Mary's Fish Camp

(646) 486-2185

246 W 4th St (Charles Street)
New York, NY 10014 40.7347 -74.0032

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

Hours:

Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 9.11.08

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

People Watching, Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Lunch Spot, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar

Cuisine:

Seafood

What People Are Saying About Mary's Fish Camp

Featured Review

Allison Austin

Contributor

The Scene – Duos on dates and small groups of friends pack like happy sardines into this breezy, always-busy corner spot. Diners at the bar watch busy chefs scoop lobster salad onto warm brioche rolls. Owner Mary Redding keeps things fish camp-y with rod-and-reel rental prices and a list of "rules" on the backs of the menus. – – The Food – It's easy, simple, unfussy seafood like you'd find at a roadside shack--that is, if you're really lucky and that roadside shack serves just-set, flash-fried clams and charry-lemony grilled octopus with homemade tartar sauce. And even…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
No hard alcohol, but three draft beers (including Guinness) and a handful of well-matched wines by the glass (poured into small juice glasses) are on offer.
Know Before You Go:
Mary's doesn't take reservations, and primetime tables are difficult to come by without a wait. Luckily, Mary's will take your cell phone number and call you when your table is ready.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. You also get a view of the kitchen and the attention put into the well-prepared dishes.
  2. Inside is a cozy fish shack with a few tables and seats at the bar to eat, and we prefer the bar.
  3. prefer seating at the sweeping, stainless steel bar for a great view of the succulent oysters being opened.
  4. Top quality seafood, great choices and unpretentious atmosphere with very knowledgeable staff.
  5. we sat at the counter, with a great view of the kitchen.
  6. liked the wait staff and the decor, and hopefully I will see the improvement in taste next time.
  7. Great seafood and ambience
  8. enjoy the atmosphere, I feel like I have found an exquisite dining "treasure
  9. The bar area is fun to snack on some yummy seafood.
  10. We walked in and were seated immediately and we had 4-5 different fun happy people coming to check on us during our meal.
  11. The place is romantic in a relaxed way.
  12. Great west village location, good service and juicy lobster.
  13. It's a fun, down-home but sleek place to get your hands dirty eating good, affordable food.
  14. Great, laid back atmosphere with yummy food.
dessert
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. But then we ended w/ the hot fudge sundae - the peanut brittle was a nice touch, but the whipped cream and hot fudge were disappointing.
  2. The prices were reasonable, and (as a west village resident) I am sick of cookie-cutter "fancy" restaurants?
  3. We had the hot fudge sundae for desert which was cold clotted fudge that was worse than Friendly's.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. wonder if the people who wrote those negative reviews have ever even eaten at Mary's my wife and i eat there at least once a week and we love it always perfect seafood, a well matched wine list, and great wait staff a must try if you are craving seafood
  2. We waited no more than 10 minutes and got great seats at the bar.
  3. The hostess was very friendly and recommended a decent bottle of white wine.
  4. The bar area is fun to snack on some yummy seafood.
  5. Inside is a cozy fish shack with a few tables and seats at the bar to eat, and we prefer the bar.
  6. Fight back against Manhattan's ferocious heat & humidity with Mary's impeccably fresh, reasonably priced seafood: Cool down with splendid raw oysters & fine ice-cold wine or tap beer; enjoy summer's garden delights with a bracing gazpacho or yellow tomato
  7. we had a little bit of a wait, not too bad, and the appetizers and beer were good.
  8. prefer seating at the sweeping, stainless steel bar for a great view of the succulent oysters being opened.
  9. When we got there, they refused to seat us because our 4th wasn't there yet-even thought there were only two other people there and we assured them we would order some starters and drinks.
  10. [Hint: don't be afraid of long lines -- leave your mobile number with the hostess & enjoy a drink down the block.
  11. My friend and I sat at the bar, and the service was friendly and attentive.
food quality
88.95999908447266% positive
  1. Really wonderful food.
  2. The food is good, but very expensive for the casualness of it.
  3. Everything I've tried on the menu impressed and delighted me (grilled lobster; soft shell crabs; pan roasted wild atlantic bass; diver scallops; whole grilled fish), but do try the specials when available.
  4. Terrific value; innovative, interesting preparations of very fresh ingredients.
  5. The bouillabaise was so flavorful w/ fresh seafood (lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, and squid).
  6. Good food good vibe.
  7. It really lacked any rich flavor - tasted like water w/ hot sauce.
  8. Top quality seafood, great choices and unpretentious atmosphere with very knowledgeable staff.
  9. Overall, the food is decent: good lobster rolls, fish is well prepared, oysters so-so.
  10. The bar area is fun to snack on some yummy seafood.
  11. Satisfaction gave way to lobster knuckles ($9), almost feeling guilty being served such a healthy portion - served cold - delicious.
  12. Great low key seafood
  13. lobster role lobster role lobster role - yes, it's to die for (as are the fries that come with it) but everything on the menu is excellent and super fresh.
  14. Overall, very mediocre food at very expensive prices, at the worst possible dining environment.
  15. Decent food; Poor waitstaff
  16. We love good food and will give them another chance, but I will not recommend this to a friend until we return and have a good experience.
  17. The Oysters Rockefeller were delicious, as were my diver sea scallops with sun-dried tomato risotto.
  18. Consistently the best and freshest seafood in New York -- and affordable.
  19. Other appetizing dishes - grilled softshell crabs, a fried fish (deboned for you), and the 1 1/2lb lobster ($25).
  20. Simple, plain, very casual, great food!
  21. Though I found the ingredients be very fresh (I saw the cook carrying them to the kitchen), our entrees were very salty.
  22. The gazpacho with grilled shrimp was delish and of course the lobster roll kicked butt!
  23. Forget the four star giants uptown: the creative, straight forward seafood preparations at Mary's Fish Camp thrill me everytime
  24. The best seafood and the best service to boot!
  25. Its fresh, flavorful and a nice size.
  26. You also get a view of the kitchen and the attention put into the well-prepared dishes.
  27. Staff was friendly, entrees are simple seafood dishes nothing too creative good way to get your fish fix.
  28. Mary's is exactly what I've been looking for as a frequent diner: A neighborhood place with the highest quality food, a casual yet professional staff, and a hip but unpretentious crowd.
  29. But the sauce wasn't overwhelming and had a wonderful lemony taste.
  30. always fresh seafood
  31. We walked in and were seated immediately and we had 4-5 different fun happy people coming to check on us during our meal.
  32. The staff was happy to seat and serve us, the food was delicious, and we were never rushed even though we were the last table in the restaurant before closing.
  33. Even if the food and service had been fantastic (which it wasn't), asking people to leave immediately after they pay the bill is a sure-fire way to make sure they are angry and have a bad impression about the entire experience.
  34. The food is mixed with some dishes like the lobster roll is decent while most fish dishes are bland.
  35. Fight back against Manhattan's ferocious heat & humidity with Mary's impeccably fresh, reasonably priced seafood: Cool down with splendid raw oysters & fine ice-cold wine or tap beer; enjoy summer's garden delights with a bracing gazpacho or yellow tomato
  36. Mary's has delicious seafood - fresh fish, steamers, oysters and hands down the best lobster roll in town.
  37. have eaten at Mary's Fish Camp several time and it is by far the best seafood in Manhattan.
  38. great fried fish!
  39. Whole cooked fresh fishes of the day are a great option, either fried or steamed.
  40. sauce was great.
  41. Great fresh fish, creative (but not too fancy) dishes and good service.
  42. the food was decent, the lobster roll was really good, but the soup was mediocre.
  43. Great, laid back atmosphere with yummy food.
  44. Appetizers (clam chowder was like minestrone, raw oysters were miniscule) were disappointing.
  45. The salt-crusted shrimp were mediocre.
  46. Poor service ruins an otherwise good meal
  47. The smoked salad is terrific, well actually everything here is good.
  48. Though I will say that the greens were good and the texture of the fish was excellent.
  49. It's a fun, down-home but sleek place to get your hands dirty eating good, affordable food.
  50. The food was quite tasty, yet way overpriced for what it was.
  51. But don't stop with starters: you can't miss with grilled soft shell crabs (a welcome change from the standard sauteed version); luscious seared Diver scallops; heavenly pan roasted Wild Atlantic Bass; wonderfully simple whole grilled Mediterranean fish;
  52. The food is good, I can't lie.
  53. wonder if the people who wrote those negative reviews have ever even eaten at Mary's my wife and i eat there at least once a week and we love it always perfect seafood, a well matched wine list, and great wait staff a must try if you are craving seafood
  54. the whole fried tilapia was delicious!
  55. The seafood we had was great.
  56. Have great food.
  57. which is too bad because the food is soooo good.
  58. Fine to go on the occasional slow night, but its so cramped and crowded on the average night that its hard to have a pleasant meal.
  59. And the food was fantastic.
  60. Overall, a really nice place for yr seafood fix.
  61. Great fresh seafood, but
  62. the food aside, EVERYTHING else about this place sucked.
  63. Not very friendly service, and then tried to charge us one dollar for a piece of bread to replace the bun that the lobster roll normally comes with.
  64. was impressed by the food, having sampled the rich lump crab meat gratin and chunky, delish lobster roll.
  65. Great service, delicious food + + +
  66. Seafood was fresh and good.
  67. All in all, it was a good meal, but it sounds like there might be an issue with this waitress.
  68. The food is average, i still like their lobster roll but not as much as I used too.
  69. Mary's Fish Camp (and Pearl) simply serves THE BEST seafood in NYC at this price range.
  70. GREAT, fresh food and our server was friendly and helpful.
  71. Great seafood and ambience
  72. Not the best restaurant for seafood but does the job.
  73. This place is pricey, and yes, the food is worth it; but the service makes you feel like you should be paying a quater of the price.
  74. Tender morsels of tasty seafood
  75. pan friend cod sandwich another fave, but try the corn in chesse its the dogs bollocks
  76. The shrimp were excellent, even if you do get the odd spiky,
  77. Good food great staff
  78. The shrimp tacos are soooooo good!
  79. lobster roll was delicious.
  80. Inside is a cozy fish shack with a few tables and seats at the bar to eat, and we prefer the bar.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. Everything I've tried on the menu impressed and delighted me (grilled lobster; soft shell crabs; pan roasted wild atlantic bass; diver scallops; whole grilled fish), but do try the specials when available.
  2. lobster role lobster role lobster role - yes, it's to die for (as are the fries that come with it) but everything on the menu is excellent and super fresh.
  3. Top quality seafood, great choices and unpretentious atmosphere with very knowledgeable staff.
  4. especially like the appetizer menu and usually order two instead of an entree.
overall
50.0% positive
  1. Not the best restaurant for seafood but does the job.
  2. Overall, a really nice place for yr seafood fix.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. We love good food and will give them another chance, but I will not recommend this to a friend until we return and have a good experience.
service
69.51000213623047% positive
  1. My friend and I sat at the bar, and the service was friendly and attentive.
  2. [Hint: don't be afraid of long lines -- leave your mobile number with the hostess & enjoy a drink down the block.
  3. Once seated, the service was friendly and completely on the ball.
  4. But the staff was so horrible to us.
  5. As for service, the hostess was really nice, but the waitress was pretty bad (the dark-haired, dark glasses wearing one).
  6. This place was a big disappointment, mostly because of the rude service.
  7. The waitresses was nice and very informative.
  8. Good food great staff
  9. once we were seated, over 2 hours later, the service was equally bad.
  10. The hostess and the waitress were incredibly rude and did everything they could to rush us out.
  11. staff was helpful.
  12. In addition, you get a pleasant environment and wait staff.
  13. The hostess is rude to the point of being offensive.
  14. Even if the food and service had been fantastic (which it wasn't), asking people to leave immediately after they pay the bill is a sure-fire way to make sure they are angry and have a bad impression about the entire experience.
  15. We walked in and were seated immediately and we had 4-5 different fun happy people coming to check on us during our meal.
  16. First, the lobster roll has always been good, second would be the service has always been rude and the waitress will talk down on you.
  17. Top quality seafood, great choices and unpretentious atmosphere with very knowledgeable staff.
  18. one problem - we've experienced very rude staff.
  19. The staff was happy to seat and serve us, the food was delicious, and we were never rushed even though we were the last table in the restaurant before closing.
  20. The best seafood and the best service to boot!
  21. This place is pricey, and yes, the food is worth it; but the service makes you feel like you should be paying a quater of the price.
  22. First of all the service is horrible nowadays, I guess being busy makes it ok to rush people out and general discourteousness, I'm finding the service to be much like Pearl's (which is probably the worse in NYC).
  23. Great fresh fish, creative (but not too fancy) dishes and good service.
  24. We arrived on the early side and were told by the very nice hostess that it would be about a twenty minute wait.
  25. All in all, it was a good meal, but it sounds like there might be an issue with this waitress.
  26. Mary's is exactly what I've been looking for as a frequent diner: A neighborhood place with the highest quality food, a casual yet professional staff, and a hip but unpretentious crowd.
  27. GREAT, fresh food and our server was friendly and helpful.
  28. Staff was friendly, entrees are simple seafood dishes nothing too creative good way to get your fish fix.
  29. wonder if the people who wrote those negative reviews have ever even eaten at Mary's my wife and i eat there at least once a week and we love it always perfect seafood, a well matched wine list, and great wait staff a must try if you are craving seafood
  30. The hostess was RUDE and ignored our questions but the waitress was fine.
  31. When we got there, they refused to seat us because our 4th wasn't there yet-even thought there were only two other people there and we assured them we would order some starters and drinks.
  32. Mary's is a great neighborhood spot with friendly service.
  33. Consistent on 2 things, very good lobster roll, really rude wait staff
  34. The waitstaff were attentive, polite and helpful - an impressive feat in such close quarters.
  35. our wait was 2 hours, and the hostess was extremely rude to us.
  36. Not very friendly service, and then tried to charge us one dollar for a piece of bread to replace the bun that the lobster roll normally comes with.
  37. Great west village location, good service and juicy lobster.
  38. Poor service ruins an otherwise good meal
  39. liked the wait staff and the decor, and hopefully I will see the improvement in taste next time.
  40. Great service, delicious food + + +
  41. The hostess was very friendly and recommended a decent bottle of white wine.
value
60.71000099182129% positive
  1. Food is excellent and worth the prices.
  2. The food is good, but very expensive for the casualness of it.
  3. The prices were reasonable, and (as a west village resident) I am sick of cookie-cutter "fancy" restaurants?
  4. Mary's Fish Camp (and Pearl) simply serves THE BEST seafood in NYC at this price range.
  5. The food was quite tasty, yet way overpriced for what it was.
  6. It's a fun, down-home but sleek place to get your hands dirty eating good, affordable food.
  7. This place is pricey, and yes, the food is worth it; but the service makes you feel like you should be paying a quater of the price.
  8. Terrific value; innovative, interesting preparations of very fresh ingredients.
  9. It's part of the agreement we make when i wait and hour and a half for overpriced risotto-- that i will be able to at least not be p*ssed off and angry when i leave.
  10. Overall, very mediocre food at very expensive prices, at the worst possible dining environment.
  11. Consistently the best and freshest seafood in New York -- and affordable.
  12. Skip this expensive, overhyped hole-in-the-wall.
  13. Really worth all the negatives to enjoy the positives.
  14. Not very friendly service, and then tried to charge us one dollar for a piece of bread to replace the bun that the lobster roll normally comes with.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. We arrived on the early side and were told by the very nice hostess that it would be about a twenty minute wait.
  2. had to wait 45 minutes, but that is to be expected in a small, good restaurant.
  3. We waited no more than 10 minutes and got great seats at the bar.
  4. [Hint: don't be afraid of long lines -- leave your mobile number with the hostess & enjoy a drink down the block.
  5. Fine to go on the occasional slow night, but its so cramped and crowded on the average night that its hard to have a pleasant meal.
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/27/12

Garbage

by MCR62 at Citysearch

Noisy, dingy, and cramp little hole-in-the-wall with rude and absent service and a comically overpriced menu. It's a shame I have to give it a star. To top it all off, I wouldn't recommend the food to anyone. Wish I could get that hour of my life back

1 Star Rating: Poor

06/17/11

Crowded, overpriced.

by bertten at Citysearch

Overcrowded. You know something’s wrong when the tables are so close that they need to be pulled into the center of the room to get up. Good if you want to hear every word of your neighbor’s conversation though. They only reason people wait in line is because it’s in a cool neighborhood.

Overpriced. $30 for a lobster roll? And with tables jammed so close are they are paying high rent or could it be that we sense certain greed and arrogance?

Safety. My girlfriend’s $600 cashmere shawl was damaged by a space heater temporarily placed in the exact spot the host directed me to leave our personal effects. If our dinner had lasted longer the shawl could have set on fire and sent the dozens of customers in the over capacity space climbing over tables to get to the single exit.

Arrogance. Despite our complaint, the owner Mary Redding failed to attempt any reasonable repair to the damage. She expressed no concern about our strong dissatisfaction about the damage itself and about the way she has been treating us as customers.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/28/10

Best lobster roll

by prlgirl , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

I love Mary's! We always end up wandering over here in the summer when waiting on the line isn't so bad in good weather. Before it opens, there is always a line of people outside waiting to get in, but it's definitely worth the wait. Inside is a cozy fish shack with a few tables and seats at the bar to eat, and we prefer the bar. We usually split a few things- but the lobster roll is the staple we absolutely love. Its fresh, flavorful and a nice size. We also like their wine selection and desserts. Great, laid back atmosphere with yummy food.

  • Pros: Food
  • Cons: no resies, long lines
3 Star Rating: Average

12/05/09

Really????

by foodhonesty at Citysearch

I was there last week with my girlfriend, we sat at the bar and ordered the Lobster Knuckles, Oysters, French Lentils and a Whole Black Bass. Lobster excellent, oysters excellent, lentils excellent (however, we asked the server what the green was in the salad and she said it was parsley when we were thinking it was either Kale or Collards - it was Kale...like really parsley) The disaster arrived with the fish, it was practically raw - we told our server after filleting the fish completely and she took the fish back - no apologizes - we sat patiently waiting (thinking we were going to get a entirely new fish) NO the same fish came back, entirely mutilated, and VERY over cooked. You are a fish restaurant and you can not cook fish properly? In these rough economic times you expect the restaurant of this size to take the extra effort to accommodate their guests, there was no apology nothing. The Chef is standing arms distance from us and she did not even acknowledge that the kitchen screwed up. A simple apology would have made a world of difference, you are a Fish restaurant in a quaint space, the patrons expects more from the staff and chef. We love good food and will give them another chance, but I will not recommend this to a friend until we return and have a good experience.

  • Pros: Lobster Knuckles
  • Cons: Whole Fish
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/25/09

in a class of its own

by speakyourmind at Citysearch

hard to fault such a fantastic restuarant, get there early or be prepare to wait, first come first come first serve, a real gem in the west village crown. excellent specials and vary day to day, Lobster roll the best in new york by far. pan friend cod sandwich another fave, but try the corn in chesse its the dogs bollocks

  • Pros: lobster rolls, excellent specials,
  • Cons: more raw shrimp dishes

The Details on Mary's Fish Camp

Place Categories:

  • good food
  • fresh priced seafood
  • friendly service
  • great wait staff
  • best lobster roll
  • rude hostess
  • impressed everything
  • best juicy lobster
  • helpful server
  • best mary
  • helpful waitstaff
  • great fried fish
  • pretty bad waitress
  • good meal
  • even order crab au gratin appetizer
  • bad experience
  • enjoy drink
  • very fresh ingredients
  • fresh oysters
  • great view
  • not best restaurant
  • creative straight forward seafood preparations
  • addictive salt crusted shrimp
  • pricey place
  • helpful fresh food
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