Gotta give it up for a 5. Lived in the area for 2 years and never gave this place a shot...I was totally sleeping on this place, it's soo freakin good. Huge portions of fish filet, great sides (hush puppies) and service is very polite and prompt. Always order for take out but must mention the interior is "not much to write home to mom about" but honestly the food quality completely overrides that. Wish them the best success to give themselves the remodel they deserve! A new go-to for my family. read more

Stopped going to Chef John's after this EXPERIENCE! My mon and I would frequent this place at least once a week. My mom would sometimes buy take-out dinners for other people, something she enjoyed doing. For her, money was not a big deal. However, the prices are extremely over the top, and most of the menu is deep fried. We ordered take-out one day and upon picking it up, I checked the bag inside the car. I noticed something was missing and went back in to let them know. They tried to say I was lying and ate it in the car. None of the food in the bag had been tasted or even eaten, before going back into the restaurant. We were parked in the handicap near the door. So we were visible to them the whole time and it only took a few second before I went back inside the restaurant. I was so appalled with the way we were treated that we never went back. They lost a good customer that day! Besides that, they were very stingy with condiments. Don't ask for extra condiments or they will get nasty! NEVER AGAIN! read more

Food was great. A bit pricy. 2 fish and side for $23. Side of onion rings $13. Food was great tho! Service was cool too. this was $70. read more

Chef John's Fish & Chips - 2 piece fish & fries. same thing but with hush puppies. Side of onion rings. - Fish & Chips Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

We went, like a lot of other people, after the Instagram reel. I have to say the food was pretty good! Not greasy. The issues that I had were number one it was very expensive. $26 for two pieces of fish and french fries. They were out of onion rings, which was the main thing I was excited to try, I get it you were out of stuff, but it was an early dinner, and they were already out of onion rings. If it were not for the food being very overpriced I would probably go back, but the food was just very very expensive read more

Great fish n chips! Everything is fresh and crispy! I love their shrimp and hush puppies too

Food is above average but the wait is extremely longer than should be. Seems like they are AKWAYS on a skeleton crew.

Amazing place! Great food! Been going here for almost 15 years and it has never changed. Prices has gone up of course but the food didn't change read more

Among the best fish and chips I've ever had. We took it to go and it was still crunchy by the time we got home. Tartar sauce was booomb and im usually not a fan of it. I personally think its worth the wait. Everything is made fresh to order read more

Great service , awesome food the fish was top notch ! Staff was friendly and thorough and made sure i was taken care of . First time here i will definitely be back soon read more

Chef John's Fish & Chips - Fish and chicken with hush puppies - Fish & Chips Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

I have been wanting to leave a review of Chef Johns for some time and wanted to make sure I had the best pictures to share. So here it is... When I crave fish and chips this is the place I go to. While the menu has so many different foods to try, I have only ordered fish and chips. The two piece fish and chips comes with two large fish filets and fries and there are a variety of condiments available for $17.99 . My favorite condiment is the tarter sauce as it is made fresh onsite and tastes amazing! We also tried the ranch dressing and it is also delicious and made onsite. I usually order take out and the orders take about 20 minutes to prepare so plan accordingly. The food is made fresh to order and worth the wait. Don't let the looks of this place or neighborhood keep you away. It is clean and simple and No alcohol is served. Still, if you want authentic tasting food that has been recognized by the likes of the San Diego Reader ( linked below) for its excellent fish and chips then go to Chef Johns. You wont be disappointed. The quality of Chef Johns rivals the best fish and chips I have had in England. If you liked this write up please let me know by smashing love this, thanks or helpful options below. Thank you. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2018/sep/28/feast-its-deep-fried-world/ read more

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Food was delicious and portion size is enormous! The onion rings were crispy and the fish was out of this world! read more

Chef John's Fish & Chips - Fish and chicken combo - Fish & Chips Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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Chef John's Fish and Chips, Excellent 2 piece Fish and Onion Rings. Cook to Order. 5 Stars Customer Services. Food is Excellent! Fried Shrimp,Coleslaw,hush puppies,Fries. They have Lumpia very good. I recommend this restaurant. read more

This place is a hidden gem. My Dad was craving fish and chips and said this place was the best he's tasted in town. Mind you he lives in North County Anything for him so I drove over to see what the hype was about and made that special trip over to this establishment. I was a little bit nervous as the neighborhood is not a usual place I'd be hanging out. Oh but Dad was right. Delicious! I loved that the food was prepared fresh when ordered. I ordered the family meal 6 piece fish and 2 orders of fries. Good value compared when ordering separately. The food reminded of when I was in England and gave me the London fish and chips feel without the mushy. Lol Kudos to Chef John. I highly recommend you support this Mom and Pop establishment. read more

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Overpriced crap. $2 soda refills, condiment limits, the lady had blinders on while cooking,the smallest serving of fries seen in my life, bathroom locked. For authentic English fish and chips goto Shakespeare Pub. read more

Tried for first time today , live right around the corner. It was really good. Tartar sauce is amazing. Try this place out.

Visited for Lunch 6/28/2023 Ran across this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try. Nice little family run Fried Seafood place. They take their time frying your order just right. Nice crispy but light batter. Everything on the menu is Fried. I mean Fried Everything. I ordered The 4 Item Combo Platter with Fish, Shrimp, Calamari, and Clams and substituted the Fries for Fried Mushrooms. The Shrimp were nice and well cooked and The Fish was nice golden brown. My favorite of everything with the added Mushrooms. The Calamari was a bit rubbery so I don't recommend. The clams were just ok. Stick with the Fish and Shrimp. The Tartare Sauce was Excellent. Loved it. I rate Chef John's between 3 and 3 1/2 Stars. I will try it again if I'm in the area. read more

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Expect about a 20-25 minute wait for fish & chips since they make it FRESH! Even on a Wednesday, they get busy at lunch time. The fish is bigger than I expected and they give a large amount of tartar sauce. Other sauces available, you just gotta ask. I like that they have a clean historical newspaper on the tray from The American Times! Something fun to read while eating :) read more

Chef John's Fish & Chips - 2 piece fish & chips - Fish & Chips Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

This traditional English fish & chips style restaurant is the best place in the area for a fish fry. Huge portions at reasonable prices and always delicious. The service staff is always friendly, but make sure to call ahead on Friday nights and weekends as they are very busy. This can cause long waits as they hand bread all seafood to order, yummm, but that means you will get perfectly cooked seafood every time! read more

Always delicous. Always fresh. Large portions. Friendly staff! Cute inside (kind of like an old taco bell or mcdonalds seating) CLOSED SUNDAYS! read more

I love the fish and chips in England and Ireland. When I read on the Facebook San Diego Foodies group that Chef John's Fish & Chips were true English style, I just had to try them. Let me start by saying don't let the humble and simple building put you off. It's a repurposed fast food place. There is nothing fast about this place. Every meal is made fresh to order. The nice lady who took our order told us it would be about 20 minutes. The fish was DELICIOUS! The batter was crisp and perfectly cooked. The fish evoked memories of a corner shop in London. Even the chips were thick and perfectly cooked (tender in the center and crisp on the outside). The tartar sauce was appeared to be homemade and along with malt vinegar was the perfect accompaniment to the meal. The onion rings were hot and crispy too. We ordered a side of coleslaw which was crispy and delicious too. The food is served on 1/4 sheet pan trays and the fish is about the length of the tray. The portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable. read more

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Great fish and chips restaurant, food is very good and the staff is friendly. Nice to have another good place to eat in our area.

I could give a 0 star i would. I have no doubt the food is great. I went in here with my duaghter and husband. My daughter came in with KFC because she is a picky eater and does not like fish. We were prepared to spend at least $60 worth of food to try. The restaurant was empty except for an older couple. Only two people eating in there and they told me my duaghter could not eat outside food. Mind you the restaurant was completely empty except for two people. As a family we travel a lot and have dined at many restaurants. No restaurants have ever said anything to us even those in much upscale locations. So sad for you guys to turn away a family and people who could had recommended your restaurant to others. Shame on you. The lady was rude and did not want to hear me and told me "whatever". read more

We've been here twice in a week and a half now. It was just so darn good! It does take an awhile, but that's because they make it fresh to order! I'm a sucker for fish and chips and was really looking for something local. The fish pieces are huge! Well worth the price. Will probably be back very soon. read more

I actually thought they had closed since I'd heard through the grapevine that the business was up for sale a while back. However, I saw on Yelp that the hours were recently updated, so I excitedly ordered pickup last week. The quality and serving portions are still phenomenal. Prices have gone up a bit, but the cost of everything has increased during the last year so you can't fault them. I don't know if they're still planning to close but I recommend getting these "London style" fish & chips while they're here! read more

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Ambiance is terrible. Looks like an old taco shop that was painted white (terrible paint job). Service was as expected and good. Food was good but everything it fried. Kitchen was dirty, freezer door filthy. Overall it was good fried food, heavy batter but crispy. Good tartar sauce. It satisfied a craving but will not go back. read more

Let me tell everyone something! You've got to come on down and try Chef John's Fish & Chips! I promise you will not be disappointed at all!! The portions are BIG! So delicious! I promise you that! The price is well worth it too! The service is so nice and helpful! It was my first time and I promise you I will be back. I just might go back tomorrow! Come on down and come see Chef John. I promise you that you will thank the good Lord in Heaven that you did! I'm so full ya'll. Oh my goodness. Wonderful place with an amazingly pleasant atmosphere for a nice little mom and pop spot. I will see everyone there!! read more

When hubby and I pulled up to the restaurant, the first thing that stood out is that it was previously a Long John Silver's. The wait was a bit but we didn't mind because the food was worth it. Be cautious when ordering because the portions are huge. My eyes were definitely larger than my stomach. The fish and hush puppies were perfect to satisfy my craving. Highly recommend it if it's the fish you're after. I would not say it's a great place for a first date. Haha. read more

Food was great jumbo shrimp and fries was tasty NOT greasy plenty size portions fast and fresh recommend them

If you enjoy fish and chips this is the place. Big pieces of moist fish. It takes some time, but comes out fresh. Definitely more of a take-out spot. There is dine-in available, but it's a dated old fast food restaurant. So ambiance is to be expected as such. I will definitely be picking up from here again. read more

Fish portions are large, onion rings are epic, tartar sauce is good! Most of the time, they don't take phone orders. Prices are NOT CHEAP, but the quality is high. We usually get the food to go. Definitely high-quality fish 'n chips!! read more

Visually it's a bare bones hole in the wall type of place but I'm not here for that. The food is great! They make everything per order so it takes a while but worth it. Everything is crispy and fresh. The batter they use is great and the fish pieces are huge. read more

When you walk in it gives you old fast food diner vibes. Traditional walk up and order counter, once you order it takes bout 20-25 minutes to get your food. Once our food came out, we were a bit disappointed in the amount of French fries you get with your order for the price your paying. I feel they should be giving you a little more. Fish quality was great not super oily, also the shrimp was really good. Was not a fan of the calamari or the oysters. FYI for the combo plates you are not able to order two pieces of fish, you can only choose that for one of your options. read more

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I've wanted to try this place forever, so finally made the trip. It was good, but overpriced. If you want cole slaw it's extra, which is crazy. We love Pete's Seafood in San Diego but the parking is awful and it's far away. We hoped for a good closer location but we just didn't think the cost matched the results here. read more

Horrible customer service, very rude. Not kind at all. Instead of addressing issues they get mad at there customers. Tried going back today after 6 months since my last horrible experience and the wife literally called me by my name and said, no service, you left bad yelp review, get out! Like wtf??? What type of customer service is that?? I had been going there since it was Tugboat....Can't wait until they close! Don't know why they play Christian music, they are no where near Godly people!!! read more

Been going to Chef John's since I was a teenager. Went again yesterday with family for a birthday lunch for my mom and they are still consistent! Don't judge a book by its cover if you like fish, shrimp, and chips you'll absolutely LOVE Chef John's!! read more

Was a little slow to take my order because there was a large order being completed in front of me. Gave me time to see around kitchen and notice they fry when ordered! That's rare! No heat lamps letting the oil sink in at all! Once home, wow! The fish was perfect, fries were decent(don't usually like double dipped or seasoned fries) and the hush puppies came with honey! Amazing! Worth the price if you want good, fresh food! read more

The restaurant has been remodeled and is very clean. The portions are huge. My wife and I split a two piece fish plate and were both stuffed when we left. This meant it ended up costing us less than $15 each. Our food was cooked to order and the breading was even better than what I had in London, the home of Fish & Chips. Fries were excellent and everything arrived hot. I highly recommend you try this restaurant. I wish it was closer to Hemet so I could visit once each week. Service was friendly and prompt. If a 15-20 minute wait for fresh cooked to order is too long for you, call ahead so it is ready when you arrive. This spotless establishment is family owned and far superior to the Long John Silvers that previously occupied this building. We are picky about our fish and this place earned our five star rating. Thank you for reading my honest review. read more

everyone loves the food hear fast in and out eat in or take outvery good fish no frills just good food.

Been there a few times with friends and fam and loved it! Soooo good. Lord willing,will go again for my birthday tomorrow which is actually on the 3rd. Try it out! read more

Great fish and chips! Not too greasy and good amount of crispness with every bite. The cod fish were a good fillet size compared to other places that give you fish nuggets. Onion rings were also light and crispy, highly recommend it as a side. Friendly staff and service is quick, private parking lot with plenty of parking. read more