The Arctic Fish Bar in West Oxfordshire

Just moved area thought I’d try the local chippy, just paid £18 for this “large” cod & “large” chips and a battered sausage, the only thing they didn’t get wrong was the battered sausage, not even enough chips to feed one person, cod was a child’s portion, chips were undercooked, don’t usually leave reviews but that was awful. Would’ve been a regular customer. Never again.

A real local gem, polite, lovely food, portion, chips are lovely. Doing a great job training up the next generation honestly couldn’t rate it higher. 5/5

Lovely experience. Great fish and chips

I asked the manager for a fresh cooked piece of haddock which was no problem Well worth the wait for it to be done nice fresh chips too

Just had very delicious cod and chips. Cod perfectly cooked with a light batter - huge portion of chips - enough for 2! . Very clean shop and great service even though it was quite busy (Friday night 😀) Highly recommended - find it strange that it’s had some poor reviews?

This was the second visit to this particular establishment, had the chicken nuggets the first time and this time, the battered sausage. Both very good but the chips were good the second time and not so much the first time so feel it could be a little hit and miss what you end up with. Not the biggest menu. Also it doesn't look particularly inviting, if it was a restaurant I wouldn't stay so as a takeaway it's fine. Staff are great, prices reasonable for the area and would go again

Not good. Unfriendly service and fish and chips were sub par for price.

High prices and mediocre food. Small tub of watery curry sauce £2.50. I would class the chips as a small portion but not small price. When I queried the price of the curry sauce I was told "well that's what you get for being in the Cotswolds". I will not be visiting there again.

Fish was barely edible; greasy and flavourless. Chips were really bad; thought they were too old and also tasteless. Overall, a bad experience.

Chips are hit or miss... And it would be nice to have the choice of small, medium or large size, not just one size. As it ends up being to much for just one size for one person and the portion is never the same. I would say Sometimes the chips are nice ( not the best but nice ) 3/5 but sometimes there soggy and to moist.1/5 °the southern fried chicken is 5/5 °the sausage is nice 5/5 °battered sausage 5/5 °the normal chicken tends to be dry though 2/5 °the fish is 1/5 it is dry and tasteless and barley and fish, your basically just paying for a piece of batter. °the staff are friendly though It is ridiculously expensive for what you get.

All I can do is comment as I find. Pleasant staff, excellent service and delicious fish & chips. Came on here to review and was really surprised to see the negativity.

Very disappointing, the fish was overcooked with mushy greasy batter, the chips were soggy and the cooking oil needs changing

Great staff who are welcoming and friendly. Fish and Chips are great. Fish is well cooked and the batter is just right and not soggy. Chicken nuggets are nice also

Was aware of some poor reviews . However, we experienced swift and cheerful service. Freshly prepared tasty fish, although batter seemed overcooked. Generous allocation of chips . . . one portion enough for two people.

Pie and chips are getting pricey

Good portions,well cooked. Recommend.

Expensive, yet not the best fish and chips.

Really poor quality fish & chips, greasy & fish overcooked. This could genuinely be the worst fish & chips I’ve had, certainly in the last 10 years, it was edible, but that’s the best I can say about it

The chip shop must have fell on bad times as for a portion of chips, you get a kid size. I don't understand why they are trying to save every potato so They can maximise profits. Morton in marsh chip shop is worth the little extra drive. As you get a good reasonable portion of chips.

Lovely chips let down by the miniscule portion size and salt totally over the top. Staff friendly. Wouldn't bother with again.

Popped in for lunch Tuesday 21st May 2024 Worse cod and chips ever bought ! Overcooked dry inedible fish , undercooked chips, terrible!!

Possibly the worse cod and chips ever !! Undercooked chips ..over cooked fish , dry inedible, should never have been served should of been thrown out !

Great place for take away food.

Just finished a great meal, was worried after seeing some of the reviews but we didn't have any issues. Ordered Fish and Chips, sausage and chips, 1 extra sausage and 2 x Gravy. It come to just under £25 While expensive vs what I'm used to paying back home, the food was great, fish was lovely and the portion sizes were a decent size too. Paid by Card too which is always handy Would visit again.

After reading the reviews for this Chip shop we were reluctant to use it but its the only one in the area. So we thought we would just get some chips and see what all the negative fuss was about! Being completely honest the chips were ok but the portion size was small for £3.40, I'd say there were two potatoes worth of chips at the most. They didn't really taste of anything. The shop seemed empty for a Thursday at 6pm, this speaks volumes. If we stayed in Chipping Norton again we would definitely not use the chip shop. I don't think it's the worst in Britain but just not very good!!

OK so it was 8pm when I sampled this chippie but it was very dissappointing. Firstly the fish was rather dry as if it had been left for too long and the batter was chewy rather than crispy. Secondly the chips were lukewarm and had that back taste that said to me that the oil they had been cooked in was very tired. Thirdly I did not like that they only had one portion size of chips (large) which meant I was served and of course paid for chips I neither wanted nor ate.

Friendly staff, solid chip shop menu, could do with another vegetarian option.

Very quick service for a reasonable price

Call in7.30pm Staff looked like they want to know your order without a Good Evening and what would you like. NOT A FRIENDLY PLACE

A serious contender for worst chip shop in Britain awards..... Infant sized potions at over inflated prices, they do like to over cook their food too which (if you can find the food) isn't very nice.

Really great service, great food! I bought from here for my house move back in September, and they nailed the order for over 15 people! The chicken fillets were so good, I had to get them again the other day ☺️ the food was all ready quickly and the chips were excellent 👌🏼

Hands down the worst Fish and Chips I have had in the World. The chip portions were meager and the chips were dried up and tasted like they had been cooked in 3 day old oil. The fish was completely dry and had actually shrunk within the batter. The curry sauce was lacking in consistency and flavour. Very friendly Staff. PLEASE NOTE: I was last in England just over two years prior to this visit and their food was much better probably a 7.5/10 Something or someone has changed at this establishment.

£12 for 2 sausages and 2 portions of chips absolute madness!! Worse thing is the chips are awful £3.40 for 1 portion. I get the price of produce has gone up but that is absolute greed.

Two orders of fish & chips with mushy peas and we could not even finish it! Huge portions, well cooked and not greasy. Friendly staff. Can’t wait to come back on our next trip to England.

We both purchased battered sausage and chips. Best chips ever!!! Lovely guys behind the counter, service with a smile 😊

Where’s the fish? Pricey aswell

Just shocking! Unfortunately this is the only Fish and Chip shop in Chipping Norton. I STRONGLY advise driving out of Chipping Norton to get Fish and Chips, this is what we will be doing in the future. We had 3 X Fish and Chips, and the fish was the WORST we have ever seen. No light, fluffy batter as it should be, the fish literally snapped in half, and was like cardboard. You can tell these guys have no competition, as their standards are woeful. They even hold back on giving a good amount of chips. AVOID!

Don't waste your time! Three occasions I placed an order and all were disappointing. Service skill is absolutely non existent, not even hello from the owner or young staff - even though 5 people standing behind counter and no customers inside. Chap actually walked away from counter when I walked in and said hi. Whispered to the older guy and after minute of wondering round finally came to take order. Very okward. I repeated order three times and still got asked about it again as if no one heard me.... like talking to the wall. Sad that the owner gives this bad example.... Food is horrible - masterpiece to fudge up fish and chips.... Uncooked chips, old onion rings , cold(!) Fish... all my three experiences with this place. Last time I ever came, rather use Bloxham or Banbury which are always friendly and food is never bad!

We had three Fish & Chips and a sausage tonight and the fish was smaller than a child's portion at my local Shop. After removing the batter you can see how little amount of fish there actually was. I spoke with the manager and said there was nothing he could do. I would not recommend, even my son commented that he thought the fish was his battered sausage when unwrapping them, it was that small!!! Worst takeaway I have had in years.

An awful undercooked, soggy mess of a fish and chips. Threw most of it away. How hard is it to cook chips properly?

Went in today 18th may 2023. First time ever ordered 2 fish 1 chips £18.00 pokey bit of fish portion of chips small for me not worth the money. Perhaps less staff 3 serving 1 cooking only me there. Well won't have to worry about my next visit as I'm not going back

Giving 2 stars but really should be 1 We tried your F&C tonight Well what can I say 'you don't get much for £18' Rolled up piece of cod What's that about ??! Very small portions The only nice thing about our supper tonight was the batter ! Had to have tea & cake With some chocolate to go with our cup of tea

Fish was good, nice and crispy. Chips were fine, neither the best nor worst I've had. Portion size was fair, overall seemed a decent chippy.

Regular stop for us when going to Cornwall. Always freshly cooked and generous proportions.

Bloody joke prices for what you get fish looks like it's cut down the middle and shared in to 2. £24 for 2 what may aswell have been cones of chips and 2 bits of fish that may have been 1 piece curry sauce and mushy peas. No option for sizes of portions.

The size of the chips portion is ridiculous!

Tried twice now and both times it wasn't good chips are tasteless and very dark same as the fish both times it was so dark it looked like it had been cooked multiple times, also portions are tiny avoid!!

Not the best fish and chips. But ok for a rainy Friday night emergency

Reasonable Fish shop. Slightly overcook some items

Smallest portion I’ve ever seen. Get 2 chips if hungry. Staff could do with cheering up.

Not a nice fish and chips Chips underdone Fish was very greasy

Very poor service. Not from the area and decided to give this place a go, despite some recent bad reviews we thought we’d give it the benefit of the doubt. However the food quality and customer service from the person who I believe was the manager/ owner was abysmal. The manner he spoke to customers and retorted to their enquiries was terrible. Would highly recommend venturing elsewhere for your chippy. And according to reviews, everywhere else in the town does them better anyway.

After telling me the cod would take at least six minutes they gave me my meal after three. The fish was refried. The batter was dark brown and half of it had fallen off. The chips were also brown. Old oil, overpriced pap.

Chips were soggy, batter was over cooked, fish was dry and over cooked, way over priced for it is, nuggets were bearable and we found hair in the batter

I love the food here. The chicken is my favourite.

I’ve used them a few times now. It’s a bit hit and miss one day the fish and chips is excellent then another it’s got a crusty batter at the ends, chips as well most times been good but felt undercooked on my last visit. Update - not too good last night a tiny amount of chips and again crusty ends

Fish was massively overcooked (what there was of it, as mostly batter). Chips were extremely soggy. Won't revisit.

The chips were undercooked and the fish was over cooked and greasy. To make it worse, it was caked in salt and vinegar. They’re only in business because it’s the only chippy in chipping Norton

Great food. Be hard to beat these fish 🐟 and chips 🍟

Vile. Over cooked fish in very old and dirty oil. For food poisoning go here . Disgusting.

Haven't had fish and chips in a good while but really enjoyed them from the Arctic. Really tasty and not greasy!

Chicken mushroom pie, chips and curry sauce. About average for any chip shop in country except for microwaving slightly runny curry sauce in front of the customer is never going to add to their experience. Hence 3* rather than 4*

Over last 5 weeks I have used in IP to twice a week. Good portion of good chips.

Undercooked chips, had 2 pieces of chicken and chips. The lad who served me put the chicken on top of the chips and caked them in salt and a little bit of vinegar, no ambience or much talking between the staff 🥲

Last month we had 2 cod and 1 chips between us, this week 4 southern fried chicken and 1 chips. We find 1 portion of chips is plenty for the two of us so suprised to see reviews complaining of small portions. I would like my chips a bit more cooked and crisp but having said that they were tasty and hot, and they cook so much everyone would be waiting longer for crisp chips. Good fish and chicken- will be back soon.

Possibly the worst fish and chips ever do not go there fish was inedible chips soggy, don’t waste your money on it. Total rubbish!!!!

Walked in Friday night not busy no eye contact or welcome from owners.Asked for a buttered roll? What? Looked at meLike I am mad.Asked for Onion Vinegar? What? Looked at me like I am mad.Asked for my chips to be well done? Once again whaaaat? Looked at me like I was mad.All the staff made me feel like an inconvenience.Needless to say the guy then proceeded to put vinegar on a spring roll.Got the chips back home, a soggy mess. A small portion so not much chance of finding any crispy bits.Rather disgusting. Spring roll saturated in oil.It’s a shame there is no other competition as this place served me the worst chips I have had in a long time.

Hands down best fish and chips this side of the Atlantic. Always service with a smile. Thank you. Endaxi

Not bad. £6.50 for battered sausage and chips and can of drink

Great food and quick friendly service

I don’t normally do reviews. But Just remembered why I don’t visit the chip shop in chipping Norton very often. The only chip shop I’ve ever been to that only does 1 size of chips and that portion for the price is very small and their fish has more batter and tiny size fish

Great food at reasonable prices

Great food and service . Thanks

This chippy was advertised at the campsite we were staying at so we thought we would give it a try….and were not disappointed.We got one portion of chips with cod, this fed two of us and didn’t last long at all, we also tried the huge potato wedges and the cheeseburger, both of which were good. The best bit about this chippy they are served in paper, not the horrible polystyrene tubs we get them served in back home.The guys serving were polite and very patient while we decided on what we wanted, we would certainly go back there if we come back to this area.

Ordered several meals for the family and got home to discover I had the incorrect order. Next time I went in no one cared, literally couldn't care less, great local customer service.

Really nice people and quality food

Fish was lovely (Haddock) chips, well could do better.

We are regular customers and this is undoubtedly the best F&C in the area. Fish is not heavily battered and you will never end up hungry with their portions of chips. Sometimes you have to wait for chicken, sausages etc but never too long. Slick service and they deserve the big client base which they have built up.Highly recommended.

Nice chippy, good menu selection.

Good chippie,but fish is expensive.

Probably the worst cod and chips I've ever had. There was more burned batter than meat. Soggy old chips. Curry sauce ok. Disappointed

Service is dubious as staff cannot understand simple orders nor put the tops on their own curry sauce tubs ! . Chips, roe, burger, sausage all good

I ordered cod and chips, and it is normally good, however today the fish was really fresh same as visit to Bournemouth at the weekend, I really enjoyed it, the batter is very good and the chips are just the way I like them a little stodgy. Excellent, would go again and again!

Sometimes only fish and chips will hit the spot, and it's good here

Chips are too expensive for what you pay for as too small the shop manager is very rude and so are the kids that run it! Worst chippy I have ever been too!

Decent enough fare in sizeable portions, best acquired when you're not in a rush

Decent fish, really well battered and cooked, not greasy. However, the chips and fishcake were both cold. I went in at peak time and it was busy, so even more disappointing.

Good food. Polite and helpful staff

The Food used to be Great, but since the Mother died, it is hit and miss. Now needs to change, and sort this out, and get back to being a good Fish and Chip Shop.

We had fish & chips last night,both my partner & myself were up all night with chronic stomach pains & diareah... this is the second time this has happened. Not sure why this has happened but we won't be going there again

Best Chicken,sausage and chips ive tasted in a long time.. Really dont understand the negative reviews here.. was lovely food...would definitely go there again 😊

We've just eaten our takeaway from here and the food was the best, it all tastes very fresh, stayed hot for a long time and the service was perfect. And they were very well stocked even though there was a queue down the road... Will definitely be back... I will be obese but its worth it

Hideous food, greasy chips and I asked for cod but got some other type of fish! I usually like this place but today was awful, I won't be going back there. I now do not know anywhere that do good fish and chips certainly not in chippy.

Good food. Best batter and chips I've had in a while. The actual fish was a bit tough though.

We are regulars here. It's a great place, slightly expensive but worth it. Good service, good food and often busy. Personally I dont understand the negative reviews- we always split a chip portion between the two of us and neither of us are light eaters.

Fantastic fish and chips, the queue says it all. But worth the wait. Even too hot to eat straight away.

Really enjoyed the fish and chips . Not to greasy . Portion size was perhaps a little small, or did they not give me the right size ? Who knows?

First visit and will definitely be my last. Please read the negative reviews...wished I had. The food really is that bad.

Fantastic fish and chips served with a friendly warm service. I cannot remember the last time I had cod and chips that tasted so good, with the added bonus of no skin on the fish - love it. Well done folks!

Fish and chips are far too oily, but the only one in town so no choice