The Ferry Building's latest culinary addition signals a fundamental shift in how San Francisco's most iconic food hall operates. Nopa Fish, which quietly opened its doors in June, represents the building's bold pivot from quaint market vendors to full-blown destination dining.
It's been coming for some time now, too. Before Grand Creperie closed, staff told Hoodline that part of the reason was that Ferry Building management, "only really wants full-service restaurants." As the SF Chronicle points out, Nopa Fish Market might just be the tasty canary in the delicious coalmine.
Chef Laurence Jossel, the mastermind behind the beloved neighborhood institution Nopa, has partnered with premium fishmonger Joe Conte of Water2Table to bring sustainable West Coast seafood to the Ferry Building's Suite 31. The space, formerly occupied by the forgettably-named San Francisco Fish Company until its 2020 closure, now buzzes with the kind of brand recognition that Ferry Building management has been aggressively courting.
The Ferry Building's Restaurant Revolution
Gone are the days when the Ferry Building operated like an upscale grocer, complete with cheese counters and bread stands. Ferry Building general manager Jane Connors has declared the landmark "the great hope of San Francisco," as reported by The San Francisco Standard. The building's new strategy mirrors high-end shopping centers more than traditional markets, filling storefronts with restaurants that draw diners rather than just browsers.
The transformation hasn't been subtle. According to San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan, the Ferry Building management's new strategy appears to be modeled less on Bi-Rite and more on Stonestown, the San Francisco mall filling its storefronts with restaurants that are destinations in their own right. The building recently said goodbye to longtime successful tenant Grand Creperie, which did not have its lease renewed and is making room for full-service restaurants from teams behind A16 and Michelin-starred Sorrel.
Name Recognition Meets Fresh Fish
Nopa Fish exemplifies this new approach perfectly. Nopa has become known as the restaurant that defined Divisadero, and an integral part of its transformation over the past decade. It's the type of place that visiting friends have bookmarked for years, asking whether it's still worth the trip. (Spoiler alert: it absolutely is.)
The Ferry Building opportunity came together when one of his longtime seafood suppliers, Joe Conte of Water2Table, approached him with the Ferry Building opportunity, as reported by San Francisco Chronicle. Conte, who supplies Michelin-starred restaurants like Atelier Crenn and Lazy Bear, launched Water2Table a decade ago, and the company has become the go-to fishmonger for Michelin-starred restaurants, according to SFist.
The Jossel Empire Expands
The Nopa team's culinary footprint continues to grow across the city. The Nopalito team opened a cocktail bar called Stoa in the Lower Haight, taking over the former Fort Point Beer Company taproom space, demonstrating the group's appetite for expansion beyond their original NoPa location.
The Menu: Hits and Misses
Currently operating with counter service and communal seating for about 20 diners, Nopa Fish serves a rotating menu built around West Coast catches. The standout dish appears to be corn chowder ($10 for a cup, $15 for a bowl). According to the Chronicle, the seafood element is morsels of McFarland Springs trout, brined in molasses and beer before Jossel smokes it over cherry wood.
However, early reviews suggest the restaurant is still finding its sea legs. The Infatuation notes that the fried fish dishes need the most work: "The fish and chips arrive oily and tough, and the just-fine rockfish sandwich could use more oomph." More promising is the chirashi bowl, described as "pristine fish over sushi rice" ($26) and featuring fresh halibut, bigeye tuna and kampachi draped over seasoned koshihikari rice.
The Fish Counter Draws Attention
Behind the seafood case stands Nate Li, who with over 17,000 followers on Instagram, Li is a certified "fish-cutting celebrity," Jossel says, according to the Chronicle. Li's Instagram videos showing him expertly breaking down halibut and bluefin tuna have garnered a devoted following among culinary enthusiasts. A former employee of Water2Table, Li has exacting standards. "He's not afraid to turn fish away," Jossel says. "If it's not good enough for Nate, it's not going in the case."
Seating Shortage Creates Tension
The restaurant's popularity has created an unexpected problem: there simply aren't enough seats. Two communal tables can accommodate around 20 customers, and although Nopa Fish staff do an admirable job of helping to bus and turn seats, it can be a lousy game of hover-and-wait during the lunch rush, observes the Chronicle.
This highlights what the Chronicle calls "the slight tension inherent in the Ferry Building's new schema. Management is stacking the landmark with restaurants serving destination-worthy food, but they don't always have welcoming physical spaces to match." Nopa Fish's layout would work perfectly if most business came from fish sales, but about 85% of Nopa Fish's revenue comes from the restaurant side of the business.
Part of Broader Downtown Recovery
Nopa Fish joins a growing roster of high-profile Ferry Building additions. The Standard reports that Cambodian restaurant Lunette and other new tenants have reestablished the Ferry Building as the city's premier food destination. The building also houses A16 La Pala and anticipates the arrival of a new restaurant from the Michelin-starred Sorrel team in the former Slanted Door space.
The A16 team isn't stopping there. A16 will open a new southern Italian restaurant called Lucania in the Ferry Building in 2026, taking over the massive MarketBar space that's been empty since 2020. The ambitious project features a massive outdoor patio seating 140 diners, representing the kind of evening destination the Ferry Building desperately wants to become.
The Ferry Building's transformation reflects broader efforts to revitalize downtown San Francisco's dining scene. The Standard notes that A16 owner Shelley Lindgren is excited about having a "front-row seat" to the city's planned renovation of Embarcadero Plaza across the street, positioning these openings as part of downtown San Francisco's recovery.
Hours and Early Reception
Nopa Fish currently operates 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday (fish market only from 9-10 a.m.), with Sunday and expanded hours coming soon. The restaurant features wheelchair-accessible communal tables, with additional seating options available throughout the Ferry Building and outdoor areas.
Early reviews from diners have been generally positive, with Yelp reviews highlighting "Beautiful day in the city highlighted by amazing food at this tasty new seafood shack in the Ferry Building." One TripAdvisor reviewer praised the restaurant's inventive approach, noting that "The food is incredibly inventive. I visited twice, the first time sampling the tuna melt. This is not your mother's canned tuna and mayo."
As the Ferry Building continues its evolution from market hall to restaurant destination, Nopa Fish serves as both an example of the strategy's potential and its challenges. The combination of name-brand recognition, quality ingredients, and prime location creates the type of draw that building management hopes will bring evening diners to the Embarcadero. Whether the execution can match the ambition remains to be seen, but the early crowds suggest San Francisco diners are eager to find out. On a Saturday, 20,000 visitors pass through the Ferry Building—that's terrific news for Jossel, but you're competing with all of them for a seat.
