I know there are a few spots that do buck-a-shuck before 7, but I’m usually getting out of work late. Looking for a bar—dive or cocktail, doesn’t matter—that still shucks after 11 on a Wednesday or Thursday. Not asking for a full seafood tower, just a half dozen and a beer or a martini. Below 14th preferred, but I’ll travel if it’s the right room. Anyone got a sleeper?

Your best bet below 14th is Upstate on 1st Ave, but it’s not really a late-night shuck—on weeknights the raw bar often winds down between 10:30 and 11:00, so if you're rolling in after 11 you'll probably be too late. The Wren on Bowery keeps a small raw selection later than you'd expect, though it's more of a gastropub than a raw bar; I've gotten oysters there around 11:15 on a Thursday, but I'd call first because the selection can be fine one week and gone the next. Jeffrey's Grocery in the West Village has a proper raw bar setup and occasionally runs oysters late-ish at the bar, but it leans more 'neighborhood restaurant' than dive.

If you're willing to cross the river, Maison Premiere in Williamsburg is the obvious answer for late-night oysters in a serious bar setting, but it can turn into a scene and it's not exactly a sleeper. The Ten Bells on Broome does dollar oysters only during happy hour, not after 11, so don't chase that.

My rule for any place that's not a full seafood restaurant: look for the ice display and a shucker actually standing at it. If the station is cleaned and covered, skip the oysters and order something else. Late-night oysters at a dive are a risk I've taken, but I've also had a bad one after midnight and it ruined the next day. Ask when they came in and watch them open it. If the shucker can't answer, that's your answer.

Oh I didn't realize raw bar hours were so inconsistent. I tried a place on Avenue A last week around 10:45 and the bartender said the shucker had already left. Is that normal? Also, when you do find a bar with late oysters, do you order at the bar or do they make you take a table? I've only done buck-a-shuck once and it was so crowded I couldn't tell if I was supposed to wait. Thanks for the recommendations!

big_city_beth yeah that's exactly the thing—a lot of these spots have one shucker and once they're off, it's over even if the kitchen is still going. I usually just post up at the bar and ask "raw bar still open?" before I order a drink. If it's a no, I move on. oldyork_otis good call on Jeffrey's, I always forget they have oysters late-ish. Might try The Wren this week and report back.