Clermont Fish House — Restaurant in Clermont

We drove about 45 minutes because we heard the Clermont Fish House had authentic fish and chips. My mother is English and grew up eating them. She knows what the real deal fish and chips should be and we were excited to try these guys out. This is our experience there.

Clermont Fish House is primarily a take out spot but does offer dining in. There are a dozen or so tables and a small bar area with a nice selection of beer on tap. The restaurant's décor can be described as road house meets low end British pub. Very low budget looking with a bunch of British banners and knickknacks placed around to make it look English.

Apparently the dining area was added a few years back when the business bought the other half of the building .That explains the sort of odd set up. Originally there was a gas station next door and they busted through the wall to expand. Anyway I'm here for the food and not for the atmosphere. Lets move on and talk about the dining experience.

I ordered the Cod fish and chips and my mom had the Haddock fish and chips. We ordered 2 pints of Old Speckled Hen on nitro draft which were excellent. It was Happy Hour and they were $4 each. The girl who waited on us was very nice and checked back a few times to see if we needed anything. The food arrived within 10 minutes and was RED hot. I was given 2 huge pieces of batter dipped Cod and mom received a huge piece of batter dipped Haddock. The fish was cooked perfectly and looked great. This is where things went a little south.

We were served our fish and chips in a tiny paper basket with a piece of paper lining. We were then given plastic utensils to eat with. Ever try to cut through batter fried hot fish with a plastic knife and fork? The fish was piled twice the height of the basket on top of the tiny amount of fries which then became soggy. Stupid way to serve food.

We weren't provided with a plate so we had to carefully pick up the paper insert and food and carefully put it on the table. We then tried to use the paper basket to eat in. My plastic fork and knife couldn't do the job and we had to wait until our fish cooled and eat it with our hands. Maybe provide something larger to serve the fish and chips in? How about a plate at least? Clermont Fish House I'm looking at you.

I understand because of Covid restrictions many businesses are opted to use plastic cutlery. I get it. However Clermont Fish House get a clue. I'm not eating a burger and fries but fried hot fish. At least serve it in a larger paper basket and provide a plate. If I opt to come back I may have to bring my own metal cutlery in a zip lock bag. That's sad.

The dinners were $12.95 each which mom and I thought were a little pricey. The amount of fries was really small and not well cooked. It didn't help that the fish was served on top making them soggy. The only other side included were two sad looking hushpuppies. No coleslaw unless you wanted to pay extra. Overall I felt that it really wasn't worth the money.

Basically you can pay half as much for pretty much the exact same thing at a Long John Silvers or Captain D's. Both places are sometimes hit or miss but I have had really good batter dipped fish there on a few occasions. Unfortunately many have shut down over the years.

Granted Clermont Fish House has better fish but is it worth twice the price. Maybe? I'm not sure I will be coming back again. If I do I will bring my own...

There's an unassuming sun-bleached building in Clermont that houses a portal into another world.

And through said portal you stumble upon darn-near perfection. Especially when they serve you better fish and chips than you've had in any UK chippy. The fish, I chose haddock, was exceptionally fresh, flaky and moist, while coated in a batter fried to a perfect golden shattery, crisp. The supporting-actor chips were a perfectly light on the inside and held with a satisfying crunch of an exterior. Chips that didn't get soft as the meal progressed. Maybe the perfect chips.

The minute you step past the front door you are greeted with every manner of cheerful British memorabilia from Union Jack flags, an iconic red phone booths, football jerseys, beer signs, nostalgic murals, and British pantry items tucked in the corner market near the bar. Each a passport to a missed homeland. You'll never look up and forget where you are.

Service was efficient and friendly. The place was clean and organized. These people are doing this on purpose. Well done.

Tried the fried pineapple rings at the end and this dish was lost on me. I wouldn't order it. They use the same batter that they fry the fish in and that's all you seem to taste with each bite of not even sweet pineapple. Nobody can be perfect at everything.

But the fish and chips, they're worth driving...

We were on our way home from touring Winter Garden and in need of food. We spotted the Clermont Fish House and decided to stop in. We were also attracted to the little free library housed in an old telephone booth just outside.

The first thing I noticed was Miss Kylie sanitizing pens at the counter with ‘clean’ and ‘used’ containers. She greeted us warmly as we explained that it was our first visit to the restaurant. She recommended the Cod and Chips as a big seller. We ordered two.

We were intrigued with all of the soccer/football memorabilia especially all of the scarves although we couldn’t locate Manchester United. We also noticed the directional signs guiding guests to “take out” and “dining in.” There were a few early diners eating inside in the fairly spacious dining room.

Our order was ready in eight minutes. The portions were generous: two large pieces of tender, battered cod and thick cut chips. The cod was very good; I’m not a huge fan of thick cut fries and thought they were dry. Vinegar may have helped but we didn’t ask for any. We had enough for three dinners. I heated up the leftovers in the air fryer which helped crisp the chips on the second day.

The restaurant is community-minded and supports and partners with several school band and sports teams.

In and out and on our way! We...