Smarts in South Oxfordshire

Absolutely terrible service very poor quality food, cheap frozen rubbish. Don’t attempt to pop in for chips you will be given a number (say 45) to then discover they are still serving number 4. Ridiculous method if all you want is some chips! Advertise there food hygiene rating of 4 proudly!!!

Really has gone down hill. This used to be such a fantastic chippy, very consistent high quality food. Since its changed hands the fish is awful, the chips are incredibly greasy and so soggy, if one leaves them to stand in the packaging for a little while they almost form into a lump of greasy potatoes. I was a regular never again.

We used to have fish & chips here every week under the old staff but since the new staff have taken over this has gone right downhill. Today the batter was not crisp (it used to be) and either the fish or the batter tasted of onion. The chips were disgusting again. They were limp, very well cooked and when you pressed them fat ran out. We threw both lots away. This used to be an excellent fish & chips shop but not any longer. Time to cross this one of our list.

Sausage & Chips, Cod & Chips - Made quickly & they kindly bought it out. Chips were crispy & good. Fish was a bit greasy but still good. No drop in service since owners changed

I always use Smart for my fish and chips. I had 2 large cod and chips takeaway yesterday. Fish were in good size but batter was very greasy. Chips were soggy, dark brown colour and very very greasy. Very disappointed.

I was a bit worried when Greg moved back to Madeira and new owners took over, no need to worry, friendly service still and great fish and chips with wonderful crispy batter, well recommended

Excellent, traditional fish n chips. Served with a smile and, as it was a take out, where a park bench was handy to sit and enjoy them. Result!

Simply put, consistently the best fish and chip shop for miles around. Oh and by the way, the lady in the shop is always very helpful even when asking about salt and vinegar!

The batter on the fish was the worst I've ever had, it wasn't smooth and crispy but very spikey and thin, for some reason I was given a few chips with it which went in the bin with the fish 😞 😞😞😞.6.20

Just found this fish and chip shop and have been 4 times. Each time the fish has been freshly cooked as has the chips. Absolutely delicious. This is going to be on my weekly lunch list from now. I cannot recommend it highly enough. All the fish and chip shops are having a hard time at the moment with the price of oil, fish and electricity but this one does not rip you off.

Good quality food, fast service, friendly atmosphere. My regular go to place on Fridays. Highly recommended.

Had a trip to Thame yesterday and just happened to park outside Smarts. After a wander around couldn't decide where to eat and went back to the car. That's when we decided to pop into Smarts, well what can I say. We had the lunch special and it was absolutely delicious, the fish was beautifully white and have to say the chips were the nicest that i've had for years, they were a lovely colour, nicely crisped and piping hot. Cooked to order, couldn't have asked for better, will certainly be calling back here again soon.

Food is fantastic!!! Friendly staff and quick service. I visit often and highly recommend the place to everyone

As many others have commented the chips are second to none in Thame and the surrounding area, however they have lost 1 star due to the attitude of the lady behind the counter today. Went in politely asked for small chips please and paid reasonable £ 2.20 for quite a lot of chips, she asked "salt and vinegar" to which I said " I'll do it myself cheers" (because I do like a LOT of vinegar) that's when it went down hill she hrmpt and look at me as is I was something she'd scarped off her shoe, I explained I like a lot of vinegar, she said well I can put a lot on abruptly. Anyway had to wait a couple of mins for the chips no worries there and the guy doing the serving up was excellent apologized for the short wait and put the s&v on the counter for my use. He is an asset she isn't.

Thick white fish cooked in the finest crispy golden batter, chips and curry sauce to die for, Me being a Yorkshire man knows a good fish and chip shop, I thought you could not get better than Yorkshire fish and chips, but Smarts can compete with any chip shops up north they are delicious and the staff are very friendly and helpful, what more could you want from a fish and chip shop.

Been going to Smart's for a few months now, never fails, fish and chips and curry sauce is the best I've tasted, We travel quite a few miles every week for these fish and chips. Nice thin crispy batter, no skin on the fish, chips always fresh. Just the best

We visit there quite frequently as their food is really good. My 8 yr old autistic son likes to have a slush puppy which is a help your self after they give you the cup! He likes to do his own and is more than capable and the lady behind the counter said “You must do it!…not him!!! Let it go and revisited and the lady’s attitude returned . She is rude and obnoxious. Won’t be going back again

We found this little gem when we were out looking around Thame, we were hungry and decided to get Haddock and Chips and curry sauce. Fantastic quality, the batter is super thin and crispy and really fresh white haddock and NO SKIN, great. Lots of chip shops leave the skin on, we don't like skin on fish. Chips nice and crispy and a decent tasting curry sauce. We now go almost every Friday for our treat and travel quite a few miles for it. Well worth the trip.

Went there with my wife, whilst taking a short break away. Reviews where complimentry. So we thought we try it in the evening. Staff are great chips where lovely. Great portions as mentioned. I had a kabab which upon opening looked nice, but unfortunately was over cooked and resembled cardboard not lamb. Dont have a donner kabab, frozen meat, same as iceland. Went in the rubbish bin

I had tried the place opposite a few months ago, Smarts is definately better. The fish was nicely fried and served with decent chips and a pot of mushy peas. The three staff behind the counter seemed to know what they were doing. The price was ok for what I got. I may return at some point, though there is plenty of choice in Thame (once it all opens up again).

We have bought fish and chips here many times. We were looking forward to having fish and chips again first time since lockdown and bought them for the whole family. The fish batter was a lot less crispy than usual and not great, but the chips were awful. They were stale and more akin to chips you would have eaten after a day in the fridge. No more visits here as the attitude of some staff has been low rent in the past but we had decided to ignore that. Plenty more shops around here that deserve our business more and better quality food. Shame they used to be so much better.

Freshly cooked fish and chips should be a real treat. My order was simply not acceptable. The haddock looked like some kind of stale compressed fish and certainly did not taste like haddock. The batter should be fluffy and the fish flaky and tender. The chips had no taste other than horrible oil and flour. The mushy peas had no taste either other than some kind of cheap alternative. At £10 a rip off. There is no secret to cooking really good fish and chips. Fresh produce well prepared. Just take a look at Harry Ramsden's or any fish and chip shop up north to find out what fish and chips should taste like.

Reasonably priced and quick service at lunchtime. Good tasty food. Should I ever be in Thame again at lunchtime then I would certainly use again.

Always lovely. Fish beautifully cooked with a lovely light batter and tasty crispy chips. Never go anywhere else

Visited for a chips £1.99 small tray.No quibbles.Good Service nice tasty crispy bits,chip forks,option how much salt vinegar one wants.I underestimated and later eating outside at conveniently placed empty wooden benches outside a pub wished Id sprinkled more salt.A friend said its run by a Portuguese family.Its bang slap in the middle of the market on a Tuesday.Served quickly unlike long waits in some places.No tables inside the shop though which is good.Good ventilation very unlike the nearby Wheatley Motorway Services fried foodcourt which stinks of stale fired food in winter weather when the vents are all shut.All in All liked Smarts and its reputation.

lovely lady behind the counter i ordered fish and chips which cooked fresh as i waited the food was fantastic lovely chips wonderful fish white inside and tasty batter was lovely and crip with little fat you need to try it

Chips are not too oily or salty. Portion sizes good. Curry sauce to die for and a great selection of food. Can sometimes be waiting a while but it will be worth it.

Stopped in here for their Fish and chips Lunch special. It was fantastic. I had fish and chips at Poppies in London (supposedly very famous) and few days before and while their fish and chips was good. The fish and chips at Smarts was a whole lot better. Extremely good. And larger portions of both the fish and the chips.

You do need to wait a while but it’s worth the wait! They’re so lovely in there and the food is amazing! Makes eating chips a little too easy...

And the queue was nearly out the door! First time in Thame and ordered a large cod and chips. Very reasonably priced and the fish was cooked beautifully, not greasy lovely batter and also very nice chips again not greasy just right! Very, very nice fish and chips and judging by the clients saying hello, a regular haunt for locals. Very friendly and efficient with the ordering system too. Thoroughly recommended.

Delicious fish and chips, very reasonably priced, with helpful friendly staff. Well worth a visit when passing through Thame.

Excellent fresh fish and chips and friendly and efficient staff. always use this fish and chip shop in Thame

Our village chip shop had over a half hour wait so we drove up to Thame, only 5 mins away. Think we have discovered our new go to chip shop! Absolutely delicious fresh fish and chips - huge portion size. We had a large portion of chips and there was enough for 4 people; broke my heart we had to throw some away!

Great fish and chip shop in the High Street in Thame.

Excellent quality and reasonably priced. Served in turn. On payment a number is issued, and the orders are dealt with in sequence. Large variety of products. I would recommend .

Lunch time special cod and chips - £4.00. Extras like curry sauce for £0.50. Best value I've seen for ages. Can't fault the food or service. We'll be back.

The chips here are some of the best I have had for ages. They taste exactly how they should. The staff were friendly and the prices were very reasonable. I will certainly be coming here on my next visit to Thame.

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed Fish & Chips as much as this. It's a simple meal but hard to get right. For me "Smarts" have found the winning formula. My meal was freshly cooked to order. The Fish was perfect, white, soft, flaky, in light crispy batter. The chips were well cooked with a slight crispness, not soggy and greasy like so many places. I loved, loved this and can't wait to go back. Delicious !

I had been craving fish and chips but everywhere I tried lately had been disappointing. Smarts was perfect. Freshly cooked, good batter, chips just the way I like them. And their lunchtime cod and chips deal for £3.50 hit the spot nicely. A smallish portion but all the better for it.

Amazing portion sizes and great prices. Always busy but in a good way, keeps the chips turning over so always fresh!

Who would have thought, that a family of Italians could continually serve up good old English fish and chips better than the English? Well try it yourself, their food is great and you can dine in too if you wish.

happy staff, great value for money, always clean and tidy. best chippy in Thame. at least this one seems to like having customers. but friendly, clean and tidy and quick.... what more is there.

Always freshly cooked, the wait is more than worth it. Chips are good, but the fish is outstanding. Battered to perfection. Friendly staff and good portion sizes, would definitely recommend

Excellent value for money. Fish, sausage and chips are very generous and well worth the price tag. If you can have a choppy local, this should be it :)

If you want a good meal try this fish and chip shop/restaurant sit in or take away, the service is quick and fresh, all food cooked to order no need to stand about seats inside. The staff are nice and friendly and run by people who know about fish you

We have had several takeaways from here since they opened. They were initially excellent. However on the last 2 occasions I was very disappointed in the quality of the fish. On both occasions the fish was a sort of pinky grey colour with a dense quality that does not match the soft white flakes of cod or haddock that you usually get. I am not sure whether it was just overcooked or whether they gave me the wrong fish - but it has happened twice. Not sure if I want to risk it again.

Went in last Wednesday lunchtime. Asked for 2 portions of chips - I realized things were not right when they only took about 1 minute to cook the chips. These chips were part cooked previously. Soaked in oil and left. A lovely lady behind the counter said I would enjoy these chips " nice and hot". I only ate a handful, they didn't taste right! Then my week of illness started. Indigestion, sick and worst of all 5 days of diarrhea. I have been very ill and not usually one to do a negative report of Trip Advisor but this needed reporting. Sorry. The worst fish and chips I have ever eaten. I hope visitors to UK don't choose to eat here - may not be better to catch their flight back home! Get your Imodum bought.

Stopped in Thame for a few nights and looked at Smarts but I don't usually have Fish and chips at a place that also sells kebabs etc. Also I would have thought the Fish this far inland would not be very good how wrong I was we ordered large haddock and chips - - we had to wait while they were cooked but the fish was nice and thick in a crispy batter and the chips cooked just right I would recommend this meal to anyone.

I'm not the first reviewer to point out that fish-&-chips can be a very greasy affair. However, at Smarts, they seem to have overcome that. The batter appears to be made in house to a traditional recipe, rather than a mix of commercial powder base. Whatever and however they achieve it, the batter is the best I have come across and stays nice and crisp as a takeaway. The fish itself is excellent as are the chips. Portions are enormous. Service is quick, with conveyor belt efficiency. Of course, at peak times you need to wait, because there can be up to a dozen others ordering, but it's worth it.

We always get a warm welcome here, sometimes my little ones come away with a free lolly! chips nice & hot, fish good with option of gluten free batter which is a winner with me! Little cafe out back where you get a very reasonably priced fish supper including tea. Unfortunately it has maintained a reputation from its previous owner who were shambolic so I am trying to convince people to try it as you will be pleasantly surprised.

I do not normally go for Fish and Chips because I do not like greasy food, but Smarts gets it right. The chips are clean and dry or almost crisp, never soggy. The fish is really good and a good size.The pies are pretty standard and therefore perfectly pleasant.

The cafe at the back has reopened and we called in for fish and chips, good quality, ample portions. It was a busy friday night and we got two apologies for being kept waiting for what must have been all of 15mins, and importantly we had been warned when we arrived that there was a 20 min delay because the shop was busy. I then swallowed the wrong way and had a choking fit, they quickly brought me a bottle of water and refused payment for it.

Fantastic Fish & Chips! Freshly Cooked & Absolutely Delicious! Great Big Portions Too. Staff are Incredibly Friendly. Nice seating area at the back! Very Reasonably Priced! What Else Could You Want? Cup of Tea or Coffee included with your meal? They've thought of that too!!

So glad this place has made a return. It puts the other place to shame. Always friendly and always cooked fresh too. Always stop here.

We were sad when the previous chip shop closed down and then stood empty for so long. We hunted around the area for another decent chippy to no avail. Then this place opened in June 2015 and so far the standard has been totally consistent. We had a meal from here on Friday night and it was so good I felt compelled to write this review. Cod and haddock are a good size – flaky and white with a light crispy batter – the chips are excellent too. Not greasy and soggy. A great chippy with everything as it should be and even better than the previous shop. Good work!