Michelin recommended Scottish fish restaurant to open in America

An award-winning fish restaurant located in the Highlands is heading Stateside. Rosalind Erskine spoke to the chief executive to find out more.

A Michelin-recommended Scottish fish restaurant is taking a swim across the Atlantic Ocean to open in America.

The Fish Shop in Ballater, which gained a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin Guide, has opened in Washing DC, with the plan to be a welcoming restaurant and bar, where seafood, craftsmanship and art combine.

Designed to cater to local residents alongside the many seasonal visitors to the capital, Fish Shop will offer a modern, informal 180-cover restaurant and bar with three private dining rooms also available to hire.

The original Fish Shop in Ballater, North-West Scotland, opened in May 2023. Within its first year, the venue was named as one of Conde Nast Traveller’s Best New Restaurants in the World.

It recently received a Michelin Bib Gourmand, as well as the inaugural Michelin Service Award. Now landed on The Wharf in Washington DC - significant as the site of the oldest open-air fish market in North America - Fish Shop will honour both its birthplace and the customs and culture of the Chesapeake Bay.

Traditional fishing communities along the Potomac are celebrated, alongside local makers and artisans that draw inspiration from fishing and the seafaring community.

Bee Emmott, chief executive of Artfarm, the firm behind the restaurant and also Braemar’s celebrated Fife Arms hotel, said of the reasoning behind opening in the American capital: “Fish Shop Ballater celebrates the heritage and traditions of fishing in Scotland with a deep commitment to championing sustainability at the core of every element.

“The Chesapeake Bay has an incredible reputation, as the largest estuary in North America and the third largest in the world. This area, coupled with Washington and the wharf in particular, as home to the oldest continually operating open-air fish market in North America, meant that it was a natural place for Fish Shop to land and for us to expand the concept here.”

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Celebrating the heritage and traditions of fishing, Fish Shop has been created for those who enjoy freshly caught seafood that is ethically sourced. A low-waste restaurant, everything from fit-out to furniture, packaging to retail has been carefully considered, with sustainability at the core of every element.

Ms Emmott said in the Fish Shop Washington, the firm had held onto its Scottish roots.

She said: “We collaborated with Scottish weaver Araminta Campbell who designed a custom-made tartan, which you see throughout the restaurant interiors. The woven wicker fish by Scottish artist Helen Jackson have made their way across the Atlantic and combined with basket woven wisteria fish by American artist Angela Eastman to create a stunning 200 fish shoal at the entrance to the bar and restaurant.

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“Russell Sage, who collaborated with us on Fish Shop Ballater and also the Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar, led the design. Like Ballater, the interiors have been crafted with a deep commitment to sustainability, with high eco-credentials across materials, furniture and lighting.

“Both Fish Shops feature tables made out of recycled plastic yogurt pots and a bar top made from recycled glass and beer bottles. Washington also has rugs made from recycled plastics and fishing nets, along with handmade seaweed pendant lamps.

“Our three private dining room tables feature tops from 200-year-old timber beams taken from a property on Troutman Street in New York and legs from decommissioned ships. Throughout the restaurant, items salvaged from old fishing boats fill the space, including singer Dean Martin’s boat.”

The Fish Shop crab crumpets | contributed

As in Ballater, the seafood-focused menu will be led by the seasons, making use of what is abundant and available from the Mid Atlantic area. Fish comes from a formed collective of day and short-trip boats using considered methods of take, including pound net, rod and line, and bow and arrow, potted crustacea and farm-raised mollusks. All meat and vegetables are responsibly grown by local farmers and purveyors.

Hero dishes from Fish Shop Ballater, including their infamous crab crumpets, will feature when in season, alongside newly crafted dishes and bar snacks freshly prepared in an open kitchen. Fish Shop will also have a dedicated fish preparation room, dealing with whole fish to minimise waste and to allow chefs to cure, dry and age fish on site.

Ms Emmott added: “Our commitment to responsibly sourcing fish and other produce is crucial to both Fish Shops. In Washington the seafood focused menu will be led by the seasons, making use of what is abundant and available from the Mid-Atlantic area. Fish comes from a formed collective of day and short-trip boats using considered methods of take including pound net, rod and line and bow and arrow, potted crustacea and farm-raised molluscs. All meat and vegetables are responsibly grown by local farmers and suppliers.”

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Menu highlights include: Tall Timbers rocks with ‘nduja brown butter; Smoke in Chimneys smoked trout crumpets; Kombu cured fluke with blood orange, urfa chili, and crispy kale; Steamed clams with homemade sausage and chickpea ragu; Grilled striped bass with cauliflower, gnocchi and English peas; Woodson’s Mill grits and ramp butter; 75 per cent Potomac chocolate ice cream with sea salt and Californian olive oil, and VA candied peanut tiramisu.

With the restaurant now open, Ms Emmott said the Washington customers had been “so welcoming and excited for our arrival”.

She said: “We have had huge support from the local community of residents and businesses that we’ve met in preparation for opening. The enthusiasm is contagious, and we genuinely can’t wait to welcome our first guests.

“The two restaurants are very different in scale – Ballater has 46 covers, whilst DC has over 180, and it’s inspiring to see the team led by our operations director Angie and our executive chef Ria working their magic in the space.”

The Fish Shop Washington is located at 610 Water Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20024