Review Ches's Fish And Chips - St. John's

Checked out this spot based on a recommendation received by a local acquittance. Ordered takeout in-store and the whole process was quick. The lady who took my order was friendly. It was my first time trying the NL staple called a “dressing”. I’m not a fan of stuffing usually but this was surprisingly delicious when eaten with gravy on top of fries!!! The meal was satisfying and fresh. The dish was meaty and the batter was just perfect. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because the resto didn’t serve homemade tartar sauce. :( The experience would have been better if my fish wasn’t accompanied by prepackaged sauce. I’ll definitely return to get fries with gravy and dressing!

The stuff is super friendly and nice. Besides that, food is embarrassing. I paid almost 18$ for a very small frozen burger and fries. Both of them DID NOT HAVE SALT AT ALL. How do you serve fires without salt? Simply disgusting. If I pay 18$ for a burger and fries I expect some decency. Why would you think you're better than a fast food? You are simply a very bad, overpriced fast food. Not recommended at all.

Went there for a late lunch on my last day in St John's... partly due to all the good reviews. The fish and chips were disappointing. The batter was thick and hard. And part of the fish was just batter with very little fish. The home fries was ok. Overall, I don't understand what's the big fuss about the place. I have had much better while out in Newfoundland. It is definitely below average.

Since they were crazy busy (Friday supper hour), there was a slip up where not every part of my take out order was ready on time. I was pressed for time, so they offered to work with me and let me walk out immediately with a reasonable substitution. I've eaten from here a lot, and this was the first time I had any kind of issue. I don't blame them for the delay, and I give them a lot of credit for doing so well to accommodate me around it. So while I didn't get exactly what I ordered (I could have, if I waited a while), it was a really positive service experience.

Something is happening here in this restaurant, I have no idea what. Onion rings arrived cold, had to be sent back, were obviously just thrown back into the frier and then re-served. Meal of fish and chips were extremely DARK and unusually oily, meaning undoubtedly: the oil was old and/or the meal was overcooked. Both of us agreed that it was both, and that absolutely the oil had not been changed for awhile, accounting for the darkness of the products. While the taste of the fish was not rancid, it was far from fresh. As well, the fish itself had been advertised as fresh, which it certainly WASN‘T. It was definitely cooked from frozen. They forgot our dressing and gravy with the order, and even though we were one of only two parties in the restaurant, we were required to prove that we had ordered the extra items by showing them our receipt. We were then asked whether or not we had „really“ received no dressing and gravy after all. We then had to show them our food to prove we were gravy-less and dressing-less. I have frequented this restaurant for years, but this is the fourth time we have felt the food was just NOT FRESH. Human mistakes happen all the time, that’s in general not a problem for me, but after so long one wonders if it might be a management problem. We spent over 70 dollars on that simple meal, so for that amount of money one should receive good, fresh food. I have visited the location on Torbay Road and all was okay there. This one location must be struggling. I have no other explanation.

As a visiting tourist - visiting Ches’s on our first night felt like an authentic start. Over all the meal was fairly good (perhaps not our best fish and chips in Nfld. But good just the same for Cod out of season). Definitely recommend a meal here for those looking for an authentic experience, we were there on a Thursday night and it was definitely busy with walk-ins and takeout orders.

The restaurant came recommended, but disappointed. In their defence the cashier appeared very new, and this may well be a one-off experience. Seafood platter with a side of gravy, and glass of water - the order took over 30 minutes although the restaurant did not appear busy, and the water didn’t arrive. The food was okay, however the oil tasted old. The restaurant itself was unkept.

Dips nevvver arrive. 4 times i have ordered via doordash and not get them. Today decided to place a pickup order, and asked for extra on the phone. Thankfully i checked bag and got them over the counter. The blonde chick acted like i was asking for sauces from her own pocket. Food was overcooked anyways... staff might some refresh training. I remember this being the best location in town.

Disappointed

Was told it was famous and the best and I would agree. Really enjoyed the home made onion rings and the fish/chips. All were outstanding and so was the Iceberg beer 🍺

Ordered a feast from here last night! Got the captains mess with a batch of scallops and shrimp to go. The staff made great reccomendations- were friendly and accommodating. Everything was delicious, hot, and fresh- delivered to my door in good time. Definitely heard the hype about this St. John's chain beforehand and was not disappointed! Would definitely order from them again!

Went there during non peak time. Service was good. Quick seating, fast drinks and orders. The deep fried food was good as well, but would be nice to have some non deep fried options.

I've been here many times and never had bad service. The food is delicious! The servers have always been amazing, friendly they go above and beyond for myself and my dining companions. I've seen them serve tables for 10+ with a smile on their face the whole time. I've never had an order messed up and the staff treat you like family. Try the scallops and chips!

St. John’s (one of my favorite places in the world!) has a wide variety of places to eat, from small to large, ethic to local, cheap eats to gourmet cuisine. But where are the best places to feed your kids – and yourself? No overplayed children’s menus here – these are great restaurants that serve excellent food.

NEVER AGAIN!!!!!. While visiting in Newfoundland last week we wanted to try a real N.L. fish meal.Were we disappointed!!!We should have realized our mistake when we walked in the door,the floor was slippery with fryer grease .The waitresses were very friendly but that did not make the food any better.After placing our order the waitress came back to tell us that 2 items we ordered was not available(and this was a slow nite).EVERYTHING is deep fried!The batter has NO flavor,No taste No spice nothing!!The fish was NOT fresh !!the fries were soggy as if cooked for a while and reheated.We were all very disappointed with this restaurant and had to find a zantac bottle on the way home. WE will NOT be going back!!

Worst food. The location on Kenmount Road I have been there 3 times in the past month since I just started working in the area and each time I wanted to puke with the food I ate. I thought at first it was a bad day or just bad timing. But when all 3 times I got the same quality of food I was like this is not right. First time, I went there with a few coworkers during lunch time, the servers were not ready for a table of 8 during lunch time when the restaurant was not even full. They complained about serving us because they were "BUSY" . That is not an excuse to us when we wanted to eat. We ordered our food and some of my coworkers ordered salads for their meal. All those that ordered fish and chicken we got our meals in a timely fashion considering they were busy. Those that ordered salads had to wait another 5 -10 minutes. Why would they have to wait longer for their meals when theirs are not being cooked? All of us were not impressed with our food or service, especially during lunch time. The server was like next time order before you come here. That was what we did not want to hear. <br/>Second time I went there was after work and I was told that Ches's burgers are really good. So I ordered it thinking I am going to have a great burger.I pre-ordered before leaving work so it will be ready. When I was ready to eat it I was very disappointed. It was disgusting I don't know what you use as hamburger meat but boy, did it ever taste awful. No taste, it did not even taste close to a good burger. Very, very disappointed. <br/>Third and the very last time I will ever go to that Che's is when I ordered a half chicken. I just got of work and about to visit my husband in the hospital finishing a chemo treatment. He wanted something good to eat and I also needed to eat dinner. While I was in the restaurant waiting for my food all I heard was complaints and just no moral. I felt embarrassed to be there, felt very uncomfortable. I felt that the people that worked there did not have a care in the world for what they do or who they serve. I am good at reading people and can tell by their expressions that they just don't care. I felt like the servers even forgot about me. I finally got my food took it to the hospital to eat with my husband. I don't know what they did to the chicken and fries but oh my it was bad. The chicken was tasteless, the batter was indescribable grossness, it was just bad. The fries were soggy and just bad as well. Since my husband was not eating in the hospital because of the food being bad and he wanted something good I thought Ches's would be a good substitute. We were wrong.

Very Disapointed. Honestly more so with the service than anything else. The food is not too bad, but not as good as I expected when I heard all the hype. I went to the Ches's on a street called "Fresh Water", I believe.. and both times I recieved terrible service. The waitresses were not friendly at all, and we had a hard time getting their attention to ask them for anything. The second time I went there I ordered a ceaser salad to go and paid about $7 for it, after walking all the way back to my place, only to open it and find literally just a handful of lettuce in there, I was extremely dissapointed. I walked all the way back to politely ask for my money back, and they gave me a very tough time about it, all of the waitresses's were rolling their eyes at me and shaking their heads. The lady at the till rudely remarked, "well that's exactly what you ordered." Needless to say, I will never be going back to that Ches's. People need to take pride in their customer service skills, it can mean losing a customer.

A little disappointed :(. I was recently back in Newfoundland and had a craving for fish and chips. My family and I went to the Topsail Road location - I had the cod bite special with dressing and gravy, my parents had the two piece fish and chips. I found the french fries to be way overcooked, I think they were cooked more than once. The fish was a lot more greasier than I remember too. My mother had recently been on the original location on Freshwater Road and said there is a huge difference in quality - and that the freshwater location is much better. I am returning to Newfoundland in August but unfortunately will not be returning to Ches's, I'll head to st. phillips instead.

Amazing food - we loved the Fin and Feather combo, Splits, Steamed cod, lemon meringue pie, coconut cream pie and snowballs. The little Ches is a great drink too. Yummy!

A St. John's Tradition. I came all the way from Florida to visit Ches's - best fish & chips I've ever had anywhere. The fish is fresh and moist in a nice crispy batter, and the chips and gravy are so good they're a food group all their own. You haven't had the full St. John's experience unless you stop at Ches's.

My Absolute Fav Fish and Chips Restaurant!. One of the reasons why I miss Newfoundland so much. There's nothing like the codbite special with fries, dressing and gravy smothered in Ches's own malt vinegar. If you ever visit Newfoundland, this is the place to try.

It is one of the best in Canada. Just came back from Alberta and try to get a good plate of fish and chips up there is almost impossible. Fast delivery, better sit down service on torbay road.

Didn't get my free cupcake but other than that great fish and chips.

Best fish n chips in the world. Must go if u are visiting St John's

I love flour-less chocolate cake because it is a mixture of everything good. Fudge like consistency, and taste of a chocolate cake and chocolate bar all mixed into one. I also had a lovely almond tea to balance the sweetness. My friend caught me licking the paper after it was gone, we locked eyes and began to laugh, but only another gluten free-bee could understand my joy at a delicious, non-pain inducing, desert.

...the first week, we'd eaten there three times! First two were during slow times and the Fish & Chips were incredible! Crispy batter, fish right on and the chips, PERRRRFECT! But the third time, Ches's was slammed, packed to the gunnels and our plates arrived a bit greasy. Argh!