Caviar

The Best Caviar Companies in the US

Discover the best caviar companies here, whether you’re looking for rare Osetra or the perfect caviar for a party.

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The Best Caviar Companies in the US

The Best Caviar Companies in the US

Looking for the best caviar company can be a confusing process. There’s far more choice today than there was a decade ago, but there are two main types of caviar companies. The first is the old guard: prestigious caviar companies that supply the world’s top restaurants and chefs. The second is the new guard: direct-to-consumer caviar companies that cut out the middleman and sell caviar at low prices. Some of these established companies are overpriced, and some of the new ones you should steer clear of. Our selection of the best caviar companies helps you find exactly what you’re looking for. There’s a pick for affordable caviar for parties, exquisite caviar worthy of three-Michelin-starred restaurants, and the closest thing to wild caviar that you can find. If you’re unfamiliar with caviar, check out our caviar guide for everything you need to know. 

Petrossian

La Patiala’s Top Caviar Company
Petrossian | The Best Caviar Companies in the US

The first name that comes to mind when experts think about the best caviar companies in the world is Petrossian, and for good reason. This prestigious brand can be credited with introducing caviar to the Western world in the early 1900s. My first fabulous caviar experience was at the Petrossian restaurant in New York, which is currently closed, with Alexandre Petrossian himself. He told me how his ancestors emigrated to Paris from Armenia during the genocide, and were surprised to find there were no restaurants serving caviar. In 1920, two brothers, Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian, approached the Russian embassy, asking to import caviar.

After plenty of suspicion and weeks of delays, they were told to put cash in a paper bag, drive past the embassy, throw the bag onto the steps, and drive away. They would receive the caviar a few weeks later. Without any other option, they went for it, and a few weeks later, they received their first shipment of caviar. The brothers went door to door in Paris, trying to persuade chefs to try caviar. They succeeded in getting a few to put caviar on the menu, and the rest is history. They opened their first boutique in Paris and expanded to the US in the 1980s. 

Today, Petrossian offers perhaps the largest selections of caviar on the market. It can be a bit confusing to navigate the different grades and species, but caviar connoisseurs love the choice they have. There are seven different species: Osetra, Kaluga Huso Hybrid, Beluga Hybrid, Sevruga, Alberta, Baika, and Daurenki. In addition to caviar, Petrossian offers superb smoked salmon, truffle-infused products, charcuterie, and desserts. 

Black River Caviar

The Closest You Can Get to Wild Caviar
Black River Caviar

Black River Caviar’s origin story sounds like something that could only happen in a movie. During the collapse of the USSR, a KGB agent told Walter Alcalde, a savvy Urugayan businessman, where its spies and scientists had decided was the best place on Earth to produce caviar: the Río Negro in Uruguay. After years of research, Alcalde imported fertilized sturgeon eggs from the Caspian Sea, created his aquafarm in canals alongside the rich waters of the Río Negro, and launched Black River Caviar. (Río Negro translates to “Black River.”) This high-volume waterway gives the fish constant access to fresh, mineral-rich water, unlike some aquafarms that recirculate water in tanks. This fresh water allows Black River Caviar to achieve a flavor that many connoisseurs equate with wild caviar. The flavors are clean and incredibly rich. 

Black River Caviar sells its caviar to several large companies, so you might have already tried it, but it also sells directly to consumers. It exclusively sells Osetra caviar, and it offers several different grades. When there’s a particularly special lot, it offers limited releases. Black River Caviar is more expensive than other companies, but it’s well worth the price. 

Paramount Caviar

The Best Caviar Company for Gourmands
Paramount Caviar | The Best Caviar Companies in the US

Long a favorite of the most prestigious restaurants and hotels, Paramount Caviar is the go-to caviar for many of the world’s top chefs. The company even curated a selection of “Michelin-starred caviar,” so you can buy the exact caviar served in these restaurants. It also partnered with chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City that has used Paramount Caviar for over 25 years. Ripert created a special caviar flight for Paramount Caviar, the Eric Ripert Caviar Selection

Paramount Caviar sells both imported and domestic caviar, and you can rest assured that each batch of caviar has been hand-selected by Paramount’s expert team. The company was founded in New York City in 1991 and remains family-owned today. You can find a wide range of imported and domestic caviar, as well as truffles and other specialty ingredients. 

Visit the Caviar Vault

I had the pleasure of visiting the company’s Caviar Vault in New York City, indulging in a caviar tasting with the founder, Hossein Aimani. It’s a truly special experience to be in the vault, tasting as Aimani brings out tin after tin of decadent caviar. This type of in-person tasting is the only way to experience the widest possible range of caviar and take home your favorites. 

Marky’s

The Best Beluga Caviar Company
Marky's is the only company in the US that legally sells Beluga caviar
Marky’s is the only company in the US that legally sells Beluga caviar

Looking for true Beluga caviar? Marky’s is the only place you can find it legally in the US. Founder Mark Zaslavsky imported baby Beluga sturgeon, Huso huso, before the US ban, opened an aquafarm, and nearly two decades later produced the first domestic Beluga caviar. 

In addition to the rare Beluga, Marky’s sells a wide range of specialty caviar, including gold Osetra and Kaluga caviar, and classic offerings such as white sturgeon and roe. You can even find vegetarian seaweed “caviar” pearls. Marky’s sells more than caviar; the gourmet boutique also offers truffles, meat, cheese, and other delicacies. 

Bester

The Best Affordable Caviar Company
Bester caviar

The words caviar and Amazon don’t usually go together, but Bester Caviar is a fantastic caviar company that just happens to sell on Amazon. Bester was founded by Inna Polutska, who emigrated from Ukraine to Miami seven years ago and opened her business to share her love of caviar. 

In Ukraine, caviar was far more affordable than it was in the US at the time, and Polutska wanted to make caviar less expensive so more people could enjoy it. After all, she grew up eating caviar; it wasn’t considered a delicacy for special occasions. She began importing caviar directly from top organic producers in Israel and Madagascar, and passed on the savings to her clients. In addition, she wanted to make it easy for people to find and order caviar, which is why she sells her caviar on one of the world’s largest marketplaces. Rest assured that the caviar is packed and shipped overnight directly from her Miami location to ensure the highest quality and freshness. You can find Bester Caviar on the menu at some of Miami’s best restaurants, including Casa Tua. That alone should quell any lingering Amazon fears.  

La Patiala Pick

My favorite type is Royal Osetra caviar, which sells at about half the price it does at other caviar companies. If you are having a party, buy a 250g tin, which is opulent and fabulous. 

Caviar Russe

The Best Caviar Restaurants
Caviar Russe | Best Caviar Companies in the US
A caviar tasting at Caviar Russe

While many caviar companies source their selection from farms all around the world, Caviar Russe exclusively works with one artisanal farm for its imported caviar. It offers a refined selection of caviar, including Osetra, Sevruga, Sterlet, Siberian, and Pacific, as well as roe. You can frequently find unique and rare caviars, such as Almas Osetra, a pale golden caviar with large eggs. Caviar Russe also sells great caviar flights, so you can try different kinds at home. You can purchase caviar online for overnight delivery or stop by one of its restaurants’ retail boutiques. 

The Restaurants

Caviar Russe has two restaurants: a Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant with a bar and lounge in New York City, and a restaurant in Miami. 

The bar and lounge has a more casual, but still sophisticated, atmosphere and offers a delightful menu of small bites and plates with plenty of caviar. Highlights include the everything bagel with smoked salmon and caviar, mini caviar baked potatoes, bluefin toro handrolls topped with caviar, and lobster rolls drowning in crustacean butter and topped with caviar. There’s also a full raw bar and seafood towers. The bar and lounge specializes in Champagne, pouring many offerings by the glass from magnums, using the Coravin Sparkling to keep bottles fresh. 

Regiis Ova

The Best Chef-owned Caviar Company
Regiis Ova

The legendary chef Thomas Keller is one of the masterminds behind Regiis Ova. Chef Keller has long served caviar in his three-Michelin-starred restaurants Per Se and the French Laundry, where he saw firsthand that caviar quality can vary from batch to batch, even when sourcing from the same producer. Creating Regiis Ova along with cofounder Shaoching Bishop allowed him to have a consistent supply of caviar that met his exacting standards. To launch the company, Bishop personally toured the world’s top caviar farms, selecting the finest grades for Regiis Ova. Regiis Ova sells roe and a selection of caviar including white sturgeon, Siberian, Kaluga, and Osetra. 

The Regiis Ova Experience

Chef Keller opened a pop-up caviar and Champagne lounge in Napa Valley that proved so successful, he made it permanent. The Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge features several different caviar services, including caviar and Champagne flights, a raw bar, and unexpectedly playful dishes, like waffle and eggs with Siberian caviar, tater tots and French onion dip with caviar, pigs in a blanket, and black truffle grilled cheese. On Thursday through Sunday evenings, you can enjoy live jazz performances while you indulge. 

The Caviar Co.

The Best Company for Caviar Flights
The Caviar Co. | Best Caviar Companies in the US

The Caviar Co. sells a solid selection of caviar, starting with trout roe, going all the way up to Imperial Golden Osetra and everything in between. The San Francisco-based company was founded by Petra Bergstein-Higby. She worked for a caviar farm for two years before venturing out on her own, wanting to explore different types of sturgeon and make an approachable company that sold the highest quality caviar. The Caviar Co. sells everything you need to host a caviar tasting, including blinis, latkes, and crème fraîche. It comes in an insulated cooler, so you can take it on the go in a chic package. 

Caviar Accessories

The Caviar Co. also sells a selection of caviar accessories, including servers, mother-of-pearl spoons, napkins, and even pins and jewelry. 

Imperia Caviar

Imperia Caviar

Part of the direct-to-consumer caviar boom, Imperia Caviar is perhaps the only caviar you can find on Uber Eats. Founder Sony Mordechai wanted to make caviar easy to access and easy to understand. While many caviar companies sell a wide range of caviar, Imperia keeps it simple. There are two options: Royal Osetra and Kaluga Hybrid. If they come across something special during sourcing, they might have a limited-edition option, as well. When you see these, be sure to snap them up. The company is based in Los Angeles but imports caviar from eco-friendly farms around the world. 

Pearl Street Caviar

The Best Caviar Company for Newbies
Pearl Street Caviar

This Brooklyn-based caviar company imports caviar from a selective network of farms, then ages its caviar in-house. Many aquafarms use tanks, but Pearl Street Caviar exclusively sources from aquafarms on natural waterways with high water flow. What does this mean? The sturgeon have diets more similar to wild sturgeon, which can affect the flavor of the caviar. It’s thought that this type of aquafarming produces a flavor most similar to wild caviar. 

Sustainability is important to Pearl Street Caviar, from the producers it works with down to the shipping materials. Instead of using Styrofoam coolers for shipping, it utilizes wool that’s not suitable for textiles to insulate the caviar, as well as ice packs with the least amount of impact on the environment. It’s definitely one of the best sustainable caviar companies. 

If you’re new to caviar, Pearl Street Caviar is a good place to start. It sells 12g tins, while most companies start at 30g, so you can try several different kinds with a low level of commitment. It offers different grades of Siberian, Osetra, and Kaluga caviar, as well as trout roe. 

California Caviar Company 

The Best Sustainable Caviar Company

California Caviar Company’s founder, Deborah Keane, is a force in the caviar industry. She was a pioneer of sustainable caviar, vertical farming, and traceability in the early 2000s, while also injecting a sense of fun and frivolity into enjoying caviar. After all, she opened a caviar restaurant called the Bump Bar. California Caviar Company sells an extensive selection of caviar, ranging from inexpensive paddlefish and hackleback to golden Osetra. Some of the company’s caviar comes from its farm, which uses a unique “infinity loop” water model. It uses water from its on-property aquifers in its tanks, then sends the water to irrigate nearby farms. This means the same water isn’t recirculated throughout the tanks, giving the fish better environments. Keane personally vets the quality and water conditions of every producer she partners with around the world for its imported caviar. 

The Bump Bar

This petite restaurant in Sausalito, California, has one focus: caviar. It offers caviar flights and small plates, as well as special evenings with tasting menus and full caviar service. You can expect dishes like beef tartare with white sturgeon, pork belly with Kaluga hybrid caviar, and even cauliflower ice cream topped with — what else? — caviar. 

Island Creek Oysters

The Best Caviar Company for a Raw Bar
Island Creek Oysters

Island Creek Oysters offers a one-stop shop for a decadent at-home raw bar. Not only are the company’s Duxbury, Massachusetts, oysters my favorite oyster for all occasions, but it sells lobster, tinned fish, and three caviars. The selection is nicely curated, featuring California white sturgeon from Sterling Farms, Siberian sturgeon from Adamas in Italy, and Osetra from Marshallberg Farm in North Carolina. It’s fitting that Island Creek Oysters highlights the provenance of its caviar, which is so important in oysters. Order the caviar flight if you’d like to explore the nuances among the three kinds to find your favorite. Mine is the Osetra. 

The Raw Bar

Head to Island Creek Oysters’ farm in Duxbury, Massachusetts, for the freshest seafood and the most indulgent hot dog you’ll ever have. Each Caviar Dog is topped with 10g of caviar. It also offers caviar with potato chips, and you can pop some caviar atop your oysters, too. 

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