Harrowside Fish & Chips — Restaurant in England

I recently had an unfortunate experience at a fish and chip shop, and it left me feeling quite upset. When I walked in, I noticed there were 5-7 staff members working behind the counter, so I hoped to place an order. I approached one of the staff, who seemed busy wrapping up other orders. It felt a bit awkward as none of the staff made eye contact or acknowledged my presence.

After standing there for a while, I shyly asked if I could place an order. The staff member responded with, “I’m doing orders right now,” and it felt a bit curt, lacking the kindness I was hoping for. As I stood there, other customers came in and were greeted immediately, which only added to my discomfort; I found myself feeling invisible and quite self-conscious about my appearance.

Having not visited a fish and chip shop in two years, I realized I might have been better off calling out as I entered. Thankfully, a polite young man eventually took my order, but by then, I was wishing I could just disappear or that I had chosen to go to the Chinese place next door instead.

Throughout my visit, I made sure to be respectful and polite; my tone was neutral, and I aimed to be honest in my communication. After I placed my order, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I might have underpaid, so I asked the young man if I owed any more money, to which he kindly assured me that I didn’t.

However, as I was leaving, I couldn’t help but notice the staff member I initially approached seemed to share my experience with another customer, which left me feeling even worse. I think my simple request to order food had somehow made me seem like the “bad person” in the situation.

I can't remember if I said “please” or “may I” when I asked, but I genuinely strive to be polite in every interaction. I felt quite dejected, and I wanted to highlight how that interaction impacted my experience. It was surprising how a request as simple as asking to place an order could lead to such feelings.

While I appreciate that their food was excellent, I left with a heavy heart and uncertainty about returning in the future.Which I'm sure the lady in question would obviously,...

Absolutely horrendous experience with a female member of staff covered in Tattoos, upon entering the premises I was greeted with “Where is Your Mask” no welcome, no customer service just rudely “Where is Your Mask” I informed the lady politely that I did not have one to which she answered “well I’m not allowed to serve you unless you wear a mask” and proceeded to try and sell me one! I informed her I wouldn’t be buying a mask as I didn’t have to wear one to which she replied! “Yes you do because it’s the Law” well this isn’t true, she was blatantly lying to me in order to try and sell masks, it’s not Law at all it’s a guideline/recommendation at best! To which I informed her. She then replied that it was company policy not to serve me unless I wore a mask! To which I informed her that by the equality act and the human rights act 1998 (Which are laws) that she wasn’t allowed to refuse service to myself in regards to me having a disability, Illness, physical or mental impairment! To which she asked if I was exempt, I said I was and she asked why? Again by the Human Rights Act 98 and the Equality Act she’s isn’t allowed, nor has any right to ask me of my personal details as to why I’m exempt from wearing a mask! She then said rudely, why didn’t you just say you were exempt! Once again this lady had no idea why I’m exempt and the fact I’m not wearing a mask should be enough to tell her I’m exempt instead of trying to bring back possibly traumatic memories, or divulge embarrassing information! I’m not saying in my case that this would happen but as has been reported in the national press this has been happening to members of public who are exempt due to PTSD from traumatic experiences and the way this woman handled this situation and treated me was disgusting To be honest! Obviously had zero customer service training or recognised qualifications making her unsuitable for a customer...

Visited for lunch on a Tuesday in May. Cafe side was quiet at that time but the take away section sounded to be quite busy. Step up into the cafe section. Wheelchair user are going to struggle.

We opted for the daily specials menu. 3 options, small at £8.00; medium at £10.50 and large at £13.00. You get the Choice of haddock or cod, chips and one side. I opted for the large haddock, my brother the medium. As extra I ordered curry sauce.at £2.00. And asked for bread and butter. However, few minutes later was told they had none. Thought that a little strange as they they had probably only just opened. I went for a Barn Cake at £1.00 instead. I got a small bottle of water at £1.50. My brother a can of pop at £1.75.

Our drinks came but the glasses were very dirty so we drank straight from the bottle and can. Surprised really as the place did look very clean and looked after. Meals soon arrived. Good presentation. My large fish was certainly much bigger that the medium and worth the extra cost. The chips were great. Proper chippy chips. Piping hot and well cooked. No raw ones in our portions. Peas tasted a bit earthy to me but I’m not the biggest fan of mushy peas. Curry sauce was good. Had a bit of a kick to it. The tea cake was fresh. The batter on the fish also good. Crispy and with a nice crunch. Unfortunately the fish, for us, let the meal down. Taste and texture were a little bit off. It didn’t have that wow factor. The fish looked the part but the taste didn’t match the looks unfortunately.

The portions were good. Price reasonable and competitive. But in all honesty we have had better fish. Although nothing seriously wrong it’s unlikely we would visit again as there is just so many other fish n chips shops in the...