurant Week, but the bottom line is this restaurant took advantage of people who were willing to try something new, as well as support RW. For last night's underwhelming experience, Oceanaire barely squeaks out a second star and that's only for the stellar service. Again with the concept restaurant - we can't just go out and eat anymore, we need themes!! Got it. Could be fine, I'm willing to play along. I lived in Florida in the 70's when this look was all the rage in seafood restaurants. Very quaint and service to match a much earlier era in much tonier places. But the din! I gave up trying to talk normally with my three dinner companions about five minutes in and just yelled like everyone else in the place. I haven't seen a relish tray in ages - it's a nice, old-fashioned touch that goes with the rest of the theme and the veggies were fresh except for the canned olives, that is. I stayed far away from the pickled herring. We had not one, but two waiters and both were attentive and professional. Before I went, someone told me that she didn't like all that attention. But I think it's ok when it's all part of an overall experience. I was prepared to like the food, too. The first course was shrimp, potato, leek soup and it was exceptional - all the flavors of the ingredients, but very subtle and no overwhelming notes. It had just the right balance of creaminess and heft for a winter soup. "Denver's Best Caesar Salad" had a very good dressing and lots of very average chopped romaine coated in it - that's a haphazard combination and a warning of things to come. The choices of fish for the 5280 menu were uninspired. Remember I mentioned Florida in the 70's? Back then, Marlin was JUST a sport fish - you know, big guys with big rods pulling in those beautiful teal green/blue fish, having them stuffed and mounted on the wall? Not now. Now they're on the menu. Eating one is what I imagine eating steak from a bull that had been working the rodeo ring for a few years would be like. Dense, tough, and chewy. And no, coating it with way too much "cajun" spices, blackening it, then adding a scoop of blue cheese butter doesn't rescue it from being inedible in the first place. I wouldn't have ordered it, two of my companions did that. The Mahi Mahi was grilled inexpertly (some of it was flaky, some of it was dry and chewy), then placed on top of a thin smear of tasteless whipped potatoes, and garnished with a snarl of leeks that looked like someone had used the tool that you use at Christmas to curl ribbon (the leek was much the worse for wear). The salmon was offered as either rare or medium rare - my companion chose the latter and got fish that was cooked medium well. Why ask if 1) you can't cook expertly enough to pull off what you offer or 2) you can't manage your kitchen well enough to pull off what you offer? Wine: bottle was overpriced (by a lot). Dessert: key lime pie tasted like a mashup of too much sugar and too much Rose's lime juice. Coffee: sitting around a long, long time before it reached our table. Service: always present, always helpful, but not always truthful (one waiter said the Marlin was the best thing on the menu). I won't be back, but I'm willing to believe that someone might find something on that extensive menu that the kitchen knows how to cook and can pull it off when there's less of a rush.
(2)Judi M.
We've had great experiences at Oceanaire Denver over the years. Which is why our visit last week with out of town friends was both disappointing and embarrassing. The service was okay (young, eager, clumsy but tolerable) but the food was terrible. It seems that all of the restaurants owned by Landry's are following the same pattern - buy low or poor quality ingredients and smother them in dressings, sauces, breading, or cheese. Plus charge exorbitantly high prices and pretend that you are delivering something you are not. The fried shrimp were almost inedible (and my husband is not that picky), the breading or the oil had a rancid taste and the shrimp fried too long. My crab cake was good but the portion much smaller than in the past. Our guest's seafood salad was a joke - bagged iceberg lettuce and hardly any shrimp or crab. One entree, two entrée salads, a crab cake appetizer, and dessert (no wine) cost $100. We hate to say it but Oceanaire Denver went from terrific to terrible. What a shame.
(2)kelli s.
Went here with a gift certificate, attempting to decide between going all out and eating dinner, or "settling" with the bar menu. In the end- I settled. But gladly so. The mussels w. lemongrass are very good. Some poor guy obviously gets the job of sorting out the barely open ones, because each one I got had his (or her?) shell wide open to grab some curry lemongrass broth. The calamari is way better elsewhere. I think its gnarly when the calamari pieces are THICK bands instead of whole squid or thin bands. It's like chewing a fried rubber band. Also, from the bar, you get to watch the server drama unfold, which is the best part of dining in such a high end joint (and not ending up with a huge-ass bill)
(3)Aaron M.
Went for boyfriend's birthday, which if you mention it when making reservations, the menu will be personalized. Neat. Everything was very well made and seasoned. Staff is friendly and courteous. If you find anything wrong with your dish, they Promptly replace it. The only quibble I have is with the fillet mignon and sides. Moms fillet looked like a hamburger patty sitting alone on the plate. For a $30 steak, I'd expect it to look like what it's worth. As far as sides, do French Fries really need to be $8.00? Perhaps, this place is a lil too out of my league, but for $350 I kind of expect a lil more food than we got. And I shouldn't have to double check the bill for discrepancies. Like charging for a free birthday dessert or charging a $90 bottle of wine instead of the $12 glass. Definitely nice place to go blow a wad of money or if somebody else is buying.
(4)i n.
Best in town for seafood. Of course it isn't as good as the original in San Diego but when you are far from the ocean in Denver this place can't be beat! Food - Sashimi Tuna. They take about 10 oz of Ahi Tuna and design it like a rose, very high quility. -oysters any type are amaizing -Sea Bass is great -Salmon is good but don't sell yourself short since you can get it anywhere -Lobster is awesome -crab super good Service Amazing Wine menu isn't big but the Chef and Managment has pick a great selection. TIP! Go here durring 5280 week. 1 app, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine & 2 desserts for $52.80
(5)T. R.
Great happy hour or a perfect stop for drinks before a show at the DCPA.
(5)Sara H.
Last night was my first trip to Oceanaire Denver. However, I used to live in DC and frequented the Oceanaire there for both lunch and dinner. I always loved it, so was looking forward to my trip to the Denver outpost. First thought: not as opulent as the DC restaurant. When you walk into the DC restaurant you get a feeling you are really walking into a decadent 1930's dining room. The Denver location was just what it is, a nice restaurant across the street from the Four Seasons. We ordered appetizers for the table with little incident - calamari, raw oysters, and mussels. The sommelier was not there, but our waiter proclaimed himself a "cork dork." I was ordering a bottle for our table and asked him about either a pinot or a light syrah. He kind of laughed and said that was an oxymoron as syrahs are always big, beefy wines. I ignored this, as we were with friends, and did not want to make a fuss. However, first of all, a waiter should never be so pompous as to insult the paying guest. And at Oceanaire, you are definitely paying. Secondly, numerous Rhone syrahs and Rhone style syrahs are very light (we have them in our own cellar and have had many a bottle of them in France). That is what I was asking about. It was quite insulting and we then did not trust this self-proclaimed cork dork's judgment. We ended up getting a Russian River Pinot my husband had tasted recently and knew went well with seafood. This took the wind out of my sails a bit as when you dine out at a fine restaurant you like to be able to trust the staff. After the dismissive comment about syrah, we felt we could not. The appetizers were great. The main courses were less so. I had rockfish Louie and my husband had the crab cakes. Both were good, but presentation was uninspired. At over $30, I expect my dish to be attractive. It wasn't. The flavor was good, but I felt the capers were a bit overpowering. And I love capers and cook with them often. My husband claimed the crab cakes had a unique filler, a ball of tartar sauce in the middle of the cake. He was not impressed as he recently had crab cakes in New Orleans and Houston which were better. One of our dining partners had the new version of the cioppino, which looked like more work than it was worth. Overall, a middle of the road dining experience, made better by wonderful conversation with friends. It should be noted that when I rank restaurants, I rank them as compared to other restaurants at their level. Therefore, if I rank Five Guys Burgers higher than Frasca, it does not mean Five Guys is better than Frasca (although my experiences with Frasca might in fact place Five Guys a bit ahead). I provide my rankings as they would compare to similar restaurants. I am comparing Oceanaire to its sister in DC, as well as to other restaurants where you pay $30 for an entrée. And sadly, it did not stack up last night.
(3)Heidi M.
My husband and I loved eating here. We went for New Year's Eve for our first visit and will definitely be back. The whole experience took about two hours but we were told to expect that on the phone when they confirmed our reservations. The service was excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine on the recommendation of the assistant manager, which was perfect for the meal, and never once had to fill our own glasses. The food was simply to die for. Portion sizes were great and the desert was awesome. We had the crab cake to start, followed by the black and blue maui maui and the scallops, and ended with the brownie for desert (they pour carmel and chocolate over it at the table). It was pricey but with the food and the service, the entire experience was well worth the money.
(5)O X.
Great seafood, but I left feeling overwhelmed and a little ill (see definition of oysters below). I ordered a bowl of clam chowder, 4 oysters, and a crabcake. The chowder and the crabcake were both so heavy and rich, I was glad I did not get an appetizer!! LOVE that they bring a dish of cold, fresh vegetables with the bread. Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, pickles, celery on ice. That was awesome and so much better than bread!! Chowder was packed with clams, and crabcake was all crab, as you might expect. Oysters were gritty, which was ick. I will DEFINITELY return, as the food was great (except the oysters -- which they are "known for"), but will split an entree, and get a salad. Enjoy!
(4)Martine S.
Great dinner, lovely atmosphere, perfect for dinner before a play at the Performing Arts Center! Great service!
(4)Susan D.
My husband and I had dinner with friends at Oceanaire last night for Denver Restaurant Week. I was really excited to try out the Denver location since we visited the one in San Diego and loved it. Unfortunately, we had an entirely different experience. Perhaps it was the 5280 menu misrepresenting what is normally offered or the extra tables that created a less intimate dining experience. Regardless, at a restaurant that offers prices normally at $30-$35 a plate, I would have expected a little more sophistication. After all, Restaurant Week is about enticing customers to come back, is it not? Our waitress was very friendly and happy to help with questions on the menu. Which made me wonder at first if it was just me not enjoying the meal, until our friends shared their same disappointment. Two of us got the Billi Bi (mussels soup). Not bad, but extremely rich, especially as an appetizer. My husband ordered the clam chowder, which was good. For the entree, two of us ordered the trout, stuffed with shrimp, brie, and crab. Again, incredibly rich (but not really in a good way, more in a "wow, this is obviously unhealthy and I'm not impressed enough to continue eating and overlook the massive calories" way.) Everything was mixed together so much where I couldn't taste the flavors of the crab, shrimp, or brie but rather just the butter sauce, creating an unnecessary richness and the trout itself had a slimy texture. My friend's trout had a lot of bones in it, to the point that she said it just wasn't enjoyable to eat. My husband said his Rockfish tasted almost underdone and the Carolina Barbecue Sauce wasn't really a sauce but rather more of an oil, which made for an an unappetizing taste about halfway through the meal. Overall, the best meal at the table was our friend's steak (at a seafood restaurant!) However, he even said it had a lot of sinew in it. For dessert, my husband and I ordered the key lime pie. Which actually should have been labeled a cheese cake with a hint of lime. It wasn't bad, but definitely not what we were expecting. We were quickly jealous of the chocolate moose our friends ordered. I probably would be a bit more forgiving of the fact that every time our meals were brought out, they placed them in front of the wrong person or that maybe the poor quality food and cramped dining was a result of a set menu during Restaurant Week. However, we were dining at a restaurant that boasts about being "sleek and sophisticated," having "exceptional service," and being voted "one of the best seafood restaurants in the country." I simply expected more.
(2)Veronica W.
In every train wreck there is a defining moment where the train goes from running smoothly along on the tracks to becoming a pile of twisted, ugly mess. This moment was about the 3rd bite into my entrée of King Crab at Oceanaire on New Year's Eve. Our reservations were at 6 and we arrived promptly only to be told that we didn't have a reservation. Fortunately, I had proof in my e-mail from OpenTable. Maybe I should have taken this as a sign. I didn't. We were seated and service began. My husband ordered a Rye Highball. The waiter said that he didn't think the bartender knew what that was other than the type of glass, but he checked and they did. Again, a sign. Our appetizer was the Calimari "Boudin". It had really good flavor, but had been a little overcooked. Easy to do with calamari, but it shouldn't be done at a restaurant that specializes in seafood. The next course was our Crab Bisque, which was delicious. I expected it to be sweeter, but really enjoyed that it wasn't. I think it may have been the best part of our meal. Then we waited for our entrees. Dan got the Surf & Turf (ordered Med Rare and it was served still mooing) and I ordered a pound of King Crab Legs which they shelled. We were splitting a side of asparagus and got a crab cake as a side, too. We'd heard the crab cakes were fantastic, and the couple of bites I got to eat of it lived up to that description. Really they were delicious. Unfortunately, that's when that defining moment happened. Bite 3 was served up with a fire alarm. Flashing blue strobe lights, loud bleating sirens and a mechanical voice saying something we couldn't make out over the siren. Our waiter came to the aisle and announced that it wasn't anything we should concern ourselves with, but was something to do with the Curtis Hotel. They are on the same fire alarm and "This happens at least once a week." Once a week!? Really? We were encouraged to continue with our meal. However, due to a light sensitivity that causes migraines I sat at the table with my hands over my eyes. For 10 minutes. About 3 minutes into the fire alarm, I asked the manager if I could get warm food when it was all over. He whisked away my delicious plate of King Crab and placed it under the heat lamp. For 10 minutes. Trust me when I tell you that crab meat (and asparagus in hollandaise) doesn't do well under the warmer. Rubbery $40 crab is what was returned to me. The waiter didn't apologize for the fiasco. The waiter didn't ask to see if everything was alright, including me (who had been visibly bothered by the lights). Instead of dwelling on the bad we forged forward, finished our entrees, and ordered dessert which was "made by scratch by our in house pastry chef". Had this been a movie there would have been the sound of crunching metal at this point instead of just the sound of the other diners talking. I can honestly say that I've never had cheesecake that crumbled when it was cut. I mean literally crumbled. Into crumbs. Not even graham cracker crumbs, but little dried up cheesecake like crumbs. Dinner was done. We made it out alive only after the manager stepped on Dan's foot as we were getting up from the table. To make up for the fiasco we were comped out on ONE of my two $8 glasses of proseco. Somehow that 4.7% discount didn't seem to make up for the rubbery crab, the cold side dishes, the inedible cheesecake and the crazy strobe light fire alarm action that had the potential for creating my last migraine of 2009 and my first migraine of 2010. For this kind of money I won't be back to give them a second chance. There are too many fantastic restaurants out there for me to risk their weekly fire alarm show.
(2)Chris S.
I went to Oceanaire expecting a first-class seafood dining experience, which is hard to come by in Denver. What a LETDOWN! My partner's side-dish was very visibly dirty. The food was mediocre, not bad-- but I would have expected much better. My entree (Ono) was cooked unevenly, with one piece medium rare and the other piece well done (and tougher as a result). Calamari as an appetizer was also mediocre and relatively tough. Key Lime pie for dessert tasted like a jello pudding mix-- again, not bad, but I've had better Key Lime pie out of the grocer's freezer. The only pluses were the bread, the atmosphere, and the service. But when a restaurant charges $30+ per entree, the food better be spectacular in my opinion. The quality to dollar ratio was really poor I thought, and I will not be returning.
(2)Michelle B.
I dined at the Oceanaire in DC and loved the vintage supper club feel of the place and the incredible service- the kind that mostly disappeared 30 years ago with the advancement of our fast food culture. My first visit to the Denver location didn't dissapoint. The deep red booths, white table cloths and the rich wood all took me back in time. The only thing that could have made it even more retro would be a giant fish tank with a showgirl 'mermaid' swimming inside. Our waiter was so attentive, charming and very knowledgeable about the menu. I was with two other ladies and we shared what I now refer to as the "Seafood Extravaganza"- a floral arrangement-like gathering of all the best the sea has to offer. A screaming deal at about $50. We ordered that plus the au gratin potato side and a side of the largest stalks of asparagas I think I've ever eaten. By the end we were completely stuffed, but somehow had enough room to split a creme brulee. It was one of those meals where you leave the place completely satisfied- all your hopes were fufilled, all your desires granted. Excellent service, excellent food and I'm still hoping for that giant fish tank. I'd even volunteer to be the mermaid, as long as the feed me!
(5)Katie S.
The food was good but NOT worth the price. Got the calamari top pieces were decent size but then got to just fried pieces of breading. Sauce served with it made it taste like basic chinese food. Lobster tail over cooked definetly not worth 70 dollars. I still am not happy i paid so much for a meal that was not worth it. Not going back
(2)Paul B.
Great seafood selection (best in Denver). Overpriced. Service is relaiable. Not personal.
(4)Joanne L.
It's been a while since I ate here but I remember it being pretty good. The calamari here was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice. The waiter was very knowledgable and polite. The only thing I didn't like too much was the au gratin potatoes. The potatoes were undercooked so they were a little hard. Everything else was amazing.
(4)Edward T.
Sadly to say, my favorite meal I had during restaurant week came from a chain restaurant. This place was packed on a wednesday night during restaurant week. Everything we had here was spot on and a great value. To start the meal they bring you pickled herring with crudite which was complimentary and very good . We got some east coast oysters which were not on the $52.80 menu but worth every penny. Calamari was thick cut but still very tender. I had the trout and my wife had the tuna. The tuna was simply amazing.... seared and still cold in the middle. The portion was beyond generous. Seriously would have been enough or two people. for dessert, go with the key lime pie....perfection. Also they also had a special $26.40 selection of wines. We went with cali chardonnay which went great with the seafood. It was our table neighbor's B-day, they gave her a baked alaska on the house which was very impressive. I'm saying its my B-day net time I'm there. This is the best seafood I've had in Denver.... Better than Jax, sushi sasa, and the fresh fish co. GB fish and chips and star kitchen come close though.
(5)Jennifer L.
Okay I went to the Oceanaire in Seattle and I wasn't sure Colorado could compete but I was wrong. We stopped in for happy hour and were greeted by a helpful and cheerful hostess...Samantha. Sat at the bar which was pretty full as they have plenty of business for happy hour 7 days a week. We were severed by Keeli and let me tell you she can make a great martini w/ champagne worth the taste. Also the crab cake was delicious plenty of flavor and full of blue crab and not full of filler only CRAB. The salad was the perfect compliment with blue cheese and crispy granny smith apples. Hat off to head chef Matt. You sure did bring the Seattle Oceanaire to Colorado.
(5)Daniel L.
Food was ok. You're paying mostly for a fine dining experience. The waiters remind me of car salesmen but with food.
(3)Emily L.
This review is for happy hour at the bar only. I've heard the restaurant is fine but I don't know. Anyway, happy hour: the bartender told me that well drinks were half off and yet when the bill came for my rum and coke it was still $6. Really? So $12 is the regular price for a well rum and coke? What a rip off. I also ordered food from the bar menu, I got the fish and chips. Basically two over breaded fish-stick sized pieces of fish (and the fish was nothing spectacular) and a handful of fries for $9. I mean, I get it, it's happy hour, I'm at the bar, but I still feel like it was a lot of money for nothing.
(2)Jessica K.
I dined out at three different locations for resturant week, and this one was by far the best! Though 5280 seemed to overwhelm other resturants, Oceanaire seemed on top of it. Staff was timely, polite, and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic! I really felt like I got a great value, as the regular menu is pricey. Still, I'll return even w/o 5280, as I was that impressed, and it's SO convenient for the theater!
(5)Jian C.
I was there last Saturday night with two friends. We wanted to change to a seafood restaurant, because we had too much meat the previous evening. We ordered three appetizers: snail, clam, and oyster. All very good. For entrees, we had diver scallops, whole Colorado bass, and icelandic arctic charr. All very fresh and taste delicious. I am giving a 4 instead of 5, because the scallops come with too small size, or maybe it's because we did not order side with it. Recommended if you are visiting Denver. It is rare to have so fresh seafood in the mile-high-city.
(4)Nate A.
So I took my wife for her birthday to this location of their chain and it was very good, but....The reason I choose this place is because I ate at their location in Miami when I was there on business. The food, service, etc. were all amazing and out of this world, in Miami. As for Denver, the design is very cool in color (and temp), the service was good but while I told the first person to our table it was my wife's birthday it was not passed along to anyone else, nor did the host ask. Anywhere else not a big deal but if they expect you to drop $200 on dinner they need to be asking the questions and passing the information. The escargots were a great app and were uniquely prepared, tasted really good. We both had the Black n Bleu bass special as I had had my fish prepared that way in Miami and it was excellent. To bad the fish was way overseasoned, the butter hard as a rock, and the fish overcooked this time. We still enjoyed it but sorry for $38 per 6oz of fish it has got to be perfect, and I mean perfect. The fish they choose doesn't work well with that heavy of a seasoning, it should be a thicker fish to allow more of the intense flavors to be offset by the meat of the fish, all in my opinion of course. We had a potato side dish which was reasonablly priced and tasted good. So I guess what my problem is with this place is they are just too expensive, we usually go to McCormick's but I wanted her to try this place instead. I am sorry I choose that as I felt the prices they charge are outrageous. We were dissapointed to learn that Landry's (who owns this place) bought McCormick's seafood chain, they truly are great and reasonably priced. One last ax to grind on this restaurant is the horrible music they have, you are spending an outrageous amount of money for a small piece of fish and you are listening to what sounds like teenage pop music mixed with club beats, seriously I guess I just belong at Morton's or McCormick's for special occasions (I am only 36 so not to old to like some of today's music)....anyway save your money and eat elsewhere, just not worth it (maybe the bar is, it looked like some good deals on drinks/apps/oysters)....
(2)Mopsie B.
This is as good as it gets in Denver. Yes, Oceanaire is a chain, but it happens to be an excellent one. The vibe is old-school, the managers and hosts are all spiffied up and the servers wear crisp white jackets. The seafood is flown in fresh, daily and you pay for it here. But what wouldn't any self-respecting bon vivant pay for a well-made cocktail with his lobster? Factor in the AMAZING sourdough bread, well stocked wine list and the vanilla dixie cups for dessert and you've got yourself a winner. We've been twice and have yet to be disappointed. Oh- bonus points to "Christo" the waiter on Saturday night. Hilarious.
(4)Brandon M.
Loved the swordfish, very fresh seafood. Key lime pie was very authentic.
(5)Tatyana G.
We went there for 528o to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We had 7 adults and 4 kids in our party. 3 of us came a little bit earlier so we hit the bar. I don't drink and was pleased with a nice person at the bar who kept my water refilled and cold. For dinner we were seated in the corner which was a great place with kids. We were able to keep them away from other patrons. A very cute gesture is to have a menu with birthday boy's name on it. When we came the restaurant was almost empty and I made a comment about it. Spoke too soon! withing about 30 minutes they were almost full. The service was not the best. Probably, because they were packed. It was hard to get our waiter's attention, he kept forgetting things. Ok, we can understand. Then the food came. For first course some of us had calamari (very good) or clam chowder (could be better). I was the only one who had beet/feta cheese salad. It was light and tasty. For main course my husband and I ordered trout. Mine was great. My husband was not impressed with his. My friend ordered trout also but her's was full of bones. I never had this problem. People that ordered steak were surprized by the size of it. It was small! Well, it was 5280. Dessert was ok. Waiter made an excellent suggestion what to order for kids. Why only 3 stars? Well, the next day almost everyone had a stomach pain. Since we all had different food it was hard to pinpoint what caused it. I would go back there so I can be honest with my review but I don't think it would be very soon.
(3)Rick R.
Every aspect met highest expectations-all on a busy New Year's Eve! Every dish delivered timely, fresh, perfectly cooked, well-sized, flavorful, and with unique presentation. Highest marks to the Field Greens Salad, Stuffed Idaho Rainbow Trout (stuffed with succulent crab meat, shrimp, and brie, in a white wine burre blanc - yum!), Petite Surf & Turf (with a sub of crab cake for the warm-water lobster tail, as cold-water is much better for lobster), and an exquisite Rice Pilaf. Superb Service: Seated on time (on a holiday!). Fully attentive but not intrusive, knowledgable and helfpul (especially with the advice on the surf & turf sub), and made us at home - no rush depsite it being New Year's Eve! A Bargain! The 1/2-size sides matched full-size at comparable a-la-carte style restaurants. The overall price was 15% below similar meals at comparable restaurants. I have raved to friends, and look forward to returning! This is now in my top 5, with the likes of Capital Grille, Roy's, and Morton's. When I'm in the mood for a top-notch seafood meal, this will be a first consideration.
(5)Thomas S.
I found The Oceanaire to be very underwhelming. The service was great, but the food was very average. My salmon was overcooked and had little flavor. My wife had shrimp and cheese grits, which were comforting, but hardly anything that will bring me back. The BLT salad was very watery and the dressing had little flavor - the highlight was easily the bacon. The clam chowder was good - but I've had equally delightful chowder from a can. The desserts were good, but they did little with the presentation. I had a key lime pie, which was okay. I found the retro decor of the establishment to be cheesy bordering on creepy. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)Dale P.
I am surprised at the number of unhappy customers recently. We had never been before, but went in for Denver restaurant week. For those from out of town, the promotion is that a restaurant serves full meal for two people for $52.80. We met some friends and had overpriced small cocktails at the bar. I say overpriced, but they were actually a normal price for downtown, but could have been larger for the price. Got our table and were promptly served fresh bread, butter, and a relish tray. The promotional dinner had a number of choices for the first course. There were appetizers, salads, soup to choose from. My partner order calamari, and he got the best deal. I had a crab cake slider and a small salad. It was very good, but I sure liked the calamari better. The main course had a choice from salmon, charr, mahi mahi, tuna, trout, top sirloin. We also ordered a side of mashed for the table. On their menu, things are al a carte. We ordered the charr, and it came with creamed spinach and fried fennel, the server recommended that we order the potatoes, and they were good, but probably would not have missed them had we not ordered them. Dessert was a choice of key lime pie, chocolate mousse, or new york style cheesecake. It was all delicious. Servings a bit smaller, but the price is right and it was plenty of food for us. The service was exceptional, and everyone really works together to make sure everything goes smoothly. Wish we could afford to go more.
(5)maria w.
I wanted to love this restaurant and liked it a lot but in spite of the great atmosphere and service the food honestly fell short. Very yummy calamari to start but the wedge salad had globs of ice cold blue cheese dressing and cold bacon on top. My friend had the fillet which was good and I splurged on the $37 Dover scallops with truffle oil. While there were a lot of scallops on the plate they were slightly undercooked, lacked flavor and sweetness. Still worth a second try next time I'm in Denver...
(3)Tracy R.
Food is always great and on a recent visit, the manager went and pick up our theater tickets while we finished dinner. Great service.
(5)Helena P.
My husband and I had an excellent dinner at the Denver Oceanaire on New Years Eve. They were able to get us a last minute reservation even though they were busy due to the holiday. The service was top notch. The food was incredible. We loved the crab cake, the best part was that it didn't have a lot of breading, it was filled with tons of fresh crab and good flavors. I had a seared tuna steak for dinner and don't think I've ever had a better tuna (not even in Hawaii or California). We've also been to the Oceanaire in San Diego and we felt like this location was just as good if not better which is incredible considering the fish is being flown in to CO. If you want great fish and amazing service this is the place to go!
(5)Laura B.
More like a 4.5....I need to go back there more often. My BF and I went about a year ago and spent a ton of money: ordered lobster, crab, bacon steak, oyesters, wine.....we went all out! I think our tab was around $350?? We have not gone back since and went last night for the clam bake bucket that Monica had written about. 'We decided to sit at the bar, because they have happy hour even on the weekends. I started with a great dirty martini (blue cheese olives) and then we moved on to a bottle of syrah that was on special for $20.10. Great deal!! We had some oysters, and some of the best spicy tuna tartar I have ever had!!! We then shared the lobster bucket that came with soup and salad....so much food!!!! The bucket was large with clams, mussels a whole lobster, taters, and corn. We had an amazing meal and with apps, drinks, wine, for around $100, much more reasonable! The also had several other specials for $29 3 course meals...great options! I have to go back and try that halibut t-bone! It is nice to know this place can be afforable (if you dont go with the delish $40 lb crab legs...Ill save those for a special occasion). The service is also great, both bartenders rocked! We will be back soon!
(4)Corbin G.
Best Filet Mignon I have ever had in my life. Had it Medium/Medium Rare. Oscar style with Bearnaise sauce. Melted like butter in my mouth!
(5)AnneMarie C.
Great for kids. I wanted to try the food because of the great yelp reviews, but was scared away because of the note: good for kids=no. That's just crazy. I called to check whether they could accommodate us with our kids and the host assured me they loved kids. This place was fantastic for our (fairly well-behaved) 2 & 5 year old. Toys for the kids; a comprehensive, if somewhat expensive, kids menu; and an outstandingly kind waitstaff. The manager came to our table before dessert to ask of the kids wanted to see some big lobsters. He took us back to the kitchen and gave us quite a show, putting a lobster to sleep by petting it. My kids were amazed and loved the experience.
(5)Jerry S.
Not sure what all the hype is about. Went there because of all the good reviews...I was quite disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Had good service but the seafood was not so fresh. I could have caught them on a bad night. Saturday must be a slow day for them. A bit overpriced too.
(2)Paul R.
It is great that Denver has a first class seafood restaurant in a sea of steakhouses. While I agree that the mark up on the wine is very high and the prices for the food are high, I think it is well worth the visit. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. The host staff can be a bit snobby but the servers are spectacular. The highlights of our visits have been ((1)) the shellfish platter (cold platter with a ton of fresh seafood- excellent and filling) ((2)) the crab cakes (mostly crab-- not bread crumbs) ((3)) the monkfish ((4)) the alaskan crab legs (I have never had such fresh, remarkable crab legs) ((4)) the trout simply prepared and ((5)) last but certainly not least, the Tuna. I asked for it extremely rare and they offered to serve it to me sushi style. This was the best tuna I have had in Colorado since we visited a fishmarket in Tokyo a few years ago. 10 ozs of pure heaven. Other nice touches: the veggie and pickled herring platter that come before the meal (gotta love a place that has pickled herring!), wonderful amuse-bouche before meals, chocolate candies to take home on valentines day, health pours for a glass of wine, etc... Things to note: the sides items are pretty heavy and not the highlight of the menu- I would skip them. parking can be a pain but they have valet, make reservations- can be packed, the desserts have not been that impressive but I am also not big on baked alaska... Overall- this is one restauran that I will keep going back to
(5)c k n.
This was certainly one of the best dining experiences I've had. I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, using an online service (free) to make my reservation and even request a dessert for her (cheesecake, which I found they usually carry anyway, but which was also very good). The server we had was very friendly and knowledgeable, recommending fantastic dishes and the appropriate amount of each. We got the escargot for an appetizer, which was great, and for our mains we ordered the stuffed trout and crab cakes, both of which were absolutely superb. (I've had some fantastic, homemade crab cakes at a friend's house on the Chesapeake in Virginia, where they catch blue crabs, and these were on par with those: lots of actual crab meat, less breading). Dessert was also fantastic: we had the aforementioned cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries as well as a Baked Alaska....YUM. Ambiance was nice, service was excellent, the food absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. Fantastic! Recommended to anyone who likes seafood and wants a great meal in a classy restaurant.
(5)alex b.
Went here last night to take advantage of the Spring special 3 course menu for 29.95 each. We were shocked to see that the regular price for the entrees alone were like 26.95! The portions were the same size as the a la carte entree. The salad had too much dressing, the calamari was delicious and the deserts were perfect. Great deal. One would be kind of crazy not to take advantage of this deal!
(4)Buckwheat S.
Nice room good service, food was mediocre at best. There are too many great places to eat in Denver to spend top dollar for poor food. Small portions, tasteless, I could go on and on, but I already wasted my time and money. We go out to dinner several times per week I know poor food when I find it.
(1)Ken S.
Well the wifie poo got a nother year old today and her choice for b-day dinning was The Oceanaire in Lodo...Nice choice babe....Our server was Chad and what a great night we had from the food to the service. Wifie had the Fijian Tombo Tuna and I the Pacific Swordfish....awsome... add the saffron rice pilaf and fried green beans and we were off to the moon...First we had the Prince Edward Island Mussels with a bottle of Pinot Grigio ...just great..a martinni and a Bye Bye Mai Tai to keep us company until the meals came...and about every 3 minutes we had waitstaff or management checking on us...A G M Phillip greated us at the table as we were seated and checked back at least 5 times to assure the we completely satisfied...and you know that goes a long way with me. The recomended late harvest ice wine with the compted Baked Alaska rounded out the feast...The Baby Spinach Salad with a warm Bacon Vinegrette shall not go un-mentioned...so much going on...but that salad was yummy times 10...Top to bottom...a night to be remembered... Thanks Oceanaire....when Momas happy...everybodies happy.. And Try to keep me away ... the Breeze loved it all...
(5)William L.
Excellent food and service. Wine prices are very high for the quality.
(4)Lowell M.
What a FANTASTIC restaurant. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted by friendly, professional and caring staff. You really feel welcome. What a surprise to actually get seated at the time of your reservation. The waitress was so nice and attentive. The wine glass never went dry without being asked if we wanted another nor the water glass filled as it got low. The only thing better than the staff and ambiance was the AWESOME food. I highly recommend the mussels and the blue marlin. If you are not a fish lover, the steak is absolutely out of this world. The side dishes are HUGE so you only need to order 1 and split it. Finish off the evening with their baked Alaska and you will be talking about the dinner for months.
(5)Justin F.
I usually eat here for happy hour and its one of my favorites. There is definately better deals around, but Oceanaire is classy and the food is great. I usually order ahi tuna sliders, oysters, mussles or trout off of the happy hour menu for six dollars. The drink specials are ok at $6 for martini and select wines $7 however sometimes they have beers for $3 depending on what is left over from private parties. All in all if you love seafood and want to go some where nice oceanaire is the spot.
(5)Archer D.
Expensive for Denver, but then again the seafood is spectacolor. And their portions of seafood are huge, don't bother with appitizers or sides, which our waitor was pretty honest about. Their lavender tuna was awesome! Wines were expensive, but they give you a very healthy poor. Cool art deco ambience, kind of reminded me of a mix of miami and the grand center oyster bar.
(5)Dan B.
People, what is wrong with you? Don't stare at me with that stupid look like you don't know what i'm talking about. Oceanaire is dog meat. I truly can't understand it. I was minding my own business last night when a buddy invited me to join our mutual friends for 5280 week at Oceanaire. Because my wife was working late and there was nothing in the fridge i decided to blow $26.50 and give Dog-shit-aire one more chance. You see i'd eaten there three previous times and each time it sucked. Each time i went back i was HOPING to get a good experience as i would love to have a great fish place to frequent in D-town. But it's that kind of thing where, as time transpires, you forget just how bad a place was. Some strange malaise comes back over you and all of the sudden you find yourself thinking you actually might "like" this place and maybe YOU were the problem. It's like trying to get out of a bad relationship. Well, anyway, we get there and it's F-ing packed because apparently most of Denver enjoys the taste of Goodyear tires. I will admit the bar area is cool, but beyond that there's not much to salvage. At the recommendation of the General Manager we all ordered the same thing. Yup, five grown men all eating the exact same thing (lame)...black and blue marlin. It's hard to say whether or not this piece of fish actually started out with any flavor because it was drier than a fabric softener sheet. Unfortunately in hindsight i would've much preferred the taste of Downey over this thing on my plate they told me was fish. It pretty much looked like a deformed bar of soap and tasted, well, it had no taste. The error i made was actually trying to eat the whole thing, As if somehow i would start to enjoy it as my jaw went numb from chewing each bite 143 times. To make matters worse, the water service simply was non-existent. So i tried washing each bite down with a gulp of wine. Well, this was clearly a bad idea as i had started the night with two martinis. Before dinner was over i'm pretty sure i blacked out from the Super Tuscan (Terrible pairing with Marlin, thanks crappy a-hole, dummy waiter) we were drinking. I don't remember going home ( i didn't drive) and woke up in the bathtub at 4 am. Now here i am, at work pissed off because the only thing i have to show for that horrible meal is a hangover. OH, and by the way, who the hell do you think you are charging $8 for Valet, Ocean-dog-shit?? This isn't fucking Manhanttan or San Francisco. Fuck you, Ocean-Alpo-aire! See you in six months.
(1)Kyrie C.
My husband and I came for our 10th anniversary and love love love this place. First of all, they printed special menus for us to keep with "Happy 10th Anniversary" at the top. The food was exquisite ... The crab cake is amazing, and the seafood is super fresh. Our server, Kyle, was topnotch. He even surprised us with a special dessert -- baked Alaska! If you haven't had it before, try it for the presentation of it (plus, it's yummy).. We will definitely be back and absolutely recommend this restaurant!
(5)Chris H.
Last week my wife and I went out for a nice dinner compliments of my Mom, it was her treat given to us as a Valentine's Day present. Mom would probably drop dead if she new the final cost of this meal but I know for sure she would have enjoyed every last bite!!! I wanted to mention this because I do think it is important. I just read a review someone wrote about The Oceanaire that was not too favorable and I find it very surprising. I have never heard someone complain this much about a coat check. How was this so offensive? Coat check is pretty normal at an upper end restaurant? I thought it was a nice touch when they took my jacket for free? Keep up the good work! I have to say that the food was fantastic!! We had a selection of Oysters for the 1st course, the oysters were chosen by our waitress who was nice enough to give us a selection of the days catch. She also recommended a great bottle of wine, good enough to order a second! The salad we had was amazing as well, one item I usually like better at home. Not this one though, the Apple Fritter Salad will cause the biggest of meat eaters to fall in love... So after a nice bottle of wine, some oysters and a delicious salad our entries arrived to our delight. The only thing I was unhappy about was that I could not eat my dinner and my wife's dinner at the same time. This was a great meal!!!! I had the Big Eyed Tuna medium rare and it was perfect, my wife had the stuffed trout and it was out of this world. Both of us ate every bite even though they were huge servings, great food does that to us. The sides we had were excellent as well, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with holindase sauce. Succulent to say the least!!! For dessert we had the Key Lime Pie that can convert the biggest of Key Lime Pie haters. Another item that was just amazing and large enough for 4 people to share. My wife and I took the leftovers home and had pie 2 more times that week. So please do not runaway when they ask to take your coat!! Give in and enjoy a great dinning experience!! This is a restaurant where you go to have a nice long dinner, their goal is not to turn your table 4 times a night, it is to provide an amazing dinning experience... P.S. This place would get 5 stars if I gave them out that easy!! 5 stars are reserved for restaurants that make you want to kill for a reservation!
(4)Suze P.
Great food, excellent service, nice atmosphere, but way too loud!
(4)Sabrina C.
My fiance and I were extremely excited to take my parents to Oceanaire before a show at the Denver of Performng Arts. None of us were impressed from the minute we walked in the door. The first thing said to us was "Can we check your coat." Not really what I want to hear when I enter an EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE restaurant. After being seated and looking over the "al a cart" menu, I tried to have a good attitude and felt the meal would make up for the unprofessional entrance. We started with appetizers which in my opinion were over priced and not tasty. The clam chowder was cold the mussles were very sandy. The main meal was not impressive, my fish had bones in it, which was a real turn off. My dad had swordfish, which was very fishy tasting. The ahi tuna lacked a lot of flavor...the ahi tuna appetizer at PF Changs is 10 times better and 10 times cheaper. The side dishes were very sad, we had the flavorless potatoes and a big broccoli head that was very hard to share. We each had one drink, no dessert and our bill was about $250. I love food and don't mind spending on a great meal...but we were all very unhappy. Service was average. Overall, this was not the experience I was expecting for a seafood place in the middle of downtown Denver. So far I found The Fresh Fish Company to be priced very fair and their food is an absolute delight. I have alwasy had a great experience and great service!
(1)Lucy M.
I really do not understand why anyone likes this restaurant. I was a few minutes early for my Restaurant week dinner but my table wasn't ready for at least 15 minutes. Now, I didn't really care about this as I had a good book and I'm pretty easygoing and the staffer who explained this was very nice. But it didn't get better from there. I looked at the wine list and wines by the glass were ridiculously expensive. There was nothing less than $9 and they were actually charging $15 a glass for Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. They should be ashamed of themselves. So I ordered San Pellegrino, which I never actually got. My server seemed completely uninterested in me. The app, tuna sliders were fine so I thought, OK, I'll still give this place a chance. The entree, baked scallops were very heavy rich and flavorless. A total disappointment. The chocolate mousse was completely unremarkable. Also, I couldn't stand the atmosphere of this place. Too loud music, too many tables packed into a little space, not a relaxing special place to have dinner for that much money. Never again.
(2)Mark B.
Very good food, atmosphere, experience!!! Try the crab cakes and sidecar for a drink!...that's all I have to say. I ordered a tuna steak and it was quite delicious. The sidecar as you might be wondering was the drink of class during the 20's and 30's and trust me the barkeeps at Oceanaire know how to make them..hiccup! Have a good day!
(5)Angela B.
Had another fabulous meal here last week; this is what I consider to be an "expense account" place. It's not cheap. However, they import a wide variety of seafood daily, it's expertly prepared, and the overall atmosphere is both stylish and classic. The side portions are all fresh and extremely generous, as are the salads and desserts. If you AREN'T on an expense account, the bar is fabulous and they do a solid happy hour. Service has been impeccable on every visit, and all the dark wood paneling with a classic cocktail menus is straight out of a rat pack movie.
(4)E.J. F.
Last summer I visited the Oceanaire in Miami and posted a review after having an excellent experience. With that in mind, a friend and I decided to try the Oceanaire in our hometown after attending a concert nearby. Although it was good, it fell a little short of my expectations. After being seated (which took awhile), we waited for several minutes before someone approached us. We ordered off of the Spring Market fixed price menu, which offers three different choices of an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29 per person, a very good deal compared to the regular entree prices (plus the expense of adding sides since everything more or less is a la carte on an Oceanaire menu). My friend picked the New England clam chowder, which would've been good if the clams had not been so firm and chewy. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was soaked in dressing and somewhat bitter. I chose the salmon, which was accompanied with chutney, mixed field greens and a mustard vinaigrette. Unfortunately, the vinaigrette was too subtle to even notice, making the dish too sweet for my taste. After tracking down our waiter (who did not come back to check on the food after serving it - what ever happened to the two minute rule??) and bringing this to his attention, he suggested bringing a side of the mustard/mayo that is served with the crab cakes. This added the right touch of sour to balance it out, and I was happy with that. My companion chose the mahi mahi, which was very good, as were the somewhat smallish desserts. It was after 10 p.m. on a Saturday and they were almost empty, so the staff appeared to be focused on wrapping up things for the night. When the check arrived, our waiter had neglected to add a bottle of wine we had ordered to our bill, so we reminded him of that. Prior to leaving, a manager came by to query us about our experience, at which time we gave him some feedback, which he was receptive to hearing. I will remain a patron of Oceanaire and have no problem recommending to others. However, part of me feels like we were being forced to settle on the quality of the food [from the fixed price menu] because of the lower price, which isn't something I felt that great about since it came to over $100 when all was said and done.
(3)Dan S.
Great ambiance and service. Overpriced for what you get. They seemed to feel compelled to mix meat into items that typically do not require meat (i.e. hashbrowns, rice pilaf, spinach, etc), so this wouldn't be a good place for vegetarians. King Crab was very good, but for some reason served on a hot plate. Halibut was good too but could have used some side sauce options. Caesar salad was excellent. Dessert menu could use some more staples.
(2)Thomas M.
The food was excellent. However, the portions were small for the price. Also, beware of the bartenders and waitstaff pushing $19 glasses of wine. It wasn't that great and that markup is just obscene.
(3)Lynn F.
Ocean Air in Denver ? True, not an ocean in sight, but you can't eat that fabulous mid-america steak every night. This swanky retro swing music playing restaurant is an easy walk from all the downtown hotels. They are just down the street from a big mall/ theater complex which could explain the rush to accomodate the early dining/ pre-theater crowd. We got ignored for a bit around 7:45p. As for the seafood, surprisingly good. They fly everything in fresh every day, so the menu changes daily. Some odd local delicacies thrown in like thick cut bacon. Lots of salads, sides, fish from around the world, oyster bar. Absolutely hugh menu full of choices. The mandatory steak is offered for fish haters. Loved the greek salad, which didn't seem greek as instead of feta there was bay shrimp and tiny bits o crab. All side dishes are hugh and sharable. Loved the corn. Desserts are architectual or on fire. Ordered the Baked Alaska for the spectacle. On the pricey side: $30 - $50.
(4)Del A.
Bottom line- exceptional service, ultra fresh seafood, not cheap. Oceanaire is to seafood as Mortons is to steak. The menu is a la carte and you order sides to share. Quality and freshness is superior. For this type of quality and service I would expect greatness and Oceanaire delivers. The oysters are beautiful- if you like them briney and salty I recommend the Hurricane variety from the East Coast. They taste like you're drinking in fresh sea air- amazing! The crabcakes are CRAB with very little cake and ingredients that highlight rather then cover up the flavor of the sweet lump crabmeat. The petite Grand Shellfish platter was piled with crab, lobster, steamed mussels and more oysters- all was sweet and fresh shellfish served with a nice accompaniment of sauces. (though the sauces weren't really needed - the fish is good on its own) And a shared side of the salt and vinegar fries- thin, crispy, flavorful. Great dipped in the mustard sauce that came with the shellfish. I had a bloody mary that was perfectly seasoned and great with the oysters. Followed by a reasonably priced Pinot Grigo/Sauvgnion Blanc blend, suggested by our waiter, that lent itself very well to the shellfish. One of my favorite restaurants in Denver and a lovely treat!
(5)Nolemana V.
I've been here a couple of times and wanted to wait to review it until after my second visit so that I've had a chance to try a few dishes. And I have to say, this place is pretty damn good. I've tried the calamari, tuna sliders, oysters, seafood app tower, Hawaiian opah, halibut, es car go, and even the sea urchin app special. Everything tasted fresh, was cooked almost to perfection, well prepared and presented. The staff provided an excellent experience as well- very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, my experience at Oceanaire has me wanting to go back for more. But just a heads up, if there is one drawback to this place, it's what you'll pay for the "experience"...definitely not cheap!
(4)Sandi D.
Happy Hour at the Oceanaire: Although I haven't had the opportunity to formally dine at Oceanaire, I've had the pleasure to HH it. My most recent experience was yesterday afternoon, where I decided to wait out the traffic into the burbs ( That's becoming a theme with me -- but did you see that traffic) I arrived at Oceanaire at 5:30ish -- only 2 other people sat at the bar; the restaurant empty....still early for dinner, and it was a Monday night---a tough night for any restaurant, let alone one where people consider it a special occasion place. During the 90 or so minutes I was there, only a handful of people showed for the HH specials, the restaurant itself stood virtually empty. While I'm surprised more people didn't take advantage of HH; I'm not too surprised at the empty dining room. After hearing about the latest closings ( Gallagher's, Ocean for example) it's evident that even the expense account set is cutting back. I know I'm sounding doom/gloom, but that was the atmosphere at Oceanaire --at least that's how the uptight atmosphere came off as. Let me explain: Upon arriving, each person is given "The Treatment" . The hostess guides you to either your table or to the bar, where they formally introduce you to your server, or in my case, bartender. Maybe it comes off better for dinner, but it was too much for drinks and an appy. The bartender shakes your hand, asks your name, where you're from, and other small talk, as if you're at a cocktail party; all in the attempt to have you bond with the staff. HH menu itself is limited, but no more than most places. They have 6 or so wines for $7 a glass, martinis and small plates for $6. I had a Sangiovese that was tasty at $7, but not one I would order outside HH pricing ($12), as a whole bottle sells for less than $9. Restaurants who price 1 glass for more than a whole bottle gets my gourd; what ever happened to doubling a bottle, tripling the glass price. Now we're upcharging over 4x the cost? Wow. But back to our show -- Ok, I had my conversation, poured my sample, then the glass of wine....do I want bread/butter asks my new friend, Ian. I decline, and ask for a snack suggestion. My next stool neighbor pipes in, telling me the smoked trout was terrific. Sounds good to me, and it was. A decent portion for $6; the smoked trout was floating in a very good olive oil, surrounded by fresh kettle chips. The idea is to place a small amount of trout on the chip, substituting toast points or perhaps flat bread. It works in theory, however the amount of oil made the chips soggy, and soon became too fishy. So why the 4 stars? Well, I like the place. I like how hard they try. I like fish, and I love wine. Even though they only have 6 on HH, they do have something like 300 bottles, and it was fun as hell to look at the menu. They even gave me the Captain's wine list, which was in a book; the holy bible for us oenophiles. I would give them a try for dinner -- especially on a night like last night where Marlin was part of the 3 course for $30 something.
(4)Rodrigo S.
I would say this place was OK, I did not have seafood I opted for the lamb. Sort of interesting that they provide a cold plate with pickled herring (not my thing). The waiter sounded like a humming bird on blow when he rattled off the specials and closed with the king crab legs are straight out of the "Arctic Sea" just like on the Deadliest Catch, obviously he was confused (it's actually the Bering Sea). I had the Caesar salad, the lamb and some fries. All was good but the fries came out barely warm. A highlight is the guy who filled the water glasses etc., he was very professional and johnny on the spot when our drinks needed a refresh. I will probably not visit this place again.
(2)Alice G.
3-4 stars- above average Landry's chain (aka Bubba Gumps) higher end restaurant. I've eaten here 3 times now and have actually always been pleased, however there is that over-glossed feel of a slick chain including some up selling techniques at the table. I have mostly stuck to the cold seafood platters and oysters here, which are quite good. Also, the drinks are great, but expensive- our G&Ts were $15 each!
(4)Gretchen G.
Restaurant week success. Oceanaire has hardly been on the trendy list so it skews to a little older/ conference center audience (clearly using company credit cards). That being said, they've got a happy hour I apparently need to go back for. The waiter did a great job of explaining the restaurant week menu, portion sizes etc. The crab cake taster was delicious but small as he explained it would be. The clam chowder was very creamy, yum. The steelhead was well cooked and a large portion. I could have skipped cookie dessert.
(4)Kyra R.
The schtick here is that the chef changes the menu every day, depending on what has been flown in fresh. Perhaps the chef needs time to perfect a few dishes before switching things up. The mussles app was enormous and tasted like the bottom of a rock. The shrimp cocktail sauce was overly spicy, and the entree was conspicuously salty. I think the spice & salt are to compensate for the fishy nature of the poorly prepped seafood. By the end of the meal, both my husband's and my mouths were raw. Served the wrong entree (ordered trout - received salmon). The most awkward restroom decor on planet Earth. In decal letters a foot tall, the womens' restroom wall says, "The iodine content of fish helps prevent goiter and other ills." Seems like a last ditch effort to convince people that this meal was a good choice.
(1)Stewart L.
Confessions of a seafood snob :-) I'm originally from Maryland Mecca to me at least of seafood so needless to say I'm very hard to impress I don't know how they do it but they did it the seafood done here is FANTASTIC !!! Crabcakes crabcakes General manager is a East Coast guy like myself so he knows the importance of good crabcakes so you're not going to get a lot of filler filler like a lot of breadcrumbs that's sacrilegious in crabcake land now that's moving along and talk about oysters being a seafood snob ironically enough I've only had oysters fried I am a texture type of person if it doesn't feel good in my mouth I'm not going to swallow it (insert sexual innuendo) LOL :-) The chef makes oysters so so very good if you like briny you can do that if you like subtle flavors with a sneaky punch The chef can do that too overall I'm very impressed with this restaurant
(5)Megan H.
My fiance made a reservation at Oceanaire for my birthday dinner in mid-August. I actually had no idea where we were going until we walked up - love when my honey surprises me! Anyway, from the SECOND we walked in the door, the service was utterly outstanding. We were about 10 minutes early for our reservation. The young ladies at the hostess stand offered to go ahead and seat us or suggested we get a drink at the bar. They have an AMAZING happy hour in their bar area. $7 martinis! And they didn't skimp on the vodka either! If you ever want to go and just do their small plates in the bar area, those looked and sounded fantastic as well. After ordering our 2nd martini, we realized that we were now 15 minutes past our reservation time. So we grabbed our drinks and went to our table. When we sat down, they handed us our menus, and mine had "Happy Birthday" printed on it! I was delighted! The girl then handed me a birthday card that all of the staff working that night had signed. I thought this was such a cool, personal touch. (I'm a bit of a cheeseball though and like little things like this). Our waiter came over very quickly and explained some of the fresh fish they currently had as well as some of the other specials, including a prix fixe menu. We ended up both deciding to do the prix fixe menu which was $85/person. We felt this was a really good deal considering this menu included 4 courses of food PLUS a dessert AND a wine pairing with each course. I am a huge wino, but I was still a bit concerned about having 4 glasses of wine after 2 martinis ha ha. Luckily, they said that because they were pairings they were a bit smaller pour. Good thing or I would have had to be carried out of there ha! Each course was sincerely better than the last. SO good - the timing was perfect on all of them. I have to give a shout-out to our amazing server Ryan. He had an awesome attitude, was super nice, answered our 10,000 questions without getting annoyed. He truly made the experience that much more enjoyable. His assistant server was named Mike, and he also provided outstanding service. At one point, they brought out the wrong course - it was on the prix fixe menu, but it was a course too early (so basically in the wrong order). The manager came over and apologized profusely and brought us an additional appetizer to snack on while they were preparing the correct course. Mistakes happen, and they handled it so smoothly, so we weren't even bothered by it. The food was SO GOOD. I grew up in Houston where fresh seafood is readily available - that is one thing I have missed dearly since moving to Denver. So I was excited to eat at this caliber of restaurant where they fly it in fresh daily. Overall, we were at dinner for probably about 2 1/2 hours. It was an AWESOME experience!! We weren't in any hurry, it was a Friday night, it was a special occasion, etc. I just cannot compliment Oceanaire enough on their staff and their food and the entire dining experience. Cannot wait for another special occasion to justify spending that amount of money again! :-)
(5)Horacio J.
Yes. The food is delicious. Shrimps are HUGE. I gave it a 4 because the limited drinks for happy hour. All in a great experience.
(4)Lindy L.
My boyfriend loves seafood, so we went here for his birthday. He really enjoyed the meal and so did I, even though I prefer my seafood in sushi form. Service was excellent, and the setting was pretty swanky, which is fun for a special, celebratory night. They start everyone with bread and butter, accompanied by relish, which I learned is pickles, olives, radishes, carrots, and celery. My boyfriend really liked the endive salad with blue cheese dressing. I passed on trying it because the salad had quite a bit of blue cheese dressing, and I'm not a big salad dressing fan. I ordered the stuffed sole Florentine, which was very good and very rich. My boyfriend ordered the Alaskan Barracuda black and bleu, which was even better than the sole and not quite as rich. My favorite parts of the meal were the hashed browns and dessert. We shared the hashed browns a la Oceanaire, a huge serving of nicely crisp hashed browns with bacon and Tabasco sauce. We were beyond full, but had to have a birthday dessert, and our server very generously provided us with a complimentary birthday treat, the chocolate caramel cake. The cake was served with warm hot fudge and caramel sauce. And ice cream. The cake was very, very good. Oceanaire did a very, very good job of making a special night even more special.
(4)Richard W.
I came here on Valentine's Day with my wife with a 9:30 pm reservation. We arrived beforehand with only two or three other couples waiting to be seated. As we waited, more and more people began to show up for dinner. None of us were seated. After 15 minutes past our reservation time there was a huge crowd gathered at the door of people waiting to be seated. Normally this wouldn't of been a big deal had it not been for the crowd spilling into the dining area. For a restaurant of this caliber to have this happen was shameful. Dinner portions were small and expensive. This want unexpected for a fine dining experience. However, they were sold out of swordfish and the creme brûlée. This was unexpected because about half of their menu involved swordfish of some kind. The creme brûlée was merely a disappointment because, well, creme brûlée is the bees knees. Bill came around and it was $139. It included an appetizer, two entrees, and a side (the menu is primarily aka carte), with no drinks. Not even soft drinks. After tip it ran to $169. The food was decent, but not almost $200 decent. I'd expect larger portions for that price.
(3)Bradley James R.
My server here was fantastic, however the 45 minute wait for a table as well as the next 45 minute wait for food really left me questioning why I was paying top dollar for this experience. I asked for a manager and the GM came by my table for a visit . He was pretty demeaning and tried to blame our server for the restaurants poor execution . Sorry but this place is not worth the price tag .
(1)Elaine P.
Dinner last night was my third time at Oceanaire Seafood Room and each dinner was top notch. Best service by far of any restaurant we've been to. The food is always amazing also. Even the service for valet parking is top notch. Very pleasant men and women. It was very cold and very busy and the workers are ALL very pleasant which makes it pleasurable. Thank you for a great night
(5)Dale Z.
Dave Barry said, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." This was pretty much how I felt after having Happy Hours drinks and HH bites in the bar area of The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I felt like I just scratched the surface of Oceanaire. In many ways, I had a 4-star experience, but the multiple minor annoyances knocked it down to a 3. For example, there are only three beers choices on the HH menu (all from Great Divide). And although I like many of their offerings, the two regular choices are the Pale Ale and the IPA (Great Divide Denver Pale Ale & Great Divide Titan IPA), which seem a tad too similar for my "dis"liking. I had the seasonal (the Colette), and it was okay, but not enjoyable enough to want another. I toyed with ordering the Prosecco Sangria, but my dining companions said it was rather sour, somewhat bitter, and too vegetal. Most other choices seemed rather minty and mojito oriented. So, I went with "The Oceanaire" (Our Signature made with Absolut vodka, blue curacao and white cranberry juice) for my second drink. The blue curacao made the drink resemble a Windex martini. The flavors were okay (if overly sweet), but nothing special. This felt like I was drinking a cocktail from 1988. For food, I went with the Shrimp and Grits (Jumbo Shrimp, Creamy White Cheddar Grits). The shrimp were quite large, and well seasoned, but were some what tough in texture. The grits were very good, with nice cheesy flavor. The texture was that non-homogeneous mix of creamy and not quite creamy that I enjoy in my grits. I also had the Tequila Shrimp Ceviche (Avocado, Chile Dusted Tortilla Chips). I was glad that they had a "shrimp only" ceviche. I enjoy this dish, but not with fish (ooh, how Seussical). It was a generous portion for the price. There really was a lot of chopped shrimp (although it was somewhat tough). This dish, however, was lacking in acid and in heat. I borrowed some lime wedges from a dining companion, but it was not enough. It was a pity that this dish was so bland. Our service was mostly very good, but it was sometimes hard to flag down our waiter to put in additional orders.
(3)Krystal M.
Things I like about The Oceanaire... They have happy hour EVERYDAY until closing, their fish & chips is really good, as are the oysters. They also have pretty friendly bartenders and they make really good mixed drinks and also have Great Divide on tap. Certain items may be a little expensive, but this is a nice place and definitely worth it. Also, I love the ambiance here... the blue glow in the bar area is just cool. I haven't had dinner here yet... but at some point I will. For now, the bar does me just fine and I know I'll be back to frequent the happy hour.
(4)Josh H.
Reminded me of a cruise ship, but the food was delicious and wait staff were friendly. Nothing extraordinary popped out about this restaurant but it was good nonetheless.
(4)Jess L.
First time in and sadly won't be returning. Great start being seated without a reservation. I ordered the stuffed shrimp linguini or something of the sort, and it was nothing special. The broccoli side, however, was pretty great! My fiancé ordered the seared ahi tuna, and unfortunately the $40 meal went down the toilet... He was profusely vomiting all night from food poisoning. He did however enjoy the meal before this happened but did complain that you couldn't taste the tuna enough - a little too many flavors going on. Just a note that everything is served a la carte so your $40 tuna doesn't come with a side. We were celebrating our engagement and a little disappointed to end the night that way. I called to inform the restaurant of the possibility that others could also be suffering from food poisoning but just got asked a series of questions about what happened. Never again.
(2)Carlie R.
Pros: the menu changes daily Cons: the menu changes daily I was hoping for swordfish. I ended up making reservations on a night that swordfish was not offered. I know this sounds a bit picky but after having swordfish two other times at The Oceannaire the trout that I ended up settling for just did not compare. The drinks are strong, you definitely get what you pay for! And the Au Gratin potatoes are some of the best I've ever had!
(4)Michelle H.
This place was so good - I can't wait to go back! Our waiter, Jack, was extremely knowledgable and very friendly. He took his time to explain everything to us, and he didn't rush us through our order. We tried three of the oysters he suggested and his descriptions were spot-on and great recommendations! I ordered the cobia, prepared Louie style and it was delicious. I also recommend the tequila shrimp ceviche. Everyone's meals were fresh, delicious, and we were served well.
(5)Robert V.
Oceania used to be a very good place, then Landry's happened. Now so bad. Tonight at 9PM I tried to sit at the bar for Oysters. Not only was there not an oyster menu, there was no server to give me one. After 15 minutes of sitting completely ignored, with wait staff walking past me, (they were no way near busy btw mostly empty tables), I gave up and left. Besides last tim e I ate there with a friend, fish was greasy and tasteless. A shame.
(1)Michael F.
Good food - good service. Prices so high it felt cartoonish. Just got to laugh and chalk this experience up to "been there done that"but will never go again.
(3)Monica L.
I love to have dessert at the bar before a show at the DCPA. Last night I tried the new white chocolate & raspberry bread pudding. It was superb. Sometimes white chocolate is not very good, but this raspberry bread pudding was topped with excellent white chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend.
(5)Erin M.
I may have said this before, but this is truly the best steak I have ever had in my entire life! Truly, I can't think of any I have ever had that would top it. My New York Strip was juicy, even though I ordered it medium-well, was well seasoned (even without any additions) and was plentiful in portion at 16 oz. And, even though NY Strip steaks can often be a little less tender, this particular NY Strip was like butter...MMM... I ordered it with a side of the sour cream potatoes (large enough to share among our group of 4) and asparagus (also enough to share with the group). The sour cream potatoes, while I'm sure not uber healthful, made up for the diet "cheat" because they were so darn creamy and delightful. I could return today after dining last night and eat a bowlful by myself in 1 sitting. Someone stop me now! The asparagus was decent, and I am sure was even better with the Hollandaise sauce (I'm not a fan of Hollandaise sauce ever on any occasion, so I didn't sample it). The supporting actor of the show was the dessert, which was nearly as delectable as my steak. We had both Baked Alaska (due to the fact that it was free for a birthday at our table) and the Key Lime pie. (We were advised to order only 1 as the portions are large, and we should have heeded the advice given. I was uncomfortably full after dessert (and I wasn't the only one)!). The Baked Alaska is fun. The production made of dousing it in flames at the table makes it both dessert and an event. This particular Baked Alaska was served with black cherry ice cream, which made it even better (the sweet and tart of the ice cream mixed perfectly with the marshmallow meringue). The Key Lime pie was great as well! I wasn't super into the decor, which feels a little minimalist, until it was pointed out that Oceanaire is designed to look the a cruise ship from the 1920's. Once I noticed the Art Deco touches and the way certain elements like the blue lighting at the bar brought the look together, I appreciated it more. Both our table service and valet service were also great. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)Carol E.
Stopped in on Restaurant Week, hoping to grab 2 stools at the bar. No problem once the dinner crowb ebbed~ I'm a wus, I valet most times to let the boys do something, but there was plenty of parking on the street. Sat at the seafood bar. Kumamotos~ lushish! Normally I wouldn't do oysters on a month not ending in the letter, 'R"... am I the only one here on this? But, they assured me oysters were flown in fresh that morning. Well, true to their word, again I say lushish. Creamy, sweet with a hint of mineral on the finish.. I chased them down with a nice med red wine. We had the grilled salmon, simply made with sans accrutremants and a side of grilled asparagus. It was stellar. Perfectly cooked and every spear of the asparagus, sweet. Well done! Miss the East Coast seafood, this fits the bill every time!! Yay
(5)Nicole P.
Eaten here a few times. Always delicious. Baked Alaska? YUMMY!!!
(4)Andrew K.
It was our anniversary and we both love good seafood so I booked Oceanaire based on the reviews and their Oyster list. We arrived at the designated time of our booking but had to wait a short 10 mins before we were seated. No big deal as the bar and cocktails were excellent. Upon being seated we immediately decided we wanted Oysters and told our server what our preferences were (originally from Australia so very used to good fresh Oysters). We both wanted a dozen each and let the server decide for us what to have. We weren't disappointed in his selection as they were excellent. We had 4 sets of 3 each to compare and each whetted our appetite for what was to come. I decided on the crab cake for appetizer and the sword fish for entrée. My wife had 2 appetizers instead, the shrimp and grits along with the calamari (non breaded). The crab cake is easily the best I have had with the shrimp and grits being equally impressive. That was the good. The ordinary was the calamari. Very little flavor despite the promise of sweet chili. Generally just bland but OK. The sword fish however was dry, over cooked and flavorless. I opted for the option of having lump crab on top and this was the only thing that made the fish edible. However, paying an extra (approximately) $10.00 for this really isn't worth it, particularly if the sword fish was any good. I did let the server know and they did comp me a salted caramel cheese cake ($9.95). The Cheese cake was very good but really wasn't required or appreciated as I struggled to eat it even with sharing. After dropping over $400 (with tip) I felt that the experience left me a bit flat. I wanted to give it 3.5 stars as it didn't warrant a 4. The ambience and general setting is excellent but there are other places that are better at making the night special for an equal or less price.
(3)Patty B.
Had reservations at Oceanaire before the theater last Saturday. Our server (Juan) was very knowledgeable about both the food and wine and was extremely accommodating. We ordered halibut and swordfish, both were excellent. Did a calorie splurge and ordered macaroni and cheese as a side along with a vegetable. Unable to eat even half of our dinner, our server kindly boxed up the leftovers and held them in the kitchen refrigerator until the play let out. Had a great experience.
(5)Tricia D.
I didn't realize Oceanaire's a chain. I also didn't realize that I was in for quite a treat that night, and by quite a treat, I mean two words... BAKED ALASKA! The baked alaska dessert is by far their most popular. It is a slice of chocolate cake with cherry ice cream piled on top. A light meringue envelopes the ice cream, forming a fluffy, puffy dome. Your waitress/waiter will then drizzle alchy (I think it was Bacardi and cherry liqueur) and light that sucker on fire! Quite the tableside experience. I've had better chocolate cake, but I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert. My main course consisted of mahi mahi, which is flakier and not as "steak-y" as tilapia. It was so fresh, and now I know I'm a fan of the mahi^2! Service was excellent, and make sure you have that alaska when you stop in Denver!
(4)Julia S.
I went here for Denver Restaurant Week which I realize limits food options given the prix fixe menu. That being said, the service was absolutely fantastic, but food-wise, I wasn't that impressed. I really, really like the crab cake, but the mahi-mahi I got was so-so. It was also paired with an arugula salad and sweet potato fries, which I thought was odd. The server was good in the fact that he did warn us that the portions are smaller due to DRW, which I didn't like, so we had to order extra sides. I always use DRW as an opportunity for restaurants to showcase their food, as I'll always go back if I'm impressed. Unfortunately, I've simply had better seafood in Denver.
(3)Pixie M.
You know you've had a memorable meal at a restaurant, when two days later you turn to your spouse and say "I can still hear the crisp crack of the duck skin as my knife cut into the moist meat" and he replies, "I'm still dreaming about those scallops..." Let me start at the beginning, my parents were in town for the Christmas holidays and we decided we wanted to take them out somewhere really nice. So Christmas Eve at Oceanaire sounded perfect and arrangements were made for a special dinner prepared by Matt Mine, the executive chef. We drove up to the valet, whoosh, all four car doors opened simultaneously as we were each guided out of the car toward the front door where two different staff members whisked our coats away. The interior is crisp, classy, elegant and inviting. Our server, Michelle, was efficient, knowledgeable and we really enjoyed chatting with her. The additional staff removing our plates, refilling the waters, and checking in on us throughout the evening were all top-notch. This is the type of service that many restaurants strive for, and the Oceanaire staff was on the mark 110%. Our meal started with cream of cauliflower soup, garnished with poached lobster, seasoned with vanilla. Sounds odd, right? It was perfect and paired with a crisp glass of Prosecco. I never would have chosen this combo of flavored but was floored by how amazing this was. My husband isn't a cauliflower eater and devoured most of his...the part he didn't eat were the spoonfuls I swiped after my bowl was already empty. The duck. With a dried cherry glaze. And white beans. I don't even know how to begin. Decedent, delicious, rich....did I already tell you about echo of the crack the crisp skin made when I cut into it? I did? Hold on...I'm closing my eyes and reliving it. I like duck and have had it frequently in other restaurants, but I know I've never had duck this amazing. Large, juicy, seared scallops served with mouthwatering short ribs with an intensely thick, beefy flavor. Zoinks. All past and future "surf and turf" meals have been blown out of the water by this combo. I glanced around the table to see eyes closed, slight smiles and the utterances of "wow....this is incredible" and "I love these scallops..." The Brussel sprouts, bacon and Maytag bleu cheese side dish was a Brussel sprout lover's dream. I was in heaven. Delicate, flaky monkfish with a thick, warm bleu cheese crust. By this point in the dinner, I was so full but couldn't not have this....the fish was flawlessly cooked. Dessert? We couldn't do it. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that I wasn't able to save room. Next time. Next time, I leave room for chocolate cake.
(5)Natalie G.
I so wanted to love Oceanaire, I love seafood. Sadly, this is not somewhere I would go back to by choice. I can get better elsewhere, and for less. The marquee outside is great, and valet anywhere in Denver is nice, but given we hit on a Friday night and they have a bit of construction on Arapahoe, to say it was a nightmare is being kind. We managed to just make our 7:30 reservation, however, we were missing half of our group due to traffic. We were seated in a small room around the left of the bar which was actually quite nice and made it a bit more cozy. The place was packed, after all, it was Friday, in the middle of Restaurant Week. I noted that the person who seated us switched out the napkin of the person named on the reservation (from white to black), so that the waiter knew whom to address by name when he came over for introductions and drinks. First impression of Kevin (our waiter) was that he was going to be attentive, and a bit of fun. Since we knew we had a little wait, we ordered a bottle of wine and the calamari. We were pleasantly surprised with the fresh veggie tray that came but purposely avoided the mini half loaf of bread so that we would be able to eat our meals. The calamari was tasty, and the dipping sauce was a bit different, but we enjoyed it. Our other diners arrived about fifteen minutes behind us, but everyone was ready to order as we had perused the 5280 menu prior to arrival. Right off the bat, there had been a slight change in the menu, but Kevin did accommodate the change. We had a mix of field greens, New England clam chowder and the Billie B. soup. The latter was a last minute change after Kevin explained that it was a cream based soup with mussels in it. Sadly it did not live up to the hype he gave it. There was only about three small chunks of mussel in the actual soup and it was a bit thin for a cream based soup. The chowder was better but not what you would expect from a seafood restaurant. It was more on par with an all American place. Entrees arrived in good time, and we partook in the red snapper, trout and rockfish choices. The rainbow trout dynamite was ok, but with trout you always get bones. The crab dynamite on top looked more like a dark greasy hashbrown. The flavor of crab was almost non-existent. The fish itself was cooked well, and the sauce was tasty. The rockfish came seated on white cheddar grits. We were all excited to try them, but only 1 of the four at the table liked them. The other three of us could have done (and have) better at home. Not as creamy as a true grit, and again, just nothing to write home about. To be fair there were three southerners in the group. "You don't mess with our grits!" We had two key lime pies and two chocolate mousse at our table. The key lime pie, while setting atop a delicious graham cracker crust and light and fluffy really needed to be a bit more tart. For those who don't know what a great Key Lime Pie is supposed to taste like, it would be a nice sweet treat, but all four of us really wished it had been a bit more tart. The chocolate mousse on the other hand was absolutely decadent! Very rich, so much so that this choco-phile could not finish it. Over all the food was OK and the ambiance nice. The last hour we were there we could have used another bottle of wine but we never saw our waiter. The water situation throughout dinner was also completely unacceptable. Empty glasses of water is what I will remember most of our visit. That and that we spent 20 minutes at the end trying to get our waiters attention, who never bothered to say thank you for coming in. It was clear he was frazzled, but good manners should always win out when you are representing a quality restaurant that charges what they do.
(2)Alexis G.
I decided to try Oceanaire for Denver Restaurant Week because I love seafood and I am always in search of a great seafood restaurant in Denver. The ambiance and service at Oceanaire was top of the line, but the food left a lot to be desired. I started off with the calamari. It was inconsistent with some of it was perfectly cooked and very tasty, but some of it was rubbery and overcooked. My mom ordered their award winning clam chowder for her first course. Unfortunately, it was watery and one dimensional and did not taste like award winning chowder to me. We both ordered the snapper for our main course. The fish was served fried, but it was dry and the aioli added no flavor. Finally, we had the key lime pie and chocolate mousse for dessert. They were both good, but the mousse was a bit too rich for my liking. In my opinion, restaurants should give their best effort during restaurant week to tempt us to come back and pay top dollar for their yummy food. Unfortunately, Oceanaire did not put their best food forward. Meanwhile, the search for a great seafood restaurant in Denver continues. Any suggestions?
(3)Lacey K.
A group of 9 of us ate here last night (8/5/14). Half of our table liked it, the other half hated it. Upon arrival it was all hands on deck by the staff, which was great! The restaurant is very modern & nice. After being seated (reservations at 5:45 it was a ghost town), we all started looking over the menu. The server does explain the menu very thoroughly. This is where the night started going down hill.... We ordered our appetizers & meal at the same time. We asked the apps be brought out first. 40 minutes later... We finally get our apps. There were only 3 apps to prepare! 40 minutes? Our shrimp cocktail was not good. They were VERY over-cooked. I almost couldn't chew them. After they clear the apps away, most of our table is still hungry. We have bread plates, but no bread. They never brought any. We had to ask them for the bread. I know that may not seem like a huge thing, but remember the price you are paying for your meal.... They boast about their superior treatment. So, we are sitting waiting for our main course & the waiter comes to the table to let me know they are out of the chicken I ordered. This would not have been an issue had they come out & told me the hour and a half i had been sitting there waiting. I ordered fish & chips instead. When we finally got our meal I was yet again displeased. The fish had no taste and were exceedingly greasy. Another couple at our table both had over cooked fish. Overall, the quality was bad & the service was slower than I even thought imaginable. I expected the ridiculous pricing---I didn't expect to leave feeling cheated. Others have had good experiences...but this was ours.
(1)Pam B.
Great place .... Fabulous Seafood. The Death by chocolate cake, we'll just say it is to die for!!!!!!
(4)Eden R.
I've been meaning to write this review for a while and just kept forgetting to do it. We went to Oceanaire a month or so ago before seeing a show at the Buell. Because it's been a month, I can't remember our waiter's name, which is unfortunate because he was fantastic. We were a couple of weeks out from a trip to Sonoma so we were really pleased to see so many bottles on the wine list from Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. We each had a bowl of clam chowder which was DELICIOUS (and had a yummy tangy kick to it) and filling. Because the chowder was so filling, we decided to share the Halibut Cheeks at our waiter's suggestion. We were going to order some additional mashed potatoes with it (most things on the menu are ala carte) but he suggested that we not since the fish came on a bed of mashed potatoes (we were so full by the end of the meal, I'm very thankful that he told us not to order the extra potatoes just to increase our bill and hence extra tip). We also had the Brussels Sprouts on the side which were also AMAZING. The kitchen separated our shared meal on to two plates which was a nice touch. We didn't finish our wine and had some food left over at the end, the waiter knew that we were going to a show so he offered to keep our food and wine in the back for us to pick up after the show which I thought was really nice. This was our second time at Oceanaire, second time with great food and great service. Will definitely be back.
(5)Dave P.
My Birthday Bash was here, and it was wonderful! The happy hour! OMG, the happy hour! It's all friggin day! Signature drinks and awesome food...it was perfect! Staff was very helpful...our waiter even told us that a large party was about to come in, so we should put in our food orders now, to avoid any wait. And he was right on! A group of 40 came in, and it got busy...but we didn't seem to notice. We got everything quickly and it was so good. I will go back again and again and again...
(5)Mike C.
I had a lousy dinner here Thursday night. I was very disappointed as I have eaten here before and had a great meal - which is why I came back vs trying somewhere new. On the recommendation of our server I ordered the Halibut Cheeks and my co worker ordered rainbow trout. The Halibut was awful - I actually didn't finish it. It tasted like nothing and just didn't seem right. I've had halibut cheeks before and this was not good. Not sure how fresh it was - and just no flavor. Bland and blah. My co-workers trout was not much better. I couldn't believe what they served her. The fillet was paper thin - hardly any meat. Unfortunately very bummed....
(1)Phung L.
Good appetizers. Crab cakes were delicious. Got to try different kinds of oysters as far as east coast and west coast, can definitely taste the difference when it came to the brininess and such. Complementary dessert for my friend's birthday was quite a spectacle as they lit it on fire which was cool. Very nice ambiance.
(4)Elky M.
This. Was. Incredible. Salmon. Shrimp & Grits. Old fashioned jumbo fried shrimp. I know it's part of a huge restaurant group but it takes size and power to pull off fresh seafood flown in daily at mostly affordable prices. You need to go to there!
(5)Valery L.
The red chile calamari at this place is divine, and the happy hour drinks are great. The crudite plate served before your meal is nice and refreshing. After having two dinners at this place, I've decided if I go back it will only be to sit at the bar and have drinks/apps, as dinner is overpriced and nothing special. The blue lights in this restaurant and decor in the bar area are gorgeous.
(3)Holly M.
Good service. Medocre food. Good atmosphere.
(3)Dave A.
My wife and I had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner here. Everything was impeccable. The wait staff was tremendous. We arrived 10 min before our reservation and sat down on some bench behind the large blue neon bar. Someone immediately came up and offered us some glasses of water. Nice touch. Everyone from the hostess to our waiter (Andrew?) was friendly, prompt, and attentive. The ambience again was stellar. Be sure though to ask for seating next to the windows as the back room can be both a bit dark as well as somewhat spartan regarding decorations. As expected the food was 5-stars and expensive (the price being the only reason for the 4-star rating). But the service definitely made it worth it. Perfect location near DCPA also. The Oceanaire is on our list of special places for an impressive evening.
(4)Shawn S.
I'm not a big fan of spending this much for a meal but I do like to splurge for special occasions. My boyfriend made reservations at Oceanaire for my birthday. When we walked in and gave our name, the hostess wished me a happy birthday. We were then seated and as I looked at my menu, I saw "Happy Birthday Shawn" across the top and a card on the table signed by all the staff. Our waiter, Matt, gave us plenty of helpful information about the menu without being overbearing/annoying and gave us plenty of time to think through all the great advice he provided. We had the Fried Red Chili Calamari - nice Asian twist made this a uniquely awesome appetizer. I had the Rockfish with the Crab Dynamite "enhancement" - simply delicious! The sweet taste of the rockfish with the spicy chili sauce worked well together. Aaron had the swordfish with the Black & Bleu "enhancement" - never would have thought of putting blue cheese on fish but it literally melted in your mouth. Double Thumbs Up!
(5)Angela A.
I am a seafood lover, and miss it terribly. Back east there was a plethora of shellfish & fresh ocean creatures to eat, anytime of the year. I have found it difficult to find seafood the way I am used to it being prepared back home. Everything has a fancy sauce or something strange that covers up the natural good flavor of seafood! Crab cakes are one of my most favorite meals, and I almost gave up trying to find them here that could even compare to what I've had back home's so glad I gave the Oceanaire Seafood Room a try & I am so pleased to say....this place is amazing!! Of course it is pricey but it is worth every penny to taste seafood the way it's meant to be prepared. No frills, no crazy sauces, and a raw bar to die for! I will save my penny's to continue to dine here! I recommendt this place to all seafood lovers out there!
(5)Sherri K.
The service here was very good. I felt like my needs were fulfilled. The other guests in my group... not so much. One guests waited and waited for her martini. I saw the dinner rush and my food came in a timely manner and my dirty martini was the best dirty martini I had had in a desperately long time,but I noticed a lack of consistency. The oysters were tiny, but good. The food in general was delish. At happy hour prices, this was right up my alley, but I can imagine if seated in the dining room after 6p, I may not have been so pleased. The decor reminded me of "The Shining". Yes, Jack Nicholson. Dark wood bar, Titanic feel, ghosts in the air, etc etc.
(4)Nicole W.
Another Restuarant Week 2009 Dine I had no idea where this place was - I have gone to the theater plenty but never noticed this little dining local. I noticed the menu on line for 5280 and thought it sounded yummy!! I was late on booking reservations so we had to find some friends to get a 4 spot at 8:15pm - woah! We arrived a little early. Valet was a little backed up, so it was tricky to get the car out of traffic. When we checked in the front desk said they were pretty much right on the 8:15 time. We meandered over to the bar and ordered up some wine. I must say even not on happy hour they have some tasty beverages at the $6 mark. I did the australian Alice Shiraz and was very very happy. And their pours are not skimpy either! Woohoo! We were seated around 8:30 and the greeter indicated they had been having trouble with people enjoying their meals and coffee too long and throwing off their scheduling... Oh my. Some of it might be them though. Our plate arrivals were definitely spaced out! Our waiter was Chad and he was very nice. He got our beverages going, eventually brought the bread and crudatet. I went with the mussels - not as good as Cruise Room - but tasty. Hubby did the calamari - OMG - amazing! Next was the mahi mahi - with a lobster bisque - it was ok. We also added on the hashbrowns with oceanaire style - which means bacon, onion, and Tabasco - mmmm! For desert I was going to go with the apple crisp but was warned that sometimes it came without the topping and wasn't that great. So i did the cheese cake - and enjoyed it. Hubby went with the chocolate mouse. He liked it. It was a very enjoyable meal. I would definitely come back for some wine and calamari at the bar!
(3)Karen M.
Tres Chic! Based on Yelpers strong reviews, my Happy Hour crew decided to check Oceanaire out for one of our monthly meet-ups. I like trendy places, but this one was a bit odd. Picture this: six of us, all in a row, facing the glass partition. Wasn't exactly conducive for conversation, although I did get quality time with Tom, the person directly next to me, so that was fun. But otherwise, it all felt weird, passing appetizers back & forth down the line. We all know that I give points for good HH deals on good beer, so that $3 glass of a Hades draw made me pretty dang happy. But beware - the deal is Happy Hour pricing ONLY in the bar. I just never got that concept at restaurants, but, apparently someone has to take up those seats at the partition. Food was nice. Smoked trout was really unique. I would come back for that. Tom & I debated who has the better fries? Jonesy's or Oceanaire? We were split. We both appreciate good, simple fries and while you have to ask Jonesy's to "just keep 'em simple" I think they're the best. Tom's vote was for Oceaniare's lightly dressed salt & vinegar fries. So, while the food was a nice treat and the beer a good value, Happy Hour isn't as happy if you can't sit with your chums and have face-to-face time.
(3)Ron K.
Well my wife and I had tickets to a musical at the Buell Theater which is right across the street. Now I myself am not a seafood lover. But my wife is. We have been looking for a restraunt in town that serves raw oysters and a good piece of meat. Well this place has both, and it delivers quality food for both as well. This was THE BEST STEAK I HAVE HAD AT A SEAFOOD RESTARAUNT. If you are a couple where one of you loves seafood and the other the turf. This is the place to go for both of you to get the food you want. We will return again and again.
(5)Debbi B.
I am a big fan of Oceanaire, so I was very happy to receive a gift certificate from my brother and we went for my birthday tonight. This experience was totally different than in the past, but I'm giving it three stars based on past experiences and the green beans were still pretty yummmy. The issue tonight was service. After our appetizers, I noticed we had not received our bread or relish plate and had to ask for it. Okay - not terrible. Then, our waiter had a lengthy discussion with my husband about whether or not he should have the swordfish - he said it had been dry lately and convinced my husband instead to have the halibut with the swordfish presentation. Great. Only the swordfish was what arrived. When we asked about it, the waiter claimed that he thought my husband chose the swordfish. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. Bigger problem was that I had ordered the lobster. Normally the yummy warm butter is set up first - this time, lobster arrives and no butter. Lobster was cold before the butter arrived. In addition, once I finished my dinner, four different people came by the table and not one asked if they could remove my plate. Not cool. Lastly, and most surprisingly, a trip to the ladies room found all four stalls sans toilet paper. Call me crazy, but when you are paying this much for dinner, you have a right to not have to make a trip out to the hostess stand in order to use the bathroom. Anyway, I will try again as we have had four really great meals there but one more experience like this and I may have to cross off the list. PS - my coffee was cold!
(3)Heather M.
I went here with my family and enjoyed one of the most delicious seafood dinners I have had in years. I must admit, I am usually a bit suspicious of seafood far from an ocean, but this food was divine. I had the swordfish, and my father had the halibut. We were both very pleased with our meals. The wine selection was comprehensive and the waitstaff knowledgeable and friendly, yet very formal. This is definitely a fancy restaurant, and good for a special occasion or a large crowd with money to spend. It was more formal that I am typically accustomed to, but very lovely, nonetheless. The ambiance is formal but on the modern side. We ate a late dinner after a show at the theatre and found the atmosphere to be lively and enjoyable. I have not been to many seafood restaurants in Denver, but I would most definitely return here.
(5)Kim G.
Outstanding wait service: very knowledgeable, helpful, discreet. Loved the bib lettuce, apple, and candied walnut salad. Delicious, fresh, perfectly cleaned oysters. Yummy lobster. A wonderful spot for a special dinner. Only bad spot was the valet parking service damaged our car and didn't tell us. They caused a really big dent on the passenger side door. We didn't see it until the next day when it was light outside. I'd recommend parking your vehicle yourself!
(5)Yanhua P.
Went there for a drink after dinner, they have happy hour after 8, and the bar was empty. Beers are good price ($3) and service is exceptional. If they bring back the dollar oyster I'd be there more often.
(5)Shenna J.
Happy Hour menu is awesome and delish! I haven't tried the place for dinner yet but happy hour is a must try. Their margs were great!
(4)Shelly R.
In 2010 Landry's rescued Oceanaire from sinking like the Titanic. Phew! Because I love this place and they still fly fresh seafood in daily! From the Jumbo Crab Cakes, Wild Costa Rican Mahi Mahi, Baked & Stuffed Idaho trout (shrimp, blue crab & brie cheese), to the Oysters Rockefellar and fresh baked sour dough bread... EVERYTHING is fresh and well prepared. During happy hour, I suggest trying the fat Chopped Salad that comes with loads of fresh crab and shrimp. The salad dressing is mouth watering. One large seafood salad, one top shelf cocktail, plus tip, comes to about $20-$25. A good way to enjoy this fabulous cuisine, without breaking the piggy bank! Some of the best servers in Denver! Consistantly great!
(4)Lindsey H.
I was so excited to go here for my birthday. I grew up in Florida, and seafood is my comfort food. Unfortunately, everything was underwhelming, from the service to the food and cocktails. First irritation was that we arrived right on time for our reservation... and were made to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Which wouldn't be so bad if they had an actual waiting area besides the bar, as that is always packed with people eating the bar menu. We started with the smoked trout, which was the best thing we ate. I would definitely eat this again- delicious. Our entrees were completely forgettable. Our server was slow, inattentive and just... weird. Overpriced, and I'm still looking for amazing seafood in Colorado.
(3)Tiara Q.
We returned for our anniversary this year. The menus are printed daily and if you tell them it's a special occasion, it winds up on your menu and every staff member will acknowledge it (at the bar, at the door, your waitstaff, the manager. They even gave us a card that they all signed - Cool! but if you're not into all the attention, don't inform them of your occasion). They will roll up your menu and tie a bow around it to take with you. We have them as keepsakes now. :) Before dinner, we visited the bar. I highly recommend the Bloody Cesar. It's a tall delicious bloody mary garnished with a colossal shrimp, olive and lime. Perfectly spicy. They have a decent happy hour menu which we will have to come back for. It's easy to get full quickly here so make sure you're Hungry. Before your meal ever arrives you get fresh baked bread and a huge relish plate. If you eat this you will be full before your first course. Don't make this rookie mistake! I like how they have whole bottles, half bottles and by the glass of wine and bubbles. There's so much to try and they make it so easy to come back again and again. EvErYtHinG here is magnificent so take your time and enjoy it. Until next time!
(5)Amanda P.
Would have been 5 stars except the hostess walked past me 4 times without so much as a look in my direction, I was the only one standing in the lobby. Once another hostess acknowledged me, everything went uphill... I started with a delicious cesar salad and followed it with Baked Stuffed Shrimp with linguine. It was so amazing. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, the linguine was excellent. The crab meat stuffed in the shrimp was the best. Normally I am not a fan of capers but it totally added the right flavor to the linguine. The staff (with the exception of the first hostess) was exceptionally attentive. Chef Mine was delightfully friendly. He and his team does amazing work with food! I will certainly be back as there were a few more things on the menu that I want to try!
(4)Natalie M.
Oceanaire Seafood Room is the place to go if you are looking for fresh, upscale seafood. It's kind of fancy and a bit pricey, but completely worth every bite. I decided to go here for restaurant week and figured that the portions would be downscaled for this reason, but was surprised by the fact that they were almost larger. There was so much food on our plates that we couldn't finish everything....it was a bit sad to leave such great food on the plate. The crab cake appetizer is a must try...it just melts in your mouth. I had the lobster bisque and it was perfect. My entree was the salmon and for desert we shared the cheesecake and key lime pie...mmm. Parking is kind of a pain, but they do offer valet...and if you're going to drop good money on dinner you may as well have them park your car and bring it to you when your done....especially if it's raining like it was the night we went. My four stars are justified by the great food and good service, but they lost one star due to the over-sized portions. It's my belief that when you go to an upscale restaurant, you should feel satisfied...NOT STUFFED.
(4)Ben S.
I hadn't even heard of it, but OpenTable had a space, the web site looked real nice and the the menu looked solid, so we took a chance and were glad we did. The service is excellent and let us take our time... sometimes we move as fast as the service, but it was a Saturday night and we didn't want to rush, and the service had a nice pace, but not too fast. The waiter (steve) was very knowledgable, making suggestions and helping us make a few decisions. The food was real good - they have lots of fresh and high quality seafood, they have a steaks & chicken dishes, but those are bured on the menu in the bottom corner. Portions are BIG! We were warned thankfully, and still had too much food. We had an excellent green salad, one appetizer, but enough for 2. They had good sourdough bread and a great crudite - it was excellent! For dinner, I had the Black Cod, simply broiled, and it was great. My wife had the lump crab cakes - which were heavy on the crab, light on the filler - very good. We had one side, the sour cream and onion mashed potatoes - this was like 2 pounds of potatoes.. we nibbled a bit and it looked like we hadn't started yet! For dessert we split a piece of key lime pie, which again, was enough for 4. We each had some and left like 3/4 of it.. unreal portions! The drinks were excellent, they have their signature "fish" logo on all their dishes and glasses - see my pictures.
(4)Zorana P.
We made a reservation for this past Saturday night to celebrate Restaurant Week. I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was DISGUSTING. It was so overcooked, it resembled chicken more than any type of fish. It was super bland, had absolutely no sauce on it but was super oily, like sopping with butter or something nasty! For this being a high-end seafood restaurant, I thought that if I ordered fish, then that would be a safe bet but it was the worst piece of fish (if you can even call it that) in my entire life. For dessert, I got the pretzel caramel sundae. The sundae is very misleading in the name as this did not have a drop of fudge or nuts. I could have made a more enjoyable sundae at home with grocery store ice cream. I completely understand if a high end restaurant does not want to join restaurant week but if they choose to do so I would think they would want to showcase a few of their specialties to get people to come back and the food that I had was not going to cut it. The only saving grace was the oysters. This was my first time at this restaurant and could possibly be my last.
(1)Erin S.
The dining room is huge and when I came here last week the restaurant was pretty empty (possibly due to the chance of snow), but the lack of patrons did make me uneasy....did this place suck and that is why no one was there? (my judgment flags went up) the answer - no! * the atmosphere. It's a beautiful restaurant with a nautical theme - you feel like you are on a luxury liner. * the service is fantastic * the bread is absolutely to die for. even though its filler - i love restaurant bread. its quality means a lot to me and is usually a sign of whats to come. * even though I would like to see more local options (they have Colorado bass), i do understand that we are a land locked state. but the menu is extensive and you can satisfy any seafood craving here. the co bass - btw - is outstanding * main courses are really tasty and the key lime pie (to be split amongst three) was so huge and sinfully tangy and rich, i swear it was a quarter slice of pie and even though this isn't my usual style of restaurant, i had a great experience and would def go back
(4)Liz K.
The king crab at Oceanaire is well worth the money! My hubby and I splurged on Oceanaire for the second time last night. The "2010 Menu" sucked us in. So I thought we could easily eat there for less than $100 this time. And, yes, we COULD have. But our usual favorites were screaming at us and some new things struck a chord as well. So much for the $20.10 menu of the night. We did however enjoy the $20.10 bottle of wine! They start you out with their pickled relish tray and the amazing bread. The pickled herring isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for us!! We love that stuff. We had an amuse bouche from the chef - a little shrimp with daikon sprouts on a cucumber - tasty. Then we delved into our menu choices. The fun started with a dozen oysters from the Pacific coast. A tasting of three different kinds - served with their cocktail sauce with freshly shaved horseradish and the mignonette. Then we moved on to what may be the best part of the night . . . Alaskan King Crab Clusters. FRESH Alaskan King Crab. Never frozen. Sooooooo scrumptious and decadent. This was our best memory from our 1st visit to Oceanaire so we had to have it again. They were perfectly steamed and our fantastic waiter - Keith - asked if we'd like them shelled. Uh - sure! So they had done all the work. Just some butter for dipping and it was perfection! After all of that we decided to share a caesar salad. It was a good thing we did - it was huge! The caesar was cold and crisp. The anchovies were perfectly salty. The croutons were big and crunchy. It was delicious. We then shared the 16 oz Halibut T-bone. We asked for medium and probably should have asked for medium rare. Strangely enough it was my least favorite part of the night - my entree - but it was still really good. We also shared a side order of the bacon steak. It was three huge slabs of bacon that were perfectly smokey and salty and it was the ideal accompaniment to our Halibut. The manager came over to check on us and he was very impressed with our order. We chose "the best things on the menu." As usual the best things are often the most simple. Just fresh, quality ingredients prepared really well. Nothing fancy about our preparation or our order. It was all just the best of what they had to offer. It was delicious and, like the first time, we are already talking about what special occasion will send us back for more. With tax and tip we spent just over $200. So, this isn't an every day meal for the every day man. But it's an amazing place to spend an amazing night!
(5)Emily J.
One of the more memorable restaurant visits I have had! I went here with some girlfriends and was truly wowed by both the food and service. The claim chowder is a must, and save room for their impressive baked Alaska for dessert. We had a wonderful waiter, Justin, who made our visit extra fun and enjoyable. Everyone from the valet to the manager was extremely courteous and welcoming. Oceanaire has exceptional seafood for Denver and the restaurant itself is unique in its decor and atmosphere. A great place to have a delicious meal in a relaxing and luxurious setting. If you're lucky they'll even bring out the live lobsters so you can really pick your dinner.
(4)Tracy C.
The food is fabulous you can read about the food on most of the other comments. What I was most impressed with was the service. They are open till 11PM we arrived at 9:30 on a Saturday night to find the place virtually empty. BUT, we never felt rushed or unwelcome on the contrary everyone was happy to have us. I will go back again and again.
(5)David S.
This review is sort of an update. My original review was for 5 stars, then a 2 star for a less than stellar meal several of us had during restaurant week. After bringing our displeasure to the attention of Oceanaire's manager, he and the Oceanaire staff have reset balance in the 5280 universe. If I could give 6 stars for the experience, I would. They paired wines with each plate, making our gastronomic journey all the more delightful. First off, Idaho Trout, smoked in house daily. I normally am not a big trout fan, which says a lot, because I loved this. Perfectly done, watercress balancing the trout's flavor, paired with a Columbia Valley sparkling white. Second, a mixed greens salad. Something I love is when there is a mix of sweetness and tartness to wake up the taste buds. Raspberries, Strawberries, Granny Smith apples, together with a balsamic vinaigrette. A simple mix, with tastes that complement each other well. I would have been happy with just a large salad, and will try and duplicate this as home if I can't get a dinner sized portion at Oceanaire. The main course was bacon wrapped MahiMahi. This is the reason Oceanaire went to the trouble of waking my taste buds up. This may well have been the best MahiMahi I've ever had on its own, and then wrapped in their bacon? I think I must be on death row or something, and someone ordered my last meal for me. I can die happy now. This dish was well paired with a chardonnay by Joseph Drouhin St. Veran. Not a big chardonnay fan, at least not before this bottle. Outstanding. Last, and most certainly not least, was dessssert. The misspelling of dessert is intended, as the mnemonic I use to distinguish between the spelling of desert and dessert is that there are 2 S's in the one I want more of...now you understand why I put 4 S's there. A huge chocolate brownie covered in chocolate and caramel, with homemade vanilla ice cream...the vanilla actually popped with flavor. I am once again a fan of Oceanaire. Of all the meals I've enjoyed in Denver, this was one of the very best. Thank you, R.B. for you grace and hospitality.
(5)Sara D.
Living in the Pacific NW I'm privy to fresh seafood and local oysters. I was not disappointed in the apps at the Oceanaire. We had a wonderful selection of oysters. However we did order the chilled seafood platter for 4, which included king crab legs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp and I was really surprised that a lot of the king crab legs were tough, stringy and obviously overcooked. I wondered WHEN they had been cooked. Also, I cracked into a lobster claw and was SPRAYED, literally sprayed in the face and arms, the booth was covered, and the spray even hit the people sitting to either side of me with some kind of crazy lobster goop from the one claw. I've never seen anything like it before. We were all amazed. After that I got freaked out and stopped eating the chilled platter. The main courses were awesome. I got the fillet Mignon, and the mashed potatoes were great. Overall, a mixed bag experience and not one that was work the $600 price tag.
(3)Jenny S.
It's like walking into the set of Titanic. I was swept off my feet by the swing jazz and simple 40's decor. A real classy place. The daily menu is overwhelming, I felt dyslexic for a moment but the waiter promptly came to the table to decipher it and help me decide between the Hawaiian Poblano Cilantro Big-eye Tuna with plantain chips and the Copper River Salmon. "Grilled Salmon" doesn't sound that exciting but he sold me on a medium rare Copper River Salmon, being that it is only in season a few weeks and I could have the Tuna anytime. A lovely, large round sourdough roll and a pickled tray was set at the table and my salad and clam chowder quickly came out of the kitchen. My salmon was perfection, yes it was the best I've ever had. Now I'm ruined, I can no longer go into a store and buy my individually frozen salmon fillets and be happy. I've had delicious salmon at fine restaurants, but this one melted my panties off. The asparagus was on steroids, they were huge! I didn't pay much attention to them though because I knew dessert was coming and I was going to try the Baked Alaska. I've never had this and the only thing I knew about it is that it is flaming. It is ice cream on a chocolate sponge cake with a marshmellowy covering (like an ice cream cone) and they set that bitch on fire. I did it up with a fantastic latte. The service was excellent. As soon as you walk in you get greeted. Pleasant servers and the waiter was knowledgeable and on his game. The executive chef also checked on the meal (which is always nice...especially when they seem sincere). The bathrooms were even fabulous. Beautiful large white sinks, fluffy white hand towels, complimentary lotion, mouthwash, hairspray ( I did think it was kinda funny they had a cheapo can of Aqua-net!!). It is always nice to see a bathroom that is as upscale as the restaurant. I loved this place. I love fresh seafood. My only complaint is that I cannot afford to eat here as often as I'd like.
(5)Steven B.
I've tried to go to this restaurant several times, but this was the first time I could get a reservation. I guess that shows how well Denver diners have taken to it. There were six of us with widely varying tastes and inclinations. We got there pretty early so sat at the bar for a bit before they were set up for us. The bartender was great even though we didn't order drinks. When we were taken to our table it was our server who handled it. I like that instead of getting handed off from person to person. The server stayed with us and took drink orders, but also answered several questions. One of us wanted something which was not on the menu and the server made a great recommendation with no big issues. The busboy had also arrived with bread and a veggie tray by then and he stayed around to see if there was anything else he could get us. Service was handled by a plethora of people, but it all seemed to be very well coordinated. I was really, as you can see, by the service here. Probably some of the best I've ever experienced in Denver. The food was superior; I had a selection of oysters on the half shell and they left a 'cheat sheet' so I could see which one I was slurping down. They were all good. I think everyone at the table ordered something different and there were several 'special' requests, all came out at the same time and were spot on. I think this is a bit more expensive than a couple of other top-notch seafood restaurants in Denver, but the location across the street from Denver Center for Performing Arts probably has a lot to do with that. The menu contains set pieces, but you can also order a cut of fresh fish and an ala carte side dish. I expect to go back for special occasions and when I have out-of-town company I want to impress.
(4)Ming T.
Our evening at Oceanaire started off great. I had been dying to try this place out for a while now. I took my mom and a party of 9 total to the restaurant for the last night of 52.80. The little touches they did for my mom, like the special Birthday menu, and the card were great. The service was great, and the oysters, and so was the bread... then it started to go downhill. I don't know if it was due to restaurant week fatigue, or what, but the entrees were lackluster. The fish was underseasoned and overcooked. My sister and mom ordered the steak and shrimp plate and the shrimp were so overcooked they were like shrimp jerky. The desserts also fell flat, they were just so-so. The key-lime pie had a weird jello texture to it, and the apple berry crisp was just ok. They also gave us a Baked Alaska for my mom's b-day, but then tried to charge us for it. I noted this, and the server took it off right away. And for over $300 for the table?! I honestly don't know if we will ever be back. I just wish they had taken more care with the rest of the food, because ambiance only goes so far. The only superior part of the evening was the gregarious service of the hard working guys to took care of our large party. Verdict: I don't think I'll ever drop that much dough at this place again. This might be a nice place to grab oysters and drinks, but I was disappointed with the experience.
(3)Jeremy K.
Oceanaire's "Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes" were listed as one of the top 100 must eats in the city by Denver Magazine, so I gave it a shot: Rating: 7 (out of 10) Price: $16 (appetizer) The Skinny: Lots of hype around this dish. When talking to other foodies, a few pointed to these crab cakes as their favorite on the whole must-eat list. And certainly a $31 price tag for the dinner portion (2 cakes) makes that promise. But for me, it didn't match up to the hype. Don't get me wrong - it was good. Probably even very good. The best bites were silky and tender, the soft pearls of crab barely held together by fillings. It was almost a naked crab mound, except for the tiny bit of mayo, egg and bread. But it's this simplicity that some love about the dish that I didn't. I like my crab cakes to have a crunch and a "bite" to the seared outside. It's the blending of the soft and crispy textures that hooks me. This was more one-note. My apologies to Denver's crab connoisseurs. I've got a picture of it up on the blog on my profile jko
(4)Jenn D.
Very nicely done!! We enjoyed The Oceanaire for the first time during restaurant week. It is nice to know there is a place here in Denver where you can get really good fresh seafood. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The lighting is just right and made for a really relaxing evening. My husband and I ordered together, so we could get the best sampling. We started with the King-Crab bisque and the Crab cake slider. The Bisque was so amazing, the slider was the only food of the evening that was just ok. It didn't feel like it fit right with the menu...generic bun, lots of lettuce and not enough crab cake. For our entrees, we had the Pistachio Crusted Costa Rican Mahi Mahi with Orange-Mint Beurre Blanc and Hawaiian Tuna. They were both outstanding. Finished off with dessert of Chocolate Mousse (yum!) and Key Lime Pie. Both were great. Nice wine list, great Sour Dough bread and really great service rounded it out. Even though we stuck to the 5280 menu, we were impressed with the blackboard of fresh catches they had...right here in Denver. We will definitely be returning.
(5)Yvonne C.
Stop 3 during restaurant week and I must say, pretty uneventful. The food was not bad by any means but it failed to excite me. The mussels were OK, but I prefer the ones at the Red Square. The Blue Marlin was a little tough, but maybe that's the way the fish is? The apple crisp was by far my favorite part of the meal. At the end of the night, I was slightly jealous of Jared's options. He ordered the Mahi Mahi with blue cheese butter and it was flaky and Delicious! And his cheesecake was so much better than my apple crisp. I don't normally get food envy but last night I did. :( The service was great but at one point, we were both thinking to ourselves, our food would be better if you would stop asking me how it is every 5 minutes. That was a little annoying since they seriously interrupted our conversation 6 times. I'm all about being attentive, but there is such a thing as smothering...
(3)Amanda B.
This seafood restaurant is phenominal! We went for a romantic night out and were not disappointed! My boyfriend has never been exposed to "good" seafood, he had seared ahi tuna and was overwhelmed by how good it was! I had the fresh crab legs and they were some of the best I have ever had! We started with mussels and cocktails, added a bottle of wine and dessert and our meal was complete. I have no reservations about recommending this restaurant to any seafood lover!
(5)Hans O.
The Oceanaire has an amazing management, at least in Denver; superb service. Since I had a not so great experience during the 5280 week, I've contacted Mr. RB whom was always cordial and wanted to rectify the problem ever since I've contacted him. So, I've settled for dinner today, and it was a phenomenal dining experience! He then proved that the Oceanaire is the place to have a great time. Let's talk about food now. Mr. RB and his executive chef "surprised" us with 4 distintict main courses: * First Course :: House Smoked Idaho Trout - Watercress Pesto, Yukon Gold Potato Chips (paired with Domaine Ste. Michelle, Brut, Columbia Valley) What a way to start our dining journey! The Yukon gold potato chips were a tad bitter, but later on I was able to understand the idea of the whole dish. The trout was super elaborated, whit sharp hints of sweetness (from the trout itself) and combining the trout with the watercress than a bit of bitterness from the potato chips was a food explosion in my mouth. To compliment the bitterness, the Brut was perfect, able to sharpen the sweetness of the fish back and cleanse my pallet. Genius! * Second Course :: Mixed Field Greens Salad - Granny Smith apple, raspberries, and Strawberries with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (paired with Sokol blosser, Evolution) The salad was the freshest I've ever tasted (the one that all components work in harmony). Even with so many seasonal fruits (they were ripe and sweet), this salad had a white balsamic vinaigrette which actually gave a mild acidity taste in conjunction of the natural sweetness from the fruits, the secret and final key note to make this salad perfect was the Evolution wine tying all the flavors together. * Third Course :: Bacon Wrapped Mahi Mahi - Aspargus, roasted peppers and Mustard Vinaigrette (paired with Joseph Drouhin St. Veran, Chardonnay) This was perfectly executed; the bed of mustard vinaigrette was perfecty acidic and a perfect marriage with the Mahi Mahi, providing that lemony flavor to the fish. The mahi mahi was perfectly cooked, very most, falling apart consistency and then... WRAPPED IN BACON! Really awesome dish. I was in nirvana. * Fourth Course :: FINALE - Super Carmel Brownie Deluxe :: With Ice Cream Alchemy's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (paired with Taylor Flagdale 10 Year Towny Port) Imagine a 4" diameter brownie, then at least 6" tall, smothered in fresh Carmel and chocolate sauce served my perfect young Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was really awesome, the brownie was not over sweet, it was made with semi sweet chocolate, warm, rich, and gooey in the center; ice cream was perfectly smoother, I'd say that it was super fresh, no traces of crystallization. The pairing was great, a nice digestive Port, very smooth with a cherry oak background, very smooth. Overall, this restaurant still one of my favorite places to dine in with good friends to make a memorable time. The fact that Mr. RB was pro-active to rectify the previous situation is a grand act. *** Review of 3/10/2009 (Update) Review for the "5280 Restaurant Week - 2009" Disappointing, underwhelming, waste of time and money. I've dine in and had happy hour before at this location. Even though the Oceanaire is a chain throughout the country, I had never had a bad experience, and always had the good feeling after eating a great meal, awesome waiting staff, and perfectly cooked seafood far away from the ocean. 1st course: George's Bank Calamari - Peppers, Red Onions, Chili Aioli: calamari was super soft, softer than fresh. Over marinated, super oily, and came with more vegetables than calamari. 2nd course: Hawaiian Blue Marlin "Black and Blue" - Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Butter: I had to sent this plate back to the kitchen twice! First time was really dry, so dry that I couldn't break the fish with a fork, I had to use a knife as well. Second time, the manager brought the dish saying: "the chef re did this dish, cooked to perfection, very moist inside", it was super dry outside, and cold raw inside. Sent it back and opted for "Idaho Rainbow Trout - Roasted Hazel Dell Mushrooms, Truffle Butter", trout was moist, flaky, crispy exterior, but the stuffing was too rich. By the time I got the trout, my friends (10 of us) were ordering dessert. 3rd course: New York Style Cheesecake - silky, creamy, rich crème. Oh, was that supposed to be a NY style?! Left underwhelmed, unhappy... Even for a 26.40 a person, it was a rip-off!
(5)Kiersten S.
Not impressed with food or service. Too pricey for what you get. Landry's chain of restaurant's just doesn't impress me at all.
(2)Katie H.
The Oceanaire crab cake is one my reasons for living. Seriously. I've occasionally branched out and tried some of the fish - good, but not amazing, and kind of overpriced (as are the drinks). But go, get crab cake (if you order a salad and a side, it's enough to share with a friend) and you won't be sorry. Unlike other crab cakes, filled with "filler", flattened and fried to a nearly unrecognisable crisp, these are little little snowballs of huge chunks of crab. Heaven.
(5)Katie L.
The drinks are VERY strong as I experienced a squabble w this um boy after leaving here. Don't much want to think back on this night but we had a lot of delicious happy hour drinks and food. Service=great. Calamari=served w fried onions and peppers, so it's really like 1/2 calamari 1/2 veggies which I have no problem with, but it's just not mentioned on the menu.
(5)Mike R.
The smoked trout appetizer was excellent. Another great salad is the BLT salad. Great atmosphere in the bar area. Will give 5 stars next time if the food is brought out in a timely manner.
(4)Britney R.
My family and I dined at Oceanaire this past Tuesday night to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. We had a reservation for 6pm and opera tickets for 7:30pm, so we were a bit worried about time. We arrived at 5:45 in hopes of being seated early, and they took us right to our table. As we were seated, the Maitre D' exchanged the white linens for black for those of us wearing black. Truly a fine dining experience, right from the start. Oceanaire's menus are printed daily, and we were especially surprised to see that our 6 menus all said "Happy Birthday" at the top, since our reservation had noted a birthday. My grandmother was pleased with this small touch. I thought it was nice, but the 'green' in me was hoping that they recycle. 50+ menus printed daily does seem a bit silly. I understand they get new seafood daily, but there must be a better way to note the day's fresh options (perhaps solely on the chalkboard already dedicated to this purpose?) Our server was very friendly right from the start. I don't recall her name, but right away, she asked if we had tickets. She assured us that we would be done by 7:15, and told us that she would watch the clock for us, so we could just enjoy our meal. I thought this was very thoughtful. We started with the calamari, since my dad loves it. I think it's tasty, and enjoy the fried sweet peppers, onion and jalapenos that come along with it. My parents decided to split a caesar salad, which ended up being enough for the whole table to enjoy. I'm not always a huge caesar fan, but theirs is out of this world. The dressing was so great, I didn't want to stop eating it, even though I had more deliciousness coming. I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder. It tasted so fresh and meaty, it was reminiscent of my favorite Long Island Dock-side restaurant, where the clam chowder was made fresh daily. Far superior to any other clam chowder I've had in land-locked Colorado. After drooling over the idea of lobster or perhaps crablegs, I had a terrible time deciding what to order. My sister and I both knew we wanted some oysters, as well as either lobster or crablegs. We stumbled upon the "Grand Shellfish Platter" and knew it would be perfect. We decided to split two entrees: a petite filet mignon and a petite Shellfish Platter. We were worried the petite platter wouldn't be enough food, so we added the filet. Boy, were we wrong! for $45, the petite Shellfish Platter would've been plenty for both of us. It came with: ~4 PEI mussels ~4 Oysters on the half shell ~4 Jumbo shrimp ~half lobster ~over a pound of crablegs Every bite was delectable. Our seafood platter was served with drawn butter and 4 additional sauces, each better than the next. Our server explained what kind of oysters we were served, and told us their flavor profile. The filet was a tad overcooked, I think it's because they halved it for us before cooking. Still, it was tender and tasty. We finished eating at around 7:10, perfect timing to run to the restroom and head to the theatre. I'm not sure why so many people complain about the prices. My family enjoyed two bottles of wine, a HUGE meal, and still managed to spend only $50 per person. I think that's a 'moderate' price on the scale. However, I know when I take my boyfriend to dine there, we will end up spending around $100 per person after ordering a nice bottle of wine and enjoying far too many oysters. I can't wait for that date. I had a few crablegs and some filet left over, which they gladly boxed up for me and kept refrigerated while we enjoyed the opera. We picked up the leftovers on the way out, which was extremely convenient. I enjoyed a delicious leftover lunch the next day. Really can't wait to go back to Oceanaire!
(5)Teresa W.
I really wanted to like this place. I miss having really fresh seafood and thought it would be a nice treat to get some from the Oceanaire for my birthday. I was expecting good service and great food, and just got kind of mediocre. My husband and I split a caesar salad (yes, they are huge! share!) and it was served with anchovies. They tout it as the best caesar salad in Denver or something, but I'm not sure it was all that - it was good, but not stellar. For a main, I got the king crab legs (shelled) and my husband got the cioppino. My crab legs (1 lb) came shelled with drawn butter. Yum! It was nice, good crab, but $40/lb? I'm a little torn whether it was worth that gas guzzling freshly flown in price. My husband's cioppino was pretty pathetic - it wasn't served with any rice or pasta or any of what I usually think of cioppino being served with. He was only slightly interested in it. Our service was only slightly better than average. I don't know if it was because there was a show that night or what, but our server was hard to flag down, and when it came time to check out, the floor manager ended up running our bill since he saw us waiting for so long. I guess, as a plus, they customize your menu if it's your birthday, and they gave us a baked alaska on the house. It was huge - with butterfinger ice cream. The meringue was a bit too burnt for my taste, but it was nice to get it gratis. The server said he'd save a menu for me to take home at the end of the night, but because he didn't reappear for a long time, I didn't get it. I wouldn't return. While the fish may be fresh, I may just have to wait until I'm in a city more suited for fresh fish consumption.
(3)William P.
OK, so I'm an idiot. I went to a seafood place on a Tuesday night...the one night of the week that you're not supposed to go to a seafood place because their weekely fish deliveries usually come in on Wednesdays. Its not that the food was bad. Actually it was really good. Its just that they were out of a lot of kinds of fish. Lots of folks consider Oceanaire too expensive. We chose to stick to the three course prix fixe menu which had three choices of appetizer, three choices of entrees (two fish and one red meat), and three dessert choices. The cost is $33 per person. I started with a crispy deep fried calamari, served with breaded deep fried sweet peppers and a nice aioli. There was no mahi available, so the kitchen offered to substitute swordfish for their wonderful black and blue fish preparation. Unfortunately, it turned out that the swordfish wasn't up to par, so our server came back to the table and suggested salmon or halibut. We chose halibut which was perfectly cooked though a little on the cold side. It was served blackened with carmelized onions and blue cheese butter. For dessert, I chose a standard chocolate mousse which was good. But, hardly memorable. The service was attentive, but not intrusive. The three course dinner is a very good value for the money. It was a very good dinner value for the money
(4)Miles S.
I went in the middle of the week for a business dinner, and both the food and service was excellent. I had a swordfish steak that was simple, but cooked to perfection. The wait staff didn't have many other people to deal with--the place was nearly empty, perhaps due to a forecasted blizzard--and were extremely attentive, but not quite to the point of hovering. The baked alaska was quite impressive.
(5)G H.
Dined with a friend before a show last night. They are not kidding when they say allow two hours before your show time. We arrived at our 5:15 reservation and left at 7:15. We were seated promptly and allowed ample time to peruse the menu before ordering. All their table seem to be four person tables or folded out larger, so it was nice to have enough elbow room and a little space between our table and the other diners. Our waiter and a couple of others were very attentive and kept our table clean and our water refreshed. The atmosphere was clean and quiet, we were seated in an area with only seven other tables and I had no trouble hearing my friend and did not hear conversations from the other tables. The bread was fresh and the cold veggie plate was crisp, although the radishes were fairly bland. We started with Oysters Rockefeller. They were good sized and served warm on a bed of salt. For our entrees I ordered the Alaskan Cod "Louie" and a cup of clam chowder while my friend had the Baked Stuffed Shrimp and a cup of Seafood and Barely Soup. We shared a side of Steamed Broccoli. My cod was served with mashed potatoes. The portion size was perfect and the cod was very lightly flavored and well cooked. The potatoes were a good compliment and the broccoli was still crisp and flavorful and there was more than enough for two to share. The clam chowder was decent and the small cup was just enough. My glass of Riesling was a good pairing. My friend said her soup was a lot like gumbo and she enjoyed it. She was a little disappointed in the shrimp since it was a little rubbery, but the flavor of the stuffing was good and she liked the pasta side. The waiters recommendation for a sweeter Merlot was spot on for her tastes. We finished the evening with a Chocolate Caramel Cake that was big enough to feed an army and included two scoops of ice cream and both chocolate and caramel sauce. We didn't eat much because it was incredibly rich, but those bites were plenty. It was wonderful, but the portion really was enough for at least 4 people. All in all the experience was well worth it for the one big fancy girl's night out that we plan each year. This really is a special occasion place and make sure that you budget plenty of time to savor your dishes and dinner conversation.
(4)George P.
The Oceanaire is a very decent place to eat if you're not on a budget. The staff provided excellent service. Very professional w/ and full of recommendations. The wine list was decent and the appetizers were delicious. Everything was fresh and the pickled vegetables that accompanied the appetizers appeared to be made in house. The oyster selection was excellent, and we picked about four different types (I'm not an expert, but we choose from several locations: Maryland, British Columbia, and a type from the Pacific). I'm giving it four stars instead of five because the main course didn't blow me away. I lobster platter with scallops and prawns. There's nothing that really bothered me though the scallops and lobster was just a tad overcooked. Overall, very enjoyable experience.
(4)Chris L.
Maybe it was the combination of a Friday night and Restaurant Week, but the bottom line is this restaurant took advantage of people who were willing to try something new, as well as support RW. For last night's underwhelming experience, Oceanaire barely squeaks out a second star and that's only for the stellar service. Again with the concept restaurant - we can't just go out and eat anymore, we need themes!! Got it. Could be fine, I'm willing to play along. I lived in Florida in the 70's when this look was all the rage in seafood restaurants. Very quaint and service to match a much earlier era in much tonier places. But the din! I gave up trying to talk normally with my three dinner companions about five minutes in and just yelled like everyone else in the place. I haven't seen a relish tray in ages - it's a nice, old-fashioned touch that goes with the rest of the theme and the veggies were fresh except for the canned olives, that is. I stayed far away from the pickled herring. We had not one, but two waiters and both were attentive and professional. Before I went, someone told me that she didn't like all that attention. But I think it's ok when it's all part of an overall experience. I was prepared to like the food, too. The first course was shrimp, potato, leek soup and it was exceptional - all the flavors of the ingredients, but very subtle and no overwhelming notes. It had just the right balance of creaminess and heft for a winter soup. "Denver's Best Caesar Salad" had a very good dressing and lots of very average chopped romaine coated in it - that's a haphazard combination and a warning of things to come. The choices of fish for the 5280 menu were uninspired. Remember I mentioned Florida in the 70's? Back then, Marlin was JUST a sport fish - you know, big guys with big rods pulling in those beautiful teal green/blue fish, having them stuffed and mounted on the wall? Not now. Now they're on the menu. Eating one is what I imagine eating steak from a bull that had been working the rodeo ring for a few years would be like. Dense, tough, and chewy. And no, coating it with way too much "cajun" spices, blackening it, then adding a scoop of blue cheese butter doesn't rescue it from being inedible in the first place. I wouldn't have ordered it, two of my companions did that. The Mahi Mahi was grilled inexpertly (some of it was flaky, some of it was dry and chewy), then placed on top of a thin smear of tasteless whipped potatoes, and garnished with a snarl of leeks that looked like someone had used the tool that you use at Christmas to curl ribbon (the leek was much the worse for wear). The salmon was offered as either rare or medium rare - my companion chose the latter and got fish that was cooked medium well. Why ask if 1) you can't cook expertly enough to pull off what you offer or 2) you can't manage your kitchen well enough to pull off what you offer? Wine: bottle was overpriced (by a lot). Dessert: key lime pie tasted like a mashup of too much sugar and too much Rose's lime juice. Coffee: sitting around a long, long time before it reached our table. Service: always present, always helpful, but not always truthful (one waiter said the Marlin was the best thing on the menu). I won't be back, but I'm willing to believe that someone might find something on that extensive menu that the kitchen knows how to cook and can pull it off when there's less of a rush.
(2)Judi M.
We've had great experiences at Oceanaire Denver over the years. Which is why our visit last week with out of town friends was both disappointing and embarrassing. The service was okay (young, eager, clumsy but tolerable) but the food was terrible. It seems that all of the restaurants owned by Landry's are following the same pattern - buy low or poor quality ingredients and smother them in dressings, sauces, breading, or cheese. Plus charge exorbitantly high prices and pretend that you are delivering something you are not. The fried shrimp were almost inedible (and my husband is not that picky), the breading or the oil had a rancid taste and the shrimp fried too long. My crab cake was good but the portion much smaller than in the past. Our guest's seafood salad was a joke - bagged iceberg lettuce and hardly any shrimp or crab. One entree, two entrée salads, a crab cake appetizer, and dessert (no wine) cost $100. We hate to say it but Oceanaire Denver went from terrific to terrible. What a shame.
(2)Fred W.
Fantastic food and service. I had the Black & Blue Costa Rican Mahi Mahi and my wife the Yellowfin Tuna. Both excellent, however for the price the portions were pretty small. Why is that with every upscale restaurant? Oh well. We'll be back.......maybe that's why!
(4)Josie P.
Denver Restaurant week was actually extended for an extra week here because people loved it so much. Lucky for me because that's the only reason I got to try it. It's definitely on the pricey side, but well worth it if you're craving some fresh seafood. Being a former coast-dweller, this made me very very happy. Everything we had there was fantastic and even though I usually prefer my salmon raw, they grilled it to perfection. The atmosphere is a bit fancier but fun if you want to have a dressed up night out on the town. It's a great place to go for happy hour too if you're on your way to a show at the Performing Arts Center. And if it's your birthday... or even if it's not, you've got to try the Baked Alaska. Even if you're too full, it's fun to watch it being served.
(4)kelli s.
Went here with a gift certificate, attempting to decide between going all out and eating dinner, or "settling" with the bar menu. In the end- I settled. But gladly so. The mussels w. lemongrass are very good. Some poor guy obviously gets the job of sorting out the barely open ones, because each one I got had his (or her?) shell wide open to grab some curry lemongrass broth. The calamari is way better elsewhere. I think its gnarly when the calamari pieces are THICK bands instead of whole squid or thin bands. It's like chewing a fried rubber band. Also, from the bar, you get to watch the server drama unfold, which is the best part of dining in such a high end joint (and not ending up with a huge-ass bill)
(3)Sara H.
Last night was my first trip to Oceanaire Denver. However, I used to live in DC and frequented the Oceanaire there for both lunch and dinner. I always loved it, so was looking forward to my trip to the Denver outpost. First thought: not as opulent as the DC restaurant. When you walk into the DC restaurant you get a feeling you are really walking into a decadent 1930's dining room. The Denver location was just what it is, a nice restaurant across the street from the Four Seasons. We ordered appetizers for the table with little incident - calamari, raw oysters, and mussels. The sommelier was not there, but our waiter proclaimed himself a "cork dork." I was ordering a bottle for our table and asked him about either a pinot or a light syrah. He kind of laughed and said that was an oxymoron as syrahs are always big, beefy wines. I ignored this, as we were with friends, and did not want to make a fuss. However, first of all, a waiter should never be so pompous as to insult the paying guest. And at Oceanaire, you are definitely paying. Secondly, numerous Rhone syrahs and Rhone style syrahs are very light (we have them in our own cellar and have had many a bottle of them in France). That is what I was asking about. It was quite insulting and we then did not trust this self-proclaimed cork dork's judgment. We ended up getting a Russian River Pinot my husband had tasted recently and knew went well with seafood. This took the wind out of my sails a bit as when you dine out at a fine restaurant you like to be able to trust the staff. After the dismissive comment about syrah, we felt we could not. The appetizers were great. The main courses were less so. I had rockfish Louie and my husband had the crab cakes. Both were good, but presentation was uninspired. At over $30, I expect my dish to be attractive. It wasn't. The flavor was good, but I felt the capers were a bit overpowering. And I love capers and cook with them often. My husband claimed the crab cakes had a unique filler, a ball of tartar sauce in the middle of the cake. He was not impressed as he recently had crab cakes in New Orleans and Houston which were better. One of our dining partners had the new version of the cioppino, which looked like more work than it was worth. Overall, a middle of the road dining experience, made better by wonderful conversation with friends. It should be noted that when I rank restaurants, I rank them as compared to other restaurants at their level. Therefore, if I rank Five Guys Burgers higher than Frasca, it does not mean Five Guys is better than Frasca (although my experiences with Frasca might in fact place Five Guys a bit ahead). I provide my rankings as they would compare to similar restaurants. I am comparing Oceanaire to its sister in DC, as well as to other restaurants where you pay $30 for an entrée. And sadly, it did not stack up last night.
(3)Heidi M.
My husband and I loved eating here. We went for New Year's Eve for our first visit and will definitely be back. The whole experience took about two hours but we were told to expect that on the phone when they confirmed our reservations. The service was excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine on the recommendation of the assistant manager, which was perfect for the meal, and never once had to fill our own glasses. The food was simply to die for. Portion sizes were great and the desert was awesome. We had the crab cake to start, followed by the black and blue maui maui and the scallops, and ended with the brownie for desert (they pour carmel and chocolate over it at the table). It was pricey but with the food and the service, the entire experience was well worth the money.
(5)Aaron M.
Went for boyfriend's birthday, which if you mention it when making reservations, the menu will be personalized. Neat. Everything was very well made and seasoned. Staff is friendly and courteous. If you find anything wrong with your dish, they Promptly replace it. The only quibble I have is with the fillet mignon and sides. Moms fillet looked like a hamburger patty sitting alone on the plate. For a $30 steak, I'd expect it to look like what it's worth. As far as sides, do French Fries really need to be $8.00? Perhaps, this place is a lil too out of my league, but for $350 I kind of expect a lil more food than we got. And I shouldn't have to double check the bill for discrepancies. Like charging for a free birthday dessert or charging a $90 bottle of wine instead of the $12 glass. Definitely nice place to go blow a wad of money or if somebody else is buying.
(4)i n.
Best in town for seafood. Of course it isn't as good as the original in San Diego but when you are far from the ocean in Denver this place can't be beat! Food - Sashimi Tuna. They take about 10 oz of Ahi Tuna and design it like a rose, very high quility. -oysters any type are amaizing -Sea Bass is great -Salmon is good but don't sell yourself short since you can get it anywhere -Lobster is awesome -crab super good Service Amazing Wine menu isn't big but the Chef and Managment has pick a great selection. TIP! Go here durring 5280 week. 1 app, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine & 2 desserts for $52.80
(5)T. R.
Great happy hour or a perfect stop for drinks before a show at the DCPA.
(5)Jina E.
I still only go when Kara is working...you want a rockin MARTINI? See this girl!
(5)Brian G.
I have to tell ya...When I heard this was coming to Denver, I wasn't excited at all. The one in Dallas is full of the biggest retards I have ever seen attempt to run a restaurant. I wouldn't trust those people ("what do you mean THOSE people) with a Nerf football, little alone my food. Regardless, the Denver branch has done me well more than once. The management is always nice and the service is spot on all the time. They have Old Bay on the table and the menu changes frequently to accommodate what's fresh. The best part...a bacon steak...I'll give you a minute to process how wonderful that is.... Now that you've put your pants back on, I will say that it's something you only do once a year at best. It's a slab of smoked pork belly served with a steak knife. It's a side dish so we all shared it. You haven't lived until you've heaqd your heart wheeze. It's amazing.
(4)Hunter W.
Don't bother: Food is just OK, service is slow, and the prices are much higher than competing places. Everything is a la carte, and the entrees and sides are very expensive (asparagus $13). The service is very slow - 10 minutes to get our server to appear, 20 minutes to get drinks (and the bar is only 25 feet away). Place was not full - and no wonder. The beet salad ($11) was very nice, tho. I won't be going back.
(2)O X.
Great seafood, but I left feeling overwhelmed and a little ill (see definition of oysters below). I ordered a bowl of clam chowder, 4 oysters, and a crabcake. The chowder and the crabcake were both so heavy and rich, I was glad I did not get an appetizer!! LOVE that they bring a dish of cold, fresh vegetables with the bread. Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, pickles, celery on ice. That was awesome and so much better than bread!! Chowder was packed with clams, and crabcake was all crab, as you might expect. Oysters were gritty, which was ick. I will DEFINITELY return, as the food was great (except the oysters -- which they are "known for"), but will split an entree, and get a salad. Enjoy!
(4)Martine S.
Great dinner, lovely atmosphere, perfect for dinner before a play at the Performing Arts Center! Great service!
(4)Susan D.
My husband and I had dinner with friends at Oceanaire last night for Denver Restaurant Week. I was really excited to try out the Denver location since we visited the one in San Diego and loved it. Unfortunately, we had an entirely different experience. Perhaps it was the 5280 menu misrepresenting what is normally offered or the extra tables that created a less intimate dining experience. Regardless, at a restaurant that offers prices normally at $30-$35 a plate, I would have expected a little more sophistication. After all, Restaurant Week is about enticing customers to come back, is it not? Our waitress was very friendly and happy to help with questions on the menu. Which made me wonder at first if it was just me not enjoying the meal, until our friends shared their same disappointment. Two of us got the Billi Bi (mussels soup). Not bad, but extremely rich, especially as an appetizer. My husband ordered the clam chowder, which was good. For the entree, two of us ordered the trout, stuffed with shrimp, brie, and crab. Again, incredibly rich (but not really in a good way, more in a "wow, this is obviously unhealthy and I'm not impressed enough to continue eating and overlook the massive calories" way.) Everything was mixed together so much where I couldn't taste the flavors of the crab, shrimp, or brie but rather just the butter sauce, creating an unnecessary richness and the trout itself had a slimy texture. My friend's trout had a lot of bones in it, to the point that she said it just wasn't enjoyable to eat. My husband said his Rockfish tasted almost underdone and the Carolina Barbecue Sauce wasn't really a sauce but rather more of an oil, which made for an an unappetizing taste about halfway through the meal. Overall, the best meal at the table was our friend's steak (at a seafood restaurant!) However, he even said it had a lot of sinew in it. For dessert, my husband and I ordered the key lime pie. Which actually should have been labeled a cheese cake with a hint of lime. It wasn't bad, but definitely not what we were expecting. We were quickly jealous of the chocolate moose our friends ordered. I probably would be a bit more forgiving of the fact that every time our meals were brought out, they placed them in front of the wrong person or that maybe the poor quality food and cramped dining was a result of a set menu during Restaurant Week. However, we were dining at a restaurant that boasts about being "sleek and sophisticated," having "exceptional service," and being voted "one of the best seafood restaurants in the country." I simply expected more.
(2)Grace B.
My boyfriend took me to Oceanaire for Valentine's Day last month and I wasn't too impressed. To start off, we had the New England Clam Chowder and it wasn't as good as the one I had at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle but it was pretty good. Then, we had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for appetizers and those were the best crab cakes I've ever tasted! Now I've never had the Maryland Crab Cakes but these were amazing! You can really taste the fresh crabs in the cake. Once I was done with appetizer, I thought "we are off to a great start!" However, that is when my entree came to the table, Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops 'Dynamite'. I love scallops and I really love to taste it alone but there was too much of 'Dynamite' that diluted the flavor of the scallops for me. 'Dynamite' is what seems to be another word for "crab cakes." So, in restaurants defense, maybe I ordered the wrong dish but having crab cakes for appetizers is one thing but having it on top of my scallops was not my style. On the other hand, my boyfriend had a fish entree from the Chef's Selections and it was ok. Not very impressive. Moving on to the finale, dessert, Baked Alaska. Keep in note that the waiter did not recommend the Baked Alaska. He actually said that it wasn't his favorite but my friend had told me about it when I told her I was going to Oceanaire so I had to try it for her sake. One word, Ugh. Maybe that wasn't even a word but it was edible but not good. Once the meringue (marshmallow-like) was lit on fire and you blow the fire out, the waiter cuts into the meringue and inside is two scoops of ice cream (chocolate and raspberry sorbet) with sponge-like cake at the bottom. My boyfriend and I don't like marshmallow so the meringue was not our favorite and the ice creams were way too sweet and don't even get me started on the cake. That cake was so dry and dense that it was hardly edible. What a shame, the night started off great but ended in a disappointment. Ambiance: fancy with little romance; Staff: very friendly; Decor: very blue; Taste: good, but not good enough for the price--would love to try their happy hour sometime though
(3)Jasmine H.
My fiancé and I came here on the last day of restaurant week and we were able to take advantage of the great deals on that menu. We were able to pick a starter, an entrée and a desert for $30 a person (I think). The food was good but the service was phenomenal! All of the staff were very attentive. My fiancé received the wrong entrée so to make it up our waiter brought us two glasses of Moët :). The decor is a little more on the modern side which I loved. All in all I enjoyed my meal here and plan to make a return visit
(5)Jennifer W.
We went on Super Bowl Sunday. Eerily quiet but not surprisingly so. Service was fairly fast and attentive. Happy hour was a good value. We shared mussels (yummy, but not enough bread!), fish tacos, and oysters. On Sundays they feature one type of oyster for $1 a piece.
(4)Michael S.
The Sunday through Friday nonstop happy hour is outstanding, along with $1 oysters on Sunday. The trio of Filet Mignon sliders are a bargain at $8. The calamari is on pointe and Liam at the bar does not dissapoint. Highly recommend stopping in and checking out the bar/lounge at The Oceanaire.
(5)Gen M.
I am an East Coast Girl, through and through. Spending the day fishing and crabbing and shrimpin was pretty typical. And when you're used to things being a certain way because of freshness and respect for the product that you just caught, it's often difficult to find that same integrity when you switch out the ocean for mountains. This is especially true when it comes to crab cakes. I don't know how it is that every single restaurant I've ordered crab cakes at in the past few years could screw them up so incredibly, but somehow they manage to do just that. BUT!! That is so not the case with Oceanaire! I actually got a hankering for a real crab cake one day, and scoured all the pictures of crab cakes in Yelp. When I finally came across the ones in the photos above (seriously... stop reading and go look at the pictures), I knew that I had found a restaurant that knew exactly how to handle a stupid crab cake. And I was right! They are just like the crab cakes that you find all over the North East, on the Eastern Shore, and that all crabbers make in their own kitchens. True lump that hasn't been handled to the point of shredding, and broiled instead of being coated to death with breading and fried. On top of that, the service was impeccable. Our waiter was both comical and on top of it, as were the bussers. As for the rest of the food we ordered (and there was a lot).... I really don't care. They have truly legitimate crab cakes. And that is all that matters.
(5)Lauren D.
I was here for Denver Restaurant Week a few days ago and kind of have some mixed feelings. The service was great. We were seated right away, addressed by the wait staff within seconds of sitting down and our waiter was both very educated about the menu and friendly. Food-wise, however, was kind of hit or miss. Example: crab cakes were a hit, paella was a miss. If it hadn't been for the total mouthgasm that was the grilled steelhead, dinner at the Oceanaire might not have been that memorable but that dish was so dang good that it made up for anything that missed the mark. This place is pretty expensive so I'm not sure it'd be worth going back if it wasn't Denver Restaurant week, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone who'd never been from going. I'd just made sure to tell them to order the steelhead over the paella.
(3)David R.
We came for the cocktails and stayed for dinner. Again. Oceanaire is where we usually go for a drink before/after the theatre, it's not normally out dinner spot due to price. But, Mario is a spectacular bartender (and this come from an ex-bartender). Note that, bartender NOT mixologist. We came for the best manhattan in town and ended up staying for dinner, and were introduced to some soon-tp-be cocktails as an after dinner drink. Spectacular stuff. We will be back for sure. The cocktails are great, the food is very good (but you pay for it) and again, Mario is simply the best.
(5)Steve B.
Sorry "Sea Food Snob", but I'm from the San Francisco area, and this kind of food wouldn't cut it. Portion sizes were nice, service was terrific but the food was very mixed and slow to arrive at our table. Some of the best calamari and clam chowder I've had. Good oysters and fries too. But also, about the worst fish dishes I've tasted in a long time. My wife had the Petrale Sole Florentine which was just awful. No flavor to the fish, and the rest of the dish was unimaginative and bland. I had the Haddock with added "black and blue", which for an additional $3 was supposed to be Cajun seasoning and blue cheese. The seasoning was definitely not Cajun, and all they did was put a small melon-baller sized lump of blue cheese on top of the fish. All of this spread upon a bed of ridiculously sweet grilled onions, which were totally wrong for the dish. Very weird. Grits, in the shrimp and grits, were bland. It was my wife's birthday, and the waiter made sure to tell us he had something "special for dessert". It was baked Alaska, which was alright, but they charged us for it after implying they were treating her. Not a big deal at $10, but unexpected. We won't be going back.
(1)Carly B.
I had never even considered Oceanaire as somewhere I ever wanted to go. It's not that I had heard bad things, it's just that I hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'm weird with seafood-centric restaurants like that (see Jax Fish House review). This review is for their bar happy hour which goes until 10, so you are never cutting it close. We were there at about 8:30 on a Friday night and there was plenty of bar space. They have a nice list of small plates as well as some discounted cocktails. I went for a mojito for $6 (small in size but surprisingly boozy) as well as the $7 shrimp and grits. David P and Kristen N each had an order of blackened fish tacos ($5 for two). My shrimp and grits was delicious and the perfect size for a mini "out drinking" meal. The grits were topped with white cheddar and little bit of gumbo type gravy and were accompanied with three, nice sized shrimp. Dave and Kristen seemed to enjoy their tacos as well. Still not sure if I'd ever have a meal here as fancy seafood just isn't really my scene. But if you're looking for a late, low-key food and drink happy hour this is a great stop.
(4)Christopher S.
Excellent high end restaurant. Great seafood, perfect preparation and presentation. Love the family style sides and salads big enough to share. If wanting to impress someone and cost is not a concern, this will definitely impress. I ordered the swordfish "dynamite" and it was definitely that. Not as spicy as they said, but I really do like heavy spice. All 6 meal that were brought for the group left all satisfied in terms of both flavor and serving size.
(5)Demitri R.
Stopped in here With Kate And Shaun S and Jese for a drink after BlueMan Group. It definitely does smell fishy lol. But inside its awesome. We Pulled up to the bar and I had a Oceanaire Mint Mojito Martini with muddled mint leaves which was delicious. Also had a sip of Moscato Wine. Yummly By Far. The Bartender was great and in no rush to hurry you out since he had "cleaning" to do. I can definitely see coming back to bring a special someone for date night when I get a Special someone. Bask In the Ambiance Bask in the Ambiance.
(5)Ryan G.
Make no mistakes about it - this is one of those 'you get what you pay for' type of meals. The prices are on the high side, but the service and quality match them well. The restaurant is known for it's fresh fish offerings which are flown in daily creating a menu that will likely change between each visit. They also offer a wide variety of wines by the glass and by the bottle, however we didn't try the wine so I can't comment much about the quality. As for the meal itself the starter course was tasty, and what you would expect from most upper end steak and seafood restaurants with some great soups and salads. We tried 3 varieties of oysters (there were over a dozen varieties to choose from), and I must say they were the best I have ever had. I've tried fresh shucked oysters from both coasts, and none of them had the amazing texture and almost sweet flavors that these had to offer. For the main course I had a scampi that was full of flavor without being heavy in either butter or oil. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the whole dish had just a hint of spice which I loved. For the table we split a couple of desserts; an extremely light and flavorful carrot cake and a caramel chocolate cake that everyone agreed would be worth coming back for alone. It was slightly warm with a delicious chocolate cake base, a layer of caramel in the middle, and a chocolate cake topping that had just a bit of a crunch to it. Very rich, and worth every bite.
(5)John D.
Food was wonderful, but pricey. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the open to close happy hour food specials. We ordered almost half of the menu. Good quality seafood. They had your classic appetizer style offerings (happy hour bar menu) like calamari and steamed mussels. The sliders (both crab cake and filet) were much better than I would expected. They also had some not-so-common offerings like shrimp and grits, which turned out to be my favorite. I did not order from the full dinner menu, although the offerings looked very good. Maybe I'll try it another time when I am in Denver. If you are looking for good fresh seafood (when not by the sea), then I would recommend this place. Ambience was unique. Blue lightning gave the place an aquarium feel.
(4)Tonya J.
I went here with my mom for mother's day. She indulged in the lobster, which I tasted, and it was very very good. I had the rockfish Louie and it was AMAZING- topped with lump crab and caper butter yum! But what was really standout about the Oceanaire was the service. Our waiter (I wish I could remember his name!) was crazy friendly, but not in an overbearing or fake way- just very genuine. My mom can be just a liiiiittle bit of a tough customer on occasion, and he completely won her over. He was also incredibly well-versed about everything on both the dinner menu, and the wine menu. This was the perfect place to celebrate a special day and a special lady!
(4)Josh D.
I know this is a chain, but every time I've been to this restaurant both in Denver and San Diego the seafood is always fresh, the service is always great and my wallet is a little bit lighter, but well worth it!
(5)Denise G.
Denver Restaurant Week always falls the same time of year as my birthday. It works well for me, because I get to have a fantastic dinner that I wouldn't normally get throughout the year. This year, I picked The Oceanaire. The menu looked great and so reservations were made. My party arrived and were seated promptly. Drinks were ordered and we went over the Denver Restaurant Week menu. It changed! I know the menu online states that the menu may change, but my dish that I had my heart set on, was now missing. Cooper was our server and he was nothing short of awesome. He explained that since they get fresh fish, the menu would only allow what fresh fish they got that day. I understand, but was still a little disappointed. I then decided to go with the grilled tenderloin tips with whipped potatoes, crispy onions and conac cream. Cooper suggested with this dish to add shrimp. I felt that was a great idea and so shrimp was added to my dish. It all tasted amazing and was cooked exactly as I like it. Brian went with the grilled loch etive steelhead trout served blackened with caramelized onions and blue cheese butter. This dish was also good, but the fish didn't seem to be the trout. It was pink and flaky inside like salmon. We were a bit confused. The dessert menu changed as well. Instead of salted caramel and pretzel sundae, which I also had my heart set on, they offered a mint chocolate chip sundae. It sounded good so we ordered this when we ordered the appetizer and main dish. By the time we got to the dessert, the restaurant ran out of the ice cream. At this point, I was getting a little annoyed with having to change my choice. The death by chocolate cake sounded heavy and rich, so I opted for the cookies. Yes, they offered cookies as dessert for the Denver Restaurant Week menu. This was such a lame option. The whole point of DRW is to impress people, not disappoint them. I was surprised they couldn't come up with something else for dessert. Overall, we added an appetizer and had a few drinks and spent much more than the $60 for DRW. It was nice to finally try this place, but sad that they lacked some options. Cooper was a great server and very helpful with suggestions. I am not sure if we would be back for the food, but we would for sure for the great service.
(3)Whitney W.
My boyfriend called to be sure we could get in and we went here on a Friday night for dinner. Everything about the dinner was classy. The only thing was the servers helper needed more experience. We had amazing lobster bisque to start. We had a bottle of wine. I wish they carried a real sweet riesling. I ordered the Goat Cheese Encrusted Swordfish and it was just absolutely amazing. They Bacon buttermilk (aka homemade amazing ranch) was very delightful with the truffle fries that we ordered. The evening turned into a Fabulous Date Night!
(5)Christine A.
I can't really give a review on the drinks or food, just the service. Why? I wasn't given the opportunity enjoy food or drink. They have a horrible bartender there. He took forever to give me a menu - and even then, he wouldn't give me a drink menu until I asked him 3x. After another 10 minutes, he still hadn't taken my drink order. Finally, I said something and he replied "I'll make it right away." To him, "right away" meant after he continued his constant conversation with another group of patrons. As I watched him chat with them, I left. I told the host what happened and he didn't seem to care one little bit. This is a horrible place.
(1)Lindy L.
My boyfriend loves seafood, so we went here for his birthday. He really enjoyed the meal and so did I, even though I prefer my seafood in sushi form. Service was excellent, and the setting was pretty swanky, which is fun for a special, celebratory night. They start everyone with bread and butter, accompanied by relish, which I learned is pickles, olives, radishes, carrots, and celery. My boyfriend really liked the endive salad with blue cheese dressing. I passed on trying it because the salad had quite a bit of blue cheese dressing, and I'm not a big salad dressing fan. I ordered the stuffed sole Florentine, which was very good and very rich. My boyfriend ordered the Alaskan Barracuda black and bleu, which was even better than the sole and not quite as rich. My favorite parts of the meal were the hashed browns and dessert. We shared the hashed browns a la Oceanaire, a huge serving of nicely crisp hashed browns with bacon and Tabasco sauce. We were beyond full, but had to have a birthday dessert, and our server very generously provided us with a complimentary birthday treat, the chocolate caramel cake. The cake was served with warm hot fudge and caramel sauce. And ice cream. The cake was very, very good. Oceanaire did a very, very good job of making a special night even more special.
(4)Richard W.
I came here on Valentine's Day with my wife with a 9:30 pm reservation. We arrived beforehand with only two or three other couples waiting to be seated. As we waited, more and more people began to show up for dinner. None of us were seated. After 15 minutes past our reservation time there was a huge crowd gathered at the door of people waiting to be seated. Normally this wouldn't of been a big deal had it not been for the crowd spilling into the dining area. For a restaurant of this caliber to have this happen was shameful. Dinner portions were small and expensive. This want unexpected for a fine dining experience. However, they were sold out of swordfish and the creme brûlée. This was unexpected because about half of their menu involved swordfish of some kind. The creme brûlée was merely a disappointment because, well, creme brûlée is the bees knees. Bill came around and it was $139. It included an appetizer, two entrees, and a side (the menu is primarily aka carte), with no drinks. Not even soft drinks. After tip it ran to $169. The food was decent, but not almost $200 decent. I'd expect larger portions for that price.
(3)Bradley James R.
My server here was fantastic, however the 45 minute wait for a table as well as the next 45 minute wait for food really left me questioning why I was paying top dollar for this experience. I asked for a manager and the GM came by my table for a visit . He was pretty demeaning and tried to blame our server for the restaurants poor execution . Sorry but this place is not worth the price tag .
(1)Elaine P.
Dinner last night was my third time at Oceanaire Seafood Room and each dinner was top notch. Best service by far of any restaurant we've been to. The food is always amazing also. Even the service for valet parking is top notch. Very pleasant men and women. It was very cold and very busy and the workers are ALL very pleasant which makes it pleasurable. Thank you for a great night
(5)Dale Z.
Dave Barry said, "There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." This was pretty much how I felt after having Happy Hours drinks and HH bites in the bar area of The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I felt like I just scratched the surface of Oceanaire. In many ways, I had a 4-star experience, but the multiple minor annoyances knocked it down to a 3. For example, there are only three beers choices on the HH menu (all from Great Divide). And although I like many of their offerings, the two regular choices are the Pale Ale and the IPA (Great Divide Denver Pale Ale & Great Divide Titan IPA), which seem a tad too similar for my "dis"liking. I had the seasonal (the Colette), and it was okay, but not enjoyable enough to want another. I toyed with ordering the Prosecco Sangria, but my dining companions said it was rather sour, somewhat bitter, and too vegetal. Most other choices seemed rather minty and mojito oriented. So, I went with "The Oceanaire" (Our Signature made with Absolut vodka, blue curacao and white cranberry juice) for my second drink. The blue curacao made the drink resemble a Windex martini. The flavors were okay (if overly sweet), but nothing special. This felt like I was drinking a cocktail from 1988. For food, I went with the Shrimp and Grits (Jumbo Shrimp, Creamy White Cheddar Grits). The shrimp were quite large, and well seasoned, but were some what tough in texture. The grits were very good, with nice cheesy flavor. The texture was that non-homogeneous mix of creamy and not quite creamy that I enjoy in my grits. I also had the Tequila Shrimp Ceviche (Avocado, Chile Dusted Tortilla Chips). I was glad that they had a "shrimp only" ceviche. I enjoy this dish, but not with fish (ooh, how Seussical). It was a generous portion for the price. There really was a lot of chopped shrimp (although it was somewhat tough). This dish, however, was lacking in acid and in heat. I borrowed some lime wedges from a dining companion, but it was not enough. It was a pity that this dish was so bland. Our service was mostly very good, but it was sometimes hard to flag down our waiter to put in additional orders.
(3)Krystal M.
Things I like about The Oceanaire... They have happy hour EVERYDAY until closing, their fish & chips is really good, as are the oysters. They also have pretty friendly bartenders and they make really good mixed drinks and also have Great Divide on tap. Certain items may be a little expensive, but this is a nice place and definitely worth it. Also, I love the ambiance here... the blue glow in the bar area is just cool. I haven't had dinner here yet... but at some point I will. For now, the bar does me just fine and I know I'll be back to frequent the happy hour.
(4)Josh H.
Reminded me of a cruise ship, but the food was delicious and wait staff were friendly. Nothing extraordinary popped out about this restaurant but it was good nonetheless.
(4)Jess L.
First time in and sadly won't be returning. Great start being seated without a reservation. I ordered the stuffed shrimp linguini or something of the sort, and it was nothing special. The broccoli side, however, was pretty great! My fiancé ordered the seared ahi tuna, and unfortunately the $40 meal went down the toilet... He was profusely vomiting all night from food poisoning. He did however enjoy the meal before this happened but did complain that you couldn't taste the tuna enough - a little too many flavors going on. Just a note that everything is served a la carte so your $40 tuna doesn't come with a side. We were celebrating our engagement and a little disappointed to end the night that way. I called to inform the restaurant of the possibility that others could also be suffering from food poisoning but just got asked a series of questions about what happened. Never again.
(2)Carlie R.
Pros: the menu changes daily Cons: the menu changes daily I was hoping for swordfish. I ended up making reservations on a night that swordfish was not offered. I know this sounds a bit picky but after having swordfish two other times at The Oceannaire the trout that I ended up settling for just did not compare. The drinks are strong, you definitely get what you pay for! And the Au Gratin potatoes are some of the best I've ever had!
(4)Michelle H.
This place was so good - I can't wait to go back! Our waiter, Jack, was extremely knowledgable and very friendly. He took his time to explain everything to us, and he didn't rush us through our order. We tried three of the oysters he suggested and his descriptions were spot-on and great recommendations! I ordered the cobia, prepared Louie style and it was delicious. I also recommend the tequila shrimp ceviche. Everyone's meals were fresh, delicious, and we were served well.
(5)Robert V.
Oceania used to be a very good place, then Landry's happened. Now so bad. Tonight at 9PM I tried to sit at the bar for Oysters. Not only was there not an oyster menu, there was no server to give me one. After 15 minutes of sitting completely ignored, with wait staff walking past me, (they were no way near busy btw mostly empty tables), I gave up and left. Besides last tim e I ate there with a friend, fish was greasy and tasteless. A shame.
(1)Michael F.
Good food - good service. Prices so high it felt cartoonish. Just got to laugh and chalk this experience up to "been there done that"but will never go again.
(3)Monica L.
I love to have dessert at the bar before a show at the DCPA. Last night I tried the new white chocolate & raspberry bread pudding. It was superb. Sometimes white chocolate is not very good, but this raspberry bread pudding was topped with excellent white chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend.
(5)Erin M.
I may have said this before, but this is truly the best steak I have ever had in my entire life! Truly, I can't think of any I have ever had that would top it. My New York Strip was juicy, even though I ordered it medium-well, was well seasoned (even without any additions) and was plentiful in portion at 16 oz. And, even though NY Strip steaks can often be a little less tender, this particular NY Strip was like butter...MMM... I ordered it with a side of the sour cream potatoes (large enough to share among our group of 4) and asparagus (also enough to share with the group). The sour cream potatoes, while I'm sure not uber healthful, made up for the diet "cheat" because they were so darn creamy and delightful. I could return today after dining last night and eat a bowlful by myself in 1 sitting. Someone stop me now! The asparagus was decent, and I am sure was even better with the Hollandaise sauce (I'm not a fan of Hollandaise sauce ever on any occasion, so I didn't sample it). The supporting actor of the show was the dessert, which was nearly as delectable as my steak. We had both Baked Alaska (due to the fact that it was free for a birthday at our table) and the Key Lime pie. (We were advised to order only 1 as the portions are large, and we should have heeded the advice given. I was uncomfortably full after dessert (and I wasn't the only one)!). The Baked Alaska is fun. The production made of dousing it in flames at the table makes it both dessert and an event. This particular Baked Alaska was served with black cherry ice cream, which made it even better (the sweet and tart of the ice cream mixed perfectly with the marshmallow meringue). The Key Lime pie was great as well! I wasn't super into the decor, which feels a little minimalist, until it was pointed out that Oceanaire is designed to look the a cruise ship from the 1920's. Once I noticed the Art Deco touches and the way certain elements like the blue lighting at the bar brought the look together, I appreciated it more. Both our table service and valet service were also great. We'll be back for another special occasion.
(5)Carol E.
Stopped in on Restaurant Week, hoping to grab 2 stools at the bar. No problem once the dinner crowb ebbed~ I'm a wus, I valet most times to let the boys do something, but there was plenty of parking on the street. Sat at the seafood bar. Kumamotos~ lushish! Normally I wouldn't do oysters on a month not ending in the letter, 'R"... am I the only one here on this? But, they assured me oysters were flown in fresh that morning. Well, true to their word, again I say lushish. Creamy, sweet with a hint of mineral on the finish.. I chased them down with a nice med red wine. We had the grilled salmon, simply made with sans accrutremants and a side of grilled asparagus. It was stellar. Perfectly cooked and every spear of the asparagus, sweet. Well done! Miss the East Coast seafood, this fits the bill every time!! Yay
(5)Nicole P.
Eaten here a few times. Always delicious. Baked Alaska? YUMMY!!!
(4)Andrew K.
It was our anniversary and we both love good seafood so I booked Oceanaire based on the reviews and their Oyster list. We arrived at the designated time of our booking but had to wait a short 10 mins before we were seated. No big deal as the bar and cocktails were excellent. Upon being seated we immediately decided we wanted Oysters and told our server what our preferences were (originally from Australia so very used to good fresh Oysters). We both wanted a dozen each and let the server decide for us what to have. We weren't disappointed in his selection as they were excellent. We had 4 sets of 3 each to compare and each whetted our appetite for what was to come. I decided on the crab cake for appetizer and the sword fish for entrée. My wife had 2 appetizers instead, the shrimp and grits along with the calamari (non breaded). The crab cake is easily the best I have had with the shrimp and grits being equally impressive. That was the good. The ordinary was the calamari. Very little flavor despite the promise of sweet chili. Generally just bland but OK. The sword fish however was dry, over cooked and flavorless. I opted for the option of having lump crab on top and this was the only thing that made the fish edible. However, paying an extra (approximately) $10.00 for this really isn't worth it, particularly if the sword fish was any good. I did let the server know and they did comp me a salted caramel cheese cake ($9.95). The Cheese cake was very good but really wasn't required or appreciated as I struggled to eat it even with sharing. After dropping over $400 (with tip) I felt that the experience left me a bit flat. I wanted to give it 3.5 stars as it didn't warrant a 4. The ambience and general setting is excellent but there are other places that are better at making the night special for an equal or less price.
(3)Patty B.
Had reservations at Oceanaire before the theater last Saturday. Our server (Juan) was very knowledgeable about both the food and wine and was extremely accommodating. We ordered halibut and swordfish, both were excellent. Did a calorie splurge and ordered macaroni and cheese as a side along with a vegetable. Unable to eat even half of our dinner, our server kindly boxed up the leftovers and held them in the kitchen refrigerator until the play let out. Had a great experience.
(5)Tricia D.
I didn't realize Oceanaire's a chain. I also didn't realize that I was in for quite a treat that night, and by quite a treat, I mean two words... BAKED ALASKA! The baked alaska dessert is by far their most popular. It is a slice of chocolate cake with cherry ice cream piled on top. A light meringue envelopes the ice cream, forming a fluffy, puffy dome. Your waitress/waiter will then drizzle alchy (I think it was Bacardi and cherry liqueur) and light that sucker on fire! Quite the tableside experience. I've had better chocolate cake, but I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert. My main course consisted of mahi mahi, which is flakier and not as "steak-y" as tilapia. It was so fresh, and now I know I'm a fan of the mahi^2! Service was excellent, and make sure you have that alaska when you stop in Denver!
(4)Julia S.
I went here for Denver Restaurant Week which I realize limits food options given the prix fixe menu. That being said, the service was absolutely fantastic, but food-wise, I wasn't that impressed. I really, really like the crab cake, but the mahi-mahi I got was so-so. It was also paired with an arugula salad and sweet potato fries, which I thought was odd. The server was good in the fact that he did warn us that the portions are smaller due to DRW, which I didn't like, so we had to order extra sides. I always use DRW as an opportunity for restaurants to showcase their food, as I'll always go back if I'm impressed. Unfortunately, I've simply had better seafood in Denver.
(3)Pixie M.
You know you've had a memorable meal at a restaurant, when two days later you turn to your spouse and say "I can still hear the crisp crack of the duck skin as my knife cut into the moist meat" and he replies, "I'm still dreaming about those scallops..." Let me start at the beginning, my parents were in town for the Christmas holidays and we decided we wanted to take them out somewhere really nice. So Christmas Eve at Oceanaire sounded perfect and arrangements were made for a special dinner prepared by Matt Mine, the executive chef. We drove up to the valet, whoosh, all four car doors opened simultaneously as we were each guided out of the car toward the front door where two different staff members whisked our coats away. The interior is crisp, classy, elegant and inviting. Our server, Michelle, was efficient, knowledgeable and we really enjoyed chatting with her. The additional staff removing our plates, refilling the waters, and checking in on us throughout the evening were all top-notch. This is the type of service that many restaurants strive for, and the Oceanaire staff was on the mark 110%. Our meal started with cream of cauliflower soup, garnished with poached lobster, seasoned with vanilla. Sounds odd, right? It was perfect and paired with a crisp glass of Prosecco. I never would have chosen this combo of flavored but was floored by how amazing this was. My husband isn't a cauliflower eater and devoured most of his...the part he didn't eat were the spoonfuls I swiped after my bowl was already empty. The duck. With a dried cherry glaze. And white beans. I don't even know how to begin. Decedent, delicious, rich....did I already tell you about echo of the crack the crisp skin made when I cut into it? I did? Hold on...I'm closing my eyes and reliving it. I like duck and have had it frequently in other restaurants, but I know I've never had duck this amazing. Large, juicy, seared scallops served with mouthwatering short ribs with an intensely thick, beefy flavor. Zoinks. All past and future "surf and turf" meals have been blown out of the water by this combo. I glanced around the table to see eyes closed, slight smiles and the utterances of "wow....this is incredible" and "I love these scallops..." The Brussel sprouts, bacon and Maytag bleu cheese side dish was a Brussel sprout lover's dream. I was in heaven. Delicate, flaky monkfish with a thick, warm bleu cheese crust. By this point in the dinner, I was so full but couldn't not have this....the fish was flawlessly cooked. Dessert? We couldn't do it. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that I wasn't able to save room. Next time. Next time, I leave room for chocolate cake.
(5)Natalie G.
I so wanted to love Oceanaire, I love seafood. Sadly, this is not somewhere I would go back to by choice. I can get better elsewhere, and for less. The marquee outside is great, and valet anywhere in Denver is nice, but given we hit on a Friday night and they have a bit of construction on Arapahoe, to say it was a nightmare is being kind. We managed to just make our 7:30 reservation, however, we were missing half of our group due to traffic. We were seated in a small room around the left of the bar which was actually quite nice and made it a bit more cozy. The place was packed, after all, it was Friday, in the middle of Restaurant Week. I noted that the person who seated us switched out the napkin of the person named on the reservation (from white to black), so that the waiter knew whom to address by name when he came over for introductions and drinks. First impression of Kevin (our waiter) was that he was going to be attentive, and a bit of fun. Since we knew we had a little wait, we ordered a bottle of wine and the calamari. We were pleasantly surprised with the fresh veggie tray that came but purposely avoided the mini half loaf of bread so that we would be able to eat our meals. The calamari was tasty, and the dipping sauce was a bit different, but we enjoyed it. Our other diners arrived about fifteen minutes behind us, but everyone was ready to order as we had perused the 5280 menu prior to arrival. Right off the bat, there had been a slight change in the menu, but Kevin did accommodate the change. We had a mix of field greens, New England clam chowder and the Billie B. soup. The latter was a last minute change after Kevin explained that it was a cream based soup with mussels in it. Sadly it did not live up to the hype he gave it. There was only about three small chunks of mussel in the actual soup and it was a bit thin for a cream based soup. The chowder was better but not what you would expect from a seafood restaurant. It was more on par with an all American place. Entrees arrived in good time, and we partook in the red snapper, trout and rockfish choices. The rainbow trout dynamite was ok, but with trout you always get bones. The crab dynamite on top looked more like a dark greasy hashbrown. The flavor of crab was almost non-existent. The fish itself was cooked well, and the sauce was tasty. The rockfish came seated on white cheddar grits. We were all excited to try them, but only 1 of the four at the table liked them. The other three of us could have done (and have) better at home. Not as creamy as a true grit, and again, just nothing to write home about. To be fair there were three southerners in the group. "You don't mess with our grits!" We had two key lime pies and two chocolate mousse at our table. The key lime pie, while setting atop a delicious graham cracker crust and light and fluffy really needed to be a bit more tart. For those who don't know what a great Key Lime Pie is supposed to taste like, it would be a nice sweet treat, but all four of us really wished it had been a bit more tart. The chocolate mousse on the other hand was absolutely decadent! Very rich, so much so that this choco-phile could not finish it. Over all the food was OK and the ambiance nice. The last hour we were there we could have used another bottle of wine but we never saw our waiter. The water situation throughout dinner was also completely unacceptable. Empty glasses of water is what I will remember most of our visit. That and that we spent 20 minutes at the end trying to get our waiters attention, who never bothered to say thank you for coming in. It was clear he was frazzled, but good manners should always win out when you are representing a quality restaurant that charges what they do.
(2)Alexis G.
I decided to try Oceanaire for Denver Restaurant Week because I love seafood and I am always in search of a great seafood restaurant in Denver. The ambiance and service at Oceanaire was top of the line, but the food left a lot to be desired. I started off with the calamari. It was inconsistent with some of it was perfectly cooked and very tasty, but some of it was rubbery and overcooked. My mom ordered their award winning clam chowder for her first course. Unfortunately, it was watery and one dimensional and did not taste like award winning chowder to me. We both ordered the snapper for our main course. The fish was served fried, but it was dry and the aioli added no flavor. Finally, we had the key lime pie and chocolate mousse for dessert. They were both good, but the mousse was a bit too rich for my liking. In my opinion, restaurants should give their best effort during restaurant week to tempt us to come back and pay top dollar for their yummy food. Unfortunately, Oceanaire did not put their best food forward. Meanwhile, the search for a great seafood restaurant in Denver continues. Any suggestions?
(3)Lacey K.
A group of 9 of us ate here last night (8/5/14). Half of our table liked it, the other half hated it. Upon arrival it was all hands on deck by the staff, which was great! The restaurant is very modern & nice. After being seated (reservations at 5:45 it was a ghost town), we all started looking over the menu. The server does explain the menu very thoroughly. This is where the night started going down hill.... We ordered our appetizers & meal at the same time. We asked the apps be brought out first. 40 minutes later... We finally get our apps. There were only 3 apps to prepare! 40 minutes? Our shrimp cocktail was not good. They were VERY over-cooked. I almost couldn't chew them. After they clear the apps away, most of our table is still hungry. We have bread plates, but no bread. They never brought any. We had to ask them for the bread. I know that may not seem like a huge thing, but remember the price you are paying for your meal.... They boast about their superior treatment. So, we are sitting waiting for our main course & the waiter comes to the table to let me know they are out of the chicken I ordered. This would not have been an issue had they come out & told me the hour and a half i had been sitting there waiting. I ordered fish & chips instead. When we finally got our meal I was yet again displeased. The fish had no taste and were exceedingly greasy. Another couple at our table both had over cooked fish. Overall, the quality was bad & the service was slower than I even thought imaginable. I expected the ridiculous pricing---I didn't expect to leave feeling cheated. Others have had good experiences...but this was ours.
(1)Pam B.
Great place .... Fabulous Seafood. The Death by chocolate cake, we'll just say it is to die for!!!!!!
(4)Eden R.
I've been meaning to write this review for a while and just kept forgetting to do it. We went to Oceanaire a month or so ago before seeing a show at the Buell. Because it's been a month, I can't remember our waiter's name, which is unfortunate because he was fantastic. We were a couple of weeks out from a trip to Sonoma so we were really pleased to see so many bottles on the wine list from Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. We each had a bowl of clam chowder which was DELICIOUS (and had a yummy tangy kick to it) and filling. Because the chowder was so filling, we decided to share the Halibut Cheeks at our waiter's suggestion. We were going to order some additional mashed potatoes with it (most things on the menu are ala carte) but he suggested that we not since the fish came on a bed of mashed potatoes (we were so full by the end of the meal, I'm very thankful that he told us not to order the extra potatoes just to increase our bill and hence extra tip). We also had the Brussels Sprouts on the side which were also AMAZING. The kitchen separated our shared meal on to two plates which was a nice touch. We didn't finish our wine and had some food left over at the end, the waiter knew that we were going to a show so he offered to keep our food and wine in the back for us to pick up after the show which I thought was really nice. This was our second time at Oceanaire, second time with great food and great service. Will definitely be back.
(5)Dave P.
My Birthday Bash was here, and it was wonderful! The happy hour! OMG, the happy hour! It's all friggin day! Signature drinks and awesome food...it was perfect! Staff was very helpful...our waiter even told us that a large party was about to come in, so we should put in our food orders now, to avoid any wait. And he was right on! A group of 40 came in, and it got busy...but we didn't seem to notice. We got everything quickly and it was so good. I will go back again and again and again...
(5)Mike C.
I had a lousy dinner here Thursday night. I was very disappointed as I have eaten here before and had a great meal - which is why I came back vs trying somewhere new. On the recommendation of our server I ordered the Halibut Cheeks and my co worker ordered rainbow trout. The Halibut was awful - I actually didn't finish it. It tasted like nothing and just didn't seem right. I've had halibut cheeks before and this was not good. Not sure how fresh it was - and just no flavor. Bland and blah. My co-workers trout was not much better. I couldn't believe what they served her. The fillet was paper thin - hardly any meat. Unfortunately very bummed....
(1)Phung L.
Good appetizers. Crab cakes were delicious. Got to try different kinds of oysters as far as east coast and west coast, can definitely taste the difference when it came to the brininess and such. Complementary dessert for my friend's birthday was quite a spectacle as they lit it on fire which was cool. Very nice ambiance.
(4)Elky M.
This. Was. Incredible. Salmon. Shrimp & Grits. Old fashioned jumbo fried shrimp. I know it's part of a huge restaurant group but it takes size and power to pull off fresh seafood flown in daily at mostly affordable prices. You need to go to there!
(5)Shaun S.
New Happy Hour Menu Bad: Drink Prices Increased By $1 Good: 5 PM - 7 PM AND 8 PM - CLOSE Sun-Fri DRINKS $4 DRAFTS New Belgium Seasonal Guinness Fat Tire Coors Light $5 Wines By The Glass La Marca Prosecco Campanile Pinot Grigio Montgras Sauvignon Blanc McManis Cabernet Sauvignon Red Diamond Merlot $6 Specialty Drinks Oceanaire Mojito Martini Spiced Apple Manhattan Patronarita Perfect Bacardi Mojito $7 Specialty Martinis Lemon Drop Pomegranate Martini Ketel Cosmo James Bond Martini FOOD $8 Crab Cake Bites Ahi Tuna Bites Spicy Tuna Tartare $6 Grilled Beef Steak Bites Steamed Mussels Trio of Oysters Oysters Rockefeller $5 Old Fashioned Shrimp Cornmeal Fried Oysters Red Chili Calamari Fish & Chips
(4)Amy D.
I went with five others to Oceanaire last Friday for their $30- 2 lb. lobster promotion (part of the same group Mike E. mentions in his review). We were seated quickly and our waiter was on top of everything. Unfortunately, that's going to be the highlight of this review. After we were seated the bread and relish trays were delivered to the table and our waiter took our drink order. Since we all knew we wanted lobster we didn't review the menu too much except for to choose a couple appetizers and sides to go with the main course. A few others and I got the clam chowder and loved it. Word around the table was the poke was yummy as well, though I didn't partake. Here's where the drama begins to creep in... Before the apps came, our server came to take our dinner order. Six lobsters, please. Our sever asked if we wanted those shelled. I expected them to be cracked, but I didn't even think getting it shelled was an option. Yes, please! All six of us. So the entrees are ordered, we're finishing up appetizers and order a second round of drinks. Somewhere around here the drawn butter was sent to the table. And it stayed there for an insane amount of time before the lobster actually arrived. As we're sitting there I'm noticing it's taking forever for the second round of drinks and there's almost no wait staff around. Anywhere. Where is everyone? A few minutes later more staff starts milling about and our second round of drinks arrive. My mojito was passable, but my friend's second Hendricks and tonic had two very old, very brown cucumbers floating at the top. Our server was quick to make it right, but according to the drinker, even the second attempt at fresh cucumbers wasn't all that great. We also got another bottle of wine for the table, one we thought was the same as our first bottle, but when it came out it wasn't. It turns out our first bottle was wrong - a more expensive reserve - that we didn't order. Thankfully they just charged us for two of the less expensive bottles so we didn't have to pay for the mistake of being given the wrong bottle in the first place. It was funny too because when the bill came we were told numerous times that even though the reserve was very pricey, we were only charged for the normal vintage. Um...thanks? After another little stint, a couple runners came out and delivered the entrees. Gorgeous lobsters in bright red shells. Hey wait a minute! Someone at the table mentioned they were supposed to be shelled and the runners, bless their hearts, said "We'll let your waiter talk to you about that." Uh-oh... So the server arrives after the lobsters are sitting in front of us and politely informed us there was a problem in the kitchen and essentially, they'd had some staff walk out and there was just too much lobster demand and not enough people to do the shelling. We were disappointed and it was odd and off-putting to know the kitchen staff ditched out, but whatever, we could power through for lobster. Er, well we could if we had the right utensils. We waited about ten minutes before the claw crackers were brought over and then another five or so for the tiny shellfish forks. The subpar drinks, cold butter, lack of utensils, wrong wine and a couple overcooked lobsters at the table made for an increasingly frustrating experience, so we asked that the manager come over. A few minutes later he arrives and instead of introducing himself, he announces to the table "So you all ordered the lobsters shelled and they didn't come that way, right?" Well, yes. He explained they were short staffed and he was just trying to keep up and make sure everyone got their lobsters. I don't think he actually ever said "I'm sorry," let alone "what can we do to make it right?" I get there are hiccups and challenges during any given service, but seriously Oceanaire, you're promoting lobster here. Awesome event idea, but horrible execution overall. The sides were nothing to shout about - the broccolini was all right, though not very stellar in the seasoning department. The jalapeno corn bread didn't include one jalapeno that I saw and was also undercooked (see: bites of batter). At the end of the meal our waiter, who was apologetic through the entire ordeal, inquired what the manager offered to do for us and we replied nothing. A few minutes later he came over with two glasses of dessert wine for our table of six. It was a really nice gesture, but didn't save the evening. I've been to Oceanaire in the past, not long before I began yelping actually, and that experience was much more positive than this one. Probably four or five star worthy. Unfortunately, after this experience we won't be giving it another shot.
(2)Ryan W.
This place is amazing! A GO TO must have for happy hour. This place has the best happy hour in the city. And don't let the "hour" confuse you... It's all night! The staff is amazing John, Mario, and Kat are all fantastic. They always take great care of me while I'm there. Here are my favorites on the food menu: Shrimp ceviche, filet sliders, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, fish tacos and you must have the truffle fries! TO DIE FOR! And their loyalty program is pretty solid. For drinks I love the James Bond! For dessert go big and get the Baked Alaska! It's entertaining and delicious! Love it!
(5)Kate G.
Love this restaurant. Great atmosphere, food and wine list. Although always a crowd we were seated right away with a great view. Our meal was delicious. Halibut was perfectly Cooked so was my dates steak. The sides the waiter suggested went really well with both dishes. We were also able to sit and talk and no one pushed us to leave. Wonderful restaurant.
(5)Mike E.
I was part of a group of 6 that dined at Oceanaire last night. A couple people in the group are on their mailing list and recieved an email promoting a lobster special they were going to be running last night. We confirmed our orders the day before to make sure they would have a lobster reserved for each of us. It seemed like they were organized, always a good sign. However, through a combination of poor training, poor staffing, poor attitude by management, and a total lack of any type of team effort to deal with a situation in the kitchen - described as some type of revolt with more than half the kitchen staff walking out. Instead it was a series of what not to do's. Things started out good, a nice table and a server most people at the table had had on another trip in with a group celebrating a birthday. Drinks were ordered, bread delivered, relish trays dropped off. Then things began to slide a bit, only because the drinks seemed to take a long time to deliver. We then ordered some some spicy tuna poke and 3 also had clam chowder. The poke had a nice kick, and I like their presentation with a stack on wantons, they add some good texture, with tomatoes mixed in. We ordered a few sides for the table to share with the meal - salt potatoes and corn on the cob, honey jalepeno cornbread, and steamed broccolini with parmesan cheese and white truffle. Our server then asked if we would like our lobster completely shelled, which I had not done before. The claws had always been cracked open, and the body split with kitchen shears or a sharp butcher knife. This time everyone decided to get them shelled, why not give it a try. After a very long wait our server showed up with 6 small pitchers of clarified butter. He asks a runner that was near to pass it out so he can go and grab the drinks we had ordered a while back. After 10 minutes or so he showed back up with drinks, and a stressed look on his face. I figured the bartender was crashing and burning, but there was much more going on. Although one of the drinks was topped with a rotten cucumber, and the second bottle of wine that was supposed to be the same somehow was not. Then a while later runners show up with our lobsters, finally! Only they aren't shelled, and when we mention this they say that they know and that our server will let us know what's going on. Plus, the claws weren't cracked and there was only a small gash were someone (likely in anger) hit it with a dull knife, allowing lots of little shards of shell in the main cavity. When he does make it back over he begins to apologize profusely, and repeatedly tells us how embarrassed he is. He says that most of the kitchen staff had evidently just walked out. He says he will try to make it right and will get us tools to use for the lobster. After serveral more minutes he brings us each a bucket and a small cracker you use for crab legs. That worked for the smaller claws, but the bigger ones were too tough to crack with that tool. They really needed to be hit on the side with a small mallet on a cutting board. Oh, and those sides. The broccolini didn't have any seasoning, parm, or white truffle. It tasted like cardboard. The cornbread was easily the worst I've ever had, and if there were any jalepenos we couldn't see or taste any. And the corn and potatoes tasted like they had been holding in water for several hours. As things began to spiral out of control we asked to speak to the manager, not sure why he hadn't run interference on the situation in the first place. After some time the GM made his way over and said he heard there was a problem. Now that you mention it - some parts of the lobster needed the jaws of life to get to the growing cold meat, the sides taste horrible, the same bottle of wine became a different bottle, your serving drinks with rotting veggies, your team seems to not get along, and we heard most of your kitchen crew walked. I asked if the people that walked out were the only ones qualified to prepare lobsters. Not shell, just prepare to be served. While making sure not to really even offer any apologies he said he didn't like to make excuses. Then of course he made an excuse, he said 2 people were doing the job of 7 and they were trying their best. All I could think was "Then why weren't you, along with all the other suited managers, back there helping? Since you obviously weren't stopping by tables explaining the situtation" Our server came back and asked what the GM was going to do for us, we said evidently nothing. He seemed shocked, then went and "bought" our table of 6 a couple of dessert wines. Nice try, but too little, too late.
(2)Diego R.
Brought my daughter here for dinner before going to the ballet. I think because I came here with a 5 year old they sat us near the kitchen. Not a huge deal, but the restaurant was not even half full. Service was very good, and several staff members went out of their way to be nice to my daughter. We had mussels and salmon. Both were excellent. Wish they had a healthier selection for the kids menu, everything was fried, but it's not really a kids kinda place. We came back after the show for the cookies and milk for my daughter, and a scotch for me. Both were great!
(4)Amy O.
Oh man, this happy hour was great. (Happy hour, by the way, is all day, open to close, Sunday - Friday but only at the bar). The prosecco sangria is addicting. It's prosecco and captain morgan and is perfectly complimented and cooled by adding cucumbers. Also involved, strawberries for sweetness. I wanted a vat of it. ugh! The parmesan truffle fries were awesome, too. So much tasty truffle oil. I'd go back just for those two items. The filet mignon sliders were just okay. I got a weird piece of meat that was not very filet-y :( The bartender was a bit slow but we weren't in a rush, and he was friendly so it was all good.
(4)Kristen H.
I used to love Oceanaire- it was one of my favorite places in Denver. Not anymore. Over the past few years, it seems to be going downhill and I figured out why- it was acquired by Landrys- where good food goes to die. SERVICE: We went here a few days ago and had a very mediocre experience. The server was pushy, a little rude and insincere. FOOD: The food was hit or miss. APPETIZERS: the crab cake is good here- a lot of crab, little breading. One of the best things on the menu and thank goodness, that has not been changed. The trout with potato chips sounded great but they put so much sauce on it, you could not even tell you were eating fish anymore. The BLT salad was actually very good but was a little gross when I found the food labels still on the tomato. SIDES: The Mexican lime-corn side was lovely. The hashbrowns were good but a little bland. The lobster mac and cheese sounded great but was lacking flavor. The potato-au-gratin was mushy and average. ENTREES: The steak was dry and overcooked. The scallops would have been good if they didn't have a pound of butter and crap on them, masking any real flavor. The grilled items were good. But don;t get the extras with it- too rich and overpowers the real flavor of the fish. I personally find that good restaurants let the seafood speak for itself and don;t try to mask the flavor. They definitely mask it at Oceanaire now- must not be using good quality seafood? PRICE: It is pricey- which I don't mind if the food is great. But for the quality of the food, I think it is overpriced. Oh and by the way- it took 2.5 hours to get through our meal. The kids with us were ready to explode. Overall, I raved about this place when it first opened but now, I would skip it. There are better seafood places in Denver for the same price.
(2)Cliff T.
I love how it feels like you are in an ocean liner in the fifty's (orsomething. how would I know?) Yes! Happy-hour at the bar all day! Great drinks (Prosecco Sangria!) and eats (fish n' chips).
(4)Shelby S.
The food was delicious and the service was great. GET THE CRAB CAKES! If you're looking to go on a low key night I would suggest Sunday. Probably less than 10 people in the restaurant. Gave it a three because for the price you pay I expected more...I would go again but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't.
(3)Kate K.
Easily one of the best Happy Hours in town. So good, I'm almost hesitant to write a review for fear of exposing the little known gem. Sunday - Friday they have a 5- 7 pm Happy Hour. But they also have the lesser known 8 - 10 Happy Hour. Good wines for $4, cocktails and martinis for $5 - $6. And the food is tasty too. At some point I suppose I'll go back and have dinner there, but really, the Happy Hour makes it so that I don't even feel the need for dinner. Every time we've visited, we've had amazing service - the past 2 visits Alex took fantastic care of us. He remembered us from our previous visit, and in my book that's always a plus. All in all a great place.
(4)a-p h.
We had a reservation, waited at the bar for 40 min and it turned out the hostess forgot us. My girlfriends sashimi was ok, my fish was raw inside. Pretty bad for an expensive restaurant like this. Don't go. Save your money and go to ocean prime or sushi den of you got the cash and want good food
(2)Skip W.
I've been trying various seafood places as I travel. Most have the basics with little dabbles of neatness. But the Oceanaire has raised the bar. The experience has a classy twist that expresses the passion they have for food. Menu options packed with very fresh (3 day fresh) seafood and fish with large portions that fit the $bill. The staff are professional, attentive and great crumb scrapers. The food is very flavorful but separate, so if you have a lite pallet you can move things around to taste. Take the most important person in life here to eat and just soak in the expressions on their face. Then comes the warm towel and dessert menu. A true definition of dinning out. I had the Shrimp N Grits, Skuna Salmon black and blue and huge cheesecake like Key Lime pie. Not reviewing a single food item because I'm very positive that it's all very delicious.
(5)Diane L.
We are very dissatisfied with our treatment when we ate here a couple weeks ago. The food was good but my wife ordered grouper grilled and the waiter told her he would put some kind of sauce on it. They way he presented it it would be at no cost to us. Boy we were wrong they added 17.50 to the cost to what she ordered. We visited with management about the issue and he told her he would give her a glass of wine on our next visit. We have decided their won't be a next visit. Watch them as they will add to your meal making you think it is free and you will be ending up paying for it. I'm telling all my friends about our treatment.
(1)Ruth A.
I ordered the arctic charr that was lightly breaded and fried. It was fileted tableside. I have to say it was the most divine seafood I've had. The service was splendid; very attentive! A wonderful menu and delightful wine list! Bravo!
(5)Michael C.
Always good and a fantastic steak. Great for dinner and a show. You can valet your car eat dinner, then walk across the street to the theater and then pick up your car later that night.
(4)Ryan M.
Went with a group of friends before seeing a show at the Buell. We had 9 of us there and the service was excellent. I ordered the crab cake entree, and I think those are the best crab cakes I've ever had. I grew up on the east coast where I was always able to get fresh seafood and these top my favorite ones back there. My boyfriend ordered the trout Florentine and he was a fan. We will be back, especially for a nice date night or even happy hour at the bar.
(4)Tricia H.
Another update...I received a $50 card in the mail from someone from Landry's corporate. Since Landry's owns tons of other restaurants, we chose Saltgrass Grill. The service and food there will be reviewed separately, but I thought it best to at least give credit to corporate for sending me the gift card. Regardless, how Landry's is doing business does not match my dining needs. A sales pitch on a frequent diner program, so-so food, and so-so service have me avoiding Landry's overall.
(3)Rebecca E.
The food was all delicious, though pretentious. We are fans of nice restaurants when the service and meal match the price on the menu. This meal was incredibly overpriced ($40 for 6 scallops - nothing else - on a plate with a lemon wedge, grilled only with a little butter). They were delightful and well prepared, but left one wanting. As a table, we shared broccoli, asparagus and mashed potatoes but none of it was finished and there was much left wanting. The service was showy, but good with one exception. When we arrived, they asked if we had tickets to see the show and confirmed the start time. We had made reservations for an hour and a half before we had to leave. We received our meals only ten minutes before we had to walk out the door. We will likely eat somewhere else next time we go down for a show.
(2)Rich H.
West coast oyster appetizers were fresh, delicious and well shucked - especially the kumomotos. Complementary veggies/pickles were sparse, though the waiter happily supplied pickled peppers when I remarked that I had been looking forward to having them. The 2 lb Lobsters were so-so. One had a shell full of dark spots, suggesting that the lobster was old. The waiter happily (insistently) replaced it, bringing a complementary shrimp cocktail as compensation. Even after replacement, the lobsters didn't rise above "meh," but Denver is a long way from Maine. Even with professional, friendly service it was hard to escape feeling that the Denver Oceanaire doesn't supply the same seafood quality/freshness as the east coast outlets.
(2)Jennifer A.
Since Restaurant Week is almost upon us again (so glad it's happening twice this year!), I thought that I should probably review the restaurants I went to for restaurant week back in February. The Oceanaire was one of two that my SO and I tried, and I'm disappointed to report that the whole experience (food, service, atmosphere) was mediocre. Nothing was terrible, nothing was outstanding. The restaurant wasn't very full, so the server could have been more attentive, although the few times he did make it over to our table he was very friendly. But when you don't see the server from the time he takes your entree order until you're ready for the check, well...not good. And as stated, the food wasn't anything special. I'm glad we only paid restaurant week prices, although even that was a bit much for the quality. As for the atmosphere, well, the whole place has a really early 90s vibe to it. Just dated and kind of sad. I won't be giving it another shot, but who knows, plenty of other people on Yelp had a good experience, so maybe you will too.
(2)Aileen D.
Something's slipped a little. My favorite crabcake is not the same. I don't know how to describe it other than it was wetter than I remembered. Maybe the kitchen is going light on the crab and using a more mayo? Service was a little lacking also as we had to ask for bread, and then again ask for butter. Weird. I will always think of Oceanaire when craving seafood but I am always open to finding THE seafood place.
(4)Chuck S.
Restaurant #4 of 2012 5280. My cousin and I were dateless on a Saturday night so, he joined me for a 9:00 reservation on Saturday night. When we got there, a few minutes before 9:00, the place was insanely packed. The bar was several people deep almost all the way around and we were told that people were dining longer than expected and we'd have to wait a bit to be seated. We did manage to grab a couple seats at the bar and then had to wait about 15 minutes before a waiter came to take our drink order. At 9:30 the hostess came and found us and went to seat us at a table for 6 or 8 people so she changed her mind and had us follow her to another area of the restaurant. She took us to a circular booth table and just as we got there another hostess was sitting another party there. What confusion. The table right next to it was open so we asked why we couldn't just have that booth, she said she needed to go check up front so, we sat down and made ourselves at home. She came back and said it would be ok if we sat there. We felt a bit funny, two guys, sitting in a romantic booth setting! We had fun with it though. When we did get our bread we didn't get any bread plates until we requested them. I was a bit surprised by the stark atmosphere where white walls are adorned only with a few fish trophys. This paragraph is why the restaurant doesn't get 5 stars. From here our dining experience just got better and better. Jeff was our waiter and he put up with our crap and had a lot of fun with us. When he walked up, almost right away after us being seated, the first thing out of my cousin's mouth was, "We are not gay." From then on, we all played on that and Jeff jumped right on it too. He said we should just call him "Silly." And, that's what the night turned out to be. Jeff was a great waiter and took wonderful care of us. We both got the calamari appetizer and it was wonderful, with the calamari on a bed of a unique, I'll call it, "salsa" blend. I ordered the rockfish and my cousin ordered the salmon medium rare. Both plates were cooked to perfection and the fish was absolutely delicious. The salmon was on a bed of fennel creamed spinach and matchstick fries that complimented the flavor. The rockfish was on a bed of tomato andouille ragout and corn bread crumbs, it was absolute heaven! Jeff just brought all three different desserts to try, thank you Jeff! I'm not a key lime pie expert but, I really liked it! The cheesecake was to die for! Our table busser was Pablo, he was very quiet/shy at first until we started talking to him and then he really opened up and we had a great time joking with him too. If you are going to go out for fish in Denver, this might be "the" place to go. I was happily surprised to find a nice fish place 1000+ miles from the nearest ocean! It's very pricey but, absolutely delicious!
(4)Stephen P.
Sat at the bar for happy hour. The food was pretty decent and the "dollar oysters" ended up being $2 oysters (which is not that great of a deal). The waiter took FOREVER to do ANYTHING. He seemed very focused on serving the older clientele (I am 26), which is fine because old people complain more but if stereotypes are correct they are more conservative tippers. I left a 10% tip, which i NEVER do (usually 25-35), and I felt bad but honestly I couldn't get a re-fill on my drink (because I was only drinking soda) and they had one bartender serving 20 people, with the other bartender only doing drinks for the restaurant. DEFINITE PASS.
(1)Jeanne R.
I have been a big fan of The Oceanaire since the days when it was a small independent chain. It is still a pretty good place to go before the theater since Landry's bought it. We were there for the first time in a while a few weeks ago, and while the food and service is still great, I don't like what is going on with the wine list. I expect a markup of 200-300% on wine whent I go out, but the Oceanire seems to be taking things a little too far. For example, our go to wine with oysters on the half shell is Mantua Valey Sauv Blanc. A month ago it was $38 - a respectable markup for a $19 bottle of wine. Suddenly, it is now $48! So I started looking a little more critically at the list. Wines by the glass are $9 to $15 - and they give you a healthy pour. But, I looked at the $9 white - Canyon Road Chardonney. Not a bad wine, but it sells for $9.99 a bottle. This a 400% markup! The wine list in general has been upgraded in quality, but so have the prices. I still love their food, and I think this the only place to go for oysters in town, but I think I am going to have to limit my visits for a while to happy hour. Such a shame. Also, my previous review should be ignored. The menu has changed totally since Landry bought the restaurant.
(2)Jeff T.
Came here for 5280 Denver Restaurant week. I just was not impressed at all. The rainbow trout was very so-so. Maybe it was just the meal I had, but I won't be coming back.
(2)Lendy L.
For Denver restaurant week, I wasn't exactly blown away by the food but it was not all that horrible either. Of the many selections available for dine week my party of three each ordered an appetizer of creamy potato bisque and the New England clam chowder, which prepared our pallets just right since both appetizers were delicious. However, when it came to our entrees, the fried Colorado striped bass and pan seared salmon sort of made the meal experience go sour. Turns out the bass was coated in a Fresno hot sauce that pretty much is the same hot sauce used for hot wings. This combination of sauce with fish was not what I was expecting for a fish dish. As for the salmon dish, although it came on a bed of cream spinach, the salmon itself was disappointingly over salted. My party left feeling that these dishes are not the best to attract future customers. For our final third course meal, there was the New York Cheese cake and the chocolate mouse, which again both were edible but nothing to rave about. For $26.40 per person for dine week, it's a good deal, but for full prices during normal business offerings, not so much a great deal, if anything it would be straight up high way robbery! I am pretty sure I would never order these dishes again, however for also being a steakhouse I'd have to try their steak just to see if the hype is really anything to rave about.
(3)Dave C.
Marginal value. Good not great food. Excellent service and decor. Painfully high prices.
(3)Becca R.
Okay, I need to say- the service was right on- never had an empty glass or had to ask for anything. A+ on that. But, the food....man, I wanted to love this place. But, it was almost below average flavor profiles and just not impressive. There are some excellent seafood options out there that are actually more affordable.
(2)Andrea P.
Besides the price, what is there not to love about this place? Service: Well in all fairness this was 52.80 week and there was a blizzard, so they were probably expecting to be full to the gills (gills, get it, it's a seafood place....yah my husband didn't laugh either) and this place probably was less full than a normal Sunday night for them. However, they had about 1 server to every 3 tables and then 1-2 support staff for those 3 tables. Meaning: you wanted bread, water, food, anything at all you got it. It was almost overwhelming. Amy was a great waitress who really knew how to speak about the menu and seemed to have a passion for her job and making sure everyone was well taken care of. Food: I'm not really a seafood connoisseur, so I got the surf and turf, minus the surf part that my husband gladly ate. Though I was sad there was no veggie or non-seafood related appetizers I still got plenty of really good food. Never really been a bok choy fan but it was so wonderfully prepared I might have to eat some at home now. I even had a bite of my husband's trout and it was awesome, I might actually come in and order that - that's a big statement out of a non-fish eater. Price: While I will agree you're getting what you pay for here, the cheap side of me still screams out you spent $120 + tip for dinner, are you a mad woman?!?! I could eat out every day this week for that same amount and other places. So I think this will be a special occasion place and not a regular...unless I hit the lotto and then who cares right?
(5)Angie V.
Food was delicious, had the filet and king crab plate. The 2 stars is for the service, I have never felt so awkward in a restaurant in my life. We walk in and the host just kind of stares at us and the manager rudely asks what the name is our reservation is under, we didn't have one as it was early and on a Monday, he scoffs a bit and we are lead to our booth in the bar area. Our waiter was completely strange acting as well, before we ordered my gf got up and went to the ladies room, he came around and said he would be back to "explain the menu" to us further.... I told him we had already decided as we were on a bit of a time crunch. He then proceeded to tell me he would NOT take my order until the other party came back, very snippy! My point was that we didn't need an explanation because we already decided what we wanted to eat. Not sure why the attitude? We waited and waited on our food, finally we inquired why it was taking so long and the manager came over again VERY awkwardly to tell us the steaks had been overcooked and they should be out soon. I don't know why everyone was acting so nervous and weird that day, I have dined here before a few months ago and everything was EXCELLENT.
(2)Garrett H.
Excellent cocktails, side dishes and service. The pecan crusted trout was awful - hardly any pecans or flavor and the fish had a lot of bones in it. If we did not have to get to a show I would have sent it back.
(3)Brian M.
came here for Restaurant Week and as soon as we mentioned we'd be ordering from that menu our server immediately turned ice cold. she would barely make eye-contact and despite my attempts to be social and thank her for everything she never said much or even smiled. In the bar area while we waited for our table, a server came up and asked us if we wanted a drink, we hesitated for a second and before we could answer, he had walked away. Our food was fine, not memorable. Clam chowder app. was good, but pretty small. I had the Snapper Dynamite which was pretty good despite the amount of bones i pulled out of my mouth. Had key lime pie for dessert and it was as advertised, pretty standard.
(2)Astrid M.
Three gripes: 1) one heck of a high price point 2) we went on a thursday evening in the winter, so it was sort of empty 3) we waited rather a long time for our food However the staff was really responsive and the food - from the little taster of pickled stuff and warm bread to the entree's themselves - was to die for! Yummy!!! They know their food! Also, we were celebrating my son's birthday and they brought out their flaming desert thing (don't ask me what it was called) for him as a surprise. That was a really nice touch.
(4)Alicia H.
I will be back, no question there! A friend and I went here for 5280 week. Our waiter was excellent and took the time to explain in detail their menu. He mentioned they had won awards for their crap cake slider and their Caesar salad so I got both. My friend got the Caesar as well as calamari for our appetizer/salad portion of the meal. The Caesar was definitely award winning! The dressing was even over all the lettuce, the Parmesan was fresh, and they garnished it with an anchovy (which I have never eaten before) and it was delicious! The crab cake slider was very flavorful and had a sauce over the top that made the cake sing! I only ate half the bread that came with it though. Main course was fillet minion for him, and trout for me. The sauce on the steak was amazing! A little hint of sweet that complimented the steak perfectly. The trout (in whole fish with eyes and all) was de-boned stuffed with shrimp and cheeses was in a creamy lemon (I think) sauce. I could only eat 1/2 of this awesomeness. We also got a side of augratin loaded potatoes and WOW. For dessert (since my friend's sister worked there we got hooked up) we had a slice of the cheesecake, chocolate mouse, key lime, and the baked alaska. Each were veryvery good... I thought the mouse to be a little bitter at first taste, but "licked" the little shell plate in the end. For a great show though the baked alaska was a great finale! A foot tall dessert comes out and is lite on fire and gives off a s'more smell and then cinnamon is thrown onto the flame to give sparks... the knife is heated up in the flame and then cut into halves. YUM!
(5)Jennifer B.
This is a fantastic place! I went here with a group of girls from work for a working dinner. We were greeted and sat immediately with a smile. I was a bit nervous since I am not a big fish person. I have been getting more adventurous but almost an entire menu of fish was a bit overwhelming but I was willing to try. After spending some time reviewing the menu I finally selected what I determined to be my best option - Alaskan Halibut with some king of creamy bacon sauce (everything tastes better with bacon). LOL. My friends had ordered some whole fish which sounded delicious. We ordered two sides, the au gratin potatoes and a side of asparagus. The food arrived and mine appeared to be an entire Halibut, the server slowly poured some of the bacony goodness over my beautiful fish. The other two had their whole fish arrive table side with two servers who de-boned the fish in front of us perfectly. They timed it so nice that they almost finished at exactly the same time. I wonder how I can become an expert de-boner?! That was pretty cool. The food was fabulous, I can't say enough about it. They turned a fish hater into a fish lover. I would go back there in a heart beat to try the rest of the menu. Be ready to be wined and dined and waited on hand and foot. What a surreal experience. I highly recommend this place for a romantic dinner or a fun business outing. Please enjoy.
(4)Roxy J.
Pretty good seafood! Prices on wine were a little high. The mussel appetizer was delicious. I had the mahi mahi for the main appetizer - very good! A table mate had the stuffed shrimp, she loved it. The dessert was okay. I would skip it. A little pricey overall, but delicious meal (except for dessert). Our service was great. We will definitely be asking for Wade in the future!
(4)Hokie F.
Seafood in Denver? What was I thinking? More akin to a steakhouse vibe with toppings and sides ala The Palm. A bit overseasoned for my taste.
(3)Theresa L.
Our meal and service was superb! My husband had a bacon steak. Yes, that's right, a big hunk of lovin BACON, before its sliced into those crispy breakfast strips. Not a steak wrapped in bacon, a steak OF bacon. Need we say more.
(5)Larry R.
I have had better experiences at other Oceanaires. The food here was fair but definitely not worth the high prices. All the Oceanaires are high price but I felt I got better tasting food at other places. The fish was just not the best in terms of flavor. It was a little on the bland side. Also it took fifty minutes to get to our table! In addition my appetizer sat in full view on the counter while the wait person chatted with some people they knew or liked better than us because they ordered more expensive things? We won't be coming back.
(2)Sungeeta A.
I had dinner here with my friend and we were both very impressed. I had the Black and Bleu swordfish, which was delicious. It had cajun spices, blue cheese, and caramalized onions. So flavorful! Slightly on the too salty side, though. For dessert we got the Baked Alaska, which they set on fire tableside! The meringue had a burnt caramel taste to it because of the fire, and it was amazing!! The chocolate cake part was pretty moist although not the best.
(4)Lindsey K.
The location makes this a great spot for a Happy Hour app and drink before heading to the theater. My friend and I ordered crab cake bites, spicy tuna tartare, fish and chips and shrimp cocktail. I found their HH menu to be very heavy, with few choices for those trying to eat healthy. The 3 crab cake sliders were somewhat bland and seemed to contain a fair amount of filler. The tuna tartare was also lacking in punch. So much so that when I pulled up the menu online to write this review I was shocked that the word "spicy" was even in the name. I ordered it thinking it would be a healthy option and was sad that it came on top a heavily fried and still oily wonton. The shrimp cocktail was sizable, with 5 large prawns. Maybe I am used to the super nasal clearing powers of the cocktail sauce at Elway's, but I found theirs to be lacking in horseradish. The shrimp are boiled in some kind of seasoning, which may be a plus for some and not for others. My favorite dish was the fish and chips. Arguably the least healthy, it had 2 large pieces of fried fish and really delicious shoestring french fries. Service was fantastic at the bar and the hostesses seemed genuinely nice. I will likely give this place another try at some point, but with so many great restaurants in the area it's hard to justify a return trip based on my first impression: bland food.
(3)Bryan M.
I know its a chain. I understand that. I didn't accidentally click the 4th star. This was no accident my friends. The only real reason I can't give them the 5th star is based solely on the fact that when I go to have fresh seafood in at Fino in SF or Ray's Cafe Seattle its a different experience. This place provided me with one of the best seafood experiences I've had... in my landlocked state of Colorado. There is a section of the menu with their constant favorites (i.e. the stuff you can get at each link in the chain), and then a section of locally sourced or at least locally crafted menu items. Things you can only get here. I liked the mixed approach. Their service is 7-star good, from the moment Marcia (sp?) met me at the front door. They knew my name, my guest's name... there was even a special printed menu for my friend Todd's birthday. Our server was fan-fuckin-tastic. After my experiences at Ambria and Oceanaire recently, I'm beginning to re-think my shitty attitude towards service in Denver. We started with the crab cake - near perfect. Not much filler. No chunks of celery or onion mucking up things. The jumbo shrimp cocktail is the low-light of the meal for me. Large, but dry and sort of tasteless shrimp. Thankfully the house made cocktail sauce had a lot of punch. I ordered the Diver Scallops (Oscar style). Todd had the Blackened Mahi. We shared an order of the cheesy bacon potatoes au gratin. Good portion of potatoes. Great melted crust on top. We meant to actually try each other's food at some point but independently finished our dishes, looked up and said, 'Sorry, dude.' Scallops were great. They brought a baked Alaska for Todd's birthday, which was nice... although I was promised a mariachi band and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"
(4)Brittany B.
If loving a restaurant is wrong, I don't want to be right... I stepped into the lobby this evening and remembered just how much I love this place. The decor, the people, the food, the wine... My parents and I arrived a touch early for our early dinner reservation (they like to eat right after they get off work) and we were welcomed with smiles, sat, and immediately attended to. Everyone was very attentive without making us feel rushed. My mom enjoys asking a lot of questions, which were answered in a friendly and knowledgeable fashion. To be honest, I usually get embarrassed by her inquiries, but tonight we felt well taken care of and that no question was trivial or silly. We ordered a bottle of wine, followed by another of the same that nonetheless tasted just a bit different, still good but just different than the first (perhaps another batch from the same year) and after our server ensured we were satisfied with the second bottle though it wasn't identical to the first, she immediately delivered fresh wine glasses to each person so the tastes wouldn't mingle. We ordered a few oysters and she was happy to help us decide which to order based on our taste preferences. She also suggested the Shrimp and Grits appetizer, which is apparently one of their signature dishes, and it was fabulous. The portion of calamari for RW was smaller than in years past, but the quality was still superb. The clam chowder was beautifully done. The yellowtail sliders were fine, but not outstanding in any way (they weren't mine, but my dad loved them). On to the main courses: Rockfish with grits, fried asparagus, and barbecue sauce -- delicious! Fish cooked perfectly, the "BBQ sauce" was very light and added a slight kick to the dish, the grits were wonderful... and the portion was enough for me to have leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. I will gladly re-live this meal tomorrow... My dad ordered the trout with brie and crab. (this was my second choice, but I'm glad I went with the rockfish) Tasty but very rich and the brie kind of overpowered the bite I had. He was happy with it though and also had enough for a leftover meal. My mom ordered the clams, which had mussels intermingled, which she enjoyed. Dessert was great, if a little much for all that we'd already had. I didn't try the key lime pie, but the cheesecake with strawberries was wonderful and the chocolate mousse was delightful. Restaurants: THIS is how you do Restaurant Week! Take care of your patrons, allow them a leisurely experience, and put your best foot (food) forward. I'm a little sad I've only been once per year... I may have to splurge and return before DRW next year...
(5)shea s.
I can am a seafood fanatic. I don't mind spending the money if it is good food. This is, in my opinion, the best sea food in Denver and surrounding area. I have been to all of the seafood restaurants in the area and not only does this one have the best, perfectly cooked, unique recipe, and exceptional taste, but the service was some of the best I have ever had.
(5)Deb S.
Best fish restaurant I have ever been to. Possibly the best restaurant in Denver. The waitress my partner and I had was great. The meal incredible. The wine pairing delicious. I will be back
(5)Shana W.
My first experience at Oceanaire will be my last. I was expecting mediocre, overpriced food with decent service. That's about what I got, though I was still surprised at how lacking the food and service were. My $40 plate of scallops was described as including beet greens. I had no idea that meant 1 tablespoon of beet microgreens sprikled over five scallops. The scallops were fine, but nothing more than I could have purchased at Whole Foods and made at home. The tomato mozzarella salad was good, but doused in italian dressing that tasted like it came straight out of a Sysco tub o' dressing. My companions were similarly unimpressed with their dishes. Tiny portions of mediocre fish and awkwardly composed side dishes. And the desserts were Cheesecake Factory style mega desserts with so much sugar you couldn't taste anything else. No nuance, no originality. Just an onslaught of sweet. What was really confusing was the service. It was earnest, but very awkward. A lengthy spiel was apparently necessary to explain the menu to us to start us off. I shouldn't need an explanation of how a menu works. Is it a list of food? Can I pick something and have you bring it to me? If it's more complicated than that, the concept needs a makeover. But that wasn't the waiter's fault. What kept standing out was repeated holes in the service. My iced tea disappeared during the middle of my meal, reappearing 10 minutes later. They forgot to bring utensils before the grand presentation of the birthday dessert, leaving it to sit and melt for 5-10 minutes after it was blown out. They removed someone's half-eaten dish without asking if she'd like a box and it went into the trash (though they graciously made an entire new dish for her to take home after she asked about it). The valets informed several people that they had to get their cars by 10pm because that's when the valet closed (which would have cut our dinner short by an hour, though the manager overruled them). None of this was egregious, but for the amount of money we spent, I expect much more. I ate at Oak in Boulder the previous night, got twice as much food, three times the flavor, and four times the service for less money.
(2)Brian S.
Visited Oceanaire for 5280 week. The food was excellent, service was first class and overall our experience was 4 star. We will return for more. The fish was fresh and the steaks as tender as they come.
(5)steve j.
This place is consistently great. The fish is the freshest in town and the service is impeccable. Our maître d even loaned me some change for the parking meter, and the wait staff are cordial and attentive. We had the mixed grill and the "fin and shell" fish stew, which are their classics. Both are fantastic.
(5)Steven H.
Still a terrific place. Had a light dinner that started with a mix of Fanny Bay and Clear Creek oysters, both from British Columbia. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Then I had the best wedge salad I have eaten this year - the blue cheese dressing is amazing. Finished with the appetizer-sized crab cake, which was all sweet lump crabmeat and not a stingy portion, either. Service was friendly and very competent. Not a cheap meal, but in this case I got what I paid for. Left a happy man!
(4)Steven M.
Ate at Ocenaire a few weeks back before the Opera. I had eaten at their Minneapolis location years ago and remember it being very good. This one was not as good, unfortunately. We were seated quickly which was nice and had reasonably attentive service. We ordered some oysters and entrees and asked the server to make sure it was prompt since we had a show to catch. At this point I think we had 90 minutes, so I figured we were good. Unfortunately, everything took forever to come out. We finished up and paid only 10 minutes before curtain! The food was pretty middling. Maybe it was because they were busy, but the fish I had was oversalted and a bit over cooked. My Girl's fish was slightly better, but nothing we couldn't outdo at home, honestly. As you know this place is outrageously expensive, but doesn't live up to the level in the quality of the food. I won't be back, especially given that Ocean Prime is only a couple blocks away and an order of magnitude better on every dimension.
(2)Denice R.
I've been to Oceanaire in Washington D.C., several times, so I was excited to try the one in Denver. It was 5280 Restaurant Week, so we went with the price fixed menu. We did order one item off the menu (crab cake), which was the best part of the meal. I was not impressed with the Caesar salad nor the main entree (fried Colorado striped bass with Blue Cheese Grits, Fresno Hot Sauce). Actually, I didn't enjoy the grits at all and I love grits. Dessert (key lime pie) was delicious as usual and the service was impeccable. Overall, if I never eat at Oceanaire again, I will be just fine.
(3)Andreas H.
OK, so our second trip to Oceanaire was during Denver Restaurant Week 2009. It went a little something like this: The Superb: The mussels appetizer in a white wine/curry sauce. Fantastic! It probably helps that it is the height of mussel season, but they were truly delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection! The service was great and the gratis appetizer of sourdough bread and pickle-plate is always a nice touch. The Average: I had a Mahi Mahi entree that was good, but truly forgettable. The saving grace was that it was cooked perfectly. The Horrid: Dessert. Seriously, I want my calories back. We didn't even complete our desserts. The "New York Style" cheesecake was a crustless square of goo. Oh yeah, not even set up. It tasted like it was out of a box. My wife's dessert, Key Lime Pie, also tasted similar. It barely had any citrus taste at all, but at least it was set. BONUS: We had some $6 a glass Sangiovese that was actually pretty awesome! YAY! It would have been a 3.5 if it had not been for the dessert, which put it to a 2.5, but I settled on a 3.
(3)Jian C.
I was there last Saturday night with two friends. We wanted to change to a seafood restaurant, because we had too much meat the previous evening. We ordered three appetizers: snail, clam, and oyster. All very good. For entrees, we had diver scallops, whole Colorado bass, and icelandic arctic charr. All very fresh and taste delicious. I am giving a 4 instead of 5, because the scallops come with too small size, or maybe it's because we did not order side with it. Recommended if you are visiting Denver. It is rare to have so fresh seafood in the mile-high-city.
(4)Nicole M.
I made reservations and they asked if it was a special occasion. I let them know it was our anniversary and when we arrived we were greeted quickly and shown to our table. The menu was personalized with the date and "Happy 21st Anniversary" to take along as a souvenir. Pretty cool. The place wasn't packed and the staff was extremely attentive. My husband ordered the appetizer crab cakes that were out of this world!!! 95% crab compared to the cheesy crab cakes at other restaurants that are all bread. I had a seafood trio platter for the main entree. The food was fantastic. We haven't had seafood this good since a trip to the Northwest Coast. A nice touch was a free dessert - a tall baked Alaska - for our anniversary! Showed up at the table and set afire. Nice touch. We were stuffed, but it was delicious! I have heard some negative reviews about bad service, etc. You need to let them know ahead of time if you are on your way to a show (Performing Arts center directly across the street). It avoids the hassle if you let them know when making reservations or even when you arrive. We will definitely go again. Parking is available in the Performing Arts garage or on the street.
(4)Sarah S.
This is always a great meal. We come back again and again.
(4)Mary Jo S.
Over the holidays, Ms. M, my theater partner, and I ate at Oceanaire before Jersey Boys. She made the reservations and told them we were celebrating my b-day a few weeks late. Entering Oceanaire sets the stage for a great dinner as it is lit low, has a beautiful bar with colored bottles glowing in the darkness, and dark paneled dining rooms offering intimate dining. We were seated and handed a daily menu (I love this feature as it tells you what fish were flown in that day) and to my surprise the menu had a Happy B-day MJ message printed at the top. Our server told us the daily special which we barely heard as we knew we were going to split the Grand Shellfish Platter. I had a cup of the clam chowder before our meal which was so rich and tasty. And then it arrived, a giant snow cone of ice filled with all kinds of seafood treats: lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, shrimp, oh my. 4 small bowls of sauce were placed between us and we were in dining heaven. As Ms. M and I sat back in satisfaction, our server then comes to the table with a towering desert compliments of the house for my b-day. It is Baked Alaska and she lights it on fire and taps her serving implements to make cinnamon fire sparkles. How special is that? It is pretty special I say and to top it off, the menu was rolled up and tied with a bow and presented to me as a gift accompanied with a birthday card signed by the staff. Now we are talking special!!!! All in all a great meal and a perfect celebration. Another big plus is that Oceanaire is only a block away from the theater so a nice stroll after dinner gets us there in time for the show. So, this is a 5 star experience. And I should give Oceanaire 5 stars. However, the prices are so outrageous that I expect Oceanaire to give this type of service and for the food to be over the top at all times. Sometimes it is not 100% and for that one less star.
(4)Lauren D.
I came here for the second time with my boyfriend for his birthday about a month ago. The first experience back in October was all around phenomenal! I usually don't venture out to corporate restaurants but we were a big party and majority vote. The second time I came in a month ago for my bfs bday was also good...but only thanks to our AMAZING waitor Wade. We had called ahead, as it was a Sunday and we weren't sure how busy they would be. We were told a reservation at 8pm was not needed and for us to come right in. When we came in (mind you we're a couple in our 20's dressed casual) the hostess was extremely rude and almost degrading! She was an older woman and the other hostess was young and kind. But the older hostess was appalled we didn't have a reservation even though we explained we were told one was not needed (and it didn't appear to be busy at all!) The older hostess even waved us to the side out of the doorway, we would not have even stayed at this point but it was his birthday and those crab cakes are to die for!!! When we were finally seated our waitor, I believe his name was Wade (an older gentleman, VERY professional and classe) greeted us promptly. Wade was without a doubt one of the best servers I have ever had. I have been a server myself for over ten years in various establishments from Chicago to Miami and now in Denver and he was the cream of the crop! I was in a pissy mood from the bitchy hostess and he turned it all around with his quick wit and excellent recommendations! He was both personable and hilarious to talk to! I could tell he was reading us from the get-go and based on our conversation, he was able to provide an excellent dining experience. His wine pairings with specific dishes was on point! We left happy, full and content with a wonderful birthday dinner. I would recommend Oceanaire if you have a special celebration or a little extra money to spend. Wade, you did a fantastic job and we will ask for you again soon! To the bitchy hostess lady, do not judge a book by its cover and learn to treat every guest with the utmost respect. You never know, we may just be YOUR boss one day.
(4)Jen G.
I was terribly disappointed, and I *love* the Oceanaire in DC. The one in Denver had the worst service I have ever experienced. I had to order my drink 3 times before the waitress brought it over; we had to get up and refill our own water glasses; and no one bussed our table. In fact, when our entrees arrived, the food runner had to push aside dirty dishes from our appetizers and salads (he didn't take the dirty dishes, mind you). The food was surprisingly marginal. The crabcake appetizer and the salads were good (although the salads were extremely finely chopped, as though prepared for a very young child). My fish entree was overcooked. For dessert, I ordered the milk and cookies, which is my favorite at the DC restaurant. The cookies came out completely burnt. As in, charred black hockey pucks. The waitress expressed surprise when I told her they were inedible. The manager came over to tell us that it's hard to find good dessert chef in Denver, which a) yeah right, and b) it's not hard to set a timer for cookies. They charged us for the inedible cookies anyway. The service was so terrible, and the price so high, that I actually wrote to the manager. He wrote back and asked for my phone number so that he could discuss my dining experience...and then never called me or responded to my follow-up email. My take-away: this place doesn't care how they treat you, so long as you pay them a lot of money. Go to Jax instead. Heck, go to the Bonefish Grill.
(2)Michael C.
My wife and I ate here on October 15th with another couple who were attending a trade show at the nearby convention center. Most folks will know, as we did, that this a pretty pricey restaurant. I don't mind a little pricey but prices here - $14 for a plain margarita - are, in my opinion, overboard. I had a steak and shrimp dish that fell far below my expectations - especially for the money. The filet had already been sliced into 4-5 small slices - I'll have to take their word for the fact that it was 6 ounces. The shrimp were very small for the price - my guess is that they'd fall into the 36-40 per pound variety - and my plate had 5-6 of them. My wife had a salmon that she said was very good. We split a side salad and our table split several side dishes that were good but nothing to write home about. Places like this where nothing's included - when the food quantity and quality do not impress - are just flat-out way overpriced - period.. There are enough folks with enough money to keep the owners of these type of establishments strolling to the banks with big fat smiles on but personally, I'd prefer to enjoy better quality and value over trying to impress my client or friends.
(3)Peter L.
I should have known better than to eat seafood in Colorado. Had the clam chowder for appetizer and I think Campbell's soup tasted better. For entree, I had the scallops with braised short rib, weird combination, I think this is their idea of surf&turf. The scallops was slightly overcooked and flavor was bland. The braised short rib was dry. Both of which I was disappointed. I don't have much to say about this place but just a mediocre seafood restaurant but I was in the city for work so this meal was expense-able, because I will not want to pay for this meal.
(2)Katy P.
Excellent service & amazing food. We wanted fresh and delicious, and we were not disappointed. Our waitress, Tina, knew the whole menu and very kindly educated us on the fish & any items we were unfamiliar with. Crab cakes were amazing, plus lobster & Swordfish Louie, finished off with fruit crisp and Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie. A GREAT experience.
(5)Sarah J.
This is the most pretentious place i have ever been! The food was not good. Portions were small and the taste was bland. $200 later for only 3 of us for stuff we werent impressed with, I will never be back here!
(1)Dayton R.
This was my first visit to the Denver Oceanaire; I have been to two other locations, Orlando and San Diego and have always been impressed with the service and food. We had tuna and crab cakes and both were very good after that things went downhill; the service was terrible our waiter hardly visited our table and our potatoes were served cold. We spoke to the manager and she did not charge us for the potatoes and comped us desert. When we ordered our desert our waiter said they were large and should order only one.
(3)justin d.
this will be a easy review, the food was awsome, the service was great and the liquor selection is nuts! the birthday dessert they brought out was huge and words could not explain how it tasted!
(4)Veronica W.
In every train wreck there is a defining moment where the train goes from running smoothly along on the tracks to becoming a pile of twisted, ugly mess. This moment was about the 3rd bite into my entrée of King Crab at Oceanaire on New Year's Eve. Our reservations were at 6 and we arrived promptly only to be told that we didn't have a reservation. Fortunately, I had proof in my e-mail from OpenTable. Maybe I should have taken this as a sign. I didn't. We were seated and service began. My husband ordered a Rye Highball. The waiter said that he didn't think the bartender knew what that was other than the type of glass, but he checked and they did. Again, a sign. Our appetizer was the Calimari "Boudin". It had really good flavor, but had been a little overcooked. Easy to do with calamari, but it shouldn't be done at a restaurant that specializes in seafood. The next course was our Crab Bisque, which was delicious. I expected it to be sweeter, but really enjoyed that it wasn't. I think it may have been the best part of our meal. Then we waited for our entrees. Dan got the Surf & Turf (ordered Med Rare and it was served still mooing) and I ordered a pound of King Crab Legs which they shelled. We were splitting a side of asparagus and got a crab cake as a side, too. We'd heard the crab cakes were fantastic, and the couple of bites I got to eat of it lived up to that description. Really they were delicious. Unfortunately, that's when that defining moment happened. Bite 3 was served up with a fire alarm. Flashing blue strobe lights, loud bleating sirens and a mechanical voice saying something we couldn't make out over the siren. Our waiter came to the aisle and announced that it wasn't anything we should concern ourselves with, but was something to do with the Curtis Hotel. They are on the same fire alarm and "This happens at least once a week." Once a week!? Really? We were encouraged to continue with our meal. However, due to a light sensitivity that causes migraines I sat at the table with my hands over my eyes. For 10 minutes. About 3 minutes into the fire alarm, I asked the manager if I could get warm food when it was all over. He whisked away my delicious plate of King Crab and placed it under the heat lamp. For 10 minutes. Trust me when I tell you that crab meat (and asparagus in hollandaise) doesn't do well under the warmer. Rubbery $40 crab is what was returned to me. The waiter didn't apologize for the fiasco. The waiter didn't ask to see if everything was alright, including me (who had been visibly bothered by the lights). Instead of dwelling on the bad we forged forward, finished our entrees, and ordered dessert which was "made by scratch by our in house pastry chef". Had this been a movie there would have been the sound of crunching metal at this point instead of just the sound of the other diners talking. I can honestly say that I've never had cheesecake that crumbled when it was cut. I mean literally crumbled. Into crumbs. Not even graham cracker crumbs, but little dried up cheesecake like crumbs. Dinner was done. We made it out alive only after the manager stepped on Dan's foot as we were getting up from the table. To make up for the fiasco we were comped out on ONE of my two $8 glasses of proseco. Somehow that 4.7% discount didn't seem to make up for the rubbery crab, the cold side dishes, the inedible cheesecake and the crazy strobe light fire alarm action that had the potential for creating my last migraine of 2009 and my first migraine of 2010. For this kind of money I won't be back to give them a second chance. There are too many fantastic restaurants out there for me to risk their weekly fire alarm show.
(2)Chris S.
I went to Oceanaire expecting a first-class seafood dining experience, which is hard to come by in Denver. What a LETDOWN! My partner's side-dish was very visibly dirty. The food was mediocre, not bad-- but I would have expected much better. My entree (Ono) was cooked unevenly, with one piece medium rare and the other piece well done (and tougher as a result). Calamari as an appetizer was also mediocre and relatively tough. Key Lime pie for dessert tasted like a jello pudding mix-- again, not bad, but I've had better Key Lime pie out of the grocer's freezer. The only pluses were the bread, the atmosphere, and the service. But when a restaurant charges $30+ per entree, the food better be spectacular in my opinion. The quality to dollar ratio was really poor I thought, and I will not be returning.
(2)Michelle B.
I dined at the Oceanaire in DC and loved the vintage supper club feel of the place and the incredible service- the kind that mostly disappeared 30 years ago with the advancement of our fast food culture. My first visit to the Denver location didn't dissapoint. The deep red booths, white table cloths and the rich wood all took me back in time. The only thing that could have made it even more retro would be a giant fish tank with a showgirl 'mermaid' swimming inside. Our waiter was so attentive, charming and very knowledgeable about the menu. I was with two other ladies and we shared what I now refer to as the "Seafood Extravaganza"- a floral arrangement-like gathering of all the best the sea has to offer. A screaming deal at about $50. We ordered that plus the au gratin potato side and a side of the largest stalks of asparagas I think I've ever eaten. By the end we were completely stuffed, but somehow had enough room to split a creme brulee. It was one of those meals where you leave the place completely satisfied- all your hopes were fufilled, all your desires granted. Excellent service, excellent food and I'm still hoping for that giant fish tank. I'd even volunteer to be the mermaid, as long as the feed me!
(5)Katie S.
The food was good but NOT worth the price. Got the calamari top pieces were decent size but then got to just fried pieces of breading. Sauce served with it made it taste like basic chinese food. Lobster tail over cooked definetly not worth 70 dollars. I still am not happy i paid so much for a meal that was not worth it. Not going back
(2)Paul B.
Great seafood selection (best in Denver). Overpriced. Service is relaiable. Not personal.
(4)Joanne L.
It's been a while since I ate here but I remember it being pretty good. The calamari here was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice. The waiter was very knowledgable and polite. The only thing I didn't like too much was the au gratin potatoes. The potatoes were undercooked so they were a little hard. Everything else was amazing.
(4)Edward T.
Sadly to say, my favorite meal I had during restaurant week came from a chain restaurant. This place was packed on a wednesday night during restaurant week. Everything we had here was spot on and a great value. To start the meal they bring you pickled herring with crudite which was complimentary and very good . We got some east coast oysters which were not on the $52.80 menu but worth every penny. Calamari was thick cut but still very tender. I had the trout and my wife had the tuna. The tuna was simply amazing.... seared and still cold in the middle. The portion was beyond generous. Seriously would have been enough or two people. for dessert, go with the key lime pie....perfection. Also they also had a special $26.40 selection of wines. We went with cali chardonnay which went great with the seafood. It was our table neighbor's B-day, they gave her a baked alaska on the house which was very impressive. I'm saying its my B-day net time I'm there. This is the best seafood I've had in Denver.... Better than Jax, sushi sasa, and the fresh fish co. GB fish and chips and star kitchen come close though.
(5)Jennifer L.
Okay I went to the Oceanaire in Seattle and I wasn't sure Colorado could compete but I was wrong. We stopped in for happy hour and were greeted by a helpful and cheerful hostess...Samantha. Sat at the bar which was pretty full as they have plenty of business for happy hour 7 days a week. We were severed by Keeli and let me tell you she can make a great martini w/ champagne worth the taste. Also the crab cake was delicious plenty of flavor and full of blue crab and not full of filler only CRAB. The salad was the perfect compliment with blue cheese and crispy granny smith apples. Hat off to head chef Matt. You sure did bring the Seattle Oceanaire to Colorado.
(5)Daniel L.
Food was ok. You're paying mostly for a fine dining experience. The waiters remind me of car salesmen but with food.
(3)Emily L.
This review is for happy hour at the bar only. I've heard the restaurant is fine but I don't know. Anyway, happy hour: the bartender told me that well drinks were half off and yet when the bill came for my rum and coke it was still $6. Really? So $12 is the regular price for a well rum and coke? What a rip off. I also ordered food from the bar menu, I got the fish and chips. Basically two over breaded fish-stick sized pieces of fish (and the fish was nothing spectacular) and a handful of fries for $9. I mean, I get it, it's happy hour, I'm at the bar, but I still feel like it was a lot of money for nothing.
(2)Jessica K.
I dined out at three different locations for resturant week, and this one was by far the best! Though 5280 seemed to overwhelm other resturants, Oceanaire seemed on top of it. Staff was timely, polite, and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic! I really felt like I got a great value, as the regular menu is pricey. Still, I'll return even w/o 5280, as I was that impressed, and it's SO convenient for the theater!
(5)Nate A.
So I took my wife for her birthday to this location of their chain and it was very good, but....The reason I choose this place is because I ate at their location in Miami when I was there on business. The food, service, etc. were all amazing and out of this world, in Miami. As for Denver, the design is very cool in color (and temp), the service was good but while I told the first person to our table it was my wife's birthday it was not passed along to anyone else, nor did the host ask. Anywhere else not a big deal but if they expect you to drop $200 on dinner they need to be asking the questions and passing the information. The escargots were a great app and were uniquely prepared, tasted really good. We both had the Black n Bleu bass special as I had had my fish prepared that way in Miami and it was excellent. To bad the fish was way overseasoned, the butter hard as a rock, and the fish overcooked this time. We still enjoyed it but sorry for $38 per 6oz of fish it has got to be perfect, and I mean perfect. The fish they choose doesn't work well with that heavy of a seasoning, it should be a thicker fish to allow more of the intense flavors to be offset by the meat of the fish, all in my opinion of course. We had a potato side dish which was reasonablly priced and tasted good. So I guess what my problem is with this place is they are just too expensive, we usually go to McCormick's but I wanted her to try this place instead. I am sorry I choose that as I felt the prices they charge are outrageous. We were dissapointed to learn that Landry's (who owns this place) bought McCormick's seafood chain, they truly are great and reasonably priced. One last ax to grind on this restaurant is the horrible music they have, you are spending an outrageous amount of money for a small piece of fish and you are listening to what sounds like teenage pop music mixed with club beats, seriously I guess I just belong at Morton's or McCormick's for special occasions (I am only 36 so not to old to like some of today's music)....anyway save your money and eat elsewhere, just not worth it (maybe the bar is, it looked like some good deals on drinks/apps/oysters)....
(2)Tatyana G.
We went there for 528o to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We had 7 adults and 4 kids in our party. 3 of us came a little bit earlier so we hit the bar. I don't drink and was pleased with a nice person at the bar who kept my water refilled and cold. For dinner we were seated in the corner which was a great place with kids. We were able to keep them away from other patrons. A very cute gesture is to have a menu with birthday boy's name on it. When we came the restaurant was almost empty and I made a comment about it. Spoke too soon! withing about 30 minutes they were almost full. The service was not the best. Probably, because they were packed. It was hard to get our waiter's attention, he kept forgetting things. Ok, we can understand. Then the food came. For first course some of us had calamari (very good) or clam chowder (could be better). I was the only one who had beet/feta cheese salad. It was light and tasty. For main course my husband and I ordered trout. Mine was great. My husband was not impressed with his. My friend ordered trout also but her's was full of bones. I never had this problem. People that ordered steak were surprized by the size of it. It was small! Well, it was 5280. Dessert was ok. Waiter made an excellent suggestion what to order for kids. Why only 3 stars? Well, the next day almost everyone had a stomach pain. Since we all had different food it was hard to pinpoint what caused it. I would go back there so I can be honest with my review but I don't think it would be very soon.
(3)Rick R.
Every aspect met highest expectations-all on a busy New Year's Eve! Every dish delivered timely, fresh, perfectly cooked, well-sized, flavorful, and with unique presentation. Highest marks to the Field Greens Salad, Stuffed Idaho Rainbow Trout (stuffed with succulent crab meat, shrimp, and brie, in a white wine burre blanc - yum!), Petite Surf & Turf (with a sub of crab cake for the warm-water lobster tail, as cold-water is much better for lobster), and an exquisite Rice Pilaf. Superb Service: Seated on time (on a holiday!). Fully attentive but not intrusive, knowledgable and helfpul (especially with the advice on the surf & turf sub), and made us at home - no rush depsite it being New Year's Eve! A Bargain! The 1/2-size sides matched full-size at comparable a-la-carte style restaurants. The overall price was 15% below similar meals at comparable restaurants. I have raved to friends, and look forward to returning! This is now in my top 5, with the likes of Capital Grille, Roy's, and Morton's. When I'm in the mood for a top-notch seafood meal, this will be a first consideration.
(5)Thomas S.
I found The Oceanaire to be very underwhelming. The service was great, but the food was very average. My salmon was overcooked and had little flavor. My wife had shrimp and cheese grits, which were comforting, but hardly anything that will bring me back. The BLT salad was very watery and the dressing had little flavor - the highlight was easily the bacon. The clam chowder was good - but I've had equally delightful chowder from a can. The desserts were good, but they did little with the presentation. I had a key lime pie, which was okay. I found the retro decor of the establishment to be cheesy bordering on creepy. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)Dale P.
I am surprised at the number of unhappy customers recently. We had never been before, but went in for Denver restaurant week. For those from out of town, the promotion is that a restaurant serves full meal for two people for $52.80. We met some friends and had overpriced small cocktails at the bar. I say overpriced, but they were actually a normal price for downtown, but could have been larger for the price. Got our table and were promptly served fresh bread, butter, and a relish tray. The promotional dinner had a number of choices for the first course. There were appetizers, salads, soup to choose from. My partner order calamari, and he got the best deal. I had a crab cake slider and a small salad. It was very good, but I sure liked the calamari better. The main course had a choice from salmon, charr, mahi mahi, tuna, trout, top sirloin. We also ordered a side of mashed for the table. On their menu, things are al a carte. We ordered the charr, and it came with creamed spinach and fried fennel, the server recommended that we order the potatoes, and they were good, but probably would not have missed them had we not ordered them. Dessert was a choice of key lime pie, chocolate mousse, or new york style cheesecake. It was all delicious. Servings a bit smaller, but the price is right and it was plenty of food for us. The service was exceptional, and everyone really works together to make sure everything goes smoothly. Wish we could afford to go more.
(5)Mopsie B.
This is as good as it gets in Denver. Yes, Oceanaire is a chain, but it happens to be an excellent one. The vibe is old-school, the managers and hosts are all spiffied up and the servers wear crisp white jackets. The seafood is flown in fresh, daily and you pay for it here. But what wouldn't any self-respecting bon vivant pay for a well-made cocktail with his lobster? Factor in the AMAZING sourdough bread, well stocked wine list and the vanilla dixie cups for dessert and you've got yourself a winner. We've been twice and have yet to be disappointed. Oh- bonus points to "Christo" the waiter on Saturday night. Hilarious.
(4)Brandon M.
Loved the swordfish, very fresh seafood. Key lime pie was very authentic.
(5)Laura B.
More like a 4.5....I need to go back there more often. My BF and I went about a year ago and spent a ton of money: ordered lobster, crab, bacon steak, oyesters, wine.....we went all out! I think our tab was around $350?? We have not gone back since and went last night for the clam bake bucket that Monica had written about. 'We decided to sit at the bar, because they have happy hour even on the weekends. I started with a great dirty martini (blue cheese olives) and then we moved on to a bottle of syrah that was on special for $20.10. Great deal!! We had some oysters, and some of the best spicy tuna tartar I have ever had!!! We then shared the lobster bucket that came with soup and salad....so much food!!!! The bucket was large with clams, mussels a whole lobster, taters, and corn. We had an amazing meal and with apps, drinks, wine, for around $100, much more reasonable! The also had several other specials for $29 3 course meals...great options! I have to go back and try that halibut t-bone! It is nice to know this place can be afforable (if you dont go with the delish $40 lb crab legs...Ill save those for a special occasion). The service is also great, both bartenders rocked! We will be back soon!
(4)Corbin G.
Best Filet Mignon I have ever had in my life. Had it Medium/Medium Rare. Oscar style with Bearnaise sauce. Melted like butter in my mouth!
(5)AnneMarie C.
Great for kids. I wanted to try the food because of the great yelp reviews, but was scared away because of the note: good for kids=no. That's just crazy. I called to check whether they could accommodate us with our kids and the host assured me they loved kids. This place was fantastic for our (fairly well-behaved) 2 & 5 year old. Toys for the kids; a comprehensive, if somewhat expensive, kids menu; and an outstandingly kind waitstaff. The manager came to our table before dessert to ask of the kids wanted to see some big lobsters. He took us back to the kitchen and gave us quite a show, putting a lobster to sleep by petting it. My kids were amazed and loved the experience.
(5)Jerry S.
Not sure what all the hype is about. Went there because of all the good reviews...I was quite disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Had good service but the seafood was not so fresh. I could have caught them on a bad night. Saturday must be a slow day for them. A bit overpriced too.
(2)Paul R.
It is great that Denver has a first class seafood restaurant in a sea of steakhouses. While I agree that the mark up on the wine is very high and the prices for the food are high, I think it is well worth the visit. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. The host staff can be a bit snobby but the servers are spectacular. The highlights of our visits have been ((1)) the shellfish platter (cold platter with a ton of fresh seafood- excellent and filling) ((2)) the crab cakes (mostly crab-- not bread crumbs) ((3)) the monkfish ((4)) the alaskan crab legs (I have never had such fresh, remarkable crab legs) ((4)) the trout simply prepared and ((5)) last but certainly not least, the Tuna. I asked for it extremely rare and they offered to serve it to me sushi style. This was the best tuna I have had in Colorado since we visited a fishmarket in Tokyo a few years ago. 10 ozs of pure heaven. Other nice touches: the veggie and pickled herring platter that come before the meal (gotta love a place that has pickled herring!), wonderful amuse-bouche before meals, chocolate candies to take home on valentines day, health pours for a glass of wine, etc... Things to note: the sides items are pretty heavy and not the highlight of the menu- I would skip them. parking can be a pain but they have valet, make reservations- can be packed, the desserts have not been that impressive but I am also not big on baked alaska... Overall- this is one restauran that I will keep going back to
(5)c k n.
This was certainly one of the best dining experiences I've had. I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, using an online service (free) to make my reservation and even request a dessert for her (cheesecake, which I found they usually carry anyway, but which was also very good). The server we had was very friendly and knowledgeable, recommending fantastic dishes and the appropriate amount of each. We got the escargot for an appetizer, which was great, and for our mains we ordered the stuffed trout and crab cakes, both of which were absolutely superb. (I've had some fantastic, homemade crab cakes at a friend's house on the Chesapeake in Virginia, where they catch blue crabs, and these were on par with those: lots of actual crab meat, less breading). Dessert was also fantastic: we had the aforementioned cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries as well as a Baked Alaska....YUM. Ambiance was nice, service was excellent, the food absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. Fantastic! Recommended to anyone who likes seafood and wants a great meal in a classy restaurant.
(5)Moon L.
I was super excited to go last night since I won the fb contest. My husband and I have been waiting for a chance to go back since our last visit. This place never disappoints! The oysters were so yummy and buttery and our bartender was incredibly accommodating and sweet. We plan on coming back again soon. Thank you OASFR!
(5)Ken S.
Well the wifie poo got a nother year old today and her choice for b-day dinning was The Oceanaire in Lodo...Nice choice babe....Our server was Chad and what a great night we had from the food to the service. Wifie had the Fijian Tombo Tuna and I the Pacific Swordfish....awsome... add the saffron rice pilaf and fried green beans and we were off to the moon...First we had the Prince Edward Island Mussels with a bottle of Pinot Grigio ...just great..a martinni and a Bye Bye Mai Tai to keep us company until the meals came...and about every 3 minutes we had waitstaff or management checking on us...A G M Phillip greated us at the table as we were seated and checked back at least 5 times to assure the we completely satisfied...and you know that goes a long way with me. The recomended late harvest ice wine with the compted Baked Alaska rounded out the feast...The Baby Spinach Salad with a warm Bacon Vinegrette shall not go un-mentioned...so much going on...but that salad was yummy times 10...Top to bottom...a night to be remembered... Thanks Oceanaire....when Momas happy...everybodies happy.. And Try to keep me away ... the Breeze loved it all...
(5)William L.
Excellent food and service. Wine prices are very high for the quality.
(4)Lowell M.
What a FANTASTIC restaurant. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted by friendly, professional and caring staff. You really feel welcome. What a surprise to actually get seated at the time of your reservation. The waitress was so nice and attentive. The wine glass never went dry without being asked if we wanted another nor the water glass filled as it got low. The only thing better than the staff and ambiance was the AWESOME food. I highly recommend the mussels and the blue marlin. If you are not a fish lover, the steak is absolutely out of this world. The side dishes are HUGE so you only need to order 1 and split it. Finish off the evening with their baked Alaska and you will be talking about the dinner for months.
(5)Justin F.
I usually eat here for happy hour and its one of my favorites. There is definately better deals around, but Oceanaire is classy and the food is great. I usually order ahi tuna sliders, oysters, mussles or trout off of the happy hour menu for six dollars. The drink specials are ok at $6 for martini and select wines $7 however sometimes they have beers for $3 depending on what is left over from private parties. All in all if you love seafood and want to go some where nice oceanaire is the spot.
(5)Archer D.
Expensive for Denver, but then again the seafood is spectacolor. And their portions of seafood are huge, don't bother with appitizers or sides, which our waitor was pretty honest about. Their lavender tuna was awesome! Wines were expensive, but they give you a very healthy poor. Cool art deco ambience, kind of reminded me of a mix of miami and the grand center oyster bar.
(5)Dan B.
People, what is wrong with you? Don't stare at me with that stupid look like you don't know what i'm talking about. Oceanaire is dog meat. I truly can't understand it. I was minding my own business last night when a buddy invited me to join our mutual friends for 5280 week at Oceanaire. Because my wife was working late and there was nothing in the fridge i decided to blow $26.50 and give Dog-shit-aire one more chance. You see i'd eaten there three previous times and each time it sucked. Each time i went back i was HOPING to get a good experience as i would love to have a great fish place to frequent in D-town. But it's that kind of thing where, as time transpires, you forget just how bad a place was. Some strange malaise comes back over you and all of the sudden you find yourself thinking you actually might "like" this place and maybe YOU were the problem. It's like trying to get out of a bad relationship. Well, anyway, we get there and it's F-ing packed because apparently most of Denver enjoys the taste of Goodyear tires. I will admit the bar area is cool, but beyond that there's not much to salvage. At the recommendation of the General Manager we all ordered the same thing. Yup, five grown men all eating the exact same thing (lame)...black and blue marlin. It's hard to say whether or not this piece of fish actually started out with any flavor because it was drier than a fabric softener sheet. Unfortunately in hindsight i would've much preferred the taste of Downey over this thing on my plate they told me was fish. It pretty much looked like a deformed bar of soap and tasted, well, it had no taste. The error i made was actually trying to eat the whole thing, As if somehow i would start to enjoy it as my jaw went numb from chewing each bite 143 times. To make matters worse, the water service simply was non-existent. So i tried washing each bite down with a gulp of wine. Well, this was clearly a bad idea as i had started the night with two martinis. Before dinner was over i'm pretty sure i blacked out from the Super Tuscan (Terrible pairing with Marlin, thanks crappy a-hole, dummy waiter) we were drinking. I don't remember going home ( i didn't drive) and woke up in the bathtub at 4 am. Now here i am, at work pissed off because the only thing i have to show for that horrible meal is a hangover. OH, and by the way, who the hell do you think you are charging $8 for Valet, Ocean-dog-shit?? This isn't fucking Manhanttan or San Francisco. Fuck you, Ocean-Alpo-aire! See you in six months.
(1)Kyrie C.
My husband and I came for our 10th anniversary and love love love this place. First of all, they printed special menus for us to keep with "Happy 10th Anniversary" at the top. The food was exquisite ... The crab cake is amazing, and the seafood is super fresh. Our server, Kyle, was topnotch. He even surprised us with a special dessert -- baked Alaska! If you haven't had it before, try it for the presentation of it (plus, it's yummy).. We will definitely be back and absolutely recommend this restaurant!
(5)Chris H.
Last week my wife and I went out for a nice dinner compliments of my Mom, it was her treat given to us as a Valentine's Day present. Mom would probably drop dead if she new the final cost of this meal but I know for sure she would have enjoyed every last bite!!! I wanted to mention this because I do think it is important. I just read a review someone wrote about The Oceanaire that was not too favorable and I find it very surprising. I have never heard someone complain this much about a coat check. How was this so offensive? Coat check is pretty normal at an upper end restaurant? I thought it was a nice touch when they took my jacket for free? Keep up the good work! I have to say that the food was fantastic!! We had a selection of Oysters for the 1st course, the oysters were chosen by our waitress who was nice enough to give us a selection of the days catch. She also recommended a great bottle of wine, good enough to order a second! The salad we had was amazing as well, one item I usually like better at home. Not this one though, the Apple Fritter Salad will cause the biggest of meat eaters to fall in love... So after a nice bottle of wine, some oysters and a delicious salad our entries arrived to our delight. The only thing I was unhappy about was that I could not eat my dinner and my wife's dinner at the same time. This was a great meal!!!! I had the Big Eyed Tuna medium rare and it was perfect, my wife had the stuffed trout and it was out of this world. Both of us ate every bite even though they were huge servings, great food does that to us. The sides we had were excellent as well, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with holindase sauce. Succulent to say the least!!! For dessert we had the Key Lime Pie that can convert the biggest of Key Lime Pie haters. Another item that was just amazing and large enough for 4 people to share. My wife and I took the leftovers home and had pie 2 more times that week. So please do not runaway when they ask to take your coat!! Give in and enjoy a great dinning experience!! This is a restaurant where you go to have a nice long dinner, their goal is not to turn your table 4 times a night, it is to provide an amazing dinning experience... P.S. This place would get 5 stars if I gave them out that easy!! 5 stars are reserved for restaurants that make you want to kill for a reservation!
(4)alex b.
Went here last night to take advantage of the Spring special 3 course menu for 29.95 each. We were shocked to see that the regular price for the entrees alone were like 26.95! The portions were the same size as the a la carte entree. The salad had too much dressing, the calamari was delicious and the deserts were perfect. Great deal. One would be kind of crazy not to take advantage of this deal!
(4)Buckwheat S.
Nice room good service, food was mediocre at best. There are too many great places to eat in Denver to spend top dollar for poor food. Small portions, tasteless, I could go on and on, but I already wasted my time and money. We go out to dinner several times per week I know poor food when I find it.
(1)Sabrina C.
My fiance and I were extremely excited to take my parents to Oceanaire before a show at the Denver of Performng Arts. None of us were impressed from the minute we walked in the door. The first thing said to us was "Can we check your coat." Not really what I want to hear when I enter an EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE restaurant. After being seated and looking over the "al a cart" menu, I tried to have a good attitude and felt the meal would make up for the unprofessional entrance. We started with appetizers which in my opinion were over priced and not tasty. The clam chowder was cold the mussles were very sandy. The main meal was not impressive, my fish had bones in it, which was a real turn off. My dad had swordfish, which was very fishy tasting. The ahi tuna lacked a lot of flavor...the ahi tuna appetizer at PF Changs is 10 times better and 10 times cheaper. The side dishes were very sad, we had the flavorless potatoes and a big broccoli head that was very hard to share. We each had one drink, no dessert and our bill was about $250. I love food and don't mind spending on a great meal...but we were all very unhappy. Service was average. Overall, this was not the experience I was expecting for a seafood place in the middle of downtown Denver. So far I found The Fresh Fish Company to be priced very fair and their food is an absolute delight. I have alwasy had a great experience and great service!
(1)Lucy M.
I really do not understand why anyone likes this restaurant. I was a few minutes early for my Restaurant week dinner but my table wasn't ready for at least 15 minutes. Now, I didn't really care about this as I had a good book and I'm pretty easygoing and the staffer who explained this was very nice. But it didn't get better from there. I looked at the wine list and wines by the glass were ridiculously expensive. There was nothing less than $9 and they were actually charging $15 a glass for Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. They should be ashamed of themselves. So I ordered San Pellegrino, which I never actually got. My server seemed completely uninterested in me. The app, tuna sliders were fine so I thought, OK, I'll still give this place a chance. The entree, baked scallops were very heavy rich and flavorless. A total disappointment. The chocolate mousse was completely unremarkable. Also, I couldn't stand the atmosphere of this place. Too loud music, too many tables packed into a little space, not a relaxing special place to have dinner for that much money. Never again.
(2)Mark B.
Very good food, atmosphere, experience!!! Try the crab cakes and sidecar for a drink!...that's all I have to say. I ordered a tuna steak and it was quite delicious. The sidecar as you might be wondering was the drink of class during the 20's and 30's and trust me the barkeeps at Oceanaire know how to make them..hiccup! Have a good day!
(5)Angela B.
Had another fabulous meal here last week; this is what I consider to be an "expense account" place. It's not cheap. However, they import a wide variety of seafood daily, it's expertly prepared, and the overall atmosphere is both stylish and classic. The side portions are all fresh and extremely generous, as are the salads and desserts. If you AREN'T on an expense account, the bar is fabulous and they do a solid happy hour. Service has been impeccable on every visit, and all the dark wood paneling with a classic cocktail menus is straight out of a rat pack movie.
(4)E.J. F.
Last summer I visited the Oceanaire in Miami and posted a review after having an excellent experience. With that in mind, a friend and I decided to try the Oceanaire in our hometown after attending a concert nearby. Although it was good, it fell a little short of my expectations. After being seated (which took awhile), we waited for several minutes before someone approached us. We ordered off of the Spring Market fixed price menu, which offers three different choices of an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29 per person, a very good deal compared to the regular entree prices (plus the expense of adding sides since everything more or less is a la carte on an Oceanaire menu). My friend picked the New England clam chowder, which would've been good if the clams had not been so firm and chewy. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was soaked in dressing and somewhat bitter. I chose the salmon, which was accompanied with chutney, mixed field greens and a mustard vinaigrette. Unfortunately, the vinaigrette was too subtle to even notice, making the dish too sweet for my taste. After tracking down our waiter (who did not come back to check on the food after serving it - what ever happened to the two minute rule??) and bringing this to his attention, he suggested bringing a side of the mustard/mayo that is served with the crab cakes. This added the right touch of sour to balance it out, and I was happy with that. My companion chose the mahi mahi, which was very good, as were the somewhat smallish desserts. It was after 10 p.m. on a Saturday and they were almost empty, so the staff appeared to be focused on wrapping up things for the night. When the check arrived, our waiter had neglected to add a bottle of wine we had ordered to our bill, so we reminded him of that. Prior to leaving, a manager came by to query us about our experience, at which time we gave him some feedback, which he was receptive to hearing. I will remain a patron of Oceanaire and have no problem recommending to others. However, part of me feels like we were being forced to settle on the quality of the food [from the fixed price menu] because of the lower price, which isn't something I felt that great about since it came to over $100 when all was said and done.
(3)Dan S.
Great ambiance and service. Overpriced for what you get. They seemed to feel compelled to mix meat into items that typically do not require meat (i.e. hashbrowns, rice pilaf, spinach, etc), so this wouldn't be a good place for vegetarians. King Crab was very good, but for some reason served on a hot plate. Halibut was good too but could have used some side sauce options. Caesar salad was excellent. Dessert menu could use some more staples.
(2)Thomas M.
The food was excellent. However, the portions were small for the price. Also, beware of the bartenders and waitstaff pushing $19 glasses of wine. It wasn't that great and that markup is just obscene.
(3)Lynn F.
Ocean Air in Denver ? True, not an ocean in sight, but you can't eat that fabulous mid-america steak every night. This swanky retro swing music playing restaurant is an easy walk from all the downtown hotels. They are just down the street from a big mall/ theater complex which could explain the rush to accomodate the early dining/ pre-theater crowd. We got ignored for a bit around 7:45p. As for the seafood, surprisingly good. They fly everything in fresh every day, so the menu changes daily. Some odd local delicacies thrown in like thick cut bacon. Lots of salads, sides, fish from around the world, oyster bar. Absolutely hugh menu full of choices. The mandatory steak is offered for fish haters. Loved the greek salad, which didn't seem greek as instead of feta there was bay shrimp and tiny bits o crab. All side dishes are hugh and sharable. Loved the corn. Desserts are architectual or on fire. Ordered the Baked Alaska for the spectacle. On the pricey side: $30 - $50.
(4)Suze P.
Great food, excellent service, nice atmosphere, but way too loud!
(4)Del A.
Bottom line- exceptional service, ultra fresh seafood, not cheap. Oceanaire is to seafood as Mortons is to steak. The menu is a la carte and you order sides to share. Quality and freshness is superior. For this type of quality and service I would expect greatness and Oceanaire delivers. The oysters are beautiful- if you like them briney and salty I recommend the Hurricane variety from the East Coast. They taste like you're drinking in fresh sea air- amazing! The crabcakes are CRAB with very little cake and ingredients that highlight rather then cover up the flavor of the sweet lump crabmeat. The petite Grand Shellfish platter was piled with crab, lobster, steamed mussels and more oysters- all was sweet and fresh shellfish served with a nice accompaniment of sauces. (though the sauces weren't really needed - the fish is good on its own) And a shared side of the salt and vinegar fries- thin, crispy, flavorful. Great dipped in the mustard sauce that came with the shellfish. I had a bloody mary that was perfectly seasoned and great with the oysters. Followed by a reasonably priced Pinot Grigo/Sauvgnion Blanc blend, suggested by our waiter, that lent itself very well to the shellfish. One of my favorite restaurants in Denver and a lovely treat!
(5)Nolemana V.
I've been here a couple of times and wanted to wait to review it until after my second visit so that I've had a chance to try a few dishes. And I have to say, this place is pretty damn good. I've tried the calamari, tuna sliders, oysters, seafood app tower, Hawaiian opah, halibut, es car go, and even the sea urchin app special. Everything tasted fresh, was cooked almost to perfection, well prepared and presented. The staff provided an excellent experience as well- very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, my experience at Oceanaire has me wanting to go back for more. But just a heads up, if there is one drawback to this place, it's what you'll pay for the "experience"...definitely not cheap!
(4)Sandi D.
Happy Hour at the Oceanaire: Although I haven't had the opportunity to formally dine at Oceanaire, I've had the pleasure to HH it. My most recent experience was yesterday afternoon, where I decided to wait out the traffic into the burbs ( That's becoming a theme with me -- but did you see that traffic) I arrived at Oceanaire at 5:30ish -- only 2 other people sat at the bar; the restaurant empty....still early for dinner, and it was a Monday night---a tough night for any restaurant, let alone one where people consider it a special occasion place. During the 90 or so minutes I was there, only a handful of people showed for the HH specials, the restaurant itself stood virtually empty. While I'm surprised more people didn't take advantage of HH; I'm not too surprised at the empty dining room. After hearing about the latest closings ( Gallagher's, Ocean for example) it's evident that even the expense account set is cutting back. I know I'm sounding doom/gloom, but that was the atmosphere at Oceanaire --at least that's how the uptight atmosphere came off as. Let me explain: Upon arriving, each person is given "The Treatment" . The hostess guides you to either your table or to the bar, where they formally introduce you to your server, or in my case, bartender. Maybe it comes off better for dinner, but it was too much for drinks and an appy. The bartender shakes your hand, asks your name, where you're from, and other small talk, as if you're at a cocktail party; all in the attempt to have you bond with the staff. HH menu itself is limited, but no more than most places. They have 6 or so wines for $7 a glass, martinis and small plates for $6. I had a Sangiovese that was tasty at $7, but not one I would order outside HH pricing ($12), as a whole bottle sells for less than $9. Restaurants who price 1 glass for more than a whole bottle gets my gourd; what ever happened to doubling a bottle, tripling the glass price. Now we're upcharging over 4x the cost? Wow. But back to our show -- Ok, I had my conversation, poured my sample, then the glass of wine....do I want bread/butter asks my new friend, Ian. I decline, and ask for a snack suggestion. My next stool neighbor pipes in, telling me the smoked trout was terrific. Sounds good to me, and it was. A decent portion for $6; the smoked trout was floating in a very good olive oil, surrounded by fresh kettle chips. The idea is to place a small amount of trout on the chip, substituting toast points or perhaps flat bread. It works in theory, however the amount of oil made the chips soggy, and soon became too fishy. So why the 4 stars? Well, I like the place. I like how hard they try. I like fish, and I love wine. Even though they only have 6 on HH, they do have something like 300 bottles, and it was fun as hell to look at the menu. They even gave me the Captain's wine list, which was in a book; the holy bible for us oenophiles. I would give them a try for dinner -- especially on a night like last night where Marlin was part of the 3 course for $30 something.
(4)Rodrigo S.
I would say this place was OK, I did not have seafood I opted for the lamb. Sort of interesting that they provide a cold plate with pickled herring (not my thing). The waiter sounded like a humming bird on blow when he rattled off the specials and closed with the king crab legs are straight out of the "Arctic Sea" just like on the Deadliest Catch, obviously he was confused (it's actually the Bering Sea). I had the Caesar salad, the lamb and some fries. All was good but the fries came out barely warm. A highlight is the guy who filled the water glasses etc., he was very professional and johnny on the spot when our drinks needed a refresh. I will probably not visit this place again.
(2)Horacio J.
Yes. The food is delicious. Shrimps are HUGE. I gave it a 4 because the limited drinks for happy hour. All in a great experience.
(4)Valery L.
The red chile calamari at this place is divine, and the happy hour drinks are great. The crudite plate served before your meal is nice and refreshing. After having two dinners at this place, I've decided if I go back it will only be to sit at the bar and have drinks/apps, as dinner is overpriced and nothing special. The blue lights in this restaurant and decor in the bar area are gorgeous.
(3)Kyra R.
The schtick here is that the chef changes the menu every day, depending on what has been flown in fresh. Perhaps the chef needs time to perfect a few dishes before switching things up. The mussles app was enormous and tasted like the bottom of a rock. The shrimp cocktail sauce was overly spicy, and the entree was conspicuously salty. I think the spice & salt are to compensate for the fishy nature of the poorly prepped seafood. By the end of the meal, both my husband's and my mouths were raw. Served the wrong entree (ordered trout - received salmon). The most awkward restroom decor on planet Earth. In decal letters a foot tall, the womens' restroom wall says, "The iodine content of fish helps prevent goiter and other ills." Seems like a last ditch effort to convince people that this meal was a good choice.
(1)Stewart L.
Confessions of a seafood snob :-) I'm originally from Maryland Mecca to me at least of seafood so needless to say I'm very hard to impress I don't know how they do it but they did it the seafood done here is FANTASTIC !!! Crabcakes crabcakes General manager is a East Coast guy like myself so he knows the importance of good crabcakes so you're not going to get a lot of filler filler like a lot of breadcrumbs that's sacrilegious in crabcake land now that's moving along and talk about oysters being a seafood snob ironically enough I've only had oysters fried I am a texture type of person if it doesn't feel good in my mouth I'm not going to swallow it (insert sexual innuendo) LOL :-) The chef makes oysters so so very good if you like briny you can do that if you like subtle flavors with a sneaky punch The chef can do that too overall I'm very impressed with this restaurant
(5)Megan H.
My fiance made a reservation at Oceanaire for my birthday dinner in mid-August. I actually had no idea where we were going until we walked up - love when my honey surprises me! Anyway, from the SECOND we walked in the door, the service was utterly outstanding. We were about 10 minutes early for our reservation. The young ladies at the hostess stand offered to go ahead and seat us or suggested we get a drink at the bar. They have an AMAZING happy hour in their bar area. $7 martinis! And they didn't skimp on the vodka either! If you ever want to go and just do their small plates in the bar area, those looked and sounded fantastic as well. After ordering our 2nd martini, we realized that we were now 15 minutes past our reservation time. So we grabbed our drinks and went to our table. When we sat down, they handed us our menus, and mine had "Happy Birthday" printed on it! I was delighted! The girl then handed me a birthday card that all of the staff working that night had signed. I thought this was such a cool, personal touch. (I'm a bit of a cheeseball though and like little things like this). Our waiter came over very quickly and explained some of the fresh fish they currently had as well as some of the other specials, including a prix fixe menu. We ended up both deciding to do the prix fixe menu which was $85/person. We felt this was a really good deal considering this menu included 4 courses of food PLUS a dessert AND a wine pairing with each course. I am a huge wino, but I was still a bit concerned about having 4 glasses of wine after 2 martinis ha ha. Luckily, they said that because they were pairings they were a bit smaller pour. Good thing or I would have had to be carried out of there ha! Each course was sincerely better than the last. SO good - the timing was perfect on all of them. I have to give a shout-out to our amazing server Ryan. He had an awesome attitude, was super nice, answered our 10,000 questions without getting annoyed. He truly made the experience that much more enjoyable. His assistant server was named Mike, and he also provided outstanding service. At one point, they brought out the wrong course - it was on the prix fixe menu, but it was a course too early (so basically in the wrong order). The manager came over and apologized profusely and brought us an additional appetizer to snack on while they were preparing the correct course. Mistakes happen, and they handled it so smoothly, so we weren't even bothered by it. The food was SO GOOD. I grew up in Houston where fresh seafood is readily available - that is one thing I have missed dearly since moving to Denver. So I was excited to eat at this caliber of restaurant where they fly it in fresh daily. Overall, we were at dinner for probably about 2 1/2 hours. It was an AWESOME experience!! We weren't in any hurry, it was a Friday night, it was a special occasion, etc. I just cannot compliment Oceanaire enough on their staff and their food and the entire dining experience. Cannot wait for another special occasion to justify spending that amount of money again! :-)
(5)Alice G.
3-4 stars- above average Landry's chain (aka Bubba Gumps) higher end restaurant. I've eaten here 3 times now and have actually always been pleased, however there is that over-glossed feel of a slick chain including some up selling techniques at the table. I have mostly stuck to the cold seafood platters and oysters here, which are quite good. Also, the drinks are great, but expensive- our G&Ts were $15 each!
(4)Vilma S.
Had never been here before and I sure have been missing some great eats. Came here for a Yelp Elite Dinner Event and it was great. I decided to splurge and use the Valet--very reasonably priced and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The dinner from start to finish was very tasty. Much thanks to the entire Oceanaire Staff, from Brittney Fear (Sales & Event Manager), the Chef and his team, and Servers that made this wonderful event possible. Service was impeccable and I liked the hot towels after eating the oysters. Very cozy and intimate room for the dinner and it was great sharing and enjoying the meal with fellow Yelpers. The East & West Coast Oyster Duet with Fennel Cream & Caviar were tasty (I liked the East Coast one the best). The Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumbo Sea Scallops with Tomato Risotto, Arugula Emulsion & Toasted Parmesan was just Yummy--all the flavors melded together perfectly. The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Macerated Strawberry with Blueberry Granita & Candied Mint was a great end to a wonderful meal. Found it to be very creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. It's hard to find street parking, but there are plenty of parking garages and the valet service is very reasonable. Free WiFi is very convenient. This is the perfect location to book social, corporate or association holiday parties. You can also enjoy dinner before going to the theater since the Denver Performing Arts is right down the street. I have heard they have a great Happy Hour so will definitely be coming back to try.
(5)Adriana C.
Now THAT'S what I call fine dining! I came here last night for a Yelp Event and left thoroughly impressed with the food and service! First Course- East & West Coast Oyster Duet: The east coast oyster blew the west coast out of the water. I couldn't believe how different the flavors were, the west coast oyster to me tasted like mushy, sandy, ocean water. Note: This was my first time EVER having oysters, so take my review on these with a grain of salt (or sand). Neverthless, very enjoyable to eat. I really liked the East Coast one! They also had caviar on top- my first time having that as well! Are you noticing a trend here? Second Course- Pan-Seared Massachusetts Jumble Sea Scallops: This was fantastic! I love scallops and these were made perfectly. The toasted parmesan on top was a nice touch. Third Course- Buttermilk Panna Cotta: This dessert was interesting, I had never had anything like this either. I did enjoy it, but couldn't finish it due to only having, unfortunately, one stomach. The chardonnay I enjoyed throughout the meal was, simply, the BEST I have ever had. I am not sure what the brand was and I feel like this will haunt me to my grave. I had to pace myself to not down my whole glass in one sip! The GM also snuck my table a crab cake- OMG! So much crab in this bad boy, if I ever came back that would be the first thing I ordered. Us Yelpers were treated like royalty from beginning to end, with hot towels brought in between courses to clean our hands and our glasses never going empty. I almost asked people to start calling me Kate Middleton. Just kidding, kind of... Thank you Frances for putting on this event, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this swanky joint in the future. I hope to check out their HH soon!
(5)Anita S.
Staff, decor, seafood is wonderful. Oysters, scallops and wine oh my!
(4)Nicole P.
ok It's official, I don't have to move back to Massachusetts to get amazing seafood. Everything tasted fresh and beautifully prepared. I find a lot of seafood served in landlocked places try to hide the seafood with lots of other heavy flavors, but not Oceanaire. It was really quite delightful. I had an oyster duo, one east and one west coast. prepared with some fancy foodie words that I forget. My preference leaned towards the heartier west coast oyster. This plate opened me up to oysters in a way I would have snubbed off before. The main course was Massachusetts Scollops with risotto, heirloom tomatoes, and a parmesan crustini. The flavors were light but bold, and delicately balanced. I 110% recommend this dish and will definitely make the return trip to eat it again. This mermaid can die happy knowing this dish is served in Denver. and of course I wolfed down the pana cotta for dessert, served with strawberry and basil, and a blueberry granita. It was really creamy and delicious. Definitely recommend everything I've eaten here. I can't wait to return.
(5)Jaclyn B.
My visit was a great experience from start to finish. Greeted by the hostess when we walked in and sat at a bar table. The decor was fitting for the type of restaurant. Big marlin at the bar surrouned by other sea decor. Our waitress was curtious and very attentive. She also was working the bar. I had the crab cake sliders. First time trying crab it was a very different flavor and texture. It had a swipe of mayo and a little bit of shredded lettuce. Never seen crab cakes presented this way. Great service and ambience.
(5)Christian B.
my visit tonight was courtesy of a private party, although the service was on par with top of the line service that you would expect at a fine dining establishment such as this and the food was well prepared and delicious, I found that the portions and the food that was served were a little unusual to me. The amuse bouche was the size of a dime, but this didn't concern me since if I'm going to try something new for the first time, id rather have it small. what concerned me was what they had selected for the main entree, which was 3 pan seared sea scallops on a bed of risotto with arugula sauce, now Ive been to many a seafood restaurant and a sea scallop is usually considered an appetizer and not a main course, many of the other patrons sitting at my table were also confused at to where the main course was only to be disappointed to later find out it was the sea scallops after they served pana cotta for desert. I usually dont go downtown on a weekday night, but this was a good outing for me.
(4)Dan N.
We stopped in to Oceanaire Seafood Room randomly for Pre-theater drinks and small bites. The restaurant runs an all day "Admirals Hour" drinks and small bites special at the bar. We sat at the Raw Bar section, which has a large display of fresh oysters with their origin, and characteristics. The downside of the raw bar setting is it tends to block access to the bartenders. Getting their attention was problematic. We ordered the Chopped House Salad, Filet Mignon Sliders, and Shrimp & Grits. The Shrimp was the standout, with the White Cheddar Grits, and a vinegary chili sauce that both of us loved. The Sliders were very tasty with the horseradish kick. Finally, the salad rounded out a perfect small plate, pre theater meal. We will be back to try the restaurant very soon.
(4)Brian H.
OH MY GAWD! Becky Look at her Cut...that scallop in half before scarfing it down!!! My gf and I went on a double date here and had one of the most enjoyable experiences EVER! We have been to several fine dining restaurants and to me, Oceanaire was no different. A tad over priced for the ambiance and quality, not to mention the looks of judgment from other patrons as you walk to your table...what I expected. Not at this place! I got there a tad early and took my pc in to get some work done. I was greeted by the hostess who was super cute and friendly. Then a gentleman (Justin?) gave me the wifi password and had me seated at the bar to set up shop until the rest of my part got there. I ordered a Colette since it was only $4 on their happy hour. Once I was seated with my party our waiter, Ryan, kept the drinks flowing and was Super attentive! Brad, the manager, even stopped by to make sure we were enjoying ourselves which may be expected at a place like this but he demonstrated genuine interest coupled with honest authentic recommendations as to what to order. In line with his recommendation, I ordered the Massachusetts Scallops off the Fresh menu, added Black and Bleu, topped with Crab. We ordered the brussels sprouts as a family style side. Before the main, enjoyed the Fondue style cheese dip which was delicious, but could have a been a tad runnier, the lobster bisque with freshly ground pepper which was perfect, and the seafood salad which really hit the spot. (Please note: my gf and I split a bowl of bisque and one order of the salad. The table of 4 split the cheese dip.). After all this, we ordered a slice of salted pretzel/caramel cheese cake AND a slice of the Lemon Meringue pie. If your mouth isn't watering by know you must just naturally have a daily issues with dry mouth. The Bisque: Buttery with a nice thicker texture. Hints of fennel and hearty chunks of lobster. Salad: Finely chopped, waiter plated for us, chunks of crab. Nice house made dressing that complimented the peppers, onions, greens, and cucumbers that we enjoyed in the salad. Fondue: Sourdough was life changing, cheese came out piping hot, but cooled quickly. As it cooled it because a bit tougher to dish onto the amazing bread. Flavor was mild. No seasoning needed. Scallops: This has to be what I would order as my last meal on death row...provided that I was on death row. These scallops were perfectly prepared. Seared and hot. The black and bleu added a perfect element with the blue cheese and if I could top everything, from now on, with crab I WOULD! Thanks to Brad for this amazing recommendation. Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake: UNBELIEVABLE! Perfect balance of sweet and savory. Very rich and SUPER delicious. Key Lime Pie: I don't even like lime. Especially lime desserts. That being said, I tried this pie and it really wasn't what I had in mind. The lime was a compliment to the creamy texture and the whipped cream balanced out the limey flavor perfectly. Conclusion: We don't go to restaurants like Oceanaire every week. Because of that one reason, we choose to try out different ones when we do get to enjoy a fine meal. Based on this experience, I would be fine if every other Fine Dining Seafood joint went out of business because the BEST one of all of them still stood! Bravo Oceanaire!
(5)Gretchen G.
Restaurant week success. Oceanaire has hardly been on the trendy list so it skews to a little older/ conference center audience (clearly using company credit cards). That being said, they've got a happy hour I apparently need to go back for. The waiter did a great job of explaining the restaurant week menu, portion sizes etc. The crab cake taster was delicious but small as he explained it would be. The clam chowder was very creamy, yum. The steelhead was well cooked and a large portion. I could have skipped cookie dessert.
(4)Audrey S.
Delicious! I went here with 9 ladies a week ago to celebrate a birthday before heading to the Buell Theatre to see Cinderella. If you're a health nut craving a cheat day the brussel sprouts appetizers are the perfect solution! Then have a nice juicy slice of fish so you don't feel so bad about the deep fried brussel sprout yumminess! Upon arrival the table was set up, and the menus even said "Happy Birthday Audrey!" at the top. Very customized and welcoming. We had a few people running late, and the staff was extremely helpful and determined to get us to the show on time. I would recommend to any friend who has some extra cash that they go to this restaurant before seeing any show at the DPAC. The location is convenient, and the food is tasty.
(4)Jasmine G.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. It is definitely one of the best seafood restaurants in Denver, hands-down! They are a little bit pricey, but they specialize in every fish you could think of. Additionally, some of the servers here are just truly some of the best you'll ever experience in your life. we were talking to one of them, and he was saying how his whole life revolves around hospitality, and it definitely shows. They are so knowledgeable and attentive. I know that there are other restaurants in Denver that might be considered "the best," but this one NEEDS to be the best. I can always count on an amazing experience here. I was here with my family one time, and a beer spilled while talking a family picture, and the manager went out of his way to bring out some cloth napkins and place them along the table. I really appreciate the high-end hospitality here!
(5)John P.
Excellent food and service. Great menu options. Waiter was attentive, manager came by. Nice place.
(4)Jay K.
One word answer....UNDERWHELIMNG. Happy hour and app's are good but the dinner service left me underwhelmed and disappointed. The slow braised pork belly steak appetizer used to be tender and succulent with a hint of sweetness. This time it was burned, tough and...well basically a hunk of dessicated pork jerky. My filet was cold and bland...plus steak should NOT be served on a cold plate.
(2)Michelle A.
I have been avoiding this place and now I wonder why? We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few glasses of HH wine and a chopped salad with shrimp. We also tried the ceviche. It was all very good and 1/2 the price the main restaurant. We had friends dine in the main room and their shrimp cocktail looked so yummy and the shrimp were so big. When they found out what we spent they said they would try it the next time they go to the theater. The women next to us even tried my shrimp salad and were impressed. Great place before the theater. I cannot wait to go back and try something else on the HH menu.
(4)Mark F.
I'm not an oyster fan, but if I were, I'd be in heaven. They've got quite a collection of fresh ones daily. However, I love fresh seafood. And they've got that too. I've had the scallops and the haddock. Both were great. And the staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's a little pricey....but for fresh seafood and special occasions it's where we go.
(5)Dawn W.
Had a not so great welcome but the follow up by the GM has been impressive. I will be giving it another try soon.
(4)Linda S.
Oh My Goodness! I can't even say how great our experience was at Oceanaire! Cari, our server was exceptional!! She went above and beyond! She made out night exceptional! Brad, the Sommelier, spent extra time providing us with the most amazing wine to accompany every course. Ming, the bartender, stopped by often to make sure everything was to our liking and described all our entrees and wines perfectly! We will be back again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
(5)Annette S.
To bad they were bought out by Landry's...lackluster, ordinary, expensive seafood. We were UNDERWHELMED & DISAPPOINTED.
(2)Jason G.
I am going to be very honest here!!! Once i discover a restaurant is a big chain, owned by a corporate giant it automatically loses points in my book. So here is what I loved about this place-- the Service is top notch and truly attentive from start to finish. If you enjoy big busy places to dine this spot could appeal more to you. Personally I like more of an intimate quiet place to have a fine meal, especially when you are going to easily spend $50+ a person. While the prices are high, you do get very and I mean very large portions of food! In my book is a bit more quantity than quality at Oceanaire. If you want to charge top end prices then please please please deliver on quality ingredients. For me there's better seafood in town and I think for the money it is not worth the bill. For Happy Hour count me in! If you are charging you meal on a corporate card then bottoms up, eat-drink-be merry! On your personal account try if you want, but for Denver we have much better food than this place offers.
(3)Jessica M.
Well, yippee skippee this is delightful! We randomly ventured downtown last week for some cocktails and found ourselves famished and searching for dinner knowing that there was nothing in the fridge at home. After Yelping and checking out some menus, we settled on Oceanaire and are so happy we did! For starters, they have happy hour from open to close in the bar....and it's a pretty decent selection of stuff on that menu. Cocktails, beer, wine, salads, oysters, sliders, fish tacos, etc., all for $5, $6, or $7. Sold. We also really liked the ambience of the place. The restaurant is meant to evoke feelings of an old ocean liner, but it's done in a nice un-dingy way. Looking forward to going back to this one!
(4)Lyna P.
Made reservations here for Denver's Restaurant Week on a Friday night at 7. It goes without saying that I expected the restaurant to be packed and booked for the event. Although this was the case, a fine dining restaurant such as Oceanaire shouldn't lack customer service or suffer from a forcibly rushed dining experience. When choosing to dine out, you're paying as much for the food as much as your are the experience. The entrees ordered (Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna & Scottish Steelhead Trout) were above average. We also ordered extra appetizers on top of the prix fix menus. They tasted good and were cooked to the right temperatures. The service on the other hand was not to par, especially when the label of fine dining is applied. Our lead server, Rashid, was quick to judge our party of college students. We were not uncourteous by any means, letting him know that a couple of people were running late due to extraneous circumstance. Nevertheless, we decided to order anyways because we all knew personally how irritating it would be to have to wait on a table on a busy night such as this. Rashid was very abrupt when taking orders, cutting me off when I asked him questions and leaving mid sentence. I had to remind him to bring bread to the table. Towards the end of the meal he tried to deter me from ordering the Salted Pretzel Caramel Sundae, probably because he had to prepare the desserts himself. This came out without the chocolate as stated in the menu, but I had no qualms as it was busy and it was a minuscule detail --in such a fine restaurant. Finally, Rashid came to the table to tell us that he was not normally so abrupt with his service and that he didn't care if he got no more tables for the night because he had already been working since early that day. He just had to rush the experience because his manager was telling him to get our table in and out for the next guests. Although, I sympathized with him and undoubtedly left him a fine tip, my experience was not fine. ************* Bottom line: food was good, but the price you pay doesn't include a fine dining experience as promised.
(3)Greg D.
What a beautiful restaurant! The food was excellent and service was amazing. Our entire group enjoyed their meals and cocktails. They have a huge selection of fresh seafood.
(4)Dana S.
Decided to check out Happy Hour here before a night at the theatre. Loved the mussels and sliders, other items were okay! Not very impressed with the level of service or the quality of drinks at the bar...
(3)jennifer s.
Gahhh. If I could give more stars I would! I am so in love with Oceanaire it's ridiculous. I was first introduced at restaurant week back in March-ish. It was fabulous! Then, we returned last night as I have been craving a baked alaska, completely under dressed, we ended up staying for happy hour, oysters, and the baked alaska, everything was amazing, our servers were so sweet, and I just love the overall feel of this restaurant. The ambiance is very very nice. Thank you for forever showing us a great time!
(5)Robin B.
Stopped in here after a show for some late night appies. We had the bar to ourselves and get this, it was Happy Hour. The bartender was great and our food was good. I'd recommend this place if you're not up for the very loud Corner Office after a show.
(4)Shellie D.
This is a great spot for HH which is pretty much all day. I enjoyed the mussels and fish tacos. The mussels were pretty much perfect. Could have passed on the mini crab sliders because they were super small and the bun was a bit greasy. The ambiance is very classy and romantic.
(4)Yasser S.
I tried the happy hour menu which gives you plenty of choice for a low price. i loved the grilled shrimp,and the Crabcakes. I tried the steak sliders but unfortunately forgot to mention how it should be done,so i wasnt much of a fan,cause it was salty. The server was great in explaining what i should get and ofcourse the environment was comforting with no noise and enough lighting,but not enough to instagram your food ;)
(4)maria w.
I wanted to love this restaurant and liked it a lot but in spite of the great atmosphere and service the food honestly fell short. Very yummy calamari to start but the wedge salad had globs of ice cold blue cheese dressing and cold bacon on top. My friend had the fillet which was good and I splurged on the $37 Dover scallops with truffle oil. While there were a lot of scallops on the plate they were slightly undercooked, lacked flavor and sweetness. Still worth a second try next time I'm in Denver...
(3)Tracy R.
Food is always great and on a recent visit, the manager went and pick up our theater tickets while we finished dinner. Great service.
(5)Helena P.
My husband and I had an excellent dinner at the Denver Oceanaire on New Years Eve. They were able to get us a last minute reservation even though they were busy due to the holiday. The service was top notch. The food was incredible. We loved the crab cake, the best part was that it didn't have a lot of breading, it was filled with tons of fresh crab and good flavors. I had a seared tuna steak for dinner and don't think I've ever had a better tuna (not even in Hawaii or California). We've also been to the Oceanaire in San Diego and we felt like this location was just as good if not better which is incredible considering the fish is being flown in to CO. If you want great fish and amazing service this is the place to go!
(5)