Harbor Fish & Chips (360 Fried House) — Restaurant in San Jose

5-15-2024 edit: Well the previous owner has sold his business and my first review is below. Short story long, the new owners are younger and fresh with tons of energy and a desire to deliver amazing fish and chips.

I am proud to report they do an outstanding job. The oil is always fresh, the batter is still perfect and cooked perfect every time.

The prices have reasonably increased as the previous owner never bothered to raise them (hence why I'd always tip him) during the Pandemic. All being said you will never find better quality fish and chips for the price they ask today.

No one comes close, because this shop is dedicated to the art or making the perfect fish and chip, for customers who only want fish and chips. This is not a seafood restaurant, this is a fish and chip shop. Those that know, know. Okay, this review is complicated because I’m trying to be as objective as I can, but let me start by saying that even on a bad day, I prefer Harbor Fish & Chips to anyone else I have tried in the Bay Area, and therefore I give it 5 stars. That’s not to say the place is perfect but I’ll explain later.

Not gonna lie but we have been disappointed with Harbor Fish & Chips, HFC, like everyone else is saying recently and so in the past few years we have tried two places in the Saratoga Prospect Rd area, one place on Meridian and Willow, two places in Downtown San Jose, 1 place on Story & White Rd, and even a shop in Bodega Bay. Not very extensive tries I know but I’ve had to pay over $25 for a simple two piece fish and chips at these shops and all of them had the same problem. You take a bite and your mouth is flooded with oil despite all of them looking absolutely amazing. We can take a little grease no problem but all had issues beyond a little grease filled bite. Lack of flavor in the batter despite its glamorous appearance.

ALL FISH & CHIPS SHOULD TASTE GOOD BEFORE ADDING CONDIMENTS.

Having been so disappointed we concluded that we should try HFC again and eat earlier in the day (when the fryer has had plenty of time to reach proper temperature - meaning it cooks hotter and faster without flooding the mouth with oil) and when it’s not busy. Why? We have learned that HFC is better before the crowds come in, the restaurant is cleaner and better maintained and more pleasant to sit and eat in. The owner (a senior) has more energy earlier in the day and pretty much is done after 7pm, and even more so when the place is humming, so don’t waste your time in those cases.

We noticed after the pandemic that HFC has watered down their tartar sauce and they no longer have napkins at the table, which has us bringing our own ketchup and tartar sauce and requesting napkins when we get our food. We also have to remind the owner to salt our fish and chips straight from the fryer so the seasoning hits at the right time of the cooking process when flavor is locked in.

Simply put we have not found anyone who cooks a tastier fish and chips than HFC and we order the 6 piece Fish & 2 Chips for $25 dollars. I don’t understand why anyone says they’re expensive.

Regarding the chips, no matter what the cut is, anyone can cook a chip and you pay a premium for a fresh potato cut chip from In N’ Out or Five Guys, but not anyone can cook a proper fish, be it frozen or fresh, in a proper layer of batter for both first and second fry cooks.

So yeah this place is not perfect but other places we’ve tried with better ratings, fancier presentations, more help and more money does not hold a candle to Harbor Fish & Chips.

In case you're wondering, we’ve dined with HFC since 1996 when his Sister owned the business on Meridian and Fruitdale, and then finally at Union and Bascom. She’s the person behind the artwork on the wall’s and the interior design of the place, but sold her share to her brother who is obviously not a spring chicken and we recognize that there’s probably not going to many more years for the place to be open so we’ll enjoy it for now when we’re in the mood for some decent...

I took my friend and I here to check out this spot that I've been eyeing for a few months everytime I drive by. I wish I came sooner had I known what I was missing out on. Both my friend and I ordered a 3 piece fish & chips and was not disappointed.

The food came out at a good pace, the fish was perfect in my opinion - piping hot, crispy as heck, no sogginess and not heavily battered. The fries were of the same quality but I do wish they have a little bit more proportion wise on the fries but that's just the fatty in me :p. The fried calamari was delicious but a bit on the soggy side and the proportion was disappointing as the basket seemed only half full.

The pink sauce is a mixture of mayo and ketchup and their own house mix is their own creation of a garlic base for the sauce and I forget what else is mixed in but it is FIRE! It is delicious! I started dipping every bite of my food in the sauce.

All in all, shout out to the team and the girl in the front. Everything was great BUT the smell. I truly hope that the smell is quickly dealt because it made me almost want to change the order from For Here to To Go. The staff seems pretty awesome and competent, your food is delicious, the only thing that needs some improvement on is the sanitation of the place, otherwise everything is all good.

The service was phenomenal, the cashier/girl (has blondeish hair I think?) that took our order was tremendous with the customer service; she took care of everything for us and answered any questions we had. I forgot to ask for her name so I could mention it in this review (sorry!) but I'll be back again :D. Maybe because it was our first time, but either the girl or the manager/chef gave us a little extra treat on the house, my friend and I loved it and thank you so much for the generous hospitality. I'm happy to find another good restaurant so close to me as I usually have to drive further out for good food.

I really want to give 5 stars, I had to take off one star for the strong bathroom-like smell that was pretty noticeable/strong throughout the restaurant the moment you open the doors and step in (the smell may make you gag at first because it punches you in the face and your nostrils). It seems like the ownership has changed based on what I've been reading in the reviews so maybe the new team is still working out the kinks and whatnot. Either way, I'd like to update my future reviews of this place to a 5 star should the smell not be present next time I visit.

I'm really looking forward to introducing this restaurant to other friends and family but I really need to make sure the smell is...

I've come to Harbor Fish and Chips for years and years. Before, it used to be called H Salt Fish and Chips and was on the corner of Fruitdale and Meridian. They moved some time ago and the same family owned and operated it, until it got sold to a different family I think. The food is exactly the same, that's why I still patronize the restaurant. The fried shrimp have no tails so I can eat the entire shrimp, and the fish are crunchy with not too much batter. The fries(chips) are crunchy and hot, while the fried zucchini are crunchy on the outside and zucchiniee on the inside. So good! 😋 The only reason I gave 4 stars for service is because the old family would let me substitute fried zucchini for chips on the 1 fish 3 shrimp combo, which is my all time favorite. The new family took over and stopped that service, so now I have a bunch of chips and have to pay for the fried zucchini I loved for so long. Overall, it's still a good experience, but I've slowed down in my visits just because of the new family's business practices, which in the long run is causing them to lose money. But they're still running strong so they must not need my money that...