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Category: Fish & Chips [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lemon Grove
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Time to loosen the belt, let it go down one notch. Outta notches? FML...
SERVICE is A+++!!!! Nice people, asked me exactly what I wanted and delivered. This Fish N Chips is easily ]in the Top 5 Best Fish N Chips I've had in my Pathetic and mediocre Life.
The fish here is very lightly battered and the portion is GENEROUS. It is not super oily like some greaseball joints like Harbor Fish n Chips in Oceanside. They do not dig your order out of a freezer, this shit is battered fresh before your eyes! Makes me wonder if I could order my fish sashimi style...I ordered the 3 piece as a Yelper did before and nearly gagged because it was so friggin' huge.
Being the overachiever I am, I didn't anticipate this so I ordered a side of cole slaw. The slaw was medley of flavors though it only consisted visually of cabbage and white sauce. That's a definite chef for you.
The owners are Korean (husband/wife combo), with the husband being a former chef at some pretty nifty places in Korea. I was eyeballing some of the mouth-watering dishes in the pictures that were hung on the wall--past culinary accomplishments of this humble iron chef. What's he doing here frying fish you might say? Making the green so he and his kin can retire in style.
I get the whole "root for the underdog" thing but 5 star reviews? Really?
Let's be realistic here.
Decor- There is nothing appealing about the decor and atmosphere. The building is apparently an old Arby's location. It is old and has a dull/dim fast food feel.
5 Star Service? - You order at a counter and wait for your number to be called. Granted they are nice but I don't think there is much service going on here, unless you ask for an extra pack of ketchup.
Food- With the 5 star ratings, I was certain that they must make their food fresh from scratch. No such luck. It is frozen breaded seafood (fish, shrimp, calamari, fries) ALL from bags out of the freezer. Granted it tasted better than expected, but i can get frozen fish at the grocery store.
I'm being generous with rating this a 3. It is more like a 2+. It is good if you are in the area and pop in for lunch. Definitely NOT a destination or date place.
I live right down the street from Chef john's and it is my family's FAVORITE place to go!! The Owner's are the nicest people!! We eat out more then we eat in and i gotta tell you as soon as we discovered this place we literally started going there like 3 nights a week... let me tell you we have not gotten tired of it! We now go about 3-4 times a month for dinner. We usually call beforehand and let them know we are coming for a pick-up and they already know us and exactly what sauces we want and everything! I told my father a couple months ago.."the sauces were like custom made for their food!! It just all goes so well together! " We forgot to get some of their ranch one time for their HUGE awesome zucchinis,so I just used some hidden valley in the fridge and man... just not the same experience!" The decor is very traditional Korean restaurant style... also it is their own personal items so it gives the place a personality! ;) Food is the best and portions are definitely generous. The service is kind and friendly! The fish is fresh...not frozen. :) They even help us carry the order out to our car when it is a large order. Since it is a family owned and operate place they are closed Sundays because they enjoy going to church and spending the day with their family. Great people and food!! You gotta try this place!! ;)
I have fond memories of H. Salt Fish and Chips when I was Young, anyone remember that place? After trying Fish and chips at the various seafood spots around San Diego this place came closest to those childhood memories. Blows away any high end Restaraunt in taste texture and value. Could care less about atmosphere as long as the fish is good, and it is
It could have been 4 stars if they had a drive up window instead of a drive up aisle that goes no where and if they extended their hours.
So, my wife and I live in Bay Park. Based on Yelp recommendations we drove out to Lemon Grove (for the first time mind you) to sample Chef Johns (with baby and dog in tow ... it was a family affair).
We've had fish n chips in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, New York, and at least a few other places known for good battered fried fish. So we had high expectations. After our experience at Mr. Fish & Chips (i.e., late night vomiting ... yuck) we were a bit leery of trying F&C here in SD.
I ordered the three piece f&c and my wife had the one piece with clams. First off, the pieces are very large. I'm so used to American style thin strips that I forgot what half a cod looks like. Each slice at the generous Chef John's is about 1/4 a cod (so like a 1/2 fillet). Ordering three is a TALL ORDER. I couldn't finish. I barely touched my fries. Which wasn't much of a sacrifice ... the fish is much better than the chips. They're kind of standard fare. I prefer what we call steak fries here in the US ... they sop up the vinegar better :)
My wife thought the clams were "pretty good." And that's all she has to say about that.
I would normally give a place like this 3 stars but considering the absolute dearth of F&C options in San Diego, there's a bit of inflation going on here.
The service was slow ... but after watching Chef John (who's actually Korean) working the fryer and the man is METICULOUS. He's like a machine and seems absolutely unwilling to let a piece go from his kitchen without the perfect amount of batter. It's really a sight to see. I don't mind slow service in this kind of case.
So, to wrap it up, if I ever get a hankering for F&C ... I'll skip Point Loma Seafood (overpriced and small portions for F&C) and drive on by Mr. Fish & Chips to head straight for Chef John's.
After reading the reviews on Yelp and telling a couple friends about this place we decided to give it a shot. We were greeted as we entered. Nice. The place is deniftaly something from the 70s when it comes to decor but who cares. It is clean - that is what counts.
I ordered the 2 piece with a side of hush puppies. My companions ordered the sampler which has a piece of fish, shrimp, scallops and oysters.
The batter is a beautiful golden brown and light. Not that heavy beer batter stuff you get at other place. The pieces of fish were large not thick but definatly bigger than I have gotten at other places. The hush puppies were little dense balls of yumminess. The scallops were perfect! Yes, perfect. The shrimp and oyster were ok but not amazing but they definatly did not suck either.
They have pepsi brands on tap and freshly brewed ice tea. Our order did not miraciouly appear as soon as it was placed but took the right amount of time for food cooked to order. They have fish, shrimp, claims, scallops, oysters and chicken strips. For sides you could get coleslaw, lumpia, hush puppies, onion rings, bread, and more.
This is my new go to place when I want a good meal!
Of the few fish and chips places in San Diego, this is easily my go to place when I'm in the mood. Freshly made, light batter, well seasoned, the fish is great. It's so good that I haven't had a chance to order anything else the six or seven times I've been there. You can tell they have pride in their product. The friendly service is much appreciated too..
I was driving around and figured I'd give this weird little place a shot. The outside looks like a mom and pops family restaurant. The inside looks like a Wendy's that hasn't been updated in 10 years. The decor looks like the ocean threw up in it and there is a flat screen on the wall at the same time. (???) However, the service was WONDERFUL! (That is huge for me.) The food was great! I mean, it's all fried, so it's hard to mess THAT up... but it was really good. It is all made fresh when you order it. Their tartar sauce is da bomb! When you feel like being naughty with your calorie intake, go to this place for sure!
I found Chef John's through yelp and felt I had to check it out. It's a little place on Broadway in Lemon Grove, or "the mile of meals" as a friend of mine calls it. I haven't been to many other fish and chips spots just because in San Diego they're really few and far between. So I don't really have much to compare to. But, the fish here is really good. The batter is fluffy but crunchy and goes great with tartar sauce or some of the malt vinegar. I also had some fried clams, which were just alright. The staff are all really friendly and they even deliver your food to your table. A nice touch! There are all kinds of pictures and posters of fish on the walls. On the front counter they even have books about fish and a Big Mouth Billy Bass. The next time I'm feeling some fried seafood goodness, Chef John's will be high on the list.
Thanks http://yelp.com for letting me know about this place. Best Fish and Chips I have had in a long long time. Owners are as nice as can be.
I loved it when it was Tugboats, and I think another name, but now it is Chef Johns.
I got a combo plate: huge cod piece, 3 amazingly sweet shrimp, 2 beyond belief I want more oysters and delicious melt in your mouth scallops. All batter dipped and fresh and lovely. I want some NOW!! Oh, and I love the tartar sauce too!
I only wish they would open one in Rancho Penasquitos!
I remember back in the day when this place first sprang up in an old Arby's location I thought to myself..I gotta try that place. Approximately 4 years later, I make good. I walk in and am greeted by a friendly dude who asks what I'll be havin'. I'm looking around and see pics of him on the wall wearing a big ass chef hat. I immediately think to myself " A, ha,...this must be Chef John!. I was born AT night, not LAST night, you can't get anything past me! The pictures are a sure give away that this dude knows his way around the kitchen. I order the 2 piece fish and chips (6.99) and a drink. They don't have table service but they bring my food out to me, nice. As if the dude can read my mind like Matt Parkman on Heroes, he brings me napkins too as soon as I thought about them. The fish was amazing. Nice big pieces of cod, hiding behind a flaky golden brown batter that is not overwhelming and never got soggy. The only thing I would recommend is serving cocktail sauce as well as tartar, as that is the way I like it. I'm sure I dont need to tell Chef John, he probably read my mind with his super powers and will have it on deck next time I roll in there. Thanks in advance Chef!
No-nonsense fish and chips. It's good. It's fresh. It's worth a visit.
I heard about this place from a co-worker and decided to try it out. This is the BEST fish and chips in san diego. Chef John was trained in London and you certainly can tell. They serve fresh wonderful fish in large portions. If you love fish and chips, you have to come here at least once. They get kinda busy at lunch, but it's definitely worth it.
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