BEST FISH & CHIPS in Los Angeles
rev. 1 June 2015
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General Notes on Fish & Chips
This is a fav subject of mine. My friends and I have been to nearly all the top pubs + best seafood places in L.A. that serve fish and chips, as rated by mostly Brits in the various rating services. The top 2 are amazing, but my buddy and I have only hit a couple dozen -- we have another dozen to also check out, including more pubs, but these are not as highly touted as the places we've already tested.
While many on the East Coast are very good, my family and I have have found one that is particularly amazing - the Main Ingredient in Annapolis, MD. A few in Florida are also pretty good – have been to a couple dozen there, but they don't stack up to the one in Annapolis. (We've tested some of the best in FL and compared them to the Main Ingredient in Annapolis, one day apart.) The Main Ingredient has an unusual fish - Cape Canecious, sort of a cross between cod and haddock. (Update: As of July 2012 they switched to swai, which, while, good, is not great like Cape Canecious, and is not as good as fresh cod.)
I lived in England two years and discovered most fish & chippers (at least at that time) served cod, plaice, and haddock. One place served hake, complete with a thick but harmless bone in the middle. Hake was a yummy break off the beaten path. In England I would try every fish & chipper in my areas of labor and compare them by ordering one piece of each type. (Have never seen plaice in the U.S.)
As for seeing "unusual offerings" for battered fish: in Saratoga, Florida I had red snapper fish & chips (the pub is out of business now), and in Bradenton at Fisherman Joe's Fish and Chips I had Amber Jack fish (great fish, pedestrian batter; in fact, the fish was bought at the dock that morning). As listed below, sole was at The Pike in Long Beach - which is also unusual for F&C, but the biggest surprise of all came at The Lobster in Santa Monica, noted below.
I lived in England two years and discovered most fish & chippers (at least at that time) served cod, plaice, and haddock. One place served hake, complete with a thick but harmless bone in the middle. Hake was a yummy break off the beaten path. In England I would try every fish & chipper in my areas of labor and compare them by ordering one piece of each type. (Have never seen plaice in the U.S.)
As for seeing "unusual offerings" for battered fish: in Saratoga, Florida I had red snapper fish & chips (the pub is out of business now), and in Bradenton at Fisherman Joe's Fish and Chips I had Amber Jack fish (great fish, pedestrian batter; in fact, the fish was bought at the dock that morning). As listed below, sole was at The Pike in Long Beach - which is also unusual for F&C, but the biggest surprise of all came at The Lobster in Santa Monica, noted below.
Two common denominators for all the great fish and chips places are FRESH FISH and GREAT BATTER. Not flown-in “fresh,” but fresh caught that morning. Big difference. Huge Difference.
While in L.A. we also graded each place for bangers, mashed potatoes, and tartar sauce - often house-made. Next time we'll try the chips and the shepard's pie. Below, we graded only the fish, unless the other menu items are noteworthy.
Note: While testing these places, also check out Chef's Eric Greenspan's restaurant at 7461 Melrose, Greenspan's Grilled Cheese, for another deep fried item of note: the iconic fried apple pie that he originated - made famous by McDonald's from 1968 to 1992, which Mickey D's replaced with the healthier, albeit tasteless baked apple pie still at McDonalds. It's one of the greatest ever deep fried desserts! (Or check it out at one of the ORIGINAL McDonald's locations, still going strong since 1953, at 10207 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, Calif. (and see what a first generation Golden Arches place looks like, where I, as the editor of this site, used to work at one in Alabama. The one in Downey is one of the few places in the U.S. that still serves them (along with Canada, the U.K., and Japan) and about 5 dozen in the Tampa/St. Pete area owned by one franchisee, for those of you with friends or family in Florida - see the specific locations at http://www.casperscompany.com/Careers/CurrentOpportunities.aspx
We checked out most of these places twice - in April and July 2010. The numbering order is based on fish, but some places have much better "other" food items, which justifies these places being listed. Some of these will be recognized by fish & chips fans, particularly by Brits who have touted them highly - and rightfully so. Others didn't make the grade because of one simple fact - their fish was frozen, not fresh, though the batter was good. (Until one has it fresh, like at Royal Clayton's, it's hard to give some of the more famous places as high a grade as some people have.)
1. Royal Clayton, downtown L.A. Cod, big and amazing. Perfect batter. Freshly caught that morning. Grades: fish A+, banger-in-pastry A- (bangers alone only C+). Fabulous sized serving of fish, as well. But quality is what counts - not quantity - in our tests.
2. The Lobster Restaurant, at the start of the Santa Monica Pier. It's not even on their menu - you have to ask the right people for it, so it might be a hassle for you, but we were lucky the summer of 2010 when we told them our quest - of finding the best battered fish around, and they recommended we try their baramundi fish from New Zealand - fresh, very expensive, and something they had never battered - but many, oh, man - it tied Clayton's. The only reason this is 2nd is because it might be hard to order. We're gonna try New Zealand John Dory (the most popular fish for fish & chips in Australia and New Zealand, according to my Aussie friend), plus sole and Yellowfin tuna at The Lobster in the future - but only if they batter'em up like they did this one for us. Grade: fish A+, tartar B+
3. Britania, Santa Monica Blvd, near Third St. Prominade, SM. Fish: B+. Larger than usual serving of fish. (The server was amazingly fun as well.)
7. Tudor House, near Santa Monica Blvd and Third St. Prominade, SM. Banger B+, Fish B-. This is listed because the banger rates unusually high.
10. Whale & Ale, Long Beach. Grades: Mashed B+, Tanden lamb A-, Fish C+. Listed because of other high-rated items. Their menu is fabulous overall, with much wider variety of European dishes than we found elsewhere. We tried several, such as the lamb, roast beef and yorkshire pudding (B+), rice and yoghurt sauce (A-), and others. Stunning place from the variety standpoint. Can't wait to return and try a number of things on their menu, next time we're in so cal.
Check our our other Posts for Best Fish & Chips in Utah and Vegas.
Recommended, for us to rate: The York, in Eagle Rock at York Ave or Blvd, north of East L.A. next to Glendale.
While in L.A. we also graded each place for bangers, mashed potatoes, and tartar sauce - often house-made. Next time we'll try the chips and the shepard's pie. Below, we graded only the fish, unless the other menu items are noteworthy.
Note: While testing these places, also check out Chef's Eric Greenspan's restaurant at 7461 Melrose, Greenspan's Grilled Cheese, for another deep fried item of note: the iconic fried apple pie that he originated - made famous by McDonald's from 1968 to 1992, which Mickey D's replaced with the healthier, albeit tasteless baked apple pie still at McDonalds. It's one of the greatest ever deep fried desserts! (Or check it out at one of the ORIGINAL McDonald's locations, still going strong since 1953, at 10207 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, Calif. (and see what a first generation Golden Arches place looks like, where I, as the editor of this site, used to work at one in Alabama. The one in Downey is one of the few places in the U.S. that still serves them (along with Canada, the U.K., and Japan) and about 5 dozen in the Tampa/St. Pete area owned by one franchisee, for those of you with friends or family in Florida - see the specific locations at http://www.casperscompany.com/Careers/CurrentOpportunities.aspx
The TOP 10 Fish & Chips in Los Angeles
We checked out most of these places twice - in April and July 2010. The numbering order is based on fish, but some places have much better "other" food items, which justifies these places being listed. Some of these will be recognized by fish & chips fans, particularly by Brits who have touted them highly - and rightfully so. Others didn't make the grade because of one simple fact - their fish was frozen, not fresh, though the batter was good. (Until one has it fresh, like at Royal Clayton's, it's hard to give some of the more famous places as high a grade as some people have.)
1. Royal Clayton, downtown L.A. Cod, big and amazing. Perfect batter. Freshly caught that morning. Grades: fish A+, banger-in-pastry A- (bangers alone only C+). Fabulous sized serving of fish, as well. But quality is what counts - not quantity - in our tests.
2. The Lobster Restaurant, at the start of the Santa Monica Pier. It's not even on their menu - you have to ask the right people for it, so it might be a hassle for you, but we were lucky the summer of 2010 when we told them our quest - of finding the best battered fish around, and they recommended we try their baramundi fish from New Zealand - fresh, very expensive, and something they had never battered - but many, oh, man - it tied Clayton's. The only reason this is 2nd is because it might be hard to order. We're gonna try New Zealand John Dory (the most popular fish for fish & chips in Australia and New Zealand, according to my Aussie friend), plus sole and Yellowfin tuna at The Lobster in the future - but only if they batter'em up like they did this one for us. Grade: fish A+, tartar B+
3. Britania, Santa Monica Blvd, near Third St. Prominade, SM. Fish: B+. Larger than usual serving of fish. (The server was amazingly fun as well.)
4. Yankee Doodle, on Third St. Prominade, SM. Fish B+. Probably unheard of among serious fish & chips fans, this one surprised us - and it serves no cod, but mahi.
5 The Pike Bar and Fish Grill, Long Beach. Sole is served instead of cod. Fish: B, Slaw: A-, much better than most slaw anywhere, though not a standard fish & chips dish obviously.
6. Malibu Seafood. We heard of this place 15 years ago, in 1996, from a Cal native, a film producer friend of ours, who said it was his fav ever, and he described it exactly as we found it 14 years later when we finally ventured out to try it. It's on PCH 1, just across the street from Malibu Beach, and it's ultra-casual. You eat outside, enjoy the scenary, and dodge the gulls. While many fish offerings are fresh, the fish & chips, unfortunately, sport cod that's frozen (or else it was way over-cooked, which creates a similar affect). Nice thick pieces and the batter is decent. We plan to return and try the fresh, non-battered fish. Fish: B.
5 The Pike Bar and Fish Grill, Long Beach. Sole is served instead of cod. Fish: B, Slaw: A-, much better than most slaw anywhere, though not a standard fish & chips dish obviously.
6. Malibu Seafood. We heard of this place 15 years ago, in 1996, from a Cal native, a film producer friend of ours, who said it was his fav ever, and he described it exactly as we found it 14 years later when we finally ventured out to try it. It's on PCH 1, just across the street from Malibu Beach, and it's ultra-casual. You eat outside, enjoy the scenary, and dodge the gulls. While many fish offerings are fresh, the fish & chips, unfortunately, sport cod that's frozen (or else it was way over-cooked, which creates a similar affect). Nice thick pieces and the batter is decent. We plan to return and try the fresh, non-battered fish. Fish: B.
7. Tudor House, near Santa Monica Blvd and Third St. Prominade, SM. Banger B+, Fish B-. This is listed because the banger rates unusually high.
8. Robin Hood British Pub, Sherman Oaks. Banger B+, Tartar A, Fish B-. This is listed because the Banger and house-made tartar rates unusally high. Batter on the fish is very good as well.
9. Ye Olde Kings Head, End of Santa Monica Blvd, SM. Tartar A+ (best ever), Banger A, Fish C+. Probably the best known of all fish & chip shops, this one is listed by us because the Tartar and Banger rate so high. The batter is thick, hard, and crusty to our tastes, and the fish seems frozen. (Sorry - don't want to offend our friends, though!)
Check our our other Posts for Best Fish & Chips in Utah and Vegas.
Recommended, for us to rate: The York, in Eagle Rock at York Ave or Blvd, north of East L.A. next to Glendale.
You should checkout Northridge fish and chips in the san fernando valley. Its a dive however the the fish has a very good batter. I think they use cod they cook it just right. The chips are weak and they serve your meal on paper plates. Canned soda only.
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