Best Seafood Restaurants in Kolkata: A Foodie Guide

Kolkata has always worn its love for fish on its sleeve. From neighbourhood fish markets that open before dawn to white-tablecloth restaurants serving butter-poached lobster, this city treats seafood with the kind of reverence most places reserve for fine wine. If you’re hunting for the best seafood restaurants in Kolkata — whether you’re a first-time visitor or a local who’s moved back after years away — this guide cuts through the noise and tells you exactly where to go, what to order, and what it’ll cost.

A quick note for international visitors: UPI payments are the norm at most of these restaurants, and cash can sometimes be a hassle. Mony is a UPI app built specifically for foreigners visiting India — it supports multiple currencies, works without an Indian bank account, and lets you pay anywhere UPI is accepted. Worth downloading before you set out.

Santa’s Fantasea

Santa’s Fantasea is the kind of place locals keep to themselves — a slightly off-the-beaten-path gem that rewards anyone willing to seek it out. The menu leans heavily into bold Bengali spicing, and the spicy crab curry here is genuinely one of the better versions in the city. The prawn dishes — particularly the chingri malai curry — are cooked in fresh coconut milk and arrive fragrant and slightly sweet.

What to Order

Spicy Crab Curry — ₹450–₹550
Chingri Malai Curry (Prawn in Coconut Milk) — ₹380–₹420
Grilled Bhetki Fillet — ₹300–₹350

Practical Info

Timings: 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM (closed Mondays)
Average meal for two: ₹900–₹1,400
Entry fee: None
Nearest Metro: Esplanade Metro Station (Blue Line) — approximately 15 minutes by auto-rickshaw
Tip: Arrive by 7:15 PM on weekends — it fills up fast and they don’t take reservations

Kasturi Restaurant

If you want to understand what Bengali home cooking tastes like when someone actually cares about it, Kasturi is the answer. This institution on Marquis Street has been feeding the city for decades, and its seafood platter is essentially a greatest hits of the Bengali kitchen — ilish (hilsa), bhetki, and chingri prepared simply but with real skill.

The hilsa here, when in season (July to October), is the real draw. It’s oily, bone-laden, and eaten with plain rice in a way that requires both patience and appetite. If you’re visiting outside hilsa season, the bhetki paturi (fish steamed in banana leaf) more than holds its own.

What to Order

Ilish Bhaja (Fried Hilsa) — ₹350–₹500 depending on season
Bhetki Paturi — ₹280–₹320
Seafood Platter (for two) — ₹700–₹900

Practical Info

Address: 14B, Marquis Street, Kolkata
Timings: 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM, 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM (open daily)
Average meal for two: ₹700–₹1,100
Entry fee: None
Nearest Metro: Park Street Metro Station (Blue Line) — 8–10 minute walk
Tip: The lunch crowd is lighter; go for lunch if you want a quieter experience

Fish Fish

Fish Fish does exactly what the name promises — it’s entirely devoted to fish, and it does it well. The menu is broader than most places of its size, which means there’s genuinely something for people who don’t love heavy spicing. The milder preparations — like their lemon butter fish or the steamed pomfret — are worth ordering if you want to taste the fish itself rather than the masala.

What to Order

Lemon Butter Pomfret — ₹380–₹450
Spicy Tawa Fish Fry — ₹260–₹300
Fish Biryani (seasonal) — ₹320–₹380

Practical Info

Timings: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM (open daily)
Average meal for two: ₹700–₹1,000
Entry fee: None
Nearest Metro: Rabindra Sadan Metro Station (Blue Line) — 10–12 minute walk
Tip: They accept UPI — foreigners using Mony App can pay directly without cash

Pappadam

Pappadam sits at the intersection of lively and delicious. It gets loud on weekends, the staff moves fast, and the food comes out properly hot — all of which are good signs. Their prawn masala is the standout: fat prawns in a tangy, slightly charred tomato-onion gravy that pairs well with their paratha or steamed rice.

The fish fry here is also worth mentioning. It’s not the fanciest version you’ll find in the city, but it’s consistent, well-seasoned, and generous in portion.

What to Order

Prawn Masala — ₹420–₹480
Fish Fry (Bhetki) — ₹220–₹280
Prawn Biryani — ₹360–₹400

Practical Info

Timings: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM (open daily)
Average meal for two: ₹800–₹1,200
Entry fee: None
Nearest Metro: Shyambazar Metro Station (Blue Line) — approximately 12 minutes by auto
Tip: Book ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings — walk-in waits can stretch to 30–40 minutes

Ecstasea

Ecstasea is the most contemporary restaurant on this list, and it’s the place to go if you want seafood presented with a bit more flair. Think proper plating, a wine list, and a menu that ventures beyond the Bengali canon — there’s buttery lobster thermidor alongside more traditional shrimp curry, and the kitchen handles both with equal confidence.

It’s the priciest option here, but the quality justifies it. If you’re celebrating something or want to introduce a first-time visitor to Kolkata’s seafood scene in style, this is your spot.

What to Order

Butter Lobster Thermidor — ₹1,200–₹1,600
Tangra-Style Chilli Crab — ₹750–₹900
Classic Prawn Cocktail — ₹380–₹440

Practical Info

Timings: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (closed Tuesdays)
Average meal for two: ₹1,800–₹2,800
Entry fee: None; reservations strongly recommended on weekends
Nearest Metro: Victoria Metro Station (Green Line) — 10 minute cab ride
Tip: The lunch menu has a condensed but cheaper set meal option — good value if you’re watching the budget

Getting Around Kolkata’s Seafood Scene

Kolkata’s Metro Rail network has expanded significantly in recent years and covers most of the key dining neighbourhoods — Park Street, Esplanade, Shyambazar, and the newer Green Line stretching south. A single metro ride costs ₹5–₹35 depending on distance, and the trains are reliable, air-conditioned, and generally the fastest way to cross the city during peak hours.

For the last mile, app-based autos (Ola, Rapido) and yellow taxis are plentiful. Expect to pay ₹60–₹120 for short hops, ₹150–₹250 for longer cross-city rides.

Foreigners travelling to these restaurants: Download Mony App before you arrive. It’s a UPI-enabled payment app designed for international visitors — you can pay directly at restaurants, at metro token counters, and at street food stalls without needing Indian currency or a local bank account. It’s one of those practical things that makes the food trip considerably less stressful.

A Few Honest Notes Before You Go

The seafood restaurants in Kolkata listed here are all genuinely good, but Kolkata’s food culture rewards the curious. Some of the best fish in the city is served out of small, no-sign establishments near New Market or along Lake Market — where a plate of fried hilsa and rice costs ₹120 and tastes like it was made by someone’s grandmother, because it probably was.

If you’re visiting between July and October, prioritise hilsa above everything else. It’s seasonal, it’s iconic, and it’s the fish that Bengalis will argue about long after the meal is done.

Go hungry. Go often.