Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Aqua Best

    4.5 (62 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood Markets
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:45 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Aqua Best Seafood Markets Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Aqua Best

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Pei S.

    Loyal Customer for Decades Customer service is top notch, good selection of fish, at least 8 different types of oysters, of course their specialty, live lobsters, and occasionally, seasonally, some exotic items such as monk fish liver, green uni...etc. Aqua Best is always my default for special meals, holidays. I was cooking in a LES tapas restaurant in the early 2000's and this was also our "secret" place when planning specials.

    Shirt
    David R.

    Purchased uni, roe and caviar to complement my sushi. Very fresh and high quality. The store itself has so much fish, scallops, crab and lobster that I plan to revisit ASAP.

    a bowl of steamed clams
    Morlene C.

    This small but mighty seafood market takes its sourcing seriously, and anyone in the know/working in the city's restaurant industry will have heard of Aqua Best. They're not only New York's biggest lobster dealer but also the leading exporters and distributors of tilapia and rainbow trout in the North American market, according to them anyway. Having heard so much about them and being someone who dabbles in cooking seafood at home from time to time, I knew to head there when I wanted to try my hand at some new summer recipes. I knew I had a slow cooked tuna steak with red onion and clams with wine sauce in my future and the only thing standing in the way of that was me getting my hands on some high quality seafood, so to Aqua Best I went. The market itself was a lot smaller than I imagined, with them being an industry leader, but I'm sure much of the distribution goes on outside of this storefront. The options weren't super expansive but I was able to buy a pound of fresh clams and a frozen sushi grade tuna steak with their help. Prices seemed mid-tier to high, but I'm so happy to support this local shop that offers to source all kinds of seafood for you if you ask. All the food I carefully prepared turned out great. You have to be discerning and particular about where you purchase your fish, and the knowledgeable folks at Aqua Best will steer you in the right direction.

    Daniel Boulud stovetop clambake

    Thank you for supplying the lobster, clams, mussels and shrimp for my Christmas lunch, Daniel Boulud's stovetop clambake! Ordering was easy, miscommunication with pickup day but order was put together in 10 minutes. I'm a fan!

    Roasted porgy
    Katey G.

    I've ordered a ton from Aqua Best throughout the last year, but I visited in-person for the first time this weekend! Just from walking by on the street, it's hard to differentiate the perfection of Aqua Best from other seafood markets in Chinatown. But you can tell this place is great once you walk in. While I was there picking up from black bass, two chefs can by to pickup orders. They also supply to some of NYCs best restaurants. They have or can source almost anything for you and specialize in lobsters. They're also getting fresh crawfish all summer. Ordering for delivery is easy and efficient, but don't be afraid to pop in! The staff is super friendly and one of the two owners will probably be around to help you out.

    A Toogoodtogo purchase that's supposed to be a $12 value. More like $2
    Lunas B.

    This review is about a Toogoodtogo order. Wasn't sure what to expect got a small bag of salmon belly scraps that's literally trash. It's supposed to be worth $12 value but looks like about $2 (I paid $4). Oh well not much of a deal.

    IG: @thedogtrine
    Sayyeda D.

    A nything from the sea and beyond Q uestions about seafood? Just ask U ni? Caviar? Catch 'em all! A lways friendly, always knowledgeable B est to come weekdays in the mornings E commerce is also available S teve, you're da man T hank you for your hard work @thedogtrine

    Clam and oyster selection today, all with their provenance tags displayed.

    See all

    Photo of Geneva C.
    95
    174
    353

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lauren E.
    323
    46
    43

    2 months ago

    best fish market! good prices and knowledgeable staff. Loved this place. Will definitely come back

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Great dinning experience. Friendly staff. Nice ambiance. Delicious food. Close to home.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Pei S.
    10
    43
    24

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David R.
    3
    206
    1882

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 14
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Karen W.
    5
    255
    37

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    5 years ago

    Helpful 18
    Thanks 1
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Great fish at a reasonable price. Aqua Best delivers to many top notch restaurants. Learned the difference between wet and dry scallops.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ty G.
    1
    43
    33

    2 years ago

    Great selection of good quality fish. Live lobster. Great service and friendly staff. The place was clean and didn't smell fishy.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of CG R.
    0
    34
    2

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Paul H.
    26
    20
    7

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of B. B.
    1
    68
    24

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Loved my experience! Great selection of seafood, thoughtful customer service, can't recommend enough. Love supporting a family owned biz too

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Casey M.
    609
    32
    29

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Aqua Best

    Do they have fresh picked blue lump crab? Not canned or pasteurized.

    Everything they have is fresh. Regarding something specific; call them and ask.

    Is the Damon organic farm raised?

    I know a couple of Damons; I can assure you they aren't farm-raised. (Maybe some of them grew up in farms, who knows?)… Read more

    I want to get fresh salmon and tuna for sushi and fresh tilapia for ceviche, can this place accommodate that?

    Do you have sea urchins?

    Sea Urchins are in now. We only try to get them when they are full and have "meat". Sea Urchin Roe on the trays can be ordered ahead of time.

    How much do ur charger for hard shell crabs and snow crab legs and shrimps?

    We have different prices depending on the size and wholesale prices for the day. Same thing for snow crabs and shrimp. Stop by and take a look!

    Do you sell lobster tails?

    Yes we do!

    Do they sell Male Blue Crab? I just moved from the Philly area where the male crab is abundant but seems like the female crab is abundant up here in north jersey/NYC. Anyone know where i can find male blues?

    We have male crabs most of the time. Call us in the morning. We get deliveries almost every single day!

    View All 13 Questions

    Review Highlights - Aqua Best

    The Fourchu lobsters were very meaty and tasted great either way we prepared them!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    C.T. Seafood Mart Corp - Don't let the guy in the white coat pick your seafood

    C.T. Seafood Mart Corp

    4.0(20 reviews)
    0.1 miLower East Side
    $

    If you're going for seafood, don't let the short old guy with a cap pick anything for you. If you…read moretake his advice or the crabs he chooses, you're guaranteed to wind up paying the most for the lowest quality ones. I went to buy in-shell scallops and he said to "pick the heaviest ones, they have more meat" but what he really means is they're packed with sand. Funny enough, he didn't try giving me this advice the next time I went to buy and looked in the crack to see if they're full of sand. Also went to buy female blue crabs and he wanted to choose them, he spent like 5 minutes digging through the bucket and 5/6 of the crabs were totally empty inside (you can feel if they're hefty when picking). No idea why customers aren't allowed to pick their own crabs but he can dig and dig and throw them around. I'm familiar with picking seafood and gave him the benefit of the doubt two separate times before I realized he's trying to sell off the worst products and that benefit of the doubt is undeserved. He got an attitude real quick when I told him I'd like to grab my own blue crabs so I left. Spend your money elsewhere.

    I visited this market at 249 Grand Street in Chinatown, NYC. They have a large assortment of fresh…read moreand frozen seafood like crawfish, crabs, conch, scallops, tide fish, snapper, salmon, snails, oysters etc. I think they also have a meat section but didn't have the time to visit it. I plan on making a Liberian palm butter sauce with a new twist by only using seafood rather than the traditional mixture of a bit of shrimp and fish mixed with chicken, beef and pork. There is a nice and helpful man who you tell what you want and he puts your seafood in a bag and prices it for you before you pay at the cash register.

    Photos
    C.T. Seafood Mart Corp
    C.T. Seafood Mart Corp
    C.T. Seafood Mart Corp

    See all

    Gourmet Garage - $6 Wednesday sushi special

    Gourmet Garage

    3.1(20 reviews)
    1.5 miWest Village

    I thought the West Village was the last place I would find some S-tier grocery store rotisserie…read morechicken. Gourmet Garage had a small but vocal minority of people saying their bird could contend with the heavyweights. I laughed it off. On a humid unassuming summer day, I hopped on a citi bike and came over here on my lunch break. I was thinking I just needed to check this one off the list. However, I felt a chill down my spine when I saw the text on the box that read "Latin Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken." LATIN SEASONED!?! That may as well be my bat signal. A whole bird ran $7.99, and I sat down at one of the tables right in front of this Gourmet Garage to consume. There was no time to find a park, I had to get back to my 9-5. Upon first bite I knew, this was one of them ones. A title contender bird. The iconic latin seasoning was pronounced in every bite. Flavor everywhere. It ended up landing at a 9.3/10 and currently ranks #3 out of 82 grocery store tissis I've tried. A true underdog story. You can't judge a book by its cover, and you certainly can't judge a rotisserie chicken by its location. Once again I am shown that the more I see in this big beautiful world, the less I know. IG @johnny.novo Tiktok @jnov__ Substack @johnnynovo

    Even if that "grocery hookup" trope is both mythical and creepy, purely as an academic exercise you…read moremight find someone good in the single-serve Red Jacket cider section here. Picking up a bottle is a sign of 1) living alone 2) appreciating fine New York State beverages and 3) sufficient wealth to pay more than Whole Foods prices. There are few bargains here so the best strategy is focusing on items that are expensive everywhere like cherries. I was briefly cheered up by the potato chip section and picked up Nantucket Crisps, Cisco Beach BBQ. But the dealbreaker was the 100% self-scan setup with moodier than usual machines. Was it really necessary to identify the container type for the tomato? (a bag in case you're wondering).

    Photos
    Gourmet Garage - Cute fall interiors!

    Cute fall interiors!

    Gourmet Garage
    Gourmet Garage - Hot buffet space

    See all

    Hot buffet space

    Aqua Best - seafoodmarkets - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...