About The Fish Market
The Fish Market is located in some of the most charming and historic buildings on the Eastern Seaboard. Over two centuries old, these buildings were orginally used for storage of ships’ cargo from around the world -at that time in history, Alexandria was one of the busiest ports on the East Coast, ranking third behind New York & Boston. The bricks and cobblestones used in the construction of the buildings were originally used as ship’s ballast.
During the War Between The States, our buildings were used as a field hospital for captured Confederate troops. Later in that same century, ham, beef & other farm products were cured here--most hanging from nails which are still visible in the second and third floor beams.
In the early 1900’s, some enterprising gentlemen turned their talents to the making of a soft drink which they called ‘Chirp’-” A Bird of a Drink”. This endeavor was short-lived. Later-on, during Prohibition, another tenant (more enterprising than his predecessor) took advantage of the spirit of the day and brewed beer! We understand that they did very well.
During the thirties and forties, contemporary style changes were made to the facade of the building. It was not until 1976 that it became The Fish Market. The man who founded the restaurant, Mr. Ray, started out with a small sandwich counter, with barely 30 seats. A few years later, as its success and popularity grew, the restaurant expanded into the adjacent buildings and renovations were made to make the place look as it did during its mercantile hey-day of the 19th century.
In 2008, The Fish Market was added to the Landini restaurant family. The new owners, Franco and Noe Landini, saw an opportunity to preserve this landmark of the Washington DC area, but years of hard use had much of the restaurant falling apart and the business in slow decline. After careful planning and several years of restoration and renovation, The Fish Market has now returned to its place as one of the area’s best restaurants and most thriving businesses.
Come in for a great meal and incredible service in one of our four unique dining rooms. Or,if you are looking for a place to gather and watch the game? We have that too! The Anchor Bar features 11 HD TV's, eight great drafts and 27 different bottled beers and Old Town's BEST Happy Hour (Monday through Friday from 4-7PM).
Eat fish, drink beer, live longer!
Besides serving a lot of fine seafood daily, we also feature Pop’s Old Fashioned ice cream made right on the premises.
Be sure to come to our themed parties at our new Anchor Bar!
