Londoners Magazine

Hidden in Covent Garden’s backstreets is a little chippy claiming to have been around since Queen Victoria was on the throne. Jenny Stocks visits to see why its customers are hooked.

The sign outside reads “established in 1874″, and the owner Hassan Ziyaeddin says they’re the oldest fish and chip restaurant and take away in London.

True or not, tourists and locals are easily reeled into the restaurant. The service is quick, the elbowroom minimal. And the white tiled walls are decorated with theatre posters and magazine articles about Ziyaeddin.

There are 27 seats upstairs, but the 36 downstairs is where it all happens. It’s a tackily decorated faux-underwater world, with turquoise walls and images of sea creatures adorning them. It’s unnerving experiencing the world of a fish while you eat one.

But while the décor veers from basic to over the top, the food is spot on. The fish is as fresh as daily delivered produce should be. The batter is crunchy, the chips are crispy and the tartare sauce is homemade and full of capers. Cod or haddock and chips come in at £10 or less (including tartare).

A pot of mushy peas from a tin, though, is £1.50. And if you don’t fancy eating in, it’s all available as a take away.

House wine is an impressive £8 and in the summer wooden tables are set up on the street outside and illuminated by fairy lights.

If it’s not the oldest chippy in London, it’s certainly one of the best.

The Rock & Sole Plaice
47 Endell St
Covent Garden
WC2H
020 7836 3785
Mon-Sat 11.30am-11pm
Sun 12-10pm