Hooks Fish & Chicken Trenton — Restaurant in Trenton

We have been going to this location since it opened. During lock down it was pretty much the only restaurant we attended. We have been loyal because for a long time the food was amazing.

This has not been the case for the last year and a half or so. While we have enjoyed many great orders, the good ones have gotten more and more sparse for a number of reasons. Apparently there was a problem with their fry supplier, which caused so much disruption in the business that they had to cut fry portions. The amount cut was inconsistent, but there were several instances where a few of us got less than 8 fries.

Given that potatoes are pretty much the cheapest ingredient there is, this leaves a feeling that a lot of their food is frozen. Except for the fact the fish was amazing.

Was. The fish has progressively lost quality and the fries have been a dumpster fire for the most part. However this is still a local establishment that we have loyalty to and wanted to support.

Today was the last straw. Everything was obviously fried in old oil. It had a pungent overwhelming and unmistakable flavor. One that lingered in the throat for the entire day. The fries were drenched in the same old grease. Wet, limp, and dark in how soaked in that disgusting oil they were. The serving size was better than it has been, but still felt rather bare. The irony being no one was willing to finish the fries.

The cheese sticks were overcooked on the outside, raw on the inside. The fish over cooked, shriveled, and soullessly dry and the gyro meat was a few extra seconds away from being literal jerky.

I understand needing to cut costs, needing to make things work, but at this point the consumer pays for every shortcut that is taken. First it was portions, and...

The reason why I'm giving this place one star has nothing to do with the food or most of the workers and managers. Both were great, and the food portions were big, generous and tasted very good. It had to do with an employee named Isaiah ( sp?). He shortchanged me by $5. My bill came to $23 and something cents. I gave him a $20 bill and a $10 bill. He claims I gave him a $20 bill and a $5 bill. That's not right. I know what I gave him to pay for my meal. He wasn't paying attention when he took my money. He says he was a new employee there. That's no excuse to cheat someone out of their money he works so hard for. He should've laid the money on top of the cash drawer out of people's reach, give me the correct change, and then put the rightful amount of money into the drawer and close it. He could've been more knowledgeable in what type of ingredients goes into the food ( i.e. the Chicago style gyro) so the customer knows what he's paying for. Needless to say, I won't be back. There are other eating establishments that I'll take my hard earned dollars to. To the rest of the workers and managers, congratulations and kudos on a...

I REALLY wanted to love it, but the food DOESN'T measure up. With a cozy, casual decor and REALLY SWEET staff (Arminda, I adore you), it all seems rushed and clueless. I asked for Whiting and, as mine was a CarryOut, I didn't discover til I got home, that I'd been given CATFISH (& I KNOW Catfish, & no OTHER fried fish typically gets dusted with Corn Meal, which I DID NOT want). The slaw is a creamier version of Krogers' Chopped Slaw - which I pay less for - and the ALLEGED Banana Cream Pie not only had no bananas in it, there was virtually NO FLAVOR at ALL (mere texture; Yellow stuff topped with piped white stuff on Graham Cracker Crumbs). While the Fries were appealingly rough cut, the color (I've uploaded 4 pix so you can see them) were clearly undercooked at a high temperature, so as to render them a Dark Orange color with soggy, lukewarm insides. Add that no Ketchup, Tartar Sauce, a plastic forks or napkin WEREN'T included in the bag? I paid about $9.99 for something I'm embarassed to have charged to my debit card...& being on a Fixed Income, this WAS NOT the Once a Week Eat Out Treat I needed to rely...