NYC's 5 Best Restaurants For Seafood & Drinks

Springtime temperatures have you longing for summer? NYC offers plenty of restaurants serving fresh seafood that will have you thinking of beach days in no time. Here are the top spots where you can taste the catch of the day while sipping a refreshing cocktail or glass of wine or beer. By Selena Ricks-Good.

More: NYC's 8 Best Lobster Rolls | NYC's 5 Best Seafood Restaurants

More: NYC's 8 Best Oyster Bars

Ace Hotel's oyster bar also features a menu of small plates such as sea urchin crudo, char pate and oyster pan roast. Expect to console your wait for a table with cocktails by Sasha Petraske such as the Fall Back (rye whiskey, Amaro Nonino, applejack, sweet vermouth, Peychaud's bitters and orange peel).

If you haven't yet caught onto Maison Premiere, one of Williamsburg's best new openings of 2011, you're really missing out. Absinthe and oysters are the focus at this New Orleans-themed cocktail bar, and from 4 to 7 p.m. daily, oysters and clams are just $1 each. The raw bar menu features king crab, lobster, caviar and more, which you can pair with cocktails like the Gentleman Caller (Tanqueray Gin, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, pear eau de vie, absinthe and orange bitters).

A menu of paella, tapas and Spanish wine keep this Chelsea restaurant packed most nights. A communal table emphasizes the Spanish tradition of eating dishes that are meant to be shared. In addition to several variations of paella featuring seafood such as shrimp, cuttle fish, mussels and scallops, meat and vegetarian options are served as well. Monday through Thursday, enjoy a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring discounted bar snacks like Mejillones Bravos ($5), Boquerones ($5), and Patatas Crispies ($3) along with $7 glasses of sangria and $5 beers.

When winter doldrums get you down, head to Ed's Lobster Bar in Soho for a New England-style lobster roll and feel your stress melt away with each buttery bite. While the food is pricey, you can pair your lobster, crab and artichoke dip, oysters or other dish with a reasonably-priced craft beer on draft, such as Harpoon IPA or Smuttynose Porter.

This new clamshack in Gowanus (no, the clams are not from the canal) has already attracted a devout following for its New England style clam roll, among other treats from the sea such as lobster rolls and steamer clams. Choose from a small selection of wines, with a focus on local varieties, or from five beers on tap including Ithaca Flower Power IPA, Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter and Greenport Harbor Ale.

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Selena Ricks-Good writes about drinks and produces events as The Dizzy Fizz.