I can't tell you how many times I blew past this place without even knowing what it was. It's a re-purposed gas station and honestly I think I thought it was closed, when my GPS brought me here, I was stunned to see that it was mere feet from a friends apartment and I just never paid attention.
I was stopping there to take my mom some fish as she never turns down a fish fry and in the process I got turned on to their chicken. Menu is straight forward and prices are fair and portions satisfying. Everybody at the benches outside were eating with a passion that I rarely see. People were so happy with the food it clearly shows what the product of good service, good prices and good portions bring. I will surely return.
We love buying the fresh fish here, and the crab cakes are phenomenal! Â So we finally got around to trying the fish & chips bar. Â We had the cod, and it was great! Â The fish was flaky and delicate, and we loved that the batter was crisp and crunchy on the outside. Â We are not big fries fans, and we found these a little thick and soft for our taste, but the fish can be ordered without the fries, which we will do next time. Â I got a wakame salad (inside the fish store) to eat with mine, and really enjoyed it. Â Nice to have such a great place so close to home.
Review Source:We were looking for something better than Spud's and we found it! Â I have never been a fan of beer batter as it is typically a soggy, thick mess. Â Not here. Â The batter is crisp and light. Â But the star of the show is the Cod. Â Wow. Â Thick, flaky, moist, and oozes freshness. Â I don't think I have had this good quality Cod even in UK!
We went there today on a cold day and with no customer in sight. Â None of the fryers were working. Â Told them this was our first time and got a complete run down of the menu plus free samples of soups. Â Worried that the low turn over meant stale or bad food. Â Per above, it was anything but. Â Well exceeded our expectations. Â Everything was freshly prepared and very high quality.
Loved that unlike Spud's ketchup and such is free. Â The Malt salt was a nice touch.
The prices were very reasonable for the quality. Â A single piece of cod plus fries was filling due to the size of the fish.
We ate inside the fish market at the long bar. Â It was fun looking at the fresh fish and stuff they have on the shelf while waiting for our food. Â There is loud background equipment noise although it is not obnoxious.
Can't wait to go back and try the other items.
I LOVE the fish. Â Thes guys know fresh fish. Â I buy to take home and cook. Â Ask what is their favorite of the day. Â They will tell you and they are right on.
I also like the tuna taco..........good and gluten free. Â Nice to see they have inside dining for winter.
Price is pretty stiff but what I expect for the real stuff.  Not too much less than QFC and came in today  This is SLOW FOOD for sure and I dont mean slow.  They move......fast
This is just an amazing eating experience. When I visited Freshys the other day I learned that I could have the fish tacos with my choice of fish, since im not a big salmon fan I chose cod and they served it hot and quick. It was a bit too chilly to eat outside so I wandered indoors where the overhead heater was doing its fine job. Im a West Seattle guy who will drive to Mercer Island for this kind of freshness and service. Ron Beck
Review Source:Note: Actually 3.5 stars.
Having rolled through Astoria again recently, stopping in to feast on Bowpicker's inimitable albacore basket, I found myself wondering why I've never had decent fish and chips in Seattle. Seattle, a port metropolis with a large Pacific fishing fleet. Seattle, with its rabid populace of foodies. Seattle, it even starts with "sea"!
Don't take my wondering TOO seriously: For one thing, what business has a snob like me wondering about fish and chips? For another, I haven't actually ever set off on a Quest for Fish and Chips, like I have some other foods, so of course I'd be ignorant. Still. I've slummed around quite a bit by now, eaten a lot of pointedly mediocre and even downright skanky fish and chips, and so where the hell are the wonderful fish and chips? Hm?
Steelhead Diner down at Pike Place Market, for one. Exquisite. But you know, they had better be the pope's moans for that price. That's definitely not slumming it.
But this isn't about Steelhead. It's about Freshy's and it's about poser slumming. Freshy's has got the chic slumming thing down. It's in a converted gas station, so you try not to think about why their deep-fry oil tastes unique. There's a Fish & Chips window, where you order and pick up. You sit at picnic tables in the parking lot, some of which are beneath the canopy. Their business model is a little iffy from October to April, I have to think. In the former garage(?) there's a store selling fish and fish-related wares, including things like wine. None of it is bargain-priced.
We ordered the two-piece cod basket and the two-piece halibut basket, one of them without fries because, well, we eat responsible amounts of food. We ordered a "bowl" of clam chowder, which comes in a large cardboard cup.
Fish: The fish itself is excellent, whether cod or halibut. It's fresh and cooked just right, meaning just to the point of being cooked. It's flaky, in stark contrast to a lot of the greasy rubberfish you get from swillhouses dumping year-old bricks of ice into week-old oil. The batter's taste is too heavy for me, given the delicate fish. It takes in too much grease and carries a little too much salt. The portions are moderate.
Fries: Some people's reviews complain about the fishy taste. I suppose they have a point, but you know, you're eating them with fish. I don't mind; the effect is subtle. They're basically good fries, thick but nicely browned and nicely textured.
Chowder: People are all over the board in their chowder preferences. I like the thin, buttery chowder you get in fine restaurants, myself, but as thickened chowder goes, this is decent stuff. It's not gooey or pasty. It carries diverse chunks of stuff, including, surprisingly, clam bits, and better ones than rubbery blobs you find lurking in the usual glue.
You pay for all this. The chowder "bowl" was $6; the cod was $9, if I recall, and the halibut $12. Holding the fries on one reduced the price by $1. I would add half a star to my rating, making it a 4, if they were cheaper.
The upshot: Fish itself is quite good. I don't know anywhere better nearby. I'll be going now and then while begrudging the price. In winter I'll treat it purely as take-out.
After a short hiatus, I ventured back to Freshy's to see if there had been any improvement in their food and/or service.
Of course, I was drawn back to the establishment because they are one of only a few places with outside seating (picnic tables) - I was not drawn back because of good previous experiences. Â Despite the fact that at Freshy's I end up eating where my Mom and Dad used to fill up their car with gas when I was a kid (Freshy's took over an old gas station, if you didn't know), it's still a nice outdoor area. It is close to the Lid park system and also the bocce ball courts at Aljoya House.
Even though it was a perfect day to eat outside, my experience was, unfortunately, far from perfect.
When I arrived at the take-out window no one was there. I rang the bell. I waited. I waited for about five minutes - still no one. So I walked the 15 feet around the corner and inside the building. I saw only one employee and he was helping the one other customer in the store. I waited patiently. Never once did he acknowledge that I was there waiting for service. No 'hello, I'll be with you in a few minutes' or 'I'm sorry for the wait.' He just let me stand there for about 10 minutes.
Then, after two or three more customers showed up, out of nowhere a woman pops up and decides that she wants to work. She ignored everyone that was waiting and, in a very lackadaisical manor, slowly washed her hands and put on an apron. I called out to her (she was two feet away from me behind the counter) to ask if their to-go window is open but she completely ignored me (VERY RUDE!). She finally looked up and had no idea where to start. She picked someone at random and didn't even think to ask who was next...absolutely unacceptable.
So now I'd been waiting for 15 minutes and no one had even acknowledged that I was in the store. This was some of the worst service I've seen. BTW - I've just driven all the way from Crystal Mountain after 5 hours of killer backcountry snowboarding so the wait was KILLING ME, but I was still patient and kept my cool.
Finally I got the attention of the guy working there and I asked him if their to-go window was open. He said that it was but could not help me at the moment so I went back outside and waited about another 5 minutes until he was able to take my order. I'm still very confused why the woman didn't take my order 10-15 minutes earlier.
I ordered a 2-piece cod fish and chips (I wanted the halibut but it is shamelessly overpriced), a cup of clam chowder, a side of tartar sauce, and a water. Waited for 7-10 more minutes. Got food. Sat down to eat.
First of all, charging $.60 for a small cup of tartar sauce is ridiculous. Tartar sauce should be free, especially when you're eating fish and chips. Fail, even though their tartar sauce is relatively tasty.
The fried cod was good. The fish was fresh, moist, and flakey. I do like the batter, as well. The downside is that the pieces are small and they fall apart almost immediately. Did I mention that the pieces are SMALL? They charge just under $9.00 for their 2-piece cod fish and chips. Honestly, it's worth no more than $7.
On a positive note, their fries were awesome! And they were great with the tartar sauce.
I gave their clam chowder a second try (last time it was the most awful chowder I'd ever had). I was leaning toward their Cioppino until I saw the note that it didn't contain any shell fish. Wait, what?!? Ciopinno without shellfish??? Wow, this place is just losing credit left and right. The clam chowder was better than last time, but I guarantee you I will never order it again. It was watery and had way too much spice and herb. I was really hungry and it was $4 so I ended up choking down about 80% of it.
Their bottled water is SmartWater - that's a plus. Pricing is reasonable at $1.80.
So overall, I had another awful, terrible experience at Freshy's. To summarize: Very poor service, to-go menu is highly overpriced to the point in insult, and their food isn't even that good. I do not recommend visiting Freshy's for their to-go food service.
Let me preface this by saying I love fish and chips. Frequently if they are on the menu, I am trying them.
I have been driving my kids by this former gas station knowing they had fish and chips, but not getting around to checking it out.
Well, I finally did and I am addicted! We ordered the 3 piece cod and chips. The batter is light crispy and with very little grease. The fries are super yum, not too thick or thin again the right amount of grease.
We also really enjoyed the tarter sauce. Great for dipping your fries.
We sometimes order aheard so it is ready for us for pick up! It is hard to make it home with the fries intact.
The only downside is the chowder, although it is fine, it does not blow my socks off.
We were driving around Mercer Island looking for some place to eat. We'd driven by Freshy's Seafood Market so many times but never noticed until today.
We ordered fried oysters and chips and a bowl of razor clam chowder. We then walked into the seafood market section admiring all the delicious- and fresh-looking seafood and some fancy seasonings/condiments that you may find at specialty stores. People at the store were extremely friendly and willing to put up with my boyfriend's incessant questions.
The chowder was rich, hearty, and full of chunky goodness. I crashed packets of crackers, poured the crumbs into the creamy chowder, and stirred it gently with a plastic spoon. Oh, it was so soul-satisfying!
The oysters were crunchy on the outside and plump and juicy on the inside. They were awesome with cocktail sauce. Apparently, some of the oysters we got were a bit overcooked and exploded, so the guy in the kitchen brought us more deep-fried oysters out to us. There was so much food! (Unfortunately, I didn't care too much for the fries.)
I want to try their seafood stew!
I am really disappointed with Freshy's. Â My husband is leaving for a couple weeks on business and we both love swordfish so I thought I'd pick a steak up on the way home. Â BIG mistake!
We get swordfish from Pike Place every month or and have never had this happen. This was bad swordfish! Â Complete mush. Â
I've had Freshy's fish and chips and just decided oil pouring out of their heavily battered fish was not my style but that's a quick meal someone else made so I'm not going worry about it, I'm just never going to eat there again. Â
I'll take Spud's at Alki any day over this fish. Â In fact we drive from Maple Valley to Alki all the time just for the fish and chips at Spud's. Â I wouldn't cross the street for the fish at "Freshy's". Â I'd use the term fresh loosely after this meal.
I'd be inclined to try again but even the people that work there aren't friendly enough to bring me back. Â The girl at the counter when I walked in tonight never even looked up from what she was doing and the guy that did finally wait on me only said three words. Â Life is too short to pay $20 a pound for lousy fish and rude service.
This review is for Take-Out only. Â Not the Fish Market.
Ordered Fish and Chips.
Meal Quality: Â Not the best. Â The fries seemed like they were fried in old oil. Â I had a stomach ache and for the first time didn't finish the fries. Â The fish was so-so. Â
Location: Good location at an old gas station close to the on-ramp to I-90 with lot's of parking.
Value: 0 Star. Â For the price, this was NOT a good meal. Â As you can see from the other reviews, the price was too high. Â They also charge for Tartar Sauce etc.
Overall: Â Would not purchase anything from Take-Out. Â Will try the "Fresh Fish Market" in the near future and review that.
I eat at Freshy's more than any other restaurant on Mercer Island, 10 to 1. Â The reasons are:
1.) The fish and chips are very good, much better than Spud and all the seafood is local and fresh, not imported frozen from outer Mongolia like some other places. Â The cole slaw is also very good, too.
2.) Â Freshy's is accesssible when I take a long, hour walk with my dog and as long as he behaves, it's OK for him to sit with me next to the table. Â No other restaurant on Mercer Island will let you sit and eat with your dog.
3.) Â It may be rustic with picnic table dining but it's also a very cool, relaxing spot in a summer evening. Â It's located at the eastern base of First Hill so it's nicely shaded on hot evenings. Â
It may cost a buck or two more than Spuds but when I can walk to Freshy's why would I ever drive to West Seattle to Spuds.
This seafood market is located in a old gas station. The sea creatures are in large tanks. They also sell wine and other seafood cooking ingredients.
I had the halibut fish and chips. I find usually halibut better tasting than cod; perhaps because we are in halibut season right now. Â The texture of the fish is very silky and not dry at all. The best part about the fish is the batter. It's fried very nicely. You can choose different sauces and I would recommend the Freshy's sauce because it looks like a thousand island spin of a tartar sauce; but you can also get tartar sauce. The chips tasted like they have been frozen so it doesn't taste anything special.
I also had the steamed clams (the cashier said everything tasted great when I asked her what she would recommend). For 6 dollars, you get quite a bit of clams and they tasted fresh enough. There were one or two sandy ones but not too bad. Anyhow, definitely one of the best fish and chips place that I have been to in Seattle. I would say its batter is better than Pike St Fish Market.
My comments are for the take-out, not the fish market itself.
I tried this place in early August after seeing a review in the Seattle Times. The halibut (2 piece) and chips were not bad at all, but I don't think they lived up to the $12 price tag. The razor clam chowder and fish stew, rated as "must haves" in the Times, were more disappointing.  Watery  and bland, the chowder didn't have much in the way of clams, but there some really hard potatoes.  The fish stew was similarly light on fish.  The cup sizes for both were small, but I didn't finish them anyway.
The counter service was friendly, and the little place is quite convenient to an I-90 off ramp, but I doubt if I'll be back.
Had the 2 piece salmon and chips, coleslaw, steamer clams and a coke zero. Â All of it tasted great. The steamers were my favorite and plentiful, especially for under 6 bucks. To be honest, I don't remember a better tasting steamer. Â The chips were real good. I would call them home fries with the skins left on.
Review Source:This was a so-so meal! Â I had the cup of chowder which was very good, but I thought the serving size was very small. My colleague had the fish-n-chips, which I helped with. Oh oh...something was wrong there. Her and my stomach is still turning from the fish/fry combo. It seemed like the oil was bad as the fries were shriveled up and just not good. I work on Mercer Island and always looking for a new place. Not only was the food so-so, but the price was way too high $$$. Unfort, this was not a memorable experience and doubt I will come back. Sorry guys...ya only get one shot.
Review Source:It's about time Mercer Island got a great fish monger! Â Now I don't have to drive all the way to Mutual Fish in Seattle. Â Great little store with fabulous knowledgeable service. Â Owner may even put in a fish & chips bar this summer which would be a great addition! Â They already have clam chowder and other pre-made items you can purchase from a cooler section.
Everything fresh as the name indicates.
Have been here twice for fresh fish and had a very good experience. We got fresh halibut on one visit; albacore on another. Â They don't have a huge selection, but what they have looks great, and they provide good advice about what they recommend. Â I also like the converted gas station layout -- you park your car, walk in the "garage," and there's your fish.
On the second visit, we also picked up some of their smoked salmon. It was terrific -- especially the sweet "salmon candy," which was a new experience for us. Definitely recommended.
Downsides:
- The prices seem high to me -- definitely a big notch up from grocery store, but I guess you're paying for the "fresh" (?). Not being a fish expert, I'm not sure how this compares with other fish markets. Â
- Their fresh ceviche was plain, watery, and very overpriced, in my opinion.
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