Large, flaky pieces of cod cocooned in a crispy, fried batter make for a delicious meal. The serving size is generous, and the quality is excellent. It can be difficult to nail fish and chips outside of London or New England, but Mel's rises to meet the challenge. From the looks of the outside of the restaurant, you might be dissuaded from eating there, but you will be missing out on a delicious treat. If you are in the mood for a quick, tasty meal, make sure to put Mel's near the top of your list. read more

This place has been our go to for years and years so we were curious how it would change with the new owners. Aside from price increases, it was just as good AND the clam chowder was available! Crispy crust, tender flakey fish. Fries were salty and good. Chicken strips were tender and delish. read more

Food is great if you have a hankering for fried fish! They also understand customer service....I went there for lunch right around noon, which is their busy time. Given the rush, they forgot to put in my order. Politely came to me after I waited 15 min or so and asked what my order was again. They apologized and offered to buy my lunch for the mixup (this is how a restaurant SHOULD respond). I declined as I didn't think that was fair. They then gave me some extra items for the inconvenience (which they didn't need to do, but it was appreciated) and frequently checked to see if I was doing alright. Stuff happens...it's how you react to the situation. read more

Large juicy fried fish, just right fried shrimp and fries! Both ladies were accommodating and courteous.

Went again. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Parking lot only ambiance, but yum fish and chips.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] T0-go orders. Very little batter. Not greasy. Good fish. read more

Be prepared that the only seating are a few tables outside. As someone mentioned taking fried food to go would compromise the quality. Tonight we did a wildcard Yelp search and ended up at Mels. The place is tiny and at night easily overlooked. The special was fish tacos $3 each, the woman working said they run it when they have lots of smaller pieces of fish and it's very popular. Both her and the young lady helping us were super friendly, kind and knowledgeable about ingredients and such. We ended up ordering 2 fish tacos, and the recommended 3 piece fish and chips and the small cup of clam Chowder ($5) total was around $26. The portion size was huge- so value for money 5 stars! I watched one lady hand dip the fish before dropping in the fryer. Because it was raining they offered to bring the food out to us in the car. Service 5 stars!! We planned to eat in the car. Food arrived hot obviously- as the young woman warned it is all fried. There were two large portions of fish (we were told they use 4oz portions) and 2 smaller pieces that together looked bigger than the 4 oz.. again generous portions. Fish was moist and flakey, perfectly cooked. The batter was ok- not heavy but as the fish cooled easily fell off. Hubby felt it was bland. I went in and got lemon slices which helped tremendously. Fish tacos hot and served on 6 inch corn tortilla - good value for $3 each. Tortilla is lightly fried, it has a piece of battered fish, their house sauce and slaw. The flavor profile was not to my preference. I was hoping / expecting something with more acid / tangy where this seemed to be slightly spicy/ heavy cumin. They are good just not my personal preference and I'm unsure if I would get again. Clam chowder- was ok. Something about the consistency was off for me, hubby said it was missing several key things - we were done after a few bites. Unsure but it could possible by premade. Overall, if we were craving something different we would come back for the 2 piece fish and chips- hubby may get the fish taco and we would skip chowder. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - On this cold wet evening owner offered To bring our dinner out to our car - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Hands down the BEST fish and chips in Sonoma county, also clam chowder fridays have become a tradition at work

Met a friend for lunch and Mel's is our go to Fish & Chips place that we have been going to for years. It never disappoints and this time was no exception. I got the 2 piece fish and chips. It comes with a side of slaw and tartar sauce. I always order extra tartar sauces because it's the best and 1 is never enough! read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - 2 Piece Fish & Chips with extra tarter (4). Also shown with my friends slaw and tarter. - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Delicious fish and chips! Thick piece of fish with a lite crispy crust. Wonderful coleslaw. Awesome fried zucchini. Love love love this place Can't wait to return. read more

The fish and chips were decent, but lacked flavor. The food did come out piping hot, which we liked. The portion size was on the smaller side and it wasn't filling. There's no service. The older lady who rang us up was not welcoming to say the least. read more

Really yummy ! Wanted to try for a while and finally did , i had the calamari and chips , normally seafood at a smaller place makes me nervous but this was really good :) read more

We got a Family Pack plus a side of calamari rings to go. The fish and chips was delicious. The fish was a generous portion and the batter wasn't too thick, like some other places. The fries were crisp and tasty. The coleslaw was very good. The calamari rings were a little chewy but they had been sitting for a little while which could be the reason. Service was very friendly. We'll be back the next time we are in North Santa Rosa. read more

Fresh and really crispy fish n chips! Limited seating, outdoor only. Convenient location on Hopper just west of Hwy 1. We'll be back! read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Storefront window Mel's Fish n Chips on Hopper - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Bigger portions than you would think. Fresh and great food. I will eat here again. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Limited outdoor seating but that's ok.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

In the past, I gave 4/5 star reviews of Mel's. Mike sold it about 3 years ago. I used to love it. I would go at least twice a month. It's gone downhill. The new owner is not very friendly. She does not like any criticism that might help the business. She hasn't made any improvements. The staff does their best, but it's not good enough. There is no consistency. One meal might be good. The next not. Mike used to do most of the cooking. No timers, just timing by experience. He made his system work. He's gone. The guess "timing" doesn't work anymore. It's all frozen fish. They need to serve it hot, cooked completely, crisp, and none greasy. It's not too difficult. 2 out of three doesn't cut it. And somehow, the coleslaw has lost its flavor. I guess Mike didn't have any written instructions or recipes. They need to get cooking timers. Follow a routine. Maybe ask Mike for a little help. He was good at it. If not, I see them struggling. Very disappointing. I want the new owner to succeed. I wasn't going to leave a bad review because I didn't want to hurt her chances. But when I tried to mention the shortcomings in a polite and positive way, I got a lot of bad attitude from the employees. Update: It has been 6 months. Is things have gone better. read more

The food here is amazing. The size of the fish pieces are huge. We ordered the family dinner with 9 pieces. The fish pieces are large but the coleslaw and French fries portions are pretty small. Thank goodness the fish pieces are so large that there was enough before you even think about the other items. I would absolutely recommend Mel's. read more

A really delicious, bare bones, nothing fancy, just fish & chips spot! Family-run & locally-owned, they do nothing special with cod &, yet, it's perfect! Crispy. Delicate. Tasty. It's just The Best--outside of England. Hands down. Fight me. Okay... There's one more Fish & Chips Shop--in Seattle, which may equal the quality of Mel's--and is crave-worthy, which is mostly because of their Garlic Vinegar. We have been focusing on cooking at home & keeping our grocery shopping bills low, but today? My spouse asked if the salmon we'd defrosted would last until tomorrow, and, if so, did I want Ramen or Sushi or something I didn't have to cook myself for my birthday dinner tonight? "Fish & Chips!" I exclaimed! "With the mushrooms and the zucchini!" *THAT* is how delicious I think Mel's Fish & Chips are! First choice for Take Out Birthday Dinner! read more

Yummy fish and chips! No indoor seating but worth a trip there. Three outdoor tables. A good size portion given. First time I have ever found a place that sells clam strips locally. A must try place. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Three piece - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Excellent fish and chips ! The service is awesome and fast. The fish is so fresh and fluffy. I highly recommend trying this place. The best fried fish I have tried yet in Mendocino or Sonoma county. Coleslaw is good as well. read more

Ordered a 2 piece fish with chips. I have not been here in awhile and was pleasantly surprised that the chips were cut different and more like fries. Previously the chips were soft and under done, in my opinion. Now they are crispy like fries, which i prefer. Also, the 2 pieces of fish were humongous!!! I could only eat 1, saved the other for later. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Minimal counter seating inside which was clean and noticed 2 tables set outside, which looked clean and tidy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Visit this place, its a gem read more

Solid place for Fish & Chips with a couple outdoor tables. Service is friendly and the fish is legit (actual cod). Casual and small place in a nondescript shopping center, which is normal for local fish & chips places. Fish is the star here (so get plenty), kids liked the fried mushrooms. read more

Nice piece of fish. I appreciate The batter on the fish. (Good)We would have welcomed a lemon slice. All we thought (as less)that a little salt (or seasoning)would be good before battering on the fish ....would absolutely try it again. Fries were good also could use some salt. Coleslaw not super happening, but that's a personal opinion. My personal thoughts is that everybody likes that differently . read more

Fish is always delicious and the chips are good as well. I would recommend to everyone that loves fish and chips.

Wow! Reading the reviews you'd have thought this place was really great. We ordered fish, shrimp, calamari and clam chowder. Everything is breaded and fried here in a beer battered crust. I would like to tell you it was good. But unfortunately, it wasn't! We ordered 2 combinations and a medium side of clam chowder along with a side of calamari and two fish tacos, with tip it was over $75. The fish itself was a reasonable caliber, but the breading was soft and soggy and about twice the size as the fish inside of it, which also meant it was a greasy. There is no seasoning, no old Bay, no salt or pepper on the fish or in the breading. So it was super bland in every way. The shrimp was actually tasty if you took the breading off. The only way it was edible was to drowned it in cocktail sauce, or tartar sauce. Fish tacos was the same bland fish with their mediocre coleslaw with something with a little heat in it. But nothing about it was good. The clam chowder itself was also bland lacking in flavor and seasoning. Most clam chowder start off using bacon as a base for your roux I'm not sure they even used butter for the base. So it was mostly a creamy potato soup, with a light sprinkling of clams. Overall an exceptionally disappointing meal. read more

This place doesn't have curb appeal but they do know how to fry a fish with a golden crust that tastes great. If they could master a decent French fry to go with it, they would have a gold mine (and 5 stars!). I also think the coleslaw recipe needs an update ..of course that's assuming they make it on site which I doubt. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Fish and chips - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

I'm sorry But im a frequent fan of Mels BUT thjs day was NOT good at all. 6/7 @ 6pm The Calamari way over cooked, The over priced Scallops Under cooked : ( The Fish was really oily as well. Fries were Great atleast. VERY disappointed, looked forward to this All Day. Time to try a New Location for now read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Greasy over & under cooked :( - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Fish still is good. But I won't return again, service makes you feel like they don't want you there. Tarter sauce tastes like cheap store bought. I keep trying back to see if things have changed but service still runs me off. I'll spend my money elsewhere. read more

This hole in the wall is located in a small strip shopping center. It's mostly takeout as they don't allow indoor dining. You also are asked to wait outside while they're cooking your order. There are 2 small tables outside. I order a #2 combo which consisted of 1 piece of fish, 4 rings of calamari, 2 prawns, and chips (french fries). I also ordered a side of oysters which are 4 fried oysters. Everything is hand dipped in the same batter and cooked in the deep fryers. It takes some time (15 - 20 minutes) so if you're in a hurry, this is not for you. My order was to go. I live in northern Healdsburg. The 25 minute drive plus another 10 minutes to get settled in. So I ate my lunch around 35 minutes after it was made. On the plus side, there was a large quantity of food so I plated half of it and saved the other half for leftovers. The piece of fish was decent sized but the coating was not crisp and and was bland. The fish was oily and tasted like it was frozen. The same with the large prawns. The oysters actually tasted very good even though the coating was the same as the rest of the meal. The fries were limp and texture and taste was "chalky" and also unseasoned. Cole slaw was good. The cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar were all very good. I've had fish & chips from other restaurants where the fish, shrimp, oysters, and fries were still crispy an hour later. They were also well seasoned and not oily. If Mel's were to change the recipe to add some seasonings; i.e., paprika, garlic powder, lemon salt, old bay, etc., the seafood would be much better tasting. Also if the oil is not hot enough, the fish has too much time to absorb the oil and ends up being soggy and oily. I toss my fries in a 9 spice mixture after I pull them out of the pan. That said, I realize this isn't a high end seafood restaurant but a few changes could make a huge difference in the quality of food even with frozen fish. The price was very decent for the amount of food and I don't expect them to fly in fresh cod from Alaska at these prices...lol. Lots of restaurants are afraid to make changes. So maybe when they take your order, they could ask "bland" or with "with seasonings". So they would have to have 2 batters on hand. For the fries, they could ask "soggy and bland" or "crispy and seasoned" but that would mean they would have to have 2 fryers with 2 different temperatures. If you want "ok" fish and chips, by all means give Mel's a try. read more

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If you like bread you should eat here, the shrimp,fish and calamari comes inside of the bread but you will need to find it. You will get plenty of dipping sauces because you will need it! This place doesn't believe in seasoning so if you have high blood pressure don't worry eat all you want. I was full after 3 shrimp because each one weighed about a pound because it was a big bread nugget. If you like salt on your French fries bring some because they don't put any salt on them also bring your own lemons. The service is garbage they act like they have the best food in the world and everyone wants it so you must wait outside lol I promise I can cook better food I should have just made it myself. Before you come here think to yourself should I cook at home? read more

Delicious fish and prawns. Served up hot and fresh. Great find on our visit here. Staff were friendly and service was great

The best fish & chip place in town! Large portions, fair prices. Mainly take-out. There's a few tables out front, but unless you like eating in a parking lot, I'd advise against it! read more

Really good fish, hot and not greasy. Fries were good, but not special. Staff were very pleasant. Seating is only outside.

The food is consistently good. Generous portions. The Lemon cloud dessert is yummy. Family friendly.

This a great little place for Fish n Chips, Shrimp n Chips, along with many Combo types. The beer batter is very tasty and the portions are very generous for the price. We called in our order and were served within 20 minutes. This place is located in a little strip center and it is a small place with no dining tables so "take out" is all they do. The food was hot, fresh, and the taste was amazing. I will definitely be back to try more menu items. read more

Every time I go to Mel's fish and chips the food is amazing the customer service is awesome and the price is always right. The owner Justine is very professional and kind and welcoming and that's why I'm giving it a five-star review. read more

It is basically a hole in the wall, but don't let that keep you away. I just had the best Fish and Chips ever. The onion rings were amazing. You can tell they hand dip their items, not just some prepared product. I am really picky about fish and the cod was great and not fishy. They get busy, call ahead and take out. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They do have a few tables outside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

First timer! Anand soooo glad. Ordered two piece fish and chips and it was fresh hot and delicious. Light juicy fish, thin flaky crust, crinkle cut french fries, great root beer in the bottle. Thanks Mel !!! See you once a week. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Two piece fish and chip - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Hits the spot! Love everything I ordered. Fish and Chips. Mozarella sticks. Jalapeño poppers, Calamari and Chip. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Frontliners crew. - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Mel's Fish and chips is the best you can get in Santa Rosa haven't tried anywhere else so maybe the best in California?

First time here ordered a lot of food. Tarter sauce was great, cocktail sauce had too much ketchup. fried clams over fried, bit good. chicken strips good, mozzarella sticks good, everything needed salt, fries over cooked , prawns were excellent. Coke slaw lacked sweetness and Mayo. read more

Mel's Fish & Chips - Clams, chicken strips. Fries, prawns, fish and Mozzarella Sticks - Fish & Chips Near Me - Santa Rosa, California