Fantastic fresh fish. Be prepared to queue down the street as all the locals go here…read more Cook in beef dripping not vegetable oil, so chips not suitable for vegetarians.

Great chipy. Good fish, good chips, 'nuff said.read more

Stopped for fish and chips on our way north. The food is cooked fresh, good sized portions and…read moreeasily the best fish supper I've had in a long time. Friendly staff and a couple of tables if you want to eat in rather than take out. Reasonably priced too.

To be fair, I am a tourist from the US, and so my opinion on fish and chips carries a bit less…read morelegitimacy than a true Brit's. That said, Old Smithy's just served up a plate of the best fish and chips I've ever had in my life. The fish tasted very fresh, offering a vibrant flavor that was severely lacking from some of the battered fish I've had in London. The batter was simple, but fried perfectly. The chips were freshly cut and -- just as the batter was -- fried just right. Hell, even the mayonnaise and tartar sauce (served in packets) were delicious; I could actually taste the egg in the mayonnaise. I often forget that mayonnaise, before becoming the bastardized mayo that pervades US markets, was originally a French sauce. As silly as it sounds, the mayonnaise packets here jogged my memory. I wholly believe that the quality of the fish and chips is a reflection of the local mindset here in Ambleside, where very little seems to be outsourced. Other than freshness, there was nothing else really noteworthy about the food, and yet it's that beautiful simplicity that made it so delicious. And at £6 for a large plate? It was almost unbelievable.

Just had a portion of chips with curry sauce after a few pints. Nicely cooked & open on sunday eve…read moretill 10.30, perfect.

awesome food great banter!read more

Outstanding chips and warm, gracious service. Extremely accommodating of kids and cool decor. If…read moreyou want the genuine seaside experience come here!

What a great find. My friend and I ordered two different dishes-fish & chips, fishcake & chips. We…read morewere able to choose from 4-5 sauces, and ended up getting the gravy and curry (the curry sauce complements the meal so well). The fish was perfectly fried, and wasn't greasy or dripping with oil. They gave us a generous amount of chips, which were the right amount of crispy. Do I dare say this was the best fish & chips joint I've ever been to?

Great range of produce and all cooked fresh to order. Excellent, prompt and friendly service…read more Absolutely superb fish and chips. Worth going out of your way to visit. Seating inside, but plenty of benches and spots with views over the harbour, river or castle nearby if the weather's nice.

Top notch fish and chips and the tables outside are a pleasant location by the harbour to eat. And…read morefor sunny days they do good ice creams as well ;)

Fab fish and chips!!!!! And good coffee too! Will definitely return.read more

On a recent trip to Manchester, my luvley wife, daughter and I went on a coach trip with a group of…read morefriends to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District. Though it was a cloudy and breezy day, the temperature was quite reasonable for walking the hilly streets and popping in and out of all of the shops. Such a lovely town. With all of that walking, we quickly burned off our light early morning breakfast and stopped in at a patio bar on the main street for a couple of glasses of bubbles and a soda for our daughter while we decided what to do for lunch. I had done some research on the several chippies in town, looking to go beyond the normal fish and chips to scampi and chips. I read that the best scampi is had with full tail langoustine, and that some "scampi" actually contains fish pieces. I asked the bartender her opinion of the best shop in town, and right away she mentioned one that I had read about, Vinegar Jones. In fact, it was right up the street. We made a bee-line for the shop and so had a lot of others as the line snaked out the door. Wanting our fix bad enough, I got in line and ordered fish for the ladies and scampi for myself while my luvley wife and daughter headed upstairs to see if there was seating available, despite the sign on the counter that read "Upstairs Full". They found a table just in time so as I paid for our order, I was told it would be delivered upstairs shortly. The upstairs room is smallish, but had comfortable seating and a nice view out over the main street. Our orders arrived quickly, and the large pieces of fish were ever so gorgeous, piping hot and glistening on beds of chips. It tasted so fresh. But the star of my show was the scampi, full tail tasty nuggets of beauty. With little packets of tartar sauce and a full bottle of malt vinegar in hand, we were in chippy heaven. We had two other meals of fish and chips during our stay in Manchester, but none matched the quality and fresh taste of Vinegar Jones. Cheers!

Friendly, welcoming staff were more than happy to educate an American on the finer points of…read moreBritish chippie offerings. I was well fed and happy! No complaints. Definitely want to visit again next time I am in the Lake District!

Probably the best fish & chip shop around. The fish is always spot on and huge, and the chips are…read moregorgeous. Staff friendly and helpful even at busy times.

The BEST Fish and Chip shop in my area. It's off the beaten track and its reputation has spread by…read moreword of mouth. Spotlessly clean the fish is fried to perfection and there is a good range of alternatives too kebabs, pizza, chicken etc. Generous portions help to complete the perfect meal. We travel five miles at least once a week and they also deliver in that range. Pick up a menu there is a great selection but perfect cod tops the list.