Why Doesn't The US Have A Fish & Chips Shop Type Fast Food?

Does Seattle still have Ivar's?

H. Salt, Esq. used to be big.

In Louisiana and Texas you can get shrimp poorboys.

In the South we have Captain D's

I used to love skippers now it’s gone.

Reportedly it was a Jewish vendor who started the craze for fish and chips in the UK. Here in the US we got lox and pickled herring with bagels.

In addition to H Salt there was Arthur Treacher's in the 70's a British invasion of sorts

I love battered fish.

I don't eat fast food; but apparently some American fast food restaurants have fish and fries like McDonald's and Wendy's.

Because fast food is for fat whores.

Good seafood, even fish and chips, should be done by someone who doesn't think bathing fish in salt and protein is "cooking."

I used to love Arthur Treacher’s when I was a kid. I was addicted to that malt vinegar and those giant chips.

America is beef country because of the vast Midwest and all of the space to raise cattle. Fish is popular in England because it's an island.

^^^ r12 So you're apparently in flyover country, eh? Sorry about that.

I live in Queens R13, so yes. We have planes flying over constantly. I love Boston though, it's so quaint.

R12 Fish is popular, even in the Midwest. The Friday night fish fry, is a solid tradition across the Midwest and South. In addition to Captain D's, Long John Silvers, etc... you can find many mom & pop fish shops in many towns and most casual dining establishments offer some sort of fish and chips.

The Wisconsin Friday fish fry is legendary. But those folks would never in a million years set foot in a Long John Silver's.

That's a good question, OP. I think the US is way overdue to supporting a quality fish n chips chain.

Gordon Ramsey opened one on the Las Vegas Strip and it serves a great product. It would be embraced in any major US city.

BTW, Long John Silvers and Captain D's are crap and for people who don't care what they eat.

Is the Midwest fish fry a church thing?

R18 Not sure about the Midwest, but in the South it can be, but is also regularly held by volunteer fire departments, the VFW, community centers, American Legions, etc...

R10 = not someone you want to be on a road trip through Flyover America with.

"No, I REFUSE to eat at Applebee's. It's only 300 more miles to St Louis. Surely there'll be SOMEthing edible there, though God knows what it will be ..."

R20 I would refuse to eat at Applebee's. There are hundreds of restaurants all over the country that are not chains and serve great food.

If you want to eat shiteous trash, knock yourself out.

[quote] Is the Midwest fish fry a church thing?

Not exclusively. It's mostly the "supper club," which seems to be more of a Wisconsin/Minnesota thing. Pubs/bars also have them.

I know when I lived in PA/OH it was much more of a church thing, especially Catholic churches. Fire halls/fire companies would also have them as fundraisers, too.

The great thing about chains, especially when on a trip, is that you can be reasonably sure of what you are going to get. I try to eat at local establishments, but after getting burned by h supposedly great local restaurants that turned out to be horrible, I will eat at a chain one every now and then, on a trip, to make sure I have a meal that is edible.

Big mistake to once try Long John Silvers. Equivalent of the fake fish sticks/patties sold in the frozen section but at a much higher price. I'd never eaten at the then famous eatery so didn't know it was that much of a rip-off.

Growing up in Arlington, Texas we had a wonderful place called, imaginatively, Fish and Chips. Lasted for years. Not sure if it was a chain or an independent place, but it was GOOD.

[quote]There are hundreds of restaurants all over the country that are not chains and serve great food.

Sure there are, but not usually at an off ramp from an interstate in the middle of nowhere after you've been driving all day. That was my point. At such a moment, all you want is a place with a predictable menu and reasonable standards of food safety, but food snobs will insist on driving (and driving and driving) until they find a place that meets their absurd standards.

This is a great place in NYC, and worth the wait.

R27 It looks soggy

R28 Looks roach- and rat-infested, which I suppose goes with the territory.

Fish and chip places were a thing until the late 80s when cod stocks were depleted and the price of fish made these places uncompetitive with other fast food. Long John's Silvers used to be ok and Wendy’s briefly had a very good fish sandwich that was not available everywhere. Captain Ds has always sucked, like the rest of Shoneys operations.

Fish and chip places were a thing until the late 80s when cod stocks were depleted and the price of fish made these places uncompetitive with other fast food. Long John's Silvers used to be ok and Wendy’s briefly had a very good fish sandwich that was not available everywhere. Captain Ds has always sucked, like the rest of Shoneys operations.

We have few pretty good fish & chip stands in Long Beach, Ca. Strangely, as the prices goes up the quality diminishes in our fish restaurants. None are chains. The fish is surprisingly good, but the chips are bad. they are poorly cooked French Frys. Cod, cat fish, and 'red snapper' usually pacific red perch and that awful tasting tilapia are offered for 9.00 to 15.00 an order,

I used to love H Salt. I wish someone could create an individually owned restaurant in our area.

Texas City, Texas had a fish and chips shop called Alfies in the 80s

On Fridays it was packed because of all the Catholics.

Back in my poorest days, a basket of "crumbles" from LJS was real treat.

[quote] Sure there are, but not usually at an off ramp from an interstate in the middle of nowhere after you've been driving all day. That was my point. At such a moment, all you want is a place with a predictable menu and reasonable standards of food safety, but food snobs will insist on driving (and driving and driving) until they find a place that meets their absurd standards.

If not wanting a cockroach infested chain to serve me sodium and preservative filled feces on a plate makes me a food snob, then guilty as charged.

[quote] I live in Queens, so yes. We have planes flying over constantly. I love Boston though, it's so quaint.

R12 R14 Thank you, dear. I have friends in Queens. It's, ummm, fine. I guess. If you like that sort of thing.

If you ever have trouble in that vast seafood desert of Queens, you just yell. I'll hook you up.

Because everyone is getting table service at Red Lobster!

Unfortunately there’s not much English style fish and chips in the US, I grew up in Massachusetts, so I was raised on good fried fish and clams. You need proper fish, cod or haddock, for real fish and chips, and those fish have become rather expensive. Fish and chips in other parts of the country, Midwest/South are often farmed or fresh water fish, which are terrible. I miss the real thing. I’m in the mid-Atlantic now, I need a Boston fix.

The Anchor Fish & Chips in Minneapolis is a pub with delicious battered cod & chips as well as other pub food. They also have a food truck which is just as good.

I don't think Fish & Chips is appropriate for fast food joints. It needs to be cooked to order so it comes out hot and crisp. It also needs to be whole fillets not punched out fish of questionable origin.

Fox & Hounds pub in Studio City. Fish 'n' Chips, Steak and Kidney Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Bangers and Mash, Cornish Pastie, Spotted Dick, etc.

r40 gets it. Fish and chips must be quality fillets correctly battered, cooked to order and served *immediately* or the dish will rapidly descend into soggy filth. Never order fish for delivery. That's just gross and a waste of valuable fish stock in a rapidly declining seafood industry.

R41 off topic but you reminded me that bangers and mash is quite possibly one of the most satisfying comfort meals ever. I'm hungry now.

My fav is near Granville island Vancouver

Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. They used to be everywhere here in Ohio, and there are still a few hanging on.

R39 Are you from Boston proper or the North Shore or the South Shore? I'm from Boston proper but on the southern end so my tastes are more towards the flour dredged crispy style of the South Shore as opposed to the egg beer batter of the North Shore. It's all good to me, though! You fry it up, I'll eat it. 😁

Arthur Treachers was a national chain. Not sure what's up with them now, but you could get inexpensive fish 'n chips there for decades.

In Ohio, we have a few fried fish places. Basically, they'll serve anything that can be fried - fish, chicken, chicken wings, french fries. A popular one is called Moe's Fish.

R45 North Shore, so I grew up eating bushels of steamers, fried clams, and fish at Woodman's in Essex, their better for everything is corn flour, and they still fry in lard.

We still have some H. Salt in the L.A. area as well as a few holes in the wall. .. But there;s also some food trucks doing fish and chips. .. You just have to know when-where to show up.

Batterfish ...

Chip shops in the UK were exempted from wartime rationing by Churchill, which probably went a long way in making them more popular. It’s a shame that even in places with ready access to fresh fish, they never made the transition to the US.

R48 Thanks for the corn flour in lard tip. Essex is gorgeous and an iconic fishing and shipping center so I know when I'm out my seafood league so I'll humbly step aside and defer to your good judgment. Manchester-by-theSea, Gloucester, Ipswich and Salem. Amazing old New England sea coast communities with great history and incredible seafood. Where are you now?

I'm in Ohio, and if I want deep-fried fish (not often), buy it during Lent at Catholic church festivals, or at a number of small, locally-owned African-American businesses.

[R5], it was Skipper's I was thinking about. They were great.

R51. I’m in Virginia now, which has plenty of oysters and blue crab, which mitigates things a bit. I pretty much have to cook my own seafood, although there is a seafood market here that does real fried cod and chips occasionally, and they sometimes get steamers. I miss fried clams the most. If you are in Mass. still, get your ass to Woodman’s.

Fish & chip shops don't tend to be chains here in the UK. There's Harry Ramsden but it's more a restaurant and aimed at tourists or found at motorway service stations. Local chip shops are closing down all over the place. For a family takeaway they're relatively expensive these days.

R54 I already woke up my buddy who's from the North Shore to ask him about Woodman's. We're going! Thanks for the tip. I owe you a plate.

There used to be a Arthur Treacher’s on Broadway between 49th-50th Streets until the late 80s at least. I was always happy how decent it was for the price. I'm from Massachusetts (North Shore) and fish & chips is one of my absolute favorite meals.

R56. I’m so happy for you, and insanely jealous. Great food in a beautiful location. Get some fried clams, steamers, and haddock for me.

Thankfully in Chicago, we have plenty of pubs, Irish or English style which serve up typical fish and chips. (some better than others) We also have a place with two locations, called Big & Littles (River North & Wicker Pk) that specialise in this, though they have shellfish on their menu as well. I haven't been to any, but as the Ohioan pointed out upthread, there are several local parishes that put up banners for fish frys... often they're for charitable causes.

[quote]I don't think Fish & Chips is appropriate for fast food joints. It needs to be cooked to order so it comes out hot and crisp. It also needs to be whole fillets not punched out fish of questionable origin.

They seem to in the UK, NZ, Oz

An example of the kind of fish and chips you can get by walking into a “ chippy” in the UK, for those uninitiated. This is miles away from fish fries in the flyover states.

^^^ couldn't get past the 3 minutes mark. They were such annoying Americans. And I'm an American. If I wanted to see annoying Americans I'd just step outside, which I hate to do as it is. But thank you! Looks deliciously crispy and quite well done. Thanks again, mate!

(Is my use of "mate" cultural appropriation? Bloody hell!)

Here's my favorite fish place, located in a little hole-in-the-wall in Over the Rhine. Cash only, and everything is made to order.

Why didn't eel pie catch on in the U.S.?

Good quality fish is not cheap and thats why there are so few national chains. Long john silvers serves pollock which is bleh.

Here in CT local places have great fried fish (cod & haddock) but it’s spendy!

R64 just made me throw up in my mouth. Wtf?!

Some of the bar & grills in Minnesota use walleye for their fish & chips. Most of the rest use Cod. I did see tilapia at one restaurant - no way would I order that.

Every summer Saturday my Aunt Ruby used to go out and catch what she called "a mess" of catfish. Then, on Sunday she would fry them up in what had to be the biggest cast iron skillet in the history of mankind.

Don't remember chips. Her preferred sides were coleslaw and cob corn.

"Ruuubbbeee, don't take your love to town."

I didn't realize there were so many hillbillies on DL

OMG once a year I go and get Long John Silver's fish and hush puppies. So greasy and so good. Boyfriend won't go there with me.

You'd think a company like Harry Ramsden's in the UK would expand here.

R71 Harry Ramsden’s is pretty limited in the UK. There aren’t any in London and they’re really only found on motorways or regional towns. They’re not really representative of proper British Fish & Chips.

They’re more a restaurant chain - most proper fish & chip shops are takeaway only.

R72, exactly, which is why they could easily expand here in the US.

Ramsden’s is in so much trouble, they won’t be expanding to the US any time soon. Plus isn’t all their fish cooked from frozen? Not really the proper Fish & Chips experience.

Also if you’re eating Fish & Chips with cutlery then you’re doing it wrong.

Best fish & chips I ever had was at a tiny restaurant called The Hungry Toad, in Boulder, Colorado (of all places!!)

I used to order shrimp and chips, but i make them better at home. I use Japanese style Panko bread crumbs and make home made cocktail sauce.

r69=Margaret Drysdale

[quote]The great thing about chains, especially when on a trip, is that you can be reasonably sure of what you are going to get. I try to eat at local establishments, but after getting burned by h supposedly great local restaurants that turned out to be horrible, I will eat at a chain one every now and then, on a trip, to make sure I have a meal that is edible.

My rule is--when traveling, I'll only eat a chain if that chain does not have any outlets in my home area. I refuse to eat at places I can eat at when I'm at home.