Meet Fish Shop, the Scottish Import Flooding the Wharf with Sustainable Seafood
A new restaurant has arrived in the Wharf, with the waterfront district welcoming a U.K. import to the fold. And despite its impressive credentials, it’s about as far from an over-the-top celebrity chef operation as one could imagine.
Fish Shop arrives as a D.C. first for Artfarm, the U.K.-based hospitality firm known for its art-adjacent restaurant concepts across the globe. Notably, the group was founded by gallerists Manuela and Iwan Wirth (of the cutting-edge Hauser & Wirth contemporary art galleries) with a portfolio of ultra-chic restaurants that include London’s Mount Street Restaurant, and both locations of Manuela in New York and Los Angeles.
The D.C. newcomer is an offshoot of the group’s hyper-local and highly touted seafood restaurant Fish Shop in the town of Ballater, deep in the Scottish Highlands.
“We hadn’t really planned to take Fish Shop anywhere — it’s always been this teeny, tiny thing, a 46-cover restaurant in Ballater, Scotland, which is a village in the Highlands,” says Amanda Dobinson, Artfarm’s Communications Director. “And as the people came over to Ballater, they were like, ‘Oh my God, it’s amazing, the food is so good. It needs to be somewhere else. But it’s got to make sense.’ We’re not going to turn up just anywhere.”
The rural Scottish original that caught the attention of King Charles III and Queen Camilla might not appear to share much in common with D.C.’s buzzy Wharf development, with its sleek high rise apartment buildings and sprawling restaurant group concepts. But underneath all that modern veneer, the Wharf has plenty of seafaring history of its own, and Dobinson points to the area’s own heritage and culture.
“The Wharf is the oldest open-air fish market in North America — that’s where fish have historically been and come in. [Artfarm’s owners] came down here and it was just meant to be,” she says. “And Chesapeake Bay is incredible for fish.”
We sat down with Dobinson, chef de cuisine Ria Montes, director of operations Angie Duran, and Artfarm culinary director Ben Orpwood to get an inside look at Fish Shop, D.C.’s newest seafood destination. Here’s what to expect.
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1. If it’s not local, it won’t fly.
Working with local ingredients has been central to the original Fish Shop’s identity since its inception across the pond. With Scotland known for its high-quality fish and shellfish, the restaurant was seen as a genteel celebration of those traditions and the nation’s heritage. It’s a practice that has carried over into the U.S., with seasonality driving menu choices — even if that means altering recipes or going without.
“I’m proud to be upholding the group’s values of sustainability and hyper-locality through my food,” says chef de cuisine Ria Montes, a veteran D.C. chef whose resume lists stints at staples Blue Duck Tavern and Albi. “Last summer, I went to Scotland to meet the team at the Ballater location, which allowed me to see firsthand the lengths to which they go to practice sustainability and seasonality in the restaurant.”
To that end, Montes and her team will only get their fish from the surrounding area, with all of the restaurant’s produce coming from the mid-Atlantic.
“Obviously the produce is different in the Mid-Atlantic than it is in Scotland, and we stick to the same ethos of sourcing as the team in Ballater, so it has been challenging being far away from deep cold-water species of fish,” says Artfarm culinary director Ben Orpwood. “For example, our two signature dishes in Scotland won’t be available for most of the year in D.C. However, we have sourced lobsters from Maryland that are caught in caves.”
The opening lineup, of course, is as bright and fresh as a breezy spring day on Chesapeake Bay. The restaurant’s early hero dish? A Maryland crab crumpet, which will only appear when local crabs are available.
“We have a great relationship with Spike Meatyard of Double T Oyster Ranch, so we have a great oyster and raw bar selection. I also love the tuna carpaccio right now, coming out of North Carolina – that’s pretty much the furthest boundary for where we source our fish from,” says Orpwood. “We try to be super seasonal with our starters, and right now we’re seeing the first asparagus from Moon Valley along with the first soft shell crab of the season. Our guests are really loving our soft-shell crab with Comeback sauce, along with the bass served with farro and asparagus.”
2. Art blooms in every corner.
Many of Artfarm’s other projects sit adjacent to the firm’s Hauser & Wirth galleries, with art acting as both a point of inspiration and ambiance in the dining room. And though Artfarm doesn’t currently operate a gallery in D.C., Fish Shop holds its own, showcasing unique pieces of art throughout the sprawling waterfront outpost.
The first thing guests see when entering the sunlit space? A school of woven wooden fish, some straight, some curved, suspended from the ceiling in a winding, cloud-like flow.
“The straight fish are made from this artisan in Aberdeenshire out of native willow — we’ve got that in our Scottish restaurant,” says Dobinson. “Then coming over here, we wanted to find someone who worked in a really similar way as a basket weaver, and we found Angela Eastman in North Carolina. Her fish are the curvy ones. They’re wisteria.”
Another nod to Scotland covers a broad wall to the left of the bar — bespoke tartan fabric, scrunched and folded into waves of pale blue and mustard yellow, made specifically by the Edinburgh-based textile brand Araminta Campbell.
Meanwhile, a pop of color awaits in the dining room. That’s where British artist Phyllida Barlow’s plump pom-poms hang from the ceiling, breaking up the neutral palate. And when the sun pours in from the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the harbor, the sculpture glows like technicolor jellyfish.
3. Sustainable practices go beyond the plate.
Sustainability is at the core of Fish Shop’s identity, with the team incorporating environmentally friendly touches wherever they can.
“A lot of our furniture is either reclaimed or recycled,” notes Dobinson, pointing to the smooth, mother-of-pearl-hued tabletops. “All of our tabletops are made out of recycled plastic — they’re actually yogurt pots. On the white ones, you can sometimes see the yogurt pot label. The rugs are all made out of recycled plastic, as well.”
Reclaimed wood hangs high above the tables, each plank wrapped in long wires dangling Edison bulbs throughout the dining room. Pieces salvaged from old ships act as accents, adding to the nautical theme. Near the bar, a blonde wooden display cabinet shows off a collection of retail items — wool hats, thick Fish Shop t-shirts — allowing diners to bring a little piece of the restaurant home with them.
“The whole point, as well as the fish, is everything’s got to be sustainable or ethically sourced or really responsible,” she continues. “All of our fabrics are either recycled plastic or leftovers that have been discarded by the fashion industry, so nothing’s being wasted.”
4. The drinks go down swimmingly.
It’s hard to miss the bar, as the sleek curving expanse sits just opposite the front doors. The folks behind Fish Shop’s sticks have put together a playful cocktail list, leaning into the ocean vibes while also showcasing local and sustainable wherever possible.
The restaurant’s bar program riffs on classic recipes, given a twist through the restaurant’s lens, says Angie Duran, Fish Shop’s director of operations. “A standout is For Her Benefit, made with Cotton & Reed Gold Rum — distilled here in D.C. — ‘pseudo lemon,’ and Portuguese peppermint tea,” she says.
“Another favorite is our house Hardy Negroni,” she adds, noting that the drink is a nod to the namesake Fish Shop in Scotland. The drink features McClintock Distilling’s Forager Gin from Frederick, Maryland, Caffo Red Bitter, and vermouth, garnished with Hardy Ice Plant from Fresh Impact Greenhouse in Arlington and served over crystal-clear ice from The Ice Queen.
“The barkeeps have really been inspired and they seem to have run with the Scottish idea. But without making it kind of cheesy,” Dobinson assures.
In fact, the team is looking forward to rounding out the beverage offerings with even more U.K. flair.
“As a company, we have our own sparkling wine in England,” Dobinson says. “We’re working on the labels to get it over here. We also have a Fish Shop whiskey that we’re working on — a single malt from Aberdeenshire. We all love that.”
5. Location, location, location.
If the fresh seafood and nautical decor wasn’t enough to get you in the seafaring mood, Fish Shop’s location couldn’t be more ideal. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Wharf, the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the piers.
But it’s not just prime real estate — the lapping waves create a relaxed, communal atmosphere that stands in contrast to some of the area’s more buttoned-up corporate spots, without sacrificing on elegance.
“I think visually we fit right in with the other restaurants at the Wharf,” says Montes. “The restaurant is obviously beautiful, but I think our approach to finding sustainable and local resources sets us apart from the rest.”
“We’re excited to bring something that locals can claim as their own,” adds Duran. “A lot of what’s here caters to big foot traffic or special occasions, and we’re carving out a space that’s a little more grounded — seasonal and really focused on quality without the fuss. D.C. has a ton of great restaurants, but we wanted to create something that feels approachable and thoughtful, where the food speaks for itself, and the vibe is warm and familiar.”
Meredith Paige Heil is a seasoned lifestyle journalist covering food, drinks, travel, sports, and culture. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, and others. Previously the Editorial Director of Thrillist Travel, she now serves as the Managing Editor of Just Women’s Sports.
