Bertie’s Fish & Chips in Edinburgh and Anstruther in Fife

Bertie’s Fish & Chips Edinburgh and Anstruther Fish Bar in Fife were two of the fish and chip shops that we tried during our trip to Scotland earlier this year. Fish and chips is a prominent type of British food. It is also a common dish in Singapore. We like it but it was not one that we would get passionate about. But that was before we tried them at the these places in Scotland. One of them is said to be among the best fish and chip shops in UK.

Fish & Chips in Edinburgh at Bertie’s

Bertie’s Proper Fish and Chips restaurants in Edinburgh is a new establishment. It has opened for less than a year and is shortlisted for the Best Newcomer Award in UK National Fish and Chip Awards 2020.

Bertie’s Fish and Chip’s restaurant in Edinburgh has an unusual layout. Once inside the building, we have to walk up two flights of stairs to get to the main dining hall. I believe the building was once a church. The restaurant is large and spacious. It has a fun and friendly atmosphere – somewhat like a Hard Rock Cafe. We did not expect a restaurant specialising in just fish and chips to be so large and busy. Nearly all the tables were occupied. It seemed like this is the central place to get fish and chips in Edinburgh.

Bertie’s Fish & Chips Menu

Here is are some sample pages from the Bertie’s menu. For us it was easy to decide what we wanted. Battered cod (£11.95) and beer seemed like the ideal combination for us in a place like Bertie’s.

The kitchen was very efficient. We did not have to wait long for our food. the battered cod was served on a nice plate with proper cutlery. It brought back memories of Harry Ramsden’s in Singapore.The popular fish & chips chain from UK had a full service fish & chips restaurant near the National Stadium in the 90s. It was also a large place and nicely decorated.

The dish was served with a small dish of tartare sauce. But we found that the fish tasted even better with the Bertie’s Edinburgh Chippy Sauce. We discovered that this brown sauce is often used in the Scottish capital in place of the usual vinegar and salt. It is said to be made with spices and fruits. For more information on it, read this article in the Edinburgh News “Shocking secret of Edinburgh’s chippy sauce revealed“.

The tried the battered cod with both sauces and were loved it. It renewed our interest in this ubiquitous British dish. We thought this was very good. We would soon come across another one that was even better, in a town a short drive outside Edinburgh.

Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips
9 Victoria Street
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Facebook Page

Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant

Anstruther is a small seaside town in the region of Fife, Scotland. It is a short drive from Edinburgh. According to their website, Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant is family owned. One of the co-owners comes from a long line of local fishermen, with a fishing ancestry tracing back to the 1700s. They have won a number of awards including Seafish Fish and Chip Shop of the Year winner in 2008. It is an impressive achievement to be judged the best out of some 12,000 outlets across the UK. You can read more about their story and awards on the website.

We had joined a day tour out of Edinburgh and the former fishing town of Anstruther (now mostly a tourist place) was one of the stops. It was a short stop on the way to St Andrews. Anstruther is a picturesque little place. Our fellow tourists spent their time taking pictures. We headed to the local fish & chips shop.

Anstruther Fish Bar

Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant has a pleasant retro look. Since we were on a short stop and because the weather was perfect, we decided to buy takeaway, to eat on a bench outside, facing the sea. We decided on their classic item – haddock in batter.

We can see why this could be the best fish and chips in UK. They were the best f & c we can remember. The fish was fresh, pure white in colour. The batter was light and not oily. The meat was flaky. Bits of it could be broken off in layers. All we need was a bit of vinegar which enhanced the natural taste of the fish and batter.

Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant
42-44 Shore Street
Anstruther
Fife, Scotland
KY10 3AQ

Tel: 01333 310518

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