Coastguard Cafe in Havant

Not the best it has to be said. Fish was slimy and just sodden of oil. Really not nice to eat. Chips average. The mushy peas and curry sauce not too bad but wow I thought the days of soggy / undercooked batter was long gone but here we are! Can’t say we’d ever go back!

Been here many times but if i return to hayling island i will try and find another place. the reason i go here is because its easy to park and you can sit on the beach to eat it. My chips have always been undercooked approaching raw often but the sea gulls seem to be able to tolerate them. i eat the crispy ones and feed the rest to the gulls which almost always accounts for about half of the chips if not more. The fish is ok nothing special and can be pretty greasy. i give 3 stars for service just because i would not like to work there so feel sorry for them.

Hayling argues about chip shops and which one is best all the time. This is our go-to chip shop every time.

If I was the owner I would fire all the front of house staff in the takeaway, all 5 of them that have just ignored customers waiting. No friendly hello, will be with you in a minute! 5 staff with miserable faces (looking like they had been slapped round the face with the wet fish) walking past customers several times avoiding making eye contact. Doubt we will ever visit again and nor should anyone else who values supporting local people, local jobs, local small businesses.

Been going here for a few years but tonight the girl who served us was so miserable and quite rude. No smile, spoke in a dull rude manner like she clearly didn’t want to be there. Her blue fleece was brushing all over the food while she was putting salt and vinegar on it! Don’t think we’ll be going back anytime soon!

Lovely place sat by the window so we could look out onto the solent. Look across to Portsmouth. The ferry runs across from Hayling Island.

Always a lovely meal here and very reasonably priced. 2 batter sausage and chips meals £10 total with a good size chips portion. We always come here if on the island.

Congratulations to the cooks on Monday evening - had the best fish & chips ever from here or anywhere - they were superb Well Done guys !!!

Food was good, service was excellent and friendly

Got a takeaway fish and chips here today at 2pm. The young girl behind the counter was as welcoming as slap in the face. Miserable, unhelpful and I would not return him even if giving out free meals. A disappointment 😔

Freshly cooked fish. Perfect texture. Nice butter. Crunchy outside and very tender inside. The chips were very good too. Very crispy and salty outside and tender inside.

Came here on the recommendation of a friend , it looks a little ropey outside but I went for the food, the fish batter was soggy and the fish slimy , chips were better than average , prices were not to expensive , service good and cheerful, prob won’t go again based on the quality of food

The food was good quality, the woman behind the counter could do with cheering up, or perhaps just basic manners. Won't be coming back here.

Friday lunch. Excellent Huss, chips and curry sauce for £13 and to add to the enjoyment a pint of Magners.

21 pounds for worst fish and chips ever. Big disappointment.

Very helpful and friendly too. Lovely gluten free fish!!

Very disappointed with our visit to hayling island sea front was raining and it was a quite Sunday. Wanted fish and chips but wouldn't allow dogs in. Arcade was the same we couldn't spend our money in which is a run down area. Can't comment on food as we couldn't stop. The local businesses need to rethink their policies on dogs.

I was going there for years. Never have bad experience till now. Order 3 times cod and chips and when open to eat it find out that the fish is look like mini cod(and probably have been) due to no more customers and some ready fish on the shelf...

Delicious chips with decent portions and fairly priced. We sat on the beach in the beautiful sunshine and enjoyed our impromptu lunch.

Yummy and super close to children's play park too! Great spot to grab some food on bike night

Chips were 60% cooked. That's 10% more than last time

Went here today for fish and chips. The chips were uncooked, raw and hard. The fish was dripping in oil. I have never experienced uncooked chips from a chippy until today. I would have taken them back, but I had already returned to the car. I will definitely not be returning or recommending to friends and family. The place was busy, so a lot of people would have experienced the hard chips today. there will be a lot of disappointed customers today.

You won’t get better battered fish anywhere!

I was craving some cheesy chips but was disappointed. The chunky chips weren't quite crisp and one or two a little rawish in the middle. The cheese was mozerella rather than cheddar which I would expect for cheesy chips. The added.crispy onion and garlic was a suprise and didn't really add much to the taste except a stinky breath afterwards.

Large cod and chips ordered. Cod was a little bigger than a fish finger and a handful of chips. Not a cheap place but they want all the money for the food then I want my monies worth of food

Fish and chips near a beach. Not the best _ Not the worst I have had

The tea cups and cutlery were filthy and the don’t care attitude of the staff was disgusting I got up and left the cafe and won’t be returning there again

Great fish and chips after a day on the beach . Delicious 😁

wanted to get some food fish and chips in the area, no other place seemed nice however this cafe was really really good. the fish was super fresh and was really tasty, the chips were also good however slightly soggy but the fish made up for it. the peas and the curry sauce also tasted amazing, really enjoyable and tasty. service was all very fast and staff are friendly! definitely recommend in the area

Very good food fish and chips perfect

Chips were excellent. A member of staff recommended the chicken nuggets, and those were also excellent, well surpassing my expectations. I highly recommend.

Solid fish and chip shop. The chips were crispy and not soggy (I hate soggy chips). The cod was a good size, batter not bad at all, maybe a little soggy but I'm being picky. The children's meal deal is a bargain, you get a drink with it too. My partner was full from it. The scampi portion could have been a bit bigger, but good crispy scampi 😋. The location is perfect, we enjoyed getting takeaway and sitting near the beach. Prices are very reasonable. You can also sit in and dine if you wish (not dog friendly, we had ours with us). Definitely recommend, check it out if you're in the area and hungry!

These are hit and miss. Nobbies is the best chip shop on Hayling. Coastguard chips are only good if you are lucky enough to get there when they've just been cooked. If it's the end of a batch then you're given the crispy dregs which many years ago were referred to as scraps which were given away for free. There's the odd chip mixed in with that but by now they've dried out and aren't very nice. This being said, they can sometimes be alright if you time it right.

Lovely hearty breakfast with sea views just beautiful

We visited today with my Father in Law from USA, we had driven down for the day and we were recommended by a local. Well it didnt disappoint in the food area, chips and fish were amazing. My little boy can be fussy with food and he polished it all off. Young servers all seemed pretty on it with regards to serving us, all seemed happy and We were only slightly disappointed that the sitting area was closed and there were no seats outside so we can to go to the benches near the playground. Would we come back? Hell yes, it was really nice to have proper fish and chip supper without it being processed fish.

Bought fish and chips and scampi with chips on the 4th of August 24'. Very oily, scampi seems old. Today me.and my son, from early our in the morning had diarrhea. So spend the whole day at home. Very disappointed.

Fish smaller then remember but very nice

Fast friendly service and the best chips iv had in a long time.

It was ok. I think I was over charged but wasn't given a receipt so couldn't say anything. I won't return.

Excellent all round. Looking forward to returning.

We always head to the Coast Guard when we have a day out in Hayling Island which is an hour's drive from where we live. Yesterday was no different, park and straight to the Coast Guard. We were served by a particularly miserable woman with zero customer service skills. The atmosphere wasn't great. Although the cod and chips were tasty we had very little batter on the skin side and the chips were rather anaemic. The woman put us off more though so sadly we won't be going there again. Things have changed!

We always buy lunch from The Coastguard when we go to Hayling Island for the day, however something seemed wrong in there today. We were served by a miserable woman, no customer care skills what so ever. Whilst the food was ok and I will say it isn't the standard that it used to be, we won't hurry back there

Had fish and chips on the beach yesterday , cod was lovely but the scampi was not even worthy for seagulls stone cold , cooked about a year ago I think absolutely disgusting would not recommend

No complaints with food , but most ignorant staff! No please, no thank you, totally ignorant on till, I suggest some trainings needed

They advertised gluten free, but the ingredients are, the food is cooked in the same oil as non gluten free, so harmful to Coeliacs like me. The staff did not know the important difference. HSE take note!!!

Fish and chips was very disappointing. Greasy. Not clean inside.

Just had a lovely bit of Cod from the Coast Guard fish and chip shop the fish was nice and flaky, coated in a delicious light but ever so crunchy batter 🤌🏻

We had Cod chips and mushy peas , they were absolutely delicious.The chips were crispy on the outside soft and fluffy in the middle , the batter on the fish was golden, crispy and light ! The mushy peas were nice and hot and accompanied the meal perfectly. The service was fast and the staff were very attentive ☺️ Would definitely recommend this cafe .

First visit to this place scampi soggy obviously reheated chips soggy cod soggy nothing was freshly cooked will never return

Took a group of staff and residence here for some fish and chips , they had the mini cod which was a very good size ,the staff had normal sized cod , nice and meaty fish , the portion of chips was massive ,enough for 3 people ,the food was fresh and perfectly cooked ,would of given 5 stars but for the woman serving ,had a face like a slapped arse ,looked like she didn't want to be there

Had some of the best fish and chips ever from this place in the past, but todays offering was abysmal. At least they couldnt ruin the Pepsi. I will try elsewhere on my next visit to the Island.

Food needed to be cooked a bit more

Decided to eat in, good prices and quality cod and chips. Fish was perfectly cooked and the chips were hot and not dripping in oil. Good sized portions definitely worth a visit to eat in or take away.

Veggie burger was soggy and chips overfried

Good food staff was great at the time and clean

Outstanding cod and chips. Much better than the usual level of biker fare. All 15 of us were super happy!

Haven't eaten here for a while but this takeaway was always a favourite. Today the batter on the fish was thin and when I transferred it on to the plate the batter turned into a mush. It was soggy.The fish was also undercooked. Very disappointed.

Fabulous fish and chips. Recommended.

Food was grim. Copy brown sauce and flat Pepsi.

Lovely fish and chips,we ate in the cafe nextdoor

Best fish and chips. Went back Sunday and did not disappoint, worth the drive.

Cod, chips & curry sauce to go was £15. Was asked if we wanted salt n vinegar, of course however when we opened the take away box, there was pools of it and everything drenched. Fish was cold and batter was pasty and like glue (even the bits without vinegar), curry sauce was thick tasteless and like jelly, the chips were pale and all clumped together. Husband did say the other fish in the warming display were very pale and looked partially cooked. Very very unpleasant, we actually had 3 mouthfuls and threw it away

Good fish and chips, friendly staff, bit of a wait but it was a sunny evening 👍🏽

Cheesy chips yo takeaway and eat on beach, good value, good portion size.

Ate here as a group, the food was lovely, the portions were huge!! And service was very quick.

Four of us went for Lunch having sat there for 25 minutes and not being served or even acknowledged. I spoke to an assistant in the shop part and to be honest she didn't seem interested either. The assistant in the restaurant didn't even say l will be with you shortly. Another lady got up and left and she had been there before us and hadn't been served. We live an hour's drive away but always used to go there when in Hayling. All l can say is they lost 2 sales probably about £90 worth between us. Well l can honestly say that is the last time we will go in there.

You say you do gluten free batter but you fry in the same oil as food containing gluten. That is cross contamination so not gluten free. I only had chips

Skin on fish! Stodgy chips! Miserable staff! When I pay extra to have haddock I expect the skin to be removed. Drove all the way down here for fish and chips on the beach. I'm glad the seagulls were happy with the below par fish. We won't be returning. Poor quality food.

Go there quite a few times during the year always lovely food .

Lovely takeaway sausage and chips, fresh and not at all greasy. Will def be back

Great fish&chips for both: children and adults.

Very disappointing takeaway . Fish batter was soggy and uncooked in parts and chips were just tasteless. Fish was served from a cabinet - don't know how long it sat there. Salt and vinegar was applied by the staff - no extra condiments were offered. Just very sloppy!! Pity, as we have had good meals from there in the past.

Fish meal for adult, (Huss), was more burnt batter than fish. Curry sauce was inedible. Childrens meals were good. Told waitress I was not happy with my meal to no avail. Desserts were ok. £54.00 total which I felt a little high as the surroundings were run-down and the waiting staff were in stained uniforms. We went with high expectations because of previous reviews. Perhaps a takeaway next time would be nicer?

Always had lovely food from here and staff are always friendly .and one lovely lady went above and beyond for me today !thank you sally x

Been to this fish and chip shop a couple of times, the food is very nice. Unfortunately on both occasions they have missed items from the order. The second visit I checked before leaving, so I didn't have to come all the way back. Good job I did!

Curry sauce and chips for lunch, toilets opposite and found off road short term parking. Nice snack. Could have been a tadge warmer.

Very tasty and reasonable lunch today freshly cooked to order with excellent portions we will be back soon thanks again

Lovely food,just wish staff were more attentive when you are seated,they seem to think you need 10 minutes to decide what to eat, just feel ignored 🙁

I travel from Watford to Hayling for fish and chips from the coastguard whenever I can I've never had a bad bit of fish in all the years I've been going it's the best fish and chips I've ever had... the people are lovely too try it your never go anywhere else lovely.

Down by the seaside, where the waves meet the shore, There's a legend they speak of, someone you can't ignore, She's got fire in her eyes, and sass in her soul, Chip Shop Kate, she's the queen of the shore! Chip Shop Kate, frying up a storm, Golden crispy goodness, she keeps your chips warm From fish to fries, she'll make your taste buds sing, Chip Shop Katr, she's the fryer queen. Her apron's a canvas, with grease stains and pride, Years of hard work, and secrets deep-fried, She knows every order, before it's even said, Chip Shop Katr, she's the fryer's thread. Chip Shop Kate, frying up a storm, Golden crispy goodness, she's kept your fish warm, From fish to fries, she'll make your taste buds sing, Chip Shop Kate she's the fryer queen So for Late-night cravings, or a midday treat, Chip Shop Kate's food, simply can't be beat, With a smile and a wink, she serves with flair, Chip Shop Kate, she's beyond compare Chip Shop Kate, frying up a storm, Golden crispy goodness, she's got best food by far, From fish to fries, she'll make your taste buds sing, Chip Shop Kate, she's the fryer king. So here's to Kate, in her chip shop domain, Where the aroma of frying, is a savory refrain, If you're ever in town, just give her a shout Chip Shop Kate is the the best no doubt!

Tasty chips, eaten in the car looking out on a very moody sea.

Sadly we won't be returning after many years of coming here. We thought after our last visit, it may have just been a one off but for us, doesn't appear to be the case. We never minded that we would have to queue as the wait was always worth it, now however, not the case. Scampi was most certainly not freshly cooked as it used to be. It was warm and went cold very quickly. The breadcrumbs were not crunchy but more chewy hence vile and couldn't eat it. Chips would have been fine but again just warm. The fish was ok but the batter not crisp, uncooked and stodgy. Such a shame.

Best fish and chips. Can't go wrong.

Friendly staff and great Fish & Chips at a reasonable price.

So good we ate here twice in the same day! We always come here whenever we come to Hayling for an impromptu day out. We arrived just after opening on Sunday, and was in and out nice and quickly. Chips were beautiful, battered sausages lovely and crunchy and a great amount of salt and vinegar! A rarity for a chippy! We were very happy eating it while watching the sea. After our day exploring the beaches we decided to get the same meal again to complete the day. Again brilliantly cooked and no complaints from our picky kids. Thank you very much :)

Fish and chips is great, but they are supplied in cardboard boxes, probably due to new anti plastic legislation, but I feel that the food is going to drop through the bottom of the box before I have finished eating

Why do I bother with this place, I'll never learn. No matter how many people are in the queue they NEVER have enough cod ready, Then they rush the cooking and the batters not cooked and the chips were also under cooked. When they can see the queue out the door why don't they ask people what they want, then they can get the fish cooking while their in the queue, by the time the person reaches the till to pay, it's almost ready.....It's not rocket science. Time to try a new chippy when in Hayling.

We had takeaway. The batter was soggy but the fish was good. Chips were chunky and tasty but quite a few black bits. Paid for a curry sauce but was told it wasn't available. The batter sausage was tiny. We'd had takeaway from here many years ago which was excellent but sadly this time not so good.

Best fish and chips in the area 😋

Lovely food, hot and tasty, reasonable price. Brill, thanks 👍

First time for me, and the last customer at lunchtime, but the fish was freshly cooked for me and was great.

Fish was not hot and looked under cooked. Very small portion for the very expensive price. I won't be returning.

Had fish and chips here for the first time this evening as just moved here and it was so good! Also staff where lovely and friendly, had a nice easy going chat with the girls behind the counter. Highly recommend!

Lovely chippy with vegan options. Very efficient system for paying and collection. Chips were lovely and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Well priced and the food comes in cardboard box which makes it easier to ear on the beach.

Sadly we visited today to grab some Chips for lunch and once we got to the beach and opened them we discovered pale uncooked chips that were almost raw. A real shame as we have always visited here when in Hayling. Will go elsewhere in future.

Fantastic fish & chip shop - brilliant vegetarian and vegan options! Always difficult to find a good veggie range, but Coastguard has great options with plenty of choice. Delicious chips and very friendly staff.

The queue was huge so we thought it must be good as it was so popular. It was okay, not the best and not the worst fish and chips we have had

Food was good, staff are friendly and helpful and the pricing on the food is not bad.

Great fish and chips. Perfectly battered sausage. They have take away and a dining room to eat in.

Amazing chips! Definitely go back there however I did have to wait 45 minutes to get them. The service seemed slow but it could be that each person in the queue is ordering for a group of people.