A seafood joint that has been serving the neighborhood of Manhattan for almost 40 years, the Lobster Place.
Even if you do not eat, which I don't recommend, the Lobster Place in Chelsea Market is a site of its own. When you enter the marketplace, you are immediately blown away by how fresh the room smells. In the front, an oyster bar with geographical information on each type of oyster you can order that day. If you don't know much about oysters and the type that you prefer, feel free to ask the monger to pick for you. They will give you a range of their favorites and a few that you might like based off of your taste buds for salty and sweet.
We came to the Lobster Place for the full experience. We even walked all the way to the back where you can get a small, medium, or large lobster and beer. I recommend just going for a small lobsters and a bundle of oysters. The lobster prices are a bit high for my pockets, but someone else reading this could feel differently.
Next booth is a sushi bar. Seats are only reserved for people dining at the bar. There is not much information on the sushi bar on the lobster place's website but I feel like it is safe to assume that the sashimi used for them is the same that is being sold at the counter right behind you. You can dine in or grab a to-go bento box from the fridge.
Everything in the marketplace is about 10-20 steps from the next. To the left of the sushi and oyster bar, you will find the most beautiful displays of seafood. It's said that The Lobster Place has the largest selection of seafood on the east coast. I'm going to go ahead and second that call-out. There array of selections goes far beyond just salmon, tuna and shrimp. You will leave there having learned about 7 new types of fish and crustaceans.
A trip to Chelsea Market is an experience as a whole. We actually took two days to browse all the shops and restaurants and then returned back for the ones we were most interested in, like the Lobster Place, Artist and Fleas, Spices and Tease, and the eccentric Pearl River Mart. It will be hard not to convince yourself you need one of everything you see.
