Christopher Nelson, the founder and owner of the store, plans to unveil the new 1,200-square-foot space on Scottsdale Road north of Thunderbird Road in May.
"People have been telling us to open another store for years and offering us spaces. We have been blessed to grow organically, and that's what we will continue to do,” Nelson says.
The new Nelson's will have a similar setup and hours as the original location, which features a walk-up counter and plenty of fresh fish. In Arcadia, those who savor a brew at The Wandering Tortoise, a taproom and beer shop adjacent to Nelson's on Indian School Road and 24th Street, can mosey over to the fish market to grab some sashimi or a lobster roll, then head back into the bar. In Scottsdale, Nelson's will team up with TVG Tap Room & Bottle Shop to provide its guests some bites.
"We're not a restaurant... We don't even have a full kitchen in either of the locations, but we have great features daily and those have grown over the years," Nelson says, explaining the food is made by hand and with the help of induction cooktops.
The menu will also be almost identical, Nelson, who regulars affectionately refer to as "Nellie," says, with the same comforts his Arcadia customers are accustomed to including a full raw bar, a lobster roll on Wednesdays, and clam chowder and a poke bowl on Fridays. Everything is seasonal and the seafood is flown in fresh daily, so availability varies based on what is caught.
"We're in this kind of Amazon society where people expect things right away. But we don't even do pre-orders for fish. We're pretty old school here," Nelson says. ''We don't order by species; we order seafood from around the globe when it comes out of the ocean."
Nelson is inspired by a more simple way of life where chefs source ingredients from the sea daily to make ever-changing menus, he says, recalling a visit to Italy.
"We're obviously not near the ocean here, but when I was in Venice at the Rialto fish market, there was a guy there named Bruno who had been a chef for thirty years," Nelson says. "He is literally down at that market every morning with a pad writing an all-seafood menu, 16 courses."
And while Nelson's in Scottsdale is nowhere near the water, it will offer fresh seafood that may be as close as Phoenicians can get.
Nelson's Meat and Fish Market
Scheduled to open in mid-May 2023
14224 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
