A pier-side restaurant is bringing the hometown feel back to The Seaport.
Located on Pier 16, Cobble Fish aims to keep the spirit of The Seaport alive. The concept came together several years ago when owner Neil Mossberg was approached by other local business owners to create a hometown-esque spot for the neighborhood.
“At the time, I was president of the 501(c) for the neighborhood. Some of the other business owners in that came to me and said, ‘We’d like to open up something on Pier 16, do you want to get involved?’” said Mossberg.
Mossberg partnered with Victor Chan and Renee Lee, who are also behind The Seaport’s SUteiShi, to bring Cobble Fish to fruition. Because of his own deep roots in the community, Mossberg knew exactly what it would take to make Cobble Fish the best place for locals to congregate.
Being right on the water, Cobble Fish is completely outdoors and has tons of seat options available to fit a crowd.
“The thought process was about [having] a place that had an inviting feel, right? It’s sort of that familiar, local place. I find that a lot of restaurants in New York try to have this very strong presence, which sometimes isn’t warm and inviting,” said Mossberg. “As a team, we collectively agreed that we wanted to make a place that looked really comfortable and a place that you would just come that was a more laid back experience than what’s on the other piers.”
Being on the pier, naturally seafood was an obvious choice for the menu. Cobble Fish offers lobster rolls, fish and chips, fish tacos, shrimp and fish fillet, and for those who might not be into things that swim, there are burgers, wings, burgers and hot dogs, all of which can be enjoyed with Cobble Fish’s extensive drink menu.
However, one thing that Mossberg says was incredibly important might surprise you: the French fries.
“We need to have the best fries in New York because everybody eats fries and everybody compares fries. If you go to a restaurant, I feel like, if a customer goes ‘wow, those are amazing fries,’ they’re gonna assume everything else on the menu is great, too,” said Mossberg.
Being an outdoor spot, Cobble Fish is open seasonally and will stay open as long as the weather is good. This would prove to be an advantage for the restaurant during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When people were going back into the wild, we had just opened. The response from the community was amazing because everybody was looking for an outdoor spot to go and hang out,” said Mossberg. “It was challenging because a lot of the agencies we needed access to weren’t fully open, so we had to lean on local relationships to help us get across the finish line. But we opened and not only did we toward the end of [the height of] COVID, we threw one of the biggest post-COVID parties.”
Since then, Cobble Fish has become a fixture in the community, hosting large events for the neighborhood and being an easy spot to settle in on a night out with friends, while holding what’s true to the Seaport close.
“If you at the pier to the left and to the right of Cobble Fish, one is a billion-dollar developer and the other is this restaurant chain that has more of a Jersey Shore-type vibe,” said Mossberg. “Ours maintains that feel of a local spot in the community, and we’re a part of the community. I think it’s a combination and trying to keep to the authentic feel of the seaport and then making sure we keep connected to the neighborhood as a whole.”
Mossberg hopes that Cobble Fish can remain as that community fixture, giving everyone that same impact that the neighborhood had on him growing up.
“I’m connected to the Seaport through three generations, so the Seaport has always had a big impact on my life,” said Mossberg. “I would love for Cobble Fish to play that role within the neighborhood. There’s no better comparison, but like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name.”
Cobble Fish is located at 89 South St. Pier 16. For more information about Cobble Fish, visit cobblefish.net.
