Regulars at Rodney’s Oyster House all recognize John Belknap. For the past five years, he’s been a fixture at the old King Street restaurant, greeting customers, shucking bivalves and slinging pints. But now, if they want to see him, regulars will have to head down to a little side street in the financial district, where he is investing all his acquired restaurant knowledge in his own seafood house, Rodney’s by Bay.

For the first-time restaurateur, this opening is a family affair. Rodney Clark, the owner of the King Street joint, has a daughter named Bronwen, who is engaged to Belknap’s twin brother. “It’s a bit incestuous,” says Bronwen, who is also the front-of-house manager at the original restaurant, “but we all know each other. We’ve travelled together, and we get along really well.” The trio visited famed seafood shacks in New York and San Francisco (Bar Crudo, The Mermaid Inn, Mary’s Fish Camp, Grand Central) to find inspiration for their new Toronto venture. Ultimately, the group came to the same conclusion that Rodney did when he opened his place over two decades ago: the best restaurants find the freshest possible shellfish, ensure that it is sustainably produced, then serve it in a friendly, casual atmosphere. They also discovered that the best places are slightly off the beaten path. “Oyster bars are traditionally out of the way and hard to find,” says Belknap. “I wanted to keep that feeling.”

Formerly an open-air carport, Rodney’s by Bay is an “oyster saloon” tucked into a small room designed by Brad Denton, who also styled the interiors of Le Petit Castor, Harbord Room and Czehoski. The decor strives to capture both urban cool and East Coast charm. Salvaged antique wainscotting, doors, tin ceiling panels and parts of an 1890s building façade add warmth to icy frosted glass, a white marble bar and sleek banquettes.

Chef Sonia Potichnyj, former chef and co-owner of the Bloor West favourite Lemon Meringue, has taken coastal eats upmarket with a menu of gussied-up fish house classics. A hand-pulled lobster roll is sided by a bisque ($19); crispy salt cod fritters come with ginger aïoli and Japanese seaweed salad ($11); and tempura-fried oysters, drizzled with a honey–black pepper vinaigrette, rest on a mound of shaved apple ($14).

For now, the cozy room hosts only a handful of suits tossing back glistening oysters and amber pints to the strains of Guns ’n’ Roses and Johnny Cash. Perhaps the boys from Bay Street like having the joint to themselves, but once word gets out, Rodney’s by Bay should be reeling them in.

Rodney’s by Bay, 56 Temperance St. (at Bay), 416-703-5111, rodneysbybay.com.

“Just Opened” is an ongoing series that introduces readers to Toronto’s hottest new restaurants. In order to make a fair and reliable assessment, Toronto Life does not review establishments in the few weeks following its opening. A full review of this restaurant will appear soon.