Reviews of James Bay Fish & Chips (Fish Shop)

Donat Kazanok

Hands down the best Chinese food in town, always my go to.

Jaclynn S

Was great food and had a good meal from start to Finnish great.

Cindy Watt

Best food ever...so much Food!!

Guy F.

Pleasantly surprised by this place. Have lived a block away from here for a few years but never stopped in, it's very unassuming and very close to a couple of pubs and grocery stores so not high on our to-go list and figured it would be ok at best. Finally tried it for their namesake fish and chips and some ginger-fried beef (I try it whenever I go somewhere new and it's on the menu). Fries were ok, not seasoned but tasty enough. Fish was a shock; fresh, delicate and lightly battered halibut, and cooked just right. Ginger beef was awesome, great flavour and tender, not chewy (needed more ginger and crispier would have been better but not complaining too loudly). Overall easily deserves 4 stars, looking forward to trying more dishes.

Latverian Citizen

Nice Chinese food.

3 1 5 7 3

Love it only had the Chinese food. Which was excellent. Will difently be back to try the Fish and Chips.

derrick jewlal

great food with great service

Mark Robinson

Was better last year. Took awhile for me to order with new owners and cooks. Bad choice! Everything is tasteless served with a sauce that tasted like ketchup. Plus it was cold. Will not order again. To bad it used to be good food, speedy delivery and cheap.

Rhythmicon Sound

Best fish and chips I've had by far!

Jacqueline Rufus

Had take out yesterday and it was delicious. I got the mushroom chop suey, ginger beef, and chicken fried rice. I would definitely come here again for Chinese food, but not sure about their fish and chips.

Clark Hirtle

Just bought some Chinese tonight. The staff are friendly however the food is bland and tasteless. The meat dishes are very saucy but bland and not much meat. Noodle dishes were very dry and tasteless and again not much meat at all

L H

Consistent quality and good service. I may go so far as to say their egg foo yung is some of the best. Also 3 blocks from my house!

Andy Un

I just ordered $80 worth of food and it’s all inedible. I will definitely not be back. The rice has a sweet taste like something’s gone bad, the ginger fried beef is hard and dusty yet soggy on the outside and their sweet and sour sauce tastes like ketchup. Save your money. Victoria doesn’t have good Chinese food

dave hariniuk

Everyone is super nice and appreciate loyalty of good customers. The food Is great ! And it's walking distance :-)

Russ & Fran Howard

Excellent place for fishing ship

Umut C. Ozen

Good

David Brown

decent quality fish and chips for the price

Joy Williams

We love this place! The owners are super nice and the food is great. A good mixture of Western Chinese food and some Authentic Chinese food. The combo for 2 is delicious and great portions. Service is always very fast and friendly. A great neighborhood stop

Misty B

Just ate here. Hole in the wall but Chinese food was exceptional and very reasonable prices. Staff was nice and friendly. Will definitely comeback.

Andrew Morris

not much of a fan of the food. but if you wanted a one stop shop for a big variety of meals, come here. it's an alternative to having to drive downtown to grab Chinese food.

Golden HourShower

There are 2 things that make an eating establishment great. The food & staff. The James Bay Cafe has both. This small restaurant offers fantastic food, reasonable prices and an excellent staff that make you you at home. During our order we asked about a couple of other dishes on the menu and after our food came, to our surprise she served us a sampling of the other dishes we asked about. Now that seldom if ever happens at bigger establishments. If you're looking for food that is prepared especially for you and service that can't be beat, then I highly recommend the James Bay Fish & Chips on Menzies.

TYGER JONES

used to be decent before they closed but now the food is not as good and they are really slow at delivery, an hour and a half! food was not hot when i got it

HANA KINSMAN

Perfectly adequate. Lovely couple. Nothing fancy.

Lewis Seagram

There are not many Chinese restaurants within walking distance. Even though the food is not top notch, the restaurant certainly deserves its credit to give the neighborhood one more diversified and affordable dining option.

Diana Knowles

Awesome food. Great local soot

Unity One Security Vancouver B.C. Canada

Consistently great fish and chips! Add the colourful houseboats and other restaurants and such on the docks and it can't be beat (unless it's a cold miserable day as you do eat outdoors (although under semi-cover).

Kate Pollard

Usually my meal is good but today's rice was hard n dry..... not going back

Bernard von Schulmann

Cannot get enough of this food. I am a huge fan of Chinese Food in general, and this is some of the best I've ever had! Also - the service is so lovely!

Layla Gus

Good - healthy. I would recommend it.

grant jones

Awful, sour and old tasting food. Surprised I didn't get sick. 5 thumbs down.

Mark Anthony Martinez

Neat place because of the location. Food and service are good. Busy and not the cheapest Fish & Chips in town.

sujoy D

Good platter for two

Linda Brown

Service

Graham

Always love this place in James Bay! Good Chinese Food!

Axel B

Incredibly tasty, and nice sized portions. Hard to beat in Victoria

Carly W

Good tasting food at a fair price. Highly recommend the calamari. The white fish was also delicious. The soup was not to my taste but my friends enjoyed it. The best part is the service- so friendly and accommodating. Also the green beans in black bean sauce are to die for. Thank you! Happy new year!

Alexander Matveev

Stick with the Chinese food.

Xinli Liu

Nice Chinese food. Friendly service. Would eat here anytime.

Monique Nelson

Very good chicken chow mein and fried rice, it’s got that great rich deep smoky flavour and HUGE portions

Clive Gorman

I was in with my wife and ordered hot pot. We had been there before and the food is so-so, not authentic at all but at least edible. However, when one traditionally eats hot-pot you have a raw egg that serves as the base of a dipping sauce. I asked for one since they didn't supply one to me. After some confusion and persuading they gave it to me. When I got the bill it was $2 for a raw egg. WTF. I could buy a carton for that much. Considering that we spent $50 there they could at least supply me one lousy free egg. Anyways we will never go back, it's not worth the terrible service for not great food.

Kassandra Miehe

The fish was amazing! But the fries where stale and when I called about it, I was given attitude on the phone. Not going to order again due to the poor service

Danesh Haroon

Dine in

Drexler Klein Ortiz

Meal type

Natalie Harvey

Pretty solid Chinese food. Wor wonton is ample and delicious. I prefer my vegetables a little smaller...only real complaint

Jacob JacobJacob

My favourite place to order takeout Chinese food in Victoria! Their combo D with the almond chicken is my go to. Their sweet and sour chicken balls and wanton soup are also delicious!

Kayla Caruana

The owners are amazing people (very family friendly) and the food is so good! My kids eat like birds, but they absolutely stuff themselves here everytime.

Fred

I have eaten here alot over the years and their food has gone downhill. This last time was definitely our last time eating there

Richard Greenhorn

Good food, good service and in the heart of the community. I'll be back ????

James Meihe

The owners daughter who waits tables is great! She really makes my day whenever I come by. Delicious food as well.

Jeff

Delicious food! I've only ever tried the Chinese as I'm not big into Fish & Chips. The staff are very kind, polite & their prices are unbelievable. Combo A for 1 person is my go-to! :)

John Brum

Nice staff! But don't come for the fish and chips , very very average. Haven't tried other things on the menu they might be nice !

Steve Ford

I've always enjoyed eating there, although I do take out service. I'm a big fan of their lunch special. It's typical western-chinese food, but it's viscerally satisfying and I've never had a problem.

Shari-Anne Vis

Filling good Chinese food just managed to finish

Modesta Cabiling

I ate here before I grocery shopped at Thrifty Foods. It's a convenient location. There's a bus stop right outside.

elizabeth stevenson

My friend Sheri and I came over after touring through the inner Harbour of downtown Victoria in May. The server boy was very friendly, and the combo we ordered had good packaging. It tasted good, for what it's worth. My personal opinion of the visit was overall positive, and I would recommend my friends at UBC to come over as well if they have a chance to visit Victoria.

Dee Dee

The restaurant has recently reopened under new ownership. We had regularly frequented this restaurant previously. We ordered dinner for three and ginger beef. The beef had no ginger taste and was overly peppered. It rather tasted like sweet and sour pork. The vegetable were overcooked. The fried rice had hardly any meat and only had a few peas in it. The sweet and sour pork was OK. For fifty dollars, this was not a good meal. I doubt we will return

kishore goud

You're not going for the service, but the portions and price keep me going back (for takeout)!

Jeremy White

Worst experience !!! Poor customer service !! No cleaniness !! and the worst way of serving !!

Cyle Millar-Lay

They should take "Fish and Chips" out of their name.

Emma -C Schram

Ordered dinner for 2 and an order of lemon chicken. The sweet and sour pork had no sauce and was dry. ZERO sauce on the sweet and sour pork. The portion was suitable to one person, and the container was a small portion, and only 3/4 full. The lemon chicken sauce was flavorless and had the consistency of water. It was honestly like pouring lemon water on the chicken. The chow mein was OK. Pros: good service at the front counter, ready in 20 minutes. Cons: poor quality. I'm not a picky eater at all, but won't be returning here. UPDATE: I was just having some leftovers and there was a full blown staple in the food that cut my gums.

Eli C

It was a rainy night and we were ordering in. We ordered at 7:00pm and we were told it would be an hour till our food was here. At around 8:00pm we called because we didn't think it would take the full hour. They told us it was on its way. Then at 8:30pm we called again. The lady on the phone told us that the food was on its way and she was sorry. She also told us she would call the driver and then call us back.. That didn't happen. At 8:50, our food finally got here. When I opened the door, I opened the package right away to see if it was cold and it was ice cold. We had to microwave it... The food was terrible. I WILL NEVER ORDER FROM HERE AGAIN. I gave them a fair shot.

Chura Montgomery

Fast, cheap and delicious. Owners are very friendly. I usually order for take out, never takes more than 15 minutes to be ready.

DS

Definitely improved! Chef to be commended for consistancy in cooking good food. Love the WonTon. Everyone should give this James Bay Chinese restaurant another try.

Mriganka Nath

Our entire experience at this place was not good. Starting with food, we ordered a plate of full salmon fish and chips and it was the worst i ever had. The fish wasn't cooked well and lacked taste. The chips were horrible as they felt stale and soggy. The place overall lacked sanitation as the kitchen is right next to the seating space which is also partly the kitchen prep area. The entire seating space was full of smoke from the kitchen. There was sanitation issues as the serving plates including forks were not cleaned. This place seems like a family run business and while thats great, a suggestion for the owner would be to consider some serious improvements. Especially the fish and chips as thats the signature item you are selling.

John Greaves

Had a great meal this weekend. Loved the salmon and halibut fish and chips.

Jean-Sebastien Normandeau

Good value for your money and not too bad tasting either. Ling is a lovely server. Extremely friendly and accommodating.

MH Graham

The beef and tomato fried rice ,is to die for.

Arvind Tirkey

Typical Chinese Restaurant, with good service and servers. I’ve been to many countries and China too, hence I found the food to be good enough quantity BUT way too oily… just one meal there and we were happy by looking at the portions but the oil made us run away as soon as we were done with our food leaving most as leftovers on the plate itself. The elder lady server asked us if we’d like it to go, but it was way too oily for us to even finish it all, let alone taking it home.

Raj M

Just had fish and chips takeout today. Fish was somewhat uncooked and cold, batter still gooey on the inside. Even though I arrived early to make sure I got a fresh dinner, it was already waiting when I arrived, for how long I don't know. I won't be returning.

casey o'gorman

I had a chicken cream corn soup and I enjoyed it, a reasonable price, and the staff are nice.

Anne Appleton (Rev.)

The food was very reasonably priced and the service was great!

Lorne Moore

Awesome family run business. Low price for the service and quality.

Christopher Winsor

Always closed. Rude staff. Mediocre food at best.

Kim Karlsson

Food was very good, freshly made, little hidden but it was a good little treasure. Recommend trying it. Mom & Pop place so it was very homelike.

Susanne Mougan

I ordered deap fried wonton for takeout. When I got home I noticed my wontons wrapped in egg roll wrapper with slivers of overcooked meat. Yuck. This has been my favorite place for deep friend wontons up until now.

Michael Johnson

Went there but we didn't eat there. Not quite sure food quality

Rmn Ca

Dinner

gordon tam

Great Chinese food too

Eric Grills

Contrary to the name this restaurant serves delicious Chinese food. Very reasonably priced, fresh and hot.

Koen Freeman

Was really looking forward to my fish and chips, which I only have a few times a year. Well, I have to say this was the absolute worst fish and chips I have ever had! Very small piece of cod, thick, tasteless batter. Chips tasted like they had been cooked a few times, dry and tasteless. Very small portion of coleslaw, equally tasteless. Realized after that I had fish and chips there once before, a year ago - and remembered the food was equally disappointing. Perhaps going to a Chinese restaurant for fish and chips NOT a good idea!

Angus Wilson

Finally tried this James Bay treasure today. The Ma Po Tofu dishes are outstanding and this mom and pop shop has a great authentic taste

Joti Bryant

Sorry but the fish and chips are a big no…

Douglas Chen

Just had fabulous meal delivered! It was the fresh and literally the best chinese food ever! Deliver was super quick. Nice driver!

Robert Leonard

Second coming here and i've enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and good food at a fair rate..

Geordie

Probably the worst Chinese food I've had. Chicken chow mein was very dry and tasteless. Can barely see any meat in it. The Chicken chop suey was also bland and mostly just vegetables. Spring rolls were just full of cabbage yet they were called egg rolls? Sweet and sour pork was decent however. Service was also good.

Joko Inouye

I ordered cod fish and chips, wonton soup, and bbq pork fried rice. The batter was a bit gooey still on parts of the fish. The wonton wrap in the soup somehow fell apart in many different pieces, and the wrap was very soggy. I think it was boiled for too long. The meat in the wonton tasted off, it tasted slightly sour. The fried rice was actually pretty good with a slightly smoky flavor. The waitress was nice but we were shocked that we didn't get any utensils when we ordered take out. I don't think we will return.

Christina B

another one of those places that you stumble across which serves incredible food.Not the largest place in the area but would recommend either sitting in or taking out. Incredible service as staff have always seemed friendly when I have visited. great specials and great service.

Michael Rempel

waited for my pick up order and walked one block home wor won ton was teppid and watery, egg rolls were dripping grease and bland, sweet and sour pork sauce was red and that was it (no sweet or sour or any flavour at all), chow mein and chop suey were bland and barely warm. After ordering from there for years and then it being closed for so long the new owners should change the name instead of running on a well known and liked reputation created by previous operator who is now at the fountain restaurant on blanshard and hillside. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY AT THIS LOCATION.

Aaron

Great food, lots of choices. Fast and friendly delivery.

Devon

Less than stellar food. The restaurant really needs to be renovated on the inside because it looks like is on it's last legs. The only upside is that the portions are huge

Sean Stephen

Food quality here has declined somewhat since ownership change.

Matthew Brydges

Had the dinner combo for 2 with my wife. Veggies were fresh and not overcooked. Eggrols were crisp and flakey. The meal was delicious and a lot of food for the price. Staff was friendly as well.

Kevin Beaton

Was a really good place to have Chinese food, was amazing and with alot of flavor. Made with passion for sure. Can't speak for the fish and chips thought.

Erick Linwood

I been eating here since the early 90s when it was just fish and chips then it became Chinese food and fish and chips and wow it was great the owners cook food service every thing was on point then it switch owner ship and well it's gone down hill take while to place a order staff are rude food is now 2 out of 10 sweet and sour is most katchup gross because I dont eat chop suey I use to get extra chow main at no cost and extra sweet sour and nos they charge extra for both .. I really do not recommend here .. to thos who missed out on the old owners I'm sorry u missed out ..

Conor Phillips

We were in the Sandman Inn on Douglas Street and found out at 6 pm that there was no room service and we have 2 small children that wanted supper and bed. Called James Bay Fish& Chips and they delivered in 45 minutes.. not only was the halibut and cod and chicken strips extremely tasty and the fries more than amply, the restaurant phoned us back 10 minutes after ordering and said,” as you are in a hotel, do you need plates and cutlery and napkins?” The service was wonderful and so appreciated. Thank you, James Bay Fish & Chips!

mike

Yuck!

C Cook

Great value, big portions

Infinerdy

We had supper there. The food's aroma was very good, on account of the generous amount of garlic and pepper. Couldn't wait to dig in. (Perhaps that's why a lot of the photos we saw were of half eaten dishes - they couldn't wait to dig in either!) But the food was on the salty side. The saving grace was the deep fried squid which has a light batter and was seasoned perfectly. The staff was very friendly and efficient.

Keith Brodie

Ordered fish (Cod and salmon) and chips. While the fish was fine, the chips were disgusting. It was obvious that they had supplied old chips. It’s almost like they reused them from another meal.

Jeff Ferguson

This is a traditional Cantonese restaurant. I'm not a big fan of Cantonese cuisine. But I like their pan fried pawns so much, I order it every time I go there.

Catherine Carson

I'm very picky about Chinese food and this place is excellent. Unlike many others in the region, this restaurant uses fresh ingredients and proven recipes. The staff/owners are very friendly. Not a pretentious place to eat at all and yeah, not exactly an aesthetic achievement on the inside. But good food, good ingredients, nice staff and a fair price. Does not deserve the low ratings people below are giving it.

Jerry Cooke

Some of the best battered prawns I've ever had. Fast delivery

Bruno Lindner

I had stopped going there because they put any take home in styrofoam containers. But this time I ordered there House special fried rice. It's got EVERYTHING IN IT!!! WONDERFUL AND LARGE. So when I was leaving I spoke to the waiter and explained why I haven't been there for so long and if he could rectify the take home container situation. He did. Recycle your plastic containers please everyone.

Nikki Leung

I just moved to James Bay recently and saw the fish an chip/Chinese restaurant. Moving day I ordered fish and chips for the family and it was great. Today June 24, 2020 we decided to order again as it was great the first time. It was TERRIBLE, the fish was dry and flavorless, didn't glisten like a nicely cooked fish should, and the batter was too oily, the fries apparently were cooked yesterday as they literally snapped like twigs, we were shocked, ate barely any fish and zero fries, total waist of money and now I have to make dinner. Won't be returning.

Lisa j Young

If you want delicious Chinese food or fish and chips for a reasonable price, this is the place to come. It is a little gem of a restaurant in James Bay.

West Coast Ghost Crew

The best Chinese Cuisine in Victoria, made to order fresh using local in season, no MSG and when asked no soy because of my soy allergy they were so careful and made it perfect, consistent every time, I'm blown away!!!

Tim Silveira

Gross. No fish fillets to be found. Heavily battered fleaks at most. 1st time ordering and never again!!!!

christina n

Not bad, don't order the fish an chips, fishy fish

Denise Seekins

Even though the driver couldnt find our house, they forgot our drinks and the debit machine broke when he dropped it on our porch, (what an experience for our first time!) I was still impressed with the food quality and portion size. Will definitely try them at least one more time.

Chuck Harris

I was on a 2 day trip to Victoria and got this place recommended by someone. Unfortunately, I had the dullest Yeung Chow fried rice ever at this place. The rice was sticky because they used fresh cooked rice, and had some kind of liquid over it, total screw up. Additionally there were long stripes of chicken and mushrooms, which don't belong in a Yeung Chew recipe. The whole stuff was tasteless. When I ordered I asked for hot chili oil but when I picked up the order I was told they have none and instead they gave me a "better one", the hot chilli sauce, which is totally different stuff. The moment I heard about the sauce they gave, I knew I made a mistake to order there, but it was too late. When I reached the hotel it turned out that the fried rice was bad. They might have some other good dishes, but I won't recommend the Yeung Chew fried rice there

dorothy simmonds

Very reasonable Chinese food. The dinner for 2 was awesome.

Trevor Sigal

I've never had fried salmon or halibut, I wont do it again, but it was okay. Apparently, diverting from the Summer Special(onion rings instead of fries) VOIDS the special price. Service was okay too. Dont expect outstamding service, but mediocre...acceptable. Shoulda stuck with the Asian cuisine...smelled delicious as it was served at another table.

Terrence Weng

The best Singapore Style Vermicelli EVER!

Mr Taylor

Best Chinese food in Victoria super nice staff highly recommend it can't wait to try the fish and chips ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Judi Champion

I'm a new resident of James Bay. First 3 times were great. This time was awful. A combo was 7/8 noodles. Its pricey anyway but was worth the price. It was so good the 1st few times and so meager this time, I'm looking for another place. It was a huge difference.

jeremiah H

Awesome food, especially the Chinese food! Mmm

Warwick Nixon

Some of the best Chinese food in the city! The food is always super fresh and I would highly recommend trying out the BBQ pork and the Shanghai noodles. The staff is always super friendly and portions are big. Will be going back very soon!

Laura Palmer

Often good, and great value. Sometimes great. Sometimes not very good. I think it depends on whose cooking and how fresh the ingredients are. I'd say 7-8 out of 10 times the food is good. I'm a repeat customer and I've probably had their Chinese food over 50 times by now, so obviously that says something because I'm kind of picky. I'd recommend it to anyone that wants decent Chinese food (definitely better than most).

Brian “RN” Nixon

Hidden gem of a place. We've had the pleasure of eating at many great Asian restaurants and this place is one of the best. The basic interior and Spartan decor belies some seriously good food. Inexpensive and generous portions.

Vanessa Mortel

As a first time customer who just moved to the area, I was expecting atleast a decent quality since the name itself is james bay fish and chips. However, the fish was soggy and felt like it was dipped in pancake batter. It was a laughing stock. I hope the owner notices this or else we won't be ordering again.