Spud Fish & Chips
I have always thought of Spud’s as a Seattle institution and was pleased to see that it was started in 1935 by two brothers from Vancouver, BC, who felt that England’s tradition of fish and chips would do well here if located by water. Their locations are near bodies of water: Green Lake, Alki (the first humble garage like structure), Edmonds, Juanita and Kirkland. We visited the Green Lake outlet as we had to pick up the ashes of our last dog at the Green Lake Animal Hospital, a sad occasion that needed a spiritual uplift.
It’s small with not that many tables; I suspect much of their business is take-out (but unlike England, it is not wrapped in newspaper). The order counter is long, and the orders are brought to your table if you are staying. Each item is separately priced; we both ordered the single (8.65) which is a generous piece of wild Alaskan cod resting on a small bed of fries (small is their word for it; I felt it was as many fries as one person should ever try to eat.) The tartar sauce is extra (25 cents) as are other sides like fried onion rings, deep fried mushrooms and parmesan zucchini. Jim ordered a chocolate milkshake (3.19 for the small) and I stayed with water (free).
We both agreed that the fish was wonderful, though the fries were limp, and the tartar sauce needed some zing. It was not until I looked at the online menu that I realized you could order other sauces like Honey-mustard and Garlic Aioli. I also saw a root beer float on the online menu which would have transported me back to high school days at the local café with Elvis Presley crooning Blue Suede Shoes from the juke box. (This is another thing that separates the “older” person from the Generation Y; my grandkids marvel at juke boxes as though they were some artifact of a bygone civilization resurrected from a cave.)
Would I go again? Yes! One can order the fish only and I might try the zucchini and a zingier sauce…garlic aioli sounds good. The best fries I have had near Leschi were at Café Flora; they are yam fries cut very thin so are crispy and the sauce is a cayenne aioli. The fries are served in a little bucket and I have never once thought of how there might be too many for me to eat!
Other Spud locations like Alki, Edmonds, etc. may be found online with address and hours.
Spud Fish & Chips
6860 Green Lake Way N, 206-524-0565
Closed Monday; Tues–Sun 11am–8pm; Fri and Sat: 11am–9pm
~Diane Snell