Mario’s Plaice

Mario’s is my to go to place when I’m craving fish & chips, and I’m not gonna lie, that is quite often. It is always delicious, crispy, freshly made and the portions are more than generous (see picture). I also tried the fried Mars bar there — really yummy!
Since I live quite close, I pretty much always get take away and have I only stuck with it, this place would have gotten 5 stars from me. However, I went to sit in with a friend recently and I just wasn’t impressed.
The staff was really friendly and interior nice and clean, but we had to wait way too long for our food, considering we were the only customers there at the time, and when it came the food wasn’t salty at all. Now I’m used to getting my fish from Mario’s flavored to perfection, this was a disappointment — of course there was salt, pepper & vinegar on the table, but you expect your food to be already seasoned at least a little bit when you eat out, don’t you?
So, I’ll keep coming to Mario’s for my usual takeaway chippie fix, but most probably won’t be back to sit in.

I don’t usually give 5 stars but this sit down chippy is exceptional.
When I was growing up, my mum used to take me on here after looking in the shops on Byers Road for home-​made lasagna and the cosiest macaroni cheese with the best chippy chips.
Don’t go ahead and get the wrong idea thinking you’re going to get a fancy rocket salad with your chips this is a different kind of place a special place Marios plaice.
The staff here are easy going and natural they don’t go overboard trying to please you but you can be sure that they will make sure you feel right at home, like the way you used to when your mum would sit you down at dinner. They certainly know how to crack a joke and have a banter.
Some people on Byers Road might dismiss it easily because this place doesn’t really cater so much to vegans, gluten free and gourmet seeking customers but it certainly knows how to put the taste of nostalgia and childhood back into your mouth.
This is the kind of place you go if you want to read a book and be left in peace without being pretentious. or if you want to drink tea and listen to the local gossip. I have overheard some great stories in this place.

When this place was Jack McPhee’s (fresh from the sea/​s!) I used to visit here quite a lot. Always to sit in, never take away. I liked the no-​nonsense, home style (if you grew up in a chippy) cooking, cheap & cheerful menu and their BYOB policy. This was my 1^st visit since the name change and I really don’t think much has changed besides the BYOB policy, sadly. I may be wrong! I just didn’t notice any signage regarding it… but it’s maybe worth asking if you should wish to find out.
The décor hasn’t changed much and is still pretty basic. Don’t be expecting any copper light fittings and super cool interior design here. It’s not too shabby but it could maybe do with a wee freshen up. I’m sure the waitress is still the same straight-​talking, nae messin’ waitress they used to have here years ago… She’s really cool and knows her job inside out. The menu is very similar (if not the same?) as before also. Mainly chip shop style food with the occasional ‘home cooked’/Scottish Italian dish thrown in for good measure. I ordered double eggs, chips and baked beans & my boyfriend had the roast ¼ chicken with bacon, chips and peas. For drinks we had between us a mug of tea, tap water and Irn Bru. They don’t scrimp on portions here and we both enjoyed everything on our plates. Great prices and I like the old ice cream café/​parlour style booth tables. It’s similar in style to places like The Uni Café.
The toilets here are in a wee bit of a weird place; up some stairs and hidden near what looks like a (dis)used storage cupboard. It was a bit chilly and not super pristine (shock horror).
This place seems to have a lot of regulars and the service is friendly without being false, ‘i’m-your-new-best-friend’-ish. They clearly do something right and please a lot of folk out there. Okay, it’s not as swanky as Old Salty’s down the road but then the prices reflect that.
I guess you could say this place is Mario-​kay (ooft!)

If you are looking for a no frills chippy then this is your place! To be fair the only thing I’ve had from here is the deep friend mars bar. I’ve nibbled people’s fish and chips and it seemed average. However it is my go-​to place to get people trying Glasgy’s deep fried mars bar– and for that-​Marios doesn’t disappoint.

Spaghetti there is really tasty! Especially the Spaghetti Marinara~ contains fresh sea foods for example salmon and prawn~ However, sometimes they may taste a little bit salty…
Spaghetti Carbonara is always too salty here… haha! :(
The best thing I love about Mario is their take away service! And also they offer Chinese menu which is amazing! You can always call them and make order before you go there and pick your order.
The take away food has a much more lower price than sit in. For the Spaghetti Bolognese, sit in will cost more than 5 pounds while take away only cost 3.9 pounds.
The sausage there is also good to eat~ !
I just love Mario~!

I tried the lasagne. A generous portion, warm, well cooked with plenty of flavour. The Irnbru was cold and one of my party was provided with a glass so she could enjoy white wine with her meal. Spotless windows and prompt friendly service.

This is a very short one.
At Mario’s Plaice, they think that potato fritters are only a lunch time food. Therefore, when I visited for my late night potato fritter, I was denied my favourite food on the planet and had to get a portion of chips instead. Sure, they’re both potato-​based snacks, but the chips were not as good as a fritter and therefore they just get 3 stars.

A fine fish and chips and fried scottish food joint. A good place to swing by to pick up lunch or a quick dinner. Definitely not the most healthy spot but you need to be able to hit up a few fried food from time to time.

Being one of the only chip shops on Byres Rd, this place doesn’t have a lot to compete with, which seems to show in their business. I’ve eaten inside a couple of times, the food was quite pricey (around £7−11 for every meal), but really expensive for the quality you’re actually getting. The service isn’t great either, there was only one waitress the times that I went in and she seemed quite rude and cold with us. On the other hand, she seemed polite with the kitchen staff, so maybe she was just overworked…
Of course, nothing beats a greasy chips n cheese after a few pints, which is fine from the take-​away bit.

It’s a fast food restaurant. I ordered Special Fish and Chips but it didn’t taste that good. The fried fish was very rough and the chips are so oily.

Their fish and chips are not the greatest and not cheap — but it’s OK and given that it is the only fish and chips around I have been here a few times and will come back.
They do deep fried pizza, too, if you like to try something different.

The food in Mario’s plaice is nice enough but on both occasions that l have had food here it has been cold. Chips where cold and the fish Luke warm wrapped on a soggy batter.

I’ve been wandering around Glasgow with my hard to please father in tow for a few days engaging in the misty eyed banter about skating on the Clyde and dodging doodlebugs in Hyndland. Admittedly, a couple of pints as early into the day as possible helps things along, but finding age appropriate pub food has been a problem. I love a good burger but silly me forgot that burgers are not native to our pub menus and are as welcome to laughing boy as dodgy looking toads to the Australian Ecosystem.
After a rather protracted investigation it turns out the silver fox wanted a good old fashioned pie supper washed down with a milky coffee. We wandered up to Mario’s Place and settled into a bench seat to await our fate on a plate. It came, as per menu description, perfectly portioned with Decent chips and an added value side of beans. The coffee was hot and milky and when the waitress offered Pops the last of her own personal stash of sweeteners, his granite-​like façade crumbled into an appreciative grimace.
Did the job well.

Clean and well-​appointed in a good location, but service left a lot to be desired and food was less than satisfactory I ordered the beefburger, which turned out to be a dry burger on a dry bun with dry salad and chips. Not vastly appealing. However, my friend had the sausage supper and found it very good indeed, so perhaps it’s variable.

Mario’s «Plaice» — a tasty pun, but not as tasty as their chips!
This used to be called Jack Mc Phee, and it was my favourite place to eat with my mum after a hard week at high school. Since the change over there hasn’t been much change at all, which makes me happy since I very much loved Jack Mc Phee’s.
Mario’s is going on the same formula however, and so is just as good. Freshly made chips that are soft and served up in big portions, rolls on bacon and mac and cheese — it’s all wholesome and gauranteed to fill a gap. There is a sit in area if you fancy stopping for a cup of tea and a natter, but also a takeaway if you’re wanting to eat on the go.
The chips in here are more expensive than a lot of places in the west end, but the quality more than makes up for that fact. Serving all the usual chippy food as well as all day breakfasts in the café area, I love it. There are a lot of fancypants places to eat on Byres Road, but sometimes your heart craves a greasy spoon, and for that Mario is your man! Love love!

Poor old Mario’s Plaice seems to have taken quite a «battering» on Unilocal.I couldn’t resist.
This chip shop used to be Jack McPhees but they’ve changed the name in the past couple of years. I used to love Jack McPhees and after my experience of Mario’s Plaice last night, I love it too!
I’m not sure why everyone else this place so bad, perhaps they were just unlucky and got them on a bad night, perhaps I managed to get them on their only good night. But I was here with my friend last night and we sat in for a fish supper tea and it was delicious! I am also very fussy when it comes to fish and chips and have had a few poor quality fish suppers in my time but this definitely wasn’t one of them!
Included in the fish supper tea which was £6.80 was a large piece of haddock, (the fish was so white and there were absolutely no bones) chippy chips, and a side. You could choose from beans, garden peas, and mushy-​ish peas, as they didn’t have completely mushy once apparently, mushy-​ish is good though, I can deal with that. I also got a cold can of Irn-​Bru with my meal which washed it all down perfectly. Honestly, just thinking about how good it was here makes me want to go back now!
It was a really nice setting to sit in too, you get your own individual booth which could fit around four and each booth is set up with traditional fish and chip shop seasonings and condiments.
The waitress was lovely, really friendly and chatty even though she was busy busy! She didn’t even get mad when my friend realised she’s stood on a mayonnaise sachet and it had gone all over the shop, literally. It was pretty funny though.
Overall, I absolutely cannot fault this shop, perhaps a little on the pricey side but for good quality fish and chips you always have to pay a little bit more.

Poor old Mario. He comes up with a clever pun for his business and yet, so inconspicuous is the «i» on the shop sign, passers-​by frequently deem it to be the dullest-​named establishment on Byres Road. Hell, he’s even outsmarted his own staff, with «Mario’s Place» chalked on the billboard outside.
But thankfully, having run chippies in the West End for years, Mario has never become too smart for his own good when it comes to the preparation of his food. Keeping it simple, the takeaway section of this long-​running business is a little pricey but generally good, while the adjoining restaurant remains one of the most under-​rated spots for a bite to eat on Byres Road.
Representing decent value for money, six pounds will bank you a true fish tea, including a mug of tea and a slice of buttered white bread. Perfect.

It’s frustrating, as there’s really no good chippies on Byres Road, and thus my old flatmates and I were forced back to this place several times.
It’s okay — it’s not THAT bad, but sometimes the chips are horrendously dry and pretty much inedible. Still, I ate them, but that’s probably a reflection on the greediness of myself and not on the quality of the food.
If you find a better one elsewhere, you won’t be back.

Like Jamie, I’ve only ever been to the takeaway, not the restaurant part of this establishment.
Again, I agree, it’s not brilliant. Pricey pricey, and low quality suppers — but, it is only one of the chip shops on Byres Road.
I’d recommend walking another few hunred metres to hit somewhere like University Café, or somewhere along the same lines.
Fine if you’re in a hurry, otherwise, it’s not really worth it.