My husband and I were enjoying a day off; spending our time and money locally. We've never been inside Browne Trading, but I have long wanted to check out their offerings. We found an excellent selection of wine, interesting spice combinations, some standard canned/preserved items, but the seafood looked amazing. We decided to take home some oysters and scallops. I guess the employee waiting on us didn't like the way I said scallops. He corrected me, whatever. I grew up in New England, sorry I don't meet your standards. Then he was snarky when I asked if they offered ice, because we were traveling to Southern Maine. Overall his demeanor was $itchy. We didn't spend a lot of money, and we wouldn't be regular customers anyway, but we won't be back. Go ahead and join them if you don't mind being treated rudely. The smoked salmon looked amazing!
Michael R.
Ouch, how I wanted to love this store, and how I hate to write 1 star reviews. Looked like great and unusual seafood, lots of gourmet food and a huge wine selection. While were visiting Portland for the day, we had a cooler and suddenly were considering buying up all the fixings for a great dinner. I noticed that they carried two ports which I enjoy, a Ramos Pinto 10 and 20 year port. The proprietor asked if I had questions, and we engaged in some discussion of the various ports they offered. I opted for a bottle of the RP20, which was marked as I recall around $59 with a sticker on the bottle. That's when things went downhill. When I got to the register, it rang up for more than $100. At that point, the phone rang and the proprietor took the call and engaged in a very long conversation. Clearly this client was more important than my purchase, and especially with a bottle that was scanning for a different price. Eventually the call ended, and the bottom line is that he would not honor the price on the bottle. I know I have purchased this wine at the $59 price point before, and in looking online I can have it delivered for $69. The proprietor claimed that the bottle cost more than the sticker price. The $100 price point is absurd, and not honoring the price on the bottle is just wrong. We left with nothing and I don't think I will return. I respect that small businesses have to watch their expenses, but treating a customer rudely by taking an extended phone call made it clear that I was not a valued potential customer. Not honoring a price on the label, well that is just bad form. Hopefully the person on the phone will continue to patronize them. Avoid
Nicole L.
Chefs' paradise. Very nice high quality ingredient, they supply the Belgian Royal Caviar and many others. We checked out the retail store it has many nice products I tried out some probiotic hot sauces and then the delicious cheese like the petit basque. I bought a bottle of black garlic molasses a bit costly bit interesting flavor. Also bought a few cans of smoked oysters and octopus. Very nice store!!
Jay S.
We got sick eating bluefin tuna and hiramasa. We contacted the customer service and were told that they are not responsible as fish appeared/smelled fresh. viral and bacterial contamination (salmonella, staph,etc.) do not "spoil" food... but still can make people sick. Things can happen, I get it, but denying responsibilities is not the best practice
Ashley Lea
What would I have done without the help of MRS JESSICA WAYS,I was in debt for a long time, it was difficult for me to pay off my debts,when I saw a review of MRS JESSICA WAYS I thought about investing with her for over two months,I eventually invested with her platform,a very simple and straight forward platform with a great trading signal. Nothing like top up fee or upgrade fee,today my debtors are off my neck and I can take good care of my family.I recommend her as the best and most reliable trading expert. Contact her today and testify
Charlie Muazu Andrew
MRS JESSICA WAYS has done it yet again!!!
Ivy S.
Fresh fresh fresh. If you want luxurious seafood this is the place to go. From the caviar to the king salmon we just love this place. They also have a large wine selection. It's quality seafood and expensive but it's definitely worth it. Try the salmon collars!
Oleg S.
This was a present for my wife birthday. I've bought 4 trays of uni. During a birthday we ate first two trays and they were good but the other 2 had an unpleasant smell so without making too much fuss during birthday I've put these trays in the freezer. When I've contacted the company, I was told to take pictures and send it to them. I also have spoken to Browne Trading and told them that I would like to receive a replacement as a first time buyer and was surprised by manager response implying that somehow it's my fault that I freeze trays before taking pictures. The main point is a half of the trays were bad quality.
Mercedes C.
If you're into gourmet packaged seafood and other quality packaged goods, Browne Trading on Commercial St is your stop. They have Domestic and International caviar, Roes, packaged, Marinated anchovies, sardines and more items. Not to mention prime cuts of fish fillet, Smoked Salmon, etc. The brick space is impressive, with high ceilings and pipes. And, which we didn't venture, there's an upstairs wine selection. We'd gotten a wonderful Baguette from a bakery not far off and crackers elsewhere- so only needed a few things to savor and hold us off for a bit. Hubs reached for the Crème Fraîche, I picked a sublime Truffle Butter and both decided on a modest, $38 ounce of domestic Caviar (which we later found out that Harbor Fish Market has the SAME exact domestic kind for $17.99). We enjoyed our light nosh in our hotel room along with Marinated Sardines and the rest of the goods we purchased with our Banshee Sonoma Chardonnay we brought from home. If you're looking to impress with a few things, Browne might be for you for some items. For other items, keep your eyes open elsewhere.
Amaury J.
We are huge fans of Browne Trading Market. We've gone a couple of times and have been very impressed with the whole store. From their huge wine selection (takes up about half the store!) to their fresh fish and other local goodies, this place has it all. First of all, their layout. I love the layout of the store, with fresh seafood being on one side, local goods on another side, and the wines at the top section of the store. They are always fully staffed and have plenty of attentive and friendly people ready to help you. The fish at Browne Trading Market is always fresh, and their variety is quite impressive. I've been comparing prices and they do seem to be a bit more expensive than other nearby seafood stores, but not by much. Besides seafood, it's worth mentioning that they offer local (and international) goodies like cocktail mixers, spreads, and even pastas. There's something for everyone here.
Used to love this place - I went recently for the first time since they re-opened and the service has dropped tremendously. Took 25 minutes to get fish cut for us. Not sure what's going on but would be helpful to make sure employees are skilled in servicing customers at a faster rate and more knowledgeable about fish in general... for such a high quality place, the people working there should be of equal caliber. Disappointed...
Beast Driver T.
They have a good selection of fish. Store was very nice and clean. A bit pricey and looks to be top quality. Definitely a return visit in the future.
Annie H.
We never heard of this place before the pandemic, and now that we discovered it I don't think we will ever stop ordering from it. The quality of the fish is amazing, and I love their selection of premium sushi fish, granted that their selection changes seasonally and quickly, so I had to watch their site for a month before finally hitting the buy button when the selection was right. Here's a run down: - bluefin tuna - probably our favorite item out of everything, so fatty, so flavorful, so delicious. Frankly from the site description I thought we were getting ling tuna, but I don't mind either way. - True yellowtail - I think this is otherwise known as amberjack. I thought it would arrive filleted and scanned, but it came with the skin and some bones. So after ambitiously watching a Morimoto video, I attempted to skim my own fish and it worked out OK (Not great). Not wanting to waste anything I put the skin and bones into soup, and it came out insanely rich and flavorful and Jell-O like Full of collagen. The fish made into sashimi was good, but the tofu soup I made out of the fish leftovers was even better. - Hokkaido scallops - enormously large (8 to a pound) but not as sweet as the ones I had in Japan, nor as sweet as the fresh ones from Maine. I'll probably stick with Maine scallops next time. - peekytoe crab - flavorful, but not as sweet as I thought it would be. I might try they are other lump crab next time. -monkfish - huge 2 pound package, which I suspect weighs more than 2 pounds, but we haven't dug into this one yet. And there you have it, $300 worth of seafood. Totally worth it in my opinion, we got it for a combination of a few celebrations (new job, lunar new year, Valentine's) but even after all that eating we still have a bit in the freezer, and will probably take another month or two to get through. Definitely premium quality, and we look forward to what's available when we finish our fish! (As long as they still have blue fin and true yellowtail lol... I need my tofu soup and Toro)
Lynne H.
Poor online customer service. I hope the $350 is worth the price. We will see so far the online person was not very nice or even helpful. He says go to the FAQ section and puts in a link. If the food comes and is excellent I will create a new review. I would not go on line and do any chatting either it is the same rep who handles the website and he is a technical person not client centric. We will see what happens. I would call them but not go on line.
Magictravelnow
Poor online customer service by Mark. I have yet to receive the items I ordered but I must say this person was not helpful at all and in fact he is in charge of the website which is very complicated for someone like me when all I wanted to do is buy a few items. I was told I would first need to look at the FAQ's to understand what is what and how they calculate when you get free shipping. I am not an attorney and did not go to a technical college. I am client friendly and frankly if I ever order from this company again I will call them. This person had no warmth or helpfulness. he said I would have qualified for free shipping but ..he would not say how much money I needed to spend on my order I think it may have been $5. I do not take kindly to people who are arrogant, not helpful and point you to a link to answer your questions. It is not a friendly company with friendly service. I will write a review once I receive the items I ordered but the service could have been such a better experience especially when you are spending over $325..pitiful he should be behind the scenes not dealing directly with the clients in my humble opinion.
My husband and I were enjoying a day off; spending our time and money locally. We've never been inside Browne Trading, but I have long wanted to check out their offerings. We found an excellent selection of wine, interesting spice combinations, some standard canned/preserved items, but the seafood looked amazing. We decided to take home some oysters and scallops. I guess the employee waiting on us didn't like the way I said scallops. He corrected me, whatever. I grew up in New England, sorry I don't meet your standards. Then he was snarky when I asked if they offered ice, because we were traveling to Southern Maine. Overall his demeanor was $itchy. We didn't spend a lot of money, and we wouldn't be regular customers anyway, but we won't be back. Go ahead and join them if you don't mind being treated rudely. The smoked salmon looked amazing!
Ouch, how I wanted to love this store, and how I hate to write 1 star reviews. Looked like great and unusual seafood, lots of gourmet food and a huge wine selection. While were visiting Portland for the day, we had a cooler and suddenly were considering buying up all the fixings for a great dinner. I noticed that they carried two ports which I enjoy, a Ramos Pinto 10 and 20 year port. The proprietor asked if I had questions, and we engaged in some discussion of the various ports they offered. I opted for a bottle of the RP20, which was marked as I recall around $59 with a sticker on the bottle. That's when things went downhill. When I got to the register, it rang up for more than $100. At that point, the phone rang and the proprietor took the call and engaged in a very long conversation. Clearly this client was more important than my purchase, and especially with a bottle that was scanning for a different price. Eventually the call ended, and the bottom line is that he would not honor the price on the bottle. I know I have purchased this wine at the $59 price point before, and in looking online I can have it delivered for $69. The proprietor claimed that the bottle cost more than the sticker price. The $100 price point is absurd, and not honoring the price on the bottle is just wrong. We left with nothing and I don't think I will return. I respect that small businesses have to watch their expenses, but treating a customer rudely by taking an extended phone call made it clear that I was not a valued potential customer. Not honoring a price on the label, well that is just bad form. Hopefully the person on the phone will continue to patronize them. Avoid
Chefs' paradise. Very nice high quality ingredient, they supply the Belgian Royal Caviar and many others. We checked out the retail store it has many nice products I tried out some probiotic hot sauces and then the delicious cheese like the petit basque. I bought a bottle of black garlic molasses a bit costly bit interesting flavor. Also bought a few cans of smoked oysters and octopus. Very nice store!!
We got sick eating bluefin tuna and hiramasa. We contacted the customer service and were told that they are not responsible as fish appeared/smelled fresh. viral and bacterial contamination (salmonella, staph,etc.) do not "spoil" food... but still can make people sick. Things can happen, I get it, but denying responsibilities is not the best practice
What would I have done without the help of MRS JESSICA WAYS,I was in debt for a long time, it was difficult for me to pay off my debts,when I saw a review of MRS JESSICA WAYS I thought about investing with her for over two months,I eventually invested with her platform,a very simple and straight forward platform with a great trading signal. Nothing like top up fee or upgrade fee,today my debtors are off my neck and I can take good care of my family.I recommend her as the best and most reliable trading expert. Contact her today and testify
MRS JESSICA WAYS has done it yet again!!!
Fresh fresh fresh. If you want luxurious seafood this is the place to go. From the caviar to the king salmon we just love this place. They also have a large wine selection. It's quality seafood and expensive but it's definitely worth it. Try the salmon collars!
This was a present for my wife birthday. I've bought 4 trays of uni. During a birthday we ate first two trays and they were good but the other 2 had an unpleasant smell so without making too much fuss during birthday I've put these trays in the freezer. When I've contacted the company, I was told to take pictures and send it to them. I also have spoken to Browne Trading and told them that I would like to receive a replacement as a first time buyer and was surprised by manager response implying that somehow it's my fault that I freeze trays before taking pictures. The main point is a half of the trays were bad quality.
If you're into gourmet packaged seafood and other quality packaged goods, Browne Trading on Commercial St is your stop. They have Domestic and International caviar, Roes, packaged, Marinated anchovies, sardines and more items. Not to mention prime cuts of fish fillet, Smoked Salmon, etc. The brick space is impressive, with high ceilings and pipes. And, which we didn't venture, there's an upstairs wine selection. We'd gotten a wonderful Baguette from a bakery not far off and crackers elsewhere- so only needed a few things to savor and hold us off for a bit. Hubs reached for the Crème Fraîche, I picked a sublime Truffle Butter and both decided on a modest, $38 ounce of domestic Caviar (which we later found out that Harbor Fish Market has the SAME exact domestic kind for $17.99). We enjoyed our light nosh in our hotel room along with Marinated Sardines and the rest of the goods we purchased with our Banshee Sonoma Chardonnay we brought from home. If you're looking to impress with a few things, Browne might be for you for some items. For other items, keep your eyes open elsewhere.
We are huge fans of Browne Trading Market. We've gone a couple of times and have been very impressed with the whole store. From their huge wine selection (takes up about half the store!) to their fresh fish and other local goodies, this place has it all. First of all, their layout. I love the layout of the store, with fresh seafood being on one side, local goods on another side, and the wines at the top section of the store. They are always fully staffed and have plenty of attentive and friendly people ready to help you. The fish at Browne Trading Market is always fresh, and their variety is quite impressive. I've been comparing prices and they do seem to be a bit more expensive than other nearby seafood stores, but not by much. Besides seafood, it's worth mentioning that they offer local (and international) goodies like cocktail mixers, spreads, and even pastas. There's something for everyone here.
Restaurantji Recommends
Used to love this place - I went recently for the first time since they re-opened and the service has dropped tremendously. Took 25 minutes to get fish cut for us. Not sure what's going on but would be helpful to make sure employees are skilled in servicing customers at a faster rate and more knowledgeable about fish in general... for such a high quality place, the people working there should be of equal caliber. Disappointed...
They have a good selection of fish. Store was very nice and clean. A bit pricey and looks to be top quality. Definitely a return visit in the future.
We never heard of this place before the pandemic, and now that we discovered it I don't think we will ever stop ordering from it. The quality of the fish is amazing, and I love their selection of premium sushi fish, granted that their selection changes seasonally and quickly, so I had to watch their site for a month before finally hitting the buy button when the selection was right. Here's a run down: - bluefin tuna - probably our favorite item out of everything, so fatty, so flavorful, so delicious. Frankly from the site description I thought we were getting ling tuna, but I don't mind either way. - True yellowtail - I think this is otherwise known as amberjack. I thought it would arrive filleted and scanned, but it came with the skin and some bones. So after ambitiously watching a Morimoto video, I attempted to skim my own fish and it worked out OK (Not great). Not wanting to waste anything I put the skin and bones into soup, and it came out insanely rich and flavorful and Jell-O like Full of collagen. The fish made into sashimi was good, but the tofu soup I made out of the fish leftovers was even better. - Hokkaido scallops - enormously large (8 to a pound) but not as sweet as the ones I had in Japan, nor as sweet as the fresh ones from Maine. I'll probably stick with Maine scallops next time. - peekytoe crab - flavorful, but not as sweet as I thought it would be. I might try they are other lump crab next time. -monkfish - huge 2 pound package, which I suspect weighs more than 2 pounds, but we haven't dug into this one yet. And there you have it, $300 worth of seafood. Totally worth it in my opinion, we got it for a combination of a few celebrations (new job, lunar new year, Valentine's) but even after all that eating we still have a bit in the freezer, and will probably take another month or two to get through. Definitely premium quality, and we look forward to what's available when we finish our fish! (As long as they still have blue fin and true yellowtail lol... I need my tofu soup and Toro)
Poor online customer service. I hope the $350 is worth the price. We will see so far the online person was not very nice or even helpful. He says go to the FAQ section and puts in a link. If the food comes and is excellent I will create a new review. I would not go on line and do any chatting either it is the same rep who handles the website and he is a technical person not client centric. We will see what happens. I would call them but not go on line.
Poor online customer service by Mark. I have yet to receive the items I ordered but I must say this person was not helpful at all and in fact he is in charge of the website which is very complicated for someone like me when all I wanted to do is buy a few items. I was told I would first need to look at the FAQ's to understand what is what and how they calculate when you get free shipping. I am not an attorney and did not go to a technical college. I am client friendly and frankly if I ever order from this company again I will call them. This person had no warmth or helpfulness. he said I would have qualified for free shipping but ..he would not say how much money I needed to spend on my order I think it may have been $5. I do not take kindly to people who are arrogant, not helpful and point you to a link to answer your questions. It is not a friendly company with friendly service. I will write a review once I receive the items I ordered but the service could have been such a better experience especially when you are spending over $325..pitiful he should be behind the scenes not dealing directly with the clients in my humble opinion.