The Name
The Olympia Oyster (Ostrea Lurida) is our “namesake oyster”. It is the only native oyster to the West Coast. It nearly became extinct due to over harvesting and ocean pollution and thus got overshadowed by the introduction of its Japanese distant cousin. Olympia Oyster Bar is an homage to the brilliant and valiant little bi-valve that has slowly made a comeback thanks to hard working oyster farmers.
The Oysters
We proudly source our oysters directly from highly sustainable family-owned farms. Call it ‘Farm-to-Bar’ oysters.
The Wines
Oysters and wine are made to be together: combined they create an experience far greater than the sum of its parts. Much like oysters, wine is also highly susceptible to nature’s variations: terroir. We strongly believe that within their craft both oyster farmer and vintners best express the sense of place of their chosen good by paying a close eye to nature itself.
This is why we choose to pair our food with wines that are biodynamic and/or organic, with an emphasis on natural wine-making and artisan production. Our wine list is whimsical rather than extensive and features a variety of regions, including less well known ones.
People
Chef/Owner Maylin Chavez is a native to Tijuana, Baja California Norte. She brings her heritage and passion for the sea to each dish she prepares. Her personal and professional experiences cooking in Baja, abroad, and being surrounded by the rich diversity of ingredients has created a direct imprint on her cuisine. “My approach to oyster and seafood cookery is to surprise the senses, and bring a mélange of globally inspired flavors to each bite you enjoy.”
Wine curator Simon Lowry grew up in Paris, France, in a Franco-American household. He is a self-declared seafood, wine and techno geek. He spent all his holidays on his grandparents’ farm in Brittany, close to the famous Belon River, one of the oyster-producing regions of France. Simon believes in the power of food & wine as a cultural foundation for transmission of identity and as a medium for cultural exchange. He dreams and thinks of wine every waking minute.