Half Moon Bay Fish Market

1/5 Stars My experience at Half Moon Bay Fish Market was extremely disappointing. The store was in poor condition, with water pooling on the floor from leaking coolers, creating a slippery and unclean environment. The crab tanks were filthy, with murky water that reeked of fish waste, raising concerns about the seafood’s freshness. The staff spoke only Spanish, which made communication very difficult and frustrating. The fish prices were outrageous—$25 per pound—which felt unjustifiable given the substandard conditions. When I bought fish, it was carelessly thrown into a plastic bag already covered in scales and salmon residue from the employee’s hands. When I requested ice, I was handed a separate bag of ice to add myself, adding to the hassle and mess. Overall, the lack of cleanliness, exorbitant prices, and poor service make The Fish Market a place I won’t revisit. I hope they address these issues for future customers.

For an unfussy fish market the prices aren’t reasonable here. Many items are on the high side. I feel I get better value elsewhere.

Hard to beat clam chowder, very tasty and smooth. Sourdough is average. The seafood platter was well spiced and the lemons were a good touch with the shrimp. While not quite a seafood lover myself, the seafood lovers I ate with loved the clam and crab and had been looking forward to eating the seafood here for the past few years. Dining experience is rustic but fun in its own way: plastic tables on the side of the parking lot with ashes falling from the wood burner in the back, and flies buzzing around. I liked that we got to see our seafood cooked in front of us, and the guy who cooked and prepped our food was quite friendly.

Clams I bought were 50% dead. they were hand-pulled from a bag by the attendant, so it's not like they should have been missed. I tossed the whole order.

Great selection, friendly service, a little bit off of our route but worth the stop. They have great smoked salmon and sell bread to complete your meal.

Note: the fish market is NOT the Taverna next door. They are separate companies. Read the reviews. Some people ar confused. The MARKET offered us amazing service and value. Free samples of the NE Clam Chowder, shrimp and the smoked sample. We got a ton of seafood for take away, at a great price. The owners were friendly and honest. Will definitely come back again. I wish I wasnt doing fasting some days... so I could buy more fish.

Friendly service, came here cause “pelagic” wanted 20 bucks a lb for fish… Snapper was 10 bucks but it was overly stinky and the ceviche tasted horrible. Either it wasnt snapper or it wasnt fresh. Super dissapointed

Oysters were very disappointing. $20 for a dozen. Only four oysters in and one had nothing in it, one had a parasitic crab in it, and the other was tiny with barely anything….. I would like a refund.

Half Moon Bay Fish Market is a solid spot if you're looking for fresh seafood at a reasonable price. We came here and got a dozen oysters--they were fresh, well-shucked, and priced really well. The market itself doesn't have a huge selection of seafood for purchase, but the real appeal is buying seafood directly from the local fishing boats and bringing it here to have it steamed and prepared. It's a cool setup, but if you're just stopping by for a bite, there's not a ton to choose from. Overall, it's a great place for fresh seafood, but nothing particularly special beyond that. Solid oysters, good prices--4/5.

Bought Dungeness Crab today it smelled so strong of ammonia it was inedible. Ammonia smell can indicate spoilage, the crab meat was mushy and not fresh. I have lived on the coast for 35 years this is the worst crab I have ever eaten. We had a severe case of food poisoning and reported it immediately to the health department, they are conducting a full investigation.

I ordered the smoked bbq salmon and it is really good it tastes amazing and it's very tender! Very good Salmon !

Make an up-sale sound like a good price then throw a shit product instead of what I was asking for

My family LOVES stopping here on our way to the beach. Living in the valley, we cherish our coastal getaways, and it has become tradition to get king crab legs and shrimp to enjoy while sitting in the sand. It is always fresh and delicious, and the staff has always been warm and welcoming! 100% recommend!

We live in the valley and crave fresh seafood found the best place in half moon bay! Best seafood

Thank you Hector for being very knowledgeable and very kind to me when I purchased 6 pounds of fresh salmon. I appreciate the use of the bathroom and your overall kindness. Unfortunately it's in short supply in our country. People like you make our country great! Thank you!!

I grab fresh fish from here at least once a week. The employees are kind, fish is fresh and theyl prices are excellent.

This rating is for today's visit only. We just left and the guy working was so kind. He gave stellar customer service, helped us scale our whole fish, and did it all with a smile. We don't always get this lucky, so wanted to highlight this young man for holding down the place on his own and with superb service. Fresh salmon for days to enjoy now.

Unfortunately , this time when we got salmon, it smelled really bad. We asked the man if it is wild or farm raised. He said its wild alaskan and we trusted him. This is the second time we are buying salmon from this shop. The first time was good, but the second time we bought salmon from this shop it smells rotten and had to throw it all. Most probably it's contaminated with bacteria. There was grey discoloration of the meat on the sides. It was not fresh for sure.

Yelp says they open at 8:00 on Saturday and Sunday. They don't open till 8:30. They could fix the Yelp entry. They have no website so there's no other information.

It's in beautiful Half Moon Bay. You can't buy fish and seafood any fresher than that.

Delicious fresh fish every single time. Had the Dungeness crab today and was impressed with its sweet flavor and not a hint of a fishy taste. The tuna is always very fresh and the cooked shrimp with the cocktail sauce is just scrumptious. I really do love stopping by this fish market. The prices are very fair as well.

Don't trust that what you tell them you want will be what they bag and sell you for more money than it's actually worth. I'll never shop here again.

Oysters were very disappointing. $25 for a dozen. 13 of them had a parasitic crab in it.

I have passed by this place for 30 years as it looks like a tourist trap but I was pleasantly surprised by the selection and higher quality of the fish offerings here. We bought live Dungeness crabs when it was out of season her but they had some from the north at $23/pound which was the same price Safeway across the street was offering for frozen crab. They cooked our crab for free and it was really nice. Found out locals buy the shrimp here and they cook it for free for those wanting a fresh shrimp lunch.

The cooked crab wasn't fresh :( really disappointing to shell out pretty dollar and discover that they sold me rotten products. What a shame. never again.

been going there since the early 80's.... yesterday was such a great disappointment. Buying fresh oysters, guy behind counter says look how fresh they are, they are opened..... Scratched my head....why would you brag about open oysters.... typically that means they are old. Anyway....buy a dozen.... kept on ice like every weekend when we do this..... all of them are rotten today. I will not be coming back for a long time...... they should know better..... beware. I have met the owner multiple times, I don't think he would have let that happen. Just saying. Very Disappointed Joe

If you are buying from here on a busy or high-demand day, check the contents of your bag before you leave. We came late in the day to purchase (2) Dungeness on Crab Christmas Eve 2021, for our Christmas dinner. The gentlemen who helped me bagged everything up out of my view and rang me up. I was very surprised to find on Christmas Evening that the bag I was given contained (2) small crabs similar in size to MD Blue Crabs. They were also cut in half. Instead of 2 large whole crabs, I received 4 halves of smaller crabs and charged the amount for Dungeness. Felt super deceitful. The meat was also crazy tough. Not good. Super disappointing. Also - while I was there I popped into the restaurant next door (they seemed to be affiliated) to use the bathroom. The women's bathroom was dank - complete with standing water in the corner with mushrooms growing in it.

Got oysters. Most all of them were rotten. 2 were empty. One had petroleum all over it (in the photo). Wouldn't recommend unless you're seeking food poisoning

Buy fresh Alaskan salmon here. Good prices. Smoked salmon is good too..... All the sea food looks fresh!!!

Always tries to upsell you on more fish than you want or things you don't need. Lies about things being Organic when they're clearly not.

This fish market is super cool. Some of the reviews that were bad made me laugh... they smell bad... um hello, It's a fish shop, it smells like fish and smoked salmon (which they smoke fresh). The fish is super fresh. We were camping nearby with friends so we went every day for fresh fish for dinner. We bought Ahi, salmon, halibut, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. It was all wonderful and very fresh. Not "fishy" at all. The scallops were HUGE and the shrimp were meaty and tender. The mussels were so good and not sandy or dirty at all. The shop was clean and my friend from England said it was very reminiscent of the fish monger shops in England. She was thrilled. My daughter loves smoked salmon so we asked for a piece. The guy at the counter brought us our the freshest selection not the one at the counter he was ready to replace, that he could have sold us. My daughter was in heaven. The staff was friendly and carefully weighed exactly what we wanted. They even cut pieces to hit the weight we wanted. So again, I am not understanding the bad reviews at all. I come here all the time when we visit and we will continuing coming and enjoying amazing fish!

I've been a regular customer of this market as long as I've been a frequent visitor of the local beaches, over 30 years. Half Moon Bay has always been a wonderful place that most tourists avoid because it's "cold", but being from the midwest, Half Moon Bay has been my second home since I moved to the San Jose area over 30 years ago. Over the decades I've purchased seafood of all kinds from this place, usually on my way home after a day at the local beaches, and I haven't had a single bad experience. The owner has always been extremely friendly and willing to give *large* discounts, especially when you buy in quantity. The worst I could say about this place is maybe they are too willing to suck you into a great deal on absolutely huge amounts of fish, but all you have to do is say "No". I have three kids, now adults, so buying seafood in quantity has never been a problem. Maybe the prices could be called a bit high, even with discounts, but where else are you going to get like 16 POUNDS of swordfish at about 1/5th the price you'll find at your grocery store? Nowhere! All I can say is look at what you buy, think about what you're paying, and if it's worth it to you, you'll never be disappointed at this place.

My family has been coming here since Hector was 14 years old! (He's now in his late 20's.) Hands down, he's been the sole reason why this business has been our #1 place for fish! He's single-handedly kept this fish store in tip-top shape with a full array of fresh, with beautifully displayed seafood of all kinds! When I walked into the place a couple of weeks ago the place looked horrific! I learned he left. A small fraction of fish are now on display, and the merchandise looks old and tired. I've walked out twice now with no purchases. With Hector gone, I'll never return to this place! He's been the heart & soul of this place. The most utterly hard-working, skillful and personable of individuals. Hector, wherever you've gone in your employment, that employer is EXTREMELY LUCKY to have you! Good luck to you, my friend. We wish you only the best in life! Feeling sorry for ourselves... after 15 years we now need to find ourselves another fish place to buy super fresh fish where we can fully trust the product.

We have bought fresh, cooked crab twice here. So good! Worth the extra to have them crack and clean it too! They treated to snacks and fresh fruit which was really nice. I will always buy my crab here. Totally worth the drive. They have a restaurant as well

Yikes. Check the shellfish tags before you walk out. Asked dude behind the counter if the mussels were fresh to which I was told they are from today. Got a discount but when I got home to prep them, so many of them smelled awful and were rotten - probably half the bag. I didn't risk it and tossed the entire batch. I'm aiite on being lied to and potentially poisoned by this place!

We were impressed at the only skill they seem to possess. Their ability to elevate rudness by their use of condescension just touching on a-holes without going full d bag was artful. Not thier first rodeo I'm sure. I'll spare all the details but 1. Quick background: I worked a summer in Dutch Harbor and I know fish. I can spot a Flounder at 50 paces. Well, I was looking at a Flounder, eyes to eyes and asked " How much for the Flounder?" One of them said "We don't have Flounder." I asked nicely " What kind of fish is this?" He repeated his statement. My guess is that they were too lazy to fillet it or maybe they were planning on taking it for themselves. Avoid this place. Half Moon Bay deserves better representation.

I used to buy Salmon from this place every Sunday. The "owner" claimed the king salmon was from Alaska and wild-caught! I stopped shopping there when I found out he LIED about the fish, as it was FARM RAISED, and also LIED about their vegetable products being organic, and they were not!!! They should be shut down for deceptive and fraudulent sales practices!!!!

Coming into Half Moon Bay and leaving with seafood is a must. If you didn't know, Half Moon Bay is where all the crabbers and fishers go when it's season time and where you can get crabs, clams, oysters, fish, and other seafood fresh off the fishing boats. My mom and I came in and ordered some tuna steaks and salmon. The salmon really stands out to me, and it's been a few months since we came by. The salmon is really priced well, at $13/lb. We asked how much a whole salmon would cost, so they grabbed one off the ice and weighed it. The salmon weighed 16 pounds, so a little bit out of our budget. We asked for half and the guy was really nice about it that instead of charging us the $105 or so, he knocked it down to $70. We took the salmon home, made a Korean fish stew and there is no underscoring just how incredible it was to eat fresh salmon like that. The one knock I did have is we asked for some ice, because we live in the East Bay and we were looking to get out of Half Moon Bay as rush hour was starting. We were just worried that with traffic and everything else that we wanted to maintain freshness for as long as possible. They kind of skimped on giving us ice and barely gave us enough to cover it in a box. We did hit some traffic on the way out, but fortunately things picked up once we crossed 92 and made our way up to 880. It's just again, had traffic been really bad, we would've stuck for a long time in traffic and no guarantee we'd get the fish home safely.

This is a great place for fresh crab, shrimp and clam chowder soup. My friends and I have ordered from here dozens of times. Never disappointed. Their smoke fish is excellent as well.

Please don't go there. First of all, Hector is not there anymore , and store looks like shit. But today I decided to give it last chance. Bought salmon steaks for dinner, all family fighting for the bathroom now, everyone with diarrhea. God, why I don't listen to the previous 3 tries.

This place is not a fish market, it's a fish cemetery. I've never seen such old sad overpriced collection of dead for sale in a fish market in my life. Even the ice in the case was probably weeks old. They have live crab yea but at 40% higher price than every other beach town/city around here. Honestly with how the rest of the place looked those crabs were probably swimming in mostly crab piss. Shame on them but I guess most customers don't know any better. Every single restaurant/deli I've tried in this town are terrible. So at least it's consistent.

I am giving this establishment 1 star as they used to be good up until about a yr ago after Hector left. We have been going to this establishment off and on for 20+ yrs. The fish USED TO BE WILD OCEAN SALMON FRESH IT NO LONGER IS NOT ONLY IS IT NOT FRESH IT IS CONTAMINATED. FOR YOUR HEALTH DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS PLACE IT HAS GONE SEVERLY DOWNHILL. I worked at the Fish Market in San Mateo 30 yrs ago and learned all about fish. I was taught when you lift up the gills behind their eyes they must be red/pink NOT grey or brown. The skin should be slippery and the eye clear. I use to go in and look under the fins before chosing the salmon The last time I went in there they had cut all of the fins out so that those of us who know the secret can no longer tell. That should have been a warning sign, but we were really craving wils salmon. Months ago when I went in the floors were inches deep with water the guy behind the counter said they were having plumbing issues. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I purchased over $100 of salmon for a family gathering that night. Once I got it home and took it out my sister in law said, "oh that smells off....not fishy...it smells like dukie" OMG gross! She was right it wasn't fishy but smelled so bad I couldn't get the smell out of my nose all day. The skin had yellow on it which made me wonder if the fish they have thawing on the ground got contamined when their sewar system overflowed and they sprayed it off and put it back in the freezer!! OMG we couldn't gotten super sick had we not used our noses and eyes and weren't educated about how fish should be. It is unacceptable that an establishment be allowed to continue to sell contaminated food to the public. Eating from this place could destroy your health. Parasites, pathogens, environmental toxins, dukie from the establishment's lack of hygiene control. The salmon is NOT wild the guy behind the counter confirmed. When my husband and I took back all of the salmon we had purchased and asked for our money back the guy said," I told you it wasn't fresh!!" and I said, " I understand, however, you also didn't tell me it had been thawed, contaminated, re-frozen, re-thawed and could potentially make us all very sick. Had you been honest with me, I wouldn't have purchased it. I'm in the health field so I know what contaminated fish can do to the Gut Microbiome. Look at the poor lady that ate Talapia and got an infection that went systemic and they had to remove her limbs!!! I had to let the public know , clearly the health department does not give a damn!! or the owner is paying them off! Shame on you!!!

Stopped by here randomly after a day at the beach and it did not disappoint! We ordered 32 oz of clam chowder if $15 and a seafood plate made to order for $15 super fresh and tasted so good! I wish I would've bought some Fish to cook at home too. Will definitely go back when I'm in half moon bay!

We've been wanting to try this place for years. Today bought mussels,clams,shrimp, bread... $135 Drive home 20 minutes w/ the shellfish on ice but when we cleaned our two bags of mussels 90% was rotten. No wonder it smelled so bad in the car and in the fridge. Bread also hard as a rock even though I pulled from the top of the bunch -sigh... We are extremely disappointed but then why did we expect anything more from a three-star market ‍

Wow! This place is amazing...their smoked fish is delish, salmon, halibut, sturgeon AND chilean sea bass. It reminds me of how lucky I am to live near the ocean! I will be back everytime I am in HMB. #supportlocalbusiness

This place is hit or miss... whenever we come here its always right when they open and never during holiday weekends. Its located off the 92 where the 92 meets the PCH. Pretty pricey , nothing too fancy ... selection is mediocre... very inconsistent in quality ... there have been times where we stopped in but didn't purchase unfortunately. Note: bring your own ice packed cooler if you want the purchase to last ... HMB especially the 92 is always backed up with traffic ... so you will be waiting in traffic for a period of time until you hit the 280 or pch itself.

The rockfish I bought was lovely but the prawns were definitely old/off. They stunk when I opened the bag - not the pleasant briny smell of fresh seafood but the rotty ammonia smell. For that reason, I would not return.

Been here 3 times and the place doesn't disappoint. We only come here for crab when it's in season. Hector is our guy! No frills guy, just trying to satisfy customers. Ordered some clam chowder, cocktails and drinks for a start to calm our hunger pains since the crab was still in its cooking process. Firstly, this is a fish market, not a restaurant. Expect the seafood smells, a very wet floor and portable tables outside that aren't restaurant quality. The restaurant beside it is a different establishment. The clam chowder is very commercial but the clams are freshly tasting. The shrimp cocktail is enough for two, also fresh and juicy. We made a mistake, bought crab cocktail and crab meat by the pound (in plastic bag) when we should have just waited for the crab fresh off the pot. Have the cocktail sauce on the side and get some lemons. Eat outside. Clean the table with some paper towels and hand sanitizer. Hang out in the sun, there are no flies. Or take your food somewhere near the beach if you're gonna be bothered by the bustling busy street crossing. We skipped buying any other seafood this time. We forgot to bring a cooler but I know they provide some ice if you ever need them. Overall experience is great. We drove almost 7 hours total to get here and we were very pleased. Again, this is not a restaurant. This is a fish market that serves food on the side.

I am so sorry to say. I used to buy fish here every time I was in the area. Twice now I have bought fish, brought it home . When I unwrapped it, it stunk to high heaven. Really sad. Used to be fantastic. Same story today. I'm done.

I stopped in thinking a fish market near the fishery would have locally caught fish, but they almost entirely stock things from Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico. I wasn't able to find anything that was fished locally, but maybe I was just too late in the day (a Saturday evening, and I didn't ask about the shellfish). Disappointing. But, service was friendly and quick and they were upfront about the origin of their products, so kudos to them for that. However, the salmon steaks (Alaskan) were delicious and very fresh. They also carry solidly good, locally baked breads that are a great accompaniment to seafood. I still recommend stopping by, but don't count on getting California fish.

Each year our holiday tradition is to buy live crab off the boat, boil, dip in garlic butter and enjoy......well, not this year... at least not fresh off our local fleet. Soooooo we hesitated to buy, out of state, cooked already and then frozen crab.... BUT I have to say the crab we bought from HMB Fish Market......IT was delicious.... no way you could taste a difference!!!!! Sweet, moist and popped out of the shells easily...very pricey but soooo worth it!!!!! We were extremely and pleasantly surprised at how good it was....

Service and quality/selection of sea food are the best here. Tough to find live crabs during Christmas holiday but we were so happy to pick up two huge crabs here without any problem. $12 per pound today because of the holiday. You can get your crab cooked here. There is a huge pot that Felipe can boil your crabs for FREE! These crabs are locally caught in Half Moon Bay. They are fresh and yummy! It's so nice that Felipe threw in two lemons for free! Whoh! Thanks Felipe for your help! Merry Christmas!

We have been buying Dungeness Crabs and Assorted Seafood from here for several years now. The freshness is always there. The quality of their Dungeness Crabs never disappoints! We again bought several last weekend...heavy, fat filled crabs...yummy!

Seafood was nice and fresh. Every time I go to Half Moon Bay, I stop and buy my seafood there, Especially the giant prawns.

I echo Diane P. Hector was amazing. I would drive from the peninsula to HMB Fish Market because of him. I will miss him and miss going there. Would love to know if others find a good place to buy fresh fish!

I was stuck in traffic heading home from HMB when I came across this store. Decided to pull over & check out their fish items. To my surprise, there was so much fresh seafood here. The place was truly what one can expect from a fish market: wet floors, smells like the ocean, but clean. As I walked in, on my right was a table with lots of fresh fish submerged in ice: salmon, flounder, branzino, seabass, lingcod, etc. with the sign "freshcatch of the day". The salmon caught my attention. There were 4 huge ones! It was priced at $11.99 per pound. I could tell the fish was fresh: eyes were clear & not sunken, scales were shiny and surprisingly did not smell fishy. When he picked it up, it was huge!!! He weighed it at 16 lbs. The biggest sakmon I've seen before was 12 lbs & it was heavy. Imagine this one with 4 more lbs. The guy filetted it for me and packed it with ice. Had a bag at the back of my car so I traveled home with it. Got home and sliced it to 2 1/2 to 3" individual pieces to be packaged in bags. I did not have enough counter space for this monster but I managed. The thickest part of the flesh was about 2 inches. Had to cut one piece to two and still had a decent size to eat. With salt & pepper I fried each piece in EVOO & it was delicious! Coming back here when I need another supply of fresh salmon.

Love these guys. Honest to goodness fish mongers. Great selection. Bought a hunk of salmon collar today & slow cooked it tonight. Fantastic taste! Could not be better. Thanks!