Chef John’s Fish & Chips

Great fish and chips with Special source
I will definitely come again with my family and friend.
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Delicious food! Clean dining area! Nice owners! Great prices! Will recommend this place to many people!

Very good place, really craved my fish appetite. The appearance of the store isn’t much, but I got mine to go anyway. I ordered the three piece with hush puppies and everything was cooked after I ordered no oven lights keeping food warm which was good. I recommend this place over major chains, support small businesses

I found my new place for fish n chips in San Diego. This place is definitely better than Mr Fish n Chips on Balboa and Genesee (no contest). This was the only decent but still not super good place whenever I had cravings for fish n chips but it still never really satisfied the craving. I have tried so many in Cali and none have met the high standards I had set in place.
This is a mom and pop runned store so service can be a little slow but it’s well worth it. I even came in late afternoon and it was still getting a decent volume of customers.
The fish was very lightly battered and not oily at all. It was also seasoned well unlike many other places. I could actually taste the fish which I had trouble with other restaurants.
Second most important thing is the tartar sauce. It was very good and was not tart like other places that serve their tartar sauce. Tartar needs to be tangy but not super overpowering that it dominates over the taste of the fish.
The fries/​chips were standard nothing particular to brag about and I personally didn’t really care because the fish was more important to me.
Highly recommend this place for your fish n chip cravings in San Diego and probably in Cali.

I was craving something fried when I decided on Chef John’s. I haven’t been here in years, not sure why I forgot about them? I must be losing it.
Dinner for one, I ordered to go. Three piece fish and a side of hush puppies. Fish comes with fries, but I substituted them for 6 pieces of fried zucchini. They have other options to substitute if you don’t want fries. Disclaimer on their website says they won’t substitute if it’s busy. I received three nice sized pieces of fish, same as it was years ago! They even added an extra little piece of fish with the order. The fish was perfectly fried, the hush puppies were a little over cooked for my taste. They did have a good flavor.
Got my fired food fix, I’ll be back sooner next time.

When craving great fish and chips and in the area, I make it a point to eat here for my fix. All family run and friendly. I usually just order the fish and chips and never disappointed, usually
the 2 piece which are good size pieces of cod, the fish actually looks and taste like it’s fresh and not frozen. The fries are good too, they don’t give as much Crispy fish/​chips in IB area, but enough though. The tarter sauce kept it from a 5 star, little too watery for my liking, similar to thicker salad dressing, but I still would go back anytime.

I like the food but unfortunately the customer service leaves something to be desired.
Hubby and I were looking forward to going back to Chef Johns since we introduced it to Ali B and the rest of the fam during my last trip home to SD.
Unfortunately, during my most recent visit they closed the restaurant 40 minutes earlier than they’re advertised hours and turned us away when we walked in. Major let down.
It’s disappointing that they would not extend us any grace given they were closing earlier than publicized. The staff literally turned the open sign over to closed in front us and said very nonchalantly, «we’re closed.» Okay…
Though I enjoy their seafood platter, the batter is crispy and fried to a golden perfection, I see myself trying another fried seafood restaurant before returning here again. Why support a business that does not seem to want my patronage?

My friend and I came here on a recommendation that this place had the «best fish and chips». We left disappointed.
This is one of those small mama-pop’s shop, which the kitchen was runned by Chef John himself. We ordered the shrimp and fish plate with fries. It was alright. I would rate it mediocre compared to other places I’ve tried. The consistency of the batter lacked the light fluffy texture you would find in a good fish and chips place. It was a tad too oily. Having been to a couple outstanding fish and chips places in Ventura, this was subpar. I supposed it was over-​hyped. Or perhaps it was a off day for them.

My first job was a fish and chips joint. This place is better than my memories. The fish pieces are decent sized. I love how close this place is to me.
Suggestion, food takes a bit to cook, if you are in a hurry, call ahead.

Great fish and chips. I don’t know if it’s the best in San Diego. But definitely a place to try.
I had a 2 pieces of hair in my clams. And they made me a new batch.

Outstanding fish & chips! Like corner-​shop-​in-​London good.
Mom & Pop operation. The Chef (and he’s an actual Cordon Bleu-​schooled Chef) and the counter lady are American Dream entrepreneur types… super friendly and serious about the quality they provide.
Service can be a little slow, especially during the peak of the lunch rush, but quality takes time. No heat lamp mushiness… everything is cooked to order.
Best fish & chips in San Diego, period.

This has probably been the easiest 5 star review that I’ve ever had to write. It’s been over 2 months since I’ve eating here and at this moment I find my mouth starting to water just thinking about it. Chef John’s Fish and Chips is the best, absolutely best fried seafood I’ve ever had and trust me I’ve had my fair share. Because it was my first time, I decided to try a little bit of everything so I ordered the Seafood sampler. This sampler consists of 1 Fried Cod (very large), 3 Jumbo Shrimp, Clam Strips, 2 Scallops and chips (French Fries). It’s hard to find a stand out but if I had a gun to my head I would say that the Scallops were my favorite. The batter was light and flaky and the Scallops were large and juicy. Everything is made to order and personally prepared by Chef John. Because of the freshness and quality, it takes a little longer to get your food but trust me, it’s absolutely worth it. This is a family run restaurant with the son taking your order, the dad cooking your order and the mom running the front of the house. I’m so in love with the fried seafood I almost forgot to mention the hush puppies, which are a must order. The atmosphere is very simple but doesn’t take away from the experience. The food and the family running the place are the stars of this restaurant.
Chef John’s Fish and Chips us a «Slaaaaaam Dunk!!!»

There are some foods that whenever I find a new restaurant, I just have to try it and Fish & Chips is just one of those! I have been seeing a number of my Unilocal friends making the journey to Chef John’s and I just happened to be in the neighborhood at lunch time, so…
It’s a small, unassuming restaurant with plenty of parking. I walked in and there wasn’t much of a crowd but it was late lunch. There are several booths for seating and the restaurant itself is quite clean. The menu is on display above the counter and right at the counter. And they are definitely serious about the Fish & Chips as that’s just about all they do here. They aren’t trying to sell hot dogs, or breakfast burritos. It’s a very traditional menu with Fish, Chicken, Shrimp, Clams, Scallops and Oysters. And they have just about every combination you can think of to order if you want to sample a few.
I went there specifically in mind to have Fish & Chips but couldn’t get my mind off the picture they have of the shrimp, so I ordered the Fish & Shrimp combo which comes with one large piece of fish and four jumbo shrimp (yes, I know, oxymoron), And it’s all served over a bed of chips.
I ordered my usual iced tea and I do believe it’s fresh brewed. I took a seat at one of the booths and not too long after ordering, one of the servers brought it to my table. It was interesting because along with the meal, they bring over a dispenser of ketchup, cocktail sauce and tartar sauce. When I got to my table there was only salt, pepper and vinegar. I was wondering about the other condiments and was pleased when they brought it out with the food. So much easier than trying to deal with little cups or putting it in paper serving cups. The food came in a basket with a piece of paper titled London Times, very nostalgic of the traditional serving of Fish & Chips in London when they would serve it all up in the days newspaper. Nice touch!
This was a very generous portion of fish, shrimp and chips. And it all looked so fresh and delicious. After biting into the fish, I was having a hard time putting anything on it because it was so fresh. But I did use a little tartar and sometimes the vinegar. The shrimp were also amazing and a little bit of cocktail sauce on top was perfect! The chips (fries) were crisp and not greasy or soggy. Adding vinegar to them was just perfect! I also ordered a small side of cole slaw which I have to say was just average. Not bad, but just kinda plain.
Overall great food and great experience. No doubt one of the best places in San Diego for Fish & Chips and well worth the trip if you don’t get down to this area. Come down because you won’t be disappointed either by the food or the prices.
To the owners, you are using styrofoam and I surely hope you will get rid of it. You can’t recycle styrofoam here in San Diego and there are so many recyclable options and people right in San Diego that manufacture them. Soon it’s likely to end up on the ballot and San Diegans are going to ban the use of styrofoam so why not change now. The cost is comparable to the styrofoam and at worst, it might cost you an extra 7 cents which you can pass along in the price of the food.

While searching for dinner options we found this location on Unilocal and wanted to give it a try.
They had received good reviews and were convenience to get to. The location was smaller than what I imagined it would be but it was clean and had plenty of dining space overall.
I ordered the Fish and Calamari (1 piece of fish, 10 Calamari Strips and fries) with a side of Shrimp; of course my husband ordered the same. My daughter and her husband both ordered the Seafood Sampler (1 fish, 3 Jumbo Shrimp, Clam Strips and 2 Scallops) with a side of hush puppies.
We were all in agreement that the meals were delicious. Everything was light and crunchy with just the right amount of seasoning. To elevate the flavors even more tartar sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and a spicy sauce were available.
The menu has Lunch and Dinner Selections, Seafood Combinations, Family Orders, Sides and Drinks (Soda’s and Tea’s). Because they prepare you meal when you place an order it can take a while (based on the size of your party and your order) to be prepared. So take a seat, sit back and relax it will be worth it.

Sorry, but the fish and chips here are pretty dismal.
I’m fine with it being a bit of a dive. But only if the food rocks. It doesn’t. I’m sorry to be contrary to the flow of Unilocal reviews, but I’m also tainted by living overseas in the land of fish & chips, so my review is perhaps reflective of a unique global experience.
Let’s start with the chips. Oft overlooked, they make up half the meal. Here, they are a small portion and it’s clear they are pre-​cut, smaller in size, from a frozen box or bag. There’s no fresh potato taste you might get with hand cut chips, and so they only serve as mechanisms for scooping sauces.
Likewise the standard fish piece is just that… it looks stamped in a factory, and tastes the same as well. Batter was OK, but almost too solid. Meanwhile the fish lacked everything you want from fried fish… some moisture, flakiness, steam/​oil, plum flesh. This place serves what can be only described as an oversized, recently frozen fish stick with a side of pre-​made restaurant supply fries.
I can fully appreciate how difficult it must be to source fresh fish and maintain a good supply of ingredients in any city. That said, this isn’t a place to really experience such a basic meal. In fact if I had eaten this meal in a bowling alley, I wouldn’t have thought twice.

Chef J’s is still consistently putting out great fried fish, shrimp clams zucchini’s & now (I don’t know how I’ve never ordered it) I discover they make some awfully good onion rings. These remind me of a light battered Maui style onion ring. The onion itself is flavorful (they have to be using a sweet style onion) and, of course, the batter is perfectly crisp & light.
Still come here regularly and actually have not had anything disappointing.

Love me some fried seafood and places like this. So hyped on making the trek out here for some good fried seafood after reading the reviews. Step in to a dated place making me feel like it’s an old converted Arby’s. Seeing a Korean family slinging fried seafood behind the counter got me excited. Brought my hard in the paint game plan going for the mac diesel seafood sampler. Then I got a really bad vibe when they told me only take out when there was a solid half hour before they close.
No big deal. I’ll speed home and jump in face first. Disappointed opening it up. Average sized paper basket with half seafood and half fries. No lemon and a thimble of tartar and cocktail sauce with a couple packets of ketchup. Should of opened it while I was there and swapped some tartar for more cocktail.
The best was the scallops. Two huge juicy sweet scallops. They actually squirt when you bite in to them. I know it sounds gross, but very flavorful and much better than antcipated. Skrimps were the runner up. More sweet seafood with the good texture and crunch. Then my all time favorite fried seafood, clams. Clams are a hit and miss with most places and this was a big miss. Tiny, with some just being batter. No flavor and sad quality of clams. Then it’s the huge piece of fish. At first it tasted too gamey and made me question about eating more. I caved and it got a little better, but far from expectations on a place that specializes in this. Fries were average. All in all, the seafood sampler feels like a little of a jip compared to the 3 main plate. The combos and specials are the way to go here. I’d say this place is over rated and needs to dial in the customer service more.

Underrated and a must try!
This mom and pop shop on Broadway is so low key, I hope my review will influence more people to come here because they’re missing out! The food is fresh but be warned of the long wait time because chef John cooks it when you order it. One meal is more than enough for 2 people, and finishing the chips aka French Fries was harder than my stomach thought because the generous amount we had.
Fish & Chicken Strips: i like how they fry their fish because it’s really crispy but just enough batter to also taste the fish texture. I think they use tilapia, not too sure. Chicken strips were decent, but I enjoyed the fish and other seafood items more. You have to eat it with tartar sauce, it balances the fish very well.
Overall, this little shop is great for fish and chips and Chef John and his wife are really nice and friendly. I hope they’ll gain more recognition because the service and food are spectacular.

Cheap prices, large portions, freshly made.
I found this place on Unilocal and decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon arrival. This restaurant is owned by a Korean family and has surprisingly been around since 2012. They had a poster board of their history next to the register with some pictures of the owners which was kinda cool.
They have a pretty good variety on their menu with many different combinations of food so you can easily get what you want. Most of their combos range from $ 10-​$ 15 which is not bad at all !!
My sister and I purchased a 3 piece fish and chips combo because I wasn’t sure how big the fried fish was going to be, and now I know that they are huge!!! 3 piece fish was more than enough, I could only eat one and a half of it. It also came with french fries, they were average, a little bit extra crispy but overall, everything was pretty flavorless. Definitely needs to be dipped in a lot of tarter sauce and ketchup! But I can say that the fish batter was extremely hot and crispy! Very fresh. But I feel like I need to bring some of my own seasoning next time to throw on top or bring it home and season it myself.
They offer other things such as clam chowder, fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried mushrooms, fried zucchinis, hush puppies, basically everything you would expect from a fried seafood southern style cooking which is awesome!
Only other complaint is that they could definitely use a store remodeling and upgrade of the chairs and tables. The chairs and tables were so oldschool. The kinds that feel like hard cold plastic covered cement with rotating chairs. The kind you find at like an oldschool mcdonalds or taco bell or mexican restaurant. All the tables and chairs were super sticky and disgusting. And not to mention, they are ugly bright neon yellow colors that hurt your eyes.
I am definitely taking my food to go next time!!!
P. S. They have individual combos (All under $ 15) and family combos (All under $ 50) as well!

Sometimes, simple is best. This is a no frills fish and chips joint for the uncomplicated. Everything, but the coleslaw, clam chowder and soda, is fried. Grilled and gluten free have no meaning here. Looking for healthy? This place is not for you.
It’s not your traditional English-​style fish and chips shop. Nonetheless, the food is good. I typically get an order of fish and chips, along with my fav — the hush puppies. Crispy, crunchy and cooked to order, I have no complaints here. Unlike similar restaurants, you get unlimited tartar sauce. I’m not nickled and dimed, when I ask for more tartar sauce. They give you an entire bottle, along with malt vinegar, ketchup and cocktail sauce, for your use.
The place may look a little run down and a bit outdated, but the interior is clean and roomy. The owners themselves are kind and friendly. For a local mom & pop shop, the prices for the food are reasonably fair. Most days, the clientele are primarily older folk. The demographic changes when it’s Lent, especially on Fridays. During this time, I avoid it at all cost, since I have an aversion for crowds.
Can’t wait for Lent to be over, when I can drown my fish and hush puppies in tartar sauce. That sauce is like crack, I tell ya! Crack!