Fishcotheque — Restaurant in London

Went with 3 friends due to its very high rating, and we were all severely disappointed, especially considering my friends are locals. Not worth it for the price at all. A complete waste of our money. We only finished our plates, because we are low on money. I’m not sure which strategies are in play for the high reviews.

Ordered Cod Fish & Chips, Onion Rings, Curry Sauce, Hot Chocolate, and Water:

Onion rings are not freshly made in the restaurant; just frozen ones fried; also not battered but only breaded Fish and Chips weren’t seasoned neither inside nor outside; bland and tasteless; even YouTube it - fish has to be dry seasoned at least Tartar sauce came in Heinz packets Fish batter was ridiculously thin and soggy Fish was also quite oily

Service/Payment: After the meal, the worker told us that the card machine can’t accept card payments because it’s not connected to the internet and that’s just the case today, and we weren’t informed of this before ordering; the worker told us that the waiter initially forgot to tell us when we were seated; this is also reflected in the lying answer of a previous negative review where the same issue was brought up and the owner replied that the machine wasn’t working “in the moment” and that wasn’t the case when we arrived; clearly the owner is lying; this is a bit suspicious considering all the other bad reviews stating they don’t accept card payments The workers in general weren’t very positive

Personal message to the person who will reply to this (owner?) - I have seen your other replies to negative reviews. I’m saying this as politely as I can: I see you have trouble taking negative comments. You need to be able to take constructive criticism, accept your flaws, and make your food + service better. But instead you’re answering in a very defensive and highly emotionally immature manner. Which seen primarily due to you emotionally attacking the commentator’s character instead of their actual criticism, including my friends and others who left negative reviews. If you do delusionally think that the negative reviews aren’t valid, then the best answer is to accept that there will always statistically be some people who might not like your food and that’s their experience/reality. Just grow up, politely acknowledge it, and move on to make a better product (food + service). Also, don’t lie about the machine still working when we had arrived as your worker told us that the waiter had forgotten to mention it to us before ordering, which clearly means it wasn’t “in the moment”. You’re welcome.

I’d give it a 0/5 if that was possible.

Answer to owner’s comment (THAT IS NOW DELETED): Regarding the card machine: your words are inconsistent with what the worker said, completely the opposite as explained above Owner choosing the attack personally by assuming that I’ve never been to UK before, which is completely irrelevant, not to mention the numerous other times I’ve had fish and chips in the UK and outside; I suggest watching a few YouTube tutorial cooking videos; Gordon Ramsay has a decent one Good job admitting your homemade tartar sauce was horrible; maybe one day you’ll realise that about the rest of your food We finished our plates because as I mentioned we are low on money and can’t afford to dine out at a second place Good job deleting that comment; makes you look less pathetic

Conclusion: I am the idiot for choosing this restaurant based on ratings and try to leave a constructive comment as I’m speaking to an arrogant...

👍 What most reviewers like Traditional vibe & atmosphere • Many praise its nostalgic, classic chip shop feel — the décor, the ambience, even the mosaic signage add to its “old-school charm.”  • It’s considered cozy, welcoming, friendly.  Quality of the food • Fish & chips are frequently mentioned as “fresh,” with good, crisp batter and tasty fish.  • Chips are appreciated for being well made, and sides like mushy peas, etc., often get good notices.  • Unique treats like deep-fried Mars bar, homemade desserts (e.g. apple pie) attract positive attention.  Friendly, good service • Staff are seen as welcoming, helpful, engaging. Many reviews mention how people appreciated being greeted, the staff talking through menu options, being friendly even after meals.  • Also praised for reasonable speed given it’s casual.  Good value for what it is • Portion sizes are described as generous.  • Seen as affordable and satisfying for comfort/take-away style fish & chips. 

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👎 Common complaints & areas for improvement Service consistency • Some reviews say staff are less than friendly or service is not always great, especially on busy days.  • Sometimes issues with paying by card (some say they don’t accept cards) or things like that.  Identity & expectations vs reality • A few felt that some items (non-fish options, burgers etc.) are fine but not especially memorable.  • A reviewer suggested that the food, while very good, was simple — perhaps could benefit from more seasoning or refinement in certain dishes.  Crowding / wait times • Because of popularity, it can get busy; some people mention waiting or finding a table being an issue. (Implied rather than strong complaints.)  No children’s menu • One review noted the lack of a...

Trying fish and chips with another American friend XD We came after watching review videos of five top London places and picked here because of the central location and curry sauce (also allegedly #1 on TripAdvisor). It is on the pricier side, since it’s so close to Waterloo, and our verdict would be: definitely come here for the fish but skip it if you are craving for chips.

The haddock is quite lovely. I did some research online and people said flat fish such as plaice are too delicate for frying, and my friend went for cod before me. I am glad for my choice of haddock, awesome indeed. The medium thickness provides a perfect balance between fish and batter, and the thinner tips adds more crisp ones—two textures in one. The fish is juicy and fresh. The batter is thin and super crispy without being greasy. I can hear it when cutting the fish. It’s piping hot inside— so satisfying. Probably the best I’ve had.

In comparison, the classic Cod is meatier and thicker, a little dry and crumbly.

The mushy peas are heavenly. It contains both the smooth mashed peas and melt-in-the-mouth whole peas. The texture is so much more fun. The flavor is natural and hearty.

The curry sauce tastes alright. It is well seasoned, but the texture is a bit weird—imagine a thin lentil dhal thickened to resemble gravy.

The chips are dreadful. No crunchiness at all, almost soggy. (Somehow I’m happy that they are not tempting me to take more calories lol.)

The deco makes you feel you are traveling back in time. Old, maybe a little tired, nostalgic. The staff seem to be Turkish ;) — Turkish food is so much better though!

Is it worth almost 20 for some fried fish? Probably not, but foreign friend will keep asking for it so I’ll keep the...