The Valley’s New Fresh Seafood Marketplace Comes With a Side of Coffee

It’s been more than a minute since word got around about The Joint, the proposed seafood market, restaurant, and coffee shop opening in Sherman Oaks. Well surprise, surprise: Today’s the first official day of service.

First, a little backstory. The Joint is the work of Liwei Liao, the founder of The Boba Truck, once one of the most prominent food trucks in the entire city. More recently he’s been focusing his attention on a large piece of Ventura Boulevard real estate, aiming to bring a sustainable seafood market (and food) to Sherman Oaks. The idea is to let customers pick out fish and shellfish for later meals or to grab something on site, while also offering coffee, pastries, and a limited menu for morning service.

The idea might seem a bit crowded, but the space itself is open and bright, with lots of wooden communal seating, gleaming tile, and even a few hanging plants. Liao was able to spruce the place up a bit thanks to a $10,000 infusion of cash by way of a well-funded Kickstarter from back in 2016, when The Joint was first proposed. At that time, Liao noted that the opening would happen in the first quarter of 2017, but the timing shifted frequently without word until the place went dark for a stretch late last year. Now, it’s all systems go.

Well, some systems at least. Reps for Liao say there will only be coffee and tea to start, along with the seafood marketplace for takeaway whole fish, uni, and the like. A daily lunch and dinner menu will come online in a few weeks, with beer and wine being added by the end of the summer. So for now, expect coffee to start at 7 a.m. daily starting today, with the market opening for business around 10 a.m.

The Joint. 13718 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

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