Citarella

What Citarella does

Citarella is a privately held specialty seafood and gourmet retailer founded in 1912 on Manhattan's Upper West Side and owned since 1983 by Joe Gurrera. The company operates two integrated brands: "The Seafood Authority" (citarella.com), a nationwide e-commerce platform shipping fresh, never-frozen seafood overnight across three U.S. zones, and "The Ultimate Gourmet Market," a chain of 9 physical market locations across NYC (Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village), the Hamptons (Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Westhampton), and Greenwich, Connecticut, plus an adjacent Wines & Spirits shop. Product breadth spans over 80 seafood varieties — whole fish, fillets, shellfish, caviar, smoked fish, and prepared items — alongside prime beef, chef-prepared specialties, baked goods, and curated entertaining kits.

The underlying technical platform is built around cold-chain logistics: overnight shipping with insulated, leak-proof packaging, ice packs, and waxed-paper wrapping rather than cryovac, supported by a nationwide three-zone flat-rate shipping structure ($34.99-$69.99 plus $25 Saturday surcharge) and a $75 minimum order. On the supply side, the wholly-owned Lockwood & Winant wholesale division has operated at the Fulton Fish Market for over 100 years, providing Citarella with first access to premium catches and a direct line to New York City's top restaurant accounts. Custom butchering to customer specification (fillet, skin off, whole, head/tail on/off) is performed by hand by trained fishmongers, including specialty preparations such as deboning Atlantic-caught shad.

Citarella's go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail, third-party delivery partnerships (DoorDash, Instacart, Uber Eats), B2B wholesale, and adjacent retail (wine). Pricing is unit-based and premium-positioned, with individual fish items ranging from $12.99 to $169.99 and entertaining packages reaching $598. The customer base is primarily affluent home cooks and entertaining hosts, with restaurant supply as a secondary enterprise channel. The company employs nearly 1,000 staff and serves roughly 5 million in-store customers annually, operating without institutional investor capital under concentrated founder ownership.

Name

Citarella

Legal name

Citarella, Inc.

Website

https://citarella.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Citarella is a 100-year-old, privately held NYC specialty seafood and gourmet retailer operating 9 retail markets in NYC, the Hamptons, and Greenwich CT, plus nationwide e-commerce, wholesale, and a wine shop serving affluent home cooks and entertaining hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Seafood Retail

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF), Meat, Poultry & Seafood Distribution (CRAOABAC), Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF)

Keywords

• Premium seafood retail
• Fresh fish market
• Gourmet grocery store
• Online seafood delivery
• Wholesale seafood supply

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct e-commerce seafood sales: Citarella sells fresh seafood directly to consumers through citarella.com with nationwide overnight shipping. Products range from whole fish, fillets, shellfish, caviar, smoked fish, prepared foods, and gift packages. Also offers recipe kits, entertaining packages, and curated gifts.
2. Brick-and-mortar retail markets: 9 physical market locations in NYC (Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village), Hamptons (Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Westhampton), and Greenwich CT. Markets offer full gourmet selection including seafood, prime beef, chef-prepared specialties, and baked goods.
3. Third-party delivery partnerships: Partnership with DoorDash, Instacart, and Uber Eats for local grocery delivery from physical market locations.
4. Wholesale - Lockwood & Winant: Wholesale seafood division operating at the Fulton Fish Market for over 100 years, supplying seafood to New York City's top restaurants.
5. Wines & Spirits: Wine shop in Greenwich CT offering artisanal spirits and fine wines, with nationwide shipping available. Opened in 2016.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Citarella is a New York-based gourmet seafood retailer that sells fresh, never-frozen seafood, prime meats, chef-prepared specialties, baked goods, wines, and artisanal gourmet products. The company operates both a nationwide e-commerce platform (citarella.com, branded "The Seafood Authority") shipping overnight across the continental U.S., and a chain of 9 brick-and-mortar retail markets in NYC, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, CT (branded "The Ultimate Gourmet Market"). A wholesale seafood division, Lockwood & Winant, has supplied NYC's top restaurants from the Fulton Fish Market for over 100 years.

Product overview

Citarella operates two complementary brands: The Seafood Authority (citarella.com), a nationwide online seafood e-commerce platform shipping fresh, never-frozen seafood overnight, and The Ultimate Gourmet Market, a chain of 7 physical retail locations in NYC, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, CT offering premium seafood alongside prime meats, chef-prepared specialties, and artisanal products. The product portfolio centers on fresh seafood across categories including whole fish and fillets, shellfish and mollusks, caviar, smoked fish, prepared and pantry items, and curated recipe kits and entertaining packages. The company also operates adjacent businesses including a wine and spirits shop, wholesale division (Lockwood & Winant), and a published cookbook.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lockwood & Winant: Wholesale seafood division of Citarella operating at the Fulton Fish Market for over 100 years, providing restaurant-quality seafood to New York's top establishments

Products and services

• citarella.com Online Seafood Store (The Seafood Authority) Nationwide direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform offering fresh, never-frozen seafood (whole fish, fillets, shellfish, caviar, smoked fish, prepared items) with custom butchering options and flat-rate zone-based overnight shipping to consumers across the continental U.S.
• The Ultimate Gourmet Market (Physical Retail Locations) 9 brick-and-mortar gourmet market locations across NYC (Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village), the Hamptons (Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Westhampton Beach), and Greenwich CT, offering premium seafood alongside prime meats, chef-prepared specialties, baked goods, and artisanal products.
• Lockwood & Winant Wholesale Seafood Supply Wholesale seafood division at the Fulton Fish Market supplying premium seafood to New York City's top restaurants and hospitality businesses for over 100 years.
• Wines & Spirits Shop Retail wine and spirits shop adjacent to the Greenwich CT market offering artisanal spirits and fine wines with rare wine room selections, plus nationwide shipping.
• Seafood Kits & Entertaining Packages Curated seafood bundles and recipe kits for entertaining and home cooking, including Raw Bar packages (for 4 or 8 guests), romantic dinners for 2, recipe kits (ceviche, surf & turf, lobster risotto), and seasonal entertaining packages.
• Catering Services Chef-prepared catering services for holidays and events including hors d'oeuvres, entrées, desserts, seasonal menus, and entertaining packages.
• Joe Knows Fish Cookbook Cookbook authored by owner Joe Gurrera featuring seafood recipes with simple preparations using the freshest ingredients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named 'Best overall for variety' among online seafood delivery services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 June 2025DoorDash partnership makes Citarella's 7 markets in NYC and Hamptons available on the DoorDash platform for on-demand grocery delivery. Part of DoorDash's broader expansion into grocery delivery with specialty grocers. Available through DashPass membership program offering $0 delivery fees.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024DoorDash partnership enabling grocery delivery from Citarella stores. DoorDash reported 33 new US grocery partnerships in 2025 including large-scale deal with Kroger, plus expansions with specialty grocers.
• InstacartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal grocery delivery partnership through Instacart platform for pickup and delivery from Citarella physical stores.
• Uber EatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal grocery delivery partnership through Uber Eats platform for on-demand delivery from Citarella markets.
• Lockwood & WinantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-owned wholesale seafood company at Fulton Fish Market, part of the Gurrera family legacy for over 100 years. Supplies seafood to New York City's top restaurants. Provides first access to the best catches and market intelligence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zabar's: Long-standing Upper West Side gourmet market and national shipper offering premium smoked fish, caviar, prepared foods, and gourmet groceries; serves the same NYC-affluent customer base as Citarella with a broader non-seafood focus.
• Eataly: Large-format Italian gourmet marketplace with multiple US locations (including NYC) combining retail, restaurants, and e-commerce; overlaps with Citarella on premium seafood counters and the affluent food-enthusiast segment.
• Russ & Daughters: Iconic NYC appetizing shop and gourmet retailer (caviar, smoked fish, bagels) with national shipping; overlaps Citarella on premium smoked fish, caviar, and the affluent Jewish/entertaining customer segment.
• Dean & DeLuca: Premium gourmet food retailer (historically NYC-based) offering nationwide shipping of gourmet groceries, seafood, and gifts; competes with Citarella in the premium gourmet gifting and online category.

Direct peers

• Browne Trading Company: Portland, Maine-based premium fresh-seafood mail-order company with direct relationships to fishermen; competes with Citarella in the nationwide overnight fresh-seafood DTC category and serves similar restaurant customers.
• Lobel's: Family-run NYC premium butcher and fishmonger with both physical locations in Manhattan and a nationwide mail-order business; competes directly with Citarella on premium meats, seafood, and gourmet retail.
• Wild Edibles: NYC-based seafood market and wholesaler serving both home cooks and top restaurants with fresh fish and shellfish; competes with Citarella on retail, wholesale, and direct restaurant supply.
• The Lobster Place: Chelsea Market-based NYC seafood retailer and wholesale operation offering fresh fish, shellfish, and prepared seafood to both retail and restaurant customers in the same NYC footprint as Citarella.
• Fulton Fish Market (online): Direct-to-consumer online seafood retailer operating out of the historic Fulton Fish Market in NYC, competing head-to-head with Citarella on nationwide fresh-seafood delivery and overlapping supplier base.

Emerging players

• Wild Fork: Fast-scaling online and physical specialty retailer of frozen and fresh meats and seafood with nationwide delivery; emerging competitor in the premium protein DTC space that could pressure Citarella's e-commerce economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzFX8U04C0uQxW5J-4W2CPQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/citarellagourmetmarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/citarellagourmetmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citarella-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citarella