Vacation and By The Beach Restaurant Review – St. John’s, Newfoundland

From a much needed R&R, my wife and I spent over a week away with friends and family. It has almost been 2 ½ years since my last visit to the East Coast, the place in which I still call home. Our short visit to St. John’s was well worth cashing in the 50,000 Aeroplan points. Within the two nights we were there, we enjoyed every minute of my mom’s home cooking. Of course there is never a trip that doesn’t include dining out. Before we knew it, three days had zoomed by and we were on the plane again to continue our trip in Boston.

Fish & Chips

While I have sampled many styles of fish n’ chips throughout my lifetime, there is nothing that compares to what is offered at home. One big difference that the locals will tell you is the quality of fish far exceeds what most fish n’ chips places will offer. Being surrounded by water, accessibility to fresh fish is tremendous.

A longtime favorite of mine since childhood has been Ches’s Fish & Chips which started in 1951 by Ches and his wife Betty. Today, the popular family restaurant has five locations and continues to grow. Although it still remains a family restaurant even with both Ches and Betty retired, things have changed.

According to several locals, the menu has expanded to burgers, salads and lasagna. The shift in the menu has resulted in a change to their quality of fish which some feel it has suffered. So this was the first time I ever returned home without eating at Ches’s Fish & Chips. The tradition was broken. Perhaps I should have had one last meal at Ches’s for good old times, but did I really want to have my last Ches’s experience to be a bad memory? I refused to leave the East Coast without having found a fish and chips replacement.

By-The-Beach Restaurant

I was in luck and my parents passed on the good news that there was a better fish n’ chips place located in St. Phillips, a small fishing community outside of St. John’s. It took about 15-20 minutes to drive to the restaurant called By-The-Beach Restaurant. Hence the name, the restaurant is next to the beach. The restaurant would be best described as a cottage or small house converted into a restaurant. There were about 20 seats along the outside deck and another 30-40 seats inside. The line of waiting customers spanned beyond the entrance way leaving other customers waiting eagerly along the outside steps.

The line was a clear indicator that the food or at least something about the restaurant must be worth the wait. The estimated time for the next table was 25-30 minutes. We decided to wait. My mother told us to wait outside while she would line up and place the order. This was a bit strange as I wasn’t sure what my mother was actually doing. What was different about this particular restaurant was the system of getting a table.

Getting a Table

So the first step of getting a table is placing your order. If you are going with a large group of people, I recommend having one designated person to place the entire order and paying first. You will quickly realize how tight the inside of the restaurant really is since little room is left for anyone to pass through. You don’t to need to worry about memorizing various orders since the menu is straightforward and focuses on fish and chips. Two pieces of fish and a plate of fries is sufficient for most locals and maybe even too much.

Warning #1: The portions are huge mostly due to the enormous amount of fries easily made for two, but for the happy locals it’s just the right amount. However, if you want to save some money and prevent wasting any food, one order of fish and chips will do between two people. You can always order extra pieces of fish on its own.

Of course, I only realized how large the portions were once I received the food. My mother thought since I was such as big eater I would have no difficulty in finishing it. It was more of struggle if you want to know. So once my mother placed the orders she was given a card number that acted as our table and order number. From that point on, it was a long exhausting wait that lasted for one hour before our number was called and we were finally seated. Strangely the system of ordering and actually getting a table is confusing. The whole process of waiting in line to place your order only allows you to enter another waiting line for the actual table. So it may take you up to 15 minutes to place your order and from that point it depends how busy the restaurant is to get a table. I couldn’t believe we actually waited for one hour until we were seated.

Warning #2: You may want to bring some mosquito repellent, a cap and look for shelter while you wait. Swarming mosquitoes will be on guard ready to attack.

Finally Seated

So you may wonder how they coordinate the food once you have been seated. We paid an hour ago. I found out everything is made-to-order. As much as this was good news to my ears, the wait was not. Fifteen minutes passed with no sign of food. At the least our onion rings should have been served. I was slowly growing impatient and began to critic every aspect of the restaurant on the changes I would make. Finally 30 minutes passed and the food arrived.

Warning #3: Make sure you don’t have any scheduled plans as you may have the longest lunch or dinner of all time. You may even want to bring a snack just in case.

The Verdict

Food: There is one thing that By-The-Beach definitely knows how to do right and that is to cook fish. In comparison to a traditional beer batter, By-The-Beach coats each piece of fresh cod in a thin light crispy flour batter. The melt in your mouth batter instantly reminded me of perfectly cooked Japanese tempura. I quickly stuffed myself with two pieces of fish and yet I was craving for more. There were plenty of fries but I wanted more fish. I then knew why people were willing to wait. Indeed By-The-Beach Restaurant offers one of the best fish and chips you can find.

Service: The service is lacking in several areas with clear problems in communication. A missing order of onion rings required three reminders from two different staff members. Service recovery was poor. No refund was given to the paid onion rings which were never delivered. A lack of regard to proper procedures create unnecessary wait times and confusion. Seating and orders can take up to 1 ½ hours.

Atmosphere: The small cottage like design is crowded. Tables and chairs are tightly clustered together creating a challenge for both staff and patrons to maneuver. Due to poor ventilation, the room can be hot and stuffy.

Price: Affordable, but slightly higher than other fish n’ chip restaurants in town. Average check per person $12 including tax and tip (includes non-alcoholic beverage).

By-The-Beach Restaurant is uniquely located near the beach which provides an excellent view of Conception Bay. You may spot the occasional Blue whale and iceberg or you can enjoy a beautiful sunset while dining. Besides a much needed improvement in service, the fish is exceptional and worth a try. You can count on my word, you will crave for more.

By-The-Beach Restaurant and Take Out, St. Phillips, NL, 709-895-8800 (not affiliated)

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