Anstruther Fish Bar

** Gluten Free Fish and Chips **
Every last sunday of the month gluten free is offered and it is quite a varied menu and there did not appear to be any surchage on gluten free compared to the main menu.
I have not had a battered sausage in so long so was excited to see smoked sausage on the menu and the guys were happy to batter it for me. It was really tasty. The batter nice and crispy and the chips tasted really fresh.
My bf tried the gluten free fish and chips and i couldnt help but sample a wee bite and it was equally as good.
We did initially want to sit in but were put off by the queues. Whilst the takeaway queue was just as busy we were happy to take ours away and sit at the harbour as it wasnt too chilly.
Definetly worth a visit if looking for gluten free fish and chips and in the area!

Great fish and chips. Wonderful staff and great casual dining. This is a must stop when in This part of Scotland. This is a wonderful little town and a beautiful harbor to see.

This is «the one» apparently that William and Kaye liked. It also won Best Fish and Chips in the UK. It was very good. Full order was 6.30 GBP. Although long line ups are discussed in other places, we went for a carry out lunch (prices are higher if you eat in) and walked right up to order. As we waited to get our order, a line formed behind us.
The wait — short — provided us with very fresh fish and chips. It was excellent. We ate whilst waiting to go on the Isle of May Puffin Tour.
There are a number of «Chippies» on the street. We enjoyed our lunch and experience here. If you HAVE to the one that is famous, you won’t go wrong.

We were told the Anstruther Fish Bar had won a prize. We took some fish and chips to take away and it was delicious. The food was cooked as we waited and the staff was very nice. Enjoy

Holy holy. Best chippy I’ve ever been to. The chips were nothing short of glorious. And the smoked sausage was out of this world!!! Yes you have to queue for pure ages but its definitely worth it!!! And they have ice cream and a sweeties shop! They are killing me!!!

I don’t consider myself an expert on fish and chips, but I always seek them when in the UK. These are the best I’ve had by far. Great service in a casual atmosphere right across from the harbor. What’s not to like?

Whilst driving around this part of Scotland we decided to stop in and try their award winning fish & chips.
The line to sit in the restaurant was very long and so we decided to just take out our food. You kind of have to cut across the folks waiting to sit down and they get a bit grumpy until they realize you are going for take out.
We both had haddock and chips and a curry sauce. The portions were very generous and affordable — if you are not super hungry you potentially could share a single order.
The fish was crispy and the chips very good, but I was blown away by the curry sauce, it was absolutely the best I have ever had at a chippy — it made me force down way more chips than I wanted.
Eating the food across the street looking at the North Sea was way quicker and more fun the lining up in the restaurant.

I visited this famous fish bar last Sunday. We had to wait close to 15 – 20 mins for a table to be freed so that we can finally enjoy the secret-​recipe battered fish and chips! There was a different queue for take away only, but that wasn’t an option as the weather was bad and we were only passing by, not staying.
The service was reasonable but not amazing.
The serving quality is simple: basic white sliced bread, paper plates and cups with their own brand and design on top. They have a big selection of fish dishes, no starters though. We did try their pineapple fritters, which were ok.
In terms of the fish, I can’t say we were blown away. I found it ok but not that special to make me go back.
There was also a hot drink included with each main meal, but the black coffee I took was rather mediocre.
After 9 years in UK I have had fish and chips in some pubs which were far better than this one, that’s probably the reason the awards it has are a few years old.
Anstruther is a good place for a walk on the beach though, so I think I’ll go back again in the area at some point.

I remember hearing of Anstruther Fish Bar’s reputation from a very young age. It has always been the place to go in Fife for the best fish and chips and so, when my parents moved to Anstruther about a year ago, I must say I was rather delighted.
The thing is, unfortunately, though the fish shop is good, it’s really nothing particularly more special than anywhere else I’ve eaten. The fish is fresh and the chips cooked well enough, but then on the east coast of Fife it’s not that hard to find great fish! The place is always rammed and queued out the door which, though living up to it’s reputation of great popularity, can be a bit frustrating when you’re starving and want a quick tasty meal.
The one thing I do love about this place though, is it’s charm. It’s very much part of the quaint seaside town and the staff are all dressed the part, with big smiles on their faces too. It’s the perfect spot to take an out-​of-​towner — Americans seem to love this place as it really does epitomise the great, Scottish seaside town.
I also have a little soft spot for this place because, after dropping my card into a lucky draw a little while ago, I won £10 worth of fish and chips! £10 doesn’t get you massively far in here, but it sure was a lovely gesture and made my day!
In terms of their menu, they serve everything you’d expect, plus haggis and they also have an ice cream counter and sweet shop at the bottom of the store, in case you’re feeling extra naughty! :P
If you’ve never been — go! It’s a fun experience and I’m certain you’ll enjoy your meal. For tourists, this place is perfect, but as your local, if you’re not a fan of waiting for your food, maybe this isn’t the spot for you!

This fish and chip shop was an old family favourite when a child. Went back and was not disappointed. The fish and chips are delicious, great range on their menu, from fish either in batter or breadcrumbs to sausage in batter or a fife speciality red pudding.
Wee deal for your supper, bread and butter and a drink, nice touch the staff being in old style uniforms, all friendly and efficient. Nice little village with plenty to see and do either before or after your treat.

Worth the 2.5 Hr Drive from Glasgow
To be succinct. Fan-​bloody-​tastic! Done!

Went here on Sunday as was in the area. First thing I noticed was a very small queue which was a result after reading previous reviews. There were 7 of us but got a table in 5mins.
The menu was full of standard chip shop fare. But it was all cooked very well and not too greasy.
I had the batterered pitenweem prawns which were lovely and crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Others had the lemon sole which led them to ask why fish always tastes better by the sea! The batter was also scrumptious. Everyone else had the haddock, either breaded or battered. Big chunky bits of flaky, tasty fish. The portions did not look too big but we were full stuffed by the end of it.
One of the most amazing things was that with every meal, you also get a FREE hot drink and bread and butter with every meal! What more can I say!

We were sent here by a local and on a whim we decided to make a trip to the cute fishing village of Anstruther for fish and chips. While this isn’t an all day excursion there are plenty of other villages to explore as well.
OK, back to the fish and chips. They claim to be the best fish and chips in Scotland and from what I can tell that is an accurate title. The fish was perfectly fried, not greasy and tasted super fresh.
My only complaint — they don’t make their own tartar sauce. That seemed super weird, but I got over it.
This is for sure worth a try!

Probably a 3.5 star review but I always round up so a 4 it is.
Busy, busy place. Famous for fresh fish so the queue on a Sunday at 4.30 was out of the door. there is a little sit in area (Yep, queue for that too but the queue moves faster!).
Despite it’s fame, it is actually pretty reasonably priced and I expected it to be more expensive. £5ish for a fish supper and £7 for a crab supper. They do gluten free days but it doesn’t look like this has happened for awhile according to their twitter feed. Lots of varieties of fish are available and this includes sustainable varieties too. Venison burgers from a local farm are all provided and fish is usually locally caught and landed further down the coast, if not at Anstruther.
It is busy — 1 hour wait at peak times. The place is clean though and even in the eating area, staff take care to clean not only tables but also floors to get rid of debris between customers. Price between sit in and take out is £2.35 but the £2.35 includes a hot drink and bread and butter.
Crab is divine. Locally caught and dressed but no breadcrumbs or egg — just pure white and brown meat presented in a crab shell. Lots of it too! It comes in a plastic tub with lots of salad, cheese and coleslaw but to be honest, once I had the crab and chips, I was done. The chips were lovely — warm and perfectly cooked. A bonus of the place being so busy that chips aren’t sitting for any length of time. Server got my ‘tons of salt and vinegar’ request spot on :-)
(If you are waiting for take away then one of the staff will come and take your order whilst you are in the queue and then by the time you are at the till, your order is ready.) So, it is busy but the crab being gluten free and those fab chips will no doubt lure me back again. Maybe at a time when it’ll be less busy though…

Honestly, many nostalgic or hyped locations don’t live up to the hype. This one did! The location couldn’t be any better as it was on a seaside street in a very quaint little town. When you walk in there are two lines; take out and dine in. The take out line was very long! However, that tells me the locals love the food. The line to wait had only 6 people in front of our party and it took about 25 min to get a table. WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
The menu was simple, FISH AND CHIPS. Well, maybe some other selections but why would you want to get anything else. We all ordered the traditional basket of fish and chips and were not disappointed. The fish was just so lightly battered and not too heavy like many other ones I’ve had in the UK/​Scotland. The fish was tender and had a great flavor.
I challenge any establishment to beet the location, staff friendliness and great food! Deserving of a visit even if it’s out of the way on your travels!

Went here yesterday as I was in the area and had heard all the chat about awards and best fish and chip. I do like my fish and chips so it was time to get this done.
Most places around this neck of the woods claim to have the best etc… this place had won awards many times though, and they showcase it. On the walls outside and in, on the staff uniforms too.
Place was kind of busy. A maze like queue of such I have not seen in any chippy I have visited, then again most of those don’t win awards. Seemed pointless taking orders as everyone was here for the fish and chips. Took a while to get to the front and the place was quite toasty.
Once at the front we were given our meal £5+ not bad for a prestigious place. Salt and vinegar plastered on there, some tommy sauce and a wee can of bru. Superb.
We chose to take our meal outside to sit across the road with the stunning views of the harbour and all its boats/​yachts. Take out was cheaper by somewhere near £2. Easy decision for me, plus I didn’t want to sit in that furnace. Cold blooded me.
The food was good you could tell it was fresh. The staff were efficient and orderly, not much chat but they were busy. Also the price was good considering. Usually expect a price hike when I travel about Scotland.
Good place, definitely take a stroll in if you are around the area. I recommend it!

4 stars due to harbour location, it would be 3 without this picturesque vista.
They don’t fry in dripping which is the only thing holding them back I think. Otherwise the fish tea is a great deal. Slice of nice white bread and some mushy peas on the side and you have a winner.
Chips are decent.
Worth going to tick a box but there are better and I think it is slightly over hyped.
Saying that though after a nice walk along the Fife trail you will be gagging for this, pray for a nice day and go sit quayside.

This place is over-​rated.
Go to any other fish shop in Anstruther, it’ll be cheaper, less queue and it tastes EXACTLY the same.

Liebe Schottlandfreunde,
das dürft Ihr euch nicht entgehen lassen, das absolut beste, was es an Fish & Chips gibt !!
50 Sterne ;-)

Having had a lovely day driving down from St Andrews, roof down, on a Friday February afternoon, the idea of warm fish n chips by the harbour at Anstruther was too tempting to resist!
You can tell that this place gets seriously busy, as they have queue barriers in place for the busy days. The restaurant part was pretty busy, and it did feel as if they were taking priority over those coming in for a take away — but i suppose that’s fair play!
I ordered the haddock and chips. I could have been far more adventurous but it’s what i fancied at the time.
I like the fact there is a sign telling you which boat today’s fish were caught from, as you can actually go out and spy for it in the dock!
They have a big screen TV by the counter, filming various sea scenes and the catching of big fish, so it’s certainly very interactive!
I think it was because we were a wee bit early that the chips were slightly undercooked but the batter was pretty damn tasty and the fish itself was lovely and moist.
i’m not sure it’s Alba’d’ora quality but maybe I was on a bad day.
Saying that, i was satisfied and it finished off my day nicely. Even if you don’t stop for the fish and chips, Anstruther is a lovely wee town and if you’re into photography, you will get some great shots here!
Definitely worth a trip!

I’ll admit — I arrived at Anstruther with the secret knowledge, that I, Catriona C., know the best fish and chip shop in the world. Perhaps I would be wrong about this. But… what I think Anstruther may do well is consistency, as otherwise I didn’t see much difference between this and my own beloved first choice of many a year.
What I do like about Anstruther is the responsible sourcing of fish, broon sauce on the table, and succulently cooked calamari — seriously, not had better which is where the star scale notches up a little. Chips are comparable to my local, and I didn’t see too much difference with the batter, bar it wasn’t too soggy — but then again it looks like it would be cooked fresh given the volume of people flooding it’s doors. Not sure if 10pm on a Tuesday would be the same, but who knows?
Overall, best fish and chip in the world it may be, but I don’t find it a far cry from my local chippy — and I am not sure if that means the local is good… or the heights to which a fish and chip shop can ascend to is more achieveable than first thought.

Absolutes Must have wenn man hier in der Ecke ist. Hier gibts die traditionellen Fish & Chips, allerdings mit weitaus besserer Qualität als man sie anderswo bei den Chippies bekommt. Der Fisch wird hier frisch gefangen und anschliessend wie es sich gehört in Panade geschmacklich totfrittiert. OK, das englische fast food ist nicht jedermanns Sache, aber es gehört zu einem Aufenthalt hier einfach dazu! Ausser der allseits bekannten Fish Bar hat Anstruther allerdings nicht viel zu bieten.