Hoboken’s always got something new happening, especially when it comes to restaurants and nightspots. Even when you make sure you hear about everything new opening up it can be a while before you make your way around to checking it out. Which is a roundabout way of explaining why it’s taken so long for HoLi to check out Tutta Pesca on 3^rd Street. But check it out we did—and it’s easily our favorite place for fresh seafood in town.

And We Mean Fresh

Located at 155 3rd Street, Tutta Pesca is a hybrid between a fish market and a restaurant. When you walk in on the first floor there’s a full-service fish market, offering up some of the best selections picked out that morning at the Fulton Fish Market. That’s also where the ingredients for Tutta Pesca’s ever-changing menu comes from, so the only way you’re going to get fresher fish is if you go catch it yourself. Upstairs is the small but thoughtfully-designed dining room. According to Bombina Caracappa, whose father-in-law is the owner (and the man who personally selects every piece of fish), every single detail was custom-designed and installed both to catch the 1950s vibe her father-in-law wanted (a vibe augmented by the music) and to maximize the space for diners without sacrificing comfort. According to Caracappa, the restaurant was supposed to be her father-in-law’s retirement (the family has been in the fish business for decades), but he seems to be happily working harder than ever!

Delicious

And thank goodness he is, because the whole experience at Tutta Pesca was lovely. The dining room is beautiful and comfortable, the service (from our waiter, Johnny) was perfect, and the food was incredible. We were in for lunch, so we went with the New England Cod Fish & Chips and the Light Breaded Flounder, both of which were flaky and, in a word, awesome. The menu is always a little different, depending on what looks good at the market that morning. The raw bar selections include lobster, clams, and oysters, and the fish selections range from pan-seared Branzino to Stuffed Flounder to pan-seared or broiled fillets. They also offer a skirt steak and chicken option in case someone in your party didn’t get the memo that this is possibly the best seafood in town. The place is also BYOB, and we were advised that for dinner service reservations are strongly advised (call them at (201)-710-7727) considering how small and intimate the room is, and it’s much easier to get those reservations earlier in the week. Restaurant hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11am to 4pm and 5pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00am to 4pm and 5pm to 10pm (the market is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 8pm). We can wholeheartedly recommend Tutta Pesca. Check ‛em out, and when you do, tell them that Hoboken Life sent you.

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