United Chip

If anyone thinks chip shops are dying out in London, take them to this sleek Clerkenwell reinvention. It could be dismissed as a hipster hangout – its communal tables boast shakers of three different salts (including kelp) and there’s a trio of vinegars to match them, from cider to rice – if it wasn’t for one thing: the food is simply great. Grab a sustainable cardboard serving box full of chips topped with a perfectly battered, flakey fish and all you have to worry about is whether to accompany it with a dollop of alioli or maybe sweet chili mayo.

5 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1M 5PE; unitedchip.co.uk

The Golden Hind

United Chip may be one of London’s newest, but this Marylebone institution has been serving customers for more than a century. It’s expanded a bit from its somewhat pokey original space, but that’s all to the good: it’s much easier now to get a spot at a table in their bustling dining area for a serving of old-school lightly battered fish and seriously crunchy chips. Hitting the sweet spot between fast-food lunch and relaxed drawn-out dining, The Golden Hind has lost none of its lustre.
71a – 73 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2PN; goldenhindrestaurant.com

Kerbisher and Malt

You could linger for ages in K&M’s light smart tiled room overlooking Brook Green, relaxing with friends at a stripped wooden table nibbling at scampi and whitebait. Or you could go for the full measure and land yourself one of their slabs of fish (battered, grilled or matzo) and a huge plateful of tasty chips (and perhaps a Meantime lager to wash it all down with). You’ll still linger at the tables but mostly because standing up afterwards might suddenly feel like rather a chore. They run a branch in Clapham too.
164 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7PB; kerbisher.co.uk

Sutton and Sons

There’s no danger of the fish not being fresh at this Stoke Newington staple – it runs its own fishmongers just across the road (as well as sister branches in Islington and Hackney). It’s no surprise then that they supplement the usual menu of battered fish and chunky chips with an array of other fishy treats, from Cromer crab on toast to Maldon oysters. They also do desserts – their deep-fried Mars Bar is a delicacy rarely found south of the Scottish border and well worth a try. Once, at least.
90 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 7NY; suttonandsons.co.uk

Golden Union

A few yards down a side street from the main drag of Oxford Street, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Golden Union is a ye olde chippie shoppe tourist trap. The out-of-the-door queue of local office workers grabbing a lunchtime takeaway should be a clue that it’s something more, though. Sidestep that queue and head to the welcoming sit-down area at the back for a proper treat. Specialists in crispy beer-battered fish shipped straight from Scottish ports, Golden Union do one of London’s best plates of fish and chips (there’s a battered halloumi option for vegetarians too). In a hurry? Grab one of their fish and chip butties to take away. You won’t regret it.
38 Poland Street, Soho, London W1F 7LY; goldenunion.co.uk

Fishcotheque

It’d be easy to think that the (admittedly inspired) name is all that this petite chippie squeezed in under a Waterloo rail bridge has going for it. Yet Fishcotheque has both name and game, serving up huge platters of crunchy-battered flakey-textured fish, with chips, mushy peas and all the other extras you could dream of. The décor takes a bit of getting used to – the dining area’s idea of retro chic embraces everything from chandeliers to road signs and old wireless sets, not to mention a gigantic fish tank – but the food more than makes up for its visual idiosyncracies.
79A Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UD; fishcotheque.co.uk