The original Fish Shop in Ballater, North-West Scotland, opened in May 2023 and within its first year was named as one of Conde Nast Traveller’s Best New Restaurants in the World. It recently received a Michelin Bib Gourmand as well as the inaugural Michelin Service Award.  

Opening on The Wharf in Washington DC, significant as the site of the oldest open-air fish market in North America, Fish Shop will honor both its birthplace and the customs and culture of the Chesapeake Bay. Traditional fishing communities along the Potomac are celebrated alongside local makers and artisans that draw inspiration from fishing and the seafaring community. 

The seafood focused menu will be led by the seasons, making use of what is abundant and available from the Mid-Atlantic area. Fish comes from a formed collective of day and short-trip boats using considered methods of take including pound net, rod and line and bow and arrow, potted crustacea and farm-raised mollusks. All meat and vegetables are responsibly grown by local farmers and purveyors. 

Fish Shop’s ethos is also brought to life by unique touches from artisans’ bespoke and sustainable contributions to the project. Artist Angela Eastman, based in North Carolina, was commissioned alongside Helen Jackson in Aberdeenshire, Scotland to create a 200 basket-weave fish shoal suspended from the ceiling, floating above the bar, using native wisteria and willow. The bar lamps were made by local Washington DC eco artist Erwin Timmers using recycled glass including old whisky bottles and Emily Wicks, a ceramicist from Richmond, Virginia, crafted bowls and jugs. 

The interiors of the restaurant have been crafted with recycled materials across finishes, furniture and lighting, including tables made out of recycled plastic yogurt pots, rugs made from recycled plastics and fishing nets and seaweed pendant lamps. The private dining room tables feature tops from 200-year-old timber beams taken from a property on Troutman Street in New York and legs from decommissioned ships. As a nod to Fish Shop’s Scottish roots, a custom-designed Araminta Campbell tartan can be found on the chairs and walls, with colors of the twine used in traditional fishing nets represented throughout. 

Fish Shop’s design was led by Russell Sage Studios, who were also responsible for Fish Shop Ballater and the Fife Arms Hotel, two critically acclaimed Artfarm projects in Scotland, as well as the recently opened Manuela in New York. Fish Shop is a proud supporter of Dreaming Out Loud who have created urban community-based food systems in Washington DC since 2008.

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