For a town surrounded by water, Miami restaurants rate surprisingly poor on the seafood scale—perhaps because most locals catch their own dinners.

River Oyster Bar does its best to fill the void, especially for oysters brought in from shores near and far; at any given time, there are five to twelve varieties, from small and sweet to big and briny.

Constantly changing the menu, chef David Bracha creates fresh ceviches, seafood soups and fish specials depending on what his buddies caught that morning—yellowtail, tilefish, hog snapper and yellow eye make regular appearances.