Caviar hot dog? Yes, please!

Savor this and other delicacies at Island Creek Raw Bar Seaport

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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Island Creek Oysters has been running an iconic oceanfront oyster bar in Duxbury for years. Last month they opened a Boston outpost, Island Creek Raw Bar Seaport, where seafood lovers can slurp oysters, sip canned cocktails and spoon caviar onto everything from hot dogs to sushi rolls. 

Serving up the famous, sparkling fresh Island Creek oysters. PHOTO: EMILY HAGEN

Located at 99 Autumn Lane and Harbor Way, the raw bar is an entirely outdoor space decorated with bright green turf and pastel umbrellas. At 20,000 square feet, it has the capacity to house 480 oyster lovers. The setup functions similarly to the Cisco beer garden concepts, but staff members say it attracts a calmer crowd. Visitors order food and drinks from shipping containers-turned-service-stations and it gets delivered on disposable plates to their picnic tables.

“We really wanted to create a space inspired by our waterfront Raw Bar in Duxbury for the Greater Boston area to enjoy in these warmer months,” said Skip Bennett, founder and owner of Island Creek Oysters. “We’re so lucky that New England has such a vast array of incredible coastal communities and the raw bar menus will highlight what New England does best.”

The establishment is entirely outdoors, with plenty of picnic table
seating. PHOTO: CELINA COLBY

The caviar hot dog served with sour cream, chives and heaps of white sturgeon caviar quickly became a popular order. Non-seafood eaters have options as well, including hot dogs with more traditional toppings, Caesar salad and a soft pretzel served with mustard and beer cheese. This high/low approach, where restaurants blend high-end ingredients like caviar with old-school favorites like hot dogs, chips and chicken nuggets, has been increasingly popular in the last few years.

In addition to Island Creek oysters and tinned fish hand-packed in their New Bedford cannery, guests can order from a Row 34 food truck offering clam chowder, fish and chips and a tempera lobster bao bun.

PHOTO: EMILY HAGEN

Bennett began growing shellfish in the Duxbury Bay in the 1990s and the decades in the business have perfected his product. Island Creek oysters have been served at state dinners at the White House and are the house oysters at fine dining establishments around the country, such as The French Laundry in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley and Per Se in New York City. For lucky Bostonians, these delicacies are just the neighborhood fare.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Island Creek Oysters to Seaport,” said Ariel Foxman, vice president of Brand & Experience for Boston Seaport by WS Development. “With their iconic presence, Seaport is further cemented as the place to be this summer for both locals and visitors alike.”