We were told — no, instructed — to drive 40 minutes south of Cork to Kinsale, the official gourmet capital of Ireland. A message from Neil on Instagram said we had to try Dino’s Fish & Chips, a spot with thousands of glowing Google reviews and a reputation for the freshest West Cork fish.
So, in true Food Review Club fashion, we made the trip… rain, puddles, and all. 🌧️🐟
But what we found wasn’t quite what we expected. The fish comes in fresh daily — but they batter it in the morning, freeze it, and then cook it to order. The result? A thick, cakey batter that left us questioning how something so well-loved could taste so off. Soft, oily, and overpowering — with barely any fish flavour left to enjoy.
The chips were decent, the curry sauce was sweet but flat, and the overall experience… well, it didn’t live up to Kinsale’s gourmet reputation.
Still, we keep it honest — good or bad. Next up, we’ll be heading to Fishy Fishy, another Kinsale institution. Let’s hope that one redeems the trip.
📍 Dino’s Fish & Chips, Kinsale, Ireland
💬 What do you think — am I being too harsh, or fair? Let us know in the comments below.
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Fish and chips in Dublin used to be great – in the 1970's and 1980's- we'd lots of Italian family run businesses and the arguments were all smoked v fresh or who had the best batter. You'd fish like Ray and Plaice as well as cod. I suspect that a lot of "Cod" or Fish in fish and chips is actually pollock nowadays, or even whiting. There was a place in Galway city that would offer salmon and shark, and grilled without batter if you wanted.
Then fast food like burgers and pizza and Chinese came in and took over and it's been downhill ever since. The EU has limited our fish quota and most of the decent fish caught in Ireland goes staight to Europe. The variety of potatoes for chips has changed as does what they get fried in… real fish and chips are hard to find, and are not cheap. Can't remember the last time I had fish and chips where the chips weren't undercooked and the batter thick oily and soggy
Irish take away now is more pizza, thai or kebab… or in Dublin there are some really good Indian and Asian fusion places. You might be better off getting a beef burger and chips or a spice bag nowadays.
The food looks as miserable as the weather !
No good food anymore this restaurant was great many years ago not anymore Luigi’s Limerick city or Quinlans Tralee co Kerry
Now thats a real review
That fish is what u get on 9 out of 10 Irish chippies. All pre cooked cake battered rubbish that is oil soaked.
About 1 in 10 places do good take away fish but hard to find.
Most restaurants can do a good fish and chips for reasonable price.
Lived in Dublin for years and 90% of the local fish and chip shops sold frozen battered fish, hated it… I never knew how normal this was in Ireland but so it is
Has to be battered just minutes not hours before cooking
How do they get the batter on the fish without cooking it? Is it just dipped into the fryer?
It's only 1 fishing port with a big mouth… There's at least a dozen
Haah they don’t hire the right staff simple as