Steve Hatt Fishmonger

Fish is fresh and of great quality. The guys are always helpful. The selection is normally great, just wish that they’d have some uni from time to time

Ahhh, me local fishmonger…
It’s amazing that a sentence I wouldn’t have deciphered from gibberish just 24 months ago now brings so much joy into my weekly existence!
Fresh fish, ethical practices, fair prices, wide selection, friendly service… what else is there, really? Just a great bunch of helpful mongers, if you ask me!

If the giant line outside the door does not tell you something, the quality of the service and the fish will. You can walk in with a dinner to plan and no idea what you are going to serve and they will provide you a great piece of fish in your price range and a verbal recipe and cooking instructions. Don’t be intimidated by that line, it is well worth the wait!

Incredible fish and great service. It’s certainly not cheap, but I believe that the quality of the fish makes it good value. They are also masters at preparing the fish, so I factor into the price the value of all that skill and labour — they’ve saved me hours. There is a buzz about the place as it’s so busy (never experienced that in a fishmongers), while you may queue they move pretty fast. They are a bunch of likeable and friendly guys and I thoroughly enjoy going there.

I genuinely shivered a little when one of the fishmongers in Steve Hatt’s winked at me on Saturday. Don’t get me wrong, he was a good looking guy and I’m not prudish to a bit of flirtation. The part that made it creepy was that as he winked at me he wheeled past a cart of fish heads, scales, guts and eyes. It was an overflowing barrel of fishy carcasses.
This kind of service is very fitting to the Steve Hatt experience. Stand around for too long and expect to get splashed by one of the ice cold buckets of water they frequently throw across the floor. Service is loud and jovial. At any one point there seems to be six or seven men shouting out orders and chopping up fish whilst laughing at their own ‘in-​jokes’ and heckling customers. I liked this attitude a lot but was a bit disappointed when I was told that they were too busy to clean up my squid for me. I’ve gutted squid before but I’d completely forgotten how much of a hassle it can be. For a job that would have taken them five minutes it took me thirty and of course there was the added stress of having my kitchen, clothes and window (?!) covered in squid. Fish stank all over your kitchen does not say, ‘Welcome to my home’. I lost a bit of my sole to those beasts.
This aside, Steve Hatt’s is a wonderful fish monger. Their selection is second to none and the prices are great. Next time I visit I’ll try to go a bit earlier on in the day when they’re not so busy. Hopefully then they will deal with my squid guts for me and I can feed my friends without the stench of ‘Eau du poisson’…

Oh how I love a good fishmonger. All gorgeous, plump fish laid out beautifully on the ice, with random garnishes of parsley and the like. And Steve Hatt is among the best I have found in London.
With helpful staff that are more than happy to fillet your purchases any way you like (well, I only know one way) and tell you how to cook it! Reasonably priced for the quality of produce and service. Totally terrific.

If Nigel Slater says a food shop is the best, you know it must be true, and this place comes highly recommended by him. The fish is always really fresh and good quality and the people are very helpful, giving good advice on cuts and preparation. Good value for money and pretty old school, this is a long-​standing Essex Road staple and part of what makes it a more interesting shopping street than parallel Upper Street.

Steve Hatt is probably the best fishmonger in London (I’m getting worried — there are three fish shops in my reviews now!) If it had a downside, it would be the queues that you have to endure sometimes, and the prices reflect the quality. I beleive Steve Hatt supplied a large number of the best London restaurants and the quality of the fish is reflected in that fact.
You are best advised to go early, because they do sell out. The assistants are all knowledgeable and — unlike in supermarkets — know how to clean and prepare the fish for you.