Fish Market

There’s a lunch menu and a dinner menu at The Fish Market. The prices, and the quantities of food presented, are smaller at lunchtime. We had lunch at The Fish Market. I had three appetizers instead of a regular entrée: Clams Kilpatrick ($8), Panko Combination ($12) which had fried oysters, scallops, and shrimp, and an order of Crab Cakes ($10.50). My companions had the Fish & Chips ($10.25) and the Ono ($15.25). We also tried both the New England and the Manhattan Clam Chowder ($4 each).

We have been to The Fish Market in central Phoenix several times over the past few years. Every time I have been there I have been impressed with the menu selections and the large variety of fresh fish offered. Every time we leave we are mildly disappointed.

Our experience at The Fish Market left us happiest with the Crab Cakes—that’s important, because I love crab cakes!—the scallops and shrimp on the Panko Combo Platter, and the Fish and Chips. The scallops and shrimp were large, juicy. And tasted very fresh and flavorful. Not so for the Ono, which I’m sure was fresh but was lacking in flavor. The New England Clam chowder fell into that gummy consistency category. The beer battered fish on the Fish and Chips platter at The Fish Market was thick and good, not over breaded. The French fries were thin and crispy, and the vegetable side that came with the ono was well prepared.

The environment here is very casual—people in jeans and sneakers, placemats instead of tablecloths. It isn’t cheap—don’t forget these were the lunch prices. You can also get sandwiches and salads at The Fish Market. The Shrimp Louis salad that someone at another table ordered looked very appealing!

I supposed the reason we are always mildly disappointed is that our experience at The Fish Market mirrors this one. We always order different things; half will be very good, and half will be so-so. We just have to figure out how to do better at random selection, I guess.