Don's Fish & Chips — Restaurant in Ontario

A well oiled fish & chips production line hidden away in old Brockville - by the St. Lawrence River. Watching our order going through the process was amazing - a dedicated and very proficient team each performed their tasks in synchronism - order taken from the line of eager consumers, shouted out down to the fish fry station - fish dumped into a special deep frier under a watchful eye, payment collected - customer back into the queue in proper order - all the while the potatoes transitioning from 100 lb bags to cut raw sticks, then into the tub for a soak, then into an assembly line of deep fry baskets queued up for the deep dip into hot oil further down. Now the magic - basket of raw potato sticks plopped into an empty frier slot with a shocking sizzle as cold potatoes met boiling hot oil. 6 or 8 baskets were juggled by a master potato chef - baskets raised and lowered out and back into the oil to check their cooked status - then shifted out to sit a moment then back into a different frier - looked like a casino card dealer but the cards were baskets of fries! Meanwhile, the fish was almost done. The master fish chef made his call, removed the fish from its frier basket and passed it over to the bagger. He bagged the fish into a little bag. The potato symphony continued - baskets shifted from right to left as their potatoes reached their perfectly cooked state, then out they came onto the table to be bagged with the fish. The smaller bag with the freshly fried fish was slipped into a larger bag and then it was crammed with a huge helping of freshly cooked fries. The master bagger then grabbed the corners of the large over stuffed bag of fish and chips, swung it around a few times to seal the bag, then handed it over to the wrapper. He rolled the large hot steaming prize of fish & chips in newspaper, sealed it with a strip of tape and handed it to us over the counter. The whole experience was amazing! The wrapper, who was also the master fish chef and the maestro of the production line, said that the team processed about 1500 lb of potatoes per day. Apparently Don's Fish @ Chips has been in business here for over 60 years! It took about 15 minutes to complete our order and 5 minutes to consume it on the island park a couple of blocks away - boy was it tasty. There was nothing left for...

Extremely disappointed

Drove from Ottawa, exclaimed my excitement to the staff of how far i went to try these "famous" fish and chips. Was told by a friend to try the haddock. So i did. Told the staff to make it the large order because i wanted to enjoy as much as possible after the long drive. The staff were polite and told me that there was a place to sit in walking distance about five minutes away. It was raining and i wanted to stay dry while i indulged. Found the park and sat under a tree. A raim storm came down, which I'm fine with. Except... My fish, with EXTREMELY thick batter, was raw and, goey and imcooked about three mm around the fish. I scooped it with my finger and it was like wet white glue. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE RAIN pouring down I would have gone back to show them .... Instead there was an eager seagull there waiting for it (perhaps this is not the first uncooked fish from Don's they have loitered around for in wait. So I fed the bird with it. ) Needless to say I was extremely dissapointed. It was not worth the hour drive from Ottawa

The chips were ok. But no different then any local chip truck experience. The real bang was supposed to be the fish and I was severely disappointed

Side notes: there are a few parking spots available. No wifi. And...

The only reason for 4 stars is that I wish there was a few places to sit inside. My mother comes from the Gaspe area, and let's say I am picky about fish. I did not know what to expect because it was the first time my wife and I tried this place. As we approached the door one of the ladies welcomed us from the side window and told us to step on in with a smile. The menu is NOT huge, but that's fine when you want to do something well and not overdo others. I chose a small combo, my wife chose the bigger 2-piece. Remember when I said I'm picky? I should not have worried. The fries were just fine, yes there was some grease but that's part of the game and I dont mind. They were piping hot. The piece of halibut was fully cooked, the batter was crispy and not overwhelming the fish. The fish was firm and moist, no bones in it. The sauces were factory made, perhaps that could change to home made? Having some lemon slices could be a plus? But that's overall minor and wont hide a fish that is not well prepared. It's also a bit harder for takeout, I'm not sure if there are regulations about that. This is a good place, worth returning to...