Oceano Bistro

First time at Happy Hour. Had no idea the portions were so large. Crab Cakes were very nice, Salmon Flat Bread also very well done (could have had a little more salmon), calamari was disappointing (to chewy & poorly done breading). The Marg/​Mojit Martini was nice. Price was right for everything. Female Bartender seemed angry to be working & inattentive, Male bartender was nice, friendly and spot on with service.

I ate at Oceano Bistro on Mother’s Day for dinner. My dinner partner was from out of town and wanted «fish», so I chose this restaurant. I was glad that I’d made a reservation as the place was packed. And because of the crowd, it was very noisy. Almost hard to talk over a small table for two. After we ordered, we were each served a very small piece of bread. Fortunately a server came around again and we each had another piece of bread. It was good. It took awhile for the entrees to come out, perhaps because of the crowd. My entrée was very good but not what I expected. It was listed as «Spiced South Pacific Bigeye Tuna». I thought it would be a traditional piece of tuna but what came to the table was a beautiful plate with four rectangular pieces of tuna, each with a peppercorn rim. But the fish was very pink. Only about 0.5 cm of the edge looked «cooked». I was a bit skeptical and my first instinct was to send it back for additional cooking, but I was with a guest so I just dug in. Was I ever surprised to find that it really tasted great. The golden beets underneath and red chili oil were very good with it as well as the grilled green beans. My dinner partner ordered trout and ate every bite. I’ll go back but will try to avoid the weekend as it was too noisy for good conversation.

Easily the best happy hour in Clayton — hell, best in St. Louis! $ 5 martinis (Margarita is my fav — even though not a martini :), $ 6 full-​size appetizers (love the crab cakes, mussels, and tuna). Friendliest staff around.

Excellent seafood centric menu at a ridiculously low price point! Had a delicious spicy shrimp «goulash» either shredded vegetables. Left incredibly satisfied. Would return in a heartbeat!

What an awful experience tonight. Took my son and wife for dinner. Sent my lobster tails back because they were raw — came back 15 min later still raw and cold. Manager wanted to replace, but son and wife were done eating and lost my appetite w raw lobster — expensive dinner where I did not get to eat. Will never return!

Oceano Bistro is becoming one of my favorite places to get excellent food and service! My last time here was for lunch with 2 of my very good friends! I ordered the New England Seafood chowder & their special, which was fish & chips! Definitely, one of the best chowder that I have add any where! The fish & chips were very yummy! I don’t remember why we received free desserts this day, but we did! Their dessert chef is fabulous! I had their bread pudding. It also came with home made vanilla ice cream! If you are looking for a great place for a special meal or for great food and service, please give Oceano Bistro a try!

Love walking here. Great ambiance. Wonderful happy hour, with a generous selection and generous portion size for a happy hour menu. You must sit in the bar area to take advantage of this special menu, so come early because there are only a handful of tables in the bar area.
The food is top notch as is the service. The sliders have a wonderful grill taste. The calamari is a must, as well as the crab cakes.

If we could give this restaurant more than 5 stars we gladly would. It was more than just getting something to eat… it was truly a dining experience! Luckily we stumbled upon their weekly Sunday Sampler Menu. The portions are a bit smaller but there’s plenty to satisfy most people (soup/​salad, main course & dessert all included). Prices may seem high but for the quality of food you’re getting it really isn’t.
My husband usually eats maybe 1 – 2 pieces of calamari but this time I actually had to share it with him. It was absolutely the BEST calamari either if us has ever eaten. 2 dipping sauces, one sweet/​sour & once more of an aioli, complemented each other nicely. I usually dislike crab cakes but after eating the calamari gave it a shot when my husband offered. I’m so glad I did; it was delicious. I had the seafood chowder & it was great! Both our entrees (salmon & rainbow trout) were tender, flavorful & artfully presented. Dessert was just as great (a bread pudding & a cannolli flavored gelato). The atmosphere was beautiful & the music was as it should be, in the background.

Went last night for a friend’s surprise birthday party, and not only were they very accommodating, but the service was fantastic.
Ordered the Salmon and a cup of their seafood chowder. Both were delicious. Ordered the cup of soup because the entrée proportions aren’t very big, especially if you come starving.
Can’t wait to come back, but it’ll have to be a special occasion.

Oceano Bistro is a great place to catch a sea bass or a salmon or any other array of fish. They have valet parking ($ 4.00) and I think it would be a good idea to make reservations. There is a large bar that you can eat at also which of course, we did.
After starting on our cocktails, a Manhattan for Majordomo and a chocolate martini for me, we ordered our appetizers. Major got the pan roasted prawns with vegetable relish and I chose the blue point oysters. The prawns were huge and the staff removes the shells for you. The oysters were so delicious I wish I could have had a bucket of them. They came with two sauces, one of which was a cucumber mignonette which was outstanding. I think I could have used that as salad dressing.
Round two was the lump crab cakes for him (an appetizer) and the sea bass that came with a wonderful risotto. The crab cakes were large and generous hunks of crab in them. The sea bass was also delicious and so flacky that it practically melted in your mouth. They also have ala carte vegetables and potatoes to go with your dish. And if you really don’t like fish, they have a few meat options for you.
Dessert? Yes, please. We choose the apple bread pudding. It came with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and we were in bistro heaven.
Would we come back here? Oh my heavens yes.

Oceano was busy, busy, busy on the Saturday night of Clayton Restaurant Week. The hubby and I dined here and we ate very well. We split two dozen oysters (half were Blue Point ones while the other half were the chef’s choice). Fresh and delicious.
I do have to note that the bread that they serve is really good too. The only low point of the meal was the calamari that the hubby ordered from his Restaurant Week menu– some of the batter wasn’t on the squid and didn’t have the right taste texture. That aside my lobster tails were amazing! Meaty and succulent.
For dessert, I decided to go all out with my meal and order the chocolate lava cake since I had a disappointing dessert experience at another restaurant and Oceano did well. Chocolate perfection. I think the hubby said that I actually bopped my head in delight when I had my first bite.

I have been hearing about Oceano Bistro for well over a decade now. Having lived in a number of countries in my life, I find that Clayton largely lacks the really hard hitting good dinner fare that there is in other parts of STL.
Oceano certainly is top notch. We started with two dozen oysters, which were incredibly fresh and delicious. My wife ordered the lobster tails which were generous and perfectly cooked. I selected the restaurant week menu, which provided me with calamari, tenderloin and bread pudding. The calamari was the real let down of the meal. Many restaurants struggle to get this dish right, so Oceano certainly is not alone. The tenderloin was really good and perfectly cooked; however, the serving left something to be desired. I would say the same thing about the bread pudding dessert. I will chalk this up to it being restaurant week.
The service was very good. We were seated near the bathroom, and I did not even notice. My water kept getting filled several times. The place was packed. I would like to dine here next time for the happy hour.
All in this place was good. It was definitely one of the more pricey meals I have had during a trip back home to visit family.

Great dinner place, business causal, valet, open kitchen, full bar/​2 tvs, and relatively large space. I would recommend reservations– but even for restaurant week on a Saturday night– you could still get in with a small party.
Pros:
Open Kitchen
Spot on food. The local trout has a wonderful perfect crisp skin.
Drinks: Cucumber and Espresso Martini
Bread Pudding
Cons:
The calamari was good– actually the sauce was excellent except the breading fell apart
The service was a little slow– but they were busy. They were generally extremely nice.
This is a wonderful place with solid food. The portions are lean towards tasting menu vs. full entrée sizes– but it was nevertheless delicious. I def. recommend getting a few appetizers.

Oceano has been a family favorite for years, and they continue to uphold the quality and live up to high expectations, never disappointing!
We’ve ordered pretty much everything on the menu by this point, and I can honestly say it’s all worth it.
Recently, we tried their new Sunday brunch offering. What a wonderful addition! The frittata, hash, and omelette we shared were all excellent.
If you’ve never been to Oceano, it’s definitely one of the highlights of STL cuisine, ESPECIALLY in the seafood department!
It’s often our go-​to for family celebrations (birthdays, graduations, etc.) and is always a good option.
Fine dining, but not over the top.
Easily 5 stars!

Needed a spot for dinner and we had no idea where to go, so we just randomly stopped here. It wasn’t too full, there were plenty of empty tables. Our server came over right away and brought our wine out quickly, always a plus. Who wants to wait for their wine? Not this chick. Dinner was good. I gotta be honest, I was quite stressed that night, and I don’t remember for the life of me what I ordered, but I remember the wine come out quickly! lol. I’d like to come back some time when I actually can pay attention to details. Service was good though.

Fresh seafood for the MidWest. I have been here several times already. I have been looking for a good seafood restaurant in the city and I think I have found it. Its in the heart of clayton so you know its gong to be good. I normally get the Tempura Fried Sea Bass Sandwich. It is so flakey and fresh you would never know you are no where near the ocean. I also get the New England Clam Chowder with the sandwich and its just as wonderful.

Another great dinner… great service too! Calamari appetizer. .salmon entrée… sea bass. Food was superb. Finished the meal with white chocolate bread pudding & vanilla ice cream. This is my favorite restaurant in St. Louis!

Two nearby brunch places had hour+ waits because Sunday, so we decided to give Oceano a try. We were seated at a window table, which perfectly blended the views and open air of a sidewalk seat with the comfort and privacy of an interior seat. Service was attentive and pleasant and our server gave great recommendations. I got the Crab Cake and Arugula Benedict (Atop poached eggs, hollandaise, chipotle aioli and crispy prosciutto) and it was fantastic. The breakfast potatoes were great: well-​cooked, well-​seasoned, and mixed with onions and peppers for a good taste and texture. There were a ton of things on the menu I want to go back to try. At $ 30 for brunch and coffee for two, it’s more affordable than the $$$ (perhaps those are dinner prices?) would lead me to believe.

Oceano is a great date night spot. The ambiance is cozy and the seafood is fresh and well prepared.
Service was pleasant and the array of dessert options were awesome.
I enjoy an open kitchen style restaurant because it makes me feel like I’m part of the process lol.
Located in Clayton across from Cardwell’s and connected to City Coffeehouse & Creperie.
Valet parking is available.

We love this happy hour. Huge glasses of good wine for $ 5 and good menu choices.
Tonight we had dinner for the first time. We shared the fennel dusted and pan seared scallops. They were outstanding.
Service is always fantastic and servers and other staff are vey friendly.