Since early March,
Mongers Market & Kitchen has been serving stellar seafood at their cozy restaurant on East Cesar Chavez. The establishment, which offers both the option of dining in and quality seafood to prepare at home, is the brainchild of notable fish kingpin Roberto San Miguel and restaurateur Shane Stark (Paggi House, Kenichi.)
Their goal is to serve classic and simple seafood dishes in an approachable way. The Raw Bar features a rotating selection of fresh oysters, shrimp and crab, with a full menu that includes seasonable menu items such as the Fish BLT, a Crab Cake Sandwich, Clam Chowder, Fish & Grits, Oyster Stew and more. (See the menu here.)
Photo by Rachel Win
"The menu is very approachable, with dishes changing according to what we have in-house. Whether it be the Amberjack Red Snapper, Grouper, or Tilefish. Those are the main Gulf ingredients. I don't want to sound like we're Gulf-specific, because there's other stuff out there and we can get it.", explains Stark.
Part of the reason why Mongers came out of the gate feeling so fully-formed and ready is that parts of its staff have been working together at various establishments for over a decade.
"There's probably about five of us who helped open Kenichi back in 2001, and we have two of them in the kitchen and three on the floor," says Stark. "Roberto San Miguel used to stop by and try to sell me fish out of the back of his truck. Finally one day I decided to give it a shot, and the fish were gorgeous. That's kind of how it started, and then it blossomed into what it is now."
Photo by Rachel Win
The market is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30am to 7pm. Sunday from 11:30am to 4pm and is closed on Monday. The kitchen is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30am to 10pm, and Sunday from 11:30 to 4pm and is also closed on Mondays. For more information, check out their website.
