Australia’s best fish and chips shops revealed

They are arguably the quintessential Australian small business, and one that many of us will visit even more over the summer months: the local fish and chip shop.

Whether your family embraces the Friday-night tradition of fish and chips, or you’re a tourist visiting Australia’s small coastal fishing towns, when you find a good fish and chips shop, you stick with it.

It’s why almost 300,000 Australians have this year voted for the their local in the 2021 Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafood Industry Australia and sponsored by MasterFoods.

The people’s choice winners in each state and territory have now been announced.

In Queensland, Costa’s Seafood Cafe in Capalaba took out the top prize, along with the most votes across the competition, while The Fish Shack in Civic became the first small business in the Australian Capital Territory to be featured in the awards.

 

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Something Seafood in Callala Bay was voted the best fish and chip shop in New South Wales and Trident Fish Bar in the coastal town of Queenscliff was voted the best Victorian fish and chip shop.

In South Australia, Fish Out of Water in Hyde Park was crowned the state’s best, while Pinjarra Fish & Chips in Pinjarra won the top prize in Western Australia.

Voters said Fraggles in Invermay is Tasmania’s best fish and chip shop and the title of the best fish and chip shop in the Northern Territory went to Frying Nemo Fish and Chippery in Stuart Park.

Seafood Industry Association CEO Veronica Papacosta said the awards are an opportunity for Australians to support their local fish and chip shop, and local fishers, “after a hard 18 months for Australia’s foodservice industry and our commercial fishers”.

“The Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards showcase the very best fish and chip businesses around the country, while they celebrate our great Australian seafood, and the fishers who produce all of our favourite seafoods,” she said in a statement.

The annual awards have been presented since 2017. More information is available online here.

The winners of the 2021 Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards are:

• Queensland – Costa’s Seafood Cafe, Capalaba
• New South Wales – Something Seafood, Callala Bay
• Victoria – Trident Fish Bar, Queenscliff
• Tasmania – Fraggles, Invermay
• South Australia – Fish out of water, Hyde Park
• Western Australia – Pinjarra Fish & Chips, Pinjarra
• Northern Territory – Frying Nemo Fish and Chippery, Stuart Park
• Australian Capital Territory – The Fish Shack, Civic