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Bowl of steamed mussels topped with breadcrumbs, jalapeño slices, and green onions held by two hands

Introducing the Seafood Watch Best Choice Restaurant Program

Choosing sustainable seafood protects the ocean and people who depend on it. When you order a seafood dish with the Best Choice Restaurant Program mark, you help our ocean and wildlife flourish and support the people who make environmentally sustainable seafood possible—one meal at a time.

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Whether it’s your favorite food truck, neighborhood cafe, or a Michelin-star restaurant, Best Choice Restaurant Program partners commit to offering at least one green-rated, environmentally sustainable seafood dish on their menu.

Every time you choose sustainable seafood—and support the businesses that offer it—you’re supporting all the people who make it possible. The Best Choice Restaurant Program makes it easy, so look for the mark!

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Meet Seafood Watch's Best Choice Restaurant Program

What the Best Choice Restaurant Program mark means

  • Every seafood listed in the dish comes from a green-rated fishery or farm.
  • Green-rated seafood is environmentally sustainable.
  • The people who caught or farmed the seafood had minimal impact on the environment and other wildlife.
  • Green-rated seafood is the best choice for the ocean and the people who depend on it.

Look for partner restaurants near you

What the mark tells you about our partners

By choosing environmentally sustainable seafood, chefs and restaurant owners play a powerful role in protecting our ocean and helping guests understand how their choices matter.

"I’m proud that the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cafe leads as the flagship restaurant for the Best Choice Restaurant Program. It gives chefs a clear, trusted way to show we offer environmentally sustainable seafood, and it helps diners across the country choose with confidence."

Chef Justin Robarge

Executive Chef, Monterey Bay Aquarium

Chef Paul Reilly holds mussels a la plancha

Chef Paul Reilly holds mussels a la plancha, made with green-rated mussels, orange, serrano, and chorizo bread crumbs. 

© Chef Paul Reilly

"Our kitchen makes very purposeful choices when it comes to choosing responsibly harvested seafood. Becoming a partner for the Seafood Watch Best Choice Restaurant Program makes certain our guests can be confident that the fish and shellfish they enjoy when dining with us ensures the health of the species, our oceans, and our fisherfolk."

Chef Paul Reilly

Culinary director/proprietor/restaurant guy at Denver-based Coperta, Blue Ribbon Task Force member, 2025 James Beard Foundation semi-finalist Best Chef: Mountain

More about Seafood Watch's green ratings

For over 25 years, Seafood Watch has provided consumers and businesses with the most rigorous, science-based ratings on the environmental sustainability of fisheries and fish farms.

For wild-caught seafood, a green rating means the fish or shellfish population isn’t overfished, and the fishery is well-managed. It also means impacts on other marine life and habitats are minimal.

For farmed seafood, a green rating means producers have minimal environmental impact from pollution, disease, fish escapes, habitat impacts, and the use of wild fish in feed.

Look for partner restaurants near you

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