Dylan's Oyster Cellar
Oyster bar restaurant · Baltimore
3601 Chestnut Ave, Baltimore, MD 21211
Highlights
Seasonal seafood & gin bar, known for oysters & burgers
Seasonal seafood & gin bar, known for oysters & burgers
"The best place to eat oysters in Baltimore is at Dylan’s, where you can watch the shucker work behind the bar or take a seat in one of their snug booths and admire the tiny restaurant’s controlled chaos from afar. The menu usually has at least one Maryland option, like wellfleets, but you can also try some briny and sweet bivalves from Virginia and New Brunswick. They also do great seasonal hits like the mayo-slathered soft shell crab sandwich. For dessert, the basque cheesecake is so good that when it pops up on their dessert menu, locals in Dylan’s neighborhood Facebook group sound the alarm." - michele berry
"While steamed crabs and crab cakes get a lot of credit for being signature dishes, oysters are just as important to the backbone of Baltimore cuisine. And hardly no one knows that any more than Dylan Salmon, who started his business as a pop-up in a Mt. Vernon basement and then opened his own brick-and-mortar corner restaurant in Hampden. Inside, shuckers are constantly unhinging a rotating variety of raw oysters at the raw bar, while specials of the day are scrawled on a chalkboard wall. Look out for whole fish dishes and don’t leave without trying the green chile cheeseburger and traditional coddies (best appreciated on a Saltine with yellow mustard)." - Jess Mayhugh
"“Sailor is special. The menu is creative and thoughtful without pretension, and the oyster selection is on point,” says Toni Lopes, master shucker and general manager at Baltimore hotspot Dylan’s Oyster Cellar." - Nat Belkov
"The best place to eat oysters in Baltimore is at Dylan’s, where you can watch the shucker work behind the bar or take a seat in one of their snug booths and admire the tiny restaurant’s controlled chaos from afar. The menu usually has at least one Maryland option, like wellfleets, but you can also try some briny and sweet bivalves from Virginia and New Brunswick. They also do great seasonal hits like the mayo-slathered soft shell crab sandwich. For dessert, the basque cheesecake is so good that when it pops up on their dessert menu, locals in Dylan’s neighborhood Facebook group sound the alarm." - Michele Berry
A pop‑up turned Hampden fixture where shuckers work a changing list of bivalves alongside Baltimore coddies, soft‑shell sandwiches, and whole fish. Featured in Baltimore Magazine’s 2025 Best Restaurants and loved by chefs and locals alike.
