For more than 100 years the foremost and the fashionable have been dropping into Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill. The beloved Swallow Street seafood restaurant first opened back in 1916, humbly selling oysters and fish and chips to the masses. Much has changed since those days, but Bentley's values remain to this day; championing local produce, independent suppliers and ethical eating, whilst the staff deliver warm and informal, but polished service.
Since 2005, it has been owned by Richard Corrigan, who can be credited with ensuring Bentley's legacy as a haven for fresh oysters, grilled fish and steaks remains. The menu reads like a lustful paean to old-school fine dining, featuring an array of classic seafood dishes such as the fish pie made with haddock, prawn and salmon; the Cornish dressed crab with mayonnaise; Dover sole meunière with brown butter, lemon and capers; and the royal shellfish platter with lobster, dressed crab, langoustine, oysters, cherry clams, mussels and whelks.
Yet, the star of the show will always be Bentley's selection of wild and native oysters sourced across the British and Irish isles from Whitstable to Cork. At Bentley’s meat eaters aren’t forgotten, either. Its Beef & Oyster Club takes place on the first Sunday of each month with hot and cold oysters, smoked salmon and grilled ribs of Irish beef on the menu. Now that’s a club worth being part of.
