Chris's Fish & Chips

Elite '08

19

161

Katherine H.

Santa Clara, CA

A solid fish and chips place. This place is clean and simple, the menu is easy to read (you don't have many choices, which is great, because heck, it's a fish and chips shop), and the food comes out fairly quickly. My friends and I came here today, and we ordered the one-piece, and the two piece fish and chips. The chips were thick and hearty, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The fish was crispy on the outside, not overly greasy, and had great texture and firmness inside. There's nothing grosser than soggy fish and chips (not the case here!).

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8

49

Kristina D.

Burlingame, CA

A great little 'whole in the wall'  place to get some delicious fish and chips.  I went out with 2 of my girlfriends for an after work bite.  It was a bit out of the way for us, but good food is worth a drive.  The restaurant is small, but clean.  I was expecting some greasy place b/c of the food, but it was not like that at all.  The menu is straight forward and simple, you can't miss the big blue letters on the wall.  We had the 2 orders of 2 pieces of fish and chips and an order of 1 piece fish and chips.  After we ordered the man behind the counter went to work preparing our orders.  This I really liked.  I knew that our food was going to be hot and fresh.  The fish and chips came out piping hot.  The portions are a good size, I was full, but not stuffed and I had 2 pieces of fish.  The fish was perfectly cooked, the batter was nice and crunchy on the outside and the fish was flaky and moist on the inside.  Sooo yummy.  The chips were basically your standard thick cut french fries, nothing to rave about, but still good.  There was plenty of ketchup, malt vinegar and tartar sauce to accompany our meals.  Overall, very good food.  I'd go back again....now I have a new place for fish Friday's during Lent :-)

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18

19

Charlie H.

Chino Hills, CA

Everytime I travel up north and near Los Altos I have to stop here for lunch.  It's my guilty pleasure.  I first discovered this location when I was visiting a customer around the corner.  I didn't think it was going to be that great but I was definitely surprised.  It's a relatively small location with a minimum amount of tables inside. and a few on the outside as well.

You first walk up and place your order.  Not a huge menu selection but all the important items are covered.  Fried fish, scallops, oysters, etc.  Drinks are help yourself via the sliding glass fridge.  Beer is available for those who would like to partake.  Once you sit down the lady will bring over the ketchup, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar along with a roll of paper towels.

Fish and Oyster Combo - This is my usual order here.  Comes with a piece of battered fish, fried oysters, and steak fries.  The fish is flaky and the batter isn't too oily.  Served hot, hot, hot.  Oysters are awesome!  These are my favorite and I can't seem to get enough.  The steak fries are thick and lightly salted.  All of these items served on a piece of paper in a cheap plastic basket.  No better way to serve it in my opinion.

I've been here about 4-5 times and every time I've been there the korean lady that works there has served me.  She has a great personality and checks to make sure everything is just right.  I overheard her speaking to another gentleman and telling him that she was one of the first employees of Apple/Mac in Cupertino before they made it big.  The office had 8 people which included Steve Jobs and a few others.  Obviously she no longer works there and left before Apple really blossomed but I'm glad she did or she wouldn't be working the fryer when I'm in the area.  Where the hell would I go for fried oysters then???

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1

12

Becca H.

Atherton, CA

So, I just came out from getting my hair cut and was a little peckish, so before I headed over to work I looked around for a place to eat. There was a lovely sandwich board out front that said "Fish and Chips" so I decided to stop in (who doesn't like fish and chips?). So I ordered clams and chips, and the lovely lady behind the counter (she was very nice to me, despite claims of rudeness in other posts) did it up "fresh" and put them in the oil while I watched. To be quite honest, I would rather watch it and have it take a little longer than have it all be sitting prepared, but that is just a personal preference. I like the fact that the fries are steak fries (and garlic salt is put onto the fries, which is a nice touch). Not the best vinegar/sauces, but they have sriracha which makes up for everything (who doesn't like clams and sriracha?). On the whole, good, not too greasy, not too expensive. Not fantastic dining, but I am not reviewing it expecting amazing.

I will go back when I get my hair cut again...

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0

9

Jon A.

Mountain View, CA

I've just finished a delicious meal from here.   I order the 2 pieces of fish and chips, to go.  I think it was $5.95 + tax.  This is the first time I've found something close to English Fish and Chips, "from the Chippy".  Of course, in America they seem to do this multiple pieces of fish, not the usual large piece of cod you get in England.  However, it really was very nice, the flavor of the batter is perfect and the fries more than acceptable.  They are also of course "steak fries" and not the square cut chips you get in England.  

All in all, well worth a visit.

Picture of the food here http://gallery.mac.com...

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16

179

Mister X.

San Mateo, CA

The fish pieces were very long and thin and somewhat dry at the ends (where the fish was thinnest).

The oil seemed fresh, the batter crunchy, and sharing a 3 piece between two people didn't make as feel oiled-out and heavy afterwards. It's nice if you can get one of the two outside tables.

Weak vinegar...

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Elite '08

14

504

eric k.

Hayward, CA

Get in... get fish.... get chips... get drink.... get out.

Odd that a place like this would be in what I would otherwise call a very foo foo area... just shows that maybe people in Los Altos even slum it off their high society diets for some good old fashioned deep fried food every once in a while.

I only found this place while just kinda driving around and said ... "oh hey... didn't know they had this kinda thing here" ... then went back to it a couple times... and so if I'm in the area... voila...

The staff is friendly...  cooks the stuff fresh for when you get there(doesn't mean the stuff wans't frozen before), and it's a safe(did I say Los Altos is foo foo?) to stand around while you wait for the goodness to cook up.

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4

44

England M.

Los Angeles, CA

Whoah. I am actually blown away that this place has received a single star from anyone (I wish you could leave ZERO). As a proud Brit, and connoiseur (i.e. junkie) of fried foods, I have to say that this is by far the worst chipper I have ever been to........by a LONGSHOT.

There was an older Asian woman manning the counter when I was there and between cooking/battering the raw fish and handling customers money, etc. she never washed her hands once. In addition to that, I got about 5 actual chips with my fish, the fish was bland and lacked batter (about 1 mm of sparse batter); all of this for something like $8 (not a great price at all).

The most appaling part was how rude the woman was. One customer came in after me and ordered 5 pieces of fried fish and an order of fried zucchini. She gave him the dirtiest look and asks "you going to eat all of that!!?" then proceeded to roll her eyes. When she finished my order she literally threw the dish down onto the counter and when I went up to take it to my table she said "you wait!" I said, "I really need to go" (mind you, I had been waiting 15 minutes ALREADY)and she replied in broken Engrish, "how you expect me to make all this orders so fast, you sit down, wait".........um, thanks lady. I'll be sure to never eat here again and advise you to avoid the place at all costs. I am assuming the people that like this place have never had real fish n' chips.

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2

12

greg t.

Sunnyvale, CA

This has to be the best fish and chips place on the peninsula.  Big portions of fish and chips.  The 2 piece fish and chips is plenty but if you're really hungry go for the 3 piece.

I've tried H.S. Salt Fish and Chips, Prince of Wales in San Mateo but Chris's is the best.  Fish is never oily or soggy and the chips are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

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49

537

Kit E.

Mountain View, CA

I liked the fish and chips here.  We ordered the 2 piece and they were very big pieces.  I want to come back and try their clam strips and fried scallops.

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4

22

Paul J.

Mountain View, CA

Chris's has been right next door to Applewood Pizza for a number of years. It is small (5 little tables inside, 2 outside under umbrellas) and it has a limited menu and a tiny open kitchen, but these are signs of its focus.

Chris's is all about the food. We ordered the combo plate ($9.50): 5 jumbo prawns, 1 fillet and a basket of chips (fries) and we added an extra piece of piece of fish as a side ($2.75). This was a perfect amount of food for two. Fish and chips with 2 pieces of fish are $6.50 and a side of slaw will add $.50 to your total, refreshing prices for any Bay Area neighborhood.

What happened next surprised us. Our cook reached into his refrigeration unit, grabbed two nice cuts of Alaskan Pollock and then battered and deep-fried them to order. He repeated the process for our large, butterflied prawns and then added uncooked steak fries to a separate fryer.

Everything is cooked in peanut oil (changed daily) and the batter is secret, but the results are tasty. Beautiful color, good flavor, light crunch on the outside, less grease than you would expect, and the Alaskan Pollock is a nice alternative to the traditional Cod or Atlantic Pollock. Perhaps best of all are the homemade tartar and cocktail sauces --- a perfect compliment to a simple (if not necessarily healthy) meal.

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Elite '08

20

318

Mark G.

Elk Grove, CA

The last place I expected to find a solid, tasty plate of fish'n'chips done right was posh downtown Los Altos. But find it I did (the prior review here spurred me on!)

I got breaded clams and fish'n'chips. The place is smallish and clean, with perhaps 4 tables for dine-in. I noticed more people seemed to be getting take-out. The prices are between $5-10--very good, especially for the area.

I was really impressed with my clams--very tender and meaty, with the covering not masking the clam flavor. The fish was good too--very fresh. The breading was not quite as flaky as I like it--but overall, very good.

The bottom line: this place is better than H&S in San Jose and Bay Fish and Chip's in Sunnyvale.

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46

572

qirk z.

Los Gatos, CA

After the closure of Julie's Fish and Chips in Santa Clara's Mervin's plaza, I had no where to go for really good F'n'C.

Yankee Pier opened at Santana Row, but it's expensive....

Was in downtown Los Altos area when I spotted Chris F'n'C. Went in with a friend, the menu is very basic... ordered up a 3-piece. Got my order, ate it and was deeply satisfied. It was awesome. Yankee Pier, take your F'n'C and throw it back into the ocean, you can't beat out on what Chris has to offer.

The place is small, I've always found a seat.

3-piece Fish will be more than enough, 1 or 2 if you're a light eater. The fries are Steak Fries = my favorite.

The price is about $7 or so... half of what Yankee Pier would charge for their worthless piece of F'n'C. Go to Chris's if you want F'n'C.

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1

35

jeff w.

Mountain View, CA

the fish and chips are excellent it's all run by one person, who is very nice. it's great to sit outside and she brings the food out. don't eat the calamari, everything else is good. =)
the chips are good but not homemade i think.

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