Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf — Restaurant in Washington

Amazing New Renovation!,So much to do!Tourist and Locals alike.. .....like many new DC area "Go To's"...modern, upscale, shops,restaurants like Town Centers or Natuonal Harbor... ..... has all the bright light Commercial Restaurants.. Great date or day trip venue.. .....But this new WHARF has alot more in my opionion.!! . There is a lot more variety of things to do and look at especially if u just wanna sit and people watch:)... plus there is something for all ages.. kids too a but foremost is that it's for everys income range!...

A lot of the places to go we cant all afford to sit down and have a huge dollar dinner .. ...at the very end you have the Wharf park which is basically Southwest DC right under the 395 overpass... where boats pull up every morning and bring in fresh fish and crab seafood, local of course specializing in the Chesapeake blue crab .. that's been there for ages ,basically all the local seafood restaurants buy fresh seafood crab ,shellfish,shrimp daily and you can buy it and take it home ..Previously.. (was always a little smelly) and worn,and no place to sit n eat. but now not only do they have modernized and cleaned up all the various stands with every variety of the blue crab every size and amazingly priced.. they have on both ends where you can sit down and eat!..and they'll steam it fresh for you ... so if you like blue crab and you want to get a dozen large it's half the price that you pay the fine dining sit down restaurant ... they have seating free ,of course ,right on the water . comfortably long dock or pier.. marina were people keep their boats.. extra wide and newly wood and absolutely beautiful... just walking down that pier .. and at night it's so bright ... just walk along dock and look boats Now a 270' 6 story Yacht docked,Amazing! ...cannot help but take a pictures.. ...and then of course they have 3 Oyster houses ...which are so good .. and they have a variety of every seafood.. they all have outside seating .. but a couple of the restaurants there are 3 stories high! One of the restaurants is absolutely 5 star ($$$$ expensive) fine dining but then there are 3 or 4 little small places where you can buy very affordable food like slice of pizza, or hot dogs , and they have a new thing now called the wharf waffle with chocolate and confectionery sigar..big treat ... right smack in the middle is a 1950s little trailer which they've made stationery SMORES trailer .. sell smores ingredients and then they have a fire pit with the logs..scenic cozy .. and they provide the sticks aft you toast your own marshmallows around the fire pit... are under $10!! New Latin restaurant .. 3 stories high.. it's absolute gorgeous... a little bit pricey but definitely comfortable even...

Came here to the Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf — AKA the DC Fish market, on Saturday afternoon.

First time here. There’s short term parking right outside for $8 for half an hour, which is crazy expensive, don’t do that. I talked to the guy outside, he said there’s a parking garage in two traffic lights for the Wharf where they validate parking, and it’s ends up being $2, a lot cheaper. Thanked him and went straight, and then took a right at the sign (see attached photo). The garage rates say $6 for an hour, but ignore that price as that is w/o validation. Went inside and parked in a fuel efficient only / low emission spot, because I drive an EV which does not even take fuel, so it seemed to check all the boxes. Anyway you can walk and take the elevator where the sign says it goes up to The Fish Market at Wharf. There once you are done with shopping, the person sitting behind a desk will validate your parking, and it will be $2 for a max limit of an hour. So, don’t dally too long.

I have also included photos of the fresh fish they have. They have a wide selection and most seem decently priced. Be aware that lot of fish such as Mackerel seem to be boned, but boneless is only available as filets which is on the right side, near shrimp and crab section. These are not shown in the photos, but the filets are at the bottom shelf, easy to miss if you are just skimming it.

I ended up getting the rainbow trout and sockeye salmon filets after much deliberation. They were pretty decently priced. I think around $9/LB for the trout and $23/LB for the salmon, or something like that. I got 0.7 LB of the trout and 0.9 LB of the salmon, for a little under $30. Not too shabby.

So anyway, I got the fish and checked out w/ Apple Pay. I made sure they packed ice and double wrapped it, as I was driving an hour back home. I will adjust the rating once I try the fish and taste it. As it is, I’m rating down due to a little confusion on my part, trouble deciding, and also the parking which was a stressful factor and which was not free. Street parking was free and was suggested, but the one right outside the Wharf is illegal parking and tickets can be given. So overall for my first time experience at the Wharf, $2 for parking w/ validation is not bad, however as mentioned rating down due to stress involved, and will adjust review once I have tasted the fish...

Scented Memories... I went to junior high school across the street from here and oh, what a difference a (few) decades makes. I remember the pungent scent of the Potomac on some days and how the 8th grade boys would say "[Girls_Name] got her legs open," and "[Girls_Name] need to close her legs!" They shrieked and chased us around the blacktop.

Historical Elements... It is such a delight to come here and experience the transformation and transfiguration of the Wharf and Waterfront. The Wharf remains steady and serves as the anchor of the historical element and meets modernity and progress.

How It Works... #tips Captain White's and Jessie Taylor's are the primary vendors here and the key to maneuvering here is knowing whether you like it raw or cooked. If you want your purchase steamed on-site, purchasing from a raw line, be sure to pay attention to which vendor you've purchased from. The people in front of me didn't and we're unable to get their crabs steamed because they purchased at Captain White's and were in the Jessie Taylor's steamer line. There are young guys with hand trucks readily available to assist you with your purchase and escort you to your car. Be sure to tip them and your steamers. It's best to go early, because the later on in the day it is, the longer the wait.

Taste Testing... I got crab legs, scallops, shrimp and sweet corn. The corn was from the Captain and the seafood from Jessie Taylor's, and I got in the right steaming line. It turned out great! The corn was delicious and could almost pass for candy corn for Halloween 😋, well, not almost.

Aesthetics... It's a seating area for Captain White's that could use an update, but it's charming nonetheless. I prefer to do a grab-and-go and sit farther up and watch the yachts. The birds are pretty aggressive, so consider yourself...