Our Story

For those who know don’t the history to precede the restaurant that stands before you now, the short version is; No matter how hard we tried we couldn’t stay away from Dudley Avenue. It was somewhere between desire and haunting, to bring the life and energy back to the street. Being Venice residents for the last decade plus, one thing that became overwhelmingly evident, is that neighborhood restaurants were quickly fading into an era often referred to as “the good old days.” We had a bone to pick with this.

In the same time that Venice was being overtaken by tech and garbage retail on AK something amazing was happening; people were moving into Venice and actually staying here, allowing for a real community to flourish. We felt like our position was obvious, be there for the community that has always been there for us. Having had a few years to rethink things it all took a very natural course, first we identified the problem/question, then came up with the solution/answer. Why isn’t there a proper neighborhood oyster bar in town? The kind with amazing seafood and natural wine you would find on a dimly lit street in Europe or even the east coast. With an ocean view from the windows and a passion for fishing the solution was obvious, make the pacific the focus of everything and pour the wine on top.

In our pursuit of sustainable seafood, we took it a step further and commandeered a vessel of our own, wiggled our way through the challenges of becoming commercial fisherman, and ended up back in this little treasure chest by the sea that we call home. We spent the better half of our first year blurring the lines between a dining room and a dinner party that everyone was invited to, with guests packed in like sardines enjoying a heavy handed pour from the same folks who caught your fish. With a team that felt like a family, guests that became friends, there was always magic in the air.

We had just had our second first birthday before things changed for everyone. After the first shut down we lost a lot of that family, a sad reality so many restaurants have faced and continue to face. With the team that was left our duties to the neighborhood remained unchanged, we must be the beacon in the lighthouse, we must feed fish to the people. We quickly pivoted into a take home seafood shop, selling fish and kits to cook with our catch in your home. With the return of outdoor dining we saw tremendous support from the locals and soon enough there was an al fresco feeling that was reminiscent of the one we all cherished indoors. With shutdown number two currently underway, our doors remain open as a fish and wine shop with limited togo offerings and collaborative popups with industry friends.

This year has forced us to be flexible and evolve in ways we never imagined. This evolution has only made us stronger and reminded us of the power of the power of community in Venice.

We look forward to that first shuck & glass of wine served inside once again. We are so grateful to each and everyone of you for keeping us fishing through the hard times, we love you all.

Dudley Market Founder & Fisherman

CM