There are good fish and chips up and down the Oregon coast. Seriously. You can’t toss a sand dollar down the beach without hitting another decent basket of fried fish and french fries.

That’s especially true in Astoria.

The north coast town at the mouth of the Columbia River has an embarrassment of fried fish riches, with food carts, seafood restaurants, brew pubs, diners and dive bars all slinging local takes on the old British staple. And it’s not all just cod and halibut: Browse the menus and you’ll find albacore tuna, salmon, rockfish and even petrale sole — not to mention prawns, scallops, oysters and squid.

If it comes from the sea, it can be dipped in batter, fried and served in Astoria.

While it can be easy to get lost in that crowded scene, a few standout shops in town deserve visitors’ attention. If you’re looking for the best fish and chips on the Oregon coast, there’s no better place to start.

BOWPICKER

When talking about fish and chips on the Oregon coast, the first place many people mention is Bowpicker. With deep fryers built into a 70-year-old Columbia River bowpicker boat parked beside a sidewalk downtown, the restaurant serves up crispy beer-battered albacore tuna and thick steak fries that have earned them a passionate fanbase over the years.

The key at Bowpicker is consistency, according to Preston Van Hook, stepson of the restaurant’s owner, Ronald Ford, who opened the shop in 2000. “We’ve only ever done one thing: It’s always ever been albacore tuna fish and chips,” Van Hook said, as he prepared to open the shop on a weekday this winter. “We’re just trying to repeat that over and over again.”

It has certainly been a recipe for success. On summer days, the lines for Bowpicker stretch all the way down Duane Street, sometimes reaching the end of the block. That’s despite the restaurant stubbornly sticking to cash-only payments over the years (a policy they graciously lifted in 2024). Van Hook said they don’t bother counting how many people come through.

Aside from the lines, the only other downside here is the lack of seating. There are a few picnic tables across the street, but if they’re full or if the weather is bad, you might just end up eating in your car. For the Bowpicker faithful, however, any hassle is worth it for a taste of that golden, crispy albacore tuna.

Open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 1634 Duane St.; 503-791-2942.

SHIP OUT

Those who like their fried fish as fresh as possible will find a friend at Ship Out, a food cart on the south side of Astoria in the Miles Crossing community that has been going strong since 2018.

While many fish and chip shops on the Oregon coast opt for a crunchy beer-battered fry, Ship Out offers a much lighter, more delicate approach. Manager Lisa Tarabochia said the key is fresh fish coated in a simple batter of flour, baking powder and water, fried in mild rice bran oil. “I think that makes a huge difference, it fries it really nicely and you don’t have to worry about the greasiness,” Tarabochia said. However, ultimately “it’s more about technique than batter,” she added. The fish is served alongside crispy twice-fried french fries.

Variety is one of the main attractions here, with halibut, cod, prawns, scallops, calamari, oysters and salmon on the menu. Every week, Tarabochia also makes a seafood stew that she said has become a local favorite. While most people opt for the halibut or prawns, she said she’s partial to the local Willapa Bay oysters and fresh-caught salmon, when they have it. “I just think it’s nice to eat whatever’s local and in season,” she said.

Another big attraction at Ship Out is the beautiful indoor seating area, which resembles a greenhouse and is filled with local crafts. That ensures that on even the rainiest winter days you can still sit down for a cozy meal of perfectly made fish and chips. You won’t find many who do it this well.

Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 92351 Lewis and Clark Road; 503-468-0373.

FISHMONGERS

Anyone headed to Fort Stevens State Park should make a stop at Fishmongers, found just outside the park in the small community of Hammond. The 8-year-old shop, run by brothers Cliff and Ed Bussert, offers cod, tuna and salmon and rockfish, which often comes in one enormous piece.

Cliff Bussert wouldn’t divulge the proprietary Fishmongers batter, but he said their aim is a beer batter that comes out on the crunchier side. That allows the restaurant’s many takeout customers to open a box of crispy fried fish later at the beach, on their boat or back at home. Many of those people have become loyal regulars, Bussert said, and have allowed Fishmongers to continue surviving in what is otherwise a very seasonal business on the far, northern tip of the Oregon coast.

While the Alaskan-caught cod is their most popular, Bussert said the rockfish, caught locally, is definitely worth a try. “It’s a lot like cod but it’s a little fishier, but it’s still really mild,” he said. The fried fish is paired with a heap of crinkle-cut fries, seasoned with an addictive blend of spices that the Busserts also prefer to keep to themselves.

Asked why fish and chips have become such a hit around Astoria, Bussert said it’s just become an expected part of the coastal experience. “The fishing industry, it just kind of leans into that, the fish and chips and seafood,” he said. Ultimately, it’s pretty simple: When tourists are on the coast, they want to eat fish, he said. “They don’t want to get a burger.”

Open noon-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 890 Pacific Drive; 503-861-8778.

In addition to these three standout fish and chip shops, a number of other restaurants serve up fried fish around Astoria. We can’t necessarily vouch for them all, but if all your after is a basket of fish and chips, any of these will surely hit the spot.

BREW PUBS

Astoria is a town known for its craft breweries, and most of those breweries serve solid fish and chips. At Fort George Brewery, you can grab a table downstairs to place an order of beer-battered albacore tuna. A few blocks away, local mainstay Astoria Brewing Company offers tempura-fried halibut and chips. And an outpost of Newport-based Rogue Ales serves fried halibut and salmon at its Pier 39 Public House on the waterfront.

Buoy Beer Co., which ran one of the most scenic restaurants in town prior to the building’s collapse in 2022 and was known for their fried rockfish basket, has indefinitely suspended its food service as it moves its operations to a taproom downtown.

SEAFOOD SPOTS

One of the best low-key seafood spots in town, South Bay Wild Fish House has a whole menu of seafood and chips, offering petrale sole and rockfish. At Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, a chain with locations up and down the coast, you can get a classic plate of fried cod or halibut, as well as crispy shrimp or clam strips.

FANCIER RESTAURANTS

In Astoria, even the fine dining establishments have fried fish on the menu. The Bridgewater Bistro, found beneath the Astoria-Megler Bridge, includes halibut fish and chips on its “bistro fare” menu, available for lunch or dinner. You can also find fried halibut at the Silver Salmon Grille, helmed by renowned coastal chef John Sowa. Then there’s T Paul’s Supper Club, which has been offering something a little different on its menu: fried yearling oysters with yam frites.

OTHER PLACES

People swear by the beer battered fish and chips at Buoy 9 in Hammond, which has the fried fish baskets on its lunch menu. Custard King, the walk-up burger and ice cream spot, also has a well-loved fish and chips that ranks among the most affordable in town — a four-piece basket will cost you only $14. The Portway Tavern, known for its burgers, also cooks up fried Alaskan halibut. And then there’s Pig ‘N Pancake, the longtime coastal diner chain, which includes fish and chips on its sprawling menu.

—Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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