Al’s Fish N’ Chips

I think someone told me this place is dead now and might be a café? Had the fish and chips while my friend had some fish tacos since there’s a gluten allergy. Pretty solid, maybe a bit on the pricey side for what you get.

I went to this place as it was recommended by a friend. GREAT fish and shrimp tacos, carne asada ain’t too bad either. The fish tacos come with a house sauce on it that definitely adds to the flavor.
They have EVERY hot sauce ever imagined (see the images) to accent your mouth’s desire.
They have ice water on tap with cucumbers which is actually quite refreshing.
Place is intimate but there is always a place to sit, even during busier lunch hours.

YUM!
Good service and good menu. Great place for a fish taco and beer. The fish n chips is tasty too. This has become a regular spot for me.

This may sound crazy. I know this is a fish & chips spot. I just don’t care for fishy tasting prawns. I was really excited to not need to make the trip to Barbara’s Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay to get my fix. Big BUMMMMER !!!
I also LOVE Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park but Barbara’s Fish Trap in my all time FAV…

–1
Have you ever followed a recipe and at the very end it says «remove the bay leaf». Not 1, not 2, but 3 whole bay leaves in a fish burrito. After biting into one I thought hmmmm. Then the 2^nd was annoying and I fished out the 3^rd.
–1
Person who rang me up I think prepared my meal. Keep his prep gloves on and rang me up. Then walked back to the grill.
I like to support our neighborhood businesses. Not when they are sloppy like this.

Despite being a local I’d never stepped into this place before this weekend. I don’t know why – maybe it’s because having grown up when Redwood City wasn’t exactly a mecca of good food, I still never think to look close by when I’m craving good seafood.
So here’s to changing that habit! When I walked into Al’s I was a bit apprehensive, since there was a definite burnt oil/​old oil smell in the air. I wanted to try both fried fish and not-​fried fish so I over-​ordered: Two fish tacos, grilled, and a three-​piece order of fish and chips, to go.
The fish tacos were fantastic – the grilled fish was nice and juicy, the portions were generous, and they weren’t heavy-​handed with the salt or other fillings, which was great. I wouldn’t have minded more salsa on the tacos to brighten up the mild flavors but overall they were a home run.
The oil smell had me worried about the fish and chips, but despite that the fish was perfect! Generous portions of fish, light on the batter, and despite what I had smelled the pieces did not taste of burnt oil or too much oil. The crust was a little soggy, but I’m not going to ding Al’s for that when it was my choice to spend a bit of time running errands before taking my fried food home. The fish was still nice and piping hot, and I was given plenty of malt vinegar which was great.
Where I will ding them on are the fries and the cole slaw that accompanied the fried fish. The fact that the slaw had hardly any mayo was right up my alley, but the cabbage tasted old, and judging by the chips’ color and texture they were a pre-​cooked frozen kind.
Overall verdict? I dunno if I would be a regular here – at nearly $ 4 per taco (after tax) and roughly $ 11 for a three-​piece fish-​and-​chips order with great fish but mediocre chips/​slaw, this is definitely Peninsula Pricing at Its Finest. However to Al’s credit the portions are very generous (I had enough food left over for a second meal), the execution is good overall, and the fish is fresh and juicy. I’ll probably wait ’til I’m back at my favorite place on the coast to have fish and chips again, but I’ll definitely be coming back for the fish tacos.

After reading some promising reviews I was excited to give this place a try. When we arrived it looked closed with all the chairs up on the tables and no one behind the counter. However, there were two customers sitting at a table talking. Al’s was open, but apparently the staff wanted to be ready to get out of there when they closed in 45-​minutes.
A young man eventually appeared from the back and continued cleaning so they could close. Without looking up from what he was doing in the back of the store he asked what we wanted. We ordered our food to go since the vibe was not welcoming.
After we paid he bellowed at to two women at the table reading menus, «You ordering to go?» Startled, the women meekly said they were planning on eating there, but asked if that was okay. He grunted it would be okay.
While the visit was disappointing, we had our food and rushed home excited to sample our fish and chips score. The fish and fries were below par, bland, and soggy. Frozen and reheated? Seemed likely. The slaw and other items were equally bland and sad.
I could have lived with a bad customer serves experience, assuming it was a one off, if the food had been good, but the food was tragic at best.

3.5 — Why just 3.5? It’s good. But it’s not the BEST i’ve ever had (um, hello, have you tried Nick’s Crispy Taco, Nick’s Way?!) Came here on a whim to check this place out and fulfill a fish taco craving.
It’s quite a drive after exiting 101, driving through residential to get to the location. Inside, it’s very casual with a bookshelf of different hot sauces to the left of the entrance. There’s lots of Cuban décor on the walls.
Both the boyfriend and I ordered a combo plate that consisted of 1 fish taco, 1 shrimp taco and a side of rice and beans. It took about 10 – 15 minutes for our food to cook as they do cook it fresh. They batter and fry after you order.
I enjoyed the fish taco more so than the shrimp, although i will say the two shrimp in the taco were jumbo. It’s just that the fish was a lot easier to bite into. The special sauce was tasty as well. The white rice was ok, but even better when topped with their black beans. The beans are very flavorful, with bay leaf, spices, etc. It was definitely not your average black beans.
So yes. It’s decent and maybe worthy of another visit (the burger next to us looked so tempting). But it’s not something I will drive to if I must-​have it. I’d rather drive up to SF and pain for parking to have it at Underdogs. Just my 2 cents.

I guess I should have gotten the fish tacos.
The deep fried cod and chips had a funky smell and taste, like something burned in the oil…
Cook’s is closer and way better. But they don’t have tacos. But they have a better selection. Sand Dabs. If you haven’t tried them you should. The freshest, most local and sustainable fish for NorCal. These guys are never frozen.

My friend and I came in the other week. He got a burger and fries. He said it was really moist and full of flavor. I got a carne asada burrito. Yummmmy! Really good, tasted really healthy and good for me. Service was great, the staff were very friendly.
Over all: Great experience and I would come back again for sure.

This place is good! So my skater kid is done with Red Morton Park and I look up Fish and Chips on Unilocal.and Al’s pops up with great Unilocal reviews. It’s like 4 mins away so I call some friend to meet us there. It is way at the end of Roosevelt. but it’s a hidden gem. Clean place! I got the shrimp and chips and the Fish tacos. The prawns are big and fresh and yummy!
4 stars because I’m coming back, I want to try the other items on the menu!

Fresh, light fish and prawn tacos with a Cuban twist in a small shop served with a smile.
Service can slow to an excruciating halt at the hight of lunch hour. On my second visit, I didn’t get there until 1:30 PM and got my order very quickly.
I highly recommend the Cuban battered codfish or prawn taco special. Tacos are served with avocado and pineapple with Cuban black beans and rice. Cuban food tends to not be very hot, so fortunately they have a rack with about 30 hot sauces to chose from.

This place is definitely more taco joint that serves fish and chips rather than a traditional fish and chips place.
My GF got the fish and chips and was more than happy with them. The fish was cooked well and the breading was good. The coleslaw was also surprisingly good. The only slightly disappointing thing was the french fries, which were kind of an afterthought.
I opted for the fish taco plate, one taco with fried fish, the other grilled. Both were really tasty. I like the crispiness of the fried one, but also the fresh fish taste of the grilled one. The surprising star of the show, however, were the black beans. I don’t know what they do to those black beans, but they are incredible.
We’ll definitely be back.

Went here for lunch this week. It’s located in a strip mall that was a little bit off the beaten path but it was definitely worth the drive.
Although it’s a fish and chips restaurant, the décor seemed to have a bit of a Latin or Cuban influence. There was a La Bodeguita Havana, Cuba plaque that I kept staring at because it reminded me of La Bodeguita in Palo Alto. Also written on the wall behind the counter was «Mi Casa, Su Casa».
The eating area was neat and clean, several small tables and chairs that I assumed can be moved together for larger parties. They also have counter seating that faced the wall with accompanying bar stools. Each table was amply stocked with malt vinegar, ketchup, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and napkins. There is also a small self-​serve counter where you get silverware and water.
The menu was colorfully written on a black markerboard. I ordered the 3 piece fish and chips ($ 10.25) and bowl of New England Clam Chowder ($ 4.50).
They lady that took my order brought out the clam chowder first. It was a generous portion and included ample amounts of clam as every spoonful I had contained clam. It was very satisfying and I started to feel full till my fish & chips arrived.
I quickly regained my appetite as the fish and chips looked very tasty. They are freshly made here and on the markerboard they inform patrons to expect a 10 – 15 minute wait. It was served with cole slaw and big bottle of tartar sauce. The cole slaw was fresh, crunchy, and light on the mayonnaise which was fine since it seemed healthier. The fish was excellent as it was tasty and moist. The batter was a very thin layer and seasoned lightly. The fish was so good that I ate a whole piece before remembering to use some tartar sauce. The chips reminded me of steak fries and were fried to a golden brown perfection.
Overall a very satisfying meal but unfortunately I did not meet Al.

We’ve been walking past Al’s to get a Prima Sando for the past few months. Today, we stopped short at Al’s and had a fantastic lunch. The menu is a bit daunting as they carry everything from tri-​tip sandos to Cuban rice and peas to freshly made clam chowder.
Everyone around the table raved about their individual meal, and the fish/​shrimp combo I had was really good. I spiced up the cole slaw a bit with some vinegar and hot sauce, and it was the perfect accompanyment to the seafood.
The service was over-​the-​top friendly and the restaurant was clean and well-​managed. We’ll definitely be back for more.

I know I’m not adding much to the already resounding roar of applause for Al’s Fish & Chips, but my Unilocal profile wouldn’t be complete without a review of my absolute favorite fish taco place in the whole world.
The food here is amazing! I love the Fish Taco plate with Cuban beans,
but the Fried Calamari can’t be missed either just delicious.
Excellent service they have always been super nice to me.

Food is good. Ventilation is a quite underpowered. I left smelling like i just worked a double in there!
The fish burrito (fried) was quite tasty as were the fish tacos. I believe the menu has been changed up a bit since it’s inception.
The décor is somewhat clean and the service is friendly.
One star deducted due to the ventilation and another deducted due to the value/​food cost factor.

Al’s makes delicious seafood tacos in the middle of a residential Redwood City neighborhood. I had the 1 fish & 1 shrimp taco platter ($ 10.95) which comes with rice & Cuban black beans. You choose your tortilla and preparation (corn or flour tortillas and grilled or fried seafood). The tacos are small and not overstuffed. They can also be purchased individually ($ 3.35 a for fish taco).
* Grilled fish taco — chunks of mild white fish, salsa fresca, finely shredded cabbage, and a thin, somewhat creamy, pale orange, tangy special sauce — very tasty — I just wish they were larger and that I could add more salsa.
* Grilled shrimp taco — same fixings but with plump, large shrimp instead of fish — yum — probably just as good as the fish taco
* Rice — not the Spanish style you get at Mexican restaurants, plain white rice, rather boring
* Cuban beans — soupy with whole black beans. I threw some hot sauce on it to liven things up.
The food was fresh and very good but I wish they had a salsa bar. They do have an interesting rack filled with over 2 dozen types of bottled salsa/​hot sauce but I prefer fresh salsa and some of those bottles of hot sauce looked old.
The place is casual with pictures of Cuba on bright walls and a flatscreen TV. Prices are higher than what I would expect for a casual fish & chips place in a residential neighborhood, e.g., $ 8.45 for a two piece fish and chips order. They charge extra for chips and salsa. I wanted to try their «crabby cheesy bread» but it’s $ 6.95. The menu also includes salads, burgers, and burritos. There isn’t much that’s Cuban on the menu, other than the Cuban beans.
The charge minimum is $ 10 and they deliver. They were also friendly.

You could drive by this place and not even know it was there. The inside is really nice, I assumed the owner must be from Cuba by the décor.
After setting out to find the best Fish n Chips spot in the area. My brother recommended this place. We ordered 2 orders of 4pc fish and chips, It was so much food. These are large pieces of fish we could not even finish one order. The fries were actually a little cold, I mean like they were pre-​frozen and they were not able to thaw in the hot oil. The fish was okay.
I was a little disappointed because although the fish and chips are cheaper here than the other places, the quality of the fish was not so great. I looked at both the paper menu and the board menu and I could not find what type of fish it was.
I will go back to try some other items on the menu.

Daaaayyaaam Good fish and shrimp tacos. You can order the fish or shrimp fried or grilled, but I was craving Ensenada style tacos. The fish taco could have a tad more fish, though it was really tasty with that sauce. NOW, the shrimp tacos had large almost prawn size shrimp and was perfect! I have been dreaming about going back ever since I finished that taco… My bf loved the salmon plate too, comparable to the plate at Back A Yard café in Menlo Park.
Small mom and pop’s joint, friendly staff, cooked to order= Winning Combo!