There’s definitely something comforting about fish and chips. Perhaps it’s because you’re disguising the fact that you want to eat fish because it’s good for you by deep frying pretty much everything. It’s especially comforting when you’ve lived in the UK, as fish and chips there is so damn good. Like everything, though, there are varying levels of good. If you ask people from the North, they’ll say that’s where you’ll find the best fish and chips. Likewise, the West Country. (Cornwall did indeed have the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten.) Even the place near where we lived (which was no where near the ocean) did a pretty solid fish and chips, and when you’re having a bad day, you just wanted to stop in on your way home and grab some with some mushy peas to take home and make yourself feel better. Sadly, the fish and chips in the US is a subpar facsimile of the tastiness that you get from its mother country.
I was really excited when I heard about The Codmother though! (Weird side note, there are a ridiculous number of “Codfather” restaurants/dishes at places in the UK, so I was incredibly happy to see this take on the pun.) Why? Because it’s a fish and chips place that was started by a British immigrant. Who else could do a great job making fish and chips in the US? So I knew at some point I was going to have to find my way down to Touristville, San Francisco to give them a try. And that point was the weekend of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting. Who wouldn’t want something fried and potato-y after spending the afternoon drinking award winning wines? (Well I’m sure some people, but it seemed like the right opportunity for me!)
So we headed over afterwards and ordered some Fish and Chips. They apparently do great fish tacos, but I was here to try out the main event. It’s basically just a food truck with some public seating, and when we arrived at around 5:00 on a Saturday, the place was already buzzing with people. That seemed like a good sign. So I went up and ordered. Frustratingly, there were no mushy peas to be had, as for me, that’s definitely a must have to go with fish and chips. When they arrived, I was also slightly sad at the fact that the fish is the goujon style of fish and chips, and not a giant fillet of cod like you would traditionally get in the UK. However, I dug in, and the fish was perfectly cooked and crispy, and the chips were also pretty top notch.
It’s a tough situation though, because compared to British fish and chips, they were indeed subpar. However, as American fish and chips go, they were some of the best I’ve had. There was plenty of malt vinegar to douse all over them, and it was definitely something enjoyable after day drinking. I’m not sure I’d make a special effort to come to the area to eat them, but if I were already in the area with people visiting and they REALLY wanted fish and chips (or perhaps even fish tacos), I’d happily come back and enjoy myself.
Recommendation: Fish and chips (obviously).
Score: 3.5/5
The Codmother Fish and Chips
496 Beach St
San Francisco, CA 94133
It looks pretty decent, they have fat chips instead of fries.
I would have thought the US would be able to manage a good fish n chips…I mean it’s just batter!?
Yeah. Fat chips are always important!
You’d think so, but for some reason, they really like doing goujons in the US, and it screws up the cooking time so you end up with fish that’s usually a lot drier. I don’t know how it can be so different here.
Oooh I assumed they were just using smaller pieces of fish. I like goujons too…but only if they avoid dry, non-amazing goujons!!
Something about frying up the whole fillet really makes the fish taste better. I don’t know if it’s because it doesn’t dry out as much, but it really makes a huge difference!