After reinventing his parents’ Sichuan Chinese restaurants in Woburn and Brookline with some of the coolest cocktails around Boston, Ran Duan set his sights on the shoreline at Ivory Pearl. A “seafood emporium” in Brookline’s Washington Square, this place is one of a kind, from the creative crudo to a shareable platter of lettuce wraps with K-BBQ Salmon Collar & Belly. Caviar flows near-freely at $35 for 10 grams: Why not add some to your oysters, crab claws, or even the Gangnam Style Tuna Steak Frites with ssamjang butter-sauce? And of course, cocktails: Here, the team takes inspo from wine and classic drinks to create libations like never before. 

Consider this spot for your next splurge-worthy seafood dinner. Situated three stories above Bay Village, Mooncusser is a chic and serene restaurant whose kitchen is helmed by Top Chef alum Carl Dooley. Nightly, four-course prix-fixe menus showcase New England seafood and a global pantry; think: seasonal soft-shell crab that’s been beer-battered and fried, served with mango hot sauce and cooling raita; and Glazed Local Halibut with white asparagus and sea urchin butter. If your next meal calls for quality not quite so refined, check out Cusser’s, a casual sister spot inspired by North Shore snack shacks (hello, lobster rolls and roast beefs), with a couple takeout locations and a bar below Mooncusser helmed by acclaimed ’tender Todd Maul.

Choose your own adventure at this coastally inspired spot on the edge of Harvard Square. An ocean’s worth of seafaring delights is on the menu at Waypoint, ranging from intriguing pizzas (Smoked Whitefish) and pastas (Lobster Cacio e Pepe) to punchy crudo and caviar service. Smoked and Salted Peel and Eat Shrimp are finger-lickin’ favorites, and no meal here is complete without a tray of oysters—and they are $1 a pop nightly from 5 to 7 p.m. (at the bar only on Friday and Saturday). Chef Michael Scelfo is doing for seafood what he did to vegetables at Alden & Harlow: Make flavors pop with often-local ingredients.

A Boston landmark since 1925, family-owned fishing company James Hook has a takeout restaurant with a relaxing patio amid the office towers of the Financial District and the Seaport. Stay outside and skip the typical line of folks inside the seafood shop by ordering directly from the on-site food truck, where you can get cold lobster rolls in two sizes. Regular and large are both packed with super-fresh Maine lobster and no other filler: When the meat is this fresh and flavorful, it doesn’t need any additions. Make it a meal with creamy chowder, cold beer, and more. The retail store offers more takeout options, as well as a daily selection of Atlantic fish to bring home—including a tank of lively lobsters awaiting their fate.

Boston is blessed with an outpost of one of the most celebrated seafood restaurants in New England: Eventide Oyster Co. The urbane version, Eventide Fenway, is much larger—and thus, way easier to get a seat, which you’ll want to do if you love oysters, lobster rolls, and soft-serve ice cream. The versions here are anything but ordinary: fresh bivalves from our rocky shores are shucked to order and served with flavored ices. The Eventide Brown Butter Lobster Roll is tucked into a pillowy soft bao-style, split-top steamed bun. And even though it doesn’t come from the sea, the signature Brown Butter Soft Serve Sundae with bourbon caramel and maple candied pecans rivals a day trip to Vacationland.

Eric Twardzik contributed reporting.