With the country in lockdown again, online takeaway orders have been on the up – and Brits have been hooked on classic fish and chips. In the first half of 2020, chippies saw a massive 208% increase in orders, leading the way as the UK's favourite lockdown takeaway. These 17 restaurants and takeaways are among the best in the country and were all winners or runners-up at the National Fish and Chip Awards 2020 – and they'll now deliver a fish supper right to your door.
Relative newcomers to the fish and chip scene, Malt and Anchor opened in 2017, and have earned a special plaice (sorry) in the hearts of Cirencester locals. Theirs is a "traditional chippy menu with a twist" and it's now available for home delivery in the area. Your fish will come complete with homemade tartare sauce, twice-cooked chips and a fresh lemon wedge, and alternative options include panko-coated squid or a jackfruit "steak" pie for vegans.
This stylish harbourside spot in Torquay, Devon has long sourced their MSC-certified fish from the world-famous Brixham fish market. And while Saltwater's doors are currently closed, the restaurant is making sure regular punters aren't without the catch of the day. They're using Yeti Delivery to whisk their battered delights to Torquay residents. The menu is pleasingly classic with cod, haddock, scampi or fishcake and chips, and staple extras like chip shop curry sauce. Try the 'surf and turf' burger for something a little different.
This swanky seafood restaurant is tucked away in London's Borough Market, and while its doors are closed for now, those in the local area can get their Fish! fix on Deliveroo. There's a sizable menu available for delivery, including your classic beer-battered fish and chips, tartare sauce and mushy peas, and fancy options like grilled lobster with garlic butter, or scallops with black pudding and Fish!'s signature red wine gravy. It's a sofishticated take on Britain's beloved chippy.
Voted the UK's Healthiest and Most Sustainable Fish and Chip restaurant in 2018, Belfast's Fish City is the first retailer in Ireland to be MSC certified. They're also held up for championing seasonal ingredients and for making their tasty sauces in house. During lockdown, locals can still feast on a top-quality cod supper, or sample innovative dishes from salt and chilli squid tacos to fisherman's curry with rice.
The Cod's Scallops has been showered with accolades, and all of its four locations have been reeling in locals with home delivery during lockdown. Choose from a carefully curated menu filled with classics, from cod and haddock to lobster and monkfish, all available fried in beef dripping, with BBQ spices or baked with garlic, lemon and herbs. Garlic and herb tiger prawns, cockles and mussels will sate seafood-lovers too.
The Fisherman's Wife – a traditional fish restaurant located in Whitby, North Yorkshire – was honoured in 2020's National Fish and Chip Awards. And though this well-loved Whitby spot is closed for now, The Fisherman’s Wife's York branch is still offering home delivery to local fish lovers. You can find the takeaway spot on Just Eat, and pick from a menu boasting battered haddock, scampi and even a chip butty. This is one for chippy traditionalists.
Carron Fish Bar, a busy favourite among Stonehaven locals, is no stranger to acclaim, and is even tipped as the birthplace of the indulgent deep-fried Mars bar. Happily, the chippy is offering local home delivery seven days per week: if you're in the area, pick from a generous menu including a classic haddock fish supper, and comforting alternatives such as macaroni pie or traditional haggis. And don't forget to try that "world famous deep-fried Mars bar".
Dolphin Takeaway are in a class all of their own, having been named Northern Ireland's No.1 Fish and Chip Shop three years on the trot. The shop prides itself on its healthier options, offering lighter bites under 350 calories, gluten-free options, and sustainably sourced fish too. And locals can now order a meal for home delivery directly through Dolphin's website. For a fish supper with all the trimmings, opt for the Dolphin Deluxe meal: your cod and chips will come with tartare sauce, peas, lemon and a can of your choice.
While plenty of chippies source sustainable produce, Weston Grove is another kettle of fish entirely. Not only does this eco-conscious shop proudly serve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood, they also use bio-degradable takeaway products and strive to be completely plastic-free. And you can now order "award-winning fish and chips that don’t cost the Earth" to your door. The delivery menu includes signature cod and haddock suppers, as well as gluten-free battered fish, a vegan pie and vegan gravy and curry sauce.
Another chippy making strides when it comes to sustainability is Golden Carp, which chooses local suppliers, composts leftovers and even supplies fryer oil for use in vehicles. Its highly rated chip-shop classics – including meat pies, cod, plaice and haddock, and sausages – are available on Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Battered halloumi is a tasty alternative to fish too.
Feeding the folks of Swansea for more than seven years, fish-and-chip restaurant Hiks uses groundnut oil to fry up its battered delicacies. While locals can't dine at Hiks' 42-seater restaurant for now, they can order the spot's chip-shop favourites to their own home. Cod, plaice, battered sausages and fish cakes share the delivery menu with surprises such as battered rissoles and corn beef pasties.
Fancy making your own fish cakes? Try this delicious recipe with smoked salmon
This classic shop prepares its fish and chips daily onsite and sticks to a failsafe chippy menu. You needn't go without your fish supper during lockdown either: Seafare is available on Just Eat and their offerings for delivery include cod, haddock, fish cakes and battered sausages. Vegetarians can opt for a veggie burger with scrumptious chip-shop chips.
Shap Chippy has firmly cemented itself as a fish and chip favourite in the North West of England. Expect sustainably sourced fish, and even sustainable vegetable oil, which ensures their seafood and (double-cooked) chips are fried to perfection. Fish-loving folks in the Penrith area can order their dinner directly through the Shap Chippy website: their chip-shop staples go down swimmingly, but you can also try more unusual bites such as Argentinian red shrimp.
A firm favourite with Maidstone locals, this dinky chippy is run by brothers Gavin and Craig Lewis. They pride themselves on their sustainable hook-and-line-caught fish, coated in a light batter, and their tasty piri piri chicken dishes. You can order these signatures to your front room, or get your teeth into a steak and ale pie or beef burger instead. Specials for delivery include the panko calamari and the seabass wrap with salsa.
Dubbing itself the "next generation in fish and chips", this Leicester shop is a relative newbie in the chippy world. But what it lacks in age, it makes up for with quality, priding itself on its sustainably sourced fish and its top-notch, no-fuss menu. You can order a Frydales feast – likely fried up by 2020's young fish frier of the year, Charlie Collins, no less – on Uber Eats. You'll find all the chip-shop staples here, from battered cod to pies, with peas and curry sauce on the side.
Sutton & Sons have more than 20 years' experience in cooking up a storm for the Big Smoke's fish lovers. They use fish sourced from the fishmongers right next door – and while you can't dine at one of their snug restaurants right now, you can order a fish feast from Deliveroo. All three of the outlets – Islington, Hackney Central and Stoke Newington – deliver, and the options go beyond your usual chip-shop favourites. Try a lobster sub, tempura prawns or plant-based options including vegan scampi and sausages.
For more than four generations, Colmans has been doling out perfectly fried fish in its "famous batter" to the people of South Shields. Richard Ord of Colmans scooped the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2020 Fish and Chip Awards and you can sample his delicious offerings from home. Order via the Colmans website where you can choose from Whitby breaded scampi, line-caught haddock, or a classic cod supper.