Where Sydney Chefs Eat Fish’n’Chips

While we never need an excuse, summer’s warmth brings one more reason to partake in a tray of hot-battered seafood by the seaside. Fish’n’chips is an all-weather winner, perfectly matched with a beer – or the salty solution to those beers from last night.

The format’s been elevated in recent years, and this mix of recommendations from chefs around town brings old faithfuls, new openings and a last call to get yourself to our beloved Fish Market before it moves to a flash new home.

Joe Valero, Tacos, Tacos, Tacos
People say that the best fish and chips are enjoyed next to the beach, and I don't disagree with that. But in my opinion, nothing can beat fish and chips after a swim at my favourite pool in the inner west: Fanny Durack. Nearby, you'll find the crunchiest yet lightest-battered fish around, at Fich. It always has a rotation of sustainable fish, which is a big plus. And don’t miss the house-made sauces: the piri piri is my go-to for dipping those crisp golden chippies.

Oscar Solomon, Olympus
Rosie’s in Coledale – it’s a proper fish’n’ chipper on the Coal Coast. Only an hour from Sydney, it's an absolute stretch of heaven. Beautiful coastline and beef-fat chips, batter crunchy enough to break your teeth.

O Tama Carey, Lankan Filling Station
I feel like fish’n’chips is best eaten on the beach watching the sunset. Alas, this isn’t possible in Sydney [because the beaches don’t face west]. However, you can do the beach part. My favourite is Bottom of the Harbour at Balmoral Beach. I tend to do the grilled fish with chips, tartare sauce and their Greek salad. It makes me happy.

Lewin White, The Waratah
My favourite is Out of the Blue in Clovelly. It’s a great neighbourhood chippy filled with locals [and] always packed in summer, so best to give yourself a bit of time. Go-to order is classic battered fish, chips (with chicken salt, of course) and a potato scallop or two.

Michaela Johansson, Aplenty
Fish and chips for me is sometimes less about the actual spot you’re getting it from, and more about it being part of a lazy beach day. So while these are definitely not the best of the best, they fit that bill. Bondi Road Seafoods has daggy plastic trestles out the front and you can BYO a nice bottle and add on a dozen oysters and fresh prawns to your fried basket. For pure seaside enjoyment, it’s Bronte Fish and Chips. You might get stung with sauce add-ons but you get to wash your greasy chicken salt fingers in the ocean after.

Claire van Vuuren, Bloodwood
In my opinion you can’t beat the Fish Market for fish’n’chips. My go-to is chips, fried calamari, sashimi and fresh prawns from Peter’s. I grab a bottle of white wine and some plastic glasses and then sit by the water watching the seagulls attack everyone! The seafood is always super fresh, and they have a nice range of dipping sauces.

My next choice would be Bottom of the Harbour in Balmoral. This place always feels like a holiday to me, sitting on the grass watching the action of the harbour. Their chips are great, and the calamari is delicious and not too overly battered. My tip is to go on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowds. This place gets insanely busy!

Morgan McGlone, Bar Copains and Sunday
My go-to spot since forever is Out of the Blue, in Clovelly. My order is flake fillet under-done, and chips or potato scallops, fried oysters and a cheeky crab stick. They also have an awesome fish burger.

Toby Wilson, Ricos Tacos
Tarrawanna Fish Shop [between Bulli and Wollongong], for me, is the perfect Australian chippy. From the timeless design of the lightbox signage outside to the impeccably clean and organised open kitchen, there is not a thing I’d want to change about this joint. A good friend of mine, and excellent chef, Troy Cotton, put me onto the goods some time last year and now I can’t make the trip south without stopping by. There are no wrong orders here; over-order with abandon and be happy you did.

Danny Corbett, The Point Group (Shell House, The International, Harry’s and The Dolphin)
My go-to fish’n’chip shop is always Fich at Petersham. [I live] in the area and it’s been my local since it opened.

The fish’n’chips are so good. Crunchy batter every time and incredibly fresh. The team always use sustainable fish, which is really important. My other go-to is the fish burger and the potato scallops, which are really good.

Alex Prichard, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
My absolute favourite is Fish Butchery in Waterloo. Josh and Julie [Niland] are dear friends and incredible at what they do. Fish is handled and sourced with equal care. Their batter is crisp and flavourful, and the fish changes regularly. Their sides selection is also better than any fish’n’chip or chicken shop in the country.

Nigel Ward, Passeggiata
The Boathouse in Balmoral is the best place in Sydney to enjoy beer-battered fish’n’chips in summer. Sitting on that back deck with the sparkling water all around, and the sound of kids playing and splashing in the water is magical.

Pat Friesen, Applejack Hospitality (Rafi, Rafi Urbnsurf, The Taphouse, The Butler, Forresters)
Fich at Petersham – I worked under Jose Silva when he was head chef at Bennelong, and he’s always been a bit of a mentor for me. So naturally I was intrigued when he opened Fich, and I have always been an avid supporter. The batter is light and crunchy, and it lasts – you can drive it from Petersham to Bondi Beach and it stays crisp! I love how it only uses sustainable seafood, and the team makes all their own sauces – my favourite is the classic tartare sauce. The cherry on top is you can get a cheeky Portuguese tart by Sweet Belem, which they stock in-store.

Scott McComas-Williams, Love Tilly Group (Ragazzi, Letra House, Fabbrica, Love, Tilly Devine, Dear Sainte Eloise)
I wasn’t expecting to find excellent fried fish in Petersham but, hey – it exists. I consistently order the popcorn fish from Fich. It’s coated in this addictive sweet-spicy maple-sriracha sauce, shallots and sesame. It’s pretty hard to stop eating. It serves all-sustainable seafood, and the fish burger is awesome for lunch. It’s so good having such a great option close to home.

And if you’re heading interstate:
Rob Cockerill, Bennelong
Given overseas holidays and even interstate visits have been off the cards for the last couple of years, I can’t wait to plan a trip to Port Willunga in South Australia where my family is based. We’ll head to the beach for a swim then stop in at Star of Greece for their King George whiting and chips. It’s epic.

This article was originally published on December 3, 2021 and was updated on December 16, 2024.