fish market

salt anyone?. i ordered the jambalaya and got a dish so salty that i could not eat past two spoonfuls. all i could taste was the overwhelming amount of salt that remained in my mouth for some time despite drinking beer and water to wash it down. the other members of my party ordered various types of fried fish which were bland and completely without any seasoning. it is obvious no one tastes the food before it goes out at this place. go to one of the other fine, comparably priced restaurants on king street for better seafood.

disappointment. we wanted to try a good seafood place and this turned out to be a disappointment. the pasta was good but the fish and chips were not! we will not be going back.

good standby restaurant. it's been years since i'd ventured to the fish market - it has grown rather large over the years which isn't always a good thing. in the case of the fish market, growth seems to have served them well.

we arrived on mother's day without reservations but it seemed that most of the other restaurants weren't that busy either - apparently everyone went out for mother's day brunch instead of dinner. we waited less than a minute to be seated in an upstairs dining room that was busy but neither packed with patrons nor packed with tables. this was nice - having room to sit down without being jammed in like sardines which was part of the old fish market "charm". our table was largish but the location was a bit dark - we requested relocation to a window table which was intended for 4 - the wait staff was very accommodating and moved the 5 of us without an issue.

we started with appetizers of calamari and hot crab dip. the calamari was very good - well cooked with a softer breading so that it was crisp but not crunchy. the crab dip arrived with several ciabatta rolls for dipping - these were an excellent compliment to the dip which was filled with crab meat.

i opted for the fried fish ponchatrain which sounded good via the description. upon arrival, the presentation was very nice - the crab and shrimp atop the fish was "as promised". the crab was large lumps which was impressive - so often crab toppings turn out to be crab "flavored" with little crab meat. overall the dish was a bit bland for my tastes but seafood is easily overpowered by spices so this was neither unexpected nor unforgivable.

my dining companions ordered seafood pasta, crab cakes and the port city po'boy - all of which were well received. the oysters in the po'boy were enormous - dwarfing the other seafood on the platter.

the prices are a bit high - $22 for my entree but given the area, it's not unexpected. service was good although occasionally slow. i'll be back as this is a good restaurant for guests who are visiting the area.

great stuff, their peel and eat shrimp far exceed normal peel and eat. prices are comfortable and the atmosphere was cool. we sat outside.

great atmosphere...big 32oz beers and some of the best crab cakes i've ever had! market price for the lump crab cakes was a little pricy ($32) but totally worth it. i have lived in charelston sc and florida...still best crab cakes ever!

pretty good. mixed review on this one. the crab dip was awesome! it was served with warm bread vs. chips, which i thought was different, so be careful not to fill up. you will be tempted to eat the whole thing.

my fried seafood entree had shrimp, fish fillet, crab cake and fried oysters. really enjoyed the fillet and the shrimp, but not too keen on the rest.

go to virtue feed & grain instead! for real. went to fish market for the first time based on a recommendation from a co-worker. he's obviously not the go-to guy for dinner suggestions...although the oysters were awesome, the place is wayyyyy to loud and cramped. the first bartender we had was rude...so we moved across the bar and got a new one...he was good to go. i would not recommend this place considering all the alternatives in alexandria and elsewhere.

main dishes are excellent, always fresh ingredients and always served hot for your enjoyment. casual dining experience, great for lunch or small dinner gathering with friendly staff

picked this place at random yesterday for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. ordered mozzarella sticks for an appetizer and while they weren't great (overly breaded and over cooked) all of our entrees were delicious. friendly and attentive service along with a quiet and comfortable atmosphere topped off an already great experience.

very casual dining, wednesday night no waiting. service was good. seafood fresh and well prepared. the only improvement would be to have had fresher asparagus - just a bit tough. (hey it's sea food not a vegan diner) it's a good place for kids, they can have fun and will not disturb the other patrons. noise level is typical for large rooms in an old building w wood floors & brick walls.

i went here on a friday night with my hubby for his birthday.. the live band upstairs reeled us in, they were great... the food was ok.. we had had the ribs and south beach bomber, two different types of french fries.. the oyster platter was not shuck freshly, may be earlier in the day and refrigerator.. the ribs taste like something i can get from a carryout .my server was horrible.. he didn't suggest anything for us to try.. failed to mention it was restaurant week.. they dragged the trash can thru the middle of the dining room..

disappointing. went back to this place by mistake, so i ordered the best crab cake on the menu to see if it was any different. this one was actually quite good, all lump crab meat and no filler. the side of asparagus was good, but the potatoes were again a flabby bain-marie offering. also got the lobster bisque. again, whilst the soup was more than acceptable, the cheap commercial croutons in a plastic bag reminded me of a highway dinner.
the incredibly cheap glassware and cutlery really did not match the $32 price tag for an entrée. poor dessert options (a couple of fruit pies). still not good enough for the price.


-----26 sep, 2012-----

for the football only. as a sports bar, this place is a lot of fun for monday night football.
as a seafood restaurant (bar menu), it’s very average especially at the price charged. i got the $24 lump crab cakes (broiled), they were a bit on the smelly side but ok. the sides however were less than good: lumpy fat chips with no real flavour, a tiny amount of average coleslaw and a poorly homemade tartar sauce. not good enough.

seafood was ok. i got the fried shrimp and it was over cooked. the maryland crab soup seemed to be missing crab. i doubt i will come back. not impressed.

excellent bar food and service just dont expect fancy. for instance calamari was clearly not made on site but it was still good. also highly recommend the happy hour specials if you're looking for a deal

very expensive - $50 for filet mignon and it was very dry- $150 for three -crazy !