Fish Shop

The team behind the hugely successful Fishbowl takeaway group, which now has more than 20 locations across Australia, has returned to Bondi – where the first Fishbowl opened in 2016 – to open Fish Shop, a seafood and wine bar slash elevated fish’n’chipper. It has a revolving roster of fish; seafood and vegetable dishes; and a light-filled dining room that spills out into the adjacent park.

The menu ranges from a wide selection of bar snacks loosely inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean – including smoked fish and gravlax (smoked and cured in-house); grilled Yamba sardines; and anchovy toast – to a selection of market-fresh fish grilled to order and paired with your choice of salad or a vegetable dish.

Fish Shop also does a classic deep-fried fish’n’chips pack with tartare sauce, as well as a fermented chilli-spiked fish burger that Dalah says is destined to become a local icon. Both have been designed – as has the entire menu – to be equally suitable for takeaway and enjoying in-situ.

And while customers can order anything from the menu to take away, Fish Shop’s Boxes to Go are designed especially with ambulatory diners in mind. They include the Lunch Box, which features a choice between hot-smoked trout, salmon gravlax or tuna confit, with any salad, crostini, pickles and labneh. The wine list exclusively profiles natural Australian wines, and the cocktails have been designed with a focus on freshness and lightness.

Though the venue offers 60 seats for dine-in customers, split between inside and outside dining areas, the owners are approaching the newly developed park neighbouring the restaurant as an extension of the venue. All of Fish Shop’s menu items were created to be spread over a picnic blanket and enjoyed al fresco.