Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery | Haunted Foodie Traveler

A Local's Seafood Paradise

Prior to Covid 19, I was working on a couple of blog articles from recent local travels. Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery was one of them. Phil DiGirolamo has owned and operated Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery since 1982. His original shop, a very small one, was just a few doors down from his current location.

Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery is one of my favorite seafood places. It’s a 10 minute trip from Watsonville to Moss Landing, Ca. if you go during non-commute traffic times. Otherwise, it’s a 45 minute trip at a minimum.

During tourist season the line snakes out into the parking lot, but it moves steadily, as the staff have the routine down and keep customers moving at a tolerable pace.

In the early days the line was not long at all. I blame Bobby Flay and his “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” road show. Since his appearance with Phil, the crowds have been ridicules here. And it’s been years since Bobby Flay came to town!

Phil’s has been featured in a lot of food magazines, local news articles and a couple of food TV shows. All of that has brought national and international attention to this small fishing town. Moss Landing has a population just over 200 people. Phil’s daily customer count is typically over 3,000 people. Crazy…

Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder is one of my favorite soups! And, in my opinion, Phil’s Eatery does a good job at it. For me, Phil’s chowder is the right thickness and consistency with a smooth taste. It’s not chalky or pasty.

Some of my friends have a different thought about Phil’s chowder…Well, screw them!! It’s my blog and I think the chowder is good! ; ) Especially with a splash of vermouth and some Tapatio. If I had one complaint, Phil’s doesn’t have vermouth on site. Dang it!

A Bowl of Clams

A bowl of fresh steamed clams in clam sauce is my ultimate favorite here! The tangy clam broth is amazing and dipping garlic bread into it, to soak up all that goodness, is heavenly to my taste buds!

Steamed Crab

I always get a whole steamed crab here as well. In Phil’s fresh fish section, you can buy live crab when it’s in season. Live crab is an amazing taste experience. It’s hard to go back to pre-cooked, frozen crab after cooking a live one.

In Phil’s eatery, he pre-cooks all the crab for the day’s menu, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the daily demand. It’s still tastes good!

Fish and Chips

Deep fried cod or halibut fish and chips! Super good here! I alternate between cod and halibut all the time. Honestly, after it’s been deep fried, and I’ve had a few drinks, it’s hard for me to distinguish the difference in taste between cod and halibut. Either way, both go down good, especially with beer!

Lobster Roll

If you’ve never had a lobster roll, get over here to Phil’s, because his lobster rolls are worth the trip! You won’t be disappointed!

Mussels

Green and black mussels are another favorite of mine. I like both! But, I prefer the green over the black. And here’s why: the green has a flavor similar to clams and oysters. The black has a fish soup type flavor, like the saltiness of the sea with a hint of fish, in a good way. Green sits just a bit higher on my list because I’m a fan of clams and oysters.

Artichokes

Fresh grilled artichokes are a good thing here. I like mine slightly charred. It has that nice grilled flavor, as if you threw the choke on your home grill. And, for those of you who live outside of Monterey County and outside of California, the area here is the capital of artichoke farms in the world.

Oysters

Ah oysters! You either hate them or love them! There is no in-between. The oysters here are fresh and if you are sitting at the bar, they are shucked in front of you. They go down the hatch just like Goldfish!

Salads

Try the Caesar bay shrimp salad. It’s tasty. This one has bay shrimp and sardines. I love the saltiness of the sardines combined with the fresh taste of the bay shrimp. The crunch of the salad and croutons adds a nice layer of texture in every bite. And, a nice creamy dressing all adds to the experience of a good salad for me.

Pasta Dishes

I love a good fettuccine. This one is as simple as it gets. A nice velvety cream sauce, fresh pasta with Parmesan cheese. Sometimes, having a simple pasta dish, tastes out of this world!

For a more complex pasta dish, look no further than the seafood pasta dish. Shrimp and scallops with linguine, green and black olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic and butter.

Cioppino

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the cioppino here. This is Phil’s big time seller. This is the dish that put his name on the map to greatness.

The tomato-seafood broth, with the entire cast of seafood characters in the bowl, is an in-explainable party of flavors, that explodes on one’s taste buds all at once.

This rustic stew is an old Italian-American dish that’s good on any day of the year rain or shine! And Phil perfected it.

The Beer and Wine Bar

Phil’s has a beer and wine bar. One of their more popular items is the Micheladas. It’s a great weekend drink. I like mine with Modelo Especial and Tejin on the rim.

I’m a big fan of cold Modelo Negra in a chilled glass.

The Fish Market

Phil’s Fish Market section of his business always has the day’s catch on hand from the local fishing folks.

Phil DiGirolamo

Phil is quite the showman these days, but still an approachable nice guy. You can find him in the restaurant often, still involved with everything that happens here.

During Covid 19, Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery serves “to go” orders and you can purchase select frozen items on-line.

There are so many dishes here and I didn’t cover even half of them. When shelter-in-place is lifted, come on down to Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery and experience it for yourself. Try as many dishes as you can! It will take several trips here to accomplish that.

Be prepared and bring your patience for lots of people and a long line that starts in the parking lot. The staff is well trained for large amounts of customers; they do a great job at keeping the line moving and food coming out to your table.

Although the food is incredible and worthy of your time, this is not fine dining! This is an eatery, much like a cafeteria style dining. You stand in line, order food, find a table (sometimes you share space with strangers) and you wait for the sever to bring you the food. But, as quickly as they arrive, in a flash, they are gone, on to the next table with a tray of food.

Monday through Thursday nights you can listen to a live bluegrass band.

Check out their website. You can order the cioppino (frozen) and have it shipped to your house.

With the Covid 19 era and before a vaccine is created, Phil’s dining experience with definitely be different. It will be a reduced in-dining crowd, which may mean, even longer lines or something different in procedure. I wish Phil’s and all other restaurants the very best of success in this new era.

http://philsfishmarket.com

Located at: 7600 Sandholdt Rd. Moss Landing, Ca. 95039. (831) 633-2152.

Hours: Monday through Sunday. Fish market from 8:30am to 9pm. Eatery from 10am to 9pm.