Just Fish Bar & Grill, a seafood and soul food restaurant, has opened up in Newark at 27 Halsey Street. With its motto, ‘fresh from the sea to your table,’ this spot aims to serve delicious and sustainable seafood. Owner Gary Simpson previously ran Just Fish Cafe at 57 William Street for almost 30 years — and this new spot is his latest venture into furthering the reach of his southern seafood eats. Diners can expect to find shrimp, scallops, catfish, chicken, fries, wings, and more. Read on to learn all about Newark’s latest seafood addition, located at 27 Halsey Street.
Per Jersey Digs, owner Gary Simpson just officially opened up Just Fish Bar + Grill after previously having run Just Fish Cafe since the mid 90s. While the bar-like atmosphere and name may suggest otherwise, it’s actually BYOB — though there’s a hookah lounge in the back that features a variety of different hookah flavors.
According to the spot’s website, Just Fish Bar & Grill is committed to fresh food, a quality dining experience, and sourcing its seafood sustainably.
A post shared by Just Fish Bar & Grill coming 🔜 (@justfishcafe57)
“Sustainability is a key concept that is also spreading into the hospitality industry,” the website reads. “By sourcing their fish and seafood from certified suppliers, restaurants and other food outlets can ensure not only the traceability of the products that they are selling but also that sustainable restaurant practices are contributing to the sustainability and environmental impact of their operations.”
Read More: The Best Jersey Shore Seafood Spots to Try
Gary Simpson, owner and CEO Of Just Fish, bases his menu on southern soul food with a casual bar-like twist.
The restaurant takes reservations, though be warned there’s a $20 no-show fee.
As for the menu, seafood is obviously the star here — though despite the ‘just fish’ name, there are some other options on the menu other than fish.
When it comes to fish, Just Fish has a large variety to choose from: flounder, red snapper, crab cakes, salmon, catfish, crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp, seafood boils — you name it. For any non-fish eaters, there’s BBQ chicken, steak, and wings as well. There’s also a breakfast menu, which includes fish + grits, shrimp + grits, steak/eggs/home fries, and egg sandwiches.
A post shared by Just Fish Bar & Grill coming 🔜 (@justfishcafe57)
Just Fish also features combos if you’re having trouble deciding — and the seafood combos are served with a side of corn on the cob.
See More: The Best Seafood Restaurants in Essex County
The sides are packed with Southern-inspired fixings — like rice with yams, mac + cheese with collard greens, corn on the cob, potato salad, strings beans, and more. To top it all off at the end, there’s banana pudding and different cakes for dessert.
Just Fish Bar & Grill is open every day from 9AM to 8:00PM except for Monday when it’s closed.
Stay in the know with @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok.
Sarah grew up in Northern NJ and has proudly carried the “Jersey Girl” legacy throughout her national and international travels. She has fond childhood memories of frequenting Montclair with her grandfather who hailed from Clifton and loved a good shrimp scampi. After attending Emory University in Atlanta and studying abroad in Sydney, Sarah felt the tristate area calling her home and boomeranged right back. Sarah has always had a passion for writing and editing. She’s both written and edited for Tapinto, The Jane Goodall Institute, Langtons International Agency, and The Lullwater Review. Most recently, Sarah taught creative writing at Writopia Lab, an educational non-profit for kids and teens, where she was also the Editor-in-Chief of their two literary magazines. For fun, Sarah can be found searching for the most delicious meals, petting the cutest dogs, traveling (both locally in NJ and abroad), or playing around with music composition.
Email hello@themontclairgirl.com with any story updates, edits, or fixes.
A Part of The Local Girl Media
©The Montclair Girl LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2012-2022 The Local Girl Media