Macdonald Avenue Was Already Richmond's Fried Fish Street. Now It Has a Seafood Boil Too.

"That's three fried fish shops on one street," the Grandview Independent wrote in August. Its headline put a question mark after the phrase "fish district." Within about ten weeks, Macdonald Avenue had a fourth seafood counter. It came from Hayward with a different style of cooking, and it opened at the downtown end of the street, near Richmond BART.

The way the cluster formed is the interesting part. The street now runs from Cajun boils at Marina Way to catfish and gumbo out past 36th Street. AC Transit has also scheduled a rebuild of the curbs, stops and signals along the same stretch for 2027.

Boulevard Fish Moved Its Fryers to Macdonald Avenue

The cluster started with a relocation. Boulevard Fish & Barbeque is a mom-and-pop shop that served fried fish on Cutting Boulevard for 15 years. In the Grandview Independent's words, it "relocated to 3231 Macdonald Avenue from its longtime location on Cutting Boulevard," and it was open Monday through Saturday when that August story ran. Richmondside's Nosh roundup of August openings listed the menu as fried snapper, sole and prawns, among other dishes.

The building has seen plenty of restaurants before. The Grandview noted that 3231 Macdonald was once home to Rincon Michoacano Taqueria, and before that Los Macias Taqueria and El Paraiso Cafe.

The move put Boulevard Fish between two shops already on the avenue. The Grandview placed CJ's BBQ & Fish "eight blocks away at 2401 Macdonald Avenue, serving barbecue and fried catfish." JJ Fish & Chicken is "even closer at 3600 Macdonald Avenue, offering fried fish and seafood gumbo alongside its wings." The story also floated a fourth spot as a long shot. If The New Snapper's Seafood Restaurant ever left Ohio Avenue, Macdonald "could be looking at a fourth."

The Fourth Counter Came From Hayward, Not Ohio Avenue

Lemon Crab became that fourth spot instead. Richmondside reported on October 20 that a Cajun seafood boil restaurant had "just opened" at 1400 Macdonald Ave., at Marina Way, in the City Central area near the BART station. It's the second location for the business, which already runs one in Hayward. The Richmond menu has seafood boils, fried seafood baskets, crab fried rice and noodles. The outlet's monthly roundup on November 6 listed the opening again.

Lemon Crab is a different kind of restaurant from the other three. Boulevard Fish, CJ's and JJ are counters built around fried fillets and barbecue. Lemon Crab sells shrimp by the pound and boils you eat with your hands. Prices are still in the same range. On its delivery listing, Lemon Crab's garlic-shrimp fried rice or noodles costs $15.95 and shrimp runs $22.95 a pound. On JJ Fish & Chicken's online ordering storefront, a catfish fillet costs $15.74. A rice plate at a boil spot downtown costs about the same as a fried catfish fillet out at 3600 Macdonald.

Lemon Crab's location also matters. The three fried-fish shops are on the 2400, 3200 and 3600 blocks. Lemon Crab opened at 1400, which pushes seafood on Macdonald west into the blocks around BART.

West to East, by Address

Prices below come from online ordering and delivery listings, and prices in the restaurant may differ. Hours and days come from each source's most recent report.

JJ Fish & Chicken has a Richmond location page with links to its online ordering and Instagram. CJ's and Boulevard Fish were last reported in August, so call ahead before you drive over for catfish.

The Grocery Next Door and the Cross Street at the Middle

Two other August openings sit beside the seafood counters. Casa Latina Supermercado is one block up the avenue from Lemon Crab, at 1500 Macdonald. It moved into the former Rich City Rides space in downtown Richmond, and Richmondside described it as carrying Latin American goods, fresh produce, a butcher counter and party supplies. Between the two storefronts, the 1400 and 1500 blocks now have a boil counter and a carnicería side by side.

The other cluster is on 23rd Street, which crosses Macdonald right near CJ's at 2401. The Grandview Independent calls 23rd Street "a Richmond food corridor known for its Mexican, Salvadoran and Guatemalan restaurants." It added two openings in August.

• Amor Grill Falafel and Shawarma, 930 23rd St. It took over the former El Sabor Sinaloense space. Richmondside listed plates with a protein, rice and two sides starting at $16, along with wraps, sandwiches and family-style platters.
• Antojitos Caseros by El Cuscatlan, 969 23rd St. Its menu has Salvadoran pupusas and platos típicos, plus soups that include a pescado. The schedule it posted in August was Wednesday through Sunday. Richmondside listed a churrasco Salvadoreño combo with steak, chicken, prawns and chorizo for about $30.

A fish soup on 23rd, a block from a catfish counter on Macdonald, fits the street's pattern.

The Curbs Under These Counters Are Scheduled to Change

All four seafood addresses sit on the stretch of Macdonald Avenue covered by AC Transit's Macdonald Avenue Transit Improvement Project. The project runs from Richmond Parkway to San Pablo Avenue and adds signal upgrades, bus stop relocations, bus bulbs, sidewalk repairs, repainted curbs and new shelters. The agency held its final open house on September 10, 2026, at Richmond City Council Chambers. Construction is scheduled for spring 2027 through fall 2028.

The totals cover both Macdonald and Cutting Boulevard, the street Boulevard Fish left. They include 25 bus stops moved to safer spots, 17 bus bulbs, 16 new lighted shelters, 29 upgraded traffic signals and 39 new or upgraded curb ramps. AC Transit's table of stop changes on Macdonald gets specific near the CJ's end of the street:

1. Macdonald and 23rd, westbound. The stop moves to 22nd Street, just before the intersection, and gets a bus bulb. Four parking spaces are removed. Lines 71, 72M, 74, 376, 667 and 800 stop here.
2. Macdonald and 23rd, eastbound. Two curb ramps are upgraded, and a shelter and a bus bulb are added. No parking changes.
3. Macdonald and 25th, both directions. Both stops move past the intersection. The eastbound side gets a bench and loses its western driveway. Five parking spaces are removed across the two stops.
4. Macdonald and 30th, westbound. The stop moves to 31st Street and gets a bus bulb, and the midblock crosswalk is removed. Two parking spaces are removed.

The parking column affects curbside takeout pickup most. The 23rd Street changes are the closest to CJ's. The 30th-to-31st Street move is the closest change on the published list to Boulevard Fish at 3231. The project is funded through state and regional programs, including the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program for the Macdonald side, with matching funds from AC Transit. Questions go to [email protected] or 510-350-0071.

The stop table shows the street those counters will face after 2028. It will have fewer stops before intersections, wider sidewalks at the bus bulbs, and shelters with lighting at more corners.

If you own a home or building near Macdonald Avenue, a curb rebuild a block away can affect your parking, driveways and how people reach your door. Perry Kayasone worked in construction before real estate and can go through AC Transit's diagrams for your block with you. Call Perry before the 2027 construction starts.