Elma and I both give 5 stars
Marietta Fish Market–Canton Road, Marietta
I thought I would open up the reviews by noting a place Elma and I have been to 8 times in the last 2 months (at the time that this was written 🙂 the Marietta Fish Market. This restaurant belongs to the family of restaurants that include The Marietta Diner, Pasta Bella’s, and The Cherokee Cattle Company, so my expectations were set high from the get go. We were not disappointed.
I don’t know how these people serve such delicious portions at such a low price. I have seen this restaurant compared to Red Lobster—ummm….what? There is no way in this universe that the freshness and quality of the food at Marietta Fish Market can be compared to that of a chain seafood place. It would be like comparing a burger at Chops to a burger at Burger King…pah-leeze!
As you know if you have read our rating system, there are 6 categories that factor into the final rating.
Food Quality: This is a no-brainer. The freshness of the seafood is evident at the first bite. Whether you bite into shrimp, flounder, tilapia, salmon, red snapper…you name it, it tastes like it was caught in the back room. Now folks, we’ve eaten here 8 times…yes EIGHT! Every time we have eaten lunch here, it is always the same: FRESH!
We usually ask for a bread basket. This is no ordinary bread. It comes out piping hot, and it has a thin layer of sweetened cream cheese in the middle. This did not stop us from spreading butter on it, though.
Then the soup which comes with all the lunch specials….get the seafood bisque…you won’t be disappointed!
The seafood bisque is loaded with huge pieces of fish and whole shrimp
Fish and chips ($8.95)—okay, fish, yes, fresh, yes, but the batter…….the batter is the lightest and crispest I have ever eaten. Remember–I am the health nut out of the pair..I RARELY eat fried foods ever…but the batter on this is light as a feather and didn’t weigh me down. The “chips” are homemade, just out of the fryer, crispy, drizzled with blue cheese dip..(okay, my mouth is watering as I am writing this). I don’t care if it’s fired in STP , (it’s not…, I’m just saying I wouldn’t care if it was) it just is GOOD!
Soup, 5 big pieces of fresh fish, 10 hush puppies (they are under the fish), homemade potato chips, slaw, mixed veggies and bread come with this lunch special.
Marietta Fish Market fish and chips--I left off the blue cheese on the chips this time because I love it with malt vinegar
The other dish to note was the red snapper (not on the “lunch specials page). I was told to order it with a light Cajun spice. I’m glad I did. The fish came out head and tail on–which I don’t usually see. I was worried that it would be hard to eat, but the fish was so tender, that I just slid my fork down along the bones, and the juicy seasoned-just-right fish came right out on my fork. At the end of my meal, my plate looked like something you’d see on Tom and Jerry, with the fish bones looking like a cartoon-head, ribs, and tail. My fish came with two side dishes–I can’t for the life of me remember what they were because the fish was so amazing!
The only thing I can say in the negative column is that the dirty rice is a little dry.
Value: This is also a no-brainer.
Elma went for the catfish lunch special at $5.95: 3 pieces of fried catfish, 11 hush puppies, cup of soup (she loves the New England Chowder), cole slaw (she’s an expert on slaw and this, she says rates in her “top 5″) a large portion of fries, 7 fried shrimp. and of course, the bread. Whenever they bring the plate to the table she always says”Holy Hannah!…you won’t have to cook for me for a while!” We have never left lunch without a doggie bag. And she was right—I didn’t have to cook for her for 2 meals.
OK you guys at MFM…how do you do it? Volume? We usually go there around 3 pm and the parking lot looks like a Friday night at most other places.
Atmosphere: From the moment you pull up into the parking lot, you get hit in the face with atmosphere. There are boats strewn about the lot as if they just docked for the day. And the friendly dolphin on top of the watchtower says you’re in the right place.
Adorable, not "in your face" murals and decor
When you walk in, the entire place is done with nice tasteful murals and faux brickwork, but not in a cheesy way. the ceiling is a sky with wispy nautical clouds. Each area of the restaurant has a different mural, but it’s tied together as if you really are at sea. Very nice calming colors.
Wait staff: Here’s where this place stands head and shoulders above the rest. From the minute we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly seating hostess who went out of her way to help us in and get us seated right away. Every time we have been there, our waiter/waitress has been extremely nice, accommodating, and any other word you can think of to mean “what a server should be”. 4 out of 8 times, the manager made his way around the floor asking everyone if things were ok, and if he could make things better.–this is during lunch, mind you. My drink was never empty and I never had to ask for anything.
Senior Friendly: We always get a handicapped parking place as there are more than enough. Elma has had 2 knee replacements and doesn’t do stairs well. You can take four small steps or a ramp into the dining area. Once in, it’s easy to maneuver around. Elma says the seats are comfy and supportive.
Bathrooms: They passed the clean test with flying colors. Stocked with paper and seat liners, they “get it”.
The bathroom smelled clean and fresh
Elma and I could find no reason why not to give five starts on every category. We absolutely LOVE this place, and from the looks of all the people there, we’re not the only ones!
One of Elma's favorites is the Maryland crab cake sandwich: a huge patty served on toasted rye with melted swiss, 10 hush puppies, fries slaw, veggies and soup for $10.95
Go and enjoy!
Click here for a coupon for you to use at the Marietta Fish Market
Great Lunches in Cobb County 