Fish and chip guide: Five delicious Sydney hot spots

Nothing says summer more than fish and chips on the beach. This ritual is part of childhood. Who hasn’t grown up eating chunky pieces of fish, deep-fried in thick batter and greasy chips.

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Nothing says summer more than fish and chips on the beach. This ritual is part of childhood. Who hasn’t grown up eating chunky pieces of fish, deep-fried in thick batter and greasy chips.

Here’s five northern beaches fish and chip shop to try. Some are traditional, others trendy and they’re all just a stroll from the beach.

KIOSK AVALON ON THE BEACH

558a Barrenjoey Rd, 8023 7685

Orders: Daily, from 11am to 3.30pm

Upstairs and beer battered fish and chips comes with a $29 price tag. Order it from the downstairs kiosk and it comes wrapped and ready to go for $16. It’s a decent size with three pieces of fish sitting on pile of chips. The fish is flaky and fresh and coated in a light, crispy beer batter. The fish changes daily, sometimes it’s john dory, other times it’s whiting. We had South Coast flathead. Purists will be disappointed with the shoestring chips. On the plus side are two lemon wedges, a salad garnish and a creamy tartare sauce included in the price. Sit and enjoy the beach views — either in the shade, or on the grass.

PALM BEACH FISH & CHIPS

1104 Barrenjoey Rd, Palm Beach, 9974 1110

Orders: Seasonal, currently 11am to sunset

Palm Beach has been a go-to destination for fish and chips since the 1930s, and it’s still well worth the trek up the peninsula. This place gets busy, so expect a wait. But you’ll be rewarded with a generous portion of fish coated in a barely-there beer batter, which is light, crispy and has great flavour. It’s served up with plenty of chips, lemon and some greenery. It’s not the cheapest option, but we rate it as the best. Beer-battered fish and chips is $14.90, and tartare sauce is another $2. If you’re not too greedy, there’s enough to share. Cross the road, and Pittwater Park is the perfect alfresco venue.

SEAFOOD AT THE BEACH

12a The Strand, Dee Why, 9971 9666

Orders: Daily, from 9am to 8pm

Seafood at the Beach is an old school chippie, but there are still fancier options like salmon and prawn kebabs. Number three on the board is what we’re here for — classic fish and chips. The blue grenadier is a little dry, but the batter is crispy. There’s a decent serve of chips, with or without chicken salt. It does come with a lemon wedge. Tartare sauce is an extra 60 cents, sadly ours didn’t come in the takeaway portion. At $11.90, it’s the cheapest. Ted Jackson Reserve opposite and the weekend surf boats do make a great backdrop for outdoor eating.

MONGERS

11 Wentworth St, Manly, 9977 1777

Orders: Daily, from noon to 9pm

This tiny Rialto Square fish and chippie came fourth in online review site Yelp’s Top 100 Australian places to eat last year. No doubt Mongers’s fish and chips are posh. The fancy fry-up is $15 — grilled fish is the same price. For that, you get a serve of parsley-sprinkled, tempura-battered New Zealand hoki and hand-cut chips with their skins on. They’re thick and seasoned, but a bit soggy. The meal box includes a dill-loaded tartare sauce, lemon wedge and ribbons of sweet potato, an extra that sets it apart from the rest. Best enjoyed on Manly Beach — it’s a short walk.

BOATHOUSE SHELLY BEACH KIOSK

1 Marine Pde, Manly, 9934 9977

Orders: Daily, from noon to 3pm

The fish and chips from the Boathouse crew comes with a trio of superlatives. It is the most expensive, the batter is the thickest and it is also the greasiest. But the $19 takeaway from the pretty-as-a-picture kiosk has two whopping pieces of beer battered flathead and a mound of chunky chips. It’s so big that it could easily be carved up between two. Cut through the housemade batter and the fish is white, moist and flaky. It comes with half a lemon half and tangy tartare sauce. Chuck in a coke and takeaway fish and chips is $24. But that view over Shelly Beach is gorgeous and free.