Fish Lads

"I went up to this guy (I’ve read the reviews and yes it’s the same one everyone is talking about) behind the counter and asked if they had any soup today. Very disagreeable, he aggressively replied, “No we don’t have any soup, we’ll only have some when we get a chance to make it SIR.” He was decidedly rude with me from the very start. So I saw another guy behind the counter and asked him if they had soup. The first guy immediately swooped back in and sarcastically yelled at me, “SEE THE HUGE SIGN RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES, WE HAVE THREE SOUPS TODAY!” Well, he messed with the wrong guy. I then turned on my sarcasm and replied, “Gee guy, you just said there wasn’t any, but now there is. Why the attitude?” Not too under his breathe he told me to eff off. I just smiled back and nodded at him. Then I ordered gumbo while my pal Debbie ordered clam chowder. I sat down at the counter and the guy stood across from me with his arms crossed. Debbie asked him why he was intentionally giving me a hard time, and he immediately lied saying I was “screaming” at him. She called him out on his lies and he only gave her a condescending look. Finally we got our soups and went upstairs to eat. He called me an a-hole as I walked away. Adding insult to injury, the food was mediocre. So I called the Grand Rapids (Christkindl) Market and spoke with the lady at the front desk, and she was great. Really asking about the incident, and to describe the jerk. Well, guess who the jerk is? He’s the manager! Obviously abusing whatever authority his position grants him. But if you’re that consistently negative/openly hostile/nasty with customers, then why are you even there? *The owner did call me personally to apologize, explaining that the guy has been warned multiple times for his rotten behavior, but like mama use to say “Never listen to what people say, WATCH what they do.” And after ALL the negative reviews, his disgusting behavior, etc. he can somehow STILL be there, then any apologies come off as obligatory at best. We still had a great time at the Market, getting great sushi, crepes, etc. But we will NEVER EVER go back to Fish Lad’s. Worst/rudest service ever. I’m in my 50s and my pal Deb’s in her 70s and we’d never been treated so poorly and with so much disrespect. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS."

"Fish Lads has always been a favorite of ours at Downtown Market. My wife prefers their Fish and Chips, while I love their Fish Tacos (pictured). They just recently updated their Fish Tacos recipe and I really love the changes. I highly suggest giving them a try!"

"Possibly the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. A little pricey, but not terrible. Large, flaky golden brown cod pieces and crisp fries. Server was helpful and friendly as well. *** 8/8/23 update: since my first visit was 5 stars in every way, I went there again. I stood at the counter for a few minutes while a couple of employees were close enough to see me, but not motivated enough to either greet me or take my order. After a few minutes, a gal walked by and told me someone would be with me in a minute. Keep in mind I was the only one standing there. A couple more minutes pass, and finally a guy walks in from the side. Another couple walks up to the "oyster bar" right then. He walks right up to them to start taking there order. When he walks over to where I'm standing, I ask whether maybe I could be served first, since I'd been waiting there alone for about five minutes. He says something a little too quietly for me to hear, so I say "Ok, thanks but no thanks," and start to walk away. The other couple ask him what was up, and as I'm walking away I hear him say "no worries, it's all good." This must be "the guy" I've read about in other reviews. Totally unacceptable, and I won't be back. I've changed my rating from 5 stars to 2, because this one was a negative 1. Plenty of good places to eat in the market, that actually provide excellent customer service. I won't be returning to this spot."

"This place is crazy busy so figure out what you want before you get up to order. Beautiful fresh seafood and fish to take home to cook. They also have the best lobster roll I have ever eaten. It's a bit pricey for lunch but worth every penny. So... so very good. Check out their other order to go foods like their seafood salad, also outstanding."

"I had really high hopes given the gorgeous fish & other items in their display but the fish tacos, at $18 for 3, really missed the mark. They had generous pieces of fish which is great but the dusted breading & light toppings left them flavorless and disappointing. I’d definitely buy other things from them but the fish tacos in particular weren’t for me. Hopefully my next experience is better!"