Edwin & Neal’s Fish Bar

Wild north creek — Long Island. So aside from randomly going to a great restaurant, I also found my new favorite oyster.
We love finding new oyster happy hour places. And today we found Edwin & Neal’s Fish Bar. Dimly lit, nice staff and great happy hour. Unfortunately we didn’t stay for dinner but did have a chance to have a few tasty fish tacos and a dozen and ½ oysters and cocktails. I enjoyed it all. The best thing about the happy hour is that they don’t just push blue point oysters for $ 1. They actually have a varied menu of east coast and west coast options. It seems like 2 are selected each day to be featured for the happy hour price. If you’re into oysters for real, this is our kind of place.
The cocktails don’t have special prices, but were definitely well crafted and great to sip on.
The menu actually looked very appetizing so I’m certain that I’ll be back in the near future for the full dining experience. I would definitely recommend this place to grab a bite with friends or for an intimate date. The choice is yours.

We were going to Upstate but there was a long wait. They suggested that we can wait at this restaurant. So we came for some appetizers. We only had oysters and wine however the oysters were off the chart fresh and delicious probably the best I’ve had ever ! Too bad my flight is at 4:00 pm ! Otherwise I would go there for more oysters and try some other selections.

I initially was planning on going to Upstate, but it was closed due to weather. In the voice mail they suggested to try this restaurant out so I made a reservation.
Oysters: We ordered 2 west coast and 1 from the east coast that got in on a late delivery. They were exceptional and I’m looking forward to coming back for some $ 1 oysters for sure.
I got the fish sandwich and liked that it was lightly battered, the fish was nice and moist and not dried out which was AWESOME. The fries were really good as well (a bit salty for my liking, but I am just not a salt fan). The bun left something to be desired, but it was soft so I guess that’s all that matters.
My boyfriend got the mussels and he really enjoyed them. He was begging me to find a belgium place, but this ended up being his favorite mussels & frites so far in NY.
Service was attentive and quick, waiter was great and I really liked the vibe in the place.
All in all, will definitely be coming back here.

Just about perfect! Come for oyster happy hour; you can have a dozen oysters for $ 12, and they are fresh and delicious. Excellently accompanied by a glass of Muscadet, a wine I don’t usually drink, but it was perfect here. Main course: pan roasted salmon on polenta with roasted Brussel sprouts: outstanding, this dish will be in the hall of fame! Attentive servers. Relaxed atmosphere. Get here before it takes two hours to get a seat! The food here is exceptional!
Not a fluke! Came back a second time and the food is just as good — maybe even better! Likely to become a regular.

So I live near this place, just like I live near it’s older brother restaurant ‘Upstate’. I actually walked into Edwin & Neal’s when I was supposed to be going to Upstate a couple weeks ago. They’re like, 100 yards away from each other and have the same logo! So… don’t be confused like I was. But if you do get confused, don’t feel bad. The comparisons will come naturally.
VIBE:
We walked in at 8:45, and the vibe was real nice. Similar-​ish to Upstate, this place is just much bigger. Candle light on bright brown wood. Ship and ocean vibes… Fishing rod here, tackle-​box there, but nothing over the top. Wasn’t full, but was far from empty. One of my only issues with Upstate was that the woman behind me was so close it felt a bit like Forest and Bubba back to back in the Vietnam rainforest. Just switch out the napalm and death adders for oysters and fettuccine. But this place is way roomier! Nice little area by the bar, and a bigger room next to it for larger groups.
DRINK:
My girlfriend got a freaking margarita, and I got a glass of white wine like a new-​years-​resolution-​carb-​cutting-​LOSER. They were both fantastic. However, as much as it pains me to admit, the margarita was the better choice. THERE! Impressive selection of beers at $ 7 and wine/​specialty cocktails at $ 11. All great options.
FOOD:
We did the roasted oysters and the protein/​side combo with Salmon and Spicy Tofu Broccoli. The roasted oysters were good, and the salmon and broccoli was amazing. The salmon tasted so fresh, and the broccoli/​tofu was covered in a spicy red sauce that really just…(insert cliché culinary phrase that means tying it all together). The salmon plate was empty in well under 5 minutes.
WHISKEY CAKE:
Yeah. It’s back. And it’s bigger, better, and deadlier than ever.
Call me cuckoo… but I liked Edwin & Neal’s better, if only marginally, than Upstate.
Until next time!

Not quite as good as Upstate (my favorite place in the world), but still a welcome addition!
I’ve been twice and the second time, enjoyed a million $ 1 oysters. They are always good, though I do miss the variety of Upstate. Got the mussels as well, which were yummy. The atmosphere is definitely warm and I appreciate how it’s much bigger than Upstate. And hey, even got a bigger portion of the world famous whiskey cake!

Was in NYC for 2 days for work and heard about Edwin & Neal’s through a friend and boy am I happy I did. From the moment we sat down it was one ¹⁰⁄₁₀ dish to the next. The oysters and fish tacos were literally perfect and I would easily say I could live off of them for the rest of my life. Talk about a home run
I hope they open one up in LA because I will look for a new apartment based on their location.

Dinner for two last night. Scallop crudo appetizer was excellent, African influenced peanut sauce with Chinese black vinegar. Baked oysters less impressive but very fresh; essentially raw oysters with some quickly salamandared cheese, oil, and onion/​garlic on top.
Went a bit downhill from there. Date’s Lobster main was a TINY portion, perhaps 2oz of meat at most, but tasty. My mussels were not cleaned properly, quite sandy. The mussel juice was standard white wine mix, love that stuff. But when I asked for bread to soak up the mussel juice they informed me they had no bread! Keep in mind they have a fish sandwich on the menu. This severely degraded my opinion of the meal, dropping from a 3.5 stars to a 2.5.
Get some bread! It is UNACCEPTABLE to serve mussels without bread!

Not quite Upstate.
We came here after hearing that the wait to Upstate (which we love and frequent) was over an hour.
The staff is just as great as my experiences at Upstate, and the beer is just as good. However, when it comes to the menu and operations, I don’t think they’ve hit this one out of the park.
We ate relatively early (6:30), but they were out of several menu items (which are different from what listed on the website). The fried fish sandwich sounded delicious, which the staff affirmed, but they were out. We ordered oysters, the fish tacos, and the grilled octopus to start.
First came our oysters: less variety than available at Upstate but tasty nonetheless.
Then came a very long delay before our other appetizers. After 2 rounds of beer, and seeing other patrons seated after us receive their food, we asked our server to check on our order. When they eventually came, we were told they ran out of some ingredient for the fish tacos (though they still threw together something in taco form, which was comped). The Octopus was delicious.
I still have high hopes, but this place is not yet ready to be a star. Get to Upstate if you can.

First off, saw the menu online was super excited for the Captains raw bar selection. Was told by our waiter «we don’t have that anymore» anymore? What you’ve been open two weeks? Okay, fine, then update your website. Had the lobster with polenta and brussel sprouts and the fish tacos. Portions were small and nothing to write home about. Like legit, I cannot stress enough how not special the food was and how small the portions are. One star for our pleasant waiter and one star for the $ 1 oysters at happy hour which I got a dozen of.
I am not even joking thank god McDonald’s was a block away because I LITERALLY went there right afterwards. It was like honestly more flavorful. I have no idea what people liked about this place.

Roasted oysters and clams casino are the stuff to order here. Also whiskey cake for free.

Food was OK to slightly better than Ok. Not nearly as great as upstate but the best place near it in the neighborhood if you get assigned a 2 hour wait at upstate. The reason for my 3 star rating really is our service, our waiter forgot multiple times to give us drinks we ordered and to even refill our water. On top of this he gave us the wrong check at the end of the night after forgetting the round we had just recently ordered. I think after this place works out their growing pains it has serious potential. We will try again in 6 or so months. He did comp us a free round of drinks to make up for some of the wait and mistakes.

Food was fresh and delicious and the service was impeccable! Our group of 6 was treated as though we were the only people in the restaurant. Highlights included the insanely decadent lobster dinner as well as the beautiful smoked blue fish spread. Fried oysters were on par as well. The décor was cozy and welcoming. Can’t wait to come back!

Food: ordered the oysters, fish tacos, and mussels — in summary everything was delicious. Favorite was the fish tacos — refreshing, light, and tasty. For a shareable option the mussels are a good choice. Passed on the buffalo frog legs but other tables got it and it looked delicious (will def have to try it next time).
Atmosphere and service: attentive and knowledgable staff, quick service, cozy ambience, cute date spot

The man behind Upstate strikes again. Could not be more impressed with the opening effort at Edwin & Neal’s — came last night after walking by the spot to check on progress over the past few weeks! Nutshell: great beer & wine, freshest raw bar around and out of bounds entrees. The old-​school R&B soundtrack made a little date night all the better, as does the super-​friendly team — these are people who want you to enjoy fine food in a chill place with no pretense.
On to the eats… everything was beyond flavorful, but in a natural way — nothing was remotely fishy, over-​salted or fussed over. The Smoked Salmon amuse was light & smoky. The night’s Oysters were sweet, briny & complex. The Fried Clams were not even distant relatives of the greasy bread-​y strips you get at a beach-​side stand. The Lobster was so fresh & expertly grilled. But the standout dish was a Cuttlefish with uni & caviar that basically blew our minds. Just order it, it’s transcendent.
Do yourself a favor and get there before NYT & New York Mag reviews come out. We can’t wait to go back.

I’m a huge fan of upstate… This is their new sister restaurant and I really enjoyed it. The dining room is a bit more spacious, menu is all seafood, fun music, and the food was delicious. Roasted oysters, fish tacos and the lobster dinner were all great. Looking forward to another meal here!

Wow this place is spectacular. Went here for happy hour for a great selection of craft beers plus 3 big and tasty tacos for $ 15. All delicious and the staff was great.
Surly atmosphere and great bartenders. Check this spot out!

BOOM!
My wife and I are huge fans of Upstate so when we heard they opened up a new spot up the block — we didn’t walk to Edwin & Neal’s, we did a full sprint. Full disclosure, we live far (West Chelsea) from the East Village, so that shows you how committed we are to Upstate and now Edwin & Neal’s.
Upon entrance, the décor is chill and fits perfectly with the theme. It’s different from Upstate — it has way more space and definitely allows for more conversation… but forget the décor, let’s talk about the food.
DOUBLE BOOM!
We got everything — from the salmon sliders, to the fried oysters, to the fish tacos, to the brisket, to the lobster, to the oysters. We went BIG and everything was absolutely delicious.
This place found that perfect balance between seafood and comfort food. I couldn’t be more excited to go back to Edwin & Neal’s, and obviously now wish my wife and I lived in the East Village… because we would eat here every single night.

Okay so I jump the gun a little bit… based off of the zillions of reviews for their sister restaurant «Upstate» across the street that I had picked as the destination for a special/​casual birthday dinner for a fish lover; I saw the neon New York State and crossed the street, thinking that I was at Upstate and ended up dining at the newly opened Edwin & Neal’s (*facepalm)…but it was a lovely mistake.
We ordered oysters and beer and the house white (only house white/​red on the wine list) the clams casino to share. For dinner we had the half lobster with the potato/​corn hash (claw meat extracted and put in the body (nice touch) and a fish sandwich with awesome fries!
Very attentive and polite staff. The same whiskey cake I read so much about from Upstate was delivered at the end of the meal. Afterwards we walked over to check out the massive line and packed house at upstate. I thought it was crazy they weren’t referring the crowd to the new space across the street. Edwin & Neal’s has a nicer sized dinning room (wider space) and a big bar around the kitchen.
There were a few things I would change but other Unilocalers will review every nuance as time goes on. We had a lovely time and I wouldn’t hesitate to send people there.
*update — I see the other review below, we were there when they were! I’m not the Unilocal police but I do remember this group and they seemed to be having a nice time. I can only speak to my experience but I didn’t feel like we were getting leftovers or subpar items. The dishes were entirely different and if you’re looking for oysters and beer why not? (they haven’t started any happy hour specials yet on the oysters) I would have loved to pay the Upstate rate for those, but it was a special occasion as I mentioned and sometimes in life you have to be flexible and go with it!

I had for a long time refused to give 1 star reviews. Understanding that it’s incredibly difficult and draining to start and maintain one’s own restaurant, I thought it unnecessarily harsh to pan a restaurant to such a degree. My visit to Edwin and Neal’s Fish Bar changed that belief tonight. A coworker was visiting from Hong Kong and I pulled together a group of friends to head to Upstate, which is obviously a well-​known local favorite. The dude at the front taking names said the wait would be 1.5 hours and suggested I check out the newly opened sister restaurant across the street instead as it was their first night of soft opening. We didn’t really want to at first, but after being reassured that it was «the exact same thing» we headed over and got seated immediately. We were a group of 5 so it was too many to order individual dishes but also awkward to share plates. We tried anyway though and ordered six dishes: Casino Clams, Roasted Oysters, Sweet & Spicy Calamari, Cajun Shrimp, Cuttlefish Pasta, and Mussels. I know I’m forgetting one dish but I’m impressed enough that I was able to recall all 6 dishes of this absolutely godawful meal. I am so damn pissed and disappointed right now.
Casino Clams– honestly what was this? I guess $ 8 for 4 clams isn’t bad on paper but these clams arrived about the size of a baby’s fist, which is to say that they were absolutely tiny. That, couple with the fact that they were served on a MASSIVE plate made the dish look even more comical. The morsels on top were an odd mixture of sour and sweet and completely overwhelmed whatever clam flavor there originally was.
Roasted Oysters– stop cooking like you’re in college. Hot sauce should never be in any dish, in any shape or form, ESPECIALLY in seafood dishes. You can sprinkle it on wings if you have to but on freaking oysters? really? I’m not eating oysters for texture alone; it would be nice to taste something other than pure sourness.
Cajun Shrimp– crusty old shrimp that tasted like they were the leftovers thrown over from Upstate. These shrimp were somehow mushy and crusty all at the same time. Very little natural sweetness that you find in normal shrimp and it relied way too much on the sauce it was cooked in. The rice on the bottom was also incredibly salty and overseasoned.
Calamari– This was the only dish that wasn’t a complete disaster, mostly because messing up calamari is like messing up french fries. It’s just really hard to do unless you’re frying something in motor oil instead of cooking oil.
Cuttlefish Pasta– Gross, slimy slivers of cuttlefish cut poorly and flavored even worse. Everything was rubbery and everything was drowning in lemon/​lime juice. This was a terrible concoction made worse by the days-​old uni thrown on the top.
Mussels– I don’t know what else to say. This was just meh.
I’m almost too tired and annoyed of the memory of this meal to complain further. This was easily the worst meal I’ve had in the past six months and I take great issue with the owner (s) of Upstate starting a new restaurant only to offer everything half-​assed. It’s offensive and it’s a waste of the diner’s time and money. This was just all incredibly embarrassing.
Oh and there was no whiskey cake at the end. Comeon guys.
Edit: I guess we’re having a dialogue between the 5-​star review and the 1-​star review? Regardless of whether we were there together or not, my entire table of 5 was griping by the end of the second dish, as we slowly realized that Edwin & Neal would have a long way to go in digging themselves out of the hole of the first two dishes, which were massive disappoints. The other diner’s table must’ve done something right though, because we didn’t get any whiskey cake whatsoever and left unsatisfied and sorely disappointed. Please stop trying to ameliorate the experience and circumstances. You can write positive reviews for your friends’ restaurants all you want. There’s no need to speak for other reviewers.