Nice meaty deliciously, crunchy, generous beer, battered fish! Fries perfect as well. Clam choice, had a faint taste of soap! It was some kind of cleaning chemical and it didn't matter which soda choice I made it had that taste to it. It was interesting. Seeing other patrons just drink it and not even notice that taste to it. Customer services is very nice, for some reason there card reader to make a payment, wasn't working properly, they either need to clean it or get a new one. The gentleman who fried the fish, was the manager or owner? And has had the place for 15 years from what the cashier said to me and the location has been there since the 80s. I remember eating year 20 years ago so I just appreciate the old-school vibe. I'll be back soon enough, there's something about the batter, thick delicious fish portions That makes me happy ! read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - Nice large piece of delicious fish - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

I really want this restaurant to survive and thrive, but I got to also think of the people reading my reviews. I still think that this place offers the best tasting fish and chips. They dont use coated fries, and the value is awesome! People are nice, its efficient. The place is clean. They need to fix their air conditioner and soda machine. Its a miserable experience eating there in the heat. They have a fryer going that is putting out constant heat. The soda machine needs to be fixed. Never any ice and these soda machines need cold to carbonate properly. These two things have been broken for way too long of time. Although their food is good, its so miserable I'm not going back until these basic repairs are completed. Someone notify me when they are as I'm pulling the rip cord on this place and its a shame read more

H. Salt Fish & Chips is Fantastic! ..the BEST fish in all of Orange County! (Just like you remember it was) (not a lot of parking out front, but there's more parking in the rear) Their 'Coconut Shrimp' is excellent. read more

Let me start by saying I luv Fish n Chips. I have been to most of the remaining H. Salts in the area including those that have changed names. The last time I was at this location in Orange was at least 20 years ago. I was really excited to be back. Today's visit was probably off as the AC was not working and they had fans setup in the dining area. The first thing I noticed when walking in were the upgrades they made to the space, modern compared to the original H. Salt aesthetics. But let's get to the food! So, i was a bit disappointed. The size of the filet was smaller and thinner than other locations. Most notably, was that the batter was kind of bland. No seasoning. It was crispy and not greasy, so points for that. The fries also had no seasoning and I think the oil hasn't been changed in a while. Even the cocktail and ketchup I had on hand didn't help the staleness of the fries. Last up, the shrimp. Batter the same as the fish. The overall shrimp experience was ok. I enjoyed them better than the fish. The staff was excellent. Attentive and always cleaning. On this particular day I can tell they were kind of stressed about the AC situation. I am down not down in this part of the OC often, but next time I am, I will come back and hope that it was just an off day. Onward to the next H. Salt in Downey! read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - Fish n Chips combo with shrimp - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

Much better than expected at a very reasonable price. More than just fried fish, shrimp, clam strips, calamari and oysters as well. Portions were large and flavorful. You do order, and pay, at a kiosk which can be somewhat confusing at first but overall was easy to use. read more

Old school fish and chips joint. Not many of these are left. They get quite busy during lent season on Fridays. Other than that it's a pretty mellow spot to come and enjoy some fish. The kid with the dark hair and glasses could have a better attitude towards customers. The older gentleman who cooks in the back always delivers good food! read more

Very disappointed. I came here a lot but had to stop because it's a bit expensive. I finally order again through DoorDash. The food was so overcooked the fish inside was almost non existent. Very disappointing, especially for the price. read more

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I visited this establishment after Sunday evening church for evening rations. I ordered The Sampler and had Cod, Clams, Calamari and Scallops along with Chips (French Fries). Normally this comes with an Oyster but another Scallop was substituted as I don't care for Oysters... about the only type of seafood I don't care for. I did think the batter for the Calamari was too spicy. I had "wooder" to drink. Overall I was very satisfied with the meal. Well done H Salt. There was one all gender washroom which was not immaculate but was satisfactory. I was glad to see that paper towels were available. I have a bone to pick about the personal appearance of the employees at this establishment. I saw that the guys working at this establishment failed to tuck their shirts in. I consider that to be highly unprofessional so I am deducting one point as this is something I am OCD about. I was glad to see Pepsi was available though I didn't have any this visit and I was happy to learn that refills are free. If I was to assign a letter grade as is done in school, this establishment would get a solid B. read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - Outside - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

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The storefront looked fine from the outside nothing flashy, but clean and inviting enough. Once inside, though, it was a bit on the dark side, which took a moment to adjust to. We ordered the shrimp combo and the fish combo. The standout for me was how hot the food was. Literally hot to the touch. I can't remember the last time I got fried food served that properly hot, most places settle for "warm at best." That heat made a real difference. The condiments and sauces also paired perfectly with everything. A couple of small misses: the coleslaw wasn't as chilled as I'd like, and the wedge fries came out lukewarm. Those were the only real drawbacks. Overall it was a solid experience. The food itself was great, and we'd definitely come back to try more of the menu. read more

H. Salt Fish & Chips -- A Crispy Blast from the Past Feeling nostalgic, I made a stop at the H. Salt Fish & Chips in Orange, I remembered it being mentioned on on a foodies Facebook page a while back. Growing up in the Inland Empire, I used to frequent their locations at Mountain & Foothill and Foothill just east of Euclid. I remember you could buy a single piece of fish for under a dollar. Fast forward to today: the facade may be under construction, but don't let that fool you -- they're open, and the fryer is working overtime! The fish was a golden, hot, crispy, and delicious just as I remembered. I also enjoyed their chips (fries) and coleslaw, and their quick and friendly service. If you find yourself anywhere near Tustin Avenue in Orange, treat yourself to a little piece of California food history. Sometimes, nostalgia comes wrapped in a crispy batter. A Bit of H. Salt History Founded in 1965 by Haddon Salt in Sausalito, CA Acquired by Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1969 for nationwide expansion KFC's large-scale rollout struggled, and by 1987 the chain split -- franchisees bought their restaurants back Today, only a handful of independently owned locations remain across California read more

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Glad that H Salt is still around all these years. They have great fish and chips and many other options to pick from. We ended up ordering the captains combo, an order of the fried fish tacos, and the sweet potato wedges. They make everything fresh as soon as you order, so there can be a bit of a wait if theyre busy, but its worth it. Everything came out relatively quickly and at the same time. Was definitely pleasantly surprised by the fish tacos. They were quite good and not what I was expecting. The fisherman's combo was great, nicely fried fish, the shrimp were nice and crispy. Another standout were the sweet potato wedges. Seems like they're made with the same batter as the fish, so its almost like tempura. Definitely a must if you come here. read more

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One of my favorite's spots!! If you want greasy, fried seafood- this is your place! If you don't like the grease, you may not enjoy it as much. It's definitely greasy goodness here. The packaging is unique- it comes in a big box! Very sturdy, cardboard-like box. Easy to haul your food in. and it prevents any spills. They also deliver your order with a ton of sauces for dipping. The sauces make it! Ambiance is delivery for us, since we place order on door dash and have it delivered. I love the popcorn shrimp and the fried fish. So good! The hush puppies are addicting too. The jumbo shrimp are great too! We order from H Salt Esquire at least once a month. I wish it was more often, but my arteries keep telling me no. lol read more

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Never disappointed with this place. The fish is fried to perfection, crispy to the point of "crunchiness" (that's a "+" in my book). I often order some of their jumbo shrimp along with my fish, expecting 2 (as stated in the menu) but always receive a 3rd (perhaps not a true "jumbo"), but when did you last receive more than expected or paid for? Tried other fried fish places, but I always return here as none of them can compare. read more

Ordered the fried clams and oysters from GH yesterday. All stars for the clams. The clams were delicious but the oysters were awful. The off smell was very apparent before you even opened the oyster bag. Ended up throwing them out. read more

Had to come here just to get my favorite hush puppies, fish, shrimp and catfish, they are the best! We don't live nearby (about 45 minutes) so while we were in the nearby area we decided to dine in. The service was absolutely amazing. The owners were so sweet and humble and made sure we had everything we needed. One thing that I really liked about the dining area is that they kept hand sanitizer at each table which is so considerate. Since I was so happy with my meal we decided to order a little more to go. Also they have great tartar sauce! I'll definitely be stopping here again whenever I'm in the area! read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - Tables were neatly arranged with hand sanitizer at each one - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

Amazing food and service Drove from Corona to Orange just to have lunch here This is a definite spot we will be coming to read more

Just like how it was growing up! Classic England style fish and chips with lots of specials and options read more

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I will NEVER go back to this H. Salt! The young Hispanic guy at the front counter with the glasses was so rude and a complete asshole for no reason! And here I was spending my hard earned money for food that wasn't even that great! No seasoning whatsoever! Tasteless! It was crunchy but lacked flavor. If the owners are smart they will fire that JERK taking orders and bagging the food! I think the Asian owners were there but they obviously do not care how their staff treats customers! Never again! read more

Great food, personable and friendly staff, Great prices. Condiments are also plentiful, try the spicy chili sauce. Order your extra condiments like lemon, tartar sauce, cole slaw, and drinks when you order at the register. I recommend this restaurant and will revisit it again. read more

I placed my order and the restaurant was dirty. I saw roaches on the tables and on the floor, and the whole place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The food was poor quality when I had it in hand, and not worth the money. The restaurant is in desperate need of a deep cleaning and pest control, and even the kitchen looked like it wasn't being properly maintained. This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. I wasted my time and gas driving there, only to be treated poorly and served by a place that looked filthy. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Save yourself the trip and spend your money somewhere that values its customers and keeps its restaurant clean. read more

I ordered the family meal with 8 fish, 8 shrimp, and 2 orders of hush puppies. Everything came out excellent. The fish and shrimp were perfectly fried--crispy, not greasy at all. You can tell they know what they're doing. The hush puppies were a big hit with the whole family--we couldn't stop eating them. The coleslaw was solid too, classic and fresh, exactly what you want with fish and chips. Great food, fair portions, and the owners are genuinely nice people. I'll definitely be coming back and continuing to support this small business. read more

The food was amazing I am currently writing this review after eating this food. The service was great ambience was classic old school and a warm Pop shop type of eatery. The food was soft, flaky good chips were cooked to perfection. The fish was amazing on the tacos. the scallops were amazing the shrimp don't get me started on the shrimp amazing honestly this place deserves more than a 10 out of 10 deserves 1000 out of 10. read more

The best fish and chips in town!! Highly recommended. Best service and very affordable. Always a good place to get food during Lent season. read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - New menu - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

Exactly as advertised - all kinds of options for fried seafood and paired with french fries. I tried the fish (cod) and jumbo shrimp. The crust on both was crispy and the fish inside was tender, flaky, and juicy. Steak fries paired with it were cooked perfectly - crispy on the outside and piping hot inside. The service was prompt and friendly. Note you might wait a bit since they fry everything fresh. I like plenty of tartar sauce and malt vinegar, and they weren't stingy with the condiments. The location is not super fancy but it is clean and comfortable. In my opinion the ONLY thing holding this place back from a "five stars, hurry up and go already" is the chips (fries). They're tasty but not amazing... they come from a bag and I feel like it's a bit of a cop-out with the word "chips" in the name of the restaurant. That being said, their menu is expansive AND their prices were very reasonable. Omitting house-made french fries is a casualty in the trade-off. read more

Delicious, fresh light n crispy and large portion with thick potato fries, very good I od'd. Not fishy flavor or taste. I'll be back. Good service and ocean vibe. read more

Established in 1965, and per my mom, it's just as delicious as it was 60 years ago! This is my favorite spot for fish & chips, and anytime I get that anywhere else, I always compare them to here. They serve many other items too like shrimp, chicken, catfish, oysters, clams, calamari, fried zucchini, and salads. Oh and they make the best in-house tartar sauce ever! I have never liked tartar sauce, until I had H. Salt Esquires! Note: you can save 4% off your bill if you pay with cash! read more

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Absolutely horrible service - 3 families ordered AFTER my order yet they got their shit before we did. It took almost 45 minutes to get my order which they even claimed they " forgot what i ordered ". Ridiculous. PLUS - they trued to gaslight us by saying they gave us " extra " because of the screwup - guess what they didn't do that either No more - they can kick rocks. Used to be the go to place but no more. BAD overall. read more

lovely little place. affordable meals. i got the "captains combo" it was like 3 pieces of fish, chips and a shrimp for $17. young worker was really slow getting my food out. i got the cole slaw which was not good. my food was tasty. i liked the spicy red sauce. not a huge fan of the chips. but lovely lil place. check it out read more

Purchase their new offering of fish taco unbelievable the sauce they put on it. I put a little tartar with it just so good unbelievable inhaled it so fast forgot to take pictures. Will next time been going for a few weeks now really good read more

If I could leave 0 stars I would! 9:00 pm close time posted on google on yelp. Placed an order at 8:20 and was denied to dine in. Terrible customer service, drove all the way from Riverside for nothing!!!!! 40 min before closing and not allowed to dine in. Just terrible. Shaggy haired white guy terrible customer service. No explanation given either read more

Overpriced and dirty. We were eating here on a Friday night and a roach ran across the table and on the floor. Watch out for roaches. This place should be on The Kitchen Nightmares it is need to deep cleaning and pest control. read more

If you're looking for amazing fish and chips in Orange County, this is the spot!! This place brings me back to my childhood but is even better than I remembered! Don't expect a fancy, hipster layout in here. Expect high quality fried foods with a staff that welcomes you like family! We wanted to get something different for a Superbowl gathering and decided to give H Salt a call. The owner(?) picked up and was super grateful that we were calling for a big pickup order. He made sure to let me know that everything is made FRESH so he would need 20 minutes. Upon arrival, they were still working on the order but still super thankful and grateful, they even threw in a few extra shrimp. When we got a chance to eat, everything was battered and fried to absolute perfection. So crispy but so light! I don't know how they do it but can't wait to go back. Run, don't walk for some legit fish & chips! read more

I walked in around 6:30pm on a weekday. There were two people sitting in the dining room and no one else was in sight. I stood at the counter waiting for about two minutes and no one came out to take my order. I turned around and walked out and probably won't ever return. read more

Always wanted to try their scallops. It was good. Also ordered good Ben Which includes 4 fish and chips . Good . Will try something new next time read more

I give it a 0.0. Why? Because this place is just horrendous. Avoid at all costs!!! The food is bad, service is bad, atmosphere is apocalyptic and I was expecting to see some zombies roaming about. One more thing, the kitchen exhaust system is in dire needs of cleaning. read more

I got the Captains combo and it was pretty good!! Everything was made to order which was cool! The fries were pretty fire. The shrimp was good!! Lastly the fish was cool. There was only one employee and he was helpful! read more

H Salt Esquire Fish & Chips - Fish & Chips Near Me - Orange, California

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The quality of the food here has gone down hill. I used to love coming here with my mom. But the last two times I've come to pick up food, we have gotten our order Very wrong! It's not even worth wasting gas to go back to the restaurant and get our order right. Not to mention the fish is not even crispy and fried. It's always so gooey. I will have to look for another fish and chips place. read more

This review is only for the employee that I had to deal with tonight. I was picking up a doordash order at 7:40 pm on Feb 4. The employee was very rude to me because he said the order had been waiting. I tried explaining to him its not my fault and that doordash sent me 2 orders and I was to pick up the other one first. He kept yelling at me that I can pick and choose what I take and I told him that's not how it works and that I need to follow the order im given. But he kept being rude to me and yelling in front of customers. Very unprofessional. I didnt get his name but he was the guy working at the counter, dark complexion and has glasses. read more

Stopped by this H. Salt Fish & Chips on a DoorDash order. Place was completely empty--one of those spots where you wonder if you walked in after hours by mistake. A few minutes later, another guy rolled in, someone who looked like he might be from a corporate setting. When I asked about the order, I got a quick, blunt "not ready," with all the enthusiasm of someone reading a parking ticket. Not rude, just... uninterested. I wasn't really surprised. Customer service in this era is a coin toss. Looking around, the place had a serious "stuck in time" vibe. Faded menu boards with printed-out price changes slapped on them, the kind of thing you'd see coming off an old '90s HP printer. Plastic sleeve menu stands with taped-on updates. It gave off that mom-and-pop struggle where the franchise clearly isn't stepping in to help. And then there was the fish tank. Dirty, cloudy, and just unsettling. I didn't want to ask questions. Asked to use the restroom and, well... let's just say it told a story. Razors sitting on top of the soap dispenser, dirty aprons, janitorial backstock piled up. It was one of those moments where you don't know whether to be grossed out or just feel for the owners. Something about those razors--it was clear someone was shaving there, probably because they spend their whole life in this restaurant. On a human level, I got it. But on a restaurant level? That's not the kind of "homey" touch you want to see. The décor was classic hole-in-the-wall fisherman's wharf kitsch. It felt less like a franchise and more like a family just running things their own way. I didn't try the food, so I can't judge that, but from experience, when a restaurant looks like this--especially sitting this empty--it usually means corners are being cut somewhere. Maybe it's great, maybe it's not, but nothing about the setup gave me confidence to find out. read more

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So much nostalgia finding this place a couple of years back. I used to frequent H Salt locations in Los Angeles/South Bay as a kid. Memories of the smell of fried foods and malt vinegar are strangely pleasant to me. Anyhow, always order the fish, shrimp and fries in various combo sizes here like the old days. It's consistent in flavor and comfort. I hope this place is here to stay as I don't think there is another close by. Service is good and it's relatively clean for what it is....a greasy fried fish place. Bathrooms can use a little TLC though. read more