Menemsha Fish Market

Open during the winter, great food and great people — what more can one ask for?

Another reviewer said their crab cake sandwich was delicious. It was inedible, mostly breading, and very thin. It looked like a fast food fish filet, but tasted worse. The chowder was good, not as creamy as I like, but good flavor.

Great place to pick up the freshest lobster and oysters in the area. Got a few lobsters to take home and make a Lobster Benedict the next morning.

Worst crab cake I’ve ever had. A fried pattie with zero crab or seafood of any kind. Called to complain and was told it isn’t their fault: they buy them frozen.
Piece of advice: not having a crab cake at all is better than selling frozen terrible ones.
Will take this down once fixed.

Wow! One word sums it up. The freshest, most delicious oysters we ever ate. Perfectly briney with a squeeze of lemon = excellence. The sunset special of a whole lobster, stuffed quahog, soup (chowder or bisque) is the perfect entrée for a summer on the island. My suggestion is get there about 5 pm, take your food right down to the beach (about 20 feet away), and enjoy the freshest seafood around while watching an amazing sunset.

Classic fish market with great prices, food and staff. Everyone is super friendly. We have had their oysters, lobster roll, crab cake sandwich and smoked salmon. All delicious.
There is a five stool bar to eat at indoors and a few tables outdoors.
This place is a staple for us when we visit Marthas Vineyard.

My wife and I ordered two fresh fish sandwiches. They were simple and amazing! I ordered the bluefish and my wife ordered the flounder, which they cut into chunks from the fresh fillets and steam before laying it on a fresh kaiser roll, topped with a slice of cheese which melts nicely, then you add tartar sauce and fresh squeeze lemon from the side.
Order the bluefish. It makes for the better sandwich because it’s an oily fish with dark meat (as they educated me) and the flavor and moistness topped the flounder. Even my wife agreed after the fact (she didn’t want to order something that tasted «too fishy»).
Ate them overlooking the fishing boats and fishermen doing their work. A really authentic New England seafood experience :)

We picked up some lobsters steamers and bluefish pâté. The steamers were full of sand. 20% of the lobsters were dead within 2 hours (may have been dead when we got them) bluefish pâté was very good. I would avoid. Far too expensive for inferior product.

Although Larsen’s next door seem to be the more popular choice, I didnt not want to wait in the long line. I found that Manesha Fish Market was a great and I didnt miss a thing. We had the little necks, oysters on the half shell, cold lobster rolls, lobster quesadilla with cheese and the steamed lobster special (1 lobster, 1 soup (bisque or clam chowder and a crab cake) for $ 24.99.
Service was speedy and prices were great.
The lobster bisque was fantastic but the quesadillas were a bit weird. Since the clams were on the smaller side, the worker shucked a few extra pieces. That was nice of him.
Parking can be tough, we drove around for 20 minutes before deciding to park illegally on the road. There were many tourist bus in the area.
I would definitely recommend this place!

I had a shrimp and lobster eggroll and lobster bisque and both great. Bought 3 pound lobster and 5 crabs and also great

Unassuming fish shop with an outstanding fresh caught steamed fish sandwich with butter, lemon and cheese on a bulkie roll. My wife and I were fighting over it. Excellent chowder as well.

The freshest lobster! I had the lobster quesadilla and it was so good. A little expensive but it’s to be expected in the area.

Menemsha Harbor… Jaws…fishing boats… Menemsha fish market no frills, wet floor, lobsta bigger than a small child! fresh fish for sure, no fishy aroma at all!
had the cold lobster roll well worth 14.00 loaded with bite after bite of knuckle meat! my only complaint was that I did not buy 2, they were that fresh and delicious. remember buy 2…

Excellent service. Everyone in the store was really helpful and accommodating. You can pick any lobster you want to have cooked and split on premises, even the «lobsterzillas» that are advertised on the chalk board outside. We ordered one that was over 7 pounds, and it was delicious. We also had a hot lobster roll and clam chowder — both winners. The only drawback would be the lack of seating, but the food and service are awesome.
Recommended:
Hot Lobster Roll — generous amount of steamed lobster on a buttered bun, with a lemon wedge. The lack of fixings really allows the lobster to shine, as it should.
Clam Chowder — the right amount of buttery/​creamy goodness, and plenty of clams
Live lobster — pick one out, and have it cooked — the prices are fair

Came here in a recommendation by the car rental agent. They sell fresh cooked and uncooked seafood. Lobster Roll with cole slaw and fries was $ 19.95 but the young fella at the counter recommended a $ 56.95 package for best value and experience. We took it, which for us included two 1.25 lb boiled lobster, 6 steamer clams and 6 mussels just harvested that morning. We also received a small cup of New England Clam Chowder and one small serving to share. Not a terribly large amount of food but was very filling. It all tasted very fresh. We were told we’re free to enjoy our own beer and wine. We weren’t prepared and stayed dry.
Their staff bout the food out to old cable spools balanced precariously on the sea wall with us sitting on wood benched leaned against the back of the building. Our improvised dining tables were wobbly but made sturdy and solid after I sweep loose stones and seashells under its bottom to brace it. We had the view of fishing boats docked by the sea wall and the harbor beyond. How much fresher can your seafood get? Country music came out of the kitchen above our head and a boat hand whistled for our impromptu live entertainment.

Back for the Lobster clam bake. Two 1 ¼ lb lobsters, clam chowder, mussels and steamers. Better than restaurant quality and the views are to die for! These prices are more like half price it seems for two people to get stuffed on the best quality seafood around. Coming back tomorrow!

This is your quintessential hole in the wall, combined with all of the ice and grittiness of a fish market and a huge row of live lobster tanks.
Best lobster roll I’ve ever had, hands down. The hot lobster roll here with butter is phenomenal, and perfectly hit the spot when we were looking for (big) snack this past weekend on our way back to the main towns from the Aquinnah Cliffs at sunset.
We got lobster bisque, clam chowder, and one cold lobster roll and one hot one for just over $ 40. The cold lobster roll was also solid, and the bisque and chowder were a little more watery than I prefer. However, I definitely found many chunks of lobster and clam in both of the soups, so bonus to them for that.
Big bonus that they were open during off season (November). They have a small selection of shirts and tourist souvenirs if you must. They had plenty of to-​go options that would have been perfect for a beach picnic. Service was super fast and courteous, considering that we came in well after dark right when they were closing up. There’s a little counter to the side of the counter with enough room for 3 – 4 people to eat, but it really is more like a tile shelf more than anything. Takes credit cards.
No bathroom, but there’s a decent one across the street.

Ordered 2 Lobster Rolls.
Was handed 2 pre-​made, small and not so tasty lobster rolls that were wrapped in plastic.
They took my $ 30 and I was left hungry and disappointed.
The girl behind the counter was nice enough.
That is all.

This is a true seafood shack and I love it. I buy fish here (the freshest I gave ever had) and I have had lunch on their back deck (big wire spool tables overlooking fishing boats).
The lobster rolls are a good deal (for MV) and terrific!
The only pain is parking in Menemsha. I live it but boy is it a huge pain. It’s easier to find street parking in Manhattan. But I suggest you go for it — the suffering pays off!

Fantastic! This was a random find while exploring the island. Went in, smelled wonderfully like fresh fish. The lobsters are live and literally right out of the ocean less than 20′ away. We opted for the 1lb lobster dinner with a stuffed clam and lobster bisque. Let me tell you, I’m not one for soup, but this bisque won me over. I could have had buckets of it!
The lobster itself was a challenge. It wasn’t cracked or broken apart, and this was my first whole lobster, so I had to just wing it. I ripped the tail off and out spewed Mr. Lobster’s last meal. GROSS! Fortunately it didn’t splatter all over the meat or it would have been the end of my dinner. Once I got the hang of the claws, it was pretty smooth sailing. I got quite a bit of meat from that one pounder.
I’m coming back to the Vineyard at the end of the summer and will definitely make at least one more visit to the Menemsha Fish Market!