Fishmarket Restaurant Reviews

This place is far from fancy. You won't find Arnold Palmer (half iced tea half lemonade) but the owner may treat you to a free shot of Jameson! Drinks are served in large clear disposable plastic cups. The ginger wings are out of this world. The food is fresh, not frozen. I do not highly recommend it, because it's already too crowded as it is. I want to keep this gem all to myself!

I almost didn't go in, but I'm so glad I did. The front door was missing a handle and the window was cracked. However, once inside the atmosphere was warm and it was clear almost everybody knew each other. I was traveling on my own, and wanted to sit at the bar and eat dinner without being bothered. This place did not disappoint and provided astonishingly good food. The fish soup was so good, gingery and warm, that I ordered the green onion pancakes and a small order of bok choy to go with it. My only caveat, is that they clearly cook with MSG so if you are sensitive this would not be a good place for you.

Jeff, the owner is an awesome host! The food is very authentic and we will definitely go back for the curry, chicken wings, fried mac and cheese, yummy noodles and OMG oysters. It's a non-pretentious place for food and drinks where everyone is happy go lucky! Thank you Jeff for such great fun!

Such amazing fried rice, scallion pancakes, stuffed eggplant and dumplings, Malaysian chef, nice family business, highly recommend! Will try the curry next time!

I chose this place after researching online for good food around South Street Seaport and the positive reviews. I'll have to admit I had second thoughts about this place after I got there but am glad I stayed. The reason is after a hot day of sightseeing, I'd prefer to have a great meal in a nice restaurant. When I arrived, I saw the glass door had a large crack where the door knob is supposed to be (the door knob is actually lower than normally what we expect it to be). Anyway, it is a very small place with a bar, few bar height tables and chairs, and regular tables towards the back room. The place has dim lights and the decor is old. As several people had mentioned in their online reviews, it's a typical dive bar and not to expect much of the decor but great food. The food was delish! I ordered the ginger wings (never had anything like it and they were good alone without the dipping sauce), the pescatore (seafood bowl), and crispy shrimp fried rice. Like many reviews, the owner does go around randomly passing complimentary shots of whiskey. I got lucky not once but twice:-) I'm glad I'd stayed and left the evening with a happy tummy!

We had dinner here. The staff was friendly and nice. We had fish tacos, oysters, grilled salmon, calamares, fried chicken and ribs. Very good!

Found this place while looking for something not too touristy in the Seaport District. It's doesn't look like much (mismatched furniture, very much a dive bar feel) but the drunken fish soup was fantastic as was the curried chicken. The service was wonderful - very friendly and welcoming. It was hard to tell who was a regular and who had just come in off the street. There were several other items on the menu that caught my attention and I would love to return to try them.

We got some wings and the fish soup. The fish soup was about a 4 star, good but not the best thing ever. The wings were a 5! I know you are thinking, wings... hmmm.... but they were done just right. Fully cooked, but not over cooked. Very juicy on the inside. You have to get the wings. Some of the chinese food that came out looked amazing. I'll try that if I get back to NY.

I come to this restaurant once a week with my husband. It has become our favorite hangout. Jeff owns the restaurant and works behind the bar, pouring Jameson shots all night long. His mother works in the chicken and makes AMAZING food. Every week we order 2 plates of sausage fried rice, one pork belly, and then we will try one new thing. We have not tried one bad dish or one that is even just OK. Try this place, and you'll fall in love with mom's cooking!

There are not the words to describe what a night at fishmarket is like. Let’s just say we made more memories in a few manic hours than the entire rest of the weekend. An absolute institution.

Great service! Great curry chicken! Friendly atmosphere! Stopped in while on a business trip in a cold winters night. John recommended the curry chicken. It had great depth of flavor and the right amount of heat. He also suggested a bourbon that was perfect.

if you are looking for a great seafood restaurant, keep looking. Tiniest lobster roll For $20!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. It had to be 2 ounces. On a cheap hotdog roll. 10 fries that looked dry and old. When I sent it back the server had an attitude. Told me that Luke’s lobster rolls were small too. Umm not a good answer. This place bills itself as a fish restaurant. No restaurant with any self respect would serve this. Also, just want to mention I came here two months ago and had the spicy shrimp soup and that wasn’t anything to write home about either. If you’re looking for good seafood, give this place a pass.. However if you’re looking for a dive bar that occasionally comps you shots of Jamison, this is your place

The owner makes everyone feel like a friend. Good food for a local pub. Also, one night a week they have a very reasonably priced special lobster dinner.

We preferred a seafood platter here the price was high but can I say it was worth every dollars I spent here was so well decorated and was a large size platter a must yum yum

As a transplant to the midwest, the first thing I want when I get to any city near water is seafood. I was staying in the financial district, and thought that South St Seaport would be a good place to find some fish. After a quick search of this site, we picked the Fish Market and have mixed feelings overall. The place is mostly a bar, and when we arrived at about 7pm, there were a handful of loud, less successful wall street types at the bar. There are about 6 tables near the back of the room, close to the kitchen. Honestly, the place was dirty - the tables were both sticky and greasy - they kind of film that accumulates in a fry joint that is also a bar. The bathrooms were absolutely unusable from a woman's perspective. I am glad I could not see too far into the kitchen. The staff are really friendly, and the owner and his Mama work there and mingled with us a little bit. I had Fried Calemari as an appetizer, and it was only ok (served with a great marinara sauce). Then, I had fish and chips, and it was all just a bit too greasy - everything was fresh, though, and tasted pretty good (I soaked out some grease with napkins and then used some lemon). When we left at about 9PM, it became clear that this place is mostly a bar that serves food on the side - there were drunks and loud music aplenty. I really had hoped for more.

My husband and I come here every Sunday evening. Jeff runs the show every night dealing out Jameson shots while his mom is dishing out delicious Malaysian food. I'm slowly working my way through the menu but the sausage fried rice and the pork belly are staples. Ask if there are any specials which are always good. There is a special on their ginger chicken wings on Sunday and the shrimp soup is great in the winter.

This restaurant does not look much from the outside (the front door glass was cracked),but do not hesitate to open the door!I Inside it is a bit rustic but the atmosphere is warm, the owner very friendly and the food DELICIOUS. My husband had some oysters which he devoured and then had the mama's chicken curry serve with rice. He just loved it but not for people who cannot eat really spicy hot food....I had the pork belly with steamed slightly garlicky baby bok choy steamed rice and a delicious sauce. Our grand daughter had the penne with marinara and the sauce was so good. The owner walks around to make sure you have what you want, as for Mama she is the best cook. This place belongs to the Seaport and hopefully will be there for many, many more year. It is truly authentic and part of the history of the Fulton fish market. The price are more than reasonable. I cannot wait to go back on my next visit to new York

As others have reported it's a dive: the seats are ripped, the front door has no handle so you stick your fingers into the breach to open it, drinks are served in plastic cups and the selection isn't elaborate. Personally, I like a good dive, and we really enjoyed it! The oysters were fresh, briny and delicious and a Saturday-Sunday night special at $1 each, fried dumplings weren't so much fried as homemade delicate potstickers and excellent, and the crispy fried rice with sausage was absolutely wonderful with a delightful texture. Bar staff was efficient and friendly. One server came around with a bottle of Jameson and plastic shot glasses and poured complimentary shots, doing one with willing guests, a very nice crowd bonding touch. We arrived 8 PM on a Saturday night and got a table right away, and it's extra great because one walks away only a couple of blocks from an area with thousands of tourists (South Street Seaport) and into this little gem insulated from that scene. Next time - and there will be a next time - I'll try the wings!

I’d read the Yelp reviews for Fishmarket and all were accurate. The food is delicious and the service is great. It’s not the cleanest or most pristine space but the owners are friendly...and yes, we were given free Jamison shots.

As you walk up and see a broken front window you might hesitate to go in but go in and you will have a special experience. The owner Jeff is welcoming and unique walking around pouring free shots of Jameson. Jeff's mom cooks very interesting and delicious Asian dishes in the back kitchen and the lobster special Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is a good deal. My concern is too many yuppies are finding out about the place and are invading our neighborhood.

The food was so good, the owners and bartender are so friendly. I highly recommend you to take a break here! Good Cocktails!!

A great dive bar with amazing authentic Chinese food, cooked my Mama! Crispy fried rice is delicious, pork belly pot is also amazing. Great juke box, friendly staff and punters, no frills, no gastro-pub prices, I hope it stays this way!

This was a great little restaurant. Many locals although we were visiting. The food was delicious. We had a great dinner and will definitely go back! Everything thing is fresh. We enjoyed talking to Jeff.

This is the type of place that my cousins and I would open if we were getting into the restaurant game. The place has a nondescript, almost hidden, entrance, so much so that we walked by it before realising it was right there. It almost looks like an old abandoned warehouse in the wharf, like it used to reek of fish guts and the other fresh catches from the river. Once you walk in, though, you are immediately struck by the fact that you are walking into history. You wonder how long ago trade was happening in the very spot you're standing. A long bar sits on your left and high tops on your right. The bartender (aka the guy who would be one of my cousins) welcomes you and asks how many. He then points you to a table beyond the bar and provides you a menu. Now this is where my family would probably do something similar. On one side it looks like your grandma's home cooking (if she were from Malaysia) and on the other side it's your normal fried selection that you would find at any bar (fish & chips, wings, etc). Everything is served in disposable takeout containers and you are given paper plates and utensils, even chopsticks if you want them. Another nod to my cousins and me -- there are televisions mounted all over the walls for nothing other than sports, all kinds of sports. It's loud, the crowd is young, and the staff reminds me of my sarcastic cousins and me. But it's also like going back home to Grandma's kitchen, and who doesn't like eating in Grandma's kitchen?

I don't usually write bad reviews on Tripadvisor, but we have had such a bad experience that I feel I need to warn other future customers. Don't go there! We were on a romantic trip in the States with my fiancée, and our last stop was NYC. We went to see the Brooklyn bridge at night, and had a few drinks. At around eleven-ish, we got hungry and noticed this cute bar/restaurant that looked ok from the outside. We got in and asked for a glass of Chardonnay and the menus. The prices were a bit expensive, but it was late, and we had a craving for oysters, so we went for it anyways. The Chardonnay was so bad I went to the bar and sincerely, candidly told them that I thought there was water in it. The waiter assured me it wasn't the case, and being a European, I blamed it on a misunderstanding on the type of wines they were serving. But when the food came... They had washed the oysters! They had absolutely no taste, and had a very unpleasant feeling. We each had one, and left the other 10 sitting there, wondering how anyone could manage to ruin RAW OYSTERS. When our plates came, it was even worse. We had ordered a side of shrimps and a tuna steak: the shrimp were deep fried, which is OK I guess, even though it wasn't mentionned on the menu. The tuna, though, was a complete disaster. It was completely overcooked, and the feeling was so that it was either too old, or of very bad quality. My guess being probably both. We were treated to a serving of spinach that came straight out of the freezer and half baked oven fries: disgusting. The best part of the meal came when we left, hungry, and came to pay at the bar. There, we met the owner, who was arguing and cursing at his waiter, ignoring us completely. We laughed even more and let them finish, and the owner has the guts to tell us "Don't ever become an owner, you'll lose money, just stick to employee jobs all your life and steal your boss like my staff does." I tried to politely explain to him that with such food and service, I wasn't surprised at all that he was losing money. He got angry, shouted at us, ending with the words "I hope you never come back". Result of the night: we paid 80$ for a really terrible dinner, left hungry and disappointed. On the other hand, I can't remember it without laughing - we actually had a lot of fun. I took the pictures on my way out, making a note to myself to write this review. Really people, don't go there - nothing could be worse in this restaurant. From service to food, everything is terrible value for money, and the owner is dumb and rude. Or if you ever do, just imagine you're watching a show about the worst restaurant in the world and try to enjoy it. We did, although it was an expensive experience...

Have been here a few times and LOVE it every time I go. Great food, great drinks and cool people. Right near the old South Street Seaport. The staff is wonderful!! Went there very late one night with a few friends and they were more than happy to welcome us in and let us drink and eat. Nice place to go hang out with some friends and just chill and kick it. People are great, the atmosphere is nice, the drinks are great as well and the food is delicious. If you are in the area downtown, go in and have a drink and enjoy yourself!

I've discovered a new gem in the city! It boasts delectable cuisine, exceptional service, and captivating music. Without a doubt, I'll be returning again and again.

I found this restaurant because I was looking for something authentic. It certainly is a funky place, but with nice people and great food. I had the spicy shrimp (great!), scallion pancakes and drunken fish soup. Cooked by the owners mother, I couldn't ask for more.

Came here for the oysters on happy hour and left extra happy! Such a fun atmosphere. The owner makes everyone feel like they're family.. Perhaps that's the shots for all when the check comes. Not the best seafood in the world but was good. Mostly battered and fried but gets the job done! Oysters are large--- doesn't seem like Blue Point, just as a heads up!! Fun. Loud. Great for medium groups!

On a business trip to NYC and colleagues recommended this place. Interestingly they had tried to get in a few days before me but couldn't open the door! No handles on the door, just need to pull it! Inside was busy, great vibe in cool little dingy but warm and friendly dive bar. The food was amazing, Ginger chicken wings were delicious perfection, a must have! We ordered these as we heard a guy on the next table that was ranting and raving to his friends that the wings are to die for, so we went for it. I was initially hesitant to go to this place as it serves Malay food and I live in Singapore but I am definitely going back to try Mamas Curry next and more wings of course! Staff were genuine and friendly, really cool and nice energy. One of them came by my table and did whisky shots with me which was a nice touch. Another nice NYC memory for me :)

We walked upon this small bar and restaurant on a trip to south street seaport. This was great from start to finish. The owner Jeff is very personable and aims to please. The settiing is quaint and the food is delicious. We loved the chicken Ceasar salad. The lobster roll was delicious, as were the fish tacos. We would definitely recommend and will return.

I discovered the Fishmarket after it had been hit by Superstorm Sandy. Nothing pretentious about the place, kind of a dump, in fact, but the food is simple and good and a bargain. Get the the whole boiled lobster with a side salad, for a satisfying and not-too-heavy late dinner. The owner cooks, but the real star is his mama. Try her fried rice with shrimp or chicken for a real treat. Or try the pork belly sandwich. Become somewhat of a regular, and you too may wind up sharing shots at the bar, on the house.

I totally see why a lot of people stand in line to get into this place. The food is quite good and the service is friendly. They do indeed come around with free whiskey shots which is kind of awesome. So if that all sounds good and you're OK with yelling to hear the person next to you, this may be your place. For me, it was over the top noisy to the point that it was a huge relief for me to get outside. Party people - party on! But it's not the place for me or a family, I'd say.

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 to Fishmarket.

It seems like a hole-in-the-wall place. We just came across it and decided to try it out. It’s a calm, cute bar with absolutely amazing food. I thought the entrees were from a fancy, high class restaurant. So much food that tasted sooo good!!! The bartender was a fantastic waiter. He answered our many questions with a smile on his face and was extremely friendly.