Homeowners of the San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant, a top-grossing restaurant that after sprawled throughout a wood pier within the Port of Los Angeles, have signed a 49-year lease to rebuild at their historic waterfront residence.
For many years the Fish Market was a part of Ports O’Name, a vacationer attraction that was razed in recent times to make means for a brand new regional attraction known as West Harbor that’s now beneath building.
The restaurant constructed a loyal following of consumers who spent about $30 million a 12 months earlier than the pandemic on its heaping trays of shrimp, lobster and different seafood shared at spare metallic tables on the weathered pier.
Members of the Ungaro household, the restaurant’s house owners, deliberate in 2021 to maneuver the operation to a different location within the port however have now dedicated to staying in West Harbor as an anchor tenant.
The restaurant will stand subsequent to the brand new improvement’s amusement park, which can embody a Ferris wheel that’s anticipated to be as a lot as 50% greater than the Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park amusement heart on Santa Monica Pier.
The Fish Market at present is working with cellular kitchens in momentary out of doors quarters within the car parking zone subsequent to its former website, the place it served 450,000 diners and grossed $16 million final 12 months, in keeping with Chief Government Mike Ungaro.
Earlier than transferring into its new digs, the Fish Market will relocate to a different momentary area on part of the West Harbor website that’s meant to ultimately maintain a resort. It’ll function there for about three years, serving 1,600 folks at a time, whereas the market’s everlasting house is constructed.
Ultimately it will likely be one of many largest eating places in the US, Ungaro stated, spanning 55,000 sq. toes and able to serving 3,000 diners at a time — about the identical capability as its authentic location. Practically 90% of the eating area might be on an out of doors patio overlooking the waterfront.
Deliberate options embody occasion areas, non-public eating choices and areas for podcasters and different content material creators to conduct stay broadcasts, Ungaro stated. The market has appeared on lists of probably the most Instagrammed eating places within the U.S., with posts usually displaying folks tucking into mammoth trays of seafood.
“They’re an establishment in San Pedro,” stated Eric Johnson, senior venture govt for the West Harbor improvement. “It’s actually essential that we’ve been capable of present them a long-term residence.”
The $155-million first section of West Harbor, which can embody eating places, bars and outlets, is ready to open late subsequent 12 months. Its builders introduced in October plans to expedite building of the following section, which requires the amusement park, extra meals tenants and an array of out of doors pickleball and padel courts. The everlasting residence for the Fish Market might be a part of the second section.
The Fish Market additionally introduced that it’s going to open a 17,000-square-foot restaurant at Previous Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey in Northern California in 2026.