'Power seafood' Oceanaire to open first Ohio location

The "power seafood" upscale dining concept comes to downtown with the opening of  Oceanaire Seafood Room on June 2.

Located on the ground floor of the 580 Building at Sixth and Walnut streets, the décor is inspired by the ocean liners of the 1930s. Its Art Deco ambience is reminiscent of a supper club – complete with cherry wood paneling, high-backed leather booths, nickel trim and white linen tablecloths.

Oceanaire offers 25 species of seafood and shellfish from both coasts, flown in daily and tailored to local tastes and availability. Traditional favorites include Nantucket Bay Scallops, Chesapeake Bay Style Crab Cakes and Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish.

The raw bar is the largest of all of the Oceanaire's locations - and likely the largest in Cincinnati.

The restaurant seats 275, and a private dining room can be reserved for business meetings or special occasions.

The Cincinnati local ownership partners are general manager Donna Seal and executive chef Justin Dumcum.

Terry Ryan, president and CEO of the Oceanaire Seafood Room, says that he's been looking at Cincinnati since 1999. While looking, the group considered many locations, including a few in the suburbs. "We really wanted our restaurant to be downtown," Ryan says.  "We wanted to be near the types of generative sources that could help the Oceanaire."

Ryan says that he sees downtown dining becoming more and more popular.

"That gets me excited," Ryan says.  "More people are staying downtown.  We want people, when they're thinking about going out for dinner, to really think about downtown."

Founded in Minneapolis in 1998, this is Oceanaire's sixteenth location and the first in Ohio.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Terry Ryan, president and CEO; Donna Seal, general manager Cincinnati; Justin Dumcum, executive chef Cincinnati, Oceanaire Seafood Room
Photography by Scott Beseler