Fins and Tails Seafood Store

Friendly folks behind the counter is a big plus. Ordered some clam chowder and took it home to heat up for dinner. Being priced at $ 7 lb. ($ 15 total for 2 quart containers) I expected lots of clams and deliciousness. Honestly, it wasn’t quite there. It was good, not great, but there was definitely a lack of clams in their clam chowder and that was the most disappointing part of it. For the price, it was definitely lacking.
They looked like they had lots of other really fresh fish and seafood options behind the glass. We’ll be back to try their other options but we won’t be going back for the chowder.

Fins and Tails is the best. I am certainly a seafood snob. I grew up in Alaska, I wouldn’t buy seafood even from Wegmans, but I would try anything from here.
The salmon is good — though I partial for the wild king, the farmed isn’t too bad either.
The mussels, scallops, trout, flounder have all be fabulous.
I love the weekly emails on the fish of week, info on sustainability, and a recipe.
Any dinner I am hosting features Fins and Tails seafood.
It’s important to the note the store smells fishy (natural for the business they are in) but doesn’t taste that way.

Best scallops and shrimp EVER, along with so many other fine seafood delights!!! The ONLY place to buy your seafood! Always fresh and from clean waters! Friendly and very knowledgeable staff. They know exactly where all their seafood comes from! You’ll pay a bit more but it’s definitely worth it!!! Been going there for over 25 years! And my mom shopped there before that! You won’t regret it!

I love this place, all our holiday staples are purchased here every year without fail. Great quality prawns and we cant live with out the chutney.

Really nice guys, great place to get sashimi quality tuna for a good price.

I think I heard about this place perusing one of the many blogs dedicated to food in Syracuse and Central NY. The fresh fish selection at the Wegmans I shop at is lacking to say the least. Unless I want frozen or farm-​raised, my only opportunity to eat fish is in a restaurant somewhere. That sounds kind of snobby, but the difference between a fresh piece of wild caught fish and the frozen bags of tilapia is huge, in my opinion.
The address for Fins and Tails is Erie Blvd. However, you’ll be surprised to find out that you can’t get into or park on the Erie Blvd side. You’ll need to go around the block onto Headson Dr. Just cross over Erie on Thompson and make a right.
The inside is pretty much what you would expect. They have two glass cases — one containing fresh fish/​seafood (both whole and filets) and the other containing prepared dishes with seafood in there. They also have a few freezers with ready-​to-​eat meals. I’ve never actually tried them, but apparently they are popular.
One thing to note that may be of interest — they have loaves of Pastabilities bread brought in every day. The last time I was in there, they were sold out of them, but if you get there early enough, you could probably walk out with some fresh fish and a loaf of good bread too. Nice touch.
The fish selection seems limited, but I never know what to get. They always seem to have tuna, both sashimi grade and otherwise. Swordfish has always been in there and I think salmon too. Last time I walked out with flounder, but I debated between that and snapper. They also have fresh scallops which I have been meaning to try.
The people behind the counter are very friendly and knowledgeable about all the seafood they have. They’re also quick to give you samples of things to try them out (of course, some stuff you can’t just eat). This place has been here for a long time, over 20 years. They know what they are doing here.
You’re definitely going to pay more in a place like this, but of course you are. It’s fresh fish. If that’s important to you though, I suggest you check it out.

One of Syracuse’s hidden gems: This gourmet fish market helped me get through grad school within budget, without sacrificing too much luxury. What is it that my mother always said? «Champagne taste with a beer budget.» A little guilty right here.
As a poor grad student, I would usually go for the salmon salad or the tuna-​apple salad and put it on english muffins for part of a lunch. If I wanted to splurge, their farm raised salmon is Sashimi Quality, which is excellent with soy sauce and either sesame oil, or wasabi if you can find it up here.
Everything I’ve ever tried here has been of the utmost quality, and they’ve always had an excellent selection of fish, butters, accompanying sauces, fish salads, etc. I’m pretty sure the owner drives downstate to NYC every week to restock, so go early in the week for the best selection! This place can get pricey though if you’re not too careful (scallops set me back one night quite a bit, but they were worth it).
They also have a wonderful selection of dipping sauces for breads (Wild Thymes brand if I’m not mistaken). I highly recommend the sweet Thai chili.
Atmosphere: Kinda small, clean, and a little cozy due to all of the non-​fish items on display (see dipping sauces above)
The service: They were always friendly, and I never got flack for buying low on the price scale. A great find, and a prime example of how friendly CNY ppl can be.