The Mermaid Fish Bar in Gwynedd

Amazing fish and chips, best to take away

Omg the chips were insane and the chicken goujons I could of eaten a bucket full.... So good

It’s Tuesday 22nd October 2024. Best fish, chips and curry sauce for a long long time. Fish delicious and batter crispy and perfect. Thanks for a great service on a beautiful day.

Best fish and chips in Barmouth

Been coming here over 10 years even make a detour like today. Always superb

Friendly staff and a traditional feel with option to sit in

Our go to chippy when visiting Barmouth until yesterday. Took friends with us saying you’ll never have better fish n chips. Well Not today. Fish was over cooked , ruining what was a generous portion of fish, chips were no more than scraps albeit a generous portion. Mushy peas way too dry. We’ve waited months to have lunch at the mermaid.very disappointed. Over the years it’s been excellent we’ve always recommended going there. We think it’s been taken over and guessed it because we were served our cup of tea in paper cups not the usual mugs. Not very environmentally friendly as they have plastic lids and of course didn’t do justice to the good brew. Maybe just a bad day

Very busy chippy only one open with the wait.

We had freshly cooked cod, chips and peas . Very fresh cod and a generous portion. Lovely batter.

The Best fish and chips I’ve had and I’ve had a lot over the years 😋 26/9/24

If you're looking for the best fish and chips in Wales, this place is a must-visit! They are award winners, and it's clear why. The fish is perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside, while the chips are golden and cooked to perfection. The portions are generous, and the quality of the ingredients is top-notch. The tartar sauce and sides complement the meal beautifully. That said, be prepared to wait as there’s always a long queue, especially during peak hours. The popularity of this spot means it's always bustling with people eager to get in, but trust me, the wait is worth it! The atmosphere is lively, and the service, once you're inside, is friendly and efficient. Whether you're a local or just visiting, this is a quintessential stop for anyone who loves fish and chips done right!

Cod & Chips @ £10.35 Very filling, but not of the same high quality as it used to have. Chips were particularly greasy & heavy... (they used to be very crisp & delicious).. Cod was a little tired too.. it seemed to have been sitting in the cabinet a while.. although there were 6 other cod alongside it. Seemed to have been a change of staff.. as quality has slipped. An expensive treat @ todays prices

Me and the wife just had the minifish and chips for lunch. £6.25 each. Best fish and chips weve ever had, chips are elite tier.

Best fish and chips we have ever had. Chips were really crispy and light , fish was really fresh and large portion.wish they did a gluten free option for me fish

Best Fish and Chips in Gwynedd, nevermind Barmouth always freshly cooked food and always the best quality

Lovely Cod and chips. Best in Barmouth.

Just the best Fish and Chips you could hope for. Served by friendly chatty staff, who were obviously serving none stop over their shifts. Thoroughly recommend this establishment.

Literally the best fish and chips I've had in years. They've ruined my life now though because I tried their amazing Irish Curry Sauce and I can't find anywhere that does it.

Been many times - superb as usual - looking forward to next time 😄👍😄👍😄

A large portion of good food and the staff were friendly

The food was gorgeous. I had fish and chips. And a bartered sausage never had a bartered sausage before.

Well worth 5 Stars! I drove up from near Aberystwyth to explore the path from Barmouth to Fairbourne and back across the rail bridge and treated myself to Cod & Chips. Really impressed with the quality and quantity as well as the freshness. Really nice and clean premises too. Highly recommended and I shall return 👍

40 minutes from joining the queue at the steps, to getting my fish and chips. 1 person serving, who was slow beyond belief, food taking an age to cook and be served, for anything that wasn’t fish based, but they didn’t take other orders whilst waiting for things to cook. Once it came it was ok, nothing to write home about.

A lovely, local chippy serving delicious and good quality fish and chips. Staff were welcoming and friendly. Overall very pleased as have been using this chippy for years at different times of the year.

I had read about this place in the Daily Post and it was listing glowing reviews so had to try it, so I took a drive down from the North Wales coast on a sunny day to try it. It was mid afternoon during the week so no queue to contend with. Ordered a battered cod, small chips and curry sauce to take away (and of course a fizzy Vimto, the ultimate go-to for this meal, in my opinion). It was served up straight away so not sure how long the fish and chips had been in the warmer, so was anxious to get tucked into it to see if the hype was on point. Fish was lovely, but would have preferred thicker and crispier batter. Chips we very good however. Curry sauce as to be expected. Was nice to get the take away and eat them by the sea (a short walk over the railway track). I did battle a bit with the small wooden fork though! Lesson learnt there! All in all, a decent fish & chip shop, but my favourite remains one of my locals in my hometown - will be hard to knock them off the top spot in my eyes. I prefer to wait for a freshly fried fish & chips (which I would guess is the case at busier times).

Showed up just before closing time so no queue. We were told what you see on the counter is what you get, luckily 2 cod left. Wasn't expecting much as we had the last servings but wow, quite possibly the best fish and chips we've ever had!

Fish was very good but the chips were awful, very greasy 😢 will never go to this chippy again. I cannot believe I qued up for this crapp

Qued for over 1hr.. they forgot my order... no real apologise. It's expensive..used to be a great place for food.. poor coms enough staff poorly organised..

Fantastic little fish and chips , had to wait ages which Is a good sign ,fish and chips amazing but a little over priced ,a few plastic tables inside ,if your in barmouth it's worth a visit .

Ordered 2 pies and chips , one of the pies were stone cold hadn't even been heated up , don't think ile be going there again

Totally amazing keep up the good work guys excellent 👌👍

Fish and chips by the sea, yummy.

Best chip shop in Barmouth and in my experience Wales! Always a queue but very efficient staff ensures it moves quickly! Very friendly and happy staff especially the taller Scouse lady! Great food, freshly fried fish, amazingly well sized portions even for the mini fish and chips, which I would say the £6.25 option is the same size as regular fish and chips in other chip shops. Every time we visit the Welsh coast we travel here for the fish and chips it's so good! See you again next time!

Waited for 45mins, not sure why as fish already cooked except only one girl serving out of the four people working in there who seemed more interested in chatting to her mate.

Came here to grab some dinner during our family holiday. I can see why they are in the top 10 chip shops in the UK! We had to queue outside but that wasn’t for long at all, it was worth the wait! Absolutely amazing fish and chips, we also had the southern fried chicken goujons with curry sauce which was amazing! I’d drive to wales just to go there it was that good!

Oh wow! We stopped here after a not-so-good fish and chips nearby on our last recent holiday to Barmouth. We followed the delicious smell and could tell we were in for a treat. There aren't many takeaways/restaurants where you have to queue out of the door early evening on a Thursday. We loved our meals and I think these were the best chips we've ever had. Thanks 🙏

Queued for an hour Luckily, the weather was good I ordered Cod & Chips only one portion size available although it was definitely enough the chips where amazing and the cod the batter was spot on no doughy underlay the fish itself was so meaty and moist was definitely worth the wait the lady behind only ordered a portion of chips after queuing for an hour definitely a must if in the area. We drove up the road to eat them, see photo

It says its the best in wales more like the best in uk ive been to some of the recently awarded top 10 fish and chips in the uk and they weren't a patch on the mermaid and price too

The supposedly best fish n' chips in the region are decent, but not worth the hype and the wait. The fish had a nice crispy, golden brown breading. Unfortunately it was a bit dry. The fries were crispy and oversalted on the top because the salt was simply poured on last instead of mixing the fries with it, and the bottom was correspondingly unsalted and, as is so often the case, greasy/mushy. The curry sauce was nothing special. We've had better fish n' chips.

Best fish and chips we have had in a good while. Chunky white cod fillet and perfectly cooked chips. Like a chippy should be. We had to queue but I guess you would expect that in a such a popular place.

Came yesterday waited 35mins to get Served and another 10 minutes for food to cook ive never seen such slow service, one person doing orders one just bagging food up . The chips was horrible, they was freshly cooked so I dont know why ,fish was nice. £6.25 for fish and mini chips would of been a good price if the chips wasn't so nasty ,Chips went in the bin .

Great food, great service, nuff said. But for real Mermaid is great the staff are lovely, and they work efficiently, they greet everyone with a smile. The food was also great the fish was some of the best tasting cod I've had from a chip shop, it was flaky and tender and the batter was great, the chips were hot and fresh and definitely up there compared to other places I've eaten, I had to go to see if it really lived up to the hype and it did for me, waiting in line was worth it, I drove 2hrs for Ice cream and fish & chips and I'd do it again, it was great way to end the perfect day out in Barmouth Congratulations on 60 years, here's to 60 more 👏

I am a vegetarian I have just been in and asked what is vegetarian then listen and number of things that are vegetarian so I was happy as all the other places didn't do vegetarian options so I asked if it is definitely cooked separately to the other meat produce they said no it's all cooked in the same place. I said that means it isn't vegetarian then he shrugged his shoulders and said well it is vegetarian I have no words people working with food that are so uneducated around good is disgusting!!!

Seems to be the most popular chip shop in Barmouth with queues out the door! Have ate better food from here, chips were fresh but very greasy. Fish batter was slightly overcooked. Children did enjoy the nuggets. They advertise SFC but didn't have any and this isn't the first time iv experienced this.

Lovely pub, friendly staff and fantastic views

Best chippy in Barmouth. It's always a big queue, but worth it!

From a local ambulance crew, well Anglesey local anyway, thank you to Will and the staff, great service and fantastic food, vanished quickly as well, loads of flavour and the fish was PERFECT!

Didn't go in about 80 people in the queue

Nice food but the 1-hour and slow-moving queue on a Thursday evening really took away from the overall experience. Would suggest trying to increase the efficiency as a few people were getting impatient

Lovely Fish and Chips. Thank you for staying open late on sunday

The best place for fish and chips in Barmouth

Lovely fish and chips, best in Barmouth

Best fish and chips in Barmouth by far

I was told prior to going in that I'd be having the best fish and chips ever. Challenge in! Wow! I wasn't disappointed. The cod was so fresh and delicious. The chips were perfect and the efficiency of the staff had the very busy shop and cafe running like clockwork, whilst being great with the customers too.

This is definitely THE BEST fish and chips in Barmouth and possibly the best in Wales ! There's usually a queue through the door, but the wait is well, well worth it, generous portions, fantastic real chips and nice friendly staff, well recommended

They had possibly the best fish and chip shop chips I’ve ever eaten! The cod, battered sausage and corned beef fritter were all fantastic too. It was a bit on the pricey side but totally worth the money and the wait to get them. I would highly recommend!!

One of the best chippies I have been to well worth the wait, long que equally great food.

so yummy!! no kids meal options so js got a cone but it was amazing. will definitely come next time!!

Fish and chips were lovely and the price is fair. There is a small amount of seating inside and just a short walk to the beach. The only downside is the queuing here is almost used as a sales initiative… the service could be faster and ultimately we queued for an hour at 3pm on a Sunday. There are other decent fish and chip shops in Barmouth that have the same sort of calibre food but you don’t have to queue for so long.

Not bad to be honest but so slow waited 45 minutes for fish and chips 🤷

The program is not correct. It is a huge queue of animals desperate for hunger. You simply can't drive on the sidewalk anymore.

First rate fish and chips, highlighted by the long queue that went up the street. Nice clean shop, friendly and welcoming staff. Quick service. Well worth queuing the 15 minutes for a tasty fish and chip tea. All dishes we had were cooked to perfection. Highly recommended.

Served really quickly, great food,they said one of our fish was too small so we didn't have to pay for it. Pick when you visit as the que can be quite long.

The best fish and chips, I've ever had. Chips were soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, perfect. The fish was nice and thick, and the better perfectly crispy. Very reasonably priced also. Definitely worth over an hour wait in the queue! Nice and clean and staff are friendly.

Amazing traditional Chippy, that has just celebrated 60 years. Food is fabulous and reasonably priced. Highly recommended

Portion is large for 12£ , so it's no cheap , cod is quite large and good , chips is disaster soft in lot of oil , at home everybody will do a lot of better .

Very good quality chippy everything cooked nice and fresh, service was lovely with a smile, expect a hefty wait as the line can wrapp around the corner I would say it's worth the wait at least once. The prices aren't bad for the size of the portions. There is a carpark opposite but can get full fast in season. Would highly recommend. Lovely chippy 😊

Good food, good choice, friendly staff, great service. Couldn't fault it. Highly recommended 😎👍

Best fish Best chips Best price !

Really good fish and chips. Might be the best i've ever had and i've had alot of fish and chips. My children loved it too! Nothing left

Absolutely top dollar fish and chips it's our high point whenever we come Barmouth

The wait is a joke 40 plus minutes for a small box of chips when they have 5 people working in the front ridiculous and the line wasn't even long

good food, good prices. you’ve seen the reviews - there’s always a queue - but it’s worth it and the staff are working fast so it soon goes down . we were served a large order by a lady called Danny - she got it all bagged up seasoned and packed perfectly!

Best fish and chips in the whole.world 🥰

Such nice F&C. Will gave us a pre opening treat. loved it. If you get the chance to have a chat with Will you'll hear the storys behind the tasty dish.. More then well worth it. Thanks Will

There was a cue during the day on a weekday. This is what sold us on this place. We order our food and it was freshly prepared and the portions were really good! The fish was very large and only £7. Absolutely brilliant chips with generous portion of salt and vinegar. Really good find in Barmouth!

Came here earlier in the year and had some of the best chips in the area, Unfortunately this time our chips were soaked in oil very crispy and just inedible very disappointing.

Easily the best fish and chips in Barmouth.

Solid fish & chips with loads of other options - chicken, spam fritters, halloumi, pies etc. I came here twice in 1 week and couldn’t fault it. They also have a mini portion which is excellent when you want a treat but not too much food. Staff were friendly and overall the vibe was welcoming. There are queues and it does seem as though that could be reduced as they are a little slow to get things boxed up, but you’re only waiting 10-15 mins so it’s not an issue for some delicious food!

Advertised they do gluten free so I travelled 30mins asked what they had available and they said I could have a jacket potato and fish boiled in milk cooked in the microwave!! False advertisement walked straight back out the door

The BEST chips I've tasted in Wales.

Some of the best fish and chips we've had. Portions were great for the price, and staff were incredibly friendly and personable to us and our kids. They also did well to chat with every customer while also keeping the line moving (which was nearly out the door). Highly recommend stopping here!

Lovely fish and chips for by the sea

Definitly best fish an chips ever

Best fish & chips i have ever tasted! place was soo busy.. cue was out the door.. really really tasty cooked to perfection! i will return to barmouth just to eat here again

Best chip shop in Barmouth.... even though there was a queue for 40mins. Still worth it

Good quality food, wide menu choice. Very popular. Service is quick and friendly. Limited indoor seating.

Excellent,very busy both times I went,staff work very hard,chips are scummy.👍

Served by disinterested staff who were more concern with their mobile phone than serving customers. Let's hope that the screen is regularly cleaned, cross contamination etc. Food ok but not up to the usual standard.....60 years? Let's get it back to how it used to be, don't let it slip.

After researching the best fish & chips in Barmouth were to be found at The Mermaid, we decided to give it a try. We weren’t disappointed! The queue was out of the door (always a good sign imo) but we didn’t have to wait long at all - maybe 10 mins at the most. We ate in - my partner having halloumi fritter & chips and myself cod & chips. The chips were absolutely delicious! Fresh, crispy, hot and very tasty. The fish was pretty fine too, as was the halloumi fritter. All the time we sat eating the queue would go down and then back out the door again, but moved very quickly, and every customer was served with a smile and a happy greeting from all of the staff. The Mermaid has just celebrated its 60th anniversary and I remember going there as a child with my family. It was lovely to return and see it still thriving. Long may it continue!

My first time visiting here and I must say that they do the best cooked chips I have had in a very long time. I also had a halloumi fritter which was very nice. As others have said you may have to queue but it's worth it.

How this is rated "No 1 chip shop is Wales" is beyond me. Cod was okay, never special same as the chips. Plaice, well told it was being cooked from frozen so would be 8 mins fine. What was served up as embarrassing to be called fish. Would have been better off getting a pack from Icelands and getting it cooked. No fish hardly just breadcrumbs. If this is best around then, wow, Ifeel sorry for everyone.

No1 chippy from numerous comments, can't say for sure as it's the only one we visited but definitely recommend. Expect a long wait especially during peak times queue was out the door.

Congratulations to The Mermaid on their 60th Birthday. Fantastic fish and chips 😁.

Ordered scampi and chips, were delicious. Music inside the building was very good too.

How lucky we were No que Walked in and ordered .Best fish and chips I've had

The best fish and chip shop in Wales. Don't be put off by the queue there's a reason why so many people want to eat here. A big thanks to the friendly staff for amazing food and smiley service

Great fish and chips, service quite slow, but the product is so ace it doesn't really matter

Had high expectations for this place. You must be prepared to queue for anywhere between 20 mins to 1 hour. Ordered cod and chips and really wasn't impressed. Fish was greasy and chips soggy. Very expensive meal for 3 people considering the quality. Other chip shops nearby that looked a lot nicer.

Greatest chippy in Wales 🤷‍♂️ Spoke to the lovely lady serving me, and she was the owner's daughter 🙏 Tried all the other chippies in town, and they don't come close.