Mercato Del Pesce

The husband and I stopped in here while on our way into the gym across the street. We have been wanting to try more fish & are so glad that we walked in!!!
This place is amazing. Walked out with a few pounds of octopus, some branzino & roughy. Can’t wait to cook!!!
The owner is awesome! He even chucked an oyster for each of us to taste. We will stop in again soon!!!

The best place to get fresh fish in the Chicago area, period. Particularly for those who like the variety they would get in Italy. Vincenzo is knowledgable and gracious– a true legend!

Awesome place!
We come here 2 – 4 a month. There’s a good selection of fresh and frozen fish and seafood. The owner is very knowledgeable and will engage you in friendly conversation.
Definitely stop in and check it out.
At times, there is limited street parking along Harlem Avenue, but you should be fine finding a spot on a side street.

Kinda tricky to find, even on a congested Harlem Ave. Kept telling myself that I’d make a detour here, which I’ve been saying for a good 4 years. Quite old school, nothing fancy on the outside or inside.
They had quite the selection as it obviously is steered towards the Italian area of seafood. Everything looked really good and they had things that you’d never find in a big box store such as sea urchin and big meaty octopuses behind the glass case. Didn’t get anything exotic as I left with some tilapia, even though I was eyeing the oysters, but they’re such a pain in the ass to open.
The tilapia was meatier and bigger than the ones you’d find at the supermarkets. Credit cards are accepted after $ 15.

It’s been a while since I’ve been here and I’m sorry that’s the case. I can’t even vouche for sure that it is still open; I’ve heard that it may have closed down.
At any rate, I feel the need to leave a review because this was a great place.
I’ve come here over a dozen times with my nonna (grandma) and have always had a very fun experience, even as a young teen in a fish market. Typically I’d whine about going grocery shopping when I was younger, but as soon as I was able to drive I was WILLINGLY taking my nonna here at least once a week.
The location is pretty easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for; located on Harlem in a very small unit, with no real parking lot available. But should you be accurately guided to this fish haven, it will all be worth it!
First, everytime we entered the shop, we were greeted by name. I’ve always respected and appreciated an establishment that cares enough about their customers’ business to recognize your face and acknowledge you by name; really an amazing trait for any business. They would never seem obligated to be friendly and the kindness continued through casual, playful conversation.
Aside from the extremely friendly and helpful service, their product was amazing. We would buy fish and meat by the pound here, and they were always generous to give us a little extra. Fresh octopus, shrimp, clams, to the freshest of meats: prosciutto, mortadella, salami; anything you could possible want to prepare your own homemade Italian seafood dishes and sandwiches.
Also, I even began coming by myself once I was a little older to buy their focaccia. I still haven’t found a place that makes their focaccia quite like Mercato Del Pesce did, and if I ever do, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.