The 18 best fish and chips in Australia

With all its fishing towns and welcoming little local-run shops, it's a crime not to order some fish and chips for lunch by the water on NSW’s South Coast. Pelican Rocks is just down past Nowra in the Shoalhaven region and is your one-stop shop for all things seafood. They don’t just dish up a mean battered fillet – they source local oysters and have lots of seafood packs that mix fresh and fried bites. The restaurant is still casual but more of a sit-down venue than the traditional fish and chips shop. If you want to fancy it up a bit, they also do seafood towers and cocktails.

The specialty at Grand Lane Fish House is their hand-cut chips served hot and fresh in a cone with their secret sauce. They may not be right on the beach, but the cafe is the go-to for Perth locals when they’re craving fish and chips. If you’re really hungry, you can forget about the classic fisherman’s basket and go for their dinner box that is a true ode to the traditional British takeaway featuring a battered pork sausage. The UK influence continues with mushy peas, curry sauces and haggis if you’re brave enough to mix up your regular seafood order.

Down Under, we all love a good chippy and there is no denying that the best hot chips are the ones that are hand cut. Fraggles source all their produce in Tasmania so you can expect it to be super fresh; from the potatoes to the flathead and gummy shark that they use for their fish fillets. Expect a golden crumb and plenty of chicken salt. They’re even one step ahead of your traditional hole-in-the-wall fish shop with an online ordering page so you can skip the waiting and make sure your feed is nice and hot as soon as you pull up for pick up.

Not just a “fish and chip restaurant”, Hooked is a celebration of the sea, serving up the freshest daily catches from local fishermen in Albany, Denmark, and Bremer Bay. A classic fish and chips here will set you back just $17, with your fish available lightly battered and fried, or grilled with a choice of lemon pepper or Cajun seasoning. A generous portion of thick, crispy chips seals the deal, and for a touch of nostalgia, you can even throw in a pineapple fritter or Chiko roll. The best part? You can stroll five minutes to Middleton Beach for a sundown session with your takeaway in tow.

You can't talk about fish in the Redlands without talking about Costa's. In both 2019, 2021 and 2022, this place on Old Cleveland Road was named Queensland's Best Fish and Chips by the Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards. The owners, Maria, Chris and Costa Tapinos, have more than 30 years of experience in delicious things from the deep, and the family atmosphere is as palpable as the quality and value of what's on offer. A standard fish dinner ranges from $18.90 (for cod) to $29 (for a half dozen sea scallops) and comes with salad, chips, lemon and tartare. They do a range of seafood platters as well, both hot and cold, and old schoolers can get burgers, potato scallops, battered sav, dim sims or a Chiko Roll.

Ocean and Paddock’s big blue shopfront plays facade to plates of gorgeously crumbed fillets and piles of golden chips. Forget digital menus, or even printed ones, because the offerings are written up by hand on chalkboards all around the joint. Aside from all the classics, Ocean and Paddock has some enticing and interesting specials, like baked brie, buttermilk lobster burgers, battered mushroom wedges and crumbed sardines, and for dessert, deep-fried Mars bars. The daily catch varies daily but regularly features snapper, hammerhead shark and blue groper, all from the area. Whatever you pick, it’s best enjoyed on the sands of Middleton Beach at sunset.

If fish and chips weren’t already a nostalgic enough dish with flaky white meat and crispy potato cakes, The Fish Van is serving up the goods in adorable brown paper takeaway cones that make for super easy snacking. Their slogan is “fresh from our boat to you”, so you get to choose exactly what they cook to order – are you a battered, crumbed or grilled person? There’s also a decent spread of other delicious bites, like fish burgers, cray rolls and ridiculously cheap oysters. For dessert, the little kids (and big kids too) will look forward to the extensive array of ice cream.

Almost every single type of fish here is locally sourced, but for those meals where everyone just wants to eat something different, there is plenty of variety. Aside from their specialty of butterfish, Dolphin Fish Shop dish up nuggets and schnitzel boxes; yiros packs with meat, onion, chips and garlic sauce; Aussie-fave chicken chippies, falafel rolls and burgers. To top it all off, you can finish with a cheeky fried dessert like their hot doughnuts, banana fritters or pineapple fritters.

This Richmond favourite is an inner-city institution that serves decadent seafood platters of the highest quality. Unassuming fish and chips might not be your first thought when dining in this light-filled bistro, but we implore you to reconsider. First, pick your fish from the extensive range, then choose from one of four preparation styles. The result is a well-cooked piece of fish with perfect chippies (you can pick salad as a side, but that's not why we're here). After your lunch, grab some fish from the wholesale section and try to recreate the glory at home.

If you order a classic fillet of battered fish from a fish and chips shop, chances are it's either hoki or basa because they’re so cheap. At Frying Nemo, they showcase the best produce that the Northern Territory has to offer. That being? The humble barramundi. There’s actually a whole list of fresh fish to choose from and you can decide if you’d like it beer battered, tempura battered, crumbed or grilled. Take your catch of the day to one of the venue’s picnic tables and enjoy waterfront views of the Tipperary Waters Marina.

Ralphy’s used to have a little shop in Falcon’s Miami Village, but they’ve since moved to a fish and chips trailer. They’re only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so you’ll have to wait until the weekend for your fish and chips fix. When they’re not dishing up good takeaway grub, they’re touring the farmers markets slinging fresh produce, like their signature marinated octopus, fresh salmon, seafood chowder and local blue swimmer crabs.