ISF Trading

This is a unique spot and you might feel like you’ve left the country. It’s a no-frills wholesale fish market that has a small menu for sale to the general public. Downstairs you order the items and either take them to go or walk upstairs and eat them in the employee cafeteria. The lunch room has soy sauce, wasabi, rice vinegar, fish flakes, utensils, dishes, and free tea. Share a picnic table with strangers and enjoy your meal. When you’re done, clear your table and wash your dishes. It’s not pretty, and not for everyone, but it gets the job done.

Some of the items they had for sale the day I visited were a mixed sashimi set, tuna sashimi, salmon sashimi, uni, scallops, shrimp, eggs, seaweed salad, nori, pickled ginger, salmon roe, and spicy octopus, They do not sell nigiri sushi (the style with rice) or sushi rolls but they sell those pre-cooked sushi rice bowls that you can microwave upstairs. ISF is one of the largest processors of uni (sea urchin) in the eastern US so that’s a sure bet. The sashimi is rough-cut and not photo-friendly, but is is extremely fresh. The portion sizes favor sharing. I saw folks with their own side dishes and others making hand rolls with the sashimi and rice.

• Don’t Miss: the toro
• Need to Know: the place smells like a fish warehouse
• Pro Tip: bring your own side dishes for a full meal