Oyster House PHL is now open for pre-flight martinis and oysters

Just a few months after being announced, the Philadelphia International Airport outpost of Oyster House is officially open.

Located in the B/C connector, the airport Oyster House “represents our greatest hits,” said Sam Mink, the third-generation owner and operator of the Inquirer 76 restaurant.

The all-day operation has breakfast (bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, avocado smoked salmon toast, etc.) until 10 a.m. in addition to locally sourced raw oysters and standards like fried oysters with chicken salad and, of course, the house martini.

Oyster House PHL occupies the former location of Legal Sea Foods, which closed in 2020. It’s operated in partnership with Atlanta-based Jackmont Hospitality, the food service company that is also behind PHL’s Elixir Coffee, the forthcoming Federal Donuts, and the recently announced Middle Child PHL.

It’s the latest opening from MarketPlace PHL — the developer and landlord for shops and restaurants at the airport — in its effort to build out a roster of recognizable local dining options, dubbed “Founded in Philly.”

A visit on Friday morning yielded a classic Oyster House martini and a Bloody Caesar, a spicy riff on the classic brunch cocktail boosted with clam juice, along with oysters and clams.

The glass-encased raw bar, manned by an Oyster House-trained shucker, looks out onto the concourse. Prices are a hair above what you’d find at the restaurant: New England clam chowder at PHL costs $14, two bucks more than in Center City; crab cakes are $39 at the airport, vs. $35 downtown. The airport bar’s cocktails are just shy of $20, and individual oysters cost between $4 and $5, making a dozen oysters $56.

The staff still has some kinks to work out — some oysters had bits of shell in them, and some items were not available yet, so perhaps give it some time to get up to speed. (Mink said that he has been “working with the oyster shuckers to make sure they are shucking properly and serving quality oysters.”)

Still, the gleaming granite-tiled floors and mid-century-styled booths make it a stunning place to nurse a cocktail. You might even forget you’re in an airport.