Spud Fish & Chips

If you like an old-​fashioned restaurant, this might be a good place for you. I went here with my friends a week ago and we ordered fish and chips, of course.
The fish is nicely cooked and crispy, but I’m not a fan of the fries. 3.5 stars for the food but 5 for the service!

I have a coworker that loves this place so I tried it. The place was kinda dirty. The fish itself was good but the special tartar sauce was not for my tastebuds. Shake was very good though.

Good fish and chips. Classic Seattle joint. But the guy who rang our order and handled part of our food had filthy hands. Visibly dirty and black under the finger nails. Absolutely disgusting. At a bare minimum you need clean hands to work in a restaurant.

First off I’m giving three stars because the fish itself was nice, and the French fries we’re well-​made. However, for me, the truth about fish and chips lies primarily in your tartar sauce. Had I thought ahead I would have asked for some malt vinegar along with my order, to try these chips in that style as well as the fish. Never nevertheless this tartar sauce really lets down the fish and chips. It was very thick, very much like plane mayonnaise. No tang, no bite, and no hint of lemon or pickle. In another move, which always baffles me but seems to be indicative of Seattle restaurants, the tartar had to be purchased. That’s just weird. Ketchup was free but why charge for tartar sauce? Particularly tartar sauce that does not taste like much more than plain mayonnaise. As I said the fish was good fish, the breading was a very nice cornmeal like reading. The French fries were decent, nothing spectacular. I also bought a small side of coleslaw, which was decent but not necessarily remarkable.
I’ve heard so much good things about Spud but I was really looking forward to more. Why, you may ask, let tartar sauce carry so much weight with fish and chips? Because fish and chips is a very simple dish batter the fish, fry the fish. You do that right you’ve already done half the job, the other half is the condiment. And here that just was not very good. In addition to that prices were a little bit steep, that’s always true of fish and chips: it is no alternative to a quick burger and fries on the price and value side. Nevertheless to ask $ 15 for two pieces of fish, a small order of fries and coleslaw was a bit much, and that’s before I bought the mayonnaise, oops tartar sauce. When Spud was purchased by Ivar’s many people worried it would cut into the quality: I don’t think so, Ivars is still very good.

Expensive. $ 25 for a two piece regular and a one piece salmon. The salmon is literally just a piece of salmon, it is not deep fried. I have a feeling nostalgia and a captive Greenlake audience is the only thing keeping this place open. Staff is friendly, to go bag packed well. Won’t be back at these prices. FishBasket NW food truck has them beat by leaps and bounds.

Great food! $ 40 for two people… if the prices were a bit lower I would eat here more often than every 6 months.

How I heard of this place: I walk/​run around the lake, I see everything… Spud among the many things.
Type of cuisine: «Since 1935 Spud Fish & Chip has been your home for big fresh hand-​cut filets of fish, fries and delectable tartar sauce. At Greenlake Spud we have preserved the original recipes and standards that made Spud the Seattle staple it is today.»
Ambiance: An indoor-​outdoor fish and chips stop across the street from Greenlake, the interior boasts old school, original fare, with an unbeatable location. A patio outdoors, limited seating inside, the views of the lake and an easy menu, the décor sparse and antique, the space has proven why it remains standing in a trendy and upscale part of town.
What I ordered: A Double ($ 13.49) using hand-​cut Alaska cod with Spud’s own special batter, fresh cut French fries ($ 3.79) and a large vanilla-​caramel shake ($ 4.29) to share with my hubby.
What I loved: Firstly, the sparse but perfectly suited presentation of our dine in meal. But truly, the generous portion of fish, the perfectly battered and fried taste-​bud adventure!
Why I loved it: Delicious, simple and completely satisfying for a pre-​walk lunch with my family.
Cost: High ($ 15-​$ 20 per entrée)

The fish was really good! The sweet potato fries were not good, very soggy and not salted.

Recommended by family. Disappointing. Fish had to much breading and fish portions were too thin. Not flavorful. Batter wasn’t good either. Fries just OK. Sorry Seattle.

First bite into Spud’s golden fried halibut– *pow* — I’m home! Their batter is crispy and light; and the halibut is moist and tender — perfect! A must when visiting Seattle!

Not a bad fast food spot. I got the prawns and chips and also had a bite of the cod. I think I preferred the cod over the shrimp. I liked the tartar sauce– good balance of tang. The fries were yummy and how I like them– soggy ;)
Best part– sitting on the patio with my pup enjoying the greenlake view (and also feeling guilty for not running but eating fried food instead!). Also, parking is available! I would definitely eat here again when I’m craving fish and chips and I want them quickly.

I DID end up taking my wife here and we both loved it. Great food, if a tad expensive ($ 30 for two) for take-​out.

I hear people go on and on about this place. Not that impressed. Very expensive, and nothing special.
About half the time I was there the guy working the register just kept bashing Jones Soda. They had a Jones Soda machine in the space, I thought that was cool. Local businesses supporting each other. But the guy working the counter kept telling everyone not to drink it and to go buy RC Cola. Local businesses that don’t support other local businesses don’t get my support either.

Spuds on Greenlake. Awful!!! Spuds on Alki wonderful. C’mon people where is the quality control? Why only two stars? Small portions and the awfully mixed tatar sauce which was pure vinegar. Cod sizes were noticeably smaller here on Greenlake. Won’t go back to this site and the only reason I gave them 2 stars was because of the counter cashier. She was a gem!

Spent 36 hours in Seattle this past weekend, and my adventure started off at Spud’s. Generally a solid experience. Fries, cod, and the salmon sandwich were good across the board, and the interior has a divey feel to it. Service was fast, but explanations took a step (the helpful pictures on the wall made that part easier). Prices seemed a tiny bit high but I would need to fully explore other Seattle fish and chips spots to know this for sure. For a one-​off dinner, I thought this did the trick!

*The minimum rating is ONE star. Hence the reason for my rating, as 0 is not an option!
This afternoon I had parked behind Spuds to get a quick cup of coffee from FIX across the street. Parking at Spuds was open by about 5 spots. I was going to come back and get some cod and be on my way to run some appointments.
Not FIVE minutes from the coffee shop, I ran to my car to drop off the hot java, when I noticed that I received a PARKING TICKET for $ 43. Yes, I was not even there for 5 minutes. Well, now, Melissa, check the signs. Don’t the signs read ticket and tow? For sure. They do. But I was hungry and wanted some cod. Nope. Couldn’t even do that. Got a ticket from this guy. Well, ok. If you’re willing to give me a ticket even though I do business with you on a fairly regular basis, I’m willing to go into your business and ask you about why you think you can ticket a customer at 2:15 on a Wednesday afternoon in Green Lake, when your parking lot is empty anyways.
So I go in, and right away, I start up with this guy behind the counter who had a DIAMOND parking logo on his shirt. He rudely tells me that he watched me walk across the street to the coffee shop. Cool, the owner hired someone to police his lot. That’s when I ask him how he knew whether or not I’d be there to do some business with Spuds, and why he felt it necessary to ticket me. He stepped outside and got on the phone. Mind you, I’m wearing a business suit. He treats me this way?!
The owner steps out from the back and informs me that his parking is for CUSTOMERS ONLY. I buy some food there. He charges me. I know full well I’m going to fight Diamond on this ticket. The owner tells me that the fries I ordered are going to take awhile. I say I’m running late. As I’m going out, the owner condescendingly says to me, «Peace be with you». A simple, «Sorry for any misunderstanding, thank you for being a customer but please do not use our lot as your personal parking spot» would have sufficed. But no. Are you serious? Thanks for making my day. I go outside and I can tell the attendant working for the owner is on the phone trying to get me towed! Are you serious?!
The ONLY reason people even step foot into your greasy establishment is because there’s NO WHERE ELSE to get food that side of the lake! It’s all deep fried crap that you will digest a week later! I don’t know about you, but I refuse to give dollars to a business that will treat its customers in this fashion! I will NEVER RETURN to your crappy fish place, and for all intents and purposes, never bother parking there so I don’t need to talk to you nasty people. Hope it was worth it! Guess a parking ticket is worth more than paying customers.

I LOVE that they wrap your food in the butcher-​paper-​esque paper.
Fried clams are good, fried fish is delish.
IF you’re not a fan of fish, their chicken strips are a good alternative too!

If you like cinnamon, you will really like to go there. Good location, normal customer service and big fish & chips.
I love their cram chowder soooooo much.

I was so craving some fish n’ chips!!! But Spud was a dud. :(
I’ve had better fish n’ chips at Long John Silvers and MUCH cheaper. Come to think of it — I’ve had frozen fish that tasted better.
I just moved to Seattle from Chicago at the end of May and had been looking forward to/​craving some great fish n’ chips. My original plan was to visit the Fremont Solstice Parade and check out Ballard Brothers but I under estimated Seattle’s zeal for naked folks on bikes and after driving around looking for parking for ½ hour I started having Chicago flash backs and gave up.
It’s a cute location right around Green Lake. The atmosphere is fast food and so is the service. Originally I was going to go for the halibut but the man behind the counter told me they were «famous» for the cod so I said, «Okay, I’ll have a single with a large tarter.»
The fish: It came up fast and hot but it didn’t look very appetizing. Flavor wise the coating is very bland and texture wise it was dense and I know this sounds weird but mushy AND hard. The fish itself tasted cheap and was a bit slimy — okay… not a «bit» it was slimy. The fries: Could have done them better myself —- way at the bottom of my fry meter… The tarter: I LOVE tarter but not so much at Spud — it tasted sour and I’ve never been to or heard of a place that specializes in fish n’ chips and charges you extra for tarter… I mean what the???
In summary: WAY overpriced for what it is and I definitely won’t be going back. The search continues for great fish n’ chips in Seattle! Onward and upward!

This was always my go to place but am just over it. Soggy batter on finished product and paying 36.00 for 2 doubles and 3 drinks and then having to pay for ketchup and tartar just turned the tides against them.
Sorry Spud… be gone!

Well, needless to say, I am greatly disappointed. The «cod» that they serve you is just thick enough to hold both sides of the batter together so that essentially what u r eating is a paper-​thin piece of fish surrounded by batter. The fries are ok, but you can get better at red Robbin. So for a 2-​piece fish, fries and a coke @ $ 16.35 I got about 2 oz of fish, a fried potato and a Mexican coke.
I know you have to make some money, but Jesus!