Last weekend we went to Belfast to check out the Fish City restaurant in the city centre. Located on Ann Street next to Victoria Square, Fish City is something of a rarity in the heart of Belfast – a proper fish and chip shop! While John Long’s has been serving fish and chips in the city since 1914, Fish City has taken things to another level, and this award-winning fish and chip shop just adds to the huge variety of eating options that Belfast City Centre now has.
You would be forgiven for thinking this is a typical fish and chip shop until you step foot inside. The modern decor and the varied menu, together with the beautiful presentation of food, and quality produce, make Fish City a Belfast eaterie worth visiting.
Living by the seaside here in Newcastle, like so many, we’ve grown up on fish and chips, and when you find a good ‘chipper’, it’s hard to go elsewhere. We’ve got some great fish and chip shops around us, with The Galley in Annalong, Doc’s in Newcastle and Bayside Catch in Dundrum among our favourites, and when it comes to top-notch fish and chips, Fish City certainly delivers. With a sit-in restaurant and takeaway, Fish City provides you with another dining option when out in Belfast with friends and family.
The Menu at Fish City
As the name above the door suggests, fish dishes make up a big part of the Fish City menu, but you’ll also find lots of variety if seafood doesn’t tickle your fancy. Expect to find everything from fish cakes, squid and chowder to steak sandwiches, crispy chicken curry, gourmet burgers and steak. There’s even a healthy options and gluten free menu (the gluten free menu is on offer every Wednesday), while seafood tacos also seem to be a hit.
When it comes to the classic fish and chip, you can choose from a small, medium or large cod and haddock, depending on your hunger level. This is a proper fish and chip shop menu that had us wanting to sample so much.
Our Starters At Fish City
As we’ve already highlighted, there was so much to choose from on the menu that it was a challenge to try and decide on a starter – in truth we probably would have loved to try a little bit of everything. In the end, we opted for the retro prawn cocktail (Helen), and chicken goujons (Nial). The prawn cocktail was served in a classic glass bowl and was fresh and light, a great way to start the evening. It was served with wheaten bread and had everything you would expect a good prawn cocktail to have.
The chicken goujons were served with a light salad, sriracha mayo and some sweet chilli sauce. The chicken was coated in a light battered and we can honestly say these were the nicest chicken goujons we’ve ever had, mainly down to the immense batter (we need the recipe for your light batter guys). This dish is a crowd pleaser and we could easily have eaten a bucket of them, although as we had the main course to look forward to, the two goujons hit the spot.
Prawn Cocktail – £6.25
Chicken Goujons – £5.95
Our Main Course At Fish City
While there was plenty to get us licking our lips for the main, in the end, we went for two classics, scampi & chips and haddock & chips. The scampi and chips were beautifully presented, and the batter light and crispy (these guys sure know how to do batter). The dish was served with salad and tartar sauce and there was plenty of scampi on offer, and even though it was a fried dish it was very light.
The haddock and chips were everything you would expect from an award-winning fish and chip shop and were superbly presented in a retro newspaper covered dish, with a basket of chips. Indeed the newspaper was much more than decoration as it has plenty of information including a beer battered coley recipe, and some history on the origins of fish and chip as a national dish. Another enjoyable main course, Fish City had certainly exceeded our expectations. Next up, dessert time.
Scampi and Chips – £11.95
Haddock and Chips (Large) – £14.50
Dessert At Fish City
There are a few dishes to choose from when it comes to dessert at Fish City, but once we looked at the menu we knew what we just had to have – the beside the seaside dish. As the name suggests, beside the seaside is a throwback to seaside classics of ice-cream, doughnuts and candy floss (if you’re dining with kids this is sure to get them smiling). This is a real fun dessert that brings with it plenty of nostalgia from trips to the seaside.
The ice-cream is Glastry Farm and comes complete with sprinkles, strawberry sauce and a mini flake, while the doughnuts are warm and on the money. You’ll need a sweet tooth to finish this, but we cleaned the lot and it was the perfect way to finish the evening.
Beside The Seaside – £7.95
Total Cost (inc drinks) – £51.10
If you’re looking for dining options in Belfast City Centre and looking for something fun and a little bit different then look no further than Fish City. The quality of food on offer is second to none, the service great, and more importantly, you’ll leave with a big smile on your face. Great fish and chips are something you always expect in coastal towns, and now Belfast has a restaurant to rival the very best. No frills and no fuss, just great food and something for all the family. We can’t wait to head back to try out more dishes on the menu, and when it comes to cost, Fish City is superb value for money.
Have You Visited Fish City Yet?
Have you tried out Fish City yet? We’d love to hear what you thought of it. Let us know in the comments section below, or by sharing your thoughts with us over on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Welcome to Pikalily, an award-winning food, travel and lifestyle blog. We are Nial and Helen, a happily married couple from Northern Ireland, who share a passion for food and travel among many things. We became parents to our beautiful boy Lewis in 2017. Follow our adventures through the blog.
