Kennedy's in Islington

Very good service and all freshly cooked despite my going in fairly late. Fantastic fish and wonderful chips.

Whether you just want a take away or a proper sit down dinner with a chlled glass of wine before visiting the nearby Barbican centre for a show this place has it covered. The food is excellent and if you don't fancy fried food you can have grilled fish, including salmon with salad, vegetables, garlic butter etc. all with friendly waiter service. A little gem in the heart of London.

Very crispy and light Cod. Not oily. Great tartar sauce as well.

Great fish and chips and friendly staff

Authentic traditional fish and chips shop.

Wonderful F&C. Fresh, super tasty, large portions. We were there with our friends from London, who didn't know it either and thought it was really tasty. Perfect end to our London vacation.

Great spot for traditional fish&chips, fried seafood and pies. Reasonable prices, nice staff.

Although service was relatively fast, I question whether it was freshly made or pull from stock. Received a rude reply from the waitress when asking which fish she recommends : "I've been working here for 9 years, of course I've tried them both". Unless inflation is hitting super hard, the fish is a third of the size it normally be.. The chips looked good but didn't taste great and weren't exactly piping hot. To be honest there are better stalls on the street during lunch time which offer better quality for the same £ or less. I've had better fish & chips. Disappointed - This does not represent the classic British Fish & Chips

Had a lovely bit of haddock and chips with mushy peas. The service was quite frosty but the food was nice, will definetly pop in for another take away but would not want to eat in.

Saw a fish burger for £6.50 on the menu and thought that would hit the spot. When it came, it came with a portion of chips that was not on the menu, that I didn't want, didn't order and didn't touch. When I finished and went to pay I was charged £11.95. So £5.45 for food that was neither ordered or eaten! And what was the burger like? I don't know I just have a bad taste in my mouth. Awful awful rip off.

It's a small place, but the food is delicious.

We've been to Kennedys numerous times over the past few years and tonight was such a let down!! The food was mediocre....at best!! My husband had the tuna and it was inedible...it had to be sent back!! Freezer burn and so dry. So unappetising. My pie was ...let's say ...a not so fresh pie!! We weren't impressed at all!

I ate fish and chips here last month. After eating in one of the famous place today, I thought it would be unfair not to give you a positive review. I believed that this place is one of the best in fish and chips. Especially your chips..No one could come close to the taste and consistency of the chips I ate here.

The Cod Fish was served fresh and hot along side the chips, which was nicely seasoned with salt and onion vinegar, The staff ladies were very friendly and helpful and told me would have to wait 10 minutes before I could be served because they wanted to cook the cod and chips fresh, when I received the box it was piping hot my daughter enjoyed the fish and chips and liked the onion vinegar taste on the chip, will definitely go back, noticed chairs outside the restaurant would be a great idea to eat in one day soon.

They call it one of the best fish and chips and I have tried better. About £17 for a fillet (which wasn't even cod because they didn't have any) with potatoes. 17 pounds for that area is expensive, because in the British Museum area they cost more or less the same and look better. The tables were super dirty, very sticky, quite disgusting.

I had walked past this chip shop a few times having worked in the area but never had a chance to sample the fish and chips so on an overnight stay in London i decided to give it a try as i was staying nearby. I ordered Haddock and chips, a battered sausage and curry sauce to take away. Service was quick and friendly, there is an option to get a drink and have a seat whilst you wait, especially being a Monday so it wasn't too busy. The food was great, the haddock was delicious and plenty of chips so easily satisfies the appetite, so much so that i ended up saving the battered sausage and having it for breakfast the next morning, which even the next morning i have to say was still delicious. A very satisfying takeaway

Really charming place. Came to sit in with my family on a weekday evening. Fish really good. Portions plentiful. Authentic fish and chips. They serve white wine also which is a nice touch.

Totally nice people, super friendly! If you like fish & chips, I highly recommend this place.

Slow service, awful chips, automatically charged service and bill incorrect. This place is awful avoid like the plague

This was a Birthday take away meal, and sadly the Sausage in batter was tasteless, the chips full of eyes and limp, and the Fish was not tasty at all, the Rolls also were not up to standard, all in all -a disappointing meal.

Great discovery during a one night stay over near the Barbican for work. Wonderful katsu chicken curry. Best I’ve ever had!

Went there for dinner tonight and the fish & chips were really great, service as well. Will definitely come back.

Food and service is nice. A bit clumsy place, but loves hospitality

Good food and plenty of it, very attentive and pleasant Spanish waiter.

Excellent stop for fish and chips in the city. Great quality and service. Several tables for eat in. Good value and less than 10 minutes walk to the Barbican centre

Absolutely loved the service...haddock and chips were so nice..highly recommend. Picture is medium haddock!

Food and service was good although the batter fish was a little heavy Definitely worth visiting again and try the grilled fish

Prices goes up and up and portion size gets smaller and smaller everytime i come here... Lol

Fish smelled strongly of ammonia, meaning it’s been rotten for at least a day. Obviously I didn’t eat it. What a shame. Used to been a good place years ago.

Fui na região para conhecer a feira ao ar livre, mas ela já tinha se encerrado. Como estava com muita fome, entrei despretensiosamente nesse restaurante e foi uma grata surpresa! Excelente peixe com batatas! A batata bem macia por dentro e com um crocante por fora na medida! O Molho que acompanha o peixe é uma delicia, comi sozinha! Além é claro, do preço justo! Vale a pena!!!

Today I have ordered beer buttered halloumi with chips, tartar sauce, mushy peas and unfortunately this is what I got. I had here beer buttered halloumi couple times without any issue and also this time I explained my order in a detail. Very dissapointing as this is not what I ordered. Unfortunately I found out already at the office.

Excellent fish and chips meal, with good service. I highly recommend them.

Really gone down hill, used to be great for fish and chips and pie and mash. Staff have changed, very casual and rude approach to customer service, forgot my order etc. A shame as one of the few remaining traditional chip shops in central London.

Tasteless fish and expensive but no other chippies in the area.

Fantastic fish and chips! Really tasty tartar sauce and they don’t skimp on the portions. Plus they still have a few tables outside which is nice.

The pie with mashed potatoes and gravy was to die for! Great food and great service

That was a really great discovery of the recent London trip. They serve delicious and fresh fish: tried the Skate and grilled baby squid - both worth recommendation. But also the best steak and kidney pie I ever ate (and I am tasting those every time I am in London)! This was a true gem really: it tastes very homemade on one hand, but the flavours of meet and kidney works so well together opening level by level, that it also is a chef quality on the other. Definitely place worth visiting. The staff is friendly and nice, if a bit lost sometimes (i.e. forgetting parts of the order - visited twice, got that twice 😉), but this is just minor nuisance. Friendliness prevails.

Best Steak Pie in London! Came for a quick lunch was served really fast lady working was brilliant quick, friendly and funny will be a regular spot 🙏🏽

Fish and chips de toda la vida. Pedimos precisamente el bacalao y estaba riquísimo. Hay dos tipos de raciones, hay que pedir la pequeña, es más que suficiente... ¡Volveremos!

Gone downhill since reopening prices way to much

I had an absolutely appalling experience at this restaurant. I had been eagerly waiting for 30 minutes, hoping to have a pleasant dining experience, but it turned out to be a complete disappointment. Not a single staff member bothered to welcome me or take my order during that agonizing half-hour. What made matters worse was witnessing customers arriving well after me being promptly attended to while I continued to be ignored. It was crystal clear that I was being discriminated against for some reason unknown to me. When I finally mustered the courage to ask the staff about this unjust treatment, they casually brushed it off with the absurd excuse that they didn't see me. How can anyone believe such a blatant lie? I don't think I've ever felt this disrespected and humiliated in a restaurant before. As a paying customer, I expected basic courtesy and equal treatment, but clearly, this place has no regard for customer satisfaction or fairness. Needless to say, I promptly left the restaurant without ordering anything, and I will never return. I urge others to steer clear of this establishment unless you enjoy waiting endlessly, receiving subpar service, and possibly facing discrimination based on an arbitrary criterion. In a city filled with numerous dining options, there's no reason to subject yourself to such a deplorable experience. I sincerely hope the management of this restaurant takes this review seriously and addresses the fundamental issues that plague their establishment. Until then, I advise everyone to look elsewhere for a more welcoming and respectful dining experience.

Scam on water, scam on payments. Avoid.

Got the cod and chips each time I have been here and it’s pretty darn good. They don’t seem to have the upstairs open much anymore so inside seating (and a few tables outside) seem to go quick during peak times. This place has been doing fish and chips for ages and it shows. They have it down to a science. Service and wait times have been a bit hit or miss for me lately, but that seems to be the norm at a great number of places. Recommend checking them out!

Calidad vrs precio, muy bueno. Solo cominos los fish anda chips de bacalao. Se ve claro que muchos ingleses que trabajan en la zona llegan para su take away. Se puede comer dentro. El plato del día fue 7'50£, como siempre... Take away si no te cobran más.

Friendly staff, great service, and last but not least, lovely scampi and chips.

Einmal fish and chips pro London-trip muss einfach sein. Und nicht am Imbiss, lieber in einem alt-ehrwürdigen Lokal wie bei Kennedy's. Alles frisch zubereitet, vielfältige Auswahl, nettes Personal und Draußen. Ok, nicht für uns, es war sehr voll.

Couldn’t give me a fork to eat my food that costed £10

Delicious chips, huge portions and very reasonable prices! Will definitely come back to try the plant-based fish and chips. *Update: It took a while before we could come back - definitely worth the wait! Battered Halloumi was lovely. Treated us to dine in this time. Definitely 5 stars. *Update 2023: fantastic food as always, good draught beer too!

Its a small place with just a few seats outside, the staff is friendly, the serving is fast and the fish is absolutely amazing, fresh juicy fish in a hot crispy coating, not to mention the decent price for the area. If you want to try the real “fish and chips” this is one of the places you can really try it!

One of the best fish chip shops in London Good prices good service and fish is cooked on order, all pies are made inhouse just had a refurbishment but still the good service and food

Great place, great fish and chips, and the friendliest host in London, Billy. Love the simple atmosphere and authenticity.

Booked last min table for me, my son and partner. We found the food sooo tasteless that we took one bite of the cod and decided to pay and leave. My son on the other hand loved his battered sausage and chips :) We also had grilled prawns for starters and there was no seasoning to it whatsoever. The staff were attentive and friendly, but the food ain’t it.

Thank you very much for the spontanes Birthday Cake and the wonderfull team service, we had a very great dinner at Kennedys! Best greetings from us.

Standards have dropped significantly here, plus they seem to be rather crooked these days. Didn't bother asking the staff why they served me 4 pcs calamari instead of the 8pcs indicated on the menu, as ultimately the meal was tasteless and far from fresh. Frosty service. Disappointing and will not return.

Terrible service the staff was extremely rude and hostile and I felt racially targeted.

One of the elder female staff was very rude and unpleasant, answering back very impolitely which has been a reoccurrence every time I order here.I feel she is racially profiling me as she didn’t behave this way to any of the white customers. Very disappointed in this restaurant.

Very good Haddock Fish and Chips! The service was outstanding. West out of her way to help us

Top notch cod and chips today. One of the best Fish and Chip shops in London! ****UPDATE 11.06.2022 Just had Haddock and chips. Best i've ever had for years! 10/10

Did not order any food but I think it's not bad food

The food was good the portions were generous the service was horrific I can’t help but wonder if it was race. They where quite attentive to everyone who didn’t have brown skin. It’s a shame

When I arrived the staff member did not greet me or ask me if he could help. Another customer came in after me and he addressed him and took his order. I finally got his attention and he had an attitude with me. The chips were not fresh and the sausage was too greasy with no flavour. Bad service and bad food. Please do not go here. There are plenty of better restaurants in that area. And I see someone named Sue responds to these reviews. Sue, if you're reading and thinking about responding, don't bother. If this were just about the food, I wouldn't have left a review, but people need to know about poor customer service.There's no excuse for rudeness and the best way to correct it is for people to stop frequenting your business.

I am so full after the meal It’s good

Puked 3 times and went to the bathroom 8 times after I ate the sea bass & chips from food poisoning. Never going back again, the oil might have been reused many times or the fish was old.

Really good fish and chips. Had the cod and it was a full fillet. Steak fries like usual for the UK. Fortunately they have one beer on tap (Morellis) which is very good (a few more beer in bottles).

Nice enough food but the eat in price is expensive, large most definitely wasn't large and the service was slow. Pies are a con....high price for a peters pie(not homemade etc).

Fish & chips was pretty “meh”, the real surprise was when we got charged 5 £ each person for eating there. We originally wanted to take away, but then decided to stay, and the personnel didn’t say anything. When we finished, a waiter asked us to pay the price difference of 10 £. If we knew that eating there was so expensive, we would have preferred to take away, so just be careful to ask for any price difference, since they don’t seem to be very transparent about it. Or just go somewhere else.

The food was not particularly good, it is very expensive and they take advance of tourists. We originally wanted to take away, but then we asked if we were able to stay and the personnel didn’t say anything about a different price. When we finished, the owner made us pay an additional 10 £ for it and he was incredibly rude. To conclude, this place is not so good, too expensive and they don’t seem to be very transparent about the price. Awful experience.

It’s a little unclear to me how this place has so many excellent reviews. We got the cod and the haddock and they were so bland and tasteless it was almost insulting. The lady didn’t put any salt or vinegar on them despite us asking for it. A total waste of money. Also, the restaurant was also closing at 10 pm, but they wouldn’t let us sit at 9:30 pm which is perplexing. An absolute downer all around.

The food was good (a bit too expensive for fish and chips). The waiter did not speak much English - although he was able to ask to pay in cash, not card. So they only accepted cash but we were told this only when we asked for the bill so one of us had to leave to go to the cashpoint (luckily it was nearby). Service charge added to the bill but service was not up to it so i believe that the customers should have a choice.

Ottimo locale si mangia bene e veloce ottimo il pesce fritto con patate lo consiglio

Très agréable repas, personnels très aimable et sympathique

We walked for half an hour to get here, as we last had a great meal here a year or so ago, and my partner has been coming here for 40 years. We thought the lady who ran it was lovely, and she was half the reason we wanted to go back. We arrived 20 minutes before it closed but were told we couldn’t eat in (it’s only fish and chips, not a three course meal!). It was pouring with rain by this point, so we asked if we could eat a takeaway sitting under their awning instead (there were already people just starting a meal sitting outside). We were told we couldn’t do that either. We stood under the awning, next to a free table and chairs that we weren’t allowed to sit at, and finished our food long before the people sitting at the other table. The fish and chips, by the way, were mediocre, and definitely not worth a special trip. What a shame that another great British chip shop has been taken over by people who don’t care about either food or service. As a side point, shortly after we arrived a party of seven arrived looking for fish and chips (it looked as though lots of people were leaving the Barbican) and they were refused service altogether.

Slow counter service even though empty. After eating my meal I don't think I'll return.

Terrible. How can a fish and chip shop get both so wrong... Kennedy's somehow did. Chips like cardboard, tasted 3 hours old. Rock hard fish and a bread roll you could put a window through. Avoid and go to another local chippy instead.

Very good fish and chips, servers are friendly and good atmosphere.

The food was good, fish was a little tasteless. The waiter was really friendly

Salads for £4.50! Delicious fish & chips, the best in London

Fish and chips très copieux, servi avec une savoureuse sauce tartare maison. Les calamars frits étaient également très bons. Prix un peu élevés néanmoins

Really friendly staff, lovely food. A little bit expensive, but worth it.

You can always rely on Kennedy's to provide a satisfying fish and chips. Reasonable pricing too and friendly service. The best in this area by far

Pleasure staff,l enjoy the fish cakes, with salad.

Ok let’s say first that wasn’t the best cod I had in London; but then the prices, just ask for the menu if you sit in because prices are basically doubled, cod and chips 14, a corona beer 5 and and anything you will ask it will be charged, it’s the kind of place where they will ask you “do you line mashed potatoes? And if you say yes they will bring a small cup of it for 2.50 😂😂 I spent like 23.95 for not the best quality fish and chips 🙄

Dined in, customer service excellent, very clean and welcoming. Family of four had fish and chips allround. Fish was melt in the mouth and chips were 'proper'. Will definitely visit again.

Went yesterday evening with my gf and dad. Was told no beers on tap, as they usually do have. So only expensive tiny bottles available. Then told my gf (who had a late lunch and was not that hungry) was not allowed to order of the kids menu.Even though we was both ordering lots of food and drink. Also then noticed food was almost double the price of my last eat in Visit. And much more expensive than a take away. Food was still good but lack of pints, prices and moody service has really put me off. Shame as it used to be great.

Worst food in my 10 years in London. - Salmon was dry - Rotten cod fillet, with a really strong disgusting smell. - Very few stuff available in the Menu.

Solid city chippy. I don't think it'll be winning any national awards but if you fancy fish and chips and you're in the area, visit Kennedy's, you could definitely do a lot worse!

It is a great shame this place has deteriorated so much the past months, I believe it has changed hands.I used to attend weekly before lockdown when Peter and the team managed the place, the staff were a joy and a pleasure.I have been once since and the food was appalling.I am from the area,I have spoken to other locals who refuse to use the place now. The fish is frozen and is inferior for that. Everything we ordered was reheated and so dry and tasteless.The worst is it is one of the most expensive Fish and Chip venues in London if not the country.The owners need to take a long look here and make changes. Whitecross St is a magnet for foodies, it has a thriving street food reputation, so the competition is off the scale.Dont serve inferiuor food at inflated prices, you dont have to..

I hadn't been to Kennedy's since we moved out of the South East five years or so ago. But this week, I was working near St Pancras, and my wife encouraged me to jump on a bus and enjoy. I am glad I did. Great haddock, fantastic chips and mushy peas and a couple of beers. Fabulous service in a really lovely atmosphere. I very much enjoyed it, despite being extremely tired from work. Thank you.

Very good fries and decent fish in a very hood location

This place used to be amazing, particularly the team running it who were fantastic at looking after customers and making sure everyone had a great experience. Unfortunately that whole team seems to have left, and the guy now running it doesn't appear to care about customers at all. The staff seem confused and several times I've seen arguments between the staff about orders and availability - one time even a full screaming match between the cook and the server. There's a real sense that people here have stopped caring. It is so sad to see a neighbourhood icon like this being mismanaged. I hope the real Kennedy’s comes back one day.

Best chips ever. Bring back the venison pies.

Very long wait times with walk in customers being served and recieving food before us after ordering after. We were starving by the time the food came. Chips were nice fish was meh

Truly great fresh fish and chips. Kind and careful staff. Thank you!

My husband and I ambled along to this lovely fish and chip shop in Whitcross Street for a wonderful Fish and Chip meal. Andrea who served us was outstanding. The best waitress I have met in my life. Kennedys are so very lucky indeed to have Andrea on their team. Thank you so much for a lovely meal.

I come from Devon where the standard for fish and chips is the best in the country. I can say this is THE best fish and chips I’ve ever had in london after living here for 5+ years. Had Haddock, chips, curry sauce & bread roll.

Had their Sausage in batter and chips takeaway. As always, an enjoyable meal, but a small portion of chips would of been enough for me... Just a suggestion, nothing more than that....

Ordered regular haddock and chips for lunch. I have been here a total of three times over a span of 10 years and the quality has remained exemplary as far as I can tell. Batter just the right thickness and fish fried to perfection, both crumbling in the mouth in just the right way, with lovely, thick and moist, flaking fish inside and delicate, brittleness in the batter outside. Asked for both curry sauce and mushy peas and could not fault the quality of either - curry sauce light in flavour as it is loved in chippies all over Britain, but spiced up a notch over the norm - mwah 😘👌! (was that a pinch of garam masala??) Mushy peas, perfect consistency, with a couple of semi-intact peas in the mix, perfectly seasoned and textured, mwah 😘👌! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! 😘👌😘👌😘👌 I will be back, maybe within the year this time! 😉

Locale accogliente, la cameriera molto cortese, piatti molto abbondanti e fish e Chips ottimo e di qualità

Proper fish and chips! The cod was extremely fresh and tender. I also really liked the tartar sauce and the side of mushed peas. The portion was really big, and I had the “normal” size - I imagine “large” would be enough for 2 people. The prices were fair and the waitress was nice. Highly recommended.

Fantastic waitstaff and fantastic food. We would definitely come back again!