A Vivir LA - The Fish Shop Hermosa Beach

The Fish Shop Hermosa Beach
DECEMBER 22, 2015
People are often surprised when I tell them that there isn’t an abundance of seafood
restaurants in Los Angeles. And in my opinion the surprise is completely warranted because LA
is right next to the Pacific Ocean….
The list of beaches in and surrounding LA goes on and on so why wouldn’t there be more
seafood restaurants? I don’t know the answer to that, but I can tell you that I’ve found a really
great seafood joint, The Fish Shop Hermosa Beach that is serving up some of the freshest
seafood I’ve had in a while!
Situated just a few blocks away from the Hermosa Beach Pier at the corner of Pier Avenue and
Pacific Coast Highway is the Fish Shop. You’d expect it to be located on the actual pier, but
when I sat down with the restaurant owners Brian and Vera; they let me know that the reason
they aren’t located on the pier is because they wanted to keep the atmosphere casual and
family friendly. And that’s exactly what it is. It’s the perfect casual dining spot to bring your
kids/family to, and also great for a night out with the girls, guys, and/or significant others.
The restaurant really prides itself in serving the freshest fish and highest quality ingredients. All
their fish is sourced locally, and they hand make all of their seasonings and sauces and hand cut
their fries and onion rings daily. The experience starts with picking a fish from their daily list of
selections and pairing with it with one of their eight marinades offered. You can then pick a
style to have it in a taco, a sandwich, a salad, or on a plate (comes with two
sides).
My friend Monicah and I decided to start with the ceviche. I’m always often leery of eating
ceviche because I’m not always sure how fresh the fish will be, but let me just say this… it was
so FRESH! Vera recommended that we get the mixed ceviche which comes with shrimp and
mahi mahi, and it was bursting with flavor. The creamy avocado really added a nice touch; I’ve
never had avocado in ceviche before.
Next we sampled another side, The Fish Shop Shrimp. This was my favorite of the day! Their fish
shop seasoning (which is a secret recipe and I understand why cause it’s bangin!) really made
the shrimp shine. It was sweet and caramelized, and the chipotle aioli dipping sauce was the
perfect accompaniment. I know since it’s a side you could probably share, but if you’re greedy
like me you probably wont want to because it’s just so good!
We then ordered the New England Clam Chowder. It came two ways the classic new England
style and Cajun style with andouille sausage. At first I thought andouille sausage might taste
weird in the clam chowder, but it was actually really tasty! The soup was hearty with lots of
chunks of clam, and I think the sausage ended up giving it an extra boost of
flavor.
I decided to try one of their most popular items, the award-winning TKO Taco. Inside was mahi
mahi marinated with the fish shop seasoning and it was topped with a mango salsa. I’ll be
honest, it was pretty good I just wish it had more flavor. The mango salsa brightened it up, but I
couldn’t help but wish for more seasoning on the fish. I think more of the fish shop seasoning
would have made it even better!
Overall, I was completely impressed with my trip to The Fish Shop Hermosa Beach. The owners
are amazing and really care about being a pillar in the Hermosa Beach community. The food
was excellent and fresh, and service was on par too!
Address: 719 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254