Harry Ramsden’s Blackpool restaurant

When it comes to fish and chips, there is a restaurant chain that has almost legendary status. Harry Ramsden’s has been serving its world famous fish and chips for 75 years now, but I am ashamed to say that until this weekend, I had never been to a Harry’s restaurant. But when it Blackpool, on the Promenade, what else are you going to eat but fish and chips? With the Harry Ramsden’s restaurant situated by the Tower, it was the perfect time to experience that secret recipe batter and enjoy one of Britain’s signature dishes in its most famous home.

We  arrived at 12.30 and I was instantly impressed with the look of the restaurant. Set on two levels, it seemed that families were seated on the top level, with couples and groups of adults on the top. This is a great idea for people without children who don’t want to dine with them, but it does make that top level rather noisy and boisterous. The general look of Harry’s is one part New York style diner, crossed with a vintage style British tearoom/cafe – checkerboard floor, glass chandeliers – just very nice.

We were greeted by the very friendly staff and given a range of menus, including a children’s one for Joe. It was a warm day so we selected soft drinks and then perused the menu. Harry Ramsden’s is famous for its fish and chips, but there is so much more to the menu than that, with burgers and hotdogs, healthy salad options and ‘the pie shop’ also well represented. There is also a delicious array of side dishes from curry sauce to mash potatoes. The menu is really well balanced and leaves you spoilt for choice.

I felt it was only fitting that I chose the fish and chips, but went for the small option priced at £8.85. I chose Cod, but you can also choose haddock. The portion was far from small and the fish was just delicious, with that secret recipe batter crispy and tangy, and lovely white cod. I think the fact you can opt for post fish rather than batter is a brilliant touch, and the fact that the meal also comes with mushy peas, tartare sauce in a pot and bread and butter make it really good value. The double cooked chips were also perfect, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, and hot! (Lukewarm chips are a real bugbear of mine.) The presentation was very good – I love the chip paper plates and the way the sides of coleslaw and pickled gherkins were added. It looked appetising and attractive, and tasted divine.

Pete opted for the lighter option of the Pesto Chicken fillet salad. This looked so amazing, the pesto chicken was a gorgeous taste with garlic coming through really nicely, and the mixed salad had lots of different flavours (red cabbage, carrot, different leaves, peppers and onion) that made the dish very interesting. It was also substantial and very filling.

The children’s menu is very reasonable – £5.99 with a drink and an ice-cream included. Joe does like fish, but went for the battered chicken licken chunks with chips. He was delighted with how this was presented, in a basket rather than on a plate. The batter was once again wonderfully crunchy, and I think the portion size is good for a children’s meal. Joe loves onion rings so we also ordered a portion of these, and they were monsters – huge! If you are a fan of onion rings you will love these for the beer batter alone.

We were pleasantly stuffed from our meals and delighted with the food that we had chosen. The service had been friendly and efficient throughout, with no long wait for food even though it was a busy Saturday. But Joe is a child and there is always room for ice cream, so he chose Vanilla and enjoyed the cute scoop served in a cow pot.

Harry Ramsden’s Blackpool is situated at 60-61 The Promenade, Blackpool just after Blackpool Tower.

You can find more information, and view menus here.

Sharing is caring!