Return to John’s Lunch

352 Pleasant St, Dartmouth, NS

When I first started questing for the best fish ‘n’ chips in Halifax, the famous John’s Lunch was my first stop. You can read my 2013 review here in which I wasn’t all that impressed.

Now that I’ve tried fish ‘n’ chips from 14 other places around Nova Scotia, I decided it was time to revisit John’s Lunch with a fresh perspective. This time I brought LuShark with me. She is a big fan of diners and loved the old school aesthetic.

She ordered the 1pc fish ‘n’ chips ($7.25). We were greeted by the same ol’ freezer fries and packaged tartar sauce, but the battered fish wasn’t overcooked like last time. It looked just right.

The fish was fresh and the outer batter was nice and crispy. But there was a substantial mushiness to the interface.

I ordered the Clams and Haddock Tips Combo ($17.25) – hold the fries. This was quite a bit more expensive in virtue of the clams. (A regular clams ‘n’ chips is $16.95 whereas a regular haddock tips ‘n’ chips is only $13.50).

It’s a generous portion of whole clams and haddock pieces, battered to order. The clams were good, but I enjoyed the haddock tips the most. I preferred the light, seasoned batter to the thick English style used for the fish ‘n’ chips.

Finals thoughts: I still don’t think the fish ‘n’ chips at John’s Lunch is the best in Halifax, nevermind Canada. Get the haddock tips – they’re awesome and a good deal.