December 2012 – May 2013
We thought we’d found the world’s best fish and chips in London, but that was before we went to New Zealand. What is their secret? The fish used is very, very fresh. Fish and chips are a basic food here, probably on every menu no matter how expensive or inexpensive the restaurant is. And fish and chips “takeaways” (take-out food places, but they nearly always have tables, too) are common.
The fish and chips shops work like this: you go to the counter and look at the fish they have available, usually at least three kinds and sometimes more. You pick what you like, and they cook it up for you while you wait. Often there is a “fish of the day” deal that comes as a package with chips (fries) and a drink, and these are always a great value. If you want ketchup and tartar sauce, you have to order those separately. While you wait you go find a table. When your number is called, you go retrieve your fish. It comes, with fries, all wrapped up in paper. You take it to your table, unfold, and the paper becomes your tablecloth and “plate.” Sometimes you’ll get plastic cutlery, but it’s almost always easiest to just eat it with your hands.
Now, you enjoy your fish while the local sea gulls keep an eye on you. There are always signs that say, “Please Do Not Feed The Gulls,” but the gulls cannot read and you know from the way they’re waiting around they must occasionally get rewarded. I like to take my leftover fries, wrap them up in the paper, then take it out of the restaurant and “accidentally” drop my chips on the way to a nearby trash can. Those fries are then gone in seconds.
Early on, we began our quest to find the best fish and chips in the Bay of Islands area. We’d ask people which their favorites were and came up with a good list of places to try in the coming weeks. In the end, the best pretty much run neck and neck so it’s hard to rank them, but we’re going to do it anyway. Here are our results for the Best Fish and Chips in the Bay of Islands region:
1. Duke of Marlborough Tavern (in Russell). This tavern is across the street from the Duke of Marlborough Hotel and has a nice bar and a large patio eating area. You can get a variety of fish, but the fish of the day is always a great deal. The fish here is excellent, but what makes it the best is the coating: not too greasy, a crispy texture and wonderfully seasoned. The chips are terrific, too. We went back here a few times to make sure: is it really the best? Every time, the answer was yes, it’s the best.
Update 2016: Sadly we went back and the place has changed. The actual fish and chips shop is gone; but you can order fish and chips in the attached bar. There’s no more selection of fish or coatings, though, just their basic fish and chips. The coating was still good, but we didn’t think it was as tasty as it used to be. The new crown for the best fish and chips in New Zealand has to go to Phil’s Place in Tauranga.
2. Shippey’s: This place is just outside of Paihia. The restaurant is actually in an old ship that’s been converted into a casual restaurant and bar. It’s a lot of fun to see, and the fish and chips are really tasty.
Update 2016: Shippey’s has closed; a sad day for Paihia.
3. Mangonui Fish Shop: When you ask locals where the best fish and chips are, they will tell you this place. It’s not really nearby, an hour or so drive north of Kerikeri. But it’s very famous and attracts a lot of tourists to that area. The fish and chips are wonderful, but in our opinion not quite as tasty as the Duke of Marlborough Tavern. Still, it makes a great outing and something you have to try because it is famous for being the best.
4. Stumpy’s: This is next to a gas station in Kawakawa (about 5 minutes south of Opua). We only tried it once so it’s hard to rank, but I have to say if we were just going by fish, this place might be #1. The fish was that good. But since we are going by fish and coating, I’ll put it at #4. If we ever get back there, we’ll try it again and see if it’s consistently that good.
5. Vinnnie’s Takeaways: This is in Paihia right across the street from the water. It’s delicious but not quite as good as the ones above.
6. Haruru Falls Takeaways: This place only has one kind of fish, and not the most desirable type, but they do a panko crust that’s fabulous. They are about 10 minutes from Paihia.
Again, it’s hard to rank some of these because they were all terrific. Pretty much any place you go will have great fish and chips. Except for one place. Yes, we managed to find a bad one on the outskirts of Paihia. Someone had heard it was good, and when we went to check it out there was a lot of foot traffic in and out which is usually a good sign. It’s actually a run-down Chinese fast food place that also serves burgers and various other things, a tiny hole in the wall just back from the coastal road. It was a long wait, and then we had to eat in the car because it’s the one place with no tables nearby. Well, it was awful, and not just the fish but the fries, too. I gave most of my meal to the waiting gulls, as did Rich. I think that guy uses the same oil for all his cooking and hasn’t changed it in a long time (or ever). It’s called Ti Bay Takeaways. (Should be called Stay-a-ways! -Rich)
Special Mention: This blog is about fish and chips in Northland but there is a terrific and famous place here in the Bay of Plenty where we ended up: The Fresh Fish Market. It can get crowded but with good reason: the fish and chips lives up to its reputation. If I were to add it to the list above, it would be #2. -Cyndi
