Oceana Restaurant
55 E 54th St
(between Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10022 (212) 759-5941
- Nearest Transit:
5th Ave-53rd St (E, V)
Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
13 Reviews for Oceana Restaurant
You want fancy fresh seafood with big flavor? Check this modtown joint out. Expensive but a delicious dive into the flavors of the ocean. The ambiance is that of the interior of a cruise ship. Service was spot on and attentive.
I'll keep this short...
Wine... good. We had one of my favorite wines, Jordan. Can't go wrong.
Food... great. Especially the dessert tasting menu. For appetizer and main course I had the gnocchi and the lobster. Both were delicious, but also a bit small in portion.
Atmosphere... different. Makes you feel like you're on a yacht.
My big issue with the place was the staff. They were very nice to begin with, but a couple stood there starring at us after we paid the bill and were still talking at the table. They were making us feel a bit awkward for sitting and talking for another 5 minutes.
Funny how Yelpers can give a sub-par restaurant 5 stars for "value" and neglect to give credit where due. I was surprised to see that Oceana received under 4 stars and yet Michelin has enough sense to hand over a coveted star in recognition of its superb quality.
Obviously service was good. Not flawless, but even waitstaff are humans and not perfectly programmed machines. I think service at a fine dining establishment is a given and therefore needs no critique (unless truly horrendous).
Now for the food. We were kindly introduced to two very melt-in-your-mouth fresh and absolutely amazing pieces of raw scallop in some blood orange sauce and some other sashimi of which I forget what kind. Doesn't matter because the scallop was so freakin' amazing. Who knew such a tiny little creature could do such wonders for my palate.
I must note here that to the best of my knowledge, dinner is tasting menu only which is $78 for 3 courses.
Appetizer: Tuna tartare was delicious with bits of caramelized ginger adding a nice modernness to the dish. The gnocchi was also good (although not my meal).
Entree: What did I have? Taro-crusted something. I know, I'm terrible at this. But it was accompanied by bok choy and some forgettable green sauce. I think here is where I realized that everything was cooked to perfection. But the flavors were just a bit lacking. Amazing textures but not so innovative flavor combinations. Just simple. Classic. Elegant.
Dessert: Nothing to write home about. And nothing I want to elaborate upon because I'm getting tired of writing this.
The atmosphere at Oceana is very high-end. The room is intimate and makes you feel like you are on a yacht, except that you don't know anyone else in the room and must speak in quiet tones. Not the most comfortable dinner I've had but it was a nice experience. I just would probably not recommend this choice as I didn't think it was worth the $200+ price tag. Maybe for the 40's and 50's elite but too stuffy and pretentious for me. (pretentious = the patrons, not the staff)
I found the decor to be boring, but my fish was delicately prepared and elegantly presented.
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I haven't been back since they changed chefs but all I remember the service was impeccable. Seafood and vegetables are fresh. The dessert you can pass on.
Must get: Grilled octopus
I had a business lunch here, so my enjoyment of Oceana was definitely enhanced by the fact that I wasn't paying for the meal.
The restaurant pulls off the nautical theme, with mirrored wall panels. There were servers and what appeared to be maitre d's swarming all over the dining room - I guess they're trying to give off an over-the-top service vibe. The crowd was your typical middle-aged Midtown Suit Scene, which is always fantastic when you don't exactly match that prototype. Who let me in here?
We all ordered off the 3-course, $48 prix-fixe menu. There's a cheaper 3-course prix-fixe menu which limits your choices to two for each course. For the more expansive menu, had a nice variety of appetizer and entree selections, a few with some seasonal touches - apple, pumpkin appeared in various forms of accoutrements. The menu definitely differs a bit from what's shown on their website.
They offered 5 different types of bread/rolls to start, and they make more than one round to each individual at the table in case you want more (as I did). There was a seasonal element here too, with a butternut squash bread/brioche-type roll. To start, I had stone crab claws, which come out of the shell, served over a slaw/salad with an apple chutney to the side that I didn't really enjoy. My seared mahi-mahi was served over baby spinach/mushroom with wasabi creme fraiche. Portion was adequate and the flavor was decent. The chocolate custard brownie with cinnamon ice cream for dessert was the highlight of the meal for me - comes with a chocolate candy top with a gold embellishment on top. They also gave us a little tasting of 5 small candies that looked like mini-desserts. I like places that give you little perks like this!
Like I said, I normally wouldn't choose to come here, but it was a good choice for a work-related meal. Still fits that high-brow, business professional setting, but isn't as stuffy/pretentious at some of the other midtown venues.
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went for a business lunch with my old boss and his kids. we did price fix for $48. wonderous meal. my appetizer was scallop something which was to die for flavorful, and cooked to perfection. my halibut was flaky and yummy.... the steak portions someone else ordered were quite small though. my dessert was raspberry icey something with coconut and papaya ice cream and the equivalent of sprinkles. INSANELY good. Have also been upstairs to the privatish bar. Excellent wine selection and cheese sticks are great for snacking. Solid meal in a very calming nautical setting. I've had great service there. You will only find suits though. it's a major mid town powerhouse with great food... and I believe a michelin star.
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Dah. I heard from several that Oceana is supposed to be one of the best seafood restaurants in the city.
But. Why. Did. They. Over. Cook. My. Fish.
Well duh, because EVERYONE does. Alas. My friend's salmon was admittedly very good, but my halibut was ruined by an extra few minutes on the flame.
The clientele is MUCH older and very suity.
Tried to be the Seafood version of the River Cafe but couldn't compete. Tasting menu was all overcooked & spongy. The waiter that announced each tasting didn't speak English & our party had to ask over & over again to repeat himself meanwhile at the front door was a very well spoken man just taking coats, didn't get that AT all. They didn't get it at this overpriced & pretentious midtown fish place.
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Went here for our 7 year anniversary. The atmosphere was quiet and elegant, which I enjoyed- but the decor was a bit outdated(it would have to be with a website like theirs). The service was impeccable. They offered us a nicer table after we sat and it was emptied, which was nice. Had a delicious French wine, outstanding food and too much dessert. My boyfriend wasn't as impressed- for the price he wished every bite had wowed him. I would go back again for very special occasions- or if someone else was paying- that bill hurt a bit.
My favorite place to get fish in the city. It's a shame you have to get all dressed up. With my career I have to go home and change just to go there to eat. Either I need my career to be more stuffy, or Oceana has to realize that I am worth letting in with jeans. Till then, I will keep going home to change.
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We must have had the same waiter Terri P. He went over the tasting menu and I didn't understand a single thing. I knew going in that it was a luxury liner theme; but, it came off a bit kitschy. Food was good, desert was better than any of the fish I had. Very quite, reserved and older crowd. I am a bit curious as to why it has 1 Michelin star.
Amazing service in this exceptional seafood restaurant. Had the tasting which was fantastic, one dish after another. The highlight was the service which was polite, professional and sincere. What a night! Thank You.
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