Photo by Karon

Now that the weather is cold, it’s oyster happy hour season! While some restaurants feature year round oyster and raw bar specials, many restaurants only have specials during the cold months.

Many have prices as low as $1 per oyster, making it an inexpensive way to test the waters with what many consider to be a delicious delicacy. Be sure to try a few different varieties, as they can have different flavor notes such as cucumber, iodine, mushroom, and seaweed. I recommend a simple squeeze of lemon or a tiny bit of mignonette to get the most out of the nuanced flavors. Horseradish heavy cocktail sauce tends to overwhelm many of the less meaty and less hearty oysters that are served in D.C. And if you’re interested in proper “oyster etiquette”? Flip the inside of the shell down on to your ice plate.

>> America Eats Tavern offers $1 oysters and drink specials Monday through Friday, from 4-6 p.m., and 9 p.m. to close.
>> Clyde’s, including Old Ebbitt Grill, has a variety of raw bar items for half price at various times for most of their locations.
>> Crackle Bar, which is part of Tackle Box serves $1 oysters during their 5-7 p.m. happy hour from 5-7 p.m. with $1.50 beers and $2 margaritas.
>> Hank’s Oyster Bar in Alexandria will have three kinds of oysters for $1 each, Tuesday through Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m., while the Dupont location will have $1 oysters from 11 p.m. – midnight.
Update: Prompted by a tweet from @greendolphinst, Hank’s Oyster Bar now will offer $1 oysters from 5-7 p.m., Monday through Friday, at their Dupont location, in addition to Alexandria.
>> Legal Seafoods will have half a dozen oysters for $6 at the bar during happy hour, Monday through Friday, from 4-7 p.m.
>> Pearl Dive Oyster Palace serves up $1 oyster during their Monday though Friday happy hour from 5-7 p.m.
>> Senart’s runs the gamut with a half dozen oysters for $7 (1 dozen-$12), poached lobster for $10, a half dozen cherry stone clams for $5, and a four-piece jumbo shrimp cocktail for $8. The special runs daily from 4-6 p.m. and 11 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
>> Urbana features oysters for $2 during happy hour – Monday through Friday from 4-7 p.m.

And be sure to tell us about any other raw bar specials we missed in the comments.

Additions:
>> Smith Commons hosts Smith Hour from 5-10 p.m. daily features $1 oysters, as well as other bar and food specials.
>> Todd Gray’s Watershed features a Grand Raw Bar Platter for $12.95 composed of oysters, jshrimp cocktail, steamed lobster and cucumber salad, mahi mahi, crudo with avocado, and noodle salad with jicama and orange.