The 18 best fish and chip shops in Cape Town

The False Bay suburb of Kalk Bay is a tourist hotspot in Cape Town, but look past the bars, coffee shops and boho-boutiques and make for the harbour. Kalky’s is an institution here, and owner George Mandalios has been serving up healthy portions of fish and tjips (as the locals call them) since 1996. There’s always hake, often snoek, and if you’re lucky, a selection of fresh line-fish from the boats offloading onto the nearby quayside. Place your order and grab a table with a view.

Kalk Bay Harbour, Main Road, Kalk Bay

This much-loved local eatery on the outskirts of Hout Bay Harbour does what it says on the box. From a simple takeaway kitchen set metres from an Atlantic Ocean breakwater, Fish on the Rocks dishes up a reliable menu of fresh fish and seafood platters. There’s hake year-round, but when you can, look for the likes of seasonal yellowtail or snoek (a line-caught game fish with firm flesh and plenty of flavour – a local favourite). Though it’s officially a takeaway with no table service, there are shaded picnic benches with a sea view.

Harbour Rd, Hout Bay

If you find yourself in the city centre with a hankering for fish and chips, head straight for Lusitania Fisheries. Set on bustling Waterkant Street, it’s a popular choice with local office workers, and at lunchtime you’ll find a queue out the door. The service is curt and the shop lacks frills, but there’s an old-school charm to this traditional chippie. In the winter, ask for a side order of fried snoek roe. They also serve the most amazing calamari, so opt for that if you aren't in the mood for fish.

49a. Waterkant Street, Cape Town

A no-frills old-school takeaway on unlovely Voortrekker Road, Koeberg Fisheries is the sort of place locals head for (Lester Kiewit rates it as a favourite!) when they want maximum comfort for minimum ceremony. Step up to the counter, choose your fried fish (hake and snoek are the usual suspects), add chips, and get out of the way for the next person in line. It’s long had a reputation as a dependable, value-driven neighbourhood fish-and-chips stop. Low on frills. Big on authentic flavour. Vinegar on the chips is a must. 

127 Voortrekker Road, Maitland

For a more upmarket experience, look no further than SeaBreeze Fish & Shell. Set in a historic building above the inner city, this cosy eatery offers an inspired seafood menu that sails from small plates of prawn arancini and locally farmed mussels to whole roasted fish done Asian style. But the classics are cooked perfectly here, too, and the line-caught hake with hand-cut chips is simply outstanding. It’s not the cheapest in town, but certainly your best for an elegant night out. Plus there’s a wonderful seafood-friendly wine list as well.

213 Bree Street, Cape Town

Loyalties are often divided in Hout Bay, and if you’re not a ‘Fish on the Rocks’ person you’ll probably head straight to the laid-back ground-floor Wharfette Bistro at Mariner’s Wharf for your classic fish and chips with a working-harbour backdrop. Order at the counter, grab a table outside, and let the seagulls provide the soundtrack. Expect simple seaside fare done right, but the menu also flexes into Cape favourites like snoek, calamari, and prawn-and-fish combos, plus house staples such as Surfburgers and “Lekkerbekkies” fish cakes.  

Harbour Rd, Hout Bay

Gordon’s Bay isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of fine food, but people will travel from far and wide for the fish and chips at Ooskus Fisheries. The heart of the menu is the humble fish and chips, here done without too many frills, but all the basics right. In season, there’s yellowtail, but year-round, the hake or kingklip are excellent. A great fillet, deep-fried in a crisp batter, with chunky slap chips. Lekker. If you’re feeling fancy, you can upgrade to the combos and platters, with the famous Ooskus Specials offering excellent value for families. The popularity of Ooskus means that there’s often a queue down the pavement, so it pays to order online ahead of time or arrive a little early. And pensioners get 10% off every Tuesday!

4 Watt Street, Gordon's Bay

If you’re feeling peckish on your road trip to the tip of the Cape Peninsula, pull in at this charming harbourside restaurant for a parcel of traditional fish and chips. You can order to go, but the handful of tables are set overlooking the famous harbour, so it’s worth taking a break and sitting-in. The Salty Sea Dog menu extends beyond excellent fish and chips to include calamari, fish cakes, fish burgers and platters. They also serve smoorsnoek, a traditional Cape Malay dish.

2 Wharf Street, Simon's Town

Giving Lusitania a run for its money is Revelas Fisheries on Long Street. Like Lusitania, there are few frills to be found here, and while the menu is centred on hake and snoek, there’s plenty of choice on how it arrives: grilled, fried, middle cut, with chips, straight up or combo. The choice is yours and the friendly folks behind the counter – including owner Jose de Freitas – are always happy to talk you through it all.

205 Long Street, Cape Town

Since the early days of Ocean Basket, when brothers Peter ‘Fats’ and George Lazarides started with a single restaurant in Pretoria, the menu has promised delicious seafood at affordable prices. Today, 30 years later, with around 200 restaurants across 16 countries, the same ethos remains. In Cape Town, Ocean Basket continues to be a family-friendly favourite for anyone with a taste for seafood. While the sizzling pans of fish and chips are still a popular staple, the menu has evolved to include everything from sushi and shellfish platters to salmon ceviche. The latest addition is the menu of tasty seafood burgers, available as panko-crumbed hake, calamari steaks, or panko-crusted prawns. Served with a generous portion of chips, they offer some of the best-value seafood in town, just as Fats and George always intended. There are Ocean Basket restaurants across the Mother City, but the Muizenberg branch is arguably the best option for seafood with a sea view.

Surfers Corner, Muizenberg Beach

Besides the safe swimming beach, there are few reasons to spend much time in the sleepy suburb of Fish Hoek. One of those reasons is Fish Hoek Fisheries, a low-key fish shop that serves some of the best fried fish in the southern peninsula. Hake is the standard order, with perfectly cooked chips on the side, but also try the delicious Portuguese fish cakes. Grab your little parcel and head for the nearby beach.

43 Main Road, Fish Hoek

This unassuming takeaway in Athlone is most famous as the home of the Gatsby sandwich, but Super Fisheries is equally worth a visit for their superb fish and chips. It’s a rustic old-school space, so don’t expect any frills, but the fish is fresh, the oil hat and the batter crisp. But hey, you’re here anyway, so why not make it a Gatsby smash and go for the Super Fish Gatsby, right? Right.

63 Old Klipfontein Rd, Athlone

If old-school-is-cool, then Plumstead Fisheries is as trendy as you could ask for. Well, except it’s not. What it is is authentic, from the fresh fish counter on one side to the takeaways on the other. The menu is as simple as you can ask for, with deep-fried fillets of hake, angelfish or kingklip – yellowtail in season, if you’re lucky – and perfectly crisp chips. If your pockets are feeling empty, you’ll have to make do with the excellent fish roll.

209-211 Main Road, Plumstead

A surf session in the waves at Muizenberg Beach is sure to work up a hunger, but happily, the folks at Lucky Fish & Chips won’t mind if you wander in with water dripping from your wetsuit. Set in the heart of Muizenberg’s beachfront strip, this bright and breezy restaurant offers paper-wrapped packages of perfectly crisp fish (choose between hake or snoek) and delightfully crunchy chips. Both dine-in and takeaway are available, but the best seats are at the front counter, looking out at the waves.

If you fancy fish and chips with a sea view, head straight for Dunes Beach Restaurant on the Hout Bay beachfront. Popular with locals and tourists, the menu ranges from Eggs Benedict for weekend brekkie through to kid-friendly pizzas for lunch. But if you’ve got a hankering for hake, then you’ll be happy here, too: their traditional fish and chips is expertly cooked in beer batter and served with a house tartare sauce. The Catch of the Day takes things a little more upmarket, with a fresh line fish fillet served with pan-fried new potatoes, green beans, and a zesty lemon butter sauce.

1 Beach Crescent, Scott Estate, Hout Bay

Snoekies has been around since 1951, growing from the original branch in Hout Bay Harbour to six stores across the city. They’re all reliably good, with a well-priced menu of dependable favourites, including lunchtime specials and family meals. Stick with the snoek and chips parcel and you won’t go wrong. At the Big Bay outlet, you can wander a few steps to the beachfront to enjoy impressive views of both the ocean and Table Mountain.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t your traditional fish-and-chippie. You won’t find vinegar-soaked chips and paper wrappers at Riva Fish Restaurant, but the authentic Italian experience makes it well worth a visit, with chefs turning out remarkable plates of fresh local seafood. The seared tuna and line-fish carpaccio are superb when in season, and if you’re craving the crunch of old-fashioned fish and chips, you’ll find it in their delightful deep-fried hake, cooked with a crispy polenta crumb and plated with vegetable fries.

24 Napier St, De Waterkant

Hidden away at the unlovely end of Albert Road in the gentrifying suburb of Salt River, you’ll find one of Cape Town’s unsung heroes of the fish and chip business. Palace Fisheries dates back to 1955, and the enormous parcels of hake and chips remain the most popular item on the menu. Palace Fisheries is also unique in being the only chip shop in the city using wood fires to heat the oil, and regulars swear they can taste the difference.