Aqua Best NYC LLC

I’ve shopped at Whole Foods for seafood for many years, but in the last couple of years I’ve been unhappy with the selection, service, and what I perceived as a drop in staff expertise since the acquisition. I’m very particular about where my seafood comes from, so I did some digging and discovered Aqua Best. Steven, the owner, runs a family-focused operation, and the difference is clear: he and his team are exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly. The market itself has a clean, inviting feel with no off-putting odor, which is a huge plus. Their staff genuinely knows their seafood and can answer questions with confidence. Aqua Best also supplies seafood to some of New York City’s top fine-dining restaurants, which speaks to the quality and consistency you can expect. I decided to give them a try and left with Bronzino, Snapper, and Gulf Shrimp. All three were superb—fresh, well-prepared help in selecting portions, and clearly handled with care. If you’re picky about seafood quality, provenance, and customer service, Aqua Best is worth a visit.

excellent fish market in downtown manhattan. there's a very expansive array of fish here, from more luxe options like kumamoto oysters to more everyday salmon belly steaks. we've picked up king crab, snow crab, razor clams, mussells, and oysters here and they've all hit it off amazingly as main entrees in for our home dinners. the prices are reasonable and the fish and shell-fish are fresh (you can observe crab in the tanks, some fish that can be caught right before you buy, etc). the staff are super helpful and you can go in-and-out rather quickly if you know what you want. they also accept ebt, which is great if you're an amateur cook that wants to cook with some more unique and fresh seafood options. love coming by just to see what they have available during the day. the space is not the biggest but they truly make the most out of it.

A tad pricier than some of the other Chinatown spots, but much cleaner looking and great customer service. The presentation earns your trust towards their attention to quality. First time? They’ll talk you through everything.

Aqua best is one of the best! Very good service, they clean and can chop fish on your request. Bought oysters here and they were delicious and fresh! It was $12 for a dozen. Also bought salmon head for soup, they chopped if for me into 4 pieces as requested and cleaned the fish for me. There are lots of seafoods here, fish, crabs, lobster, shrimps, clams, oysters and much much more. Prices are reasonable. Very accessible. They even have live fish and lobster by the fish tank!

When I'm in NY and looking to impress my guests or treat my loved ones with a delectable dish, Aqua Best market is my go-to spot. With the freshest selection of fish, scallops, lobsters, shrimp, and squid, it's a culinary paradise. The attentive staff, acting as knowledgeable consultants, consistently assist me in selecting the perfect delicacies, catering to even the most intricate culinary visions.

Best fish market in NYC. They carry some serious stuff that no other fish markets have. Hamachi, kenpachi, big eye snapper straight from Japan, all best sushi grade fishes cleaned and gutted on front of you.

This is by far the best seafood mongers that’s family owned and smaller scale. Besides having the best lobster choices in the city and being famous for that, they have random seasonal fish that hard to find. Ex: 4-5 sizes of soft shell crab, fresh anchovies and Taylor Shellfish Farms oysters out of the PNW. All their fish are displayed looking fresh(eyes never bloody, clear). The brothers who run this are rare breeds. Masters of their craft, ask them anything they have an answer. English is perfectly spoken, it’s not the standard Chinatown fish spot. It’s top tier in all of the 5 boroughs. Been going here for almost 2 decades now and go out of my way from uptown because they’re fair in pricing, quality products and impressive dedication. I wish I lived closer because I’d be here multiple times a week.

This is a great find. Awesome selection of both live and very fresh seafood. Clean and friendly service at a price point which makes you debate ever eating out again!