8 Must-Eat Clam Dishes in NYC
Eating shellfish is just about the most human thing one can do. According to NPR, the first evidence of humans eating shellfish dates back to 164,000 years ago. The shellfish of choice in NYC is of course the humble clam, which has been going strong on the menus of neighborhood institutions and trendy spots alike in a variety of forms since before there was a restaurant scene worth talking about. In celebration of the storied, versatile bivalve, we’ve compiled this list of 8 Must-Eat Clam Dishes.
This article is just a small taste of the Clams category on 8it, which shows all the top clam dishes in NYC closest to you. Hit the green button at the bottom of this article to explore the 8it app.
Clams
Wildair // Lower East Side
📸: @professionaleatersclub
Casual but sophisticated, Wildair is always full of surprises. Surprising accompaniments of almond milk and xo sauce make this the perfect raw clam dish, hear us out. Xo sauce is a Hong Kong staple made from dried seafood including scallops, fish and shrimp cooked with chili peppers, onions and garlic. Its deep umami rides smoothly on the back of the briny, fresh raw clam like a champion waterskier while the almond milk rounds out its natural sweetness.
This dish is recommended by: La La
Linguine Alla Vongole
Emilio’s Ballato // Nolita
📸: @cyeats
A Houston Street staple for almost 70 years, Ballatos has been turning out plates of Linguine Vongole that taste like grandma made them since long before Nolita became cool. But now that it is cool, those plates land regularly in front of celebrities, musicians, politicians and even a few former presidents. You won’t find clams on the shell in this version of the dish. Instead, Chef Anthony Vitolo makes the sauce with raw shucked clams, thereby permeating the entire dish with briny glory.
This dish is recommended by: 8it NY
NE Clam Chowder
Grand Central Oyster Bar // Midtown
📸: @nyoysterbar
Like an uptown 6 headed towards Grand Central, NYC is so packed with 🔥 clam dishes that even its most bustling transportation hub has one. It’s as if Grand Central Oyster Bar put a New England style clam chowder on the menu so diners could acclimate themselves to the flavors of New England before taking Metro North out to Connecticut. Creamy and hearty, dotted with pleasantly chewy clams and tasting faintly of bacon, ministering a harmonious marriage of seafood and pork, this masterfully composed soup brings out the best of the clam.
This dish is recommended by: Eater
Clam Bread
The Queensboro // Jackson Heights
📸: @thequeensboro
Already a cheat code of a dish, garlic bread captivates us with its ubiquitously agreeable combination of ingredients; bread, garlic and cheese. How could you possibly go wrong? By not adding clams, of course! The Queensboro scoffs at anyone prescribing to garlic bread complacency with this advancement of the classic dish that features fried clams tucked into a blanket of garlic and cheese tasting like a thiccc New Haven clam apizza.
This dish is recommended by: Eater
Baked Clams
Dani’s House of Pizza // Kew Gardens
📸: @foodandfootprints
The Albanian-owned pizza establishment Dani’s House of Pizza has rocked Kew Gardens for over sixty years thanks in part to their unsung hero, baked clams. One of Action Bronson’s neighborhood spots, on an episode of F*CK THAT’S DELICIOUS, he remarked that “The combo of pizza and baked clams is like… such a beautiful thing.” To preside joyfully over a slice on a paper plate and an order of baked clams layered with breadcrumbs and paprika at Dani’s is the epitome of eating like Bam Bam Baklava himself.
This dish is recommended by: F*CK THAT’S DELICIOUS
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Randazzo’s Clam Bar // Sheepshead Bay
📸: Eric Kobuchi (via Google Maps)
You can always count on clams being on the menu at Randazzo’s Clam Bar, but they also offer a side of irony in the fact that they serve one of the best Manhattan clam chowders money can buy despite being situated so deep in Brooklyn. But terroir is not a factor when you’re supplied with some of the city’s freshest clams, which reign king in this zesty, tomato-based soup. A Sheepshead Bay institution for almost a century, Randazzo’s selflessly gives Manhattan a good name with this dish.
This dish is recommended by: Eater
Zuppa Di Clams
Gino’s // Bay Ridge
📸: @mangiawithmichele
Another maritime Brooklyn institution slinging red sauce joint classics with the addition of fresh seafood is Gino’s in Bay Ridge which has stood since 1964. Their zuppa di clams or clam soup is akin to a deconstructed version of Manhattan clam chowder. Clams swim in a bright red tomato-laced broth, which mingles with the clam’s natural juices, enriching the soup. Spears of bread are the optimal eating vessel for this dish rather than crackers and a spoon. Soak one in the briny broth for the perfect runway to line with meaty clams so your tastebuds can fly.
This dish is recommended by: @mangiawithmichele
Fettuccini W/ Clams
Upstate // East Village
📸: Inga Grygalyte (via Google Maps)
Dusting a classic linguine vongole with cheese is considered a deadly sin to some, but it’s 2023, and if cheese and clams want to elope, we think they should. Upstate has given parmesan their blessing with their take on long noodles with clams, shredding it into the sauce and over the bivalves. This dish has the tantalizingly alluring taste of a forbidden marriage. If you’re brave enough to try it, just don’t tell your Nonna that you did.
This dish is recommended by: The Infatuation
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