Northerners love to claim that you can’t get a good a fish & chips in London, but they (the people who make that claim) don’t know what the f*** they’re talking about. London has loads of great chippies. Find my top picks below.
📝 There’s a common misconception that fish & chip shops by the sea serve fresher fish. This isn’t true. Cod and haddock for fish and chips come from the North Atlantic Ocean, mostly from the waters around Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. The UK imports most of its cod and haddock because there isn’t enough caught domestically. Every fish & chip shop gets their fish the same day regardless of where they are located.
📝 It’s often stated that The Fryers Delight in Holborn is the only chippy in London that still cooks their fish & chips in beef dripping. There are actually a handful of other (much better) chippies that do too. A few of these are listed below.
📝 Although fish & chips cooked in beef dripping definitely has a distinct, stronger flavour, I don’t see it as a deal breaker at all if it isn’t. There are plenty of great chippies that fry in vegetable oil. Also, beef dripping has no relation to how crispy the batter on the fish is.
📝 If you ask somebody who doesn’t know about fish & chips where to go they’ll likely tell you some of these places; Kerridge’s Fish & Chips at Harrods, Poppies, Mayfair Chippy, Fryers Delight. Avoid them and go for my recommendations below.
1. Molesey Fish Bar
📍Molesey ✔️ Beef dripping
Ok, Molesey Fish Bar is a couple hundred feet just outside of Greater London but it’s such a gem i had to include it on this guide. This chippy dates back to the 1930s. It’s one of a few London(ish) fish & chip shops that still fries in beef dripping. When you walk in you’ll notice mountains of scraps (shards of batter which have broken off from the fish) stacked in the warmer. If you get these on top of your chips it creates an incredible texture and flavour. Molesey Fish Bar is easily one of the most beautiful chippies i’ve been to. I love the old fryer and wood-panelled walls. The prices here are amazing. At lunch you can get a small fish & chips with mushy peas for only £6.50. It not the crispiest batter but the beef dripping gives both the fish & chips great flavour. The kebabs are also popular. The pub across the road will let you eat in if you buy a pint. There might be chippies that serve a better fish on the list but this is overall my favourite fish & chip shop for the other reasons mentioned.
2. Superfish
📍Multiple locations in & around South West London ✔️ Beef dripping.
Superfish was established in 1971 in Isleworth by a Yorkshireman. They currently have seven restaurants in and around South West London but used to have more. The first one that opened in Isleworth is no longer there. I went to the Cheam village location as it had the highest rating. A haddock & chips eat-in price was £13. Gherkins and pickled onions are free. Being fried in beef dripping gives the fish and chips great flavour. The batter on the fish was nice and crisp too. The curry sauce was darker than usual but was thick and rich with a good heat. I’m not a big mushy peas fan but these were some of the best i’ve had at a chippy. The chips were great too.
3. Ken’s Fish Bar
📍Herne Hill ❌ Beef dripping
Established in 1984, Ken’s in a neighbourhood gem between Herne Hill and North Dulwich. It’s Jay Rayner’s favourite chippy and he even took Phil Rosenthal there on an episode of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ on Netflix. A large cod & chips is £12.60. I think what makes Ken’s special is how crispy and golden the batter is. The fish was fresh and flaky too. It’ll definitely be one of the best pieces of fish you’ll find in London. The curry sauce is amazing too. It’s nice and thick and a lot more fruity than usual. The chips are good too.
4. Brockley’s Rock
📍Brockley ❌ Beef dripping
An award winning Greek Cypriot-run fish & chip shop in Brockley. They’ve only been going since 2011 so a lot younger than most of the other chippies on the list. A fish & chips will cost you £12.75. I went for the haddock and it was a beautiful. The fish had a light crispy batter and great flavour. The homemade tartare sauce is very good and the curry sauce is thick, rich & fruity.
5. Golden Chip of Hanwell
📍Hanwell ❌ Beef dripping
Established in 1989 by a Greek Cypriot called Agis. Agis started frying fish & chips in a kebab shop when he was only 10 years old. A large cod and chips will cost you £14.80. The fish here is always on point with light crispy batter and fresh flaky chunks. The chips are good too. As well as English curry sauce they also have Irish curry sauce.
6. Knight’s Fish Bar
📍Norwood ✔️ Beef dripping
A Greek Cypriot run chippy in Norwood. I love the dated decor here – especially the flooring. It’s one of a handful of London chippies that still fries in beef dripping. At lunch you can get a cod & chips for only £5.50. A large haddock & chips will cost you £13.
7. Marlow Fish Bar
📍Anerley ✔️ Beef dripping
Established in 1962 by a Greek Cypriot. It’s now run by the original owners son. It’s one of the handful of London chippies that still fries with beef dripping. A large fish & chips will cost you £13 with cod or £14 with haddock. The fish & chips have great flavour from the beef dripping. The batter on the fish was nice & crispy too. They also serve some pretty delicious rotisserie chicken with crispy, salty skin.
8. Chipping Wharf
📍Bow ❌ Beef dripping
I love an old school chippy with 80s decor and this definitely isn’t that. Chipping Wharf is a fairly new chippy (only a couple of years old) with a very respectable 4.9 rating on Google. In order to cater to the local community it’s halal so the sausages are beef not pork. They have a few woke things on the menu like sweet potato fries, truffle fries, and a vegan burger. It’s £14.90 for a large haddock, chips, tartare sauce. It was a nice big piece of fish. The batter was light and crispy. Inside it was fresh, flaky and moist . The curry sauce was thick, rich and fruity. They also do scraps which I love to see.
9. The Golden Fish
📍Dagenhan ❌ Beef dripping
This has got to be one of the most beautiful fish & chip shops in London. The side sit-down section looks like something out of a Wes Andersen movie. Even if the fish and chips wasn’t good (it was) I’d probably still be putting them on my list of top London chippies. I went for a cod and chips. The batter was great and the fish was nice and fresh. They remove the skin here too. The only thing I didn’t like was the curry sauce which tasted like it had a little too much cumin.
10. Lee’s Fish & Chip Shop
📍Lambeth ❌ Beef dripping
A beautiful Chinese-run chippy in Lambeth. I love the fixed blue plastic seating they have that you often find in greasy spoon cafes. A standard fish & chips cost £9.90 – a very decent price. I went for the haddock. The batter was light and crispy with fresh flaky chunks of fish inside. The skin had been removed, which a lot of Chinese-run chippies seem to do. The curry sauce is also pretty standout here.
11. Heston Fish Bar
📍Heston ❌ Beef dripping
A beautiful dated Chinese-run chippy in Heston, London Borough of Hounslow. The couple who run this spot are super friendly. The lady gave us free chips whilst we waited and even a mini fried piece of cod for my one year-old. A fish & chips here will cost you around £13 (£12.80-£13.30 depending on cod or haddock). The batter on the fish and battered sausage is incredible. So light and crispy with little shards sticking out. The chips are very good too – crispy and in a lot of different shapes. The curry sauce they do here might be my favourite chippy curry sauce. So thick and rich, and I think it had a hint of coconut.
12. Michael’s Fish Bar
📍Leyton ❌ Beef dripping
A Chinese-run chippy in Leyton. They serve a small cod & chips for only £7.50. You get two small fillets, one slightly larger than the other. In terms of value for money this is one of the best chippies in London. The curry sauce is thick and rich with almost a nutty flavour. The only downer is it’s a ball ache to get to unless you live in the area.
13. Cross Road Fish Bar
📍Kingston ❌ Beef dripping
A beautiful Chinese-run chippy on the backstreets of Kingston. I’m a big fan of chippies on residential streets and this one is a beauty. The current owners have been there seventeen year but I have no idea how old it actually is. A haddock and chips cost me £11.60 which is a decent price anywhere these days. The batter was super light, golden and crispy. Also the skin had been removed on the haddock which some people like. No complaints with the chips too.
14. The Golden Chippy
📍Greenwich ❌ Beef dripping
A Turkish Cypriot-run chippy since 2005, so a lot younger than other chippies on this list. They were previously ranked as the best chippy in London on TripAdvisor. They also own the cafe and newsagents next door. A cod & chips will cost you £13.50. You can get your chips double cooked. The batter is a little on thick side but nice and crunchy and the fish is fresh. The curry sauce is very good too. The saveloy could have been warmer.
15. Golden Union
📍Soho ❌ Beef dripping
I didn’t expect to like Golden Union as central London is usually a bit of a letdown for fish and chips but they were actually really good here. The restaurant was established in 2008 making it one of the youngest chippies on the list. I’m not sure about the dark neon lit dining room but they have a number of tables if you want to eat in. The electronic menu on the wall wasn’t very traditional either. A cod and chips was £15.95 but after adding curry sauce and tartare the total came to £20.95. The chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy int he middle and the portion was big. They also threw a few scraps on there too. The curry sauce was super thick and had a nice rich, sweet flavour. Although on the small side it was a lovely bit of fish. Watch the reel here.
16. McDermott’s
📍Croydon ❌ Beef dripping
17. North Sea Fish Restaurant
📍King’s Cross ❌ Beef dripping
A Greek Cypriot family-run chippy since 1977. A large cod and chips here is £15.95 but the piece of fish is massive. They also have a sit-down restaurant section. I think this is the best option for a good fish & chips in central London.
18. Fish Central
📍Clerkenwell ❌ Beef dripping.
A Turkish Cypriot-run chippy and seafood restaurant in Clerkenwell (est 1968). A takeout cod or haddock and chips is £12.75, which is pretty good for a central location. It’s £17.40 if you eat in. The batter was light and crispy, although a little soggy at the bottom if I was being critical, but still a beautiful fish. The service is standout.
19. King Neptune
📍Edgware ❌ Beef dripping.
A Greek Cypriot-run chippy fish and chip shop in Edgware. The current owners have been here since 1997 but the shop dates back all the way to 1946. The owner is the son in law of the owner of Tony’s Pie & Mash in Waltham Abbey (David Beckham’s favourite pie & mash shop), so as well as fish & chips you can also get pie, mash and liquor. I love that they serve scraps – not enough chippies in London do. The fish is good but the batter is quite thick – I prefer a slightly thinner batter myself.
20. Micky’s Chippy
📍Hackney ❌ Beef dripping
Micky’s Chippy is a Greek Cypriot run chippy established in 1996. A cod and chips is only £11.50 – a good price for the area these days. The batter is super light and crispy – like the batter at some of the Chinese chippies on this list. The curry sauce was runny and lacking in flavour. There’s a great boozer across the street called The Army & Navy that will let you eat your fish & chips there.
21. Sutton & Sons
📍Stoke Newington ❌ Beef dripping
Sutton & Sons now have three fish & chip shops and a fish mongers. I went to the original one in Stoke Newington. The menu is massive. As well as fish and chips they serve lobster rolls, fish pie, fish tacos, oysters, etc. A regular cod and chips is £14 takeout – on the expensive side for the area but it was a lovely thick fresh piece fish. The curry sauce here is elite.
22. Big Bite Fish & Chips
📍Willesden ❌ Beef dripping
A Greek Cypriot-run chippy established in 1978. It’s now run by the original owners son, Sal (a lovely bloke). They have some seating in the back and also serve beer. A cod and chips will cost you £13.50 or haddock and chips £14.50. I went for the haddock which was delicious – a very light crispy batter with fresh flaky, moist chunks of fish inside. Despite the chips being quite pale they were actually a lot crispier than they looked. The distinctly curved battered sausage was also decent – good with the curry sauce which was thick, rich and fruity. Also try their house-made hot sauce which includes scotch bonnet, tomatoes, onions, garlic, apples and mangoes.
23. Paul’s Plaice
📍Hanger Lane ❌ Beef dripping
24. Stones Fish & Chips
📍Acton ❌ Beef dripping
Stones Fish & Chips is a French Algerian-run chippy in Acton that opened up in 2015. I’m not a fan of the shop front which looks more like estate agent than a fish and chip shop. It often ranks high on those Nation Fish & Chips Awards lists. It’s £13.95 for a cod/haddock, chips, drink and a sauce. The batter on the fish was light and crispy, a nice dark golden colour, and the fish was fresh and flaky. The chips were double fried, super crunchy, and a nice dark colour too. The tartare sauce was home-made. The curry sauce was thick and rich, although I would have liked a little more fruitiness to it. All round a solid chippy.
25. Barracuda
📍Harrow ❌ Beef dripping
Barracuda is a Greek Cypriot run chippy in Harrow. The current owner has run the shop for 28 years but the shop actually dates back to the 1930s. It started as a fish monger to serve the local community who moved to the are to work at the Kodack factory. They Eventually they started selling fish and chips on the side then dropped the wet fish all together. The restaurant is split into a takeaway and a 70 seater restaurant. They have a lovely big mural or Agia Thekla in Cyprus. A takeaway cod and chips with curry sauce and housemade tartare came to £21.40 which is quite expensive considering it’s far from central London. The fish wasn’t the biggest but it was very good. The batter was light and crispy and inside were big flaky moist chunks of cod. The chips and cury sauce were good too. Watch the reel here.
26. Pisces
📍Eastcote ❌ Beef dripping
Pisces is a Turkish-run chippy in Eastcote. The current owners have been here six years but the restaurant dates back to 1980. They have plenty of tables for eating in. A takeaway regular cod and chips, tartare and curry sauce came to £20 which is expensive considering it’s far from central London. The cod was a little on the small side but the batter was light and crispy, and the cod was fresh, moist and flaky. The housemade tartare sauce was standout. The chips and curry sauce were good too. Watch the reel here.
27. Hobson’s
📍Soho ❌ Multiple Locations.
28. Mr Fish
📍Queens Park ❌ Beef dripping
29. Kennedy’s
📍Multiple Locations ❌ Beef dripping
30. The Garden Fish Bar
📍Kew ❌ Beef dripping
31-53
31. Oli’s Fish & Chips, Caledonian Road – watch the reel here
32. Rock & Sole Plaice, Covent Garden
33. Mayfair Chippy, Mayfair – watch the reel here
34. Bonners Fish Bar, Walthamstow
35. Gigs, Fitzrovia – watch the reel here
36. Fish Plaice, Russell Square – watch the reel here
37. Seashell of Lisson Grove, Lisson Grove – watch the reel here
38. Tanya’s, Barnes – watch the reel here
39. Micky’s Fish & Chips, Paddington – watch the reel here
40. Hot Spot Fish Bar, Harrington – watch the reel here
41. Joseph’s, Tower Bridge Road – watch the reel here
42. Costa, Perivale – watch the reel here
43. Masters Superfish, Waterloo – watch the reel here
44. Bailey’s, Fulham – watch the reel here
45. Poppies, Multiple Locations
46. Fryers Delight, Holborn – watch the reel here
47. The Laughing Halibut, Pimlico – watch the reel here
48. Toffs of Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill – watch the reel here
49. Nautilus, Hampstead – watch the reel here
50. Double Star, Woolwich – watch the reel here
51. Aquarius, Ruislip – watch the reel here
52. Mario’s Marvellous Fish & Chips, Isleworth – watch the reel here
53. Golden Hind, Marylebone – watch the reel here
James Dimitri 