For The Halibut Fish & Chips — Restaurant in Bancroft

Smart, have people pay upfront so they can’t do anything about the product they are served or the service they get. Nasty nasty! Upon entry we were told we needed to order, afterward I went to the restroom, took me all of two minutes. I waited while he finished with a customer. I asked if the fish that I ordered was going to be breaded. If so, please don’t bread or make it gluten-free. I was told it’s too late it can’t be fried and it can’t be changed because it’s in the fryer. It took 15 to 20 minutes for our meal to come to the table which tells me they chose not to accommodate me. The portions were super small haddock, the pickerel was a small fillet. This company does not use any plates they have no dishwasher and no investment in tableware. All of these overheads are no longer part of their story. But super high prices of $28 for 3oz halibut $21 for pickerel are absolutely insane for such small portions. The tartare sauce was a thimble. The coleslaw was a 1.5 inch, half inch deep circle container. All of these portions are ridiculous. After talking about this in our circle of friends, it appears everyone has the same opinion and gripe. If you’re wondering on what do you eat off of? You’re supposed to peel the box open and eat off the paper box on the table. Covid was a real nasty for a lot of the businesses. We need to be conscientious of whom and how we attend businesses again. In the same token businesses must work to be reasonable and value adding. If these businesses seriously think they’re going to make up for two years of lost income in a season, they have another thing coming. I cannot replace the income I lost and I just work from this day forward, like most people I know. I do not gouge anyone. By the way, I didn’t do a rant about my dietary issues, after eating there, it near killed me by evening because I had a breaded fish....

I am not exaggerating when I say this is the BEST fish and chips I have ever had - and I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. Growing up in Ireland, I have had more than my fair share of fish and chips, and I mean it when I say this is the best you will find in Ontario.

My boyfriend and I ordered the halibut and chips, which we loved, but we were surprised at how much we also enjoyed the coleslaw! I have never paid much attention to it as a side dish before eating here - it had real flavour, and has ruined other coleslaw for me - yes, it is that good. And no, I'm not mad about it!

Tash and Val are beautiful, talented people with a real flair for culinary prowess. It also helps that they are very cool, kind people. I was verbally assaulted by a random passerby on their property and they rushed to my aid very quickly, making sure I was alright.

I think it's important to note that this is an establishment that helps people experiencing hardship and food insecurity by allowing people to pay meals forward. It is not something I've seen much outside of big cities and I was in awe to see it here.

I can't wait to come back and see...

Loved this place and ate here regularly, but now it's been sold, and the last couple of visits have been disappointing. Obviously the issue is that the new owners are looking to recoup their investment by chintzing on portions, a sure-fire way to lose the long-time customer base the previous owners established.

It used to be that the "small halibut" meal was a decent-sized piece of fish accompanied by two "halibits", bite-sized nuggets of battered fish. Now you get what is at-least-honestly listed as a 3 ounce portion of halibut, but noticeably smaller than what you used to get, accompanied by one halibit, which may or may not actually have any fish inside the batter (my halibit had a bit of fish, my companion's was all batter with no fish inside. They didn't think we would notice that?).

People like us who got lunch regularly at For The Halibut and came to expect a certain reliability and quality will have to seek that elsewhere. If the owners can snooker new customers in who don't know any better, good luck to them. Sad to see this happen to what used to be the best fish & chips shop...