Fresh local catches, mountains of handcut chips and tangy, housemade tartare – NSW’s fish and chips are among the best in Australia. Head to seaside locales and unexpected country towns to sample the best on offer.
- 6 min read
Rosie’s Fish & Chips
Why go: A hop, skip and a jump from Sharky Beach, Rosie’s Fish & Chips is a Coledale darling, offering rarities in the business: meaty hand cut chips cooked in savoury beef drippings and light-as-air, local, sustainably caught flathead that’s beer-battered or grilled to order.
Price range: $$$
What to order: Classic fish and chips, beer-battered potato scallops or go English chippy style with a hot chip butty (a chip sandwich on a soft roll) with gravy and a side of mushy peas.
Location: Coledale
Distance from Sydney: 74km (1hr 10min)
Rosie’s Fish and Chips, Coledale - Credit: Rosie’s Fish and Chips
Scottie’s
Why go: On a sunny afternoon Scottie’s is a Newcastle gathering place. Locals chat around the outdoor picnic tables sharing bottles of natural wine or take their fish burgers topped with pickles and house-made tartare to the grassy reserve to loll in the shade of a palm tree.
Price range: $$$
What to order: Perfectly seasoned, perfectly simple hoki and chips with tangy tartare or a lobster club layered with a crisp hashbrown, pickled red onion and sambal.
Location: Newcastle
Distance from Sydney: 170km (2hr 10 min)
Scottie's, Newcastle
Beach St. Seafoods
Why go: Forster’s Beach St. Seafoods taps into Australian nostalgia with a menu that features prawn cutlets, seafood sticks and pineapple fritters to have on the side with a family feast pack. Order your meal takeaway and walk a few minutes to the south shore of the peninsula to Coolongolook River or to the north side where the views at Forster Beach stretch across the Pacific.
Price range: $
What to order: The handmade, thick-cut potato scallops.
Location: Forster
Distance here from Sydney: 314km (3hr 45min)
Beach St Seafoods, Forster - Credit: Beach St Seafoods
Flatfish Cafe
Why go: It doesn't get more quintessential fish ‘n’ chips than battered-to-order flathead and waterfront seats. Located on the sparkling Wickham Harbour, Newcastle’s Flatfish Cafe has all that in spades, plus flatbreads topped with seafood and top-notch coffees.
Price range: $
What to order: Tried-and-true dishes are best here: grilled barramundi or beer-battered flathead fillets with chips and salad.
Location: Newcastle
Distance from Sydney: 159km (2hr)
Flatfish Cafe, Wickham - Credit: Flatfish Cafe
Wheelers Takeaway Shop and Café
Why go: Wheeler's Take Away Shop and Café in Pambula has its own oyster farm in the pristine waters of nearby Merimbula Lake, and the molluscs are shucked fresh onsite every day. Choose an alfresco table in the sunshine, order a dozen oysters plus classic casual waterside fare: oversized potato scallops, hot chips and freshly battered fish.
Price range: $
What to order: Fresh oysters, grilled flake with a light, tasty batter and golden wedges.
Location: Pambula
Distance from Sydney: 528km (5hr 45min)
Wheelers Take Away Shop and Café, Pambula - Credit: Wheelers Take Away Shop and Café
Fishy Fishy
Why go: Beachside locales are often crowded with fish and chips shops, so how do you stand out? Like Lennox Head favourite Fishy Fishy Lennox Head does. With an onsite fishmonger that slices sashimi plates fresh to order; a range of fish, like cod, whiting and wild hoki; and oysters served natural or Kilpatrick-style.
Price range: $
What to order: Generous fillets of meaty cod and chips or, on a blustery day, a kilo of mussels cooked hot-pot style with crusty bread on the side to mop up the tomato and garlic sauce.
Location: Lennox Head
Distance from Sydney: 750km (7hr 45min)
Fishy Fishy, Lennox Head - Credit: Fishy Fishy
Woy Woy Fisherman’s Wharf
Why go: Woy Woy Fisherman’s Wharf has been serving the Woy Woy community fish and chips since 1974. The popular spot sits over Brisbane Water and, on a summer weekend, serves hundreds of punters its signature hand-battered, line-caught fish with golden chips. Stick around to watch the fishmongers feed the pelicans, then head over to the fish market for a fresh catch to take home for dinner.
Price range: $
What to order: Fresh prawns and oyster box plus barramundi spring rolls on the side, or the fried fish burger with plenty of hot chips.
Location: Woy Woy
Distance from Sydney: 90km (1hr 10min)
Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf, Woy Woy
Benny’s Fish Truck
Why go: Weather-permitting, Benny’s Fish Truck pulls up most days to the local jetty, the bowling club or another quiet roadside and serves the day’s catch against the backdrop of Lord Howe’s Island’s otherworldly scenery. It’s a simple set-up: white trailer, small cafe table set with housemade sauces and an ever-changing menu handwritten on a chalkboard. The offering depends on the daily catch from the co-owner’s fishing boat, the Sea Lord Howe. Book a fishing trip on the boat and they’ll cook your catch at the truck.
Price range: $$$
What to order: Depending on the catch of the day, beer-battered Lord Howe Island kingfish with housemade tartare sauce, grilled flame snapper, yellowfin tuna sashimi or fish croquettes.
Location: Lord Howe Island
Distance from Sydney: 2hr flight
Benny's Fish Truck, Lord Howe Island - Credit: Benny's Fish Truck
Fishmongers Byron
Why go: Tucked away in a lane one block back from Byron Bay’s Main Beach, Fishmongers Byron serves fat, hand cut chips with tempura-battered or grilled fish and seafood. Daily specials change depending on the catch, but generous sharing boxes are always on the menu, and Tuesday’s lunch special is always fish tacos with slaw and chipotle aioli.
Price range: $$
What to order: The unexpected dishes are delicious here. Try kumera sweet potato chips, vegetable tempura, barbecued baby octopus.
Location: Byron Bay
Distance from Sydney: 767km (8hr)
Main Beach, Byron Bay
Tuross Boatshed
Why go: Claim a picnic table on the sunny waterfront deck at Tuross Boatshed and tuck into a fried prawn roll served on a crisp baguette while watching the tinnies cruise serenely by on Tuross Lake. Lunch is just a pitstop on your visit to this angler’s paradise. Bring your fishing tackle to try your hand at catching dusky flathead and whiting or hire a kayak for a cruisy paddle.
Price range: $
What to order: The generous family feast seafood platter to share.
Location: Tuross Head
Distance from Sydney: 330km (4hr 30min)
Tuross Boatshed & Cafe, Tuross Head
Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative
Why go: At Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative you can eat at an outdoor table in the midst of the action and see the fishing boats at work, or settle on Jetty Beach with a picnic before crossing the marina walkway for Giidany Miiralarl (Muttonbird Island Reserve). Get your group a fisherman’s basket for four to fuel the steep walk to the top of the island and be rewarded with panoramic views of Solitary Islands Marine Park. Between May and November you might spot humpbacks on their annual migration.
Price range: $
What to order: Order from the daily specials board that features battered leatherjacket, snapper or swordfish depending on the day’s catch.
Location: Coffs Harbour
Distance from Sydney: 540km (5hr 30min)
Coffs Harbour Fishermens Cooperative, Coffs Harbour - Credit: Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative
Blue Fin & Marina
Why go: Just south of Lake Illawarra, Blue Fin & Marina is a favourite Shell Cove haunt for tourists and locals. Takeaway your Swiss cheese-and-coleslaw-laden fish burger for a boardwalk picnic serenaded by buskers or catch a rainbow framing the sailboats anchored at the marina. Afterwards, stroll the 2.5km boardwalks and promenades that trace the water’s edge.
Price range: $
What to order: Grilled baby octopus with wedges or a generously cut salmon fillet with sweet potato chips.
Location: Shell Cove
Distance from Sydney: 120km (1hr 30min)
Blue Fin & Marina, Shell Cove - Credit: Blue Fin & Marina
Levendi
Why go: Family-owned and operated, Levendi is in the heart of Wollongong Harbour, meaning beautiful water views and a possible encounter with a pesky seagull. The menu is excellent too, featuring dishes like tender, grilled octopus; or juicy barramundi and chips.
Price range: $
What to order: Seafood salad, and flathead and chips are so generous you’ll probably have leftovers to bring home.
Location: Wollongong
Distance from Sydney: 91km (1hr 20mins)
Levendi Wollongong Harbour, Wollongong - Credit: Levendi
Fishheads
Why go: At Fishheads Byron, there are just a handful of steps between the charming, white-washed frontage and the sand of Main Beach. With seafood and produce sourced from local seafood co-ops and farmers’ markets, this busy eatery is perfect for eco-conscious diners looking to reduce their food miles.
Price range: $
What to order: Sweet charred scallops, local prawns or the catch of the day, served grilled or fried.
Location: Byron Bay
Distance from Sydney: 760km (8hr 10min)
Fishheads, Byron Bay - Credit: Fishheads
Something Seafood
Why go: An easy 10-minute walk from Callala Bay’s pristine beach, Something Seafood is ideal post-swim. In past years the shop has been winner and runner-up in NSW’s Best Fish and Chips Awards, thanks to the outstanding made-to-order seafood. Plan well ahead during peak periods when wait times at the busy eatery can be around an hour.
Price range: $
What to order: Grilled fish served in garlicky house marinade.
Location: Callala Bay
Distance from Sydney: 190km (2hr 29min)
Something Seafood, Callala Bay - Credit: Something Seafood
Key:
$ = $14-19
$$ = $20-24
$$$ = $25+
