Select Oyster Bar is a neighborhood seafood spot in Boston's Historic Back Bay from Chef Michael Serpa.

OPEN DAILY 11:30am - 9:30pm (Friday & Saturday 10:30)

The restaurant is focused on serving the highest quality seafood with a casual bistro vibe. The raw bar features local oysters and the rest of the menu offers crudo, ceviche, local shellfish, spanish octopus & more.  The kitchen showcases the top quality seafood with simple seasonal preparations.

Our wine program focuses on seafood centric wines and our bar serves up cocktails with small batch artisanal spirits.

Select opened in April 2015 in a Back Bay townhouse serving modern seafood and taking inspiration from the neo-bistro movement in Paris. The restaurant quickly garnered praise including Boston Magazine's Best of Boston Best New Restaurant 2015, Best Wine Program 2016, Boston’s Top Restaurants 2018 & Best Seafood Restaurant 2019 , Improper Bostonian's Boston's Best Seafood 2015 & 2016 and Boston's Best Raw Bar 2017, Food & Wine's Best New Wine Bars in America 2016, among others.

We offer our full menu during lunch + dinner beginning at 11:30am

GENERAL INQUIRIES

857-239-8064
info@serpahospitality.com

LOCATION

50 Gloucester Street

Boston, MA 02115

Condé Nast Traveler

Reviewed by ANDREW SESSA

You can go refined or grand (think, massive seafood towers) at this pitch perfect neighborhood seafood spot.

What's the story behind this place?

In 2015, Michael Serpa, the longtime executive chef at the North End’s always-packed, no-reservations Neptune Oyster, opened Select Oyster Bar, a 50-seat spot in the Back Bay. That means you can now book a table to eat his top-shelf European-inflected dishes without waiting outside in line for an hour-plus. Instead, you'll enjoy an elevated menu on the parlor floor of a historic townhouse, outfitted in maritime-tinged rough-luxe style, with exposed brick walls, a pewter bar, and bare-wood tables.

Who tends to come here?

The restaurant’s position squarely in the middle of the Back Bay means it brings in a variety of diners: well-heeled locals from the neighborhood and the adjacent South End and Beacon Hill, ladies (and gents) who lunch while shopping along Newbury Street, business types, and couples on dates or celebrating special occasions.

Start us off with a drink. What does the bar do best?

Serpa, who also manages the wine program, has assembled a list of seafood-appropriate selections from the Old and New worlds. You’ll find plenty of French vineyards, as well as well-made American bottles, dry Rieslings, Spanish whites, lots of Pinot Noir, and other reds. There's a particular focus on Chablis, Serpa's personal favorite.

On to the food: Take us through the menu—especially what we can't miss.

The restaurant’s European inflection comes through in favorites like the crudos, the Spanish octopus, the sautéed petit clams, and the whole roasted sea bream. If you’re ready to splurge, go for one of the seafood towers (from just over $100 to $325, depending on size), which are stocked with oysters, shrimp, lobster, blue crab salad, and more. Serpa mostly emphasizes local fish, especially for specials—written on a chalkboard behind the bar—that change to reflect what’s in season. He sources some ingredients, like the aforementioned octopus, from afar when the quality is better.

How's the service?

Service feels more casual than the elevated food would make you expect, which works to the advantage of this neighborhood spot. The staff know their stuff, but there’s nothing stuffy about them.

So why would you recommend this place to, and for who?

Select Oyster Bar is worth the splurge and proves an excellent spot when you want to impress. As a lesser-known stop among Boston's seafood restaurants, it also has a bit of an insider's cachet. Speaking of insiders, those in-the-know, know to sit outside on the small back patio in summer.

“A sexy little place chock-full of Mediterranean seafood pleasures. The kind of place a young Hemingway would have walked into and said, “I’ll have one of everything” there’s a lot to love about Chef Michael Serpa’s charmingly simple eatery, including the friendly service, the warm, inviting atmosphere, the sublime cocktails, and the inspired menu of delicately treated, exquisitely delicious seafood.”

-Urban Daddy

Please Note:

We add a 20% Pre-Tax Gratuity to all checks at Select.  This is designed to make sure our front of house service staff can focus on delivering great hospitality to our guest and not focus on how much they will be making in gratuity.  We also believe that after a great meal, you shouldn't be subject to a math session.  Our staff members have family, children, mortgages and other financial obligations and we think they should be able to rely on a steady income. This included gratuity is noted on both our menus and our printed receipts.  We believe that treating our service staff well, our kitchen staff well, and most importantly our guests well.  If any guests strongly oppose the 20% gratuity please ask to speak with management and we will kindly remove all gratuity from the check.  This gratuity is only distributed to our service staff and no member of management or any kitchen only staff receives any portion of this service charge.

Chef + Partner michael serpa

Michael grew up by the stove.  He hails from a family of Cuban chefs, including his dad, grandfather, and two uncles.  He spent his summers as a youth at his father's Miami restaurant, doing whatever he could to get on the line.  During his high school years in Pennsylvania, Michael worked nights at local restaurants, getting a taste for the restaurant world.  When time for college came and his boxes packed, he decided to withdraw from Penn State (he'd make a terrible politician anyways) and do what he loved best, cooking.  After attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Michael made the move to New York City.

In New York Michael connected with the Olives NY group and worked under chef Michael Crain. After working at Olives in NY, Michael made his way to Boston to work at Olives in Charlestown.  He soon took over the kitchen at Neptune Oyster in the North End.  Michael started cooking at Neptune in 2008 and had a long run with much success, helping bring the restaurant local and national acclaim as Executive Chef.  Seeking a way to continue to challenge himself, Michael departed Neptune to open Select Oyster Bar in Boston's Back Bay, which opened in April 2015 in Boston's Back Bay. Select has been fortunate to receive awards from local and national press, including Boston Magazine (Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Program, Best Seafood Restaurant) Food & Wine (America’s Best New Wine Bars), Improper Bostonion (Best Seafood Restaurant), among others.

Michael lives in East Boston with his wife Lina who he met in the kitchen at Neptune Oyster.  When he is not cooking, Michael is an avid cyclist, and participated in the 2014 & 2016 Pan Mass Challenge to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry as well as supporting No Kid Hungry throughout the year with other various events. 

operations + First Lady Lina Velez

Lina was born in the well known coffee town of Andes, Antioquia in Colombia.  She grew up in Medellin, Colombia and came to Boston after studying engineering.  Lina was a long time employee at Gourmet Caterers and at Neptune Oyster in Boston, where she and Michael met.  After being wowed by her Garde Manger and salsa dancing skills, Michael and Lina were married in June 2008.  Lina can be found handling behind the scenes work during the day and on the floor at Select at nights.  She also has been known to make a mean Sancocho for Family Meal.

Sous Chef Arlex Valencia

Hailing from Medellin, Colombia, Arlex first began working in the kitchen while at Neptune Oyster.  He soon worked his way from shucking oysters, to garde manger, and to eventually lead line cook during his time at Neptune.  A key member of the opening team at Select, he moved up to Sous Chef and now helms the kitchen as Executive Chef.

PRIVATE EVENTS @ SELECT

Select is available for private events for groups of 15 - 75 guests. cocktail receptions, seated lunches & dinners, Rehearsal Dinners, & Weddings. Custom Tailored Menus & beverage pairings available.

@selectoysterbar