HOURS: Monday 10am - 3pm | Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 9pm | Ph: 808-275-0063 info@unclesfishmarket.com

# News

## With Aloha Fundraiser for Japan Tsunami and Earthquake

April 6th, 2011

This Saturday, April 9, 2011, come and visit us at the Pagoda Restaurant and Banquet Facilities from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm to help raise money for the victims of the Japan Tsunami and Earthquake in Sendai.

Uncle's Fish Market & Grill will be running a food station serving Uncle's Poke.

100% of the proceeds will go to the Tohuku University Hostpital in Sendai, where food, medicine, and comfort items are being provided to those who were affected by the aftermath of these tradgic events a little over a month ago.

To purchace your tickets, get directions, and get more information about this event, please visit their website at http://www.withaloha.org/ .

## Live @ Uncle's with Amy Hanaiali'i

April 17th, 2011

Join us Live @ Uncle's featuring Amy Hanaiali'i

Sunday Night April 17, 2011

Doors open at 4:00pm

Dinner at 5:30 pm

Concert Live at 7:00pm

## "Say Uncle" Honolulu Advertiser - February 2009

February 8th, 2009

click here for details

Restaurant now open until 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays
It’s whatever the fishermen bring in. And last Thursday, they reeled in onaga, mahimahi and ono, to name but a few of the fresh seafood that made it from the boat to the menu board at Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill.
Casual and unpretentious, Uncle’s is a place where, in a Cheers-esque cliche, everyone knows everyone, said server Yolanda Shidaki with a wide smile.
"We see this all the time," she said, "It’s like having an impromptu reunion."
In fact, owner Bruce John-son said he had some of his old "uncles" come by the week before and seated with him during lunch last week was niece Amy Hanaialii Gilliom and his great niece Madeline "Maddy" Austin.
"She loves her french fries," said Johnson, while trying to convince Maddy to take a bite of her fish burger. "I guess this place isn’t only for uncles but nieces, too."
After starting full-on dinner service last year, Johnson decided to stop, opting to stay open for daily lunch only. On Friday, though, this changed and Uncle’s has extended its lunch hours into dinner until 9 pm., Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
"We had people fill out questionnaire forms asking what they wanted to see if we opened for dinner," said John son, who also owns Fresh Island Fish Co. Inc., which supplies the seafood for many of Hawaii’s top restaurants. "They said they wanted to keep it like lunch," he added.
"They didn’t want the tablecloth, full-service dinner." Instead, like lunch, patrons step up to the counter, order their meal and take a beeper that will light up and pulsate when their orders are up.
It’s an efficient system during lunch, so it should work the same for dinner.
This then should make it a great place to grab a quick bite, especially if you’re in a rush to get to somewhere else. So don’t expect silverware and China. It’s strictly plastic plates and cutlery, checkered-paper-lined baskets and paper cups.
If you're not in a hurry, kick back and enjoy the live music, which will be heard Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from 5:30 to 8:30.
Blane Asing is scheduled to play on Fridays and Ray Sowders on Saturday, as well as during Saturday and Sunday lunch.
Guitarist Sonny Silva will take the stage on Sundays.
"We’re keeping the same lunch prices, too," Johnson said. "Because the way the economy is right now, we thought that it would be better if we could keep the same type of self-service and not have to raise prices considerably more, which we would have had to do if we went with servers and bussers."
Voted recently by Zagat as one of Hawaii’s Top 20 Newcomers, Uncle’s is as much about the fresh fish as it is about the fishermen. As one Zagat surveyor so succinctly put it, "the gem to this establishment is the great job that they did to present some of the history of commercial fishing in Hawaii."
The nautical theme is impressive, with walls lined with dated pictures of fishermen, their boats and their catches, all depicting the seafaring conditions and long hours these "Uncles" devoted themselves to in order to bring ahi, aku and bottom fish to back doors and onto plates.
"‘Fish so fresh it’s from tomorrow’ is our tagline," Johnson said. "You’ll never get a piece of frozen fish here."
Last week’s fish-and-chip special featured a choice of either ono or onaga (market price). Covered in panko, the battered fish fillet sticks possessed a nice crunch without the excess oil. The fries, too, were crispy without taking on the flavor of the fish. And a fresh side of coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce were also tucked in the basket.
A "Big Uncle’s" combo offers a duo of shrimp and calamari ($13.95) or add some fish for a $1 more.
As for the daily fresh catch of the day, chef Geoffrey Arakawa said he usually prepares it with a choice of garlic or caper butter.
"Or, people will ask for Uncle’s sauce, which is a soy-butter sauce with chili pepper," he said. "We’re also playing with a new black bean sauce."
And for those non-seafood eaters, choose from a lean burger ($8.75), broiled hibachi-style chicken glazed with teriyaki ($9.95) or rib-eye steak with grilled onions ($17.95).
"People do order them," Shidaki said. "But for the most part, people come for our fresh fish."
Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill
Where: Pier 38, 1135 N. Nimitz Hwy., at the Costco and Home Depot Intersection
Call: 275-0063
Hours: Lunch Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and until 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays

## "Diners Hooked on Fresh Fish" - Honolulu Advertiser November 2008

November 1st, 2008

Click here for full article

## "Fishing for Lunch" - Hahalua September 2008

September 1st, 2008

Click here for full article

## "Uncle's year later" - KHON 1 July 2008

July 30th, 2008

http://www.khon2.com/news/morning/25935109.html

Uncle's Update - A year after opening with now a bar and entertainment and off course the great grinds.
The fish comes off the fishing boats just a few yards away and rolled right into the freezers of Uncle's. You can't get it any more fresh then this.
This place has FRESH fish that is affordable, tastes great, with quick service, clean, efficient, and friendly. They have now live music at night. A place you may just want to hang out.

## "We Cry Uncle" - Honolulu Weekly Writeup June 2008

June 1st, 2008

Click here for full article

## "Uncles Review" - GoHawaii.com May 2008

May 12th, 2008

http://gohawaii.about.com/b/2008/05/12/uncles-fish-market-grill-at-pier-38-honolulu.htm
Uncle's Fish Market & Grill, an establishment run by fish wholesaler, Fresh Island Fish, opened its doors for dinner on May Day, Thursday, May 1st, 2008. Uncle's will be open daily for lunch and for dinner service Tuesday through Saturday nights until 9:00 p.m.
Uncle's is located at Pier 38 off Nimitz Highway in Honolulu.
Uncle's Fish Market & Grill was just recently recognized by Food & Wine Magazine as "One of the World's Best Restaurant Guide: 293 Outstanding Places To Eat In 40 Cities." With its "freshest fish in town" promise, Uncle's is garnering a lot of attention with its loyal local customers as well as first time visitors.
Uncle's serves some of the freshest and highest quality seafood on the island. Featured menu items include whatever the boats bring in that day - but always includes ahi, mahi mahi and never-frozen fish.
A wide variety of preparations pairs the fish perfectly with the sauces. Chef Geoffrey Arakawa has also put his twist on the menu, offering appetizers such as Uncle's signature Poke Tower, crab-stuffed baked avocadoes and Calamari Dore. The seafood pasta offers the best of the sea in a spicy tomato sauce and ahi fish tacos are always a crowd pleaser.
Featuring live entertainment by Ernie Cruz, Jr., the restaurant is also a frequent haunt for many local musicians who come to play kanakapila style (island jam.) Bruce Johnson, owner and operator of Fresh Island Fish and Uncle's Fish Market & Grill is, after all, the uncle of famous award-winning Hawaiian entertainers Amy Hanaiali'i and Eric Gilliom.
Video screens project vintage footage of aku boat fishing voyages, home videos and travels throughout Hawaii and the South Pacific.
Johnson explains the thinking behind the restaurant. "Uncle's Fish Market & Grill is dedicated to all of the uncles who have made impacts in our lives. Our goal was to have an inviting atmosphere where you can relax and revisit the good old days. The décor is a special tribute to our Aku fishermen of today and yesterday. If we can satisfy the Uncles of Hawaii and make it a place where they want to eat, we've hit the target."
Fresh Island Fish (FIFCO), one of Hawaii's largest and most reputable wholesale fish distributors opened in 1977 and has facilities in Maui, Kona, Oahu and Kauai. FIFCO's Honolulu headquarters shares the building with Uncle's Fish Market & Grill, at Pier 38 off Nimitz Highway.
Located right down the block from the fish auction, FIFCO brings in around 30,000 pounds of fresh fish everyday for use by the restaurant and for distribution to other eating establishments in Hawaii, the US Mainland and Canada.

## "Food & Wine 2008 Go-List" - May 2008

May 1st, 2008

http://www.foodandwine.com/restaurants/uncles-fish-market-grill

From the May 2008 Food & Wine Go List
The menu at Uncle’s—a faux-tiki joint—ranges from linguine and clams to fish-and-chips, all served on plastic plates. The owner is also a wholesale fish distributor, so the seafood here is unbelievably fresh.
We loved: Sautéed ahi with slaw.
Insider tip: The restaurant is jammed at noon, so go for a late lunch.
Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill
Pier 38, 1135 N. Nimitz Hwy.
Honolulu
808-275-0063

## "Uncle's Offers a Great Catch" - Honolulu Advertiser November 2007

November 1st, 2007

Click here for full article

## "Star Bulletin Staff Picks" - August 2007

November 30th, -0001

http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/03/features/ourpicks.html
Creationists attacking Darwin's theory of evolution have probably never been to Hawaii, where, clearly, human inhabitants have evolved to adapt physically and behaviorally to island living. Living in this petri dish, it's hard to realize just how weird and tweaked we are by the notion of crowds and scarcity.
This was evident during visits to Uncle's Fish Market & Grill, where I wanted to beat the early lunch crowd. It's a tactic that would work if everyone else weren't also lining up to lunch at 10!
The bait? Fresh fish at a reasonable price, though only during the day for now.
The menu is bigger than you'd imagine from studying the chalkboard, because for every fish offering, whether ono, mahimahi, opah or ahi, you also have a choice of four tempting preparations: charbroiled with garlic and olive oil or Uncle's teriyaki sauce; sautéed in garlic, butter, wine and lemon; blackened Cajun style; or pan-fried with a touch of chili pepper and soy sauce.
For me, sautéing is the way to go if you want to avoid dried-out fish. But the cooks here so far are doing a tremendous job of timing doneness so your fish gets rare-, medium- or well-cooked treatment to order, a courtesy ordinarily reserved for steaks. Both charbroiled and pan-fried styles retained their moisture at medium doneness.
You might wish for more chili pepper in the pan-fried version, but sauces are kept simple -- made from ingredients found in any auntie or uncle's kitchen -- to avoid overshadowing the real star, the juicy succulence of fresh fish.
Go for the fish plates. Other menu items are mere distractions.
In addition to hot entrees, Uncle's offers a handful of refrigerator items packed to grab-and-go, including $5.95 bowls of delicious ocean-fresh spicy ahi poke on cabbage, sashimi and oysters on the half shell. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Meals less than $15 per person. -- By Nadine Kam

## "Channel 2 News" - KHON May 2007

May 11th, 2007

http://www.khon2.com/news/local/8101297.html
By KHON News
Circle, highlight and underline Wednesday, June 27th on your calendar. That’s the day Uncle’s Fish Market and Grill opens its doors to the public. From what we saw (and ate) today, this place could be a big winner in the Honolulu dining scene.
Owner Bruce Johnson goes back to 1977 when he founded Fresh Island Fish and purchased the day’s catch from Ma`alaea Harbor fishermen. From that humble beginning he opened retail and wholesale businesses over the years on Maui, Hawai`i Island, O`ahu and Kaua`i. Along the way, he’s expanded his operations to include numerous commercial sources from throughout the Pacific, the Honolulu Fish Auction and many locals. His customers range from the biggest hotels and restaurants to smaller, family oriented places like Uncle’s. He sees no reason why the rest of us shouldn’t get a chance to eat the same kine quality like in big time places.
One of the many lessons he’s picked up over the years: freshness, sanitation and strict adherence to safe handling means a quality product in the market place and in Manolo’s mouth. We’d hate to pay his refrigeration and ice bills, but that’s the way its gotta be when it comes to preserving the taste and texture of fine, fresh fish.
Johnson went with the name “Uncle’s” to express his mahalo to all the uncles who influenced him in his early days on Maui, passing along recipes, fishing tips and making a good aku angler out of him.
Geoffrey Arakawa cooks it to order for you, Holly Crise sees to it that your meal gets to your table fresh and hot. Denise Fernandez has the job of making sure we all know about this new place at Pier 38, just a few steps down the street from the fish auction area. (She must be doing good--she got us to come this morning; though we didn’t need to be prodded much.)
A meal starts at about $8.50, though prices can fluctuate a bit due to supply. But if it swims, scurries or just sits there on the bottom of the ocean, you’ve got a good shot at finding something you like on the Uncle’s menu.
They got oysters! (O.K., they got burgers and salads, too.)
They’ve tried to express a feeling of aloha in their new 80-seat location and you can judge from the video just how good they did. They’ve even reserved a place next to the deli case where anybody can drop in and kanikapila plugged or acoustic.
At Uncle’s they say if it’s fish, it’s fresh, full of flavor and fun.
And it’s ono plenty.