Pike Street Fish Fry

I have been back to pike street fish fry a bunch of times since my original review.
Unfortunately this place is super busy and has slipped a little bit on the quality.
Has been oily and not as proper as it used to be. Fries were soggy last time can’t lie about it.

Stopped in on a rainy day and was feeling some fish, chips and calamari. Right when we walked in, we were greeted to loud metal music playing. Very welcoming!
Overall… I have had much better fried seafood. It was very oily, and the breading fell right off. Wasn’t very dippable in their sauces. On top of that, the fish could have been fried just a biiiit longer to hold better, the meat was flaking apart and didn’t hold very well. They also forgot our aioli we ordered… might have made a bit of difference.
However, being the glutton, fatty I am, I ate it even though I didn’t really enjoy it. And then I felt a bit sick from the oily fish and calamari… ended up throwing it out.
It’s a well-​known place, but I would pass and look for better fish fry throughout the city!

If you check your watch and see that it’s half past wasted, you’re hungry, and you find grungy kitchens, night owl fry cooks, and an underground vibe intriguing, then by all means go to Pike Street Fish Fry.
The floor is coated in a thick layer of grease. I felt my Keds sliding out from beneath me as I stumbled toward the bathroom. I felt like Jamiroquai in the «Virtual Insanity» music video, only a lot less cool and coordinated. The floor wasn’t moving, it was just that greasy.
Fish and chips sounded like a fabulous idea after a night of drinking. The cod & fries weren’t bad, I liked the batter but the fish was somewhat bland. The lemon aioli tastes like tartar sauce, and no matter how many Unilocal mints you pop and no matter how hard you brush your teeth, you’re going to taste this every time you wake up that night trying to beat the morning hangover.
The cashier appeared to be pulling double duty as the fry cook, but even though it took awhile to get our food, everything was hot and fresh, er, greasy. We overheard him say he was working some crazy shift like 11am-​2am.
The food was maybe 3 stars, it was cheap and tasted good. Overall our visit was filled with such hilarity in the moving floors, me spilling orange pop ALMOST on my Keds, and just people watching at this late night grease trap… I’d almost give it 4 stars.

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE! DO NOT COME HERE! This place was terrible, the customer service was horrendously awful. I specifically said to the guy taking my order I wanted both sauces to be lemon aioli, yet only one comes out lemon aioli and he states that «I never specified what sauces I wanted for both». Not only that, but the fish was WAY TOO SALTY! It wasn’t even enjoyable. Lastly, they’re supposed to open at 12:00, but the workers don’t care and they open later than expected.

I came here last year, and my family and I loved this place. Our second time here, today (08÷17÷15) was the worst experience ever:
–Horrible customer service. I heard my brother order the lemon aioli sauce and they gave us tartar sauce; and when we told the worker, he said «we didn’t specify «
–Our fish and fries were WAY overly salted and peppered. Had to dust off the salt on the fish and couldn’t even eat the fries
— They give you such a small amount of sauce and any extra costs $.50 each.
–They opened 10 minutes later than the opening time.
–auto-​tipping; if you want extra sauce, they’ll tell you to put it in the tip jar
–Staff cusses in front of customers (even families)
We drove from Los Angeles and were looking so forward to this place. Unfortunately, we won’t be coming back. Very disappointed.

Fried cod was pretty good and their fries were okay. I came here with my boyfriend after a drunken night. The place is super dingy, probably one of the dingiest spot I’ve been to in awhile. Idk how clean the place is, but it sure doesn’t look like it. I wanted a fork to use, but their plastic forks were dirty… which grossed me out a bit. I guess the cleanliness gave the place character. I’ll give the food a 4 star, but brining it down one star due to lack of cleanliness. Great place to people watch though.

Fish n chips is something I always think I will like, but rarely actually do. In the case of Pike Street Fish Fry, I really do like it!
This stuff is deep fried and greasy heaven! I mean, it’s really not dripping grease or anything when you bite into the fish, but obviously it’s being dunked into a vat of oil. The batter and crispiness is just about perfect, while the fish inside still stays incredibly moist. So tasty! I usually get the catfish, which comes in smaller strips and you get about five of them along with an overload of chips. The chips are really good! At any establishment, having good frites makes a lot of difference. It is surprising how many places can so easily botch it. But I love the seasoning and rustic flavor of them.
I have never been when there’s a crowd, which is an intentional choice. I imagine, like any small establishment, a volume in crowd makes the quality suffer a bit. But if you knew what this place is capable of, you should love it! Old school fish n chips isn’t dainty perfect pieces of fish served on a lettuce leaf. It’s given between two cardboard boats and stuffed in a paper bag!
The interior is definitely no frills no thrills, but gives you the feel of a real blue-​collar hole in the wall joint. Great place, definitely worth a trip. Just don’t eat it everyday or you will surely become a fatty.

Best cod and chips I’ve had since I was in Newfoundland in June 2012. And that is high, high praise.
Spectacular, devastatingly good deep-​fried cod. Batter is perfect. Cod is moist. Perfection. Fries were superb.
I asked for ice and got it and they weren’t out of anything vs other comments– but I ate at around 5pm. I could not ask for a better meal. Absolutely a high point on this trip to Seattle.

It pains me to give Pike Street Fish Fry less than three stars, as this place came so highly recommended. But what pained me even more was biting in to absolutely perfect English-​style batter only to find flavorless Alaskan cod inside.
My standards for fish and chips are absurdly and obsessively high ever since I ate my first fish and chips in London last summer and having dated an Englishman. My first bite in London I was shocked to discover that this dish can have a lot of flavor if you do the batter right and use local fish. And that when it’s done really well, you don’t need any sauces especially NOT tartar sauce. And a smidge of malt vinegar will bring out the flavor even more of the batter.
Given that many fish and chip shops in Seattle use local Pacific ling cod, I first asked when ordering what fish they used and was disappointed to hear they use Alaskan cod, but I thought I would give them a try since I was there.
I must reiterate that the batter was one of the best I’ve had in the U.S. — delicately crispy, perfectly flavored — and encasing a moist, flaky cod inside. But the fish itself just had no taste. The tartar sauce (you can pick one of five sauces) was probably the best tartar I have ever had, with such robust flavor, but the best fish doesn’t need sauce and I was there for the fish, not the sauce.
I was also very disappointed with the fries which were completely soaked with oil and were limp little sponges of grease that I found quite inedible. There were probably just a few that had any crispiness. I probably should have sent them back but didn’t.
When I ordered I asked if they had mushy peas, but they said «No that’s too British.» I had my hopes up given the huge sign outside that really makes this look like they’re trying to be authentically British.
The portion was big and for only $ 10 was a great value. But I would rather they raise their prices and use local Pacific cod because I’ll bet it would taste a lot better, especially given that this was probably the best batter I’ve had outside of England!

This was my first stop on a recent trip to Seattle with a group of friends. I had this place on the top of my to do list since I’m from San Diego and decided I had to try Seattle’s quintessential late night food. Fish and chips has nothing on San Diego’s carne asada fries but I love fish and fried food so I thought this would be a decent alternative while I’m away from home.
This place ran out of just about everything short of fried cod and tortillas. Fish and chips wasn’t an option anymore so I settled on fish tacos. The cod filets were fried perfectly with just the right amount of batter. Each bite was crunchy and delicious! The sauce on top really brought everything together, creamy with just a kick of spice.
Bonus — one of the workers put a couple fish tacos on the counter up for grabs as an apology for running out of everything. I was already pretty full but no one else took it and I can’t say no to free food!

Great little hole in the wall in Capital Hill. Sometime you just needs something different from the hotdog and cream cheese. Fried catfish with curry ketchup? Yes, please.

I came in about two hour before closing time, so a lot of what happened was understandable. But for a fish and chips place, the store ran out of chips. No fries for the last two hours, so you had to get asparagus instead (A fan of the vegetable, but a horrible substitute for fries to complement the fish). On top of running out of chips, they were low and ran out of other things while we were there. By the time I left, all they had were Fish sticks and Soda.
That said, fish tacos were delicious. The breading on the fish was perfectly crisp, and the fish broke apart perfectly in your mouth. I believe it was Alaskan Cod. The fish tacos were huge compared to other fish tacos and had a nice salsa /​sauce that went with it. Definitely recommend one of them, and one is probably enough because its a decent size.

Deep fried goodness! Pike Street Fish Fry proves that anything battered and fried in oil tastes delicious!
After a night out with friends in Capitol Hill, we stopped by to get some late night munchies. The space was small, with a casual, almost divey vibe with about (10) open seats/​stools to sit on. It’s definitely a no frills type of place where you wait in line to order, and you pick it up at the end of the counter after the frying magic begins.
We ordered the fried cod, oysters, and chips (around $ 10 /​each). Our food was crispy without being overly greasy. Like most people, I hate soggy french fries. The fish was pretty moist, and the many dipping sauces were tasty. I recommend trying the lemon aioli and curry ketchup!
Additionally, they also sell cheap, cold, and refreshing beer. A beer bottle in one hand, and a fried oyster in the other — I couldn’t resist!

You can smell the oil 20 feet away outside.
Once you walk in — you know it’s legit.
We got an order of the fish and chips to share. To be honest i was a little inebriated so everything probably tasted good to me but I really liked these! We finished every last fry.
We passed by it on Friday night, and came back to try it on Saturday night.

We came here on an odd day to say the least… The sign on the door said they were out of fries! So that meant fish with no chips :(so we opted for tacos instead. My friend still ordered it and they gave her fish and asparagus lol. Then as we get to the register,
«Sorry guys were out of catfish…
…now shrimp too
…basically we’re just selling cod lol»
«Ahh I guess we can’t get anything right. this is the worst business day ever. I swear it’s better than this guys.»
I won’t ding them too much for that ha. Poor guy I felt bad for him. He was really nice and funny. I believe he was the store manager and he was like the only one cooking and handling the register while the other one was running all over town trying to find a hardware store open for a kitchen part they needed. Just sounded like an off night for them. He gave us extra cod tho
In regards to the food, the fish tacos were not bad! The fish was cooked perfectly in a crunchy golden brown batter. The flavor was really overpowering. Just lay off the onions and red cabbage bro!
Seemed like a good spot to come after a night of drinking. Seattle’s version of SD’s carne asada fries ;)

BEST fish and chips I’ve ever had! No idea what kind of fish my friend had ordered, but it was DELICIOUS. I loved the crispy, thick but light batter and the the aioli/​tarter sauces were on point (there were 4 types, but I couldn’t tell the difference). The fried oysters were also very good and fries were well seasoned. This place is opened late and food comes out quick. No complaints from me!
DISCLAIMER: I may have been intoxicated when trying this place. and we all know food tastes 10 times better when that happens. ;) Regardless, it was still very tasty and freakin’ satisfying.

This is a small fish n chips spot in the heart of the bars in Capitol Hill. They’re open late night. Maybe can fit 10 people inside?
I tried the cod and catfish. Probably one of the better fish n chips I’ve had! I like that they’re thick pieces of fish. The batter wasn’t too overwhelming. It is pretty greasy food, but sorta what you should expect from fish n chips. I really liked the cod! The catfish was ok, though my friends liked it. $ 9.50 each. I’d try the oysters next time!

Now here is a place that was not overrated! Yet another place close to our hotel this was our first stop on our food tour of Seattle. GPS takes you to the wrong side of the building, the entrance is around the block and marked with a big sign.
This place is tiny, so be prepared to stand or take your greasy treats to go.
We ordered the true cod, oysters, fries, deep fried asparagus with lemon aioli and curry mayo.
The cod was crispy tender and just yummy. The oysters were in a soft breading and were full of flavor. The asparagus was crunchy thick spears of greasy goodness.
You only get one sauce per order and the lemon aioli was a great sub for tarter sauce. Extra sauces are .50 cents each if you wish to indulge your taste buds :)
I would have to say the only downside of this place is the fact the food is greasy and your tummy might not like it in a few hours LOL. Prices are very reasonable here as well, I can’t remember exactly but I know each entrée was around $ 8 – 10. If you like fish and chips this is a MUST GO.

Review for take-​out–
Location a bit hidden, but you definitely can’t miss the huge signage looming over the store front. Ordered two fish tacos and fries with their spicy mayo sauce to take home to enjoy with some left overs and some organic Amber Ale back at the apartment.
Upon entry the shop is a bit small, with communal tables, soda fountain and metal/​rock playing in the background. The cashier helping us, looking like someone who works at a tattoo parlor or record shop– but it’s a look I can appreciate.
Walked from here back to our apartment on the outskirts of Capitol Hill. So by this time, the food got a bit cold. Nonetheless the fish tacos, were crisp with a nice crunchy batter, flakey fish, red onion and salsa. The pieces of fish were huge too! The tortilla is also a different texture that I’m used to, might even be made in house as it’s similar to trucks that press their own tortillas. The fries were awesome, kinda like fries similar to Wing-​Stop, but not as sweet and tasted great with regular ketchup. The spicy mayo was just that, but the food didn’t really need it.
Pretty good fish tacos and fries here, love the interesting vibe here definitely cool. Kinda pricey, but worth it IMO.

Wow, I’m bummed that not everyone here on Unilocal had a similar experience to mine. I went in on a 2 pm on a Taco Tuesday and LOVED Pike Street Fish Fry. It’s not exactly on the street the address says it is, well it is but the entrance isn’t. You have to take a slight right and bam, there is Pike Street Fish Fry. If you’re anti-​fry, they also have grilled options. They also have vegan/​vegetarian options. Tacos, sandwiches, fried veggies, grilled fish, this place has it all.
This place is great, I REALLY like it here so here goes my review:
I ordered a fried fish taco, fried shrimp taco, and fries with chipotle mayo (you get one «gourmet» condiment of choice, all the options sounded amazing) for $ 8. You can also get an extra gourmet condiment for $ 0.50. The tacos and fries didn’t take that long to make. A lot of reviews say the taco tortillas are dry but mine weren’t. They grill them so that the soft tortillas can be molded into a «shell.» Mine came loaded with veggies, piping hot fried whatever, and delicious chipotle mayo. The fries were bomb and I had so much left over that I took them home. I reheated them in the microwave (I know, BAD) and they still tasted amazing. I took home the extra chipotle mayo and I’m obsessed, completely hooked. I’m salivating as I write this.
I’m OBSESSED with tacos, I just love them A LOT and there are days when you just crave a fried fish taco (I’m not a big fish eater) and this place is the perfect place to meet my cravings. I wish I was a bigger eater so that I could just eat more of their tacos because they are really that good. The fish here is prepared well in that it doesn’t have that awful fishy taste that some fish just have.
So you go in, you order your food at the counter. You wait for your food. The seating area isn’t huge but I had more than enough space at 2pm. The employees are also super friendly which is a plus.
If you’re looking for awesome fried seafood or fried seafood tacos, this place is hands down the best in Seattle (in my opinion). They’re open late so I can only imagine how busy they get when they are catering to the late night munchies.
Oh and the gourmet condiments are:
House Made Tarter
Lemon Aioli
Curry «ketchup»
Smoked Chili Mayo
Harrissa
Italian Salsa Verde

Quelle petite phrase bouleversante au coeur d’un être?