Restaurant Review: Brits Fish & Chips
BRITS FISH & CHIPS 6940 77th Street ~ britsfishandchipsab.com Instagram: @britsfishandchips Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Shortly after I first moved to Edmonton back in 2004 I remember reading an article about a fish & chips shop (or chippie, if you will) in town. I remember thinking that the food and authenticity of the experience sounded amazing and I couldn't wait to try it. As someone who hadn't traveled much at that point and had certainly never been to England, I was so curious to try a real version of fish & chips. That restaurant was Brits Fish & Chips and I have been enjoying them ever since. (I have also now been to England twice.) The original location opened in Coronet Addition Industrial, which is the opposite of a flashy part of town, although they have since opened a second location downtown. However, I only ever visit the OG restaurant, which I feel a strong loyalty toward. VUE Weekly voted Brits #1 Best Fish & Chips 2018 and Edmonton Journal awarded them Best Fish & Chips Restaurant 2020 and Best Fish & Chips Restaurant 2021. After all these years, they're still quite possibly the best place to get fish & chips in the city. Pulling into the parking lot, you'll notice their recognizable logo and signage immediately. (It's kinda hard to miss a fish with a mustache and a monocle.) Walking through the doors, you are met with the most glorious aromas of fried fish, salt, and vinegar. The space is meant to look a lot like a chippie in the UK, with wooden beams, murals of old-timey men fishing on the River Thames, and my personal favourite; posters of old Mersey Beat covers featuring The Beatles on the walls. Normally the music playing is also exclusively The Beatles, however on my recent Saturday evening visit this wasn't the case. The atmosphere is warm and casual, certainly not bothered with too much extravagance. The first thing to do upon entering is to approach the counter on the right. This is where your order gets placed and where you're able to gaze over the chalkboard menu. Not much has changed since my first visit 18 years ago and it's nice to see that the classics have remained the same. Obviously they serve fish & chips - they have six different types of fish to choose from. But they've also got traditional English pies and other specialty items like Cornish pasties, battered sausage, and haggis. You don't have to search long for a truly authentic UK experience. But also deep fried pizza?! I like to start by hitting up the coolers and checking out what sorts of imported sodas are on hand. There's usually tons of Irn-Bru ($3.76) available, the pop beverage of choice in Scotland.
Described as having a fruity cola taste, I find that it tastes a bit like a cream soda. It's bright orange in colour and a fun treat when looking for the right beverage pairing for fish & chips. Once ordered, you get to stroll into the dining room to seat yourself wherever you want. The food usually doesn't take very long and a friendly staff member will deliver it right to your table. I've been ordering the exact same thing from Brits for a long, long time. It has always gotta be The Works ($41.50). If you're sharing with another person, this is the way to go. You'll get everything that you need for an excellent, well-rounded feast.
When this heaping mountain of golden-brown deliciousness gets placed before you, you will know that you are in for something special. Unfortunately, they aren't allowed to wrap the fish in newsprint like they do in England but their cute checkerboard paper is a nice alternative. There are six sides to choose from which include; mushy peas, gravy, homestyle coleslaw, sliced bread and butter, sweet curry sauce, and a pickled egg. I always go for the coleslaw (to get something "vegetable" into the mix) and I can never say no to a pickled egg. Other very important components for a great fish & chips experience include; salt and copious amounts of malt vinegar on the chips (and maybe some ketchup on the side), a squeeze of lemon over the fish, and plenty of housemade tartar sauce for dipping. Once everything is dressed up to perfection it's time to dig in! Starting with the HUGE pieces of fish, the quality and expertise is evident. Fried in an imported deep-fat fryer, the batter is the most ideal example of golden and crispy, however it isn't too much. Inside you'll find gorgeously moist white fish. The cod is super meaty and it feels like you get a whole lot of fish within each piece. The haddock is very juicy and flavourful, providing a bit of a different fish journey. Both are wonderful in their own way, so having one of each is a great combination. One thing that I've noticed is that in England they leave the skin on the fish and we don't do this in Canada. I'm assuming that this comes down to a presumed regional preference. But let's just talk about the tartar sauce at Brits for one moment because I'm fairly certain that it's the absolute best in the city. First of all, they give you a massive squeeze bottle of the stuff on your table - it's unlimited and you can have as much as you want. (You want a lot.) Secondly, Brits makes the tartar sauce in-house using their own special recipe and it tastes incredible. Traditionally made with mayonnaise, pickles, capers, and lemon juice, all of these flavours are present in the Brits version and it compliments their fish like a dream come true. Don't be shy - bathe each bite of fish in tons of tartar. Next, it's the chips. Prepared each day using an imported commercial rumbler, the potatoes are cut and fried fresh in-house. I love that the skins are left on the potatoes and they taste wonderful after being drenched in malt vinegar. Not as chonky as the chips served in England, they're a good combination of crispy yet mashed-potato-like on the inside. The onion rings are enjoyable as well, enrobed in more of that satisfying, crunchy batter. The creamy coleslaw is a nice way to bring in a little bit of freshness and to help convince yourself that you aren't just eating a plate of "brown." Lastly, Brits does a great pickled egg. I'm pretty sure that they pickle them themselves and the sharp briny flavour runs deep within their eggs. You'll notice their brown colour from soaking in malt vinegar for so long. A pickled egg is just like a hard boiled egg except with a pickled flavour. If you're into pickled things, this is the egg for you. Saving room for dessert may seem like a fool's errand but if you can manage it, the Deep Fried Mars Bar ($4.00) will bring joy.
A lot more common these days, I'd never heard of such a thing when I first visited Brits. The idea of deep frying a chocolate bar completely blew my mind and I was eager to try it. I was not disappointed. The batter is crispy and golden just like on the fish... Except when you cut into the batter shell a melty, oozy chocolate situation is revealed on the inside. This dessert gives you that wonderful salty and sweet combination. Sure, it's a bit wacky. But if this is wrong I don't want to be right. Brits has clearly stood the test of time and has settled comfortably into the status of being a mainstay in Edmonton for fish & chips. Other shops might seem "cooler" but no one else will deliver the same amount of sheer authenticity. Maybe one of these days I'll check out the downtown location to see what that's like. Otherwise, you'll always find me at the original spot whenever the fish & chips craving strikes. Brits is your number one stop for a near-perfect British food experience.
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