Kelly's Oyster House and Bar

10/10 service 10/10 food 10/10 atmosphere 10/10 value per item I’m so glad I found this place! I really like having oysters during the colder months and don’t feel like driving to either Alexandria or DC for oysters so I’m glad this establishment was pretty local. The customer service and hospitality was top notch, everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable about the food items and didn’t hesitate to explain to me the different types of oysters and their distinct flavors. I had Bevan, Spinney Creek, and West Point (?) NY oysters and they were all so good! The chef also gave me extra (she put a dozen) when it was supposed to be half dozen. I’m so glad and appreciative of all the staff that was working today in that restaurant. In addition to this, the smash burger and white wine mussel was vey decadent too. I’m coming back on a Sunday one of these days for their $1 oyster special. Can’t wait to introduce this place to my family and friends. Extra thank you to my server tonight, she made my birthday dinner extra special.

The food was delicious. We had two dozen raw oysters and they were very fresh and they offered a wide variety. They also have many different happy hours at different days . Sunday they have 1 dollar oysters. This will be my new oyster go to location. We also had some appetizers and they was very good also. Nice beer selection.

Amazing and fresh oysters! My sister and I sat at the bar and ordered a dozen oysters while we waited for our takeout order. Bartenders Jim and Brian were amazing, friendly, and great service! From our takeout order, we ordered a bunch of appetizers, our favorite were the fried calamari and clam chowder soup. Definitely will be back.

Came here based on good reviews and their Happy Hour oysters. Stayed for the great service and hometown feel. Who knew that Fairfax could ever exude a Cape Cod vibe. The food was hot and from scratch and the oysters were the freshest I’ve had this far from the coast. If you like smooth music combined with craft cocktails you’ve found your jam. The wine list is surprisingly complex too. Our bartender Duncan was the bomb!

I went for the raw oysters and clam chowder neither disappointed! The service was excellent, everyone was very friendly and were very nice to my lactose allergic friend and were able to confirm without complaint if certain dishes were lactose free. Also they have happy hour with drink specials, brunch and 2.00 oyster options.

From start to finish, everything was perfection. We started with the Buffalo Wings, and let me tell you, they were the BEST wings I’ve ever had! My girlfriend loved the Crab Soup, which was creamy and comforting. The Kelly’s Favorite Chicken was so tender, and the hint of lemon made it absolutely divine. The Smash Burger was juicy and flavorful, and the Bruschetta paired perfectly with the garlicky, buttery Mussels. The Oysters were incredibly fresh and packed with flavor, and our server did an amazing job recommending dishes that truly made our experience special. The ambiance is cozy and clean, and we loved how they have a packed bar with plenty of TVs to catch football games. And we can’t forget dessert! The s’mores cake paired with their homemade Raspberry Ice Cream was the perfect sweet ending to an unforgettable meal. Highly recommend Kelly’s for amazing food, great service, and a welcoming atmosphere. We’ll definitely be back!

We came here for the first time to celebrate a birthday. We had a wonderful time! There were seven of us and they gave us a quiet space in a back room by the Oyster bar. Our server was friendly and attentive. The place was clean and decorated like you would expect for a seafood bar. We ordered alcoholic drinks, which were OK. The food though, goodness! Every single thing that we ate was wonderful. There were seven different appetizers ordered and every single one was great, but especially the hush puppies and crab cakes. Every meal was delicious, too, and the limoncello cake was wonderful as well. I definitely recommend this restaurant and we will return, although only for special events, because it is a bit expensive. Most of the portions were generous, although $9 for a small cup of clam chowder was a little disappointing.

Honestly great all around, me and 2 friends we feasted on oysters, smoked salmon deviled eggs and I got the seafood linguine (i also got the Limencello cake to go) we all ate everything off our plates!

It's been forever since I've dined in Old Town Fairfax. We had a wonderful opportunity to support a local restaurant while supporting one of our favorite dog rescues. Kelly's hosted an epic fundraiser for a local dog rescue. This fundraiser was a car and truck show along with silent auction. Kelly's opened up their facilities to include the restrooms, bar and dining area. After the show we dined at the bar with a fantastic bar server. He showed us the Sunday happy hour menus. We indulged in several food and cocktail options. Drinks were cold and popped a strong vibe. At these prices I had expected watered down, weak cocktails but they were the complete opposite: tasty, strong and worth every $7. Food options were all off the happy hour menu. I ordered the flash fried buffalo wings and requested all flats for an extra $1. The 6 pieces were perfect for my appetite. They were so good and just the right spice. Onion rings portion: large and hot, comes with a fresh sauce of some sort. TVs were playing our favorite Sunday football. Bar seating is handy to the very clean restrooms!

I found this place through the Fairfax City Restaurant Week and it did not disappoint! We started off with both fresh oysters and broiled oysters which were delicious, although if I had to choose between the two I would've gone for more fresh oysters. The broiled oysters were covered in Parmesan cheese so you didn't really get to enjoy the actual meat as much. My New England clam chowder came out hot with bits of chunky potatoes and clams. It was divine. For the main courses, they did not skimp on the lobster roll or crab cakes. The lobster roll was piled high and the crab cakes had lots of meat. Both were super filling but we made room for dessert - cappuccino pie and homemade ice cream (black raspberry chocolate chip). Both were recommended by our server, Miles, who was a superstar! He was super sweet and friendly and checked on us often. We would love to come back for more oysters and other items on the menu.

Came here for restaurant week and enjoyed the three course food selection with 20% back to use next time here or elsewhere via an app to support local businesses at https://app.inkind.com/refer/X8UCUUKZ. Started with the Spanish style sautéed shrimp balanced out with the cucumber watermelon salad. Followed up with the seafood linguine pasta and sautéed rainbow trout. Finished up with the cappuccino pie and dream sycle vanilla orange flavored ice cream. Service was attentive and efficient; luckily we had looked at the menu ahead of time so we had a good idea of what we wanted to order. Dining area on the left was cozy and table small for two people with dim lighting. Will have to check out the happy hour and try the oysters next time in the sports bar area. Good to support a local restaurant after the new management took over.

The service is amazing, food is tasty and priced just right! We had the oysters and mussels and it was super filling. The oyster selection is vast for aficionados and of course the bar menu rocks too. Orange crushes with the best ice, if you know you know. Definitely will be a regular here!

This little bar that replaced Hard Times Cafe is a hidden gem. There's plenty of parking at the back of the restaurant. You will need to climb a set of stairs to get to the bar and dining area. Not for the mobile challenged. Service was very attentive. Our bar server had recently started his job less than a year ago but he recommended various food bites. We came on a Sunday and happy hour was in play along with some NFL games. I enjoyed a full sized hamburger with a full plate of hot fries. All for a mere $12. We will definitely return.

Went to Kelly's Oyster with a few girlfriends to check out their happy hour menu, and we were so impressed! The oysters were amazing--we tried several different types, and they were all super buttery, fresh, and good size. You could tell they were shucked really well because you didn't get that gritty shell taste at all. I'm usually loyal to Hank's Oysters, which is one of my favorite spots, but if you're looking for an excellent oyster place in Fairfax, I'd highly recommend Kelly's. I believe they just opened in 2024, so it's still pretty new. As for the rest of the menu, I wasn't a huge fan of their wings--they didn't wow me--but the spring rolls were delicious, and the salad that came with them was a nice touch. Altogether, it was an oyster-packed happy hour that I'd definitely recommend. And if you've got a sweet tooth, their chocolate cake was pretty decent too--it's worth a try to finish off your meal!

Pleasant find in the Fairfax area on my oyster hunt! Oysters and the summer salad was definitely the highlight of the visit. I sat at the bar area to watch the football game and they have decent list of drink options and beers on tap. There wasn't a wait for seating for dinner service and the servers and bartenders were quite attentive. Ambiance feels like a local bar that people stop by frequently with plenty of the seating.

Went to brunch for FFX City restaurant week. Hubs got crab cake sandwich with butternut soup. I settled on shrimp & grits with crab soup; and of course, oysters on half shell. The food was a bit rich, couldn't really finish the soups and grits (so much cream on cream). Only the oysters were devoured. The ambience is warm & cozy - fireplace roaring. Cute location in old town FFX, nice to walk around and explore.

TL;DR: Great food, the drinks were okay (though rather pricey), but the service... not rude, but incompetent in many departments, to the point where we won't be back. If you've read many of my other reviews, you know I do not give low-star reviews lightly. So, here's the full story: Wife and I went there on a whim; we're not fans of oysters, but we had a discount card good for several restaurants, and check the menu online, to see that they had a lot of other things. It was early enough that we got seated immediately, but the menus on the table were only the specials, not the full menu, and (at least as far as we noticed) not marked as such. We knew there was a lot more because we had seen the full menu online! After we ordered, we waited I think about 30-45 minutes or so before our waiter came back to say that the kitchen had apparently lost our order so would we please remind him what it was. It still took a fairly long time after that -- maybe it just seemed that way because we were starving, but it was definitely longer than we thought it would take to do scallops and a salad, even without the rush that IMHO they *should* have put on it. Then, during the meal, the waiter rarely stopped by to check on us. When he did finally offer more water it was, I would guess, somewhere around ten minutes before some other waiter came by to actually give us any. After the meal was over, the waiter said something about applying a discount for the waiting. We wanted to get both that discount and the one from our card. He said that was fine... but when the check actually came we only saw the discount from our card. By then I was too fed up to fight about it, so we left... permanently. At least it was quiet and not crowded -- but this experience might give a hint as to why.

Food was amazing. Got some pasta with shrimp the bomb! The oysters were the best part of it all ! 100/10 absolutely recommend it ! Our server was very friendly and helpful with choosing the oysters and plate ! The restaurant itself is very friendly. Clean and not loud at all. The lighting is perfect for a regular meal or date occasion. I WILL RETURN FOR MORE

Awesome food and staff! You get what you deserve, awesome food and great service! Great management!

I checked out Kelly's Oyster House & Bar for the first time during Restaurant Week in Fairfax. Definitely looks different from when Hard Times occupied the building. The crabcake sandwich on a brioche bun was outstanding!! Fries were good, but the Key Lime Pie takes the cake! Staff were very polite and professional too.

My partner and I love to eat rockerfeller oysters and we are always on the hunt for some great ones. Since we were in the area for our poker league at Old Fire Station we decided to give Kelley's a shot turns out the bartender who used to work there worked with my bf at a bar in woodbridge and he was extremely friendly. I forgot his name, but he made our night. The oysters weren't that great, but I hope we can come back to try the other set ups. My bf got the wings which he said he enjoyed and I got the mozzerella and tomato sandwich, added chicken. I enjoyed the sandwich and the pasta salad. The ambiance was cute, will be back for sure!

We were seated in the bar area and ordered the oysters and wings. The oysters were incredibly fresh and definitely the highlight. The service was great, and we had a wonderful time overall. We'll definitely be coming back soon!

The bartenders here are so sweet and kind. Great selection of oysters, nice HH options, and spacious bar and indoor seating. Was pleasantly surprised by their HH smash burger. Patties were seasoned well and portion was more than generous.

From start to finish, everything was perfect. We started with the Buffalo Wings, and let me tell you they were the BEST wings I've ever had! My girlfriend loved the Crab Soup, which was creamy and comforting. The Kelly's Favorite Chicken was so tender, and the hint of lemon made it divine. The Smash Burger was juicy and flavorful, and the Bruschetta paired perfectly with the garlicky, buttery Mussels. The Oysters were incredibly fresh and packed with flavor, and our server did an amazing job recommending dishes that truly made our experience special. The ambiance is cozy and clean, and we loved how they have a packed bar with plenty of TVs to catch football games such a fun vibe for sports lovers! And we can't forget dessert! The Hot Chocolate Style Cake paired with Raspberry Ice Cream was the perfect sweet ending to an unforgettable meal. Highly recommend Kelly's for amits amazing food, great service, and welcoming atmosphere. We'll be back!

Ordered half a dozen of oyster with one set of broiled oysters with garlic parm flavor. My bf got a burger and a key lime pie. In addition to that, I got the steamed mussels with garlic white wine. The oysters are great and fresh. my bf likes the food that he ordered. The only thing I want to complain is that half of the mussels were not fresh. They up-charged us on the fries that came with the burger. (We did not ask for garlic parm fries but they did it without asking us). The waitress is nice. We did not complain to her but next time we will definitely check what she put in the order. Place is clean and we were able to have a conversation as the music wasn't loud.

Absolutely love this place. You wouldn't think it was worth it from the front as it looks quiet but inside is lively! The servers are all amazing and have great service! The food is also super yummy, I love their shrimp roll! Great for sports or a simple time out with your friends or partner!

Came here on a Sunday evening for dinner and seemed slow. The service was still great. I had crab cakes, french fries and hush puppies. They have a decent amount of seating as well as a decent size bar.

We heard about Kelly's because we got a flyer in the mail. This was a different restaurant maybe 2 years ago. They have a parking lot and some outdoor seating. Happened to come during restaurant week and enjoyed the menu. Got oysters mainly from VA, which were yummy. The shrimp cocktail was good, I liked the seaweed salad underneath it. The seafood linguine was really good and had a lot of mussels. Didn't love the orange crush and the smores dessert. Next time I'd try to homemade ice cream. Service was pretty good until the end when it got busy. Wish the seats were more comfortable, but overall good food.

another wonderful evening at Kelly's Oyster Bar. Wonderful oysters, bruschetta, great chicken wings and margaritas.

First - our server Molly was lovely. She was a great server. Glows - tap list, wine, hush puppies, flavor of mussels. Grows - service (this is a big one). While Molly was lovely, the service was really slow. At one point I had to get the host to let him know it had been over 15 minutes and I still didn't have the beer I ordered. Mussels were excellent - but so many of them were empty. There were more shells than shells with mussels. I was thinking maybe they would be at the bottom in the broth - but they weren't. Atmosphere is great. I would say the front rooms run a little warm, so if you want it cool, head to the rooms in the back. I will be back.

I love this spot! If you want a cute dinner date, family dinner, or sports bar vibe - it's all here! Food is always amazing! My favorites are bang bang shrimp, buffalo cauli, and oysters. The burger is so good and one of mg favorite btes. Not pictured but their homemade ice cream is a MUST. Service is fast and friendly!

Food was in my opinion off the chain amazing. If you are hungry for fresh oysters, and a wide variety of fresh oysters, this is the place for you. I loved every oyster. And then I had the seafood linguine and a salad which was again amazing. Another important thing for me was that service was on point and attentive. I had a delicious Mojito with my meal. And it was definitely on point great Mojito. Ambience is not fancy. But I don't need fancy to have exceptional food. It all works. I highly recommend.

Very nice restaurant with a welcoming vibe. We visited after a show at the arena. The crabcake was tasty but one that has filler. I ordered the truffle fries and after some back and forth with server, chef and manager I was able get them as a side instead of regular fries. I feel as though the chef was made at me or something because the fries were soggy as if the garlic juice was poured on top. If that's their process it's fine but then make sure that the fries are friend hard to accommodate the moisture. It was a few drops of liquid away from mashed potatoes. Even with that the sandwich, the service and my drink were absolutely amazing and I would come back but stay away from the garlic truffle fries

Came in with a large party and Andrew took care of us by himself. He was a wonderful server food and drinks came out quick. The crab soup was delicious would highly recommend! Hush puppies were amazing I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the crab/shrimp and the corn/pepper ones but they were paired with a really good butter and as an avid hush puppie eater, I would also recommend these. Caesar salad was fine just kind of boring, the dressing did not have anchovie paste so I was a little bummed. Calamari was bussin. My sister got the steak and it was lowkey mid, personally wouldn't spend $40 on it. No complaints overall. Good vibes and fair pricing.

Amazing food! No fillers in crab cakes just crab! Apps were good as was the salad. Quick service and great parking. I would go here again for the prices And food.

Kelly's is an amazing place to go for their fabulous happy hour and great food, in general. I've been numerous times and have never been disappointed. The bar area is very spacious with multiple tv screens to watch sports. I've never had a bad meal there. Their mussels are delicious. My kids love the chicken tenders. You won't be disappointed.

The service was great! Would go back again! The oysters were amazing!! Definitely will be going back!

This gem in historic downtown FFX just opened - from the family of Hamrock's right down the road. Fresh oysters is the theme here, with a huge sports bar, several dining rooms, and quaint patio. Scallops were perfectly seared and tasty clam chowder. The limoncello cake was a delicious ending to a pretty evening! Thanks to Dillion for the energetic and courteous service.

Ok good, but how do you have a seafood restaurant without fish and chips? Weird menu.

Very good crab soup. Also loved the mussels. Service very good Had a table in front of fire place. Very pleasant!

Recently Fairfax City has their restaurant week. Many selections but friends and I chose this as our last spot. Out of all the placed we tried, including Drapers, we did save the best for last. The staff couldn't have been more kind and pleasant. Everything was brought to the table in a timely manner and nothing was rushed. Our patronage was appreciated! And the food was wonderful! From the appetizers, I chose the chicken pot pie fritter, the meal which was crab cakes and dessert smores pie. All was great! My friend had the salad, shrimp and grits and flourless chocolate tart and it was so much she took some home. Please visit and try this new spot! I hope it can be a keeper.

Bad cocktails, bad food, decent service. I had something they wanted to call poke. It was made of trimmings from non sushi-grade fish parts. Like literally the trimming off a salmon filet with some bones still in it. All of it served on a bed of some white goop that was probably sysco mayo and shredded lettuce or something like that. Our friend ordered a salmon pasta that looked similarly gross and tasted how it looked. The orange crushes had aromas of vanilla that shouldn't be there with about an ounce of vodka served in a 7oz glass full of ice. So like one sip for $9. I never thought I'd miss Hard Times so much. Beer list was good, and people were nice, but with food that gross we have absolutely no desire to come back.

Great food and service! BEST oysters we've had in Virginia! Great deal for Sunday Happy Hour!

The chowder was so thick my spoon stood upright. The bartender was awesome. The place has so much potential but alas, not my favorite.

Great location to meet with friends and catch up. The space has a great vibe and the service was fantastic. We ordered the bruschetta appetizer and it wasn't our favorite but the drinks were tasty and reasonably priced. They also have an extensive happy hour menu and schedule!

A great experience and local spot! My friends and I came during Kelly's Sunday Happy Hour. There weren't very many people due to the time of day, so it was perfect. We chose to sit at the bar and the bartender was great. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. The oysters and bruschetta that we had were delicious, as were the drinks. We will definitely come back!

I went for the first time on Sunday. It wasn't crowded since we got there at 5:00. The service and food were good, but not awesome. I might return, but I might not.

We had the rosemary Parmesan fries - amazing!! Oysters were so delicious. Great prices. Service was top notch. Our server Avery K knew everything about the restaurant and menu. Wonderful experience. We'll definitely be back again and again

Food was delicious, service was on point. Oysters very nicely shucked. Shrimp roll was delicious. Margaritas good. Varied menu looked great as well. First time here. Definitely a place to come back to.

The food is great!! We tried fresh oysters and love it! Especially the ones from Washington. Great crab cakes! Will be back!

I was very pleased. The service was fantastic, and the food was above approach. Oysters were perfect and succulent.

I came here after a massage for some oysters and fries. It was a wonderful experience! Dining by myself I sat at the bar and was greeted by two awesome bartenders. Mario and Chuck were attentive and helpful when trying to pick out menu items. I will definitely be returning for the great food and atmosphere.

So excited to have some good mussels nearby! This place is super cute and delicious. Can't wait to come back.

Seafood is fresh. The Charleston crab bisque is divine. Lots of crabmeat, with savory taste. It is really filling. The oysters are huge and delicious withe lemon and dip. Excellent choice, great quality, and the prices are right!

The verdict is in: has the potential to become a new Old Town Fairfax favorite, coincidentally in the same space where an old favorite (Hard Times Café) used to be. Early reviews weren't encouraging, but - we gave it a chance because Bill Hamrock, its owner-operator, earned our trust years ago by offering consistent quality at the Fairfax City restaurant bearing his name. On to our lunch today: We entered via the parking lot / lower entrance, and clear signage pointed us upstairs to the dining area (kudos on the subtle clean up to the decor!), which is separate from both the sports bar (note, get rid of the Brady poster!), and the oyster bar. Bonus points, not only is it non-smoking, unlike the long-term prior resident, they also got rid of the stench that plagued Capital Ale House during its short run. Entering the dining area, we were greeted immediately by a couple pleasant staff members. The local HS graduates Kelly's has working there adds to the warmth and overall relaxed feel in the dining area. Now, onto the main attraction: Lunch! There are plenty of tempting options on the menu, even for someone allergic to seafood, outside of choosing from the salad options. Indecisiveness led to sharing a handful of appetizers (bruschetta, crab cakes & salmon deviled eggs) and one entrée ("Kelly's Favorite Chicken", aka Chicken Piccata, with scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus). Portion sizes weren't obnoxious and we still couldn't finish. According to a friend, the shrimp taco's he picked up on his way home (and were cold when he got to them - his fault) were still good! (Note: If you want that 5th star, get rid of the Brady mural and replace it with some Philly sports legends!)

Had dinner there Friday night with four people. Overall we really liked the place: interesting building; not too crowded; good eclectic music mix but not too loud so it was comfortable to talk. Service was attentive and good. We were seated in a big booth in the back and were able to watch some hard working guy shuck oysters behind the back bar. We liked all the food. Chicken wings and raw oysters appetizers, Swordfish, trout, fish fry, and smash burger entrees. Good selection of beers on tap. It was our first time there - went because we got a card in the mail. We will be going back to try more of the seafood options - great menu for us! I hope people go this place so that it stays around!

This was our first time to the restaurant. The food was exceptional, the service was spot one and there was true value during happy hour. I'm a big fan of fresh oysters and the selections here did not disappoint.