Ostra
About
Ostra, Spanish for oyster, is a contemporary Mediterranean seafood restaurant from chef and owner Jamie Mammano, opened in November 2013 at One Charles Street South. The kitchen buys seafood from New England, the Mediterranean and elsewhere and keeps the preparations light, so the fish carries the plate. The James Beard Foundation named Ostra a semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality in its 2026 awards.
It suits a celebration dinner, a business meal or a seafood lover who wants a formal dining room rather than a casual oyster bar. The restaurant describes its location as Park Square and Back Bay, by Boston Common, and the dress code is business casual.
What to order
The menu opens with raw bar oysters from Massachusetts and Maine, crudo and tartares, and a selection of Petrossian caviar. The dish most associated with the restaurant is the salt-crusted branzino for two, which takes about 50 minutes, so order it early. Other mains include local monkfish, a Valenciana-style paella with Maine lobster and chorizo, broiled twin Maine lobsters, and a short list of steaks for anyone at the table who would rather not eat fish.
The room
The dining room has high ceilings, saddle-leather banquettes and large black-and-white ocean photographs, with a marble bar and a piano lounge beside it. It seats 136 in the dining room, 26 in the lounge and 14 at the bar, and the bar opens half an hour before the dining room, so it also works for a drink without a full dinner.
Private dining
The private room seats up to 48 for lunch or dinner and holds 70 for a cocktail reception; the lounge suits smaller receptions, and the main dining room can be bought out for up to 150.
Sister venues
Ostra's owners, Columbus Hospitality Group, also run the French Mediterranean restaurant Mistral on Columbus Avenue and the hotel XV Beacon on Beacon Hill.
Sources: Ostra, about, fact sheet, hours, menu, private events, James Beard Foundation. Checked September 27, 2026.
Contact Information
Boston, 02116
Photo: Ostra via Google
Ostra
About Ostra
Ostra, Spanish for oyster, is a contemporary Mediterranean seafood restaurant from chef and owner Jamie Mammano, opened in November 2013 at One Charles Street South. The kitchen buys seafood from New England, the Mediterranean and elsewhere and keeps the preparations light, so the fish carries the plate. The James Beard Foundation named Ostra a semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality in its 2026 awards.
It suits a celebration dinner, a business meal or a seafood lover who wants a formal dining room rather than a casual oyster bar. The restaurant describes its location as Park Square and Back Bay, by Boston Common, and the dress code is business casual.
What to order
The menu opens with raw bar oysters from Massachusetts and Maine, crudo and tartares, and a selection of Petrossian caviar. The dish most associated with the restaurant is the salt-crusted branzino for two, which takes about 50 minutes, so order it early. Other mains include local monkfish, a Valenciana-style paella with Maine lobster and chorizo, broiled twin Maine lobsters, and a short list of steaks for anyone at the table who would rather not eat fish.
The room
The dining room has high ceilings, saddle-leather banquettes and large black-and-white ocean photographs, with a marble bar and a piano lounge beside it. It seats 136 in the dining room, 26 in the lounge and 14 at the bar, and the bar opens half an hour before the dining room, so it also works for a drink without a full dinner.
Private dining
The private room seats up to 48 for lunch or dinner and holds 70 for a cocktail reception; the lounge suits smaller receptions, and the main dining room can be bought out for up to 150.
Sister venues
Ostra's owners, Columbus Hospitality Group, also run the French Mediterranean restaurant Mistral on Columbus Avenue and the hotel XV Beacon on Beacon Hill.
Sources: Ostra, about, fact sheet, hours, menu, private events, James Beard Foundation. Checked September 27, 2026.