San Pedro Fish Market Closing

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San Pedro Fish Market Closing
Eddie Garcia and Veronica Gheen, employees of Railworks in Wilmington, have lunch at the San Pedro Fish Market.

The San Pedro Fish Market will close its San Pedro location on March 3, the date its lease ends. The popular market, which has served diners for more than 66 years, will move to a temporary location while it searches for a permanent site. The move comes as a new development called West Harbor is under construction and expected to be completed in the area next year.

“San Pedro Fish Market is officially moving into the next phase of development and is excited to very soon have plans to share for our ‘pop up’ location within the West Harbor project, which will have plenty of seating and all the great seafood we’re known for,” the business wrote in a post on its Facebook page. The temporary location will be just a “short walk north” from where it currently stands.

The fish market, which first opened in 1956, offers a selection of fresh seafood. Customers can select from different options of raw seafood that is then prepared in dishes from the market’s menu. The family-owned business wants to create a larger location in West Harbor; current plans consist of a three-level indoor and outdoor establishment able to seat more that 5,000 customers.

“The problem for us is we’ve grown so much,” Mike Ungaro, chief executive of San Pedro Fish Market, told the Los Angeles Times.

The development will require approvals from port officials, the Los Angeles City Council and the California Coastal Commission, but the company hopes it can open the doors of its permanent location next year. The executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, Eugene Seroka, and Ungaro discussed terms of the permit in a closed session during a Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners meeting this month.

“We intend to maintain a home in San Pedro and are encouraged and thankful to be working directly with West Harbor on a plan for us to quickly resume operations in a temporary location, which we are excited about,” The company’s Facebook post read. “This will allow our family and staff to continue to serve our loyal customers while we explore a longer-term opportunity on the San Pedro waterfront.”

The market’s locations in Wilmington and Long Beach will not be affected by the San Pedro closure.

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