Canal Street Oysters Opens In Tribeca

TRIBECA, NY — "Oysters for everyone," was the idea behind a 200-person oyster bar in Tribeca that opened this week.

Co-owner Tom Martignetti said he wanted a "big unpretentious gathering place to enjoy and to imbibe," thus was born Canal Street Oysters at Canal Street and West Broadway, which he opened with his brother, Anthony Martignetti.

"'Oysters for everyone,' was what I kept thinking," he said.

The oyster bar, at 380 Canal St., brings to the neighborhood scallops, whelks, Jonah crab, and a variety of cooked dishes like Spanish mackerel tartare and scallop crudo, overseen by chef Charlene Santiago. Craft beers, cocktails, and natural wines are on the drinks list, curated by Lee Campbell.

The restaurateurs, who are also behind The East Pole, Pizza Beach, and Brinkley's, have been working with an oyster restoration project in New York City called the Billion Oyster Project, Anthony Martignetti said in a release about the opening.

The organization has "taught us a lot about the significance of oysters to New York history and their current relevance in terms of ocean health and sustainability," Anthony Martignetti said.

"Plus sustainable seafood aside, I love eating oysters," he said.

Canal Street Oysters is open 4 p.m. to midnight everyday. Lunch service is expected soon.

The new eatery, formerly music venue Canal Room, seats 50 people at a bar, 45 in the dining room, and room for 60 more standing customers.