We’re very passionate about the Fish & Chips, and with every review, we provide an accurate, independent account of each establishment, helping you to find your next favourite establishment.
We believe that transparency is really important. That’s why this page details our Reviewal Process for restaurants and other Fish & Chips establishments. In a nutshell, all reviews are totally independent of establishments, and we take several steps to make sure all reviews are accurate, fair and consistent.
Version 2 (September 2024)
Who do we review?
We review a variety of restaurants, chippies, takeaways, and other food places that serve Fish & Chips. We review all different types and takes on the British Classic, as long as it meets the below dish requirements.
Dish Requirements
Our definition of “Fish & Chips” is as follows:
- (Almost always) Fried Fish;
- Coated in a Batter or Breadcrumb;
- Served with Potato Chips (Sweet Potato is permitted);
- (And normally) accompanied by Peas and/or Tartar Sauce
The fish is usually a white fish such as Cod, Haddock but any variety of fish is accepted. The same goes for the variety of the potato or sweet potato. The potato is normally served as chips, but other similar styles are permitted, such as wedges.
We may still review fish dishes that do not meet these requirements and they will be published on this site under the “Special Mention” category. Under exceptional circumstances, they may also be eligible for The Fish Award.
How do we pick which establishments to review?
Our current to-review list consists of over 400 establishments across the UK. We will review any legal establishment, and generally, we review those that are permanent (for example, a pop-up establishment may be tricky to review).
We estimate there to be around 40,000 eligible establishments (based upon the dish requirements above) for review. Therefore, we tend to review those mentioned on other websites, in guidebooks, those recommended to us, and those that contact us directly first.
Please note we reserve the right to refuse to review an establishment without reason. Our reviewal team is very busy and we may be unable to review establishments on request.
Ratings
Restaurants can be awarded 0-5 Stars, where 0 is utterly terrible and 5 is flawless. Half stars may also be awarded.
Rating Process
When determining ratings, we only consider the Fish & Chips. The three key components we review are the Fish (and its batter), the chips and the mushy peas. All three components are required for a 4.5 or 5 star rating. Any other components served on or with the main course will also be reviewed and may be included in the rating. Starters and deserts are reviewed but will not be included in the rating.
Reviewal includes, but is not limited to: the freshness, how well it is cooked (flakiness of the fish), the quality of the ingredients, the methodology used to cook the fish/batter, the type and taste of the batter, mushy peas and chips.
No set percentage is given for individual components and the rating is a wholistic review of the entire dish. A condensed version of our reviewal notes are made available online but the comments (and volume of the comments) do not correspond to the rating.
We will not release any other information than that listed on our website.
The speed of service, restaurant atmosphere, price point, type of restaurant and other dishes that we taste do not directly affect the rating, except for when fish awards are given. However, all of these factors will be included in the review.
Reviews are the opinion of the reviewer and their decision is final.
Consistency
Consistency is very important, and there are a few measures we take to ensure this:
- Comparisons with other establishments recently reviewed (and ranking them)
- Re-reviewal
When do we re-review establishments?
An establishment is eligible for re-reviewal one month after the last review. Re-reviewals will be conducted in the exact same fashion, and the latest review will be considered as final and may be higher or lower rated than the original.
Although not possible for every establishment for a number of factors, we hope to re-review most establishments every 2-3 years as a minimum.
Can establishments request to alter a review?
No. Reviews are the opinion of the reviewer and their decision is final. Reviews and ratings will not be changed in retrospect or upon request.
The only exception to this is where the review might be factually incorrect, such as the price of a dish has changed. The main contents of the review will not be changed.
Can establishments request to be reviewed again?
No, unless very specific exceptions apply. These are:
- The owner or chef of the establishment has changed and has made significant changes
Any requests that do not meet these criteria will be considered, however, our team has the right to reject any requests without reasoning. Rejected establishments will have to wait for the standard re-reviewal process.
The Fish Award
Exceptional restaurants can also receive the “Fish Award”. This comes in 3 tiers: Bronze, Silver & Gold. Silver and Gold awards require at least two visits.
Read more about The Fish Award here.
All establishments must certain criteria to be eligible for The Fish Award. Whilst we do not publish this criteria in full, the following should give an idea of what is expected:
- A high (usually 5 Star) review.
- Very few or no improvements suggested for the dish.
- A high Hygiene rating.
- Reasonable portion size.
- The ingredients used within the dish, its components and its sides must be of the highest quality possible.
- The dish must be presented extremely well.
- Usually, at least one other dish is sampled and may be used as part of judging the Fish Award.
- The establishment must have a good atmosphere, service and make reasonable adjustments to any dishes ordered as requested.
An establishment cannot request an award, or to be shortlisted. The winners of the Fish Award are decided by an internal pannel of judges. The establishments eligible for an award are those reviewed in the last window (from 1 Sep – 31 Aug). The results will be published in the second week of September.
The judging panel reserves the right to give no awards where no suitable establishment is deemed worthy.
A Fish Award may be revoked by further re-reviews if the establishment no longer meets the requirements. A Fish Award automatically expires after 10 years.
Important Notes
We are not affiliated with any of the restaurants that we review in any way. Our reviews aim to be reflective of the dish served to us. We review restaurants in a single sitting, although ratings may change if we revisit a venue.
All photos of dishes on this site are taken by our reviewers and are as they were served to us.
The above is the current review process, which we reserve the right to change at any time. Ratings & Awards will remain the same, unless otherwise stated, after changes in our reviewal process.