Get Your Hooks into Melbourne’s 10 Best Fish and Chips

Melburnians are known to debate the best fish-and-chip shop with the same fervour usually reserved for football. We don’t want to start an argument but we’ve got some favourites, too. Here are 10 of the best.

Banyule Fish And Chippery

The potato cakes are extra-crunchy (and the kind-hearted owner will normally throw in a few extras for free), the fishcakes are made in-house and Friday nights still mean peak wait times. The epitome of the small suburban outfit, Banyule does all the classics from fried flake to pineapple fritters.

41 Greville Road, Rosanna; (03) 9459 4594

Paper Fish

The fish and chips at Stokehouse are the stuff of legend so when the upmarket St Kilda foreshore restaurant reopened earlier this year after a fire, the owners were kind enough to cater to the hoi polloi with a designated fish-and-chip kiosk. Expect sustainable seafood, salads and coconut prawn tacos, with a basic little booze list.

30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda; (03) 8691 6830

Blu By Australian Seafood

When a seafood wholesaler turns fish-and-chip retailer, you’d better take notice. Head to Coburg north for Australia Seafood Groups's best-in-show offerings, including a long list of local fish including sea perch, John Dory and blue-eye, and dress it up with grilled crayfish tails and Moreton Bay bugs. Take away or eat in: there are 170 seats.

146 Gaffney Street, Coburg North; (03) 9350 3200

Richmond Oysters

If Richmond Oysters looks a bit fancier than the average fish and chippery, that’s because it is. The oysters are shucked to order and as well as locally caught fish, they also go in for newfangled things like soft-shell crab open sandwiches and a southern fried fish burger with citrus slaw.

443 Church Street, Richmond; (03) 9428 5121

Tank Fish & Chippery

The modern Greek blue-and-white tile fit-out at Tank belies a winning old-fashioned approach. There’s fresh fish to take home and cook yourself but with the option of a cone of calamari and chips with tartare sauce and lemon, why would you?

149-151 Lygon Street, Carlton, (03) 9040 2124

Emporium food court, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD, (03) 9020 4342

Tommy Ruff Fish Bar

Tommy’s knows its inner-south-eastern audience – the menu includes poke bowls, grilled fish and salads – but the classic Tommy’s Packs, pimped out with calamari rings, potato cakes and dim sims, are hard to beat.

3/1-3 Carre Street, Elsternwick, (03) 9077 8815

574a Main Street, Mordialloc, (03) 9580 2525

121 Chapel Street, Windsor, (03) 9521 7195

Cerberus Beach House

There’s some topnotch fish and chips at the kiosk on the ground floor of this Black Rock restaurant. Kick off those shoes and enjoy them on gorgeous Half Moon Bay beach (beware the seagulls).

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Boat shed 212, Half Moon Bay, Black Rock; (03) 9598 4230

Fish On High

Kicking it old-style, Fish On High is the epitome of the yesteryear fish and chipper, complete with Chiko Rolls, pickled onions, seafood sticks and burgers of all stripes.

844 High Street, Thornbury; (03) 9484 2668

Image:@thehungrybabushka/Facebook

Fish Tank Fish & Chippery

The kaleidoscopic display of fresh seafood is the drawcard at this upmarket Brighton shop, but it’s the end result that really pleases. Double-park the BMW to wait for long-line-caught Australian and New Zealand fish and tempting extras such as battered oysters and house-made spring rolls.

20 Church Street, Brighton; (03) 9592 0697

Dlish Fish

The venue that dares to offer battered Mars Bars and deep-fried Nutella balls also offers excellent, crunchy chips (grab a kilo box for the whole family) as well as salt-and-pepper squid. Visit dlishfish.com.au.

3/105 Beach Street, Port Melbourne; (03) 9646 0660