If you order a plate of oysters in Cape Town, chances are fairly good that you’ll end up slurping on Pacific oysters that were farmed in either Saldanha Bay, Port Elizabeth or Luderitz in Namibia. While Knysna, once the capital of oyster farming, no longer allows the cultivation of oysters in its waters, the Knysna Oyster Company – the oldest oyster-producing company in the country – still trades under its original name and now farms its oysters in Nelson Mandela Bay, which might explain the Knysna attribution still being used on some restaurant menus.

Other than our indigenous Cape rock oysters (Striostrea margaritacea), which are finicky to farm and not steadily available wild, Japanese Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are hardy and easy to cultivate in local waters, so a pretty solid bet for restaurants – and a sustainable choice.

As a rule of thumb, the best time of the year to get your shuck on is during the colder months, as spawning occurs in summer, which causes the oysters to have an unappetising taste. That said, many oyster farmers are able to control the environments the molluscs are cultivated in carefully, so that the oysters are good to eat year-round.

When your plate of oysters arrives, look for glossy, plump flesh and a fresh, mild, not particularly fishy, smell. The shellfish should still be ‘alive’, so a squirt of lemon juice should cause a very slight squirm of the oyster meat. After that, it’s bottoms up!

Chef’s Warehouse and Canteen (City Bowl)

Chef-proprietor Liam Tomlin’s Oysters Vietnamese are legendary, with good reason. Saldanha Bay or Luderitz oysters, sourced through Wild Peacock, are dressed in an expertly balanced combination of fish and soy sauces, sesame oil and pickled ginger, then topped with cucumber, moreish crisp-fried onion bits and nori to send it over the umami edge. It comes with lime wedges and extra dressing on the side.
The deal: 6 medium or 4 large oysters for R95.

I finally had the opportunity to visit @chefswarehouse_canteen on Bree today. Fabulous, beautifully presented food ? We started (as one should), with #oysters #breestreet #capetown #goodfood #chefswarehouse

A post shared by ? Eat Well. Travel Often ? (@the_budding_culinarian) on Sep 2, 2017 at 11:51am PDT

Clarke’s (City Bowl)

As Cape Town thaws from winter, you can spot followers of #clarkesoystercult packing the tiny outside tables, slurping Saldanha Bay oysters and sipping vino like there’s no tomorrow. Served in all their naked glory in a chic, ice-filled metal tray on a bed of black stones, with lemon wedges and a piquant mignonette on the side, they’ll make you a believer.
The deal: R15 an oyster.

Friday night oyster and wine time! Fresh West Coast oysters for R15 a pop. Oh yeah! #clarkesoystercult

A post shared by Clarke's bar & dining room (@clarkescapetown) on Sep 15, 2017 at 7:52am PDT

Knysna Oyster Company (V&A Food Market)

This Cape Town shopfront for the Knysna Oyster Company serves as both a supplier to local restaurants and an oyster bar, where folks can have their fill of the briny beauties cultivated at the company’s Nelson Mandela Bay farm. All the lemon, Tabasco and pepper paraphernalia are there, but you could also push out the boat with a French shallot vinaigrette or the signature paw paw-mango piri-piri sauce.
The deal: Choose between medium, large, extra-large and giant oysters for between R15 and R30 a pop.

Oysters with French shallot vinaigrette or our award winning paw paw and mango piri piri. You just don't get better than this! #foodiescapetown #instaeatscapetown #instafood #yummy #yum #foodies #capetownfood @foodblogct @instaeatscapetown @capetownbest

A post shared by @knysnaoystercompany on Jul 13, 2017 at 12:08am PDT

The Mussel Monger and Oyster Bar (Sea Point)

Owner Kyle Dods believes the best-tasting bivalves hail from his home town, Saldanhay Bay, and thought it a pity that so much was being exported. He’s made it his mission to supply Cape Town with the good stuff, so he sources the oysters directly from farmers with whom he’s built up relationships. Because he keeps them submerged in seawater tanks (as opposed to drip tanks), they’re plump as can be when finally shucked.
The deal: 6 large oysters for R99. Kyle offers lemon, black pepper, Tabasco sauce and a classic mignonette, but maintains that you should really enjoy the Saldanha oysters’ signature slightly sweet flesh in its unadulterated state.

Love this image captured by our manager during a little chill period before orders We're at @themojomarket 7 days a week from 10am till 9pm purveying the finest selection of oysters and mussels in the country. #musselmonger #oysterlove #foodporn #capetalk #doyouwannashuck #capetownmag #capetowneats #capetownfood #capetown #cape_town #seafoodcapetown #seafood #oysters #restaurants_sa #restaurantweek #thehappynow #theartofslowliving #eatcapetown #eatsplore

A post shared by The Mussel Monger & Oyster Bar (@themusselmonger) on Aug 8, 2017 at 10:53pm PDT

Seabreeze Fish & Shell (City Bowl)

Alex and Ruth Grahame saw a gap in the market for a dedicated oyster bar in the city centre, and are all about introducing customers to the subtle differences between oysters from different merroirs (that’s sea terroir, to you and me). According to Alex, the oysters he sources from Knysna Oyster Company have a mineral, oceanic taste; Saldanha oysters are plump and rich in flavour; and Luderitz oysters are very sweet, thanks to the icy waters they come from.
The deal: Au naturel, ‘Knysna’ and Saldanha oysters cost R18 a pop. Luderitz oysters, when available, are R20 a shuck. During happy hour (daily, between noon and 1pm, and 5pm to 6pm), it’s R10 a shuck. For R20 you can have your oyster dressed with either spiced tomato juice and chorizo or cucumber, lime, horseradish and amazi.

A post shared by SeaBreeze Fish & Shell (@seabreezefishandshell) on Jul 18, 2017 at 9:04am PDT