Vien Dong Seafood Company

Fun little store with herbs, and teas etc. Some deals were better than other stores I’d better to near them!

Got a box of 60 raw oysters the other day for a party. Since it’s not yet the season, August, no «R» don;t ya know. This place only had Fanny Bays, which are a little big for doing raw oyster shot, but we did them just the same, and they were delish.
We also tossed a couple on the BBQ, as the shucking was not easy. The Fanny Bay’s shells are bit crumbly and we weren’t the most experienced at shucking. We did manage to eat every last one, about 55, when all was said and done.
I usually go to Pacific fresh FIsh, but they didn’t have any on a friday morning, so I used other Unilocalers for help. This was a good call, good price $ 40 for 60.

Worst selection of all in chinatown

I love, LOve, LOVE this place. The quality of Vien Dong’s seafood is top notch — always fresh and quite popular among the Asian crowd. I went in for fresh oysters and they had both the large and small variety, which they recommend for grilling and eating raw, respectively. But hey, I can be a rebel sometimes so I asked for a box of small oysters for grilling… just my thing, but don’t tell the guys who work here that! They’d shake their heads in shame.
The quality of service here is also great as they will offer to help bring your purchases to your car. Well, at least they did for me. I’m sure the fact that I was a girl trying to walk out the door with 25lbs of live oysters had nothing to do with it.
Two tips if you ever find yourself wandering down to Chinatown in search of this place… GO EARLY for the best selection and parking can be difficult so plan in advance for that god awful search for a spot.

I was born in L.A., and I grew up eating/​shopping in Chinatown. Needless to say, the «born» part was almost 50 years ago. I still go to Chinatown to get dim sum and seafood. This place is one of my faves. Live Dungeness, Live manilla and cherrystone clams as well as a good selection of fresh fish. These guys always treat me very well, even if at 6 – 2, white guy, I don’t exactly fit in with the usual clientelle!