Bill’s Lobster Fish Market

–Consistent quality and service
–Premium products at a fair price
–Very knowledgeable staff
–Definitely try the scallops they are to die for
–And what’s Bill’s Lobster without the Lobster? Again absolutely phenomenal and fresh
–And oysters here taste just like the lovely ocean they came from, crisp cold and salty
–Definitely a golden needle in a haystack, on this side of the neighborhood
–Definitely worth the drive

I placed a large order for a pick up a week in advance. Got there and my order was non existent. Ruined my dinner plans with friends and family, not to mention that I drove all the way from Whitby on a Christmas Eve traffic. No apologies nor any response from Bill. I will never go there again.

DISASTER!!!
Once upon a time this place was decent but its obviously fallen on hard times. The selection is non existent. The stuff in the freezer is freezer burnt. The place is dirty and smelly. Apparently I’m not the only one to realize this… just read the other reviews.
The prices are inflated and quality certainly is not there.
AVOID THIS JOINT!

Whenever I need fresh live lobster the guy I trust is Bill
He has trucks arriving from the maritimes during the week (usually Thursdays) and I can place an order and bring my cooler down to pick it up.
I can assure you that it is the freshest lobster I have had and continue to have at a reasonable price.
He also has tanks full of lobster for walk ins and a selection of frozen product as well.
The secret to a great lobster dish is its freshness and in the way its cooked.
I either boil it in a huge pot of saltwater (use real salt not iodized) or lately have tried steaming. Steaming seems better as the lobster isnt water logged.
I trust Billl in knowing my lobster just got off the bus and not sitting around for weeks at the grocery store swimming in some tank

This place is a warning sign right from the get go. The place just downright stinks, one is hit with this wallop of foul smells which makes me wonder how do they get away with health code checks.
The prices are even higher than your mainstream grocery stores. Heck I am not sure why one would shop here when one can a fresh live lobster (even steamed or boiled for free) at the same or lower prices. I could stand five minute and had to walk away.
Stay away folks.

It is great sadness that I update my review. I stopped in yesterday to pick up some shrimp for a pasta dish. The place, which is normally clean, stunk terribly of rotten fish. That should have been my warning to turn about-​face and shop elsewhere, but I have always had luck here, so I went against my better judgment.
I was sold a pound of shrimp which were already bagged for $ 11. On route home, I noticed that they were a bit smelly, but when I arrived at home and opened that plastic bag, I nearly gagged. They instantly stunk up my kitchen! Nasty!!!
So I called Bill’s to ask what’s up with the rotten shrimp they are selling and no one picked up the phone. I left a message with my number, and no one called back. That’s really really bad customer service.
I am afraid I revoke my perfect score and recommendation.

Just finished a baked piece of organic salmon from this shop. Just brilliant stuff. Yes it costs some more, but this stuff is just excellent. Gotta give it a try. Great $ 2 Vietnamese sandwiches next door as well. Double whammy!

Quality is good, but prices are generally unmarked, and seem to vary greatly based on the mood and need/​greed of the shopkeepers. Be especially careful of the «3 for $ 19» lobster special. These lobster are so small that I wasn’t certain of the value, so I asked him the price per pound, and to weigh them against the special — and the cost was about 25% lower. But since the weight was less than I wanted, I added a couple more lobsters to the purchase, (from 7 to a total of 9) — and what happened? He went back to the «special pricing», and charged me the extra 25% again when I wasn’t looking. Hard to imagine how this could have been a mistake. Do your own addition, and count your change.

Nova Scotia priced lobsters in Toronto.
I can’t wait to go back and grab some clams, scallops and/​or other fresh seafood, the place is kept cleaner than the Kensington shops and is cheaper.
I went in thinking I’d grab mussels but they were low, and I got two large lobsters for under $ 30.
They have a 3 small lobster for $ 19 deal– but they were small small small.

Awesome little fish shop! I can only comment on the lobsters, since that’s the only thing I’ve had here but they were excellent.
I called ahead and placed my order (I got them for a dinner around the holiday season and from these reviews I knew to call ahead) for lobsters. I was assured that they were extremely fresh and shipped in from Nova Scotia every 1 – 2 days with the smallest being 1.5 lbs lobsters. He asked me if I wanted them cooked or fresh, and if I wanted the shell cracked or in tact. Awesome!
When I arrived (it’s easily accessible by TTC and there’s parking on the street too) they couldn’t find my order, but they quickly fixed the problem and I didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes before my bag of lobsters was ready. They gave me a gorgeous 2 lbs lobster instead of a 1.5 pounder for the trouble with no extra charge.
The lobsters: these things were incredible! Sweet and meaty, they had incredible flavour and were thoroughly enjoyed.
It was a busy shop when I stopped in, but they had some great fish and scallops on displa. I’ll definitely be back to try some of their enormous scallops (marked dry, meaning they haven’t been bloated with water to make them bigger) or fresh halibut. I’ll update after I have, but a for sure YUM on their lobsters! And at $ 10.99 a pound during holiday season, it was definitely a great price!

I really, truly wish that everyone would buy their seafood from places like this.
I used to shop at the Portuguese Fish Mongers in Kensington, but was tired of being attacked by flying scales, and wading through buckets of wetness and fish guts to purchase my dinner. Bills is CHEAPER and cleaner, (no fish smell at all at Bills) and these are the kind of people I feel good about supporting.
Bill has been in business for 10 years and really knows his seafoods. He is super knowledgeable and takes great pride in providing quality eats. Hes been known to send back shipments because they were not passing his rigorous standards, even if it leaves his shop without product.
Did you know that the live fish you find in Chinese groceries have been drugged so they don’t panic while begin shipped? Did you know that farmers can feed their salmon chemicals to make the flesh brighter? This is the seafood that ends up in Grocery stores. You can learn alot of things from Bill about quality seafood, and his wife is always happy to tell you just how to prepare what you are buying.
We call ahead to see if he has anything special brought in, which often means things like Wild Sockeye Salmon fillets for LESS than the price of two farmed Atlantic fillets at the grocery store. (about $ 13)
Bonus Points: Save money by buying One clawed lobsters (trap warfare), get cooking tips from Mrs. Bill and ridiculously Fresh high quality seafoods, and live crabs. (the good kind)
Price is comparable to Loblaws etc but the quality is much higher. To be honest, the Lobster here TASTES much better, there is a significant and noticeable difference. I honestly will not buy seafoods anywhere else. Sustainabilty, Quality and supporting Small business, and supporting the fisher-​people directly are all important to me, and Bills fits the Bill (pun intended.)
FYI check out this BlogTo post that turned me onto Bills in the first place –

Bill and his wife are very friendly fish mongers. It’s obvious they know and love what they do. They were quite helpful about answering my questions about purchasing and cooking a lobster for the first time. It’s a smaller fish place and the selection is not as expansive as the fish mongers in St. Lawrence market but if you’re in the market for lobster this is the place! A few large tanks of our squiggly friends sit near the front. They also have a few varieties of fish, mussels and clams-​whatever is fresh and good. Another thing to consider is that they are one of the few, reliable purveyors of BC spot prawns when those delicate beasts are in season. Buy a couple pounds of these babies, steam gently and toss in a light sauce and you will find yourself writhing in ecstasy from the taste!

ive been here twice now and both times i have talked to bill personally. at least i think so. its been the same guy there (the guy in the picture) both times. cant say he looks like a bill — but who does these days. well, for all intents and purposes, bills quite helpful and um, well, perky. both times ive been there hes been interested in how i might cook the really fresh fish im buying, or confirming that i am going straight home so as not to damage his little (fish) babies. he told me in great detail how to cook halibut. i asked him whether the oil in the haddock is a good oil and he didnt bat an eye and was up on the omega 3 hint right away. ive yet to purchase a lobster from him for no other reason than i need to be ready to take it home and kill it immediately. (though if i let it loose at home with my cats around it might scare the bejeezies out of them to good effect and curb further random pee-​a-​thons on the carpet. Must consider that.) i cannot say without more research whether its cheap in price, but i got ½ pound of haddock, ½ pound of rainbow trout and 1 pound of tiger shrimp for about 20 bucks. since im the only fish eater at home i think thats a pretty good dealio iglesias. hes also got other unusual fish, scallops, seaweed salad, mussels, oysters, etc. and other frozen fish and goods.
i have to say im quite happy to be shopping in east chinatown at a place that is both affordable and that has as its proprietor someone who feels at ease and in fact delights in both his knowledge and his customers.