Union Fish Seafood & Raw Bar Comes to Hingham Shipyard in May

The owners of Union Fish are opening another location at the Hingham Shipyard, adding to the growing wealth of restaurants.

In May, Dramshop Hospitality will add high end seafood to the area when it opens its second Union Fish Seafood & Raw Bar between Alma Nove and Zendo Asian Bistro at The Launch at Hingham Shipyard.

At Union Fish Hingham, Executive Chef Brandon Babiarz will elevate the casual seafood shack feel of the original Plymouth location with a base in approachable New England classics and an extensive raw bard that will be a focal point of the restaurant.

While the restaurant business can be unpredictable, co-owner Chris Tocchio is planning to open May 10, Mother's Day weekend. Union Fish Hingham is in a new building at the shipyard, which means floor to ceiling construction.

Tocchio and Kristian Deyesso started Dramshop in 2010, with their 40 years of combined hospitality experience. The pair operate the original Union Fish on the Plymouth waterfront, Regal Beagle in Brookline and Church Restaurant and Nightclub in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.

"There's not a ton of seafood down here so people are dying for seafood," Tocchio said of Hingham.

Tocchio said the developers at the Shipyard reached out to him after researching the Plymouth Union Fish. "I thought it was a good fit for us," said Tocchio of the space.

The other restaurants in the Dramshop stable have a neighborhood feel that encourages regulars to spend an evening with friends over drinks and food. Union Fish Hingham will bring the same atmosphere to the South Shore.

One way they plan to do that is through the highlighted raw bar. The raw bar will be at one end of the bar and manned constantly by a chef. The interactive raw bar is a new feature for Union Fish, which does not have one in Plymouth.

"We want the raw bar to be huge," Babiarz said, adding he plans to go beyond the typical offerings like shellfish and shrimp, and include items like crudo and seviche.

The cocktails and wine list at Union Fish Hingham will complement the "comfort food with a twist" on the menu. The restaurant will have the urban-inspired cocktails poplar at Dramshop's other properties and a wine list, tailored to a seafood menu.

"People are looking for an independent seafood spot in Hingham," said Nicole Crosby, Union Fish Hingham's General Manager.

The people of the South Shore will be able to enjoy that seafood on the patio or in the urban meets rustic bistro. Tocchio said the finished space will have tin ceilings, a marble topped bar made of reclaimed wood, subway tile and a visible kitchen.

Keep updated on the construction at www.facebook.com/unionfishhingham.

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