Ches's Famous Fish & Chips

I tried Ches's fish and chips for the first time. It was the worst fish and chips I had since I moved to Newfoundland almost 5 years ago. One of the pieces of the fish was just warm and tasteless while the other one was hot and tasted better. Fries were dark brown and soft. I did not get any pictures as I was with a colleague and did not want to make a scene there! Definitely not the best 2-piece fish and chips 20 bucks can buy!

Those fries were awful — super soft, greasy with a strong old oil smell, like they were microwaved instead of freshly cooked.

Service was excellent

Excellent deep fried, battered fish.

Great fish and chips

The batter they used to fry the fish was nice and light not heavily battered, onion rings use the same batter, maybe…
The fries were good and fresh.
Honestly wasn’t expecting much, but this place is definitely better than most across the island.

We are so glad that we spent 4 weeks with a wonderful, friendly, professional and cheerful team. Many people have been working there for many years and we understand why. After all, the owners treat their employees like family, care and always ask if everything is okay with them. Thank you guys so much for everything!!! See you soon!!!

Topsail Road Che’s is the worst location don’t go there better food else we’re like the Big on freshwater

TLDR: terrible food, terrible service, avoid at all costs. Much better fish and chips elsewhere in St. John’s. Terrible experience. Was excited to try the food based on good reviews. Ordered takeout, made the 3 minute drive from our hotel and picked up our 2-piece fish and poutine. The lady at the counter was packaging it as I came in. She handed me the package and I carried it out to the car as it was given to me and drove back to the hotel. Total elapsed round trip of roughly 10 minutes, 6ish minutes from getting the food to opening it in our room. Opened the package excited to eat and found our fish completely buried in the fries/gravy/cheese. The fish was soggy and inedible. I called the restaurant to ask for replacement fish, offered to bring the food back if needed or anything and the woman (who said she was the manager after I asked) refused to replace the fish saying that she wasn’t able (as the manager) to do that and that if I wanted them packed separately I had to specify when I ordered (ordered online). She then refused to provide a refund saying I had to go through the company that runs the website for online ordering (called UEat). Not once did the manager say she was sorry we were unhappy, all she could do was deny every request and blame us for not specifying to package it separately. It was quite rude and upsetting. I then called UEat, who were actually very friendly and helpful but of course said that they do not handle refunds or anything that it all went through the restaurant. The UEat person then put me on hold while he called the restaurant and walked the manager through how to process the refund. UEat person comes back and says they explained everything to the manager, but that the manager wasn’t able to access the refund system it had to be the general manager. The UEat person emailed the general manager filling them in and the store manager said they would reach out to the GM and everything would be refunded the next day. Great made some progress. This is all documented with a case number through UEat. Fast forward to the next day and I get a phone call from someone with Ches’s, either the GM or the Owner not 100% sure which. Initially the person was pleasant saying they heard we had an issue with our order last night, was sorry we were unhappy and was calling to get more details. I ran her through everything detailed above, soggy fish, unhelpful manager, etc. This person then went into great detail about their packaging process and how it was impossible for the fish to have been packaged under the poutine unless it got shaken up or turned upside down (note above I carried it home the exact way it was handed to me) and again stated it was on me to request separate packing. I then asked for my money back as was promised the night before. She refused saying that they don’t do that but now offered to replace the food (which is what we originally wanted last night when we were hungry, not 16 hours later when we are about to head to the airport and fly home across the country). I explained this and was told this was the first she had heard that we had originally only wanted replacement food (store manager clearly lied to the GM/owner) and that she was sorry I couldn’t accept the offer now. She then said that they would keep my number and name on file and next time I am in St. John’s I can get my food (lol ok, I live 5500km away). She ended up getting upset saying I was being unreasonable and hung up on me. I ended up getting my money back through Visa (props to the dispute department) and here we are.

Absolutely delicious & most definitely will return

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Overall good.
We ordered takeout to eat at our hotel. The fish was quite greasy and couldn't be cut with the flimsy takeout fork. Everything else was great, and I particularly enjoyed the scallops.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Ches's has been a regular restaurant for me over the past twenty years. However, I recently noticed they've been skimping on the fries and cod in their cod bite platter. Anticipating smaller portions, I ordered a burger platter and a small side of onion rings, as I was particularly hungry that day. The small onion ring order cost $5.49, but when it arrived, I was surprised to find only five medium to small onion rings. Considering you can buy a bag of onions for $3-5, I suggest listing the price as $1.10 per onion ring to set accurate expectations. Due to this, I've decided to explore other options in town for my fish and chips or classic burger cravings, and Ches's has lost a loyal customer due to their stinginess.
Note. The waitress was terrific

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 4

Food was amazing staff was friendly

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish N Chips, Fish and Chips, Onion Rings, Fries Dressing and Gravy, Wing Ting

After a long day of exploring Bell Island we stopped in here for some food, and the effects of heat exhaustion came over me. The staff gave me lots of water, including some ice in a bag and frequently asked my family how I was doing! Thanks for all the understanding and kindness that evening!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish N Chips, Fish and Chips, Onion Rings, Medium Fries

The Cod Bite special was absolutely delicious. Perfectly fried fish and excellent chips. Enough to completely fill you up.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips, Fish Bites N Chips, Fries Dressing and Gravy