Why Is Phil’s Fish Market So Popular?

Moss Landing is a colorful and funky harbor town, located on Monterey Bay in California. It’s the kind of place you can not ignore with brightly painted buildings, quirky signs, and a scenic harbor – I liked it immediately. Moss Landing is tiny, with only 200 people, but it has the busiest fishing harbor in California. It’s a bit off the beaten track, but home to the Shakespeare Museum and Elkhorn Slough, one of the best places in the world to see otters in their natural habitat. Moss Landing is also home to the world-famous Phil’s Fish Market.

 

 

Never heard of Phil’s?  Neither had I. Even though it’s been featured on the BBC , the Food Network, and countless other places. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend you check it out when you’re in the Monterey area, assuming of course, you like fish and seafood. Since you’re reading this… I guess you do!

 

 

Why Is Phil’s Fish Market So Popular?

Phil’s is famous for cioppino, and since that’s one of my favorite dishes, that’s what I had. It was loaded with fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, crab claws, and clams in a savory tomato-based soup. The serving was huge and I wondered how I’d ever finish;  it was as delicious as it looked, so no problem there. The cioppino is so popular they sell it by the bucket! I wanted to try several other things on the menu but that would have been total gluttony.

 

 

Phil’s receives visitors from all over the world – many are repeat customers. They come for the seafood of course, always fresh, and huge portions. Another reason to go to Phil’s is the atmosphere; maybe because I sat at the bar where I was able to talk to a lot of different people and enjoy the entertainment provided by the bartender.

I don’t know the bartender’s name but he’s quite a character and made sure everyone was happy and had a good time. I mentioned that it was my first visit to Monterey and that I had not yet tried the local wines. He poured me an impromptu tasting of three different local pinot noirs. My favorite was the Hahn SLH – full-bodied for a pinot noir with lots of nice berry fruit. Perfect with my cioppino.

 

 

The woman sitting on my right ordered the Crab Louie. I really wanted to try it and regret that I did not. Loaded with fresh Dungeness crab over crisp salad greens and the usual Crab Louie ingredients, it looked amazing–which she confirmed. Dungeness Crab was in season, so no way to go awry. I don’t know if she told them to put the traditional louie dressing on the side or if that’s the way they serve it, but that was brilliant. After all, who needs fresh crab ruined with mounds of dressing? I didn’t get a taste, but I got a tasty photo.

 

 

A few tips: there’s always a long line at Phil’s, but it moves pretty quickly. You can bypass the line by sitting at the bar to eat. If you’re not a bar person, there’s plenty of seating both indoors and outside. The outside seating is heated. All seating is wheelchair accessible, except at the bar. Phil’s is family-friendly and I saw plenty of children there too.

 

 

Why is Phil’s so popular? Great food, good service, and fun location. It’s a local institution. If you love seafood, don’t miss it.

Phil’s Fish Market
7600 Sandholt Rd.
www.philsfishmarket.com