I was recently working on a piece about my favourite dining experiences since I started the blog. One which came to mind was, at the time a small wooden shack in Blackrock Market called Fish Shop

It has since got itself a fantastic permanent home in Smithfield and it’s most certainly on my list of places to revisit. I’ve heard nothing but great reports about the new premises, which is no surprise considering how great my visit to the original was.  So here’s a little look back to Fish Shop in Blackrock Market.Fish Shop is one of those little gems that the locals of Blackrock had no doubt known about for ages.  I had spotted them on Twitter after reading a review from a fellow blogger.  The talk of a lightly beer battered fish had me salivating and I made it my business to take trip and taste it myself.

At the time they opened Tuesday to Sunday every week. It was essentially a small wooden cabin with a decked seating area attached and some larger picnic tables.

Fish Shop

Row of picnic tables to the side which would be perfect for eating out on a sunny day.

Picnic Tables

They had some really nice touches such as blankets left out incase it’s cold and small coloured stools you can either use to eat your fish and chips off or of course sit on.

Blankets for Cold Days

All fish is freshly caught and locally sourced which is great to see.  The menu varied depending on what was caught that day. On my visit they had Hake and Haddock on offer. The menu is written on a simple chalk board attached to back of the doors which close the shop.

Menu

I opted for the Haddock with Chips and my buddy opted for the Hake with Chips.  Both worked out at €8.50 each which is reasonable value for what you are getting. You would pay the same in your local chipper for a far less satisfying experience. The service was excellent and very friendly and even came with an apology for the weather.  Not sure they could do anything about that but they can certainly serve up a great fish and chips.

Haddock & Chips

The Haddock was served simply with a portion of homemade chips, which are a welcome change to those awful frozen chips many places churn out.  It came In a small container with a slice of fresh lemon some small wooden cutlery and a napkin.  What else could you ask for. The beer batter was very light and crisp and the fish inside was cooked perfectly and was moist and chunky. If you have eaten battered fish you will no doubt have come across many places where the batter is so greasy that it pretty much ruins the taste of the fish inside it.  That is not the case with Fish Shop.  They have it just right.

Hake and Chips

My buddy had the Hake and I have to say when I visit again I will order it.  While the Haddock was good the Hake was better.  It seemed to have a much sweeter taste to it.  Again served identical to the Haddock with a fresh slice of lemon.

Salt & Vinegar

To wash it all down there was a can of refreshing Pellegrino and it was great to see that Fish Shop also teamed up with local wine shops to allow you bring a bottle along to enjoy with your fish and chips.

They have now relocated to 6 Queen Street in Smithfield and open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 10pm and for lunch Wednesday to Friday from 12 noon to 2.30pm.