Mussel Men

Bring on the mussels.
I tried Mussel Men back when they were in their pop-​up spot, and was very pleased when they moved closer to me in the very cool Dalston. And they fit right in.
From their epic deep sea murals to their staff who wear striped sailor shirts (but in a semi-​ironic, fun rather than tacky kind of way) to the candlelit atmosphere, it’s a really nice spot to sit and eat and drink.
We did a collection of seafood, including some truly excellent oysters and mussels with Green Thai Chilli sauce (woah). The thin chips that came with them were excellent and hot and crunchy. I could have even used more sauce on the oysters since dipping the chips in them is one of life’s true joys.
We also did the lobster roll, but it was a cold lobster roll, which I’m never a giant fan of. It was fresh though and tasty.
The only real issue in this spot is the service, which is in no hurry at all. Every time I’ve come to here, they’re slow. Slow to seat us, slow to take our order, slow to bring out the food. Nothing is rushed here, to settle in.
It’s not a cheap spot, as seafood never is, but it is a damn tasty one. Enjoy it!

Food here is great. I’ve never been disappointed with my dishes. Irish oysters are to die for! Service is mediocre…

Wowza. That’s how to do seafood!
Never one to shy away from a food outing, I must admit that seafood (apart from Sushi) is never top of my consideration list. It’s often tricky to eat, messy, requires additional cutlery, and is generally just a pain.
Mussel men doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but they do seafood extremely well.
Visitng on Sunday, we were specifically there for the seafood sunday roast. With this you get a massive plate of seafood. Prawns, soft shell crab, Langoustines, fresh oysters (my first time eating these and they were sublime with tabasco) clams, seaweed, mussels (of course) and a single cooked to perfection scallop (I could have done with 2 of these tbh). Bread with a smoky flavoured butter and water were served bar any asking. Nice touch. On the side of the main dish were roast veg, pretty ordinary stuff with little mini yorkshire puds that were pretty good. I wish there were a little gravy for the veg as it was a little dry and the sauce served alongside the seafood tasted pretty rich to the point I didn’t really want to eat a lot of it despite how tasty it was.
Now all the seafood was top quality. The mussels were some of the biggest I’ve ever set eyes on and there was enough sauce to mop up with some bread at the end. If you’re wondering whether you’re served enough for the £25 cost, I was absolutely stuffed and I can put away food like Batman puts away villains, apart from the bit where they escape. Food doesn’t escape: D
In all, an enjoyable venue. There is a nice outside garden area that would be nice to visit next time if just ordering some starters and drinks.

Originally a pop-​up resturant, came here on a Tuesday night for dinner — wasnt very busy but I can imagine gets very popular later in the week. As a bit of a newcomer to proper seafood, I went for the mussels which were amazing! Staff were exceptionally friendly and restaurant is reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend to those looking for something a bit different in a trendy East London location

This was my first time at Mussel Men since they moved into their new location and I’m disappointed with myself for leaving it so long. I could have been loads of times!
Overall this place has quite a few things going for it although my one let down was the mussels! After paying a little bit extra for the cider and chorizo broth I’d have expected more flavour than it provided however the mussels themselves were tasty enough for pretty much every single one to be eaten. The monkfish with egg yolk ravioli was a standout and the potted crab was not far behind. I left feeling incredibly full and very satisfied.
Drinks wise the wine and cocktails are both very reasonably priced but I was very happy to see Innis & Gun on tap which is the first place in London I’ve found. Knowing this will make it hard to walk past without calling in for a pint!

We ventured to Mussel men with growling tummies and high expectations and we left satisfied on both fronts. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Service was friendly and informed with a good selection of beers and wines starting from a very reasonable £5. Warm breads promptly arrived with a side of smoked butter. Well well — this is a revelation. The depth of flavor in this condiment alone deserves a trip to Mussel Men — I near enough took what was left home in my hand bag (seriously!!) A starter of potted cray fish was enough for 2 and the subtle flavors of the delicate fish were highlighted perfectly. delicious. With live Jazz trumping away in the back ground our mains arrived and we dug into a stunning sea bass and egg yolk ravioli dish which was inhaled along with a GIANT pot of mussels in a broth of cider and chorizo. There were other broths available to choose from also. All in all a great meal for a very reasonable price. We will defiantly be back!

Good, almost great.
First, the good:
— amazing cocktails, at a very-​reasonable-​for-​London £7.50
— we got a nice table for 2 despite walking in around 7:30pm on a Saturday
— bartender was friendly and helpful
— the fries were great, super skinny and crispy
— lots of other good-​looking stuff on the menu
— they gave us a pitcher of water without even being asked
— nice space, good music, relaxed vibe
Then the not-​quite-​there-​yet:
— for a place called Mussel Men, the mussels didn’t blow us away — they were cooked well, but the sauces (Chorizo and Cider and Marinere) weren’t that flavorful
— table service was pretty lacking — we couldn’t find our waitress for the entire second half of our meal (which cost them our dessert order) and had to get the bill from the barman
We’ll definitely be back to have more cocktails and try some of their other seafood, and I’m hopeful that I’ll eventually be able to bump them up to 5 stars.