15 Best Spots For Fish And Chips In London

Fish and chips have woven their way into the fabric of what it means to be British. The crispy, deep-fried treat is eaten just about everywhere, and at almost any time across the U.K., punctuating trips to the seaside, cozy pub lunches, and as a final stop at the local chippy after a beer-soaked night out. Fish and chips could be considered the U.K.'s answer to America's favorite duo: peanut butter and jelly. Both are dishes where the ingredients work better together rather than apart.

Brits have refugees to thank for the creation of this national dish. Sephardic Jewish refugees from Spain and Portugal first brought fried fish or "pescado frito" to the U.K. in the 16th century, during their escape from the Spanish Inquisition. It's debated, but the idea of frying potatoes as chips, too, probably arrived with French protestant refugees in the 17th century. 

Joseph Malin, a Jewish Ashkenazi refugee, opened the nation's first fish and chip shop in 1860, having fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe and settled in London's East End — a destination for many Jewish refugees. Despite Brits at first complaining that the dish was too smelly, most likely due to underlying xenophobia, fish and chips took hold, and have yet to loosen their grip. Fish and chips are so loved by Brits, that it was one of the very few foods not subject to rationing during WWII. 

Here are 15 great places to eat fish and chips in London, the U.K.'s capital city.

Londoners have sought The Golden Hind's deep-fat-fryer offerings for over a century. Tucked away on a winding lane in the chic and historic Marylebone neighborhood, The Golden Hind has been in operation since 1914. So they've had plenty of time to perfect their golden-fried fish, chartreuse-colored mushy peas, and thick-cut chips.

Golden Hind fish is battered and then fried using groundnut oil. Customers can choose from a range of fish, including popular cod or haddock, or venture into the less-common options of rock salmon, plaice, or skate. Sides are classic British chips (thick-cut fries), mushy peas, and other irresistible fried items such as feta, halloumi, or mozzarella fritters. There is also a range of pickles to help cut through the fat, including pickled onions (a pub classic), and gherkins. 

You'll find steamed fish and vegetables on the menu, too, for those who want to steer clear of fried foods. The dessert menu reads like a list of the classics, showcasing some of Britain's finest bakes, including fruit crumbles, spotted dick, and sticky toffee pudding.

Situated in South London's Southwark borough, Master's Superfish is one example of an old-school chippy that's earned its reputation through simple word-of-mouth. With fish sourced daily from Billingsgate, the city's best-known fish market, customers can delight in fresh cod and haddock, alongside tuna, rock salmon, whole sea bass, or scampi.

Scampi, a classic menu item at many British fish and chip shops, is a very different item in the U.K. than in most other countries. Here, scampi signifies langoustine, deep fried usually in breadcrumbs, though sometimes in batter. You'll find scampi just about anywhere you'll find fried fish, including pubs that serve food.

Another fried food to add to the list of items to try at Master's and elsewhere, is whitebait, a small, oily fish that's eaten whole. The perfect snack to accompany a beer, here the whitebait is lightly battered, then fried until crispy and served with lemon. Master's Superfish also offers deliveries, but there's nothing quite like a visit in person. 

Toff's of Muswell Hill falls into the oldie-but-goodie category, much like many on this list. The original fish and chip shop, Barracuda, began enticing customers with wafting smells of crisp, fried fish and chips in 1968. Twenty years later, it changed hands and names to reflect then-owner Andreas Ttoffali's last name. The shop soon started racking up awards, including best fish and chip shop in the U.K. from the Seafish Industry Authority and the British Potato Council in 1989. What better recommendation could there be? 

Now run by the Georgiou family, Toff's keeps collecting awards. Its menu includes a whole sea of fish options, including cod, haddock, plaice, skate, salmon, sole, halibut, and sea bass. The fish comes with either chips or boiled potatoes. Customers can have their fish fried in batter as usual, or choose to have it coated in egg and matzo before frying, for extra texture, crust, and crunch. 

Like many London residents, the city's restaurants often come and go within a few years or seasons. Therefore, a good chippy that sticks around for decades can be considered a thing of beauty and worth seeking out. Established in 1968 and still kicking, Fish Central in King's Square, Clerkenwell, is one such place.

Fish Central is a local favorite, visited by TV presenter and seafood-loving chef, Rick Stein. The menu features a range of fish and seafood, from oysters and lobster to haddock, plaice, skate, and salmon. Cooking methods include the classic deep-fried method, as well as grilling, or matzo-crust options. All can be served with chunky, thick-cut chips. There are fancy starter options, too, including mussels, sardines, and pan-fried scallops.

Unlike the more usual canteen-style fish and chip places, Fish Central's interior offers white tablecloths and occasional live music, giving it the appeal of a classic seafood restaurant. Fish Central is where to head for a sit-down fish and chips meal accompanied by a glass of wine or two, rather than takeout.

As it becomes more publicly acknowledged that some U.K.-favorite fish species have been over-fished, with only a third of the key varieties escaping this worrying statistic, the need and desire for sustainable fish and chip shops has grown. Brockley's Rock in southeast London has taken this onboard and offers customers alternative options to cod, such as mackerel, a variety that is thankfully still in healthy supply in U.K. waters.

Winner of a Good Food Award for its fish and chips, and coming in the top 60 in the National Fish & Chip Awards, Brockley's also prides itself on offering completely gluten-free options. Its cooks prepare the gluten-free fish and chips using separate pans and utensils, even keeping the ingredients in separate cabinets to avoid any cross-contamination. For those with celiac disease who long for fried fish treats, Brockley's Rock should be on their list of must-tries in London — the gluten-free menu is served Sunday through Thursday.

Visit Greenwich – made famous for the prime meridian, which divides the eastern hemisphere from the west – and you'll stumble upon a local favorite: the Golden Chippy. It's ranked an astonishingly high 23 on Tripadvisor in the category of "restaurants in London," a city bursting with world-class options. It certainly receives overwhelmingly positive reviews from just about anyone who steps through its doors. 

The Golden Chippy is known for being an exceedingly friendly, family-favorite choice by both locals and tourists. All the classics are served, including cod, haddock, scampi, and chips. Fish can also be grilled for a £2 supplement. It has a range of burgers, savory pies, sausages, and fried chicken options, too. Sides and sundries are a classic mix of pickled onions, pickled eggs (a British and European tradition), onion rings, spring rolls, and curry sauce, which is a must-try British sauce that some believe is the perfect accompaniment to chips. However, that is a debate that divides the country. The most common topping for fish and chips is salt and malt vinegar.

Pun-loving Codfellas, in the southeast neighborhood of Peckham, is a family-run business established in 2008. The menu offers all of the favorite options including cod, haddock, and place, plus non-standard items like salt and pepper squid and tempura prawns.  

How good is Codfellas, you might ask? It's so good that a couple celebrated exchanging marriage vows with a celebratory visit to their favorite chippy. But you don't need an excuse of nuptials to visit — just a craving for fried fish will do. 

Codfellas also proudly serves vegan-friendly items, like its aptly named tofish, which consists of a fillet-sized hunk of tofu wrapped in nori seaweed for extra umami flavor, before being deep fried. Particular mention also goes to the vegan tempura prawns, made from Japanese potato starch. In a city with a wide-ranging population and accompanying tastes, Codfellas takes these factors into consideration. Its food is also halal-certified, making it an accessible menu for many, which always deserves recognition in our books.

The Fryer's Delight is a classic old-school chippy, first established in 1968. Located in Holborn, with Formica countertops and a checkered floor, The Fryer's Delight remains a firm favorite among many, written about by food writers across London. Both in interior aesthetics and demeanor, this place feels like a mid-century time capsule — friendly, personable, and filled with character.

Though initially set up by the Ferdenzi family, the business has since changed hands, taken over by João Magalhães — who first worked behind the counter before buying it — and his brother-in-law Osvaldo Bartolo in 1998. The Fryer's Delight continues to defend its institution status by being one of a small handful of fish and chip places in the city still frying the food in beef drippings. This packs an absurd amount of flavor and luxurious taste into each bite. 

The restaurant even appeared in the 2002 video game, "The Getaway," in which players can roam around central London. It is an establishment to visit not just for the food but also for the atmosphere — both comforting in their refusal to succumb to change.

Molesey Fish Bar has been up and running for nearly a century, owned by the same family since 1975. It's known for frying fresh and sustainably sourced fish and British potatoes in beef dripping rather than vegetable or groundnut oil. The menu also includes chicken, burgers, and savory pies, including classic British fillings like steak and kidney, beef and onion, and chicken and mushroom. All the pies are sourced from Peter's Pies in Wales.

Though the Molesey is technically just outside of London, located in the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, it's so close to the capital that it's worth the trek. It is just a 30-minute train ride from Waterloo, which is also true for many areas still within London proper. Check the handwritten board for daily lunchtime specials. You can stick with the classic fish and chips, or perhaps select The Stav, a pita filled with meat, chips, melted American cheese, and copious condiments. 

Though slightly south of London proper, Superfish is so accessible by rail that it seems remiss not to include this super business. The widely-known chippy began life in the 1970s, opened by Alan Rhodes, a fish and chip fan from Yorkshire. The restaurant proudly shows off high-quality favorable reviews from The Times and food critic Egon Ronay, who ventured to this out-of-town chain.

The company is now run by Alan's children, having inherited his passion for the well-made British classic. Superfish has chippies in seven areas across Surrey. You'll find them in Cheam Village, East Molesey, Tolworth, Ashtead, Ewell, Morden, and West Byfleet. 

Ingredients are traceably sourced, with cod from the Barent Sea and potatoes from farmer Tom Fisher in Essex. The restaurant can track when and where its fish were caught and the vessel that fished them. The menu is straightforward, featuring many fish and chip classics, including "Yorkshire's own mushy peas," inspired by the founder's birthplace.

We've got to hand it to this winner of the 2021 Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice award, The Seashell of Lisson Grove's website alone is bursting with confidence, claiming the title of "London's most famous fish and chips landmark." 

There may be some truth to the claim. Located in Marylebone, on a site once destroyed in the Blitz during World War II, The Seashell claims high praise from chefs including Alain Ducasse and Ken Hom, and features a wall of photos of celebrity visitors including Liza Minnelli and Ed Sheeran. Food Network's "Man v. Food's" host, Adam Richman, took to Twitter to declare he was "eating his heart out" at the Seashell. 

Though there is a takeaway and delivery menu, The Seashell is a place to dine in and soak up the atmosphere. Start with crispy whitebait, a retro prawn cocktail, or a tuna and smoked mackerel pâté, before moving on to a traditional fish supper with plenty of chips, mash, or salad. There are other seafood choices, too, such as hearty fish pie or popcorn cod. All fried fish can be coated in Japanese panko breadcrumbs, matzo, or a gluten-free option if preferred. Mayo lovers will delight in the availability of aioli, kimchi, or sriracha-flavored options.

"All fish comes with chips" reads like music to any customer's ears when ordering from Nautilus Fish Restaurant in West Hampstead. A small restaurant, mostly serving takeaways and deliveries, Nautilus is popular mainly through word of mouth, with no website and barely any social media presence. It's one of those places you'd only hear about if it was delicious, and thankfully it is.

Customers can choose from matzo or matzo and egg-coated fish that's then fried until it crisps up to golden, crunchy perfection. Nautilus doesn't offer the classic batter coating that most fish and chip shops serve, but they also offer grilled fish. Other than a few standard sides like chips and salad, there are some Greek Cypriot-inspired touches, including salads, hummus, and taramasalata, for those craving a different sort of chips and dip. For those in search of the classics, don't fret: Pickled onions, gherkins, and mushy peas are there, too.

Winner of the OpenTable Diners' Choice award for 2023, Poppies is one of London's most well-loved, family-owned chip shops, going strong since 1952. Now with three locations, in Soho, Spitalfields, and Camden, the establishment is named after Pops (Pat), the family's patriarch. Pops basically grew up inside a chip shop in London's East End. Someone from his family has been wielding a deep-fat fryer ever since. With resident fishmonger Salih also at the helm, this fish and chip shop continues to steer Londoners toward the good stuff. 

Starters include fried whitebait, jellied eels — an East End tradition – and a classic prawn cocktail. Poppie's fish suppers have all the fried favorites we can expect from any good chippy; sides offer hits from mushy peas to pickles, Heinz beans, gravy, and curry sauce. Come for dinner, stay for entertainment: Poppies in Camden features live music one Friday each month.

When it comes to fish and chip shops, despite nearly 20 years in business, Sutton and Sons is still a relative newcomer compared to many on this list. Family-run Sutton and Sons now has restaurants in three popular neighborhoods: Stoke Newington, Islington, and Hackney. If you're dining in, there's an option to try craft beers made locally in Hackney, for a uniquely London-based taste and experience.

British fish and seafood include Cromer crab and Maldon oysters. Chips are hand-cut, and all pickled goodies, from cucumber to quail eggs, are made in-house. Sutton and Sons also owns and operates its very own fishmongers, making it even easier to trace the sourcing of ingredients from sea to supper. Want to experience the classic British combo without leaving the house? Both the restaurant menu and fresh fish from the fishmongers are available via online delivery, giving customers the option to make their own fish dinner if desired.

Last but not least on our list is a visit to London's oldest known fish and chip restaurant, according to its website. Rock and Soul Plaice first opened its doors in 1871, and is still using its original fried fish recipe.

Situated over two floors plus outdoor seating, this punny place is centrally located in Covent Garden, one of London's first urban planning sites under King Charles I in the 1630s. Rock and Sole Plaice is also a historic feature of the city, serving as a World War II hub for organizing where to distribute food for displaced Brits during the Blitz. Visiting the building feels like a step back in time, a nod to the city's resilience and history. It's also, of course, a wonderful place for lunch or dinner.

Choose from battered and fried fish, chicken, sausages, or a hearty pie. Rock and Soul Plaice also features two categories of sides, which are either "London style sides" of coleslaw, gherkins, pickled onions, and eggs, or "Northern style sides", which are curry sauce, gravy, and mushy peas. And don't miss the self-proclaimed "exquisite tartar sauce" to accompany your fish. We say, why not choose everything and have the best of both worlds?