Fish and chips, the British settler legacy plate, is fillet of snapper or hoki in beer batter with hand-cut chips. Eat from newsprint at the harbour edge; the canonical NZ takeaway.
Where to eat it: 11 restaurants across 5 cities.
Fish and chips arrived in New Zealand with British settlers in the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century every NZ town had a 'chippie' (fish and chips shop), most run by Greek-immigrant families who dominated the trade. The traditional New Zealand version uses local fish (snapper, hoki, gurnard, lemon fish) in beer batter, served with hand-cut chips and salt and vinegar. Eating fish and chips from newsprint at the beach is a national ritual. Auckland's best chippies cluster along Tamaki Drive's eastern bays and at Devonport; Mission Bay sees crowds on weekend afternoons.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Fish
Tip from the editors. Cold beer is the secret. Warm batter goes flaccid; ice-cold batter stays crisp through the second of the fry.
Depot is Al Brown's no-reservations Federal Street eatery under the Sky Tower in Auckland CBD. Charcoal grill, raw bar, communal high-top seating.
SignatureSnapper sliders, Tuatua fritters, Oysters from the bar
Union Oyster House on Union Street has shucked oysters in Boston since 1826, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States.
OrderA dozen Wellfleets at the U-shaped bar and a cup of clam chowder.
TipSkip the dining-room tables and sit at the historic raw bar. The bar is the original 1826 plank.
Legal Sea Foods on Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium in Boston, has anchored the chain's flagship since 1968. Kitchen leans seafood.
OrderA cup of clam chowder, the recipe served at five presidential inaugurations.
TipLunch with a harbor-side window is the best seat. The raw bar runs daily until 22:00.
South End Buttery on Shawmut Avenue runs the South End's all-day brunch room in Boston since 2005. Order the buttermilk pancakes with maple and crispy bacon.
OrderButtermilk pancakes with maple and crispy bacon.
TipBrunch books on Resy; walk-in line moves in 30 minutes. The bistro at the back is the brunch room.
James Hook & Co on Atlantic Avenue has sold lobster rolls from the harbour wharf in Boston since 1925. Open mon-fri 10:00-19:00, sat-sun 10:00-18:00.
TryLobster roll on a butter-toasted bun
Tip$28 mayo-bound roll, $32 hot-butter roll. The seating outside the window overlooks the harbour; bring lunch on a sunny day.
The New Town offshoot of the Leith Fishers seafood mini-chain in Edinburgh, on Thistle Street since 2001, a brasserie-style room running East Coast fish.
OrderCullen skink for starters and the whole grilled lemon sole with brown butter.
TipThe original Fishers Bistro on the Shore in Leith is the smaller, more ambient sibling if you want the Old Port version.
Bertie's Proper Fish and Chips on Victoria Street in Edinburgh Old Town, a sit-down and takeaway chippy cooking fresh Scottish haddock battered to order.
TryBattered haddock and chips
TipTakeaway counter at the front is faster than the sit-down section. Order at the counter and eat on the Grassmarket steps.
L'Alba D'Oro on Henderson Row in Edinburgh New Town, open evening-only since 1975, the city's most decorated chip shop serving fresh-chipped Scottish haddock.
TryBattered haddock and chips
TipCloses at 21:15 sharp. The post-theatre window is 20:30-21:00; go straight there from the Lyceum or Usher Hall.
The Caprice Holdings seafood institution on St Martin's Court in Covent Garden London, opened 1896, runs a pre-theatre fish-focused menu with the oyster bar.
OrderSheekey's fish pie and a half-dozen native oysters from the oyster bar list.
TipThe Oyster Bar at no. 28-32 takes walk-ins at the bar; the main dining room books two weeks ahead for evening service.
Robin Hancock and Ben Wright's seafood counter on Stoney Street next to Borough Market in London, opened 2002, runs a daily-fresh oyster menu and a serious.
OrderHalf a dozen West Mersea or Lindisfarne native oysters, then the fish pie with mashed potato top.
TipCounter seats face the bar. Lunch runs walk-in; Saturday at noon is the un-touristed slot before market crowds peak.
Ye Olde King's Head has poured pints a block from the Santa Monica Pier since the mid-1970s, the British pub whose fish and chips built its name.
TipAfternoon tea is served Monday to Saturday until 16:00 in the tea room; the gift shop bakery sells sausage rolls to go.
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