The best fish and chips in North Wales - and where to eat them

There are few things that taste better than fish and chips eaten outdoors in North Wales. Salt in the air, paper going translucent with vinegar, gulls circling overhead. Whether it’s perched on a harbour wall, unwrapped on a windswept beach, or carried back to a balcony overlooking the sea, this is food that belongs to its surroundings.

Here are some of the best in North Wales, and exactly where to take them once they’re wrapped.

Finney’s Fish & Chips

In Benllech on Anglesey, Finney’s isn’t just popular, it’s nationally recognised. A winner in the Environment & Sustainability category at the National Fish & Chip Awards and recently named in the UK’s Top 40 takeaways, this is serious fish and chips territory. Crisp batter that shatters, flaky fish, proper chips, and a business that cares about where its produce comes from – it’s little wonder it’s been likened to the Oscars of the chippy world.

From here, you’re moments from Traeth Benllech, a broad sandy bay edged by low headlands. At low tide it stretches wide and open; at high tide the water laps close to the rocks. You can park up above the beach and eat straight from the car with a sea view or wander down and claim a driftwood perch.

Just above the bay sits Dinas Cottage, where dinner can be taken out onto the balcony overlooking the sweep of sand. To the rear, a decked terrace catches the last of the light making it a brilliant spot for unwrapping scrumptious parcels while the tide shifts below. Beach or balcony, you’re never far from the view.

Ainsworth’s Fish & Chips

In the heart of Caernarfon, Ainsworth’s serves its fish and chips within sight of one of Wales’s most imposing fortresses: Caernarfon Castle. Built in the 13th century by Edward I, its polygonal towers and banded stone walls dominate the waterfront, a dramatic backdrop for something as simple and satisfying as a paper-wrapped supper.

You can take your haul straight to Castle Square and eat beneath those towering walls, watching the harbour and boats shifting on the tide. Few places make a Friday-night chippy feel quite so cinematic.

A short walk away, Bath Cottage sits on the edge of the Aber foreshore, looking out towards the estuary and back across to the castle itself. Once the site of a seawater bathhouse, it’s now a characterful retreat for up to eight, perfectly placed for coastal wanders and easy evenings.

Y Wygyr Fish & Chips

Right on the northern edge of Anglesey, Y Wygyr in Cemaes Bay turns out golden, generously portioned fish and chips that locals queue for. It’s a working harbour setting, and that maritime feel carries straight into the food.

Traeth Mawr, the main beach in Cemaes, is a mix of sand and shingle, framed by grassy headlands and fishing boats bobbing just offshore. You can park close to the shore, making it ideal for a wind-screened car picnic if the weather’s lively. On calmer evenings, sit on the harbour wall and watch the light drop behind the breakwater.

Almost on the water’s edge is Min y Wygyr, perched so close to the harbour it feels as though you’ve taken a mooring for the night. Its raised balcony looks out across boats, beaches and the curve of the bay: an unbeatable perch for fish and chips eaten with harbour lights flickering below.

sBLASH, ABERDARON

Out on the far western reaches of the Llŷn Peninsula, Sblash in Aberdaron delivers exactly what you want after a day by the sea: fresh, unfussy fish and chips, best eaten within sight of the waves.

With Aberdaron beach curving towards the horizon and views stretching out towards Bardsey Island, it’s a place that invites you to slow down: to sit on the sand, watch the tide change, and let supper take its time.

A short drive inland, Hen Felin offers something altogether more expansive. Once a watermill, it’s now a house for ten, totally designed for gathering. The kitchen is a standout: generous, and well-equipped with a striking island that naturally becomes the hideaway’s hub. Outside, things become even more relaxed, with a pizza oven and outdoor space setting the scene for freeing evenings under the night sky.

Castle Fish & Chips

In Criccieth, Castle Fish & Chips pairs beautifully with its surroundings. The beach here forms a crescent beneath the ruins of Criccieth Castle, a 13th-century stronghold perched on a rocky headland. The position provides shelter from prevailing westerlies, making it one of the Llŷn Peninsula’s most reliable family beaches.

You can sit on the promenade wall with the castle rising above you, or take your supper straight onto the sand, the sea stretching towards Cardigan Bay.

Just moments away, Stabl Criccieth offers a playful, design-led bolthole for two. Set across three floors, it’s a place that reveals itself as you move through it, from the laid back kitchen to the lively living space above, and finally the top-floor bedroom where a king-sized bed sits beneath a soaring ceiling.

In North Wales, fish and chips are rarely just fish and chips. They’re eaten on harbour walls, unwrapped on beaches, and carried home to balconies overlooking the sea.

Find a great chippy, pick a view, and the rest tends to take care of itself. From Anglesey to the Llŷn Peninsula and along the Conwy coast, our boltholes put you within easy reach of both the fryer and the horizon.

Browse our collection of coastal boltholes and plan your next fish-and-chips supper by the sea here.