February 26, 2026
Provided Image/Oyster House
Oyster House in Center City is one of six restaurants to receive a 2026 America's Classics award from the James Beard Foundation.
The James Beard Foundation is honoring Oyster House with one of its 2026 America's Classics awards, given to independently-owned restaurants with "timeless appeal"
The Center City seafood restaurant is among six establishments nationwide to be recognized, and the only one from the Mid-Atlantic region. The James Beard Foundation lauded Oyster House for its high-quality ingredients and energetic ambience.
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"Few restaurants straddle multiple eras of Philadelphia's restaurant history like Oyster House," the James Beard Foundation said. "In a city that was defined for much of the 20th century by legendary seafood restaurants, Oyster House is the last of its generation."
Owner Sam Mink is the third generation of his family to run a seafood restaurant in Philadelphia. His grandfather, Samuel Mink, bought Kelly's on Mole Street in 1947. The restaurant, just a couple blocks from City Hall, was popular among the city's politicians and judges. But the entire block was condemned in 1969 and Kelly's shut down. Penn Center now stands on the block.
Samuel Mink died before he could reopen Kelly's at 1620 Ludlow St., where Liberty Place now sits. But his son, David, ran the restaurant for a year before it was sold. In 1976, David opened Sansom Street Oyster House at 1516 Sansom St. and ran it for 24 years before selling the business. But the new operator filed for bankruptcy in 2008, and the lease defaulted to David. That's when Sam took over and relaunched the restaurant as Oyster House.
The James Beard Foundation credited Oyster House's executive chef, Joe Campoli, for balancing the menu with classic seafood dishes like crab cakes and crudo and modern entrees like black garlic-glazed halibut served with dashi. The restaurant's raw bar, overseen by Gary McCready and Ameen Lawrence, was called the restaurant's "beating heart" and the best of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic.
"Oyster House is not just a venerable ambassador of Philadelphia food history - it remains one of the city's most rewarding places to eat," the James Beard Foundation said.
Oyster House and the five other America's Classics honorees will be recognized at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago on June 15. The foundation has named 14 additional restaurants and chefs from the Philadelphia region as semifinalists for honors ranging from outstanding restaurant to emerging chef. Finalists for those awards will be revealed March 31.
