Bristol's Best Chippies: a guide to the city's top fish and chip shops

Bristol's Best Chippies: a guide to the city's top fish and chip shops

Posted on: 24 Apr 2024

Cod we have your attention for five minutes, please? The 365Bristol.com team have all chipped in to curate our top picks for one of Britain's finest culinary creations, fish and chips!

 

Luckily, in Bristol, we're blessed with an abundance of great chippies, from old-school fryery to award-winning seafood spots. Narrowing them down was somewhat problematic, but we did it and firmly believe that the following eight purveyors of fine fish and potato chip-based edibles more than represent some of the best of Bristol's chip shops...

 

Farrows Fish & Chips | 146 Wells Rd, Totterdown, BS4 2AG | 0117 908 5511

 

First on our list is a Wells Road fish and chip shop that has won an array of prestigious awards for services to its ancient craft. While it’s a proper chippy to its core, this South Bristol favourite also serves up a range of high-end and gluten-free products, as well as the traditional fish cuts, chips, pies and fritters.

Noah’s | 1 Brunel Lock Rd, BS1 6XS | 0117 452 9240

 

One of the latest additions to Bristol's seafood scene, Noah's was recently named as one of the top five UK chippies in a study. Based on the site of the old Lockside Café on the banks of the Cumberland Basin, celebrate incredible produce, cooked simply, with fish and chips as their staple. Expect an upmarket twist on the traditional cod and haddock, alongside fresh seasonal catches from the South West’s renowned coastal markets as well as Scotland.

Hamblin's | 154 Avonvale Rd, Barton Hill, BS5 9RX | 0117 955 8125

 

Our next pick is a real no-frills, family-run joint whipping up fish 'n' chips, sausages, burgers & veggie options, and pies - the traditional Clark's variety, of course. Opening up shop in Barton Hill way back in the 1950s, Hamblin's has become a staple of the local community, and the wider city, ever since.

Fishminster | 267 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JN | 0117 966 2226

 

A real favourite of the vibrant and bustling North Street community, Fishminster is a snug restaurant that serves the very best, sustainably caught, and beer-battered fish and chips. If that wasn't enough, they also serve up scrumptious scampi, falafels, pea fritters and delicious battered halloumi with chilli jam. 

Reel Soul | 4A Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AE | 0117 904 9674

 

Another fryery set amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy Bristol high street, Reel Soul operates on the welcoming and independent Gloucester Road. A proud supplier of sustainably sourced produce cooked to the highest quality, this local mainstay Louisiana-inspired eat-in/takeaway shop offers delights from the region as well as traditional fish and chips.

Salt & Malt | Cargo 2, Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, BS1 6WD | 0117 927 6454

 

Located in Bristol’s historic harbourside, Salt & Malt at Cargo is the second offering from the seafood specialists. Found on the ground floor of the shipping container complex, this small but stylish restaurant offers a British seafood menu brimming with the best fish and shellfish the British coast has on offer for those who want to eat in and classic fish 'n' chips for takeaway customers.

Argus Fish Bar | 114 West St, Bedminster, BS3 3LR | 0117 966 4850

 

Argus is a real cult favourite of Bedminster's battered fish-loving community, perhaps less fashionable than some of the other chippies on this list but by no means any less of an institution. Expect all the hallmarks of an old-school fish and chips joint, a snug waiting area, massive portions, and immensely friendly staff.

Rendezvous Fish Bar | 9 Denmark St, BS1 5DQ | 0117 929 8683

 

This long-running restaurant is huddled in plain sight, just a stone's throw away from The Bristol Hippodrome, just off the City Centre. Founded in 1964, this family-run purveyor of the classic British dish was a favourite of legendary Hollywood actor (and Bristolian) Cary Grant and still doles out pies and hearty portions of fish 'n' chips on the daily.

 

 

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.