Chef John’s Fish and Chips is tucked in on the other side of Broadway in Lemon Grove, a little bit away from the main drag and the famous giant lemon. It kind of looks like it’s in an old Arby’s or Long John Silvers, but I don’t know for sure if that’s what it was – my days of venturing into Lemon Grove are a bit sparse these days.
Jake and I opted to share a few items to get a feel for the food here. Our order was taken by a very nice Asian lady and was passed onto an Asian chef – I assume Chef John – to make. We could see him making our food to order while we waited in one of the booths.
[squeezy sauce bottles]
We were brought these squeezy bottles full of sauce along with our food. I was amused that they were labeled. I think of lot of places would just make you guess and probably not even bring you ranch unless you asked for it.
[fish and chicken strips combo – $7.99]
We got the fish and chicken basket. Jake is normally not a seafood eater, but he does like fish and chips… go figure. Fried fish though generally doesn’t taste super fishy though, so I get that train of thought at least.
The chicken strips were pretty good for what they were. Nice strips of white meat, not too overly greasy. Lightly seasoned and tasty.
[fried fish inside]
The fried fish was made with cod. It was hand battered and fried to a nice crisp – not super greasy, either. The fish was very tender and came apart pretty easily. I especially liked the crispness of it – nice and crunchy but still retaining the fish flavor. Jake thought this was one of the best pieces of fried fish he’s had.
[side of fried shrimp – $3.99]
I also got a side of fried shrimp, which turned out to be tempura battered. These shrimp were just okay. They needed a little more seasonings (or something) to give it a little bit of extra flavor to stand on their own. They didn’t taste really plump or delicious – just average, as far as shrimp go.
[hush puppies – $2.49]
The hush puppies, on the other hand, were delicious. Most of the time when I order hush puppies, they come to me way overcooked and almost black – but these were cooked to a perfect golden brown, resulting in a lighter, more moist hush puppy. The balance of flavor and seasonings with the cornmeal was perfect here and Jake and I wolfed these down with a daub of honey on every bite.
[not gonna smile… not gonna smile…]
Here’s Jake, being a goof and refusing to smile for me. Geez.
[religious book corner]
Up at the counter, you can also brush up on your religious reading, if you so desire. Fried fish + religion, who would have thunk?
Here’s their own whole menu, if you’re interested!
Chef John’s Fish and Chips has been serving the community of Lemon Grove for about 8 years. It’s good food for a fair price!
Chef John’s Fish & Chips
8047 Broadway
Lemon Grove, CA 91946
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 11AM-8:30PM
