Rosa's Spitalfields in Tower Hamlets

Delicious fish and chips and lovely staff :)

TLDR: bad food, huge prices, a betrayal of the legacy of a good chip shop, and owner. I lived in London when Poppies opened, and while it was always pricey, maybe 10 or 11 pounds in around 2012, the food was good, really good. I recently visited again. It's now 25 pounds for a cod and chips, the chips are awful, the fish is tasteless the batter is not seasoned, the fish isn't skinned (I know thats a preference but a lot dont eat skin), the tartar sauce and peas are a joke. And they automatically add a 13 per cent service charge in a fish and chip shop. For context, you can go to Michilin guide J Sheeky and get fish and chips for same price. The only people reviewing this place positively are people who've never had fish and chips on this side of the world. Do not let this be your experience of this classic. It's the worst fish and chips Ive had in my living memory. It say on my gut for about 12 hours. Don't do it. Service and atmosphere nice.

We had large meal and calamari rings as a starter.

Great chips and friendly staff. We took away and sat outside but the restaurant looked good too.

Good fish & chips but extremely expensive for what it is! (On average £10-15 more for two people compared to other good fish & chips in central London) The fish is fresh and the decor is top notch. Lacks a little seasoning and very small portion of tartare. On the other hand, we were automatically charged more than £5 in “optional service charges” without having been warned, I saw this after paying. Great fish & chips but slightly overpriced.

Really more of a tourist trap. Although there were almost only English people here with us. Everything is just fried and nothing special. You can eat fish and chips better in a pub. Ketchup in plastic tomato bottles (fresh is different). Ice cream for dessert with ice crystals. We wouldn't come back. It's London but £88 for fast food

Such a great spot for classic Fish and Chips. Huge, fresh piece of haddock. Dying to go back!

Service was prompt and polite on a Wednesday around 6:15pm with no waiting to be seated. I ordered the cream soda to drink and had the haddock fish supper. Food came out fairly quickly and it was absolute perfection and I won't be able to eat fish and chips in America ever again. The fish was perfectly fried and not oily. The batter was a perfect ratio on the fish and nice and crispy. The tartar sauce is made in house and better than the stuff you buy at a store. So happy I came here and highly recommend it!

We came here as it was one of those Instagram recommendations that my girlfriend collected throughout the year once we decided to come to London in January. The decor and place is awesome, more like what you expect to see in an American Diner type of place but as it evokes nostalgic 60s I take it. The waiting staff was pleasant and accomodating. The food. Great crispy and juicy fish. Decent chips, excellent mushy peas. The prices, exhorbitant even for London. I remember when a portion of fish & chips from the local chippie were the cheapest takeaway, now with all the hype this place has, plus with the more expensive prices of Haddock and Cod, it is not a cheap takeaway anymore, at least in London I'm glad we went to experience the hype, but up and down the country you can find better and definitely cheaper

Bad fish, no seasoning, no salt, oily. It was simply the worst place I ate in London. Not worth the reputation. Reasonable service, noisy place.

Nice decor very fast service, a little expensive €94 for 4 fish and chips and a soda

The food was good but extortionately priced. Red house wine was a reasonable £26 and good. I had the regular sized fish dinner with grilled haddock. Fish dinner is just fish and chips and tartar sauce, no mushy peas or salad for 20 quid. That said the grilled option for the haddock was nicely cooked, and a side of mushy peas was tasty and well seasoned. My companion had a chicken leg with chips for £16, again no veg but it did come with gravy. Chicken was tender and the skin was very thin and crispy. Chips were okay, better than standard greasy fish and chip shop chips, but definitely not the best I've had. I assume they have an extra deep fryer to do chips at a higher temperature than fish. It's also good that they do offer grilled fish as well as battered and fried. So one order of fish and chips and an order of chicken and chips, a side of mushy peas, and a bottle of house wine was £74. Poppie's was very good, but I can eat better at that price.

Very tasty and fast service! Location is in 50s style! Really cool

Don't order a round of Cokes without looking at the menu to check the price. Even the airport doesn't charge that much. It's robbery, and they are betting you won't pay attention.

The fish and chips is good, top quality. But even the best fish and chips is not worth the insane prices here. Literally 25 quid (roughly 30 USD) for one piece of fish and a small portion of fries. There are myriad places in central London to get this exact same experience for much less money. Skip this place.

please can i add to my order? 2 x mushy peas

EVITAR A TODA COSTA Tenga cuidado ya que agregan cargos por servicio a su factura cuando no logran hacer su pedido bien. ¡El personal descarado se dio cuenta de su error después de que la factura se hubiera liquidado con cargo al servicio y una propina saludable incluida! No hubo disculpa por equivocarse en la orden. Nos cobraron extra por el artículo olvidado antes de agregar servicio! Lo peor fue que el camarero tonto dijo "Oh, nunca preguntaste" Un ejemplo perfecto de servicio al cliente extremadamente pobre Rosa Thai Cometes el error y añades un cambio de servicio Diabólico después de un fuerte cargo por propina + servicio. Has sido advertido

We had a very good dinner, the fish is delicious and the portions are adequate.

Great chippy. Feels like you’re back in the 50’s.

A recommended place for classic fish&chips. Although it is quite crowded, the service is fast and the products are fresh. If you like fish, you will like it, but I don't find potatoes very successful. The interior is quite nostalgic. I've tried it with pea puree before and didn't like it, so I didn't order it this time.

Un piccolo ristorante famigliare semplice e con un’ottima cucina, saporita, speziata e dai prezzi onesti. Se amate la cucina Thai non mancate questo posto a Londra

It cost almost £20 for the fish and chips, which was too expensive.

We went to try the chain and we liked it. We tried the traditional fish and chips and we really liked it.

Very pleasant American setting from the 50s. For the fish and chips the fish is fresh, but the fries are soft and do not crisp. The tartar sauce which is served in very small jars lacks generosity. The service is rather expeditious. All for a price that is paid on reputation. Almost €80 for 2 classic fish and chips plus a beer and a glass of wine. The value for money is no longer in line with the spirit of the popular traditional dish. Backpackers you will certainly find better elsewhere.

Lovely fish & chip restaurant with 50s vibe. I opted for the seafood platter which was scrumptious.

Very good fish & chips in a great atmosphere. Highly recommended if you’re in the area.

I saw people rave about this place on social media. It cost around £17 for one fish & chips. £34 for 2 people. Definitely overpriced as a normal fish & chips would cost near £10 anyway. HOWEVER, the quality is outstanding. It’s crispy and cooked to perfection, piping hot as they cook it on order. It’s a nice experience worth the try. although it seems like more of an occasional place to visit. The portions are stingy considering how much you’re paying. It’s definitely too pricey for a simple meal, without a drink too. Just the cod and chips, no sauce 🤷

Honestly, UK is not the place for food. NOT at all, and a clear example is the fish and chips. OMG, are you guys for real??? Anyhow, you should visit this place at least once in a lifetime just to know what I am talking about. Good service and great ambiance.

Poor and way over priced fish. Avoid. Tourist trap

Ho ordinato 202€ di cibo in questo ristorante e non me lo hanno mai consegnato… li ho chiamati a seguito di un ritardo di 1 ora nella preparazione e non sono stati per niente collaborativi, in piu’ just eat non mi rimborsera’ neanche i 202€ perche’ dicono che il corriere ha consegnato cosa che non e’ assolutamente vera… sono stato sotto casa 1 ora ad aspettare e non e’ arrivato mai nessuno… una truffa!! Non ordinate, perderete i soldi!

This is a really difficult review to write. I’ve rated everything 4 stars, only because nothing was 5 star. But, also nothing was 4 star, everything was a solid 4 1/2 stars. What stopped it from being 5 stars …. The portion of chips was just too small for the price charged. The halibut, whilst good, just didn’t have the wow factor. At the prices charged it was “OK” in terms of value for money, but I’ve had better for less in London.

Consistently delivers on great food, service and ambience.

Very good value for money, very good fish & chips, perfect fish cooking. Top service

If you are going alone, we recommend the platter. It's expensive, but the food is worth it. Goes well with beer and wine. If you're going alone, I recommend getting the platter. It's a bit pricey, but very filling.

I don’t understand the hype - or did I just get a bad batch? Firstly an extra 5£ to sit in is kinda bizarre. We ordered the haddock fish & chips (approx 14.99£ to take out or 19.99£ to sit in), & it was honestly the driest fish I’ve ever had. It’s kinda like the tuna chunks you get in a tin. Did not taste fresh & was utterly disappointed. The chips didn’t redeem anything either. The staff didn’t feel that friendly too… I did like the small tartar sauce & the retro design of the restaurant

Very nice restaurant, good and simple food! Despite a reservation we had to wait 20 minutes standing for a place… Thanks for the candy at the end of the meal!

Typical English dinner, excellent fish & chips, soft fish and light frying. Advise

Unique in London's Sordicth district. Not to be missed!!! A real nice and pleasant moment.

It was as busy as anything I've ever seen, but it was sooo good. Impressed by the service, those girls have it worked out down to a science, and we got two different fish and chips and both were PHENOMENAL. Along with the curry sauce it's tough to beat. Will definitely return next time we're in London

Not sure what they fried the cod in but fish smelt weird and was inedible, order was missing items that I was looking forward too eating. Overall experience very disappointed i have ordered from them before without issues not sure what went wrong.

With a reservation at 9:30 p.m. we arrive from afar and they tell us very rudely that it is closed. Don't waste your time going there, there will surely be better ones and with more polite waiters.

Actually quite nice, a little bit expensive but traditional

We like it here. Poppies is our go-to restaurant every time we visit London and are craving some fish&chips. It can be very crowded and loud, but this doesn't bother us. We usually reserve a table to be on the safe side.

Went in with my partner and the menu and signs say they use ground nut oil and if you have an allergy to say, and if so they will use veggie oil. We ordered and told the waitress such, who happily took our order and then came back to tell us that they only did fish in the non ground nut frier so I had to pick basically fish. We walked out and frankly glad we did, save yourself the £25 (!!!!) for fish and chips and £5 for a bottle of cola and go to another family run smaller fish and chip shop to get better value.

Terrible customer service by the man in 'charge.' He also does not treat the staff team well which is a big no no for me. Why would I pay so much for a bad attitude and then watch you treat your staff poorly to boot. There are much nicer, well priced fish and chip shops in town. Or even just skip a meal and not waste your time, energy and money. I am local and will be telling people this. Avoid.

The restaurant is great. Very cool decor and simply good fish & chips. The staff was friendly and the furnishings were in 60s style. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

I have an allergy issue, and at another Poppies of Camden location, they fried the fish and chips in a different oil for me. However, here they said they cannot do it. I think this restaurant does not consider people with allergies, as it would be easy to fry the food in a separate oil. I do not recommend it.

Quiet expensive for Fried fish and some chips ! They charge you the service ! For me it is not deserve it !

We were underwhelmed by this place given the expectations. They were out of cod, the waiter was rude to us and argued about our entitlements from the associated Jack the Ripper tour despite having it in writing, and the chicken was dry and overcooked. The decor is a mix up of American diner and London east end.

Simply amazing. Very well prepared fish and chips, plenty of fish to choose from. The place inside is a bit small, but even at 6pm we were able to find a place for two with no issues. Cannot recommend it enough.

A place which has unfortunately lost its soul, the fish & chips lack flavor and generosity, very disappointing. We have been coming for 15 years, we will never come back!

Came here for authentic Fish & Chips while in London. Didn't disappoint.

Good fish and chips place with a diner vibe. They are busy but with some luck you will find a table. They have good tap beer and a couple of fried seafood to choose from. Tried the cod and the halibut (they were out of haddoc when we visited). The halibut (although looks small length wise) was super meaty, thick, and delicious. The chips were also good. The cod was mild but very crispy. Got side curry sauce and mushy peas which were delicious.

La camarera parecía vívida. Muy oscuro (aparentemente incapaz de encender las luces debido a la 'política de la compañía', por lo que tuvimos que usar la antorcha del teléfono para leer nuestros menús). La capacidad del restaurante y la atención del personal se centraron principalmente en el flujo constante de pedidos de uber / deliveryroo. La comida estaba bien. Caro para lo que era. Pero es otro restaurante que sirve a las hordas de shoreditch, así que no tiene que ser bueno. Nos hicieron sentir bastante inoportunos, no volveremos.

4 years in a row 2015 to 2019 after covid first time I go back nothing to see

Tourist trap, avoid avoid avoid

Amazing fish and chips, the best I had in London! Don't miss out on the cream soda! The staff is nice and friendly.

One of the oldest places in London that contains the history of fish and chips; small original vintage environment that allows you to enjoy a typical London dinner. The service is very quick and the quality of the product is good including the desserts, the only flaw is the bill is a little too high compared to some other places

We ordered fish and chips that cost 8£ but in the receipt we got 25£ each… terrible, they did not said about that anything… and without salad, without good taste

Just gone to poppies after being recommended by someone and iv been served the worst chips iv ever had. Burnt and over done.

The portion is really big! 🤩 Came here for dinner, really love it🫶🏻 one of my favourite fish and chips in London 🙌🏻

Disappointing. Agree now it is officially a trap for tourist price wise, although fish quality is still there. Will not come back unless forced to. Value for money is not what it used to be (price increase by at least 20% while size decrease by 2 in past year or 2) for the takeaway option. On top, a slide of lemon and salt or vinegar on the side were available in the past while it is no longer. No longer lemon, and for salt or vinegar, the waiter now does it himself directly, making my fish and chips way too salty. If you'd like any sauces, add an extra £1 for each.

Ok place. The food was way too hot when served - could not eat for 10 minutes no joke. Portions are smaller than it used to be too! A bit of a tourist trap - better to go to a local chippy shop.

Very nice fish & chips restaurant in London. You can choose from several types of fish. The quality of the food is very good and the service is very courteous and friendly. Nice 50s atmosphere. Very tasty desserts are also offered. Absolutely clear recommendation!

Very good fish and chips! Good price.. 4 stars because it could have more salt.

First time in London and first time trying fish and chips. It was a very good experience. The restaurant is little but we can feel an warm atmosphere while eating. The service was very good and quick. Thank you !

Good fish & chips but only 2 tartar sauce and kinda expensive

Delicious taste, excellent service, and high price

Excellent food but it is an expensive place.

Great restaurant with tradition, very friendly service, we received our order very quickly. For me the best “Fish & Chips” in London. We would be happy to come back.

This is the place to go for the real fish and chips experience. We were very well attended. Seated promptly and waiting time for the food was minimum. Be prepared to make a line as the place is really popular. But once inside, you will have a great time. OUr fish and chips was awesome!

Great decor, it's a shame the food doesn't match. Incredibly expensive. Disappointing large cod. The fish was a mushy mess, and I doubted it was actually cod. The batter was very poor, tastless, and not even crispy. The chips were okay, but they could've been cooked better. They were very tight with their portions of both the fish and the chips. It was so bad we returned one meal without eating it. When we complained, very little was done to make amends or an apology offered. I wouldn't bother returning to this place. It's possibly the worst fish and chips I've ever had.

Typical battered fish with chips. Nothing special.

Vine aquí para un gran cumpleaños (13 personas) y necesitaba pre-ordenar la comida. Todo salió bien, la comida era sabrosa y caliente, todo el mundo lo disfrutó. No hay errores. Gracias.

Fish and chips is good but it's so expensive.

Always thought that Poppies was an overpriced tourist trap with small portions, and an 80p price increase on their regular sized chip (from £3.70 to £4.50) mean means that this is the last time I'll ever eat here. There are better, cheaper chippies in the area to choose from. Adiós.

The food and service here was simply put amazing. Fish and chips I'm thinking, what's all the fuss? Well, we just don't do it that way in the States. Both the fish and chips were light and fluffy without a hint of fryer grease smell or taste. The mushy peas were delicious and perfectly seasoned. And the sticky toffee pudding was simply sublime and somewhat fiendish. So, save room for dessert.

Great place if you're visiting from out of town. Atmosphere was very welcoming and the staff were very friendly. Classic English place to get fish and chips in a trendy neighborhood.

Its over rated The fish was less than normal I orderd two dishes and each dish worse than the other My rating 5/10

Very expensive tourist trap. Food very bland and nothing special. Large is small and very expensive. Worst was the optional service charge on the bill of 6 pound

I’ve been coming to this restaurant regularly with my wife over the past 10 years, but recently, the quality has really declined. Lately, whenever we ask for a regular cod and chips, we’re told it’s sold out, but they push the larger portion instead, which feels off-putting. Today was the second time in six weeks that we were served cold chips. I asked the waitress for fresh ones, but instead of making a new batch, the guy at the fryer simply re-fried the cold chips and served them back to us – It felt like they didn’t care at all. A few weeks ago, I was also surprised when my fish was served with only eight chips – just not what we expected. This place used to be amazing and we kept giving it chance after chance, hoping it would go back to the quality we fell in love with. I’m really disappointed, and I hope they read this.

Busy place. Choose to get a takeaway.

Good food! Fast service! Clean restaurant

Very sweet people and fun decorations, very dry and bland food

Second visit in 6 years. This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend because it fries raw fish, even though most fish are processed foods. Delicious ♡

Chips were still cold and uncooked. Literally couldnt even bite into them. Cod, over fried like it was toasted or something 🤦‍♂️ yes it was that bad. How can this place have such good reviews? Shocked. 🤯 cost me £20 for something couldn’t eat or even enjoy sadly.

We tried Poppies in London and ordered a plate of the regular cod. The fish was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside—decent, but honestly, nothing to write home about. The chips were a letdown, and the mushy peas weren’t to my taste either. Service was pretty lackluster; it didn’t feel like anyone was particularly attentive or interested. Overall, I’d say it’s one of those places I can cross off my list and not think about again.

The food wasn't bad, the price was quite affordable and the place could have been cleaner

Great 70s style restaurant, bit overprized though and fish/batter could be better seasoned.

Overhyped & overpriced. 😤 Better go to an authentic chippy.

Rosa nunca deja de entregar excelente comida. Los entrantes y principales eran deliciosos, servidos muy rápida y eficazmente por algunos miembros del personal muy amable. No tuvimos que esperar en absoluto y nos atendieron muy bien. Sabíamos de las Rosas en Waterloo y nos encantó descubrir esta en Spitalfields durante nuestro último viaje. ¡Muchas gracias!

Great Fish & chips with home made tartare sauce. Crunchy. Not 5 Star because fries were not that great but as Belgian I’m picky with fries

Nice place, friendly service in style

All in all, pretty average, especially not seasoned at all. As a sauce, just a bit of tartare on the plate and ketchup on the table. Cod also sold out at 8 a.m. Atmosphere tight, loud and drafty.

Cibo molto buono ,Nattana.molto gentile e cordiale.Anbiente molto confortevole ci torneremo sicuramente tanti saluti.

The food was amazing! We had the cod and haddock. The fish was super crispy, tastefull and not greasy at all! Tartarsauce in cute little jars. I do think its overpriced for just fish and chips. There are so many fish and chips restaurants who also serve exquisite food, so you want to check your options first. I think the area located will be of an influence on the price. The ladies taking our orders were sometimes difficult to understand but very friendly.

Dreadful! Not what it used to be. Where do I begin? Food: My partner and I both got a large cod portion each. A plates were served with a pitiful amount of chips on the side that were undercooked and tasteless. The cod itself had the consistency of mush - it’s hard to describe it - the texture was like gooey foam, almost like melted marshmallow, not like fish - disgusting. The only thing decent was the batter, but you don’t pay £22.50 for the batter! We had some chips and a few bites of the fish and discarded it. Service: I asked a member of staff to bring me the bill when it was obvious that we had left most of our food untouched. They asked if we wanted the remainder boxed, and when we expressly said no, they didn’t even bother to ask if we enjoyed our food (we made our displeasure obvious). I think they did indeed pick up that we thought the food was terrible, but they didn’t want to bother asking. The best part - an “optional” service charge of over £6! Worst £60 I have spent in a very very long time - we left almost all our “food” on the table and left. I don’t know who these people are but they took the shop and destroyed anything that was good with it. Save your money and AVOID.

The psychology of those who work in the restaurant is bad

A really nice place with a diner-like atmosphere. I'm just a bit annoyed that I'd read that they offered a gluten free variant of their famous fish-n-chips. This is NOT true. They do offer a "baked" fish which is definitely not the same. If you're looking for proper gluten free fish-n-chips you should look elsewhere.

We got a taste of Poppie's on a food tour and went back later for a full meal. I am not usually a fan of fish, but I really liked my fish and chips here.