The Stunned Mullet wins SA’s best fish and chips in 2023 delicious. top 100 list

A coastal family fish and chip shop has jagged one of the SA top gongs in this year’s delicious. 100 best eats and treats.

Dino, Amanda and Angelika Papadopoulos with their fish and chips at The Stunned Mullet, Henley Beach. Picture Matt Turner.

It is what’s beneath the batter that matters at The Stunned Mullet in Henley Beach, voted South Australia’s best fish and chip shop in the ultimate stage of the delicious. 100 for 2023.

Dino Papadopoulos runs the shop with his wife Amanda and two daughters, Angelika and Victoria.

A five-minute stroll from the beach, the family business opened in 2005.

With the option of dining in or takeaway, it has won numerous awards and is renowned for offering local and sustainable fresh seafood cooked to perfection.

The Stunned Mullet’s fish and chips has won South Australians over. Picture: Anna Vlach

Mr Papadopoulos reckons a lifelong connection to the seafood industry means he can source fish that his rivals never see.

His father was a professional fisherman in the South East and the family have run fish and chip shops since the late 1960s.

“I have a network of contacts to get fish directly off the boat, as well as from the markets,” Mr Papadopoulos says.

“Having been in the industry a while, I can source it fresh and local.”

The Stunned Mullet’s Angelika, Amanda, Dino and Victoria Papadopoulos in 2007. Picture: Steve Coates

That means rather than relying on the imported products often presented as “butterfish”, The Stunned Mullet can offer a range of fillets such as nannygai (red snapper), gurnard and coral perch.

As for the batter, that must be cold, Mr Papadopoulos says, and the oil hot and changed regularly.

“The biggest compliment is when people keep coming back,” he says.

The Stunned Mullet is only one of 20 winners revealed today as the best of the best eats and treats in SA.

Nearly 12,000 votes from across the state have been tallied to determine the people’s choice in categories such as the top tacos (La Popular Taqueria), best burgers (Bread & Bone) and supreme pizza (Pizzateca).

Many, like the legendary sandwiches from Lucia’s Charcuterie, are long-time local heroes with huge followings, but there are also a few surprises.

Regional favourites are also represented, with a “hole” lot of love shown for Browns Barossa Donuts and Pizzateca in McLaren Vale chosen as the supreme pizza.

See has been named the best in the state in every category, as chosen by you, and find out who landed where in the vote with our top five rankings in the interactive below.

Originally published as The Stunned Mullet wins SA’s best fish and chips in 2023 delicious. top 100 list