Chef Laurence Jossel is best known for his cooking at Nopa, the Divisadero Street restaurant he co-founded; it’s been a neighborhood (and hospitality industry) staple since it opened in 2006. But in June 2025, the chef dove into a new joint venture with
partner Holly Rhodes, and Joe Conte of (now-closed) Water2Table, which provided fish to many of San Francisco’s best restaurants. Diners can now find Jossel at restaurant-slash-seafood-market Nopa Fish.
Nestled inside the legendary Ferry Building, the chef shows off his skills with some excellent seafood in casual applications such as sandwiches and bites, plus heartier mains like fish and chips.
What to order
- If you love egg salad sandwiches, you’ll love the seafood-ized version from Nopa Fish. On the open-faced bay shrimp and egg salad sandwich ($18), creamy, pale yellow egg salad is joined with bay shrimp on a toasted milk bread slice. It comes topped with sprouts, bright, purple-red pickled onions, and a hit of furikake for a bit of crunch and umami-inducing seaweed. It’s a lovely, decadent bite.
- The smoked albacore melt ($22) is a crowdpleaser. Wild Pacific tuna salad is served with sauerkraut on toasted sourdough bread — and since you get a choice of Gruyere, cheddar, or both, might as well double up. What seals the deal is the side of Russian dressing, which helps punch up the sandwich even further with some tanginess.
- The Pristine Fish Over Sushi Rice ($28) features selections from the best raw fish of the day, over sushi rice with some greens involved. The sides include pickled ginger, sliced avocado, and a poached egg. There is soy sauce involved, but tamari is available for a substitution, if needed.
- I believe in adding some greens where you can. The summer version of the Little Gems salad ($17) was bursting with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, whose sweetness was tempered by feta cheese and honey balsamic vinaigrette. It is a nice accompaniment to sandwiches or whatever you’re ordering, though, if I were to make the salad my main dish, I’d probably spring for the Louie.
- Seaweed potato chips ($5). C’mon, freshly made potato chips with seaweed dust on top? Be the hero of your group and get an order for the table.
Best for
If you’re looking for a restaurant at the Ferry Building that highlights local seafood and circumvents the sit-down dining experience at Hog Island Oyster Company — then head to Nopa Fish. It’s casual, relatively quick, and you can take home some fish for cooking while you’re at it.
Insider tip
With some planning, diners can zip in and out of Nopa Fish with their food. Place an order through the Nopa Fish website, and you can pick up your food about 15 to 20 minutes after. Pickups can also be scheduled further in advance if more time is needed. This will definitely come in handy for those busy farmers market days.
