Harbor Fish Market

Yesterday I called to see if they had haddock and what the price per pound was. I had such a bad customer service experience that I doubt I will ever patronize their establishment again. The girl who answered the phone was incredibly rude and condensing when I asked a simple question about the difference between medium and large haddock for which she quoted pricing. I am a life long Mainer, the daughter of a fisherman, and had simply never heard of pricing haddock this way so I asked what the difference was. Her reply «one is medium» and «one is large». Might seem like an extreme reaction on my part, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea and I’m taking my business down the street.

I had done a lot of research on Portland prior to moving here and Harbor Fish market definitely stood out amongst the competition. I seek out the best of everything and so should you. Nobody should settle for anything but the best when it comes to food. We are what we eat!
They have a great selection, prices, and for the most part all of the employees know their stock. I encountered one guy that didn’t seem to know the product but won’t hold it against the market. On a few occasions I’ve asked him questions about the fish and he really didn’t know the answer. He used words like «I think so» and «I’m not sure». Not knowing the answer to a question is totally ok but not making an effort to find out, not so good.
Either way all of the fish I’ve purchased is really fresh and much of it top quality. They will also clean the fish for you so you don’t have to worry about it come dinner time. I love that they label all the fish wild or farmed and «top quality», if so. If you are concerned with farmed fish be sure to ask them to tell you about the practices of the fish farm in question. There is one Scotland that sticks to strict practices and works together with the other local farms to ensure quality and consistency. Information like this keeps me coming back and builds trust with the consumer.
I was really happy to see that they have a steady stock of rope grown Bangs Island mussels, some of the best!

Short of crawling onto a fishing trawler that’s just returned from sea and grabbing a fish from its hold, this is the next best thing in terms of true, fresh seafood. Incredible local selections (and some remote seafoods as well) and it maintains its simple, historic charm. A must-​have for locals and a must-​visit for tourists.

Fantastic place!
This place deserves 10 stars * * * * * * * * * *
Get a container of fresh cooked lobster meat… they charged about 34.99 per pound… depends if u get all claw or all tail or mixed claw tail n knuckle… suggest u get the mix for several reasons… tail is a bit tougher n pricey… claw is more tender… knuckle tastes chunky n basically u want different textures n flavors…
They have various cocktail sauces n lemons available and u re in heaven… everything already cooked n ready to eat!!! Just ask the person at checkout for a couple of forks… they even have OLD BAY SEASONING there… can honestly just forget lobster roll at restaurants…
Just grab n eat! NO WAIT. NO TIPPING NEEDED. FRESH. EVERYTHING THERE FOR U!!! EAT YOUR HEART CONTENT! FRIENDLY PEOPLE. LOCALS GO THERE TO GET FOOD THEMSELVES. FEATURED ON FOODIE TOUR AS WELL!
HANDS down the BEST place! No fillers. We walked couple blocks away and ate on a bench n watched passers by!

Love this place.
Great selections, well displayed, located on a working warf. Parking is sometimes a battle, especially during tourist season. They always have US fish, and one of the few places in town where you can buy whole fresh squid

I don’t eat a lot of seafood. And I cook it at home pretty rarely. But when I do, Harbor Fish Market is my go to place. On my latest visit I had my sister and her husband and daughter along. The nice man behind the counter insisted on pulling out a lobster for my 2 year old niece to see. She was very skeptical, but it was a nice gesture. Then he gave some passionate recommendations regarding oysters and picked out, bagged, and labeled a couple dozen for us.
Be sure not to wear your fancy shoes when you come fish shopping. This is the kind of store that is kept clean with a hose.

I want to give 5 stars… The service has been great and the fresh seafood is amazing. Going here is always a wise idea if you want quality and quantity of the tastiest ocean foods. Their selection of oysters makes it possible to limit my trips to oysters restraunts which can get to be a pricey hobby.
I just had a bad experience with the young gentleman that was attempting to direct traffic in the narrow parking lot. On a busy Friday night it is hard to battle commercial street foot and car traffic. Once I made it into the lot he asked me why I was there and if it was for the harbor market. Then he told me to HURRY UP. I was there a full ½ hour prior to closing and figured he couldn’t be serious. Then when trying to leaving he motioned for me to start to pull out and I almost was hit on the rear end. This continued as he screamed at me three more times after which I asked him to cease and desist the poor traffic directioning. He then told me to with F*** off or bug off. Seriously? I know dealing with tourist season may be terrible but I won’t be back there for a long while because of his immaturity and inability to treat people with respect.

the real deal — simply the absolute best quality in everything they sell — incredibly knowledgeable and helpful staff — if you want to find fresher seafoods you’ll need scuba gear — I’m lucky and spoiled — glad I live in Portland !!

Simply the best you will find when it comes to a fish market. It has the look, right on the water. Visually the freshest fish and shellfish you can imagine. Smells just like the Rhode Island fish markets I visited as a child. I loved the seeing the variety of oysters available. I wish I had the time to learn more about the different types they had. I was particularly amazed by their mohogany clams and the quality of the haddock for the price. If I lived nearby I would only shop here for seafood. We bought three 1−½ lb lobsters, 3 lbs haddock, 2 dozen middle neck clams and 2 dozen oysters. Everything was top notch and delicious!

This is a must go fresh seafood market. It is quintessential New England fish monger style. Huge glass covering every imaginable fresh catch of the day, beautifully cleaned and cut to order. Large lobster tank… fresh oysters, clams, and everything else to enjoy. Very friendly and knowledgable staff. Air flight shipping for out of towers or for gifting. Just a great spot… not the cheapest, but five stars for freshness, quality, selection, and overall esthetics.

This is the classic fish market with a goal of fresh. The oyster selection is great and the knowledge of the staff is better. So just ask if you have a question. Sushi grade tuna is as good as it gets. Farm raised salmon raised the right way. (If that means something to you this is the place for you).
The Dude abides

Just what you want, an old school fish market with a big lobster selection. Cooked lobster too! Convenient location, right downtown. While youre at it cross the cobblestone street and have a meal or beer at The Porthole on the ouside pier deck, and get an amazing bag, at Sea Bags next door!

During my trip to Portland, I was glad that I made a stop at Harbor Fish Market! They have a wide selection of seafood such a live lobsters and crabs, oysters, calms, and many different types of fish.
I purchased some lobsters to bring back to Boston! I made it that night for dinner and it was amazing! It is unbelievable how fresh and delicious the lobsters were. The prices were also reasonable!
It was kind of difficult to get service. I was standing by the lobster tank and told one of the employees that I wanted to buy some lobsters. But then he disappeared. Then I had to find another person to help me.

This fish market was one of the places I had bookmarked for our trip to Maine. I wanted to get some fresh lobster to cook at the lake house where we were staying. I was very happy to find one of my bookmarks around the corner from the restaurant where we ate lunch.
Tip: Parking is a bitch on the street. The fish market has about 6 — 8 spots right in front. I did know this until too late, so I parked in a structure and walked. Try the spots right out front first.
This place obviously specializes in lobster and oysters. They have some huge lobster tanks. The live prices are pretty good. Live lobster was less per pound than decent steaks at the grocery store. Oysters were generally $ 1.00 — 2.00 each. The oysters were set out on ice so you could pick your own.
This is a working fish market, so the floor is concrete, there is water all over the place, and nothing is fancy. Employees wear aprons and rubber boots.
I got to browse around quite a bit before it was my turn. Once it was my turn, I told the employee what I wanted. She explained the difference between soft shells and hard shells. I went for the soft shells because they supposedly had sweeter meat. She scooped out my four lobsters and packaged them with seaweed in a nice cooler box. The little guys were still pretty active a couple hours later when we got back to the house.
I threw the oysters on the grill because I couldn’t get any takers for raw. They tasted great with a little bit of cocktail sauce. I prepped the lobster by first boiling some of the seaweed and then putting the lobster in the brine. Delicious.
All in all a great meal from the Harbor Fish Market. If I had a place like this local, I would eat a lot more seafood.

OH how I really, really, really wanted to love this place! I was so excited for some lobstah, cooked fresh, and on the cheap! I did my research and saw that THIS was the place to go for the freshest seafood around.
We walked in and were helped in a pleasant manner. Even though we had not called ahead, they accommodated our order to have the 4 soft shelled lobsters steamed. They seemed a little annoyed and asked around if anyone was able to steam it. I then saw something that bothered me a bit, as I watched the guy in back proceed to smell a live lobster. Perhaps he was just checking the freshness, and this is a normal thing. I honestly didn’t think much of it since we placed our order and were set to come back and pick it up after 30 min.
30 min later, we pick up the order and are excited for this yummy, amazing, sweet, succulent lobstahhhhh. ¾ lobsters were amazing. However, the 4^th… oh the 4^th… sadly I don’t think it was good. The taste was just a bit off, but it wasn’t the taste that got me. Oh no… it was the sickness 10 hours later. Sadly, my vacation was ruined thanks to this lobster. I spent the next 3 days in bed (or wishing I was) and wasn’t able to enjoy my trip up the North East Coast the way I had imagined I would.
Now, do I blame Harbor Fish Market? I don’t know. I would hope that they have the utmost amount of discretion when it comes to preparing seafood. However, I didn’t pick out the lobsters, or see what was pulled out to be steamed. Also, I can’t help but think back to the man in the back smelling the lobster. Why would he do that?
Honestly, I am sure this is a fluke, as it seems so many other reviewers really enjoyed their purchases. But just to be safe, make sure to see what you are buying before they steam it.

I found this place through Unilocal which is one of the many reasons I love Unilocal.Simply put, this place is Mecca for seafood shoppers. If you want it, they probably have it.

This is the place to go for the best selection of fresh of the boat seafood in Portland. They have a wide variety of seafood and the best cuts. Everything is amazingly fresh. Prices may be higher than what you may see at your local grocery store, but when you are paying for top quality, fresh seafood, it is well worth the additional cost. I recommend going earlier in the day for the best selection. One of my favorite items to purchase is the seafood medley. Here you get chunks of swordfish, salmon, tuna, etc, all together. They make amazing kabobs on the grill!
They also have a large selection of local frozen seafoods and sauces for your dinner. They make creating a seafood dinner easy!

They have no fresh cuts on the weekends, boooooooooooooooo!
Great place to grab some fresh sea fare, oysters, lobsters, you name it.
The staff is super friendly and this is a half store, half aquarium for kids and adults alike.
Maine win.

I have been coming hear for many years. Great little seafood market. Kind of hard to find. But well worth the hunt! Very helpful staff. They will give recommendations. Usually place a order for lobsters in the morning. Will pick them up later that afternoon. They pack & also ship if needed. Prices are reasonable. If you are in Portland even the local «Mainers“will know about this gem!

This is the best bang for your buck for lobster I’ve had in Maine. $ 5.50 for small cooked soft shell lobster and $ 8.50 for a medium sized one. I will definitely return to this market and eat my lobster «ghetto style» in the alley around the corner. It’s a real fish market so don’t expect a place to dine but to order a cooked lobster and eat in the alley as we did or at the Eastern Prom for a picnic. You can stop by J’s Oyster for sides but they won’t serve you food to take out. You’ll have to order your sides for your «meal at the table» and then ask them to pack it up as «leftovers» after they serve it at your table if you must have sides with your lobster from the fish market. The first restaurant that doesn’t serve food «to-​go.»
Harbor Fish Market will even ship overnight to me next time I want soft shell Maine lobster. I just learned that the Maine lobster I eat here in Los Angeles is not as tasty because they are hard shell lobsters. I learned that the soft shells are more juicy, tender, and sweet. Definitely will call them to ship soft shells to my home for a taste of Maine!