Fish Market — Restaurant in New York

I came upon this interesting place after walking out of what, used to be, one of my favorite places in Little Italy which, unfortunately, is now an extremely crowded, noisy and overprice tourist trap. I left Little Italy very HANGRY and decided to seek out seafood and found the Fishmarket on a Google search. The reviews looked good so I decided to have Uber bring us here. Upon arriving, I thought we were dropped off at the wrong location because, although there is a sign out front, the outside of the restaurant appeared dingy and closed down. There was a couple outside smoking cigarettes so I walked up to the door (Cracked Glass and all - with No Door Handle) and tried to wedge my way in. One of the guys out front showed me the trick to get it open and held it for us. As soon as we stepped in the door we saw that the place was ridiculously loud and packed and, due to the crowd, we didn't see any tables. We looked at each other and, with the last incident fresh in our minds, we decided to vacate quickly and walked right back outside. When exiting, the guy outside asked us why we weren't staying saying that "the food is awesome" and that there were tables available in the back. He pried the door open again, walked us in and motioned to the bartender to hook us up. I thanked him and the bartender (an Asian dude wearing a Mets jersey - who, by the way, is a true professional) noticed I was edgy and asked me what I liked to drink. I told him that we were here to eat and he said "I know that. What would you like to drink? Beer? Scotch? Tequilla?" I definitely needed something alcoholic by now and asked him to get me a local craft beer, which he did. He wedged us through the crowd to the tables in the back and hooked us up with a table in the corner with plenty of room. As I was quickly swigging down my beer trying to relax, another, more polished, Asian dude (who I later found out is the bartender's brother) came over to the table with a magnum of Jameson and said "have a shot with me." He poured us a shot and drank it with us and moved on to the next table and, I must say, my hangry mood started to change and I was beginning to feel happy. Mama (an older Asian lady - the bartender and host's mother) came out of the kitchen and handed us menus which had a very good and unique amount of menu items (Mama's Specialties (curries, seafood, etc.), Italian, Shellfish, and more - all at great prices for Manhattan! We started with steamed clams (butter, wine and cilantro - amazing!), raw oysters, fried calamari (crispy, tender - better than Little Italy) and awesome bread to dip into the clam juice! After our appetizers (and, yes, a couple of more shots of Jameson with our host), we chose two dishes off of Mama's Specialties - Spicy Shrimp Green Beans and Shrimp Curry - and, as the guy out front promised, they were delicious! By this time the crowd was so loud that my ears were ringing as they were singing along to the songs on the jukebox and, best of all, I didn't care! I was enjoying the vibe and feeling content. This awesome family turned what would've been a miserable night into a fabulous evening! I highly recommend visiting this awesome place through the broken door with no handle and having an...

I had Fishmarket on my bookmarks for a while. One Monday night, when a friend and I were looking for a place near our offices to grab some dinner, this place came up on my radar again. We decided to walk over and check it out.

The place is a bit divey. It's got this damp basement feel to it, and most of the tables/seats don't match. Even so, we decided to order the raw clams. I mean, the place is called fishmarket after all. They tasted fine, though a tad fishy, and most of them were hard to get out of a shell. Not a great sign and probably not a good idea to order raw food from a dive. But we didn't end up getting food poisoning or anything, so all good in the hood (or trunk...? haha...get it? Dad joke).

For entrees, it seemed that the most popular items are the fish tacos and the crispy fried rice with shrimp. The fish tacos aren't the best I've ever had but they were pretty good. And at $12 for three tacos and fries, that's a great deal! As for the fried rice, I was iffy about ordering this because 1. How good could it be. Not better than authentic fried rice from a place in Chinatown, right? 2. I'm normally not a fan of self-proclaimed Asian fusion places because they're not really fusion. It usually just means that there are a few dishes from a bunch of different Asian cuisines that they make particularly well. I can't speak on the other Asian dishes on the menu but the fried rice was amazing. I liked it a lot more than I expected to. They added an extra ingredient in there that gave the dish a crispy element. Neither my friend nor I could figure out what it was but to me, it tasted like the bottom later of crispy rice you scrape off of claypot rice dishes. Plus, they gave a good amount of shrimp.

There's no drink menu, which I did not like. I like to know how much I'm paying for a drink. Three drinks came out to $24 so it was pretty average. There is no happy hour despite what some Yelpers are saying (maybe they used to?) They don't have any draft beers, but they do have some bottles. So the menu issue would also resolve for me pestering the bartender a few times about the beers they have available. Speaking of the bartender, he seemed really nice and down to earth. He went around and took shots with all of the customers. He treated us like we were regulars, even though we had never even been there before. It's a nice feeling! Before we left, we already decided that we'd be back...

Fish Market isn’t just a bar—it’s a New York institution. Fourteen years ago, I’d finish long shifts tending bar nearby and find myself pining for this place, not just for the drinks but for the atmosphere and camaraderie. To this day, it remains one of the city’s most authentic nightlife staples.

The drinks are inexpensive without ever feeling cheap, the food is outstanding, and the value is unmatched. Order the combo platter and you’ll discover what regulars already know—the chicken fingers aren’t your standard fare. They’re perfectly pounded, breaded chicken cutlets, crafted with the kind of care that’s become a hallmark of Fish Market’s kitchen.

What sets Fish Market apart is its culture. Jeff, the owner, and his wonderful mother running the kitchen have built more than a bar—they’ve built a legacy. Their warmth and authenticity radiate through the food, the energy, and the people who gather here. It’s no surprise that after a decade and a half away, I returned to find the same contagious spirit, still vibrant and still drawing crowds.

As a former bartender, the highest praise I can give is this: Fish Market was the bar I wanted to go to after my own shifts. Fourteen years later, that feeling hasn’t changed. It’s still the place where service industry workers, locals, and visitors alike can unwind, connect, and feel part of something real.

If you want a true New York experience—where the food is worth every penny, the drinks flow easy, and the atmosphere is second to none—Fish...