The Fish Counter

Can’t say enough good things. Skip the fish and chips (which yes are great) but go for something out of the box like the special (fav so far has been Halibut Dumplings) or the Bouillabaisse. Great local products on the shelves and incredible Ocean Wise seafood in the case. SO happy to have them in my ‘hood!

Good little place for halibut fish and chips and many other seafood items. Oysters are only $ 2 and were so fresh. The dumplings were quite tasty and fish was flaky and cooked perfectly. Limited seating but fast turnover.

Fish Counter is my absolute favorite place if I am ever craving oyster po boy. I’d like to mention that the staff here is friendly and genuine. Their keen eye for detail resonates throughout their store front as you can tell the moment you walk in, you can feel that this environment is very clean. I made a couple of visits and each time there has never been any issue with the staff or the food. I can’t recommend enough to order their oyster po boy it is simply crispy, succulent and balanced with the right amount of sauce. The coleslaw that comes with their sandwiches are made with a vinaigrette style sauce which I do not prefer but I can see how it can be enjoyed by others. With every bite you will not regret but see the effort they put into every sandwich.

Fish is awesome here! Texture of fish is perfect and the batter is nice.
Really enjoyed the bouillabaise, add the fresh bread for $ 1 more, it’s a good sized baguette. Very satisfying!
Too bad there’s no tables to sit at. We’re always crossing our fingers that by the time our order is up, that people would have left a spot on the benches for us.

We passed by the place for a number of times, and decided to get it a try. It was a small place for dining, with a small table, and a few chairs at bar for 3 to 4 people. There were two sections, fish and seafood department. I noticed that everything there was oceanwise ! Good to know that. There were about five people already waiting for their orders. I ordered fish & chips and the fish was hot and tasty, and batter was great & crispy. The slaw was fresh and flavorful, thick and creamy.
Great spot for a seafood treat in the area.

I’ve only tried this place once, but it was a hit. Walking around on Main Street and needing a snack, a few friends and I popped in to see what this place had to offer.
There was a lot more on offer than we were expecting.
It has a market, deli counter, takeout counter, small seating area, and good quality fish and other seafood.
I tried the Salmonito wrap, with fries. It filled me more than was my original expectation, so I was pretty happy. My friends all had some of the varieties of fish and chips on offer. Salmon, Cod, Halibut. The fries are more than plentiful. I’d advise sharing.

Went here last Saturday. After living in the UK, I find myself rather regularly disappointed when it comes to fish and chips in Vancouver, as it tends to be a fast food experience at fine dining prices. Unfortunately, this was no exception.
Please keep in mind I’m reviewing this as a place to eat, not as a fish shop. As a fish shop, they seem well stocked and their fish is certainly fresh. There is a literal counter that serves fish and chips and a couple benches that were mostly fully occupied when we were there, so, I do not recommend coming here if you want a sit-​down lunch or are coming with a group of people.
We both ordered the same thing: two pieces of halibut with chips. The fish itself was fresh and the tartar sauce with tarragon was a nice touch. However, as is typical, it was thick and greasy (read: heartburn for hours), with a catacomb of batter hiding a small morsel of fish. The fries were more thinly cut than I enjoy with fish and chips, but were okay.
The general «vibe» of the place attracts a very Portlandia crowd (is it the drinks served in mason jars?), and when we went in there were more people than places to stand. Given the place and the preparation, I think I’d much rather just buy some fish and cook it at home. At least there, I can sit down.

Oh yea, this is the stuff battered and deep fried dreams are made of.
Ordered the 2 piece halibut with extra oysters on the side. Batter was very light, just enough and fried to perfection. Fries were crispy enough considering being covered by fish. Oysters were nicely breaded, huge and juicy.
Staff was polite and didn’t rush me as I also had some questions about the ready made soup (half of which is stock). I will come back for you…
Recommended for sure. Just be aware that parking kind of sucks in that area.

Excellent food, excellent service. Halibut fish are HUGE, one ended up being so filling, and priced so well! They are fried to perfection with a crisp batter to die for. They give you tons of lovely tartar sauce and their halibut dumplings are also tasty with a fabulous sweet soy sauce. Red pepper soup is delightful and staff are truly acommadating. My family are regulars and now I am one too!!! Wishing them the best of success!

I’ve always been a fan of halibut and I do like the occasional fish and chips, so halibut fish and chips was what I ordered. The amount batter used on the fish was just perfect. It wasn’t too thick, not too oily and it had a nice crunch. The halibut was the real deal and it was good quality white meat. Personally, I don’t prefer my halibut to be deep fried, but their version of the deep fried halibut was tasty, especially with their tarter sauce and a dash of lemon juice. It came with a huge amount of fries. I thought the fries was deep fried a tad too long, so it was a little dry, but I do understand some people like it that way. It also came with a side of coleslaw which I thought to be more of a garnish, but it’s a nice to have a bit of healthy salad to balance things out. There was very limited space to eat inside, maybe six people max and the front counter has no stools for sitting.

I’m calling this soulfood. The fish can be made gluten free! Wow and the clam chowder is lactose and gluten free! Oh baby! I was so happy to eat here. We shared 3 peices of the halibut and fries. The tarter sauce is gluten/​lactose free as well! That clam chower is my newest favorite thing with very generous amounts of clam & veggies and I’m telling you I wish I’d discovered this awesome place earlier.
The batter on the fish is fluffy but crispy and after you eat you don’t feel kinda gross like you would after eating fish and chips. Go, you won’t be mad that you did BUT don’t expect to sit anyplace bc there aren’t really any seats. And can I give kudos to these peeps being environmentally saavy bc their serving ware is biodegradable. I’m really impressed and the fellas the work here are super sweet. Great food, love it. Can’t wait to return.

Honestly, this place was decent but not amazing and here’s why:
I ordered the fish taco, and just regular fish and chips. The fish taco didn’t have much flavor to it. There was just the slaw, the fish and the taco shell. When I eat fish tacos I expect an explosion of flavor with a mix of the fried fish. This was a little bit underwhelming.
The fish itself is great though! When I had just the halibut and chips. it was delicious.
Would I go back? No, I think there are better places to eat in Vancouver, but I would recommend giving this place a shot.

Every time I see fish & chips on a menu I think «hmm that would be really good» but then I get it and it just doesn’t do it for me. Not cause its bad, just isn’t amazing like it is in my mind. My mom however lovessss F&C so of course we had to try out Fish counter for her birthday.
The 3 of us ordered the 3 pc halibut and the crab&shrimp sandwich. Both of them a hit!
The batter on the fish was light, just crispy enough and stuck to the fish so every bite had it all. The tartar sauce was tangy and the fries were pretty close to perfect.
What better to pair up the fish than with a refreshing sandwich. The loaded baguette was full of fresh crab, shrimp and coleslaw.
The place is small and meant for a quick eat. You can either stand at the counter or side on the few benches. On the other side of the store you can buy fresh fish and other products.
Pricing wise is on par with the rest of main street and other F&C places
Great service! Great food! Definitely have to come back to try the chowder! Maybe when its not so hot out.

I’ve tried a few things here. The crab cakes are delish. The fish tacos are well worth a try. I particularly enjoyed the salmonito (salmon wrap); it was fresh and tasty! I especially appreciate that the seafood is ocean wise.

My wife and I stumbled upon this little location quite by accident and realized we were hankering for some deep fried goodness!
The Fish Counter is quite interesting in that you can come here to purchase some very fresh looking seafood on one side and/​or deep fried deliciousness from the other side. We needed up getting a fish taco, po boy sandwich and halibut dumplings to share. Yes we are gluttons!
I have to say that the oyster po boy was one of the best I’ve had in ages. Perfectly deep fried oysters, on a bed of arugula, covered in what seemed like an inhouse tartar sauce, all wedged into a freshly toasted crusty baguette. Simple and delicious. Mind blown.
Unfortunately, while the dumplings were tasty, I found the wrapper way too thick. Also, even though the fish for the taco was well done, overall it just didn’t compare to the likes of places like Tacofino. Maybe it was the less than fresh tasting soft tortilla? Or maybe it was that the combination of flavours just didn’t seem to stand out to me.
Still, this place is worth coming back to get my fried food fix!

I had the crab and shrimp sandwich and it was pretty good. Warm bread topped with two scoops of crab and shrimp cake — it was delicious. The bread, crab cake and the salad were all very fresh. It was bit expensive $ 11 for the sandwich and $ 3 for a drink and didn’t come with fries. I will come again to try the deep fried oyster sandwich.

Fish Counter is popular with local clientele
* Fresh
* Tasty
* Quick service
* Good value
* Free jug of self-​service tap water
* Eco-​friendly theme
Seating limited to couple of benches and one standup counter where you can rest ur elbows
Enjoyed the Halibut with Caesar Side – see pic
Note: limited beverage choices and no booze license
MC/​Visa only

Love their Halibut and chip and the oyster poboy sandwich. If I had to rank it between the two, I love the oyster Po boy better probably because I usually prefer Oyster over fish and chips. The Halibut was super fresh made on the spot.
One thing about this restaurant is that there is only one table and the rest is window side bar table without stool. I guess you can sit and eat. OR the other choice is to walk to a park and eat there.
Parking is not difficult to find because its on Main street. I have to say if my friend didn’t recommend this place, I don’t think I will ever notice it. In front of the store is a bus stop and probably because the bus stop sitting area glass is pretty dirty and kind of hides the restaurant/​seafood place. So this is like a hidden gem. You really have to keep your eyes out when driving on main to notice this place.

Today’s victims :
#1 — 2 pieces of halibut
#2 — Chips n slaw
#3 — Dairy free clam chowder
Victim #1:
Appearance — golden brown, plump and juicy, not over-​battered
Taste — according to my co-investigator…“Delicious! Light and moist fish, amount of batter is just right. Good cold weather alternative to Pajos!“
Victim #2 — (partners of victim #1)
Appearance of Chips — Kennebec cut, crispy
Appearance of Slaw — Homemade, lightly dressed
Taste — Chips were plentiful and great when paired with malt vinegar! Slaw was obviously homemade and had just the right taste to cleanse the palate post mouthful of fish.
Victim #3
Appearance — Chunky, thick
Taste — Thickened with potatoes (not dairy. awesome for the lactose challenged), it was satisfying and hearty. Full of clams and veggies! Perfect on a cloudy Vancouver afternoon.
Crime scene:
Literally a fish counter on the left side with fresh cuts of fish for purchase. Kitchen and eating area on the right. Note that «eating area» is not a typo for «seating area». there are benches and counters… not necessarily adjacent to each other. Could be a challlenge to eat properly if you are not lucky enough to snag a table AND bench.
Case summary:
Delicious food.
Quick service.
Friendly staff.
Excellent for take out, tough to eat in (lost a star here).

Needed a new place for a Friday night date and stumbled upon this place on Unilocal.I love seafood so had to give it a try.
Fish and chips were very good, decent size fries were tasty, fresh and well seasoned. My boyfriend decided to order from the other side of the store where you can buy food to take home, he got crab cakes and the prices were less and you pay a little extra if you ask them to cook it for you.
All in all nothing to complain about but nothing that blew me away.