Aw Shucks Seafood Bar & Bistro

My stomach was feeling upset after eating the raw oyster, fried oysters and crab cake. Never coming back again!

Good place when you want to have a bit of fun. Drinks are not that bad either. Music is ok depends on who is playing. People are not rude.

Absolute crap. Terrible service. Our wine was poured or should I say splashed into our glasses about 4 feet above the table, the server argued when he rang in the wrong food saying we ordered something we didn’t. We had to clear our own table, and to add insult to injury after paying, he tossed our debit receipt in the air so it floated down to the table. What a joke.

I visited here for my birthday dinner. The oyster selection was great, comparable to any oyster bar in Toronto (I especially liked the champagne/​dill sauce). My husband had the creole catfish — the perfect amount of seasoning. I had the surf and turf — my steak and lobster were both prepared to my liking. The specialty coffees were the perfect ending to our meal. I’m only sorry we haven’t visited sooner. We will be back in the near future. Our server Eric was attentive and accommodating. All in all a great experience. (Curious to return in the summertime and check out the rooftop patio)

The service took forever I can understand as the restaurant was busy — but being in a restaurant that serves oysters I couldn’t believe that I had to ask for bread! And they don’t give you water as well.
The oysters were good but again had to wait more than 20 minutes to get bread to eat with.
And on the menu they do not disclose that their chowder has actually bacon in it. Wouldn’t go back nor would recommend.

Service… hm… could be better, food could be much better. Not a great place at all

5star for a club on the weekend!
As for the food, looks fancy but really isn’t. Very overpriced for the quality and service.
Very clean. Btw washrooms are on the lower floor, from the dining.

Beautiful space but overpriced food for what it is. Seemed like people were only being served if they sat at the bar. We asked for menus and sat down in the dining area. When we were finally acknowledged after waiting to order, our server seemed very hostile. There was great live music on a Wednesday night but disappointed in the service.

Came back this weekend past, and stayed for dinner and the live music afterwards.
Had a delicious burger, small but tasty, decent price for where we were.
My GF had the crab cakes which were a little too salty for our tasting.
It was a friend’s birthday party, and Aw Shucks had «Phoenix» playing live music. WOW. The female singer was phenomenal.
This place continues to grow on me, as I found the mix of people this night particularly friendly, and a great atmosphere. Staff, bouncers, bartenders all are very friendly.

Cause you’re hot and you’re cold, you’re yes and you’re no…
If you get good service after 10pm in the dining area, hit me up. I’ve frequent this bar many times and have been so disappointed with the servers.
I’ve come during dinner hours and it was pretty good. Good food, good service, the whole shebang. I’ve also come during bar hours and have had a heck of a time getting service in the dining room. Obviously I understand it’s a bar and servers are scarce but if you’re still serving food, shouldn’t the servers be attentive? I waited nearly 30 minutes for a glass of wine. I had to ask for a server twice and eventually went to a manager on duty.
In the rare case where you do get good service, you must try their oysters. They are amazing and that alone is what keeps me coming back. My recommendation is to dine during dinner hours and drink during drinking hours. Don’t mix the two like I attempt to.
Secretly wishing another oyster house opens around Newmarket.

I have been here 3 times so far and get a different atmosphere experience every time haha. I went there late at night for the bar seen and found it a combination of 20 year olds and lonely older women (i wouldn’t say cougars, but definitely 40+ and single). Ive also been there for supper twice before the bar scene started and that was nice too. I would highly recommend the Lobster Fettuccine, the mussels, and the oysters. I usually order a selection of various oysters (they usually carry a few from different locations). The different oysters all have a unique flavor and boy are the oysters FRESH! The oysters come with a wide selection of sauces on a platter; but they’re so nice and fresh that i just put a bit of Tabasco.
Really friendly staff. We came there on New Years Day for supper, and although there was only one waiter working, he paid attention to us and brought us our food as promptly as possibly.
Would definitely recommend giving this place a try.

Really terrible service.
Waitress didn’t clear the table after each course (which drives me nuts lol) when asked for clean cutlery, I was told that they didn’t have enough to go around and I would have to use a dessert fork and steak knife for my fish course.? The place wasn’t even busy.
Asked the staff for their recommendation on a wine pairing and they told me «whatever you like… white?»
Halibut was really dry, risotto was over cooked and dry. Don’t let the presentation fool you. It’s all poorly executed. It’s a real shame because the space is so nice. Get a real chef, train the staff and maybe it could be a great place again.
If management reads these reviews — please get real trained waitresses for the downstairs restaurant and keep the untrained in the cocktail bar.

Found this place while wandering and driving by the area. I give it 3.5 stars based on their food and service. Another half star belongs to the beautiful rooftop patio.
Totally a four star for now.
We walked in and a friendly hostess came and brought us to the rooftop patio (there is a deck patio too but the rooftop caught our eyes) per our request. We were so happy at first but got disappointed right away after the waitress apologized and told us that there were no oysters in the restaurant yet. Especially, it was an oyster special day. She was not certain but said that the oysters might arrive before 8pm. It was almost 6:30pm and we were not sure if we should risk the wait. We ended up ordered the crab cakes and panko crusted scallops. The crab cakes ($ 13) made very differently. They were soft instead of crispy. I was hesitated at first looking at them (and so totally forgot to take a photo). However, they were not bad at all and very tasty with lots of fresh crab meat. The panko crusted scallops ($ 15) came with three pieces of crusted scallops and a piece of fried rice cake seasoning with vinegar and carrot ginger sauce. It is a very creative appetizer. The scallops were fresh and cooked just right. I like the sauce. The fried rice cake was a tiny little bit greasy though. I ordered a white sangria. It was just ok.
The oyster truck arrived when we were almost ready to ask for a bill.
I will come back again for the oysters and certainly for the rooftop patio before the warm weather ends.

Great venue, terrible service and horrible food. I would never go again. Food was bland and not prepared well.

not bad, nothing amazing, service was bland and stuffy, they need to re-​hire the staff, and I would love to recreate the menu! the oysters were superb, and one waiter was enthusiastic if you compared him to the rest. there’s potential.

I had really high hopes for this place as one of my friends mentioned this is a good bar in Aurora. The ambiance is there, but the service is non-​existent.
The night started out pretty great with all my friends ordering a drink and us catching up after not seeing each other for a while. However, we were in the bar area, and the performer was really, really loud. I couldn’t hear what my friend was saying across the table, which defeated the purpose of «catching up». Toning down the volume would have been great, as the performer was actually a really good singer.
We ordered the lobster fritters which I was excited for. They were basically deep-​fried lobster claws on a piece of lettuce with a creamy mayo sauce. The sauce was really overpowering and the claws seemed a little too done and rubbery. For $ 16 for 4 they may have been worth it — if not for the sauce and the overcooked results.
Also, our server disappeared on us throughout the night when my friends wanted to order a second drink. When we were paying our separate bills at the end of the night, however, I was charged for two drinks, when I had specifically only ordered one that night (was limiting myself) and one water. The waitress (who was already wearing her hoodie over her uniform and ready to leave) got into a pretty heated argument with me where she was really stubborn and it ended with a long, uncomfortable hostile glare before she tore my receipt out of my hand and printed a new one with my one drink and two appetizer charges.
I have never experienced service that rude.
(We later realized she had confused me with my friend who had ordered the same drink at the beginning of the night… but really we aren’t even the same ethnicity or look a like. I’m sorry if a table of 8 confuses a waitress of 10+ years…)
If you are in the area or just passing through, go somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Went for Mothers day. Big mistake. Service sucked, one and a half hours to get food. Menu was horrible, food ok, well below what you would expect. As a bar it may be fine, but if you want good food in a timely fashion with good service find another place. If I go back it will only be for beer and munchies if I have a lot of time on my hands, like an entire afternoon to spend waiting for a beer and a snack.

Well, I was excited at the prospect of a Seafood Resto/​Oyster Bar in Aurora. I can’t think of another one anywhere nearby. Unfortunately, Aw Shucks did not fulfill a great opportunity to be an awesome seafood place in an area with no competitors.
The venue itself is great. Very nice and not pretentious. Nice bar, friendly waitress.
We ordered some Lucky Lime Oysters to start. The shucking was pretty bad. I got chips of shell in my mouth, and the flesh of the oyster was butchered.
I ordered the Bouillabaisse for my entrée.
Let me pause here for a second. I love Bouillabaisse. I have memories of eating it in Southern France. The amalgamation of different types of fish, cooked together in a tomato-​based broth, is something I order as often as I see it on a menu. It’s not common because it takes time to prepare and not many people order it at a restaurant. Albeit a peasant-​dish, simple and complex at the same time.
When I received the dish, the broth was at the bottom and the fish was stacked up fancily on top. I took a few bites and immediately figured it out. This restaurant uses different types of fish for separate dishes. For example, the salmon is used in the bouillabaisse and in the salmon salad. Therefore, they cook the salmon on its own and then add it to each dish as needed, which means, for the bouillabaisse, that it never really gets cooked with the other fish. My guess is that the broth is prepared separately with the potatoes and onions, and then the other fish is just placed on top of it. Unfortunately, that means there is no broth flavour in my fish, and the fish don’t share each other’s flavours.
The waitress came by and sensed that we weren’t enjoying the meal. I wasn’t planning to make a fuss, but she asked for an honest answer. I confirmed with her that the Bouillabaisse is cooked separate rather than together. She eventually called the manager who only had the illusion of caring. I think she was trying to be professional, but ultimately was offended, which was obvious when she discounted 20% off our entrees — which, again is a bit fraudulent because that only equates to about 10% of our total bill. All in all, the discount was 11 bucks. She also flatly disagreed with me that the Bouillabaisse was cooked separately, even though I confirmed with the waitress.
I’m not sure how to conclude here. I suppose if someone from Aw Shucks is reading this, please don’t be offended. I think you have a great restaurant and a spectacular opportunity, Just don’t be passive, take sincere stock of your mistakes, and don’t make business decisions that affect the final dish. Get it right and take these reviews seriously. I hope this is of some help.

New HUGE location about 2 minutes south of the old location on Yonge street.
Huge dining area matched only by the large bar area nicknamed (according to a large overhead sign) the Tavern. Bar area has ample floor space, a long bar splitting the room in half and a large stage/​riser for live music. This area is well laid out, as when sitting at the bar, you are directly facing the stage.
The bar has all your standards big name beers (Rickards, Coors, Canadian, Strong Bow). Nothing that real grabbed me so I asked to see the cocktail menu and decided on a Manhattan which was pretty good (not the best) but certainly made as it should be. My only piece of constructive criticism would be that, if planning to serve classic cocktails, they use large cubes or cocktail ice as opposed to ice pieces (really waters down the drink).
Ordered oysters once I found that on Mondays and Tuesdays they go for $ 1.50 a piece. They had 4 kinds available on the day I paid them a visit. This is one of the first times that ½ a dozen oysters cost me so little — definitely coming back for these many MANY times!
Also ordered a crab cake and I gotta say I was unsure how to assess it at first because it was so different than I was used to. As opposed to be cooked to a crisp, they pan seat it lightly so it’s soft enough to cut with a fork (think a pan seared mashed potato). Served on top of a corn salsa, it’s well flavored with a little tiny kick to it. Definitely worth trying!
Aw shucks has also set itself up as THE party destination in Aurora as in addition to their massive dining and bar area, they also have built huge rooftop and tear deck patios to accommodate the crowds that the old location couldn’t handle.
Looking forward to many nights in the near future @ Aw Shucks!
Eatcrest Out!

Aw Shucks located in the heart of Aurora. Easy access from Yonge Street.
First time at this wonderful Seafood Bistro… the food was delicious. I had the Lobster Bisque Soup, followed by the Blackened Red Snapper served with root vegetables. and rice… delicious!!! Oh be sure to try the fried oysters. very decadent. Does it sound like I enjoyed my meal? You guessed right. Our waiter was very informative and full of suggestions. While the food and service were good I was disappointed in the ambiance of the restaurant. Should you decide to stay a little later they have a live band that starts at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday nights. Music is definitely for the young at heart. Would I go back… you betcha!!!