Super Fresh Fish Restaurant Has Diners Catch Their Own Meal

CHELSEA, NY — This restaurant leaves diners on the hook to catch their own meal.

Japanese chain restaurant Zauo opened its latest outpost in Chelsea, at 152 W. 24th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, this week at which guests literally fish for their entree before sitting down to sink their teeth into what they've caught.

The three-story restaurant features three pools filled with fish and marine creatures.

When patrons first arrive, they have to decide what fish they want to reel in. A pool on the main floor offers rainbow trout, striped bass or salmon trout. Those looking to hook fluke, flounder and rockfish, among others, can head upstairs, which features a 60-foot-long boat as its centerpiece.

Guests obtain a "fishing license" that they wear around their neck and are given small rods, which they bait then cast their line.

The less experienced fisherman can have staff hook a fish for them — but it will cost extra. A striped bass costs $45 if a customer reels it in, but will go for $55 if a staff member fetches the fish. And the restaurant does come with a catch: customers must eat their haul, whether it's a small $38 rainbow trout or a meaty $110 salmon.

Once a fish is caught, staff swoop in with a net and scoop out the soon-to-be meal for preparation.

It can be grilled with salt, tempura-fried, simmered in soy sauce or served sashimi-style. Adventurous eaters also have the option to have each half of their fish cooked in a different style.

The Japanese chain, which opened its doors in 1993, has 13 locations in Japan, but this is its first U.S. eatery.

Zauo at 152 W. 24th Street is open Mondays through Saturdays from 5-11 p.m. (Last order is at 10 p.m.)

An outpost of Japanese chain restaurant Zauo, where diners catch their meal, in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo courtesy of Sutton-Hibbert/Shutterstock)