Editorial Guide · Niagara
Top-ranked spots for fish and chips across Niagara — from Port Colborne's Lake Erie waterfront to the pubs of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Niagara region has an actual reason to do fish and chips well. Port Colborne sits on Lake Erie. Grimsby and the towns along the Lake Ontario shoreline are minutes from the water. The Welland Canal bisects the whole peninsula. When a place is this tied to water, the tradition of battered fish finds natural footing.
We pulled the top-ranked fish and chips spots from the RankIt database for the entire Niagara region — from Niagara-on-the-Lake down to Fort Erie and across to St. Catharines. These are the places coming up at the top.
Niagara-on-the-Lake sits where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, and the setting alone makes a plate of fried fish feel earned. Fritters on the Lake is one of the top-ranked spots in the old town on RankIt, and the name does not require further explanation. If you are doing a day trip through NOTL and want something satisfying without breaking from the waterfront mood, this is the ranked pick in the area.
Fort Erie runs along the Niagara River across from Buffalo, and Anchored on Ridge is a seafood market that also does fish and chips. The market component matters — this is a place where fish is actively moving through, not pulled from a chain distributor. It ranks among the top seafood spots in the entire Niagara region on RankIt, and the proximity to the border means the supply lines are genuinely short.
The full name is "House of Artisan Chicken Burgers and Gourmet Fish and Chips," which is where they have planted their flag. Niagara Falls has a deserved reputation for tourist-trap food along the Clifton Hill corridor, but 2 Nine Five is positioning itself differently — fish and chips as a deliberate craft product, not an afterthought on a laminated menu. It ranks among the top fish-focused spots in the city on RankIt. For broader context on how it sits in the local dining scene, see the best-overall rankings for Niagara Falls.
Port Colborne on Lake Erie is the most logical place in the entire Niagara region to eat fresh fish, and Minor Fisheries is a fish market that also operates fish and chips takeout and a sit-down restaurant. When the shop selling raw fish to the public is the same operation feeding you lunch, the supply chain is about as short as it gets. This is a staple for locals and a genuinely good reason to make the drive out to the Lake Erie shore.
Welland is the canal city at the heart of the Niagara Peninsula — a working town that does not need much dressing up on a menu. Mister Chips is straightforward: the name is the category, the focus is chips, and it ranks among the top fish and chips spots in the city. For locals in the southern Niagara region who want a reliable neighbourhood option rather than a tourist-facing experience, this is the pick.
Fish and wings is a logical pairing for a region that runs on casual comfort food. St. Catharines is the largest city in Niagara, and Niagara Fish and Wings is one of its higher-ranked fish spots on RankIt. If you are in the city looking for fish and chips without a long menu and a reservation, this is a consistent option with a tight focus.
Grimsby and the Beamsville stretch mark the Lake Ontario edge of the Niagara region — wine country on one side, waterfront on the other. Fin City is a dedicated fish and chips restaurant, which is not something every town of this size can claim. It ranks among the top fish spots in Grimsby and is the natural stop if you are driving the south shore of Lake Ontario and want something specific rather than a pub approximation.
A second Niagara Falls entry, Niagara Fish N' Burger keeps things casual and focused. Fish and burgers are the brief, the price point is accessible, and this kind of no-nonsense spot is exactly what you want when you are not in the mood for a patio reservation or a wine list. It ranks well among the quick-service fish options in the city, and it is a useful option when the Falls crowds push you away from the tourist-facing restaurants on the main strip.
Dedicated fish and chips shops in St. Catharines are less common than you might expect in a city this size. JmonkS fills that gap and ranks among the top options in town for the category on RankIt. Worth knowing if you are in the Garden City and want a specialist over a pub that happens to have fish on the menu. The fish and chips search volume for St. Catharines is among the highest in the region — there is demand, and JmonkS is one of the ranked answers to it.
The Olde Angel Inn is the kind of pub that fish and chips was designed for. One of the oldest operating inns in Ontario, it sits in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake's old town and runs a traditional British pub menu. If you are going to have fish and chips anywhere in the Niagara region and want the full context — dark wood, real ale, an unhurried pint — this is where to do it. It remains one of the consistently ranked hospitality spots in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
It varies by area. In Port Colborne, Minor Fisheries is the go-to for Lake Erie proximity and a proper fish market operation behind it. In St. Catharines, JmonkS and Niagara Fish and Wings are among the top-ranked dedicated fish spots. For Niagara Falls specifically, 2 Nine Five and Niagara Fish N' Burger are the two highest-ranking fish-focused options on RankIt.
If you are already making the trip to the old town, yes. Fritters on the Lake and The Olde Angel Inn both rank well on RankIt and between them cover the waterfront-casual and traditional-pub ends of the spectrum. The Olde Angel Inn in particular is worth visiting for the setting alone — fish and chips just makes it better.
Summer is the most active season — waterfront patios are open, the Lake Erie fishing season is running, and the region is at full operation. That said, most of the spots on this list run year-round, and an off-season visit to Port Colborne or Niagara-on-the-Lake has real appeal once the peak crowds clear out.
Community-ranked restaurants across Ontario.