Alabama News Center — The Fish Market is both an Alabama legacy and landmark restaurant
By: Susan Swagler
The Fish Market Restaurant & Oyster Bar on Birmingham’s Southside has served Gulf-fresh seafood, traditional Greek foods and Southern dishes to generations of customers, and now the next generation in the Sarris family is helping make sure this beloved business continues to thrive.
The restaurant and seafood market have been around since 1983 when owner George Sarris opened his first version of The Fish Market in a tiny cinderblock building ideally located near UAB’s medical complex. George, like many other Greeks in Birmingham, came from a tiny village called Tsitalia in the mountains of the Peloponnese. He was 17 in 1969 when he arrived on the second-to-last passenger ship ferrying immigrants to the United States from Europe. Once in Birmingham, most of these Greek immigrants opened small cafes or even simple hot dog stands, and our local tradition of “Greek and three” restaurants and places like The Fish Market are the delicious, direct results of their hard work and perseverance. Three of the oldest restaurants in our area – the Bright Star Restaurant, Niki’s West and The Fish Market – all share a Greek heritage.
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