Golden Union — Restaurant in London

I was eager to try Golden Union Fish & Chips because it was rated by timeout website as one of the top 10 best Fish & Chips in London. Sorry to say that whoever rated this has never had good fish and chips in the UK let alone London. I am surprised it is rated so highly in reviews but I can only assume that is mostly from tourist who too never had good Fish & Chips in the UK.

Let's start with the service, i was greeted if you can call it that by someone who clearly had a chip on her shoulder. I sat down and once I was ready to order I waited patiently for someone to take my order but no one came. It was not busy and I was seated at the front near the servers so no reason for the simply being ignored. Perhaps, this was like Nandos where you go up to the cashier to place your order so that is what I did. When I did I politely asked should I order here or should I wait at the table? I was told to wait at the table and someone will see you, I said I was waiting for a while ready to order so the lady then walked with me back to my table and took my order. So far this has been a very uncomfortable experience, hopefully the food is good.

I asked how big was the small cod and chips and she said it is big don't worry and so that is what I ordered. When it came I was surprised but I guess from the poor service I received so far I should not have been. The fish was indeed small and clearly not worth the £14 I had to pay. However, I still did not want to judge too early as maybe it taste really good. Again, I should not be surprised the fish was not good. The fish was skinny like a cucumber and small but more importantly the batter was not crispy and lacked any flavour. The fish itself seemed fresh but the inside was soggy and wet almost like this was cooked by someone who had never cooked fish before, great way to ruin quality fish. The tartar sauce was also not good the only decent thing on my plate was the chips, hard to get that wrong.

Overall, this is a terrible Fish & Chips place and no one should go to this place if they want decent...

This is a must-do stop every time when I'm in London. I have discovered this shop around 6 years ago and I'm so glad I did because it is amazing! When I first came I had their classic fish and chips made with cod, it was really well made. The fish was flaky and not overcooked at all. It was also the first time I tasted chips with vinegar and that was a love at first sight. I really must thank for this to the employee that was there at that time since he gave me and my mom a little complimentary tasting portion of fries with vinegar so that we can see what the hype is all about. When I became vegan I was in search of vegan fish and chips in London and I was so glad to find out that my favorite fish and chip shop offers one! and it really isn't just an "alternative" where you kind of expect it to taste inferior to the "real" thing. Their plant based fish is flaky just like the real one and has a very similar bland taste that a cod would have. I'm not saying that you'll fool a fish lover with this but it is the closest thing to fish that I had since I stopped eating them. The portions are huge and when I say I struggled to finish my portion that is saying something as I have a seemingly bottomless stomach. I always reserve this dish for days when I expect to walk a lot. Also please don't make the mistake as I do every time and order their large fries. The standard size is plenty for 99% of people. This is at least true for the takeaway portions as I never actually dined in. It's a great way to save a bit of cash as takeaway is cheaper and there is a small park (Soho square garden) like 5 minutes from there so if you're lucky and have a nice weather I would highly recommend taking the take away and enjoying it on a bench in the park. Amazing staff, food and...

while visiting london, i needed to try fish n chips at least once. we decided to go to golden union due to the high ratings. i was pleasantly surprised that the inside of the restaurant was quite nice and modern with plenty of seating. service was friendly and efficient.

note: there a 12.5% service charge included in the bill. also, there is a 10 pound minimum per person, so if you split a dish with someone, you have to order a side or drink to meet the requirement. lastly, tartar sauce costs extra which seems a little unnecessary.

// cod and chips // my friend and i shared the cod and chips with tartar sauce. the employee mentioned cod and haddock are the most popular -- haddock has a stronger "fish" taste and is a bit larger/chunkier in size.

the photos don't do it justice but the portion is quite big. the batter on the cod felt light which i appreciated. the cod itself did not really have much flavor, and i felt like in general the dish lacked salt or seasoning/flavor. but, for fish and chips it felt better quality since it wasn't too bready or greasy. the chips and tartar sauce were standard and the lemon wedge helped add flavor.

we also got the elderflower soda which tasted like elderflower and...