Fish Shop Restaurant. Dublin's Best Fish & Chips?
Who has the best Fish & Chips in Dublin?
One of the most asked questions on every Irish travel group is "where's the best fish & chips in Dublin?"
The inevitable answer is one of the super touristy places like the Brazen Head or Hairy Lemon. Yeah, that's not the right answer.
I defer to experts and who knows food better than a Michelin-star chef? The Irish Independent asked Ireland's starry chefs where they go to eat seafood on their day off and three of them picked Fish Shop as their place.
So off I went to test it out.
Where is Fish Shop?
Two things are difficult with Fish Shop.
1. Getting a reservation. It is tiny and it is popular. Book well ahead.
2. Finding the place. Their signage is also tiny.
It's in the Smithfield area of Dublin. Very close to the Jameson Distillery. In fact, I had just come from a very disappointing tour of the distillery before arriving at Fish Shop.
The Restaurant
I loved it. I am Mr Minimalist and loved the decor. Whitewashed with three seating areas in the size of a living room. Sit at the bar, at the window or up against the wall.
I was up against the wall as punishment for being a solo diner. But it was fine. So were a third of the other diners. There's only 15 seats in the place.
I arrived at 5:30 on a May Friday afternoon and was the only person there. I was delighted. More chance to take photos without invading privacy, but within 10 minutes the place was full.
The seats are all barstools so this isn't a place you're going to linger over a slow meal for hours. It's designed to create delight that you snagged a seat, but then makes sure you don't hang around so they can turn the tables. Clever.
The Menu
My rule of restaurants is the smaller the menu, the better the food. It very rarely fails.
There is a good selection of snacks, but for the entree, you have a choice of fish, fish or fish. Fried or grilled or in a bun.
I was tempted to go for the in fish a bun, but didn't want the bread to overpower the fish, so went for the haddock as my main dish, with the dressed crab on toast for my snack.
I had just come from a few whiskeys at Jameson so went for a ginger beer for my drink.
The service in such a small place was friendly, informal but knowledgeable.
The Food
Dressed Crab on Toast
The crab was larger than I was expecting. Snack in Ireland usually mean minuscule but this was a good portion of crab. It was topped with mayo on bread with lemon served on a white plate.
It was light & delicious. I tried to slow myself down eating it to savour it, but I was hungry and Homer Simpsoned it.
Fish & Chips
Fish, chips, lemon and tartar sauce on a white plate. It's so simple. Why do other places complicate things?
I know my fish & chips. I've had so much it of that I should have fins. The key to it is not the fish, it's the batter. Sometimes you need a chisel to break through it. But not here.
The batter was so light, it was barely there until you'd felt the crisp of it as you bit down on it. It was superb. The last time I had batter so good was tempura in Tokyo where they spend a lifetime perfecting it.
The fish was beautiful. You could tell that it was still swimming yesterday. I did manage to slowly enjoy its gentle taste, sometimes with tartar, sauce, but usually without. It stood up on its own with a bit of salt and lemon.
I love my vinegar and when I'm at a takeaway, I ask them to lather it on to make up for the lack of taste, but I only put a few drops on here. It wasn't needed.
The Bill
€39 for drink, snack & main course for one.
The Verdict
They do one thing and they do it extremely well. This is the best fish & chips at least in the city. Although there are a few places in Howth that may disagree.
Score: 9/10.
Make Day of It
Fish Shop is 20 minute walk from central Dublin, so make a half day of it when you're going here.
- 5pm: Do a distillery tour. Both Pearse Lyons Distillery tour & Jameson Distillery are nearby. I much prefer the Pearse Lyons tour than Jameson.
- 6pm: Eat at Fish Shop
- 7pm: Go to the Cobblestone for music
- 8pm: Walk 5 minutes to Stoneybatter for a pint in a very local area of Dublin.
