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Emilia announces awards from some of the best fish and chip shops in Melbourne!

emilia reviews
Article image for Emilia announces awards from some of the best fish and chip shops in Melbourne!

Fish & Chip Awards

It was only when I started telling people where I was going for my food review this week and the response repeatedly was a firm clutch of my arm, an intense stare into my eyes, a flared nostril before exclaiming, “you have to go to MY favourite fish and chip shop” that I realised I couldn’t do just one food review on fish and chips today.

So instead, I’ve decided to do my food review a bit differently.

Welcome to “The Fish & Chip Awards 2025”. To keep the game level I ordered chips, flake, dim sim and a potato cake at every joint. 

Press PLAY to hear Emilia’s full review!


Best Fish: Is one fish & chip shop that has tongues wagging. Editas in Rathdowne Street, Carlton North is a fairly new addition to the fish & chip line up in Melbourne.

It’s owned by a Tongan Samoan family, you can see all generations swanning around each other behind the counter.

There is a reason their fish stood out, it’s thanks to their insistence on preparing everything to order. Some of the older generations of their family remember when you wouldn’t eat fish unless you went out and caught it that morning so they aim to echo that freshness.

Compared to the others the actual fish itself stood out as juicy and thick, it was their golden brown crisp batter sprinkled with their special salt for extra flavour that won them this prize.

In the line with me was a splattering of Pacific Islanders looking for a taste of home alongside young, hipster northsiders and the old locals too.

I met a chatty older gentleman in the line who said he comes twice a week and it always has a line out the front but it’s worth it. Must try their fish burger and prawn tacos.

382 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

Best chips: Thick cut and perfectly chicken salted, a balance of crunchy and soft chips, that’s what wins best chip for me. Oakleigh Fish & Chippery delivers on all those things and more.

They’ve been operating since 1982 and now in their third generation, when I visited there was more than one Yiayia over the grill preparing for their dinner rush.

The shop is renowned for its generous portions and has a loyal customer base thanks to it. Owned by a Greek family, it’s a right of passage to get a souvas on the side of your fish & chips. 

45 Chester St, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia

Best view and best potato cake: Goes to D’Lish in Port Melbourne. Which I didn’t realise until after I went was once owned by Rex Hunt!

They have a focus on good, home made coeliac/gluten free options as well as their normal offering which I’d love to hear Rex’s take on but it’s a huge win, gluten free fish and chips are not easy to find.

Their winning potato cake was actually a long-ways slice of potato in a light batter. The simplicity of it won me over, that’s what a good fish & chip joint should be.

They make a point of keeping freshness as a cornerstone in their kitchen; fresh whole fish, fresh batter, fresh oil every morning.

The owners are brothers who were mechanics before taking the opportunity up just before Covid to continue the long-running seaside restaurant.

Bonus award for best view as you can sit on the communal tables out the front and look out on the marina. 

3/105 Beach Street, Port Melbourne

Most traditional: Auburn Catch Fish & Chips embodies a traditional Melbourne fish and chip experience through its classic, no-frills approach.

This family-run establishment offers a quintessential takeaway experience with generous portions and lappings of chicken salt (you can even buy the chicken salt to take home).

The dimmy is one like you’d get in a canteen whilst watching local footy, the potato cake crispy on the outside and lava hot on the inside. The owner, George loves a thumbs up picture when local celebs come in.

Traditional even down to their operating hours, which include lunch and dinner service with closures on Sundays, further underscore their traditional approach to a classic Australian dining institution.

Maybe the only ways they’ve strayed from tradition is in their gluten free offering and their cleanliness, their shop, unlike the fish & chip shop you grew up with, it’s gleaming. 

136 Auburn Road, Hawthorn

There’s a couple of threads that run through all of these places; freshness, community minded and they all happen to be family run, some for generations. 

Honorary mentions to other great local fish & chips shops: Off the Pier in Williamstown, Northern Soul Fish & Chips in Northcote, Scalable Fish in Essendon (reopen today), Anna’s on Glenferrie Rd, Kensington Fish & Chips, King Fisher Blue in Wheelers Hill, Pipi’s Kiosk in Albert Park and Mavi’s in Dromana who were suggested by multiple people on my search.

emilia reviews
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