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This MUST be a tourist trap, eh?
My friends and I always try to avoid those, but in times of desperation, ANY food will do. The five of us were absolutely STARVING (that fits our criteria of desperation), so we ducked in here after taking a quick glance at the menu.
Prices are pretty high for what they give you, which is sign #1 of a tourist trap. I mean, if you wanted fries and coleslaw with your sandwich, they charge you $3. Good lord, really? I couldn't decide between the crab cake or oyster po' boy sandwich, but finally went with the oyster sandwich. It was pretty yummy and the oysters were good, but, then again, it was fried - and when anything is fried, it automatically makes it taste better. Total was about $11 for the sandwich, fries and coleslaw. Not TOO bad, but meh.
Also, someone ordered a fried fish sandwich and it was undercooked when it came out. Yeah, like pink. They didn't offer to comp the sandwich or give anything in exchange for the inconvenience. Eh. Service was a little shoddy anyway.
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My friend who used to live in DC said that this was the best fish in Old Town. I'm not sure if it's changed since she's graced the cobblestone streets, but I certainly found it to be fair at best.
Most of the items on the menu were fried, so I opted for the broiled sampler platter. At $28, it seemed kinda steep. The Shrimp were great, the salmon OK, and the Scallops, well, meh. The service was really shoddy, and I swear I waited 30+ minutes for my bill. I was seriously about 3 minutes away from just throwing down some cash, hoping it was enough, and leaving. Alas, a different server saw me and dropped my bill for me.
I'd probably not come back.
I come here quite frequently because friends like it. I think the reason we all used to like it have changed a bit. The food is still pretty great. Nice fresh choices of either broiled or fried seafood platters (of course the fried version win!)
Really nice crab cakes - thick and all crabby, only like the DC area can make.
However, the service seems to be lacking...a bit slow, and the cocktails are not as tasty as they used to be. The bartender must be overworked too...we sent a long island ice tea back, and it came back with the ice even more melted, and extra soda water in it (what?) We sent it back again and changed the drink request to something with less ingredients as to not piss off the the bartender again.
- I think the restaurant is too busy for the amount of staff they have to handle it.
The place is just too big - at least 5 dining areas on two floors. They seem to be geared up for the tour bus crowd. But the food - still great.
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I'm giving the fish market 4 stars strictly for the spiced shrimp. OMG to DIE FOR.
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I love this place! Great food good prices and good service...
Wow. Been coming here since 1980 when I lived in DC and then as an Old Town, Alex resident. Then they also had the Oyster Bar (now a furniture store) on King & Union. Those were the days. A real local hangout on Sat & Sun. Bring the paper, New Yorker, watch the game on TV, argue politics...............still manage a trip out here every two months.
Well my daugher and I stopped by last night for dinner after an afternoon of cruizing what's left of our favorite Old Town haunts. We were very surprised at the recent changes at the Fish Market. They were purchased by the owners of Landini Brothers (who also bought Pop's Ice Cream as well as another storefront on King that will be a private cigar club).
The downstairs has been completely renovated but still retains some of the Fish Market flavor - no pun intended. The upstairs remains untouched.
So.................we thought, ok different menu, pricier? (sp?).
Well, they kept most of the original items and added a few more like ribeye steak, additional pasta dishes, etc.
As usual we ordered way too much food. The Princess Woman Child (PWC) ordered fried calamari to start ,and me? A dozen oysters. What was I thinking?? A LOT of oysters, which were excellent. Nice briney taste, cold - a definate recommend. The calamari is of the breaded variety and to me were like those o-rings or washers that you find in the fitting on a garden hose. PWC's first comment was, where ARE the tentacles? Basished. However the calarmari now comes with an unremarable marnina sauce instead of cocktail sauce, which is really a positive change.
Dinner. PWC her standard since she learned to eat solid food. Pasta Seafood Combination. Tubular and fusilli pasta in an alfredo-like cream sauce, shrimp, scallops, fish, and the necessary veggie - broccoli. As usual, very tasty, rich, great comfort food. Just noticed instead of the little bay scallops they now use the larger sea scallops.
Moi? The usual eyes-bigger-than-stomach self, ordered the captains platter and substituted extra fried oysters in lieu of the crab cake (which I never thought they did a good job with and did not want to risk it even if the new owners were the Landini Brothers). Plus, seems I hadn't had enough oysters yet.
Excellent. Had a bite of everything and immediately boxed the rest and died. Comes with steak fries and slaw. Same great fries. Very hot, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Same old cole slaw and I happen to really like their cole slaw. It is very traditional, with celery seeds, and not so SWEET!
Service: Our service was excellent! Note, their service has never been really consistant.
NOTES:
1. They did not bring lemon wedge or hushpuppies w/ my Captain's Platter. I did mention it, but afer a dozen oysters to start, like I really cared.
2. They still serve the schooners of beer. Whew!
3. They may have changed tarter sauce recipe. Very sweet. Icky.
4. Those oyster crackers in a bowl? Forget them. If you are lucky (you have to ask for the crackers now) you get a little cello pak of crackers. Please. The toursitas don't know, but sad to see a little tradition go. Plus it WOULD have been nice for a little cracker in between slurping down TWELVE oysters.
5. Daryl Ott still upstairs on piano and comedy Fri./Sat. nights. Man, he's GOT to be ancient! :-)
6. Fried is lightly breaded for all and not battered. It's always been that way but know some folks like batter to breaded or visa versa.
All in all, we will always come back now matter what. Besides, really got my oyster fix for a while.
Oh, price? I think the prices went up some, but not by much, but then I was drunk on oysters and couldn't remember. Will update next trip. Our bill was $75. No drinks except for 1 diet coke. The dozen oysters were about $18 or $20. Next time, 1/2 dozen.
p.s. Always loved their shrimp salad (Crested Treasure Chest) so will sample next time. Hope they did not change the receipe.
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Are you serious, this place has an average of three stars ? Who voted the workers and owners ? I am listing this place as one star only because it's the minimum star to publish this review. If i could i would give it ZERO stars.
It's expensive and disgusting. The place is dirty, smelly and overall one of the worst restaurants I have been too in a long time.
i was lazy. i was hungry. i ended up here. you can see water if you look further down the street so i figured the fish market restaurant should be decent enough. i was kind of spot on.
the place was packed... with tourists and tourist looking people. i'm not some kind of snob or anything, but you have to admit, that's never a good sign especially in a place like old town. the prices were steep for what you get. yes, they do charge you $3 to add coleslaw and fries to your sandwich. that's not nearly as ridiculous as the fact that they charge you to add lettuce and tomato. i have a feeling they would have charged you for the tap water if they could.
i got the fried tilapia sandwich and it a hefty portion, at least. a lightly fried, somewhat lengthy piece of fish was adorned by 2 thick slices of ciabatta bread and covered with a pickle heavy tartar sauce. flavor wise it was decent. not much better than a wendy's fish sandwich, but certainly not worse. the fries were meh. the cole slaw was marginally better than the goop you get at kfc.
the atmosphere is kind of odd. the waitress was nice, but not very involved. the ambiance was old house + sea vessel + techno music. what?! yeah, exactly. not quite a 2, but not vomit inducing either.
It had been awhile since I have eaten here.. pre yelp days in fact. So I decided I was overdue to dine here and its not like I need a excuse to eat Seafood. So off I went with a partner in crime for a nice dinner in Old Town.
We arrived fairly late for dinner for a Saturday night, but worked out for the best as we waited maybe 5 minutes for a table. We were offered outdoor seating on the 2nd floor and had no idea about the balcony seating, what a treat!
Started off with some raw blue point oysters and a 1/4 pound Steamed shrimp. The oysters were huge and fresh, so tasty. Shrimp were perfect and spiced up nice. Although a 1/4 pound doesn't go a long way. Little bit skimpy on cocktail sauce, I guess I could have asked for more, so no biggy there.
Sangria here was nice, brought out in the big fish bowl glass, they should put on there Sangria for 2 really...
For main course I had the Seafood Bake, which is in foil and pouched in White wine and butter. Mixture of Shrimp, Fish, Scallops, Clams, Asparagus and potatoes. Was cooked perfect and the portion was decent. I would have liked more of a white wine taste but wasn't a show stopper. PIC had Crab cakes, which was slightly disappointing. They looked deep fried and had many shells throughout. You could tell it was fresh crab meat though.
All in all, for the price, location and seating I enjoyed my dining experience and would recommend this place over the Wharf. And its nice to walk the docks after a nice meal.
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Not impressed. I thought everything was overhyped. I was welcomed into the restaurant some fishy funk. We are already not gettin off to a good start. Then I sat down in this overhyped seafood joint and ordered some calamari. Minutes later, the fried squad was served. I could not tell the difference between this and Long John Silvers.
Holy Moly, Its gonna be a long dinner! I then tried to brush the squid rings off my shoulder and my variety pack crabcake platter arrived some 15-20mins later. At that moment, I thought this better be up there with Baltimore's finest. I took a few bites of the cakes and scallops and found out this place was overrated.
Big prices with small taste!
I've been here before and have always had good things to say about the food.
It's amazing to me, however, how the service continues to be mediocre for the last ten years. We went to have a late lunch on a Sunday and were happy to have been given an upstairs balcony seat (best).
The waiter came up, said hello, and asked for drinks. Then came back with the drinks (quickly) and asked what we wanted. No specials, nothing about anything. Actually, I think he left his personality downstairs when he went to get our drinks.
The food was really good. They have a lemonade fusion that really hit the spot and the oysters were amazing. Seriously perfect oysters. The food is what you expect in a seafood restaurant and didn't leave me wanting more.
This would have a solid four stars if it weren't for the service. Again, the waiter was VERY fast, but seriously, how about some personality.
This is a great little spot to have down the street, and it is, for all of you nut-allergy sufferers, a nut-friendly jawn.
Welshcake and I stopped in for a quick dinner tonight. I haven't been to Fish Market since my first visit for a work lunch a few years ago. Welshman got the fish 'n' chips (which were on special for $12.99) and I got the po'boy. The menu said it came with remoulade, but it was actually (or mistakenly) served with tartar, and I paid $.50 for lettuce and tomato.
Yes, correct. Fifty cents for lettuce and tomato. Straight-up ridiculous. For $3 extra, you can turn your sandwich into a platter (fries and slaw). So that's $7.99 just for a po'boy--a coleslaw-less, fry-less po'boy--and not a delicious one. In fact it was borderline nauseating; I didn't even finish it.
The fries and hush puppies are onetime, and Welshie's fish was some of the best fried fish I've had--super fresh, lightly fried and a generous portion to boot.
Next time, I'll order that, or order some of the fish on special when the budget is easier to stretch (nicer fish dishes set you back about $25 per person). And the next time I want an oyster po'boy, I'm going to Southside.
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How would you feel paying $9 at lunch time for a middle-of-the road crab cake served on a toasted english muffin with a side of tartar sauce. In case you can't imagine how boringly bland and not worthy of $9 it was, here's the picture: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Service was unjustifiably slow on a slow, rainy afternoon. My family's trip from the West Coast hit a lowpoint at good old Fish Market. The best part was the roof not leaking.
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First off, mozzarella sticks?? More like mozzarella logs! They were good as was the service. The server was able to split up the check for our large group. Some places can't or won't do that which I find hard to believe. The beers come in a 12 ounce and a 32 ounce. I recommend the 32. Its a better deal. I ordered the soft shell crab sandwich. It was my first time have soft shell crab so I'm not sure if it was good or not but I really enjoyed it. The fries that came with my meal were done perfectly. They had just enough crunch on the outside and the inside was done completely. Check this place out for some good seafood next time you are in old town.
This place has a 1980's feel and mediocre food. I had the fish of the day--halibut, which comes with broccoli (supposed to have cole slaw), hush puppies, and potatoes. The fish and vegetables were all cooked well, but there was just no seasoning at all. Very boring, and very "old people" tasting food with an old people atmosphere just added to the reason why I only give it 2 stars!
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I've been here a few times and each time has been a good experience. The Fish Market Pilsner they offer on tap actually complements the seafood dishes quite well, so I recommend that drink to go with your meal.
The seafood platters are good, and even though they are simply prepared, the food is quite good and you get ample portions and sides for what you play (fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies).
I've brought family here and they really enjoyed it. Plus, it's just a nice experience on a nice spring/summer day with good weather down by the "harbor" area there.
Definitely recommend this place if you're looking for seafood in Alexandria.
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I just recently went back to fish market after they have completed most of their renovation and the food was good. They have an awesome happy hour with $3.50 margaritas and half priced food, but you have to sit in the bar side. I got 6 raw oysters for half price as well as their famous spiced shrimp for half price. Yum, and what a good deal. My mom had the fried tilapia sandwich which was decent and my daughter had the mac and cheese which seemed like boxed mac and cheese. I remember their mac and cheese being yummy, fresh and cheesy, but they must have changed their kids menu. Overall, if you are in old town and want to visit an establish that had been around forever, give the Fish Market a try. Definately don't miss their spiced shrimp. Its out of this world!
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Where to start? If the Fish Market didn't have a great location and an awesome window display of live lobsters, oysters, and clams, I have no idea how they could stay in business. I feel terrible for unsuspecting tourist who are lured in and waste their money on the food here. Being a place that specializes in seafood I'd suggest they learn how to cook it. The Fisherman's platter consisted of way too salty sea scallops, over cooked shrimp, and a tilapia filet that tasted like old ice cubes. The fries were cold and soggy. My husband's fried oyster platter was ok but thank goodness Pop's Old Fashion Ice Cream shop was next door...
The customer service was horrible!! We went on a Sunday and there were hardly any patrons there so, I thought that we would get our food quick and the waitress will be waiting on us and regularly checking up on us. She was horrible!! I had to ask for extra napkins, tartar sauce and a refill on our drinks at different times of our meal. We even had to ask for the check and a take out box to put our left overs. Well, the waitress did not get a tip from us. Also, there were flies in the place so, we had to ask to be seated elsewhere. The busboy was more friendlier and we wanted to give him the tip but, he never came back. I can't stand it when a waitress leaves us for a long time before checking up on us from time to time, especially when we were the few ones there.
Please find some qualified, friendly and fast servers. I will not be coming here again because when I came another time, nothing changed about this place. I think maybe, I should try sitting at the bar if I do go back because the bartenders look friendly.
Ended up having a late dinner here Friday night with my friend, Emily. (Read: Holy crap, I had a Friday night off of work from the restaurant and got to eat out like normal people do on Friday nights!!!!) Emily and I are both very easy-going but indecisive people. Often times we argue over who has to choose where we go or what we do. This was no exception. Upon entering, we were given the option of eating downstairs, upstairs or upstairs in the music area or quiet area. That's too many options!
We ended up sitting upstairs but in the quieter room where the rag-time piano playing would not be. I'm glad we chose this because even from this room, the music was very loud and we wouldn't have been able to have heard each other had we sat in that room.
Emily got the fish and chips, I got the Crab Imperial and we decided also to add a half rack of ribs to our entree choices since it was only $9.99 to do so. Everything was so good. My blue crab was served in clam shells (4) and served with red skin potatoes, cole slaw and hush puppies. The side of ribs also came with fries and cole slaw which we weren't expecting. The ribs were AMAZING. The meat fell right off the bone and was absolutely perfect. Well worth the extra $$.
Our server was so darling. Even though we came in kind of late - like umm 930ish, she was so accomodating and friendly. Her name was also Alicia. :)
Great spot for dinner on our Friday night off!
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Old Towne Alexandria on King Steet (main avenue), close to the water (about two blocks away), close to the Torpedo Factory, but not with the typical Old Towne prices.
The Fish Market has a "folksy, homesy" feeling - as others have stated, not as upscale as others in the area, thus the prices are not as pricey as other restaurants.
Three biers are on tap (Lite, Sam Adams, and Fish Market Pilsner) - The Pilsner is actually a good pilsner, but I prefer more hoppy ales. Two sizes (32 and 16 oz).
Our group had the clam chowder which is a recommended starter. Specials were Altantic wild salmon - for the price (~$16), the portion was pretty large. Buttered red potato (a bit too much butter) and asparagus - pretty impressive. The other in our party had the crab cakes - he enjoyed them too.
Would I go back? You betcha.
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This is the best low-key, unpretentious, cheap eat I've visited in a long long long time. In its class, it really was as good as it gets.
It's got a very old style decor, with blue and white checkered tablecloths and giant glasses of lemonade. It is by no means fancy but I'd go back there in a heart beat,
My boyfriend ordered the blue cheese burger ($9.99) and it was quite possibly the best burger I've ever tasted. I'm not a fan of burgers but this was just succulent. It was unbelievably light and juicy. In fact each bite sent streams of juice down my fingers and plate. Messy dish indeed but oh my god was it GOOD! I felt bad because I stole half of it. Not that my dish wasn't tasty - I had the Annie May shrimp salad ($9.99) which was plentiful and fresh. There was a ton of shrimp was in a tasty creamy white sauce, not skimpy at all. You just can't beat the value and just thinking about that burger makes me soo hungry.
I wish I lived in DC so I can eat there again. Yum!
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Today, I suffered through the worst meal I have eaten in YEARS. That includes the sorry excuses for meals that I "ate" in college, such as dry ramen noodles and Mad Dog. The food and service at this place were so horrible that my friend and I chewed only about 3.5 bites of our entrees before requesting the bill--and to illustrate the level of our disgust, I will relay the following picture: she is pregnant and ravenous, and I am nursing and insatiably hungry.
Our waitress deserves a paragraph of her own. Her name was Jean, she appeared to be in her 50's, and I'm guessing that she dropped too much acid in her hippie years. She had to repeat our order about 350 times to get it right, and her speed mirrored the pace of a three-toed sloth. I also feel obligated to mention that Jean tried to charge the table next to us $3 for extra ketchup. When they complained, she hesitated and said, "I'll have to check with the chef to see if we can just give you that for free." OMG.
Onto the food. We ordered hot crab dip to share as an appetizer, which wasn't bad, but was definitely not good. There was little lump meat in the dip, but there was plenty of tomato flavoring. What--isn't that what you expect when you order crab dip?
The entrees "take the cake," so to speak, for Official Most Vile Sandwiches on the East Coast. I ordered the "blue burger" (a hamburger with bleu cheese) medium well. It was apparently dropped in the coals, left overnight, scraped up, microwaved, and served to me on a plate with lettuce, tomato, and a bun. My friend ordered the crab cake sandwich, which seemed harmless enough until she lifted the lettuce and tomato to learn that it was yellow. Yup. YELLOW.
"Uhhh....cumin?" I asked optimistically.
She took a bite. "No," she replied, grimacing. "That is SO not cumin."
I braved a forkful. She was right; it wasn't cumin. No, this crab cake was fortified with essence of banana. Not kidding.
HEINOUS.
Do yourself a favor; don't visit Fish Market Restaurant, unless you're bringing someone you really, REALLY don't like.
Bumping up my review. Like I said earlier, the scooners of beer will always start you off to a great start. Happy hours are awesome here with half priced appetizers. Nice place to enjoy oysters, spiced shrimp and have a few beers.
Contrary to Hosun's review, I think the Fish Market is less than upscale, especially for old town. It's the run down shack kind of place, although a little on the touristy side. Not some place I'd take clients to impress, unless they wanted to roll up their sleeves, have a few beers and relax... :D
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3 1/2 Stars (if I could). Much more of a touristy spot, only a block off the Potomac. Decent… Read more »
I am totally biased because I have been going to this restaurant since I was a little girl. My dad always defaults to this restaurant for a weekend lunch and I think I always will too. I have to say that I always order the crab cake entree. However, since living in New England and experiencing the vast versions of clam chowders available, the Fish Market offers the best out-of-new-england clam chowder experience there is...at least this far "south" so I always order this now.
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I don't get to go as often as I'd like mostly because my fiance doesn't eat most seafood. I miss it though. It's a great place to go for delicious yet unpretentious seafood dishes. Their crab cakes are decent and that's something coming from a Baltimore girl. On top of that you can get big fish bowl glasses of beer! Gotta love that. Add to that the ice cream place next door from which the Fish Market will serve you dessert and you've got an enjoyable and affordable meal option. It's somewhat large too and I've never had to wait too long for a table. Perhaps I need to find a seafood lover to date on the side who can take me to the Fish Market from time to time... just kidding!
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I was really pleasantly surprised by this place. My fried oyster sandwich was delicious, but different than others I'd had... maybe fresher? Seafood pasta was good, and you can get a half rick of deeeelicious pork ribs for 7 bucks on the side.
Only downside is you have to pay for bread, which is a silly little thing they could avoid. but it's not too expensive and the outside area is wonderful. A little small, but cute. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it if you could eat outside.
Started out with a schooner of Sam Adams (forgot about their own beer before I ordered.) We got the hot crab dip which was excellent. Wife had the clam chowder which she enjoyed. I had the fried shrimp which was excellent. Their hushpuppies are great. Wife had a broiled platter (forgot which one.)
They also have dessert available from Pop's but we went next door to Pop's on our own.
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I finally figured out the difference between the restaurants I'm used to in California and the ones here. Everything here is more upscale.
It was my first time in Oldtowne Alexandria, and I was expecting something like Fisherman's Wharf. Instead I got something closer to Georgetown. It's not bad, it's different. And now that I've realized the differences, I'll adjust my expectations.
I was hoping the Fish Market would be some sort of rundown shack, with tons of fresh seafood at great prices, served by friendly owners who've been in business for decades. I think I got 2/3.
The fishmarket is located very close to the water. The restaurant is much larger than I thought. The menu is pretty large. The service was good too. The waitress was very friendly.
I ordered the Clam Chowder. It's what they're famous for right? But I wasn't impressed. It's not bad, but it's not as good as I thought it'd be. I actually enjoyed the chowder at Legal Seafood more.
I also ordered the Captain's Platter, which comes with fried fish, shrimp, scallops, oysters and some other stuff I think. Everything was pretty good and tasted fresh. There was a little bit of seasoning on it as well.
In all, the Fish Market was a good choice. My meal was pretty good, the service was good, and the atmosphere was fine.
My biggest nit was the restaurant was barely packed, but they ended up seating a part of 6, with 2-3 children right next to me, when there would have been plenty of room for them a few tables down.
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Nice divey joint with great seafood and generous beer portions. ( Scooners are awesome!) Not ovcerly pricey. It has a great historic feel and it is a block from the water and off the main drag.
Don't skip the salads, the crap soup or the oysters.....
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While living in the area, my friends and I seemed to frequent the Fish Market. It probably had less to do with the food and more to do with the immensely large Fish Bowl beers you can purchase there. It's a very casual eatery with a large selection of seafood. We generally only got the large place of crab legs as they are fun meal to share. This location is great if you are looking for a quick meal that's not overly expensive. Don't expect to be wowed by their culinary skills, just expect some steamed shrimp and a nice crab leg or two.
Loved the atmosphere...nice bar. The peel and eat shrimp was to die for! The spice was very unique. I had the softshell blue crab and that was pretty good too.
The Fish Market is a tourist staple in Old Town. It's an historic restaurant that's been around for like 100 years or something and even weathered Hurricane Isabel in 2004 when the water was about 4 feet high on the first floor of the restaurant. Honestly, this place can be a lot of fun, especially with 32oz schooners of beer for like $6. I've been here many times, most recently with my mom when she came for a visit (she loves Fish Market).
First, Fish Market is best enjoyed in the off season. By this I mean don't come here at 6:00pm on a Saturday during tourist season because the line will be down the block to get seated and you'll end up at a table next to boisterous people making incorrect assumptions about the DC area while wearing faux FBI hats. Come in Feb. or Jan. when there's hardly a wait and most of the people are locals.
The food. It's consistently good. Not the best food ever, but it's good. I usually get the same few things from the menu because I know they're good - The fried shrimp, the Fisherman's platter (fried shrimp, cod and scallops), the Admiral's platter (same as fisherman's but broiled) or the shrimp salad sandwich with a bowl of clam chowder. All come with yummy fries and hush puppies. I LOVE these hush puppies. They make the meal! Oh and to make a great end, have a scoop of Pop's ice cream from next door with fudge sauce.
On this particular visit, I had the fried shrimp. So did my mom. Yeah, we weren't very adventurous. But the meals were perfect. Shrimp was cooked just right, fries were good as always, and oh those hush puppies! This was a great meal.
Service is always good at the Fish Market. They're fast and courteous in hopes that they can get you in and out fast. It took us a bit longer to finish our schooners of beer though...
On Friday and Saturday nights, they have bands or a piano player upstairs that makes for a lot of fun. There's a lot to experience at the Fish Market - I recommend giving it a try.
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7/27/09 I initially felt apprehensive about eating at Fish Market because I assumed it would be another tourist trap due to its prime location on appealing King Street: a two way street extending from the waterline of the Potomac and filled with one-of-a-kind restaurants and stores for at least one mile. It reminded me of the 16th Street Mall in Denver, Quincy Market in Boston, and the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica; full of curious pedestrians but unusually free of street vendors and peddlers. Since I couldn't turn down an invitation from my best friend whom I hadn't seen in two years, I decided to be open minded about Fish Market. The restaurant was moderately filled at 8 p.m., and we were asked if we preferred to be seated upstairs. Before we decided, we walked up a narrow flight of stairs and poked our heads into what was a cozy but too quiet of a seating area for my preference. We were then assigned a booth in the dimly lit main dining area. The booths against the wall were elevated, affording me the chance to inconspicuously look at the meals of the patrons who filled 80% of the tables in the same room. Without hesitation, I asked for half-a-dozen raw oysters for $9. They came quickly, and I was delighted to see at least two extra-large oysters sitting on half-shells bigger than a deck of cards. Atop one of these monsters, I squeezed lemon juice and a dollop of cocktail sauce before I slurped the freshly shucked shellfish along with the pool of cold brine in which it rested. It was as fine as the freshest sashimi you'd expect from a sushi establishment in Tokyo; clean, cold, and lacking any fishy aroma. Unfortunately, after having one more oyster of this caliber, the others proved to be too small to provide the same profoundly satisfying impact. I made a meal of a sampling of the raw oysters, calamari, "buffalo-fried oysters" and peel-and-eat-shrimp. For 24+dollars, I elected not to order a generic and overpriced "fish and steamed-veggie with rice pilaf or your choice of potato" dinner option. The calamari was distinctly previously-frozen, over battered, and lacked the inclusion of tentacles. Served with a thick slop of marinara sauce, it was a nautical disaster that had met the fate of the Titanic. The buffalo-fried oysters were similarly frown-invoking. The sloppy batter was soggily-soaked in bottled Buffalo chicken-wing sauce. Images of crispy fried oysters were shattered and replaced with the reality of pristine oysters drowned in grease and presented without dignity. However, the peel-and-eat shrimp were heavily seasoned with a myriad of spices to include whole peppercorns and a host of what I would describe as "holiday-season" spices; full of aromas that conjure up images of Christmas. It was most importantly not over-salted and cooked just right. Also, the bright red shrimp were sitting in a hearty portion of melted butter. This turned out to be a delectable selection as I was satisfied just by sucking on the shells! I recommend sticking with the raw oysters and their peel-and-eat shrimp. I was too optimistic when I thought that their multitude of fried seafood would be "different." From what I tried, it's not. The fried selections mirrored the quality of items acceptable only in commonly recognized chain seafood restaurants. Overall, the atmosphere and company made it worthwhile. I will return only if similarly invited by a friend, and I'll have the advantage of knowing exactly what to order. Three stars.
The place smell strongly of seafood especially crabs. Apparently it is known for these "schooner" beer, the thought it alone was fun. I got one but this was after a huge dinner at Charthouse. I drank maybe 3/4 of it it was great! Let me try that again without the dinner that I threw up later from the drink!! LOL I like to try the seafood though....
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I have been here a few times, and so far the food has been pretty good, and consistent. The wait staff have always been friendly every time i go there. I just think that some of the prices are a bit much, but what do you expect for location.
People thought this was:
Good place for people watching from the 2nd floor tables. Food- typical fried selections, platters, salads, and chowder. Service and ambiance are also on par with what you'd expect in a high-travel tourist location. Overall, an ok experience, and a long time Alexandria staple. Good if you're coming over on the water taxi from Md.
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I had dinner here 10/13/07 and thought I'd write a review. I've been here many times before and have this to say about it:
I've never had a bad meal here, although I wish there were some other options available to me rather than broiled or fried. Last night I went with a great guy and we shared 1/2 dozen oysters to start with. This is the second time I've had their oysters and both times they were very plump and pretty tasty.
I had the fried oyster sandwich and thought it was pretty good. Not New Orleans good, but I ate every bite. The steak fries were just the way I like them: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I'm surprised that their beer menu is rather short...there are only 4 types (I think), but more importantly, they have Blue Moon. I could never order the Schooner. I would be passed out and so over it.
One thing that never fails here is good service. It has been consistent since my first visit, and I certainly appreciate that.
If only the sangria came in a smaller serving, I would order it!!!
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My mom always wants to go here when she comes to town, she loves it that much. It's just okay for me. The fish is overpriced for mediocre quality, but i guess it's more about location and history for this place. I love sitting on the deck int he spring and summer with a big scooner punch and watching people in the street. I usually get the crab cake sandwich at lunch, and usually try the special at dinner or the salmon. I do love their hush puppies, but it's hard to screw those up.
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great food, great atmosphere...I'll be back soon.
Alexandria, VA
Category: Restaurants
Alexandria, VA
Category: American (New)
Arlington, VA
Category: Seafood
Alexandria, VA
Category: Seafood
Alexandria, VA
Category: Pubs
