New England fish and chips is beer-battered or breadcrumbed haddock or cod, deep-fried until crisp, served with thick-cut fries and tartar sauce. The Friday-night Catholic-Irish staple in Boston since the 1880s.
Cod was the foundation of Boston's pre-revolution economy: the dried-salt cod trade with the Caribbean financed the city's merchant class through the 1700s. The Sacred Cod, a five-foot pine carving, has hung in the Massachusetts State House since 1784 to memorialise the fish. Boston's Irish-Catholic immigrant wave after the 1840s built Friday-night fish-and-chips into the standard family meal, supported by the church's no-meat-Friday rule. The dish reaches the table breaded or beer-battered; haddock has replaced cod as the kitchen-side default since cod stocks collapsed in the 1990s. Union Oyster House, Legal Sea Foods and South End Buttery keep the classic plate on the menu year round.
4 editor picks for New England fish and chips in Boston, ranked by editorial score. All Boston signature dishes · New England fish and chips across every city.
Also in: Auckland, Edinburgh, London.
James Hook & Co ★ 4.4
seaport-fort-point · 440 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02110
James Hook & Co on Atlantic Avenue has sold live lobster and lobster rolls from the harbor wharf in Boston since 1925. Located in Seaport Fort Point.
Union Oyster House ★ 4.2
north-end · 41 Union St, Boston, MA 02108
Union Oyster House on Union Street has shucked oysters in Boston since 1826, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States.
South End Buttery ★ 4.1
south-end · 314 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118
South End Buttery on Shawmut Avenue has run the South End's all-day cafe-and-bistro in Boston since 2005. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans american.
Legal Sea Foods Long Wharf ★ 4.0
north-end · 255 State St, Boston, MA 02109
Legal Sea Foods on Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium in Boston, has anchored the chain's flagship since 1968. Kitchen leans seafood.