There are few things we look forward to more on a clear summer evening than a hot box of fish and chips eaten within sight of the water, and White Rock has quietly become one of the better places on the south coast to do exactly that. The whole strip along Marine Drive faces Semiahmoo Bay, the pier reaches out into the water, and the promenade runs flat and easy for kilometres, so the meal and the setting belong together in a way that feels almost obvious once you have done it a few times.
We have eaten our way along this waterfront more times than we can count, in bright July heat and in the grey shoulder season when the patios are half empty and the chips taste even better, and we wanted to put together an honest local guide to where to go and what to expect. Below we cover the spots we keep coming back to, what actually separates good fish and chips from forgettable ones, the small ritual of carrying a box down to the sand, and the practical things worth knowing before you go, including the bold seagulls and the tides that pull the water far out across the flats.
The Beachfront Institutions Along Marine Drive
The name everyone says first is Moby Dick, the sky-blue nautical building at 15479 Marine Drive on East Beach, across from the totem poles, family operated since 1975 and still going strong this summer. They build their fish and chips around Alaskan cod in a secret-recipe batter, with hand-cut fries and a creamy tartar sauce, and the move that locals know is to skip the dining room and order from the takeout window so you can carry a big box straight down toward the water. It is the spot we tend to bring visiting family to, partly for the food and partly because the building itself looks exactly like a beach fish-and-chips joint should.
A short walk along the same strip you will find a cluster of other dedicated spots, each with its own following, and we like that they are all independents rather than a chain. FishBoat at 15513 Marine Drive serves fish and chips and seafood platters from a small beachside operation with a patio, and Coney Island Seafood a few doors along at 15487 leans British in style, with halibut or cod, fries, and house tartar, plus outdoor seating.
Out toward East Beach, Montgomery’s Cottage Lunch at 15539 Marine Drive has a cozy little patio and a reputation for unusually light batter, with cod, halibut, or salmon available fried or grilled and a homemade coleslaw on the side. There are more places than this along the strip, and we have written more broadly about the Marine Drive restaurants if you want the wider picture, but for fish and chips specifically these are the ones we find ourselves recommending again and again.
What Actually Makes Good Fish and Chips
Most of what matters comes down to the fish and the batter working together. Cod is the traditional choice and the one you will see most often, a mild flaky white fish that takes batter beautifully and stays tender inside, while halibut is the firmer, meatier, slightly sweeter alternative, more of a premium option and very much a Pacific catch, so it usually costs a little more and rewards you with a denser bite. Both are excellent done well, and we honestly go back and forth depending on our mood, though for a first visit we usually steer people toward the cod simply because it is the classic.
The batter is where a kitchen shows its hand. What we are after is a thin, crisp, golden shell that shatters a little when you bite it and is not greasy or heavy, sealing the fish so it steams inside rather than soaking up oil, and the better spots here manage that consistently. The chips matter just as much, and hand-cut fries from a real potato, fried so the outside is crisp and the inside stays fluffy, are worth seeking out over thin uniform fries every time.
Then there are the sides and the small touches that round out a proper order. A creamy tartar sauce, a wedge of lemon, a tidy scoop of coleslaw, and for some of us a cup of clam chowder turn a quick takeout box into a real meal, and we always ask for the tartar even when it is not automatic, because a good one ties the whole thing together.
Eating Them by the Water, the Local Way
The reason fish and chips feels right in White Rock is that the food and the place fit together so neatly. With the ocean right there, the natural thing is to carry your box across the promenade and find a bench or a spot of sand and eat it where it was meant to be eaten, near the pier and the long white-painted boulder that gives the beach its name, a large glacial erratic that the city still touches up with white paint to keep it looking the part. The promenade itself is paved and flat and runs for kilometres, with benches, ice cream shops, and clean public washrooms, so it is genuinely easy to make an evening of it.
Anchoring the whole scene is the White Rock Pier, which reaches far out into the bay and has long been one of the area’s best-known landmarks. It first opened in the early twentieth century, was badly damaged when a severe windstorm tore out a midsection in December of 2018, and was rebuilt and reopened in 2019, with an accessibility mat added more recently so that more people can make their way out over the water. We go into more detail in our guide to the White Rock pier if you want the full story.
We will be honest about the one thing nobody warns you about until it happens, which is the seagulls. They are bold and well practised here, and they have been known to raid food straight off people’s trays, so the City asks people not to feed wildlife at all and has stepped up bylaw patrols around the west beach, pier, and wharf. Keep your box close, sit with your back to a wall or rock if you can, and do not leave chips unguarded for even a moment, because the gulls are faster than you think.
Fish and Chips by the Bay: What to Know Before You Go
A few practical decisions shape how the outing goes. Takeout from a window is the move if you want to eat on the beach or a bench and soak up the view, while a patio table makes more sense if you want to sit, relax, and not police the gulls, and most of the dedicated spots here offer both. Families do well along this stretch because the promenade is level and stroller-friendly, the washrooms are close, and there is ice cream within easy reach for afterward.
Timing is worth a thought too. At low tide the water on Semiahmoo Bay pulls a long way out and the sand flats open up dramatically, with a spring tidal range of roughly four and a half metres, which is wonderful for a post-meal walk but means the actual waterline can be surprisingly far from where you are sitting. Checking the tide before you come, which we cover in our White Rock beach guide, helps you picture the beach you will actually find.
One small local note that catches first-time visitors off guard is the single rail line that runs right along the beach beside the promenade, which pedestrians cross to reach the sand, so keep an eye out and keep children close at the crossings. Paid parking is available along the waterfront, and on warm weekends it fills up early, so arriving a little ahead of the dinner rush is never a bad idea.
Sit-Down Seafood If You Want a Table and a Drink
Not every fish craving calls for a paper box on the sand, and on the nights we want to sit down with a proper table and a drink we look to the wider waterfront. Charlie Don’t Surf at 15011 Marine Drive has been a fixture on the strip for more than three decades, focused on fresh wild OceanWise seafood with local organic vegetables, craft beer, and gluten-free options, with beachside outdoor seating and online ordering. It is worth saying plainly that it is a sit-down seafood restaurant rather than a dedicated fish-and-chips takeout, and battered cod and chips is not its signature, so we mention it as the relaxed alternative rather than a direct competitor to the takeout windows.
One spot we want to clear up because people ask about it often is Dock’s Fish and Chips at 15061 Marine Drive on West Beach, known locally for the small gimmick of holes in its tables. It appears to be operating, with dine-in, takeout, and delivery, though its beachfront hours can shift with the weather, so we would suggest a quick call ahead before making a special trip on an uncertain day. And to settle a common mix-up, Pajo’s, the well-loved BC beach fish-and-chips brand, does not have a White Rock location despite its waterfront reputation, so the scene here is genuinely its own set of independents.
A Few Things We Always Do
We almost always order from a takeout window rather than sit inside, because half the pleasure is carrying the box down to a bench facing the bay, and we pick our seat with the gulls in mind, putting our back to a rock or a wall and keeping the lid half closed between bites. It sounds fussy until the first time a gull dive-bombs your chips, after which you become a believer.
We check the tide before heading down, since a wide low-tide flat is lovely for a walk afterward but a high tide brings the water and the breeze right up to the promenade, and we like knowing which beach we are getting. We also bring a few extra napkins, because good fish and chips are properly greasy in the best way, and a bottle of water, since the strip can get warm and busy on a clear afternoon.
If it is your first visit, try the cod once before you graduate to halibut, ask for tartar and a wedge of lemon even if they are not automatic, and do not skip the chowder if the place makes it, because a cup of it turns the meal into something you will remember. Then take your time on the promenade afterward, because the walk back along the water is as much a part of the ritual as the food.
Questions Often Asked
Where is the most famous fish and chips in White Rock?
Most locals will point you to Moby Dick at 15479 Marine Drive on East Beach, across from the totem poles, a family-operated spot that has been there since 1975 and is open as of this summer. It is known for Alaskan cod in a secret-recipe batter and hand-cut fries, and the local move is to order from the takeout window so you can carry a big box down toward the water. It is the place we tend to show off to visiting friends and family.
Should I get cod or halibut?
Both are excellent, so it comes down to preference. Cod is the traditional choice, a mild flaky white fish that takes batter beautifully and stays tender, and it is the classic we usually suggest for a first visit. Halibut is firmer, meatier, and a little sweeter, a Pacific catch that tends to cost more as a premium option, and it rewards you with a denser bite. We go back and forth depending on our mood, and you cannot really go wrong either way at the better spots.
Can I eat my fish and chips on the beach?
Yes, and it is the whole point of eating them here. The dedicated spots along Marine Drive offer takeout, so you can carry your box across the promenade and find a bench or a patch of sand facing Semiahmoo Bay. Just keep your food close, because the seagulls here are bold and quick, and the City asks visitors not to feed wildlife at all.
Does Pajo’s have a White Rock location?
No. Pajo’s, the well-loved BC beach fish-and-chips brand, operates at Steveston Wharf, YVR Airport, and Rocky Point Park, but it does not have a White Rock location despite its waterfront reputation. The fish and chips scene in White Rock is its own set of local independents along Marine Drive.
