Old Ebbitt Grill’s Oyster Riot Returns for Its 28th Year

Photos by Mark Raker

Washington, DC, has plenty of food events throughout the year, but the Oyster Riot at Old Ebbitt Grill stands out from the rest. The annual party is back for its 28th year on November 21st and 22nd, and anyone who has been before knows exactly what to expect: tons of oysters, excellent wine, and live music that keeps the party going all night.

“Oyster Riot is exactly what it sounds like – a full-on riot of a celebration,” says David Moran, Area Director at Clyde’s Restaurant Group. “The energy in the room is electric, the wines are world-class, and the oysters just keep coming. In short, it ain’t no cocktail party, it’s a Riot!”

The whole thing started when David Moran went to Seattle to be a judge in the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition and to immerse himself in Seattle’s oyster culture. Jon Rowley, a Seattle seafood consultant, started the competition more than 30 years ago. Rowley used to call it “a dating service for wines and oysters.” He died in 2014, but his influence is still there.  Tom Meyer and David Moran were talking about creating an East Coast version, and Meyer had a better idea. Why don’t we just throw a great party with oysters and wine, that’s what we’re good at.”  Over some oysters and Chablis, they came up with the International Wines for Oysters Competition and the Oyster Riot.

That first event in October 1995 was meant to promote the restaurant’s relaunched oyster bar. It was popular right away. After two years, they expanded it to two nights because tickets were selling out so fast. In 2009, they added a Saturday matinee, and now that session is just as popular as the evening ones. Moran says that the “three spirited sessions never fail to deliver.”  Old Ebbitt Grill’s Atrium has plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the festivities. Friday and Saturday evenings run from 7 to 10 pm with Yacht Lobsters playing classic yacht rock from the ’70s and ’80s. The Saturday matinee from 1 to 4 pm features Bad Influence and their blues sound. Tickets are $225 each, and that covers everything: oysters, wine, and music.

Between 20 and 27 different oyster varieties are served each year. The selection process is serious. Batches go to labs first to make sure they’re safe; the standards are stricter than what the FDA requires. After that, a panel of oyster experts tastes dozens of samples to pick the best ones from cold water regions around the country.

The wine selection is just as thorough. Old Ebbitt Grill runs the International Wines for Oysters Competition every year, and wines from anywhere can enter. Last year, there were 280 wines from 16 countries. Judges go through three rounds of blind tastings to pick the winners. Ferrari Brut from Trento, Italy, won the Grand Champion title in 2024.

There’s more going on here than just a party. Old Ebbitt Grill partners with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, which works to restore oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Part of the ticket money goes to them, and every oyster shell from the event gets recycled to help rebuild oyster populations in the bay.

The Oyster Riot has been around for nearly three decades. People keep coming back for it year after year. The oysters are fresh, the wine is carefully selected, and the music keeps everyone moving. It sells out every single time, which tells you what you need to know about how DC feels about this event. Riot patrons raise a glass with a toast from Ernest Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast,” which ends with “as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.” Although this year’s Oyster Riot is sold out, it’s not too early to follow Hemingway’s advice and make plans to attend in 2026.

Photos by Mark Raker: