The Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood is receiving a new seafood spot. Atlanta-based Fishmonger will join The Finery later this year, co-owner Skip Engelbrecht confirmed with What Now Nashville.
With the first Nashville location for Fishmonger opening this month at the Neuhoff development, Engelbrecht said a Wedgewood-Houston location was a natural next step for the brand.
“It was just the right distance away from Neuhoff that it made a lot of sense, placing the downtown in the middle of it,” Engelbrecht said. “If you live in Wedgewood-Houston, you might not go to Germantown, and vice versa, so having those two perfectly placed Fishmongers capitalizes Nashville really well.”
The spot at The Finery will be roughly 1,600 square feet — larger than the space at Neuhoff. Engelbrecht said the extra space will allow them to place more emphasis on the dining experience. They also hope to make the location at The Finery a nighttime hangout spot, similar to a neighborhood bar but with a more elevated feel.
Each Fishmonger location has its own personality and design elements. Engelbrecht heads up the design process, and each space brings different challenges and opportunities. While the Neuhoff spot is in an old brick building with plenty of built-in character, The Finery location is a new build, which means he will need to rely more on adding color and art to make it distinctive. It also has concrete pillars throughout the space, which he says will make the design more challenging — and possibly more interesting.
“Each space directs me where to go, but I always use the same elements and colors,” Engelbrecht said. “We want you to feel like you’re in a fishmonger in each space, even if it doesn’t look the same.”
The team is hoping to open up at The Finery in September.
Engelbrecht, Nhan Le and Brad Forsblom founded the seafood concept in Atlanta in 2022. The acclaimed food menu features items like the blackened grouper sandwich, lobster rolls and shrimp. They have three locations open in Atlanta. Nashville is their second market, but they have plans to expand beyond that.
After the opening at The Finery, Fishmonger’s next stop is Florida and, eventually, other markets across the U.S.
“We want to go national,” Engelbrecht said. “That is the idea of Fishmonger, is to be the first cool and hip national brand for a restaurant.”
Part of what sets Fishmonger apart is the owners’ involvement in each location. They are hands-on with each project, doing their own design. Engelbrecht said they focus on details from music and art to the vibe and decor of the space.
“My partners and I want to make sure that when we do go national, we go to every restaurant and make sure we’re part of that building aspect and making sure there’s that personal touch,” Engelbrecht said. “We want to have our personality in every store.”
