Fish Shop opened in Ballater, Scotland, in 2023. It’s part of Artfarm, the United Kingdom-based hospitality group that runs an international mix of hotels and restaurants, including Manuela in Los Angeles and New York City. The restaurant received some quick acclaim after opening, receiving a Bib Gourmand award and a visit from King Charles III.
Fish Shop’s second location debuted April 29 on the Wharf in Washington, D.C. It was a strategic pick.
“The Chesapeake Bay has an incredible reputation, as the largest estuary in North America and the third largest in the world,” Artfarm CEO Bee Emmott said. “This area, coupled with Washington and the Wharf in particular, as home to the oldest continually operating open-air fish market in North America, meant that it was a natural place for Fish Shop to land and for us to expand the concept here.”
The interior pays homage to the heritage and traditions of fishing.
Fish Shop D.C. seats 180 inside and more on the terrace. There are three private dining rooms that accommodate 10, 12, and 24 guests.
The restaurant pays homage to the heritage and traditions of fishing, and it’s dedicated to fresh, ethically sourced seafood. Sustainability factors into the menu and the design. The latter was led by Russell Sage Studios, who’s also responsible for Fish Shop Ballater and other Artfarm projects, including the Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar, Scotland, and Manuela in New York, which just opened last fall.
Once inside the restaurant, diners will see a 200-basket-weave fish shoal made from native wisteria and willow that is suspended from the ceiling. Bar lamps were made from recycled glass by a local artist, a local ceramicist made the bowls, and rugs were fashioned from recycled plastics and fishing nets.
Smoked trout crumpets are a popular starter.
Other items throughout the restaurant were salvaged from old fishing boats. And as a nod to Fish Shop’s Scottish roots, a custom-designed tartan pattern appears on the chairs and walls.
Other art also plays into the design, with works from British artist Phyllida Barlow and Mac Fisheries posters created by Hans Schleger.
Fish Shop’s seafood-focused menu pulls a few favorites from the Ballater original, but it’s driven by what’s seasonally available in the Mid-Atlantic. There’s a dedicated fish preparation room, where chefs can break down whole fish to minimize waste, and cure, dry, and age fish onsite. All the meat and vegetables are sourced from local farmers and purveyors.
Tuna carpaccio is served with pickled watermelon, radish, and olive oil vinaigrette.
Standout starters include raw and grilled oysters, smoked trout crumpets, green gazpacho with crab and quark, and fried softshell crab with comeback sauce and bread-and-butter pickles. Mains include pan-seared black bass, littleneck clams with Italian sausage, ramps, and chickpea ragù, and a whole grilled fluke that serves three to four diners.
The wine list features local and global bottles, with a focus on winemakers who enlist low-intervention practices. Beers and ciders come from local breweries, and cocktails get creative, like a gin-yuzu drink made with spruce tip vermouth, and a Negroni that includes hardy iceplant, an invasive maritime succulent.
