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Fish and chips — fried fish in crispy batter, served with chunky chips — are often considered Britain’s national dish and are one of the most common takeaway foods in the UK.
The true origin of fish and chips remains a mystery, although many claim it was introduced to the country as early as the 17th century by Spanish and Portuguese Jews, who cooked fish by coating it in flour and then frying it in oil.
Chips were possibly added in the 1860s by Belgium immigrants who made a living by selling fried potatoes. An early reference to “fried fish warehouses” is made by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist, published in 1838. By 1930, there were more than 35,000 fish and chip shops across the UK, although this number has somewhat reduced today, with around 10,500 still remaining.
The original version of fish and chips has been refined over the years, and we’re now seeing it being elevated from greasy fast food to high-end cuisine. Traditionally only cod was used, but these days you can find calamari, halibut, and hake in the fryer at a “chippy.”
Today, the fabled newspaper wrapping has been replaced by plain paper or cardboard, but the rustic feeling of the dish has not changed. You’ll also find plenty of restaurants and gastropubs serving delicious beer-battered fish and beef-dripping chips if you prefer your London fish n’ chips as a sit-down meal instead of an on-the-go feast.
For some of the best London fish and chips restaurants, read on.
Central London
Kerridge’s Fish and Chips
- $$$$
- Neighborhood: Knightsbridge
- Address: Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London
- Website: harrods.com/en-gb/restaurants/kerridges-fish-chips
Try Kerridge’s Fish and Chips at Harrods in Knightsbridge for a Michelin-starred chef’s take on the famous dish. Here you can sample some of Britain’s finest seafood, including hand-dived scallops and native lobsters. All the fish and seafood here are ethically caught and then hand-selected by local fishmongers, making it one of the best restaurants for a guilt-free feast.
Tom Kerridge’s famous gluten-free batter is served here, as well as his hand-cut triple-cooked chips, which take two days to make and are served golden and piping hot. Posh parings for your chips include caviar and crème fraiche and lobster thermidor. All deep-fried options are served with homemade Matson curry sauce, tartar sauce, and pease pudding (a heavenly paste made from yellow split peas and other ingredients).
If you’ve got any room for dessert, options include frozen parfaits, a flourless chocolate almond cake with salted caramel and vanilla chantilly, and an elderflower “syllabub” with summer-fruit compote and gingernut biscuits. Simply delicious.
Pro Tip: Finding this location can be a bit tricky! Head to the ground floor via street-level access door 8.
North London
Oliver’s Fish and Chips
- $$ – $$$
- Neighborhood: Belsize Park
- Address: 95 Haverstock Hill, London
- Website: oliversfishandchips.com
Oliver’s serves up a unique blend of traditional, high-quality fish and chips alongside a range of Mediterranean fish dishes. All fish is from sustainable sources and is fried in vegetable oil using the latest frying technology, making this some of the healthiest fish and chips around.
This restaurant’s gluten-free Wednesdays are popular with locals; however, on all other days, anything cooked in the gluten-free batter is still fried separately.
Lighter meals like salads, sandwiches, and fish fillets from the grill are available for those wanting a fish and chips experience without the calories. The tuna Niçoise salad with grilled tuna steak may not be the traditional chip shop fare, but it’s got our seal of approval!
Oliver’s Belsize Park restaurant has around 30 covers and is open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Advance booking is recommended, particularly for evenings and weekends.
Fish Central
- $$ – $$$
- Neighborhood: Finsbury
- Address: 149-155 Central Street, King Square, London
- Website: fishcentral.co.uk
Situated in foodie heaven Clerkenwell, this old-school institution has barely changed in decades. Located just off Central Street since 1968, Fish Central serves up a wide range of delicious dishes that locals swear by.
The onus here really is on the fish, with grilled sardines, oysters, and lobster all on the menu, as well as a flaky and moist cod in batter. The super-chunky chips are also very, very good.
Fish Central is owned by George Hussein, who can often be found in the kitchen working his magic at the fryer. Cod and haddock are usually fried to order and then steamed gently inside their batter, creating a slightly sweet taste. If you don’t fancy dining in, order takeout to get your fish and chips wrapped, then head outside and find a quiet spot to sit while you devour them.
Toff’s
- $$ – $$$
- Neighborhood: Muswell Hill
- Address: 38 Muswell Hill Broadway, London
- Website: toffsfish.co.uk
This Muswell Hill fish and chip shop has been in operation since 1968 and has previously been voted best Fish and Chip Shop in the UK by The Seafish Industry Authority and The British Potato Council, as well as Best British Restaurant in London by the Archant group of newspapers in their Food and Drink Awards.
Toff’s combination of crispy batter, fresh fish, and fluffy chips is absolutely unbeatable, and it’s easy to see why customers have been coming back for over 50 years!
Previously called Barracuda, Andreas Ttoffalli took the business over in 1988 and changed the name to Toff’s of Muswell Hill. In 1999 brothers George and Costas Georgiou took over Toff’s and took it to another level, literally and figuratively, by expanding into a new first floor and adding a ‘Captain’s Table.’
Sadly, George passed away in April 2020, but Toff’s is now in the capable hands of George’s wife, Giga, and son, Christopher.
Toff’s serves fresh fish bought directly from the UK’s fish docks. Their supplier is a member of the Marine Sustainable Seafood Council and fishes using approved fishing practices. The fish is then coated in Toff’s specially blended batter mix and fried in refined ground nut oil or grilled if you prefer. Their menu includes skate, rock, salmon, many types of soles, and calamari.
South London
Kennedy’s Fish and Chips
- $
- Neighborhood: Streatham
- Address: 5 Leigham Court Road, Streatham Wells, London
- Website: kennedys-fish-chips-restaurant-streatham-hill
Kennedy’s Fish & Chips in Streatham has a fantastic reputation and is well worth a try if you’re in the south of London. In addition to their extremely tasty fish and chips, Kennedy’s serves up a selection of sausages, pies, grilled meats, and pasta salads that are all equally tasty.
Prices at Kennedy’s are very reasonable, and their portions are HUGE. Most people opt for takeaway, but there are a couple of small tables in the restaurant if you prefer to enjoy the ambiance inside instead.
Seventeen
- $
- Neighborhood: Balham
- Address: 17 Chestnut Grove, Balham, London
- Website:
Seventeen-Fish-Chips
Seventeen’s blue-fronted shop is a well-established favorite among the locals of Balham. This venue offers an uber-trendy take on the humble chip shop, with white tiled walls, grainy wooden furniture, and pretty dangling lights.
The friendly team serves up an array of fresh and delicious chippy food, which is best washed down with one of their delicious craft beers. Particular attention should be paid here to often-ignored menu options such as scampi and onion rings. At Seventeen, these are fresh, light, and crispy, and we recommend adding them to your order.
East London
Poppie’s
- $$ – $$$
- Neighborhood: Spitalfields
- Address: 6-8 Hanbury Street, Old Spitalfields Market, London
- Website: poppiesfishandchips.co.uk
Poppie’s was first established in 1952 and is now styled to recreate East End London between 1945 and 1955. Poppie’s started with Pat ‘Pop’ Newland, who began his chippy career at the tender age of 11 when he got a job cutting up newspapers to be used as wrapping. Fifty years on, Pat opened his first fish and chip restaurant, which served traditional jellied eels and saveloys but had a modern feel and emphasis on quality.
Here, you can step back in time while sampling fillets of flaky fish or seafood platters, which come directly from the nearby Billingsgate market. The accompanying classic chunky chips have the perfect crunch factor and a delicious flavor.
Orders come wrapped in (fake) newspaper sheets for that authentic chippy feel. The fresh fish can be ordered grilled and fried, and the extensive menu includes cod, haddock, mackerel, prawns, and placed alongside the traditional jellied eels. The restaurant itself is spotlessly clean and staffed by cheerful wait staff in diner-style outfits with headscarves.
Poppie’s winning recipe has been replicated in Camden with its 1940s-theme 110-seater restaurant, complete with reclaimed fixtures and fittings, and the Soho branch has a 1970s retro chic feel.
Pro Tip: Poppie’s also has locations in Soho and Camden.
Sutton & Sons
- $
- Neighborhood: Hackney
- Address: 218 Graham Road, London
- Website: suttonandsons.co.uk
Owned by Danny Sutton, this Hackney favorite sources from its own fishmonger across the road and serves up fresh, high-quality. Sutton & Son’s battered cod fillets are almost unbeatable, but there is much more to try here.
You’ll find mouth-watering lobster, cockles, clams, and seasonal favorites alongside high-end fish and chips. Vegans are also well-catered for at Sutton & Sons, with seaweed-marinated banana blossom and plant-based battered sausage on the menu.
If you have any space left, try a piece of homemade sticky toffee pudding. This is classic British food at its very best.
West London
Kerbisher & Malt
- $
- Neighborhood: Shepherds Bush/ Brook Green
- Address: 164 Shepherds Bush Road, London
- Website: kerbisher.co.uk
Kerbisher & Malt opened in 2011 and now has restaurants in Brook Green, Clapham, and Mortlake, as well as this Shepherds Bush gem.
Their fat, crispy chips are hard to beat, and they are served alongside mouthwateringly fresh fish. Traditional mushy peas feature on the classic menu that both locals and visitors love. The best thing about this spot? Everything here is homemade (apart from the Heinz ketchup!)
The Golden Hind
- $$$
- Neighborhood: Marylebone
- Address: 71a, 73 Marylebone Lane, Marylebone, London
- Website: goldenhindrestaurant.com
This Marylebone Village stalwart first opened in 1914 and has been going strong ever since. The Golden Hind has previously had three Italian owners, and now Greece’s Anthony Christou has been running the venue since 2002. In fact, a board to the left of the entrance highlights the incredibly positive effect that immigration has had on the development of fish and chips in the UK.
There are little hints of The Golden Hind’s Italian and Greek heritage on the menu, with affogato and limoncello puddings as well as Greek pickles and salad on offer. But the real ‘non-traditional’ winner here is the deep-fried feta cheese fritters which are packed full of delicious salty goodness.
Golden Union
- $$-$$$
- Neighborhood: Soho
- Address: 38 Poland Street, London
- Website: goldenunion.co.uk
Modern-looking Golden Union opened in Soho in 2008 and offers exceptional food and friendly service. At £13.95 for a large cod and chips, Golden Union is certainly not the cheapest option on this list, but the high-quality food and central London location make it great value for money.
Golden Union’s quirky design, with neon signage, yellow tables, and squeezy, tomato-shaped ketchup bottles, gives it the retro feel of an American diner. But the menu is all British, with a large selection of classic chippy options, including homemade pies and traditional sides such as pickled gherkins and curry sauce.
Golden Union uses its own careful blend of oils for frying and sources only sustainable fish, which is among the flakiest and best-flavored in London. For vegetarians, check out the battered halloumi.
Chippers Are Awaiting You in London
Good fish and chips are hard to beat, and there’s no better place to try them than when staying at a vacation rental in London. Be sure to add plenty of salt and vinegar, plus a pot of mushy peas, tartar sauce, or even coleslaw for dipping. Or try it with gravy for a northern English twist on the dish.
These are just some of the hundreds of delish options on offer. And, with such a huge number of restaurants and takeaways to choose from, all with their own unique style and menu, you could eat at a different one every day of the year!
Featured Image Credit: gowithstock
