John G.
Yelp
The last time I wrote a review of this amazing place was in 2008?
Time for an update.
We celebrated 4th of July this year by grabbing some oysters and we headed to Tomales Bay State Park for a picnic. It's been a few years since we've been here, and it's always a nice drive up to this coast. Also years ago, they had picnic tables here and you can enjoy them on site. Well, things have changed.
Here are the updated prices for oysters:
Extra Small - $17 a dozen - $65 for 50
Small - $20 a dozen - $75 for 50
Medium - $25 a dozen - $85 for 50
Golden Nuggets - $25 a dozen - $85 for 50
Clams & Mussels: 2 Lbs. for $15
On our first visit back, we grabbed 50 medium oysters. We forgot to bring a container, but luckily, you can purchase buckets and they fill your bucket with a enough ice to keep the oysters fresh during your travel.
They are operating under the current COVID guidelines and they have signs as reminders posted on their menu board. All associates are wearing masks and customers are also complying with social distancing.
Parking gets full here, especially on the weekends, but just stay patient as a spot or two will become available. They also have associates directing and assisting you on parking. Wait time isn't that long, so hold your horses and practice your breathing skills; they will come in handy.
What we love about their oysters is they come straight from the bay. After being harvested, they keep 'em fresh and alive in huge tankers and use the same bay water that they circulate and filter so they retain their flavors. Unlike some other oysters farms out there where they'll place the oysters on ice, this changes the texture and flavor of the oysters.
And speaking of taste, it's salty, briny and sweet at the same time. Slurping the "juice" is like tasting the Pacific Ocean itself. We like 'em raw as is, but you can certainly add some lemon juice and hot sauce. It's the perfect combo.
A couple of weeks later, we came back again and grabbed another 50 to take home this time. I also found a cluster of oysters that had 5 different-sized oysters in one huge cluster. It was like a Pokemon of oysters, and shucking out the meat made me feel like opening a Christmas gift.
Then a few weeks later, on August 1st to be exact, we came back again with my youngest son and picked-up 50 more medium oysters, a dozen Golden Nuggets and Clams. I've never had raw clams before, but they said we can eat 'em raw when they are fresh. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but they had a nice crisp bite and sweetness to it. It was a different kind of sweet, but it balanced out the saltiness from the juice.
Man, if they bottled that juice, I'd be splashing that stuff on everything. In my humble opinion, Tomales Bay Oyster Company has the best oysters and clams in the Bay Area, maybe even all of California.
#YelpChallenge2020 review No. 30