Get Your Slurp On For National Oyster Day

Everyone's favorite, most luxurious aphrodisiac gets its dues on National Oyster Day, August 5. In honor of this bivalve holiday, restaurants across Chicago are serving up a sea of specials. Here's where to celebrate the day. 

 

Japonais by Morimoto: For National Oyster Day, Japonais by Morimoto is discounting its East and West Coast oysters to $2 a pop. Available while supplies last at lunch and dinner, oysters can be paired with $4 Asahi Japanese beers. If you're feeling lavish, $38 gets you an upgrade to the "life of luxury package," which features a glass of Mumm Napa Brut Champagne paired with oysters foie gras, aka steamed oysters with uni and Hudson Valley foie. 

Chop Shop: Typically, this meaty Bucktown bastion offers oysters for $1 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, but considering it's a special occasion, they're extending the special all day. Oysters go for just $1 apiece all day long August 5, starting at 11:00 a.m. Additionally, glasses of wine are going for $5 all day as well. 

Tavern on Rush: It's the "Festival of Oysters" at Tavern on Rush this week, wherein guests can partake in oysters every which way. The festivities include $1 oysters on the half shell, $2 stone oven baked oysters, and $10 fried oyster baskets on National Oyster Day. To drink, the Gold Coast restaurant is featuring $3 bottles of Guinness and $5 glasses of Anterra Pinot Grigio. 

Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House: Naturally, the Gold Coast's preeminent seafood destination is doing National Oyster Day justice. This Wednesday, Hugo's popular oyster happy hour, which runs from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the bar daily, will instead run all day long. Freshly shucked and served up along the restaurant's newly installed oyster bar, these nautical beauties are just $1 each, served on the half shell with housemade cocktail sauce and cucumber mignonette. In case you're looking for cooked oysters, Hugo's has those as well, in the form of fried oyster sliders and oysters Rockefeller. 

Roka Akor: Another hot spot for National Oyster Day merriment is Japanese-accented Roka Akor. On the holiday, guests dining in the lounge area can enjoy $1 oysters starting at $5 until supplies run out. 

- Matt Kirouac