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Penrose Fish & Chips
Category: Restaurants Fish & Chips Fish & Chips [Edit]
600 Mount Pleasant RdToronto, ON M4S 2M8
Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant and Davisville
(416) 483-6800
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11 am - 7 pm
Sat 11 am - 6:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Penrose Fish & Chips
12 reviews in English
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Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
3/21/2012
I've been hearing about this place for a while so a sunny day presented the opportunity to coerce a co-worker to come down with me.
VIBE
It's very "Mom and Pop" in here. As mentioned, this place has been going strong for many, many years and you can tell. I love that the decor looks like it's from the 80s --lots of posters explaining fish and a chalkboard menu of Kawartha Dairy. There are also a number of old black and white photos of Toronto on the walls.
WE ATE
We hardly looked at the menu. It's all about the Halibut and Chips. We loved that it wasn't too greasy but had enough batter and flakiness to it. The chips were plentiful and filling. With just enough salt and malt vinegar, this was a great lunch!
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
"PEN" it in on your Mount Pleasant to-do list.Listed in: Fish and Chips, Mount Plesant
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Review from Robert S.
Toronto, ON
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great little place! Had the classic haddock & chips with a side order of onion rings and everything was pretty tasty, and a great deal too - dinner for 2 came in at $30 and that's with soft drinks and the side of onion rings.
Love the decor too--classically Mom & Pop shop-type fare. Will definitely be back. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
2/19/2011 5 photos
Penrose Fish & Chips has this old fashion charm which blend right into this strip of Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood.
The deco is definitely have a 50s diner feel... those padded booth seatings..even the waitress... just like how I saw it on TV reruns! And of course the old really old lady that working the cash register too...
Haddock with Chips ($10.95)
- Deep Fried everything is oily and greasy and I totally ready for this! :)
- The Fish is flaky and fresh and I like it..
- The batter though crunchy and crispy but I personally prefer a lighter batter... I just like mine golden brown instead of dark brown..(or because it was deep fried for too long?)
- Fries are A-OK,, it was so freshly off the fryer.. they were still cooking when they were served!!
If you are in the area, definitely give Penrose Fish & Chips a try. BTW, they still wrap their takeout in newspaper!! :)
They accepts all credit cards.Listed in: A Day in Mount Pleasant…, Fish and Chips!
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Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
6/26/2011
I like to think I've visited most of Toronto's institutions, and Penrose certainly is one of them. I can't believe I've never been here before, but I guess the fact that I haven't eaten fish in 25 years might be a valid excuse. The "old lady" that many refer to is Marion, the co-founder with her husband in 1950! Her son David works there too.
I had the fries, which I found to be excellent. Cooked through and not too greasy. I was going to try the mushy peas, but they were all out. I would have had the coleslaw, but it was creamy rather than with a vinaigrette, so I passed. After I saw an order given to another customer, I realized that it wasn't drowning in mayo (which I'm always afraid of) and I should have ordered it. (In fact, another Yelper describes it as "dry", so that demonstrates the scarcity of mayo.)
They also have Boylan's vintage soda pop in glass bottles. Try the Birch Beer!
They've been in business for 61 years. That must say something! -
Review from Kasi N.
6/8/2009
Despite being a staunch supporter of Harbord Fish & Chips I decided this past weekend that I would give in and try out Penrose. I mean, it's just steps from my front door. And if Babs gets it, how can I not at least try it, right?
We decided to dine-in and walked past the counter and fryer station, which is just inside the front door. While I love Harbord for the outdoor seaside picnic table charm, this really felt like being transported to a fishing town and eating the days fresh catch surrounded by fisherman on their breaks.
Halibut & Chips will run you $9.50, with Haddock & Chips at $8.00. There are a number of good sides including (somewhat dry) coleslaw and a homemade chowder I want to try next time.
Portion sizes are actually manageable. It's definitely enough to fill you up, but unlike most other F&C places, not so much that you're going to gorge yourself and not have room for dessert (trust me, you want to leave room for dessert). The batter is perfectly consistent and quite crunchy. It's a bit heavier than I usually like, but the chips more than make up for it. They are truly hand-cut pillars of golden perfection.
Luckily for us we went on a Friday afternoon, which I now believe is the only time to come, as it is when the 80-something-young matriarch of the establishment makes homemade lemon meringue pie (dine-in only) that is to die for. She's also really on top of things; I had just so much as started to swivel my head to look for our waitress to request the bill when she seemed to appear out of nowhere and ask if we needed anything.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if only they had better hours. Closed on Sundays & Mondays, they're only open Tuesday - Friday from 11-7 and Saturday from 11-6:30. -
Review from Steph L.
5/13/2010
I was checking out a shop in the area and stumbled across plain white signage and the smell of delicious grease.
I stepped inside and I felt like I was transported back in time.
It's a small family run joint that you know has been a neighborhood favorite decades before you were born. Everyone who came in seemed to be a regular customer.
I ordered the Halibut but I wasn't quite hungry enough for a full side order of chips.
Grandma Penrose was incredibly friendly and welcomed me to the store. She wrapped my halibut with care in layers of paper, throwing in a few chips for me to try. I went to pay and noticed they didn't have a tip jar. They just waved goodbye and told me to come back another time to eat.
I ate in my car. I'm not really sure why I didn't just dine inside.
Anyways, the process of unwrapping my paper parceled halibut added some strange old-school authenticity to the whole experience.
Perfectly crispy on the outside, the fish was moist and tender. Just the right amount of fish. They put the vinegar and salt on for me and I didn't need tartar sauce, it was perfectly tasty.
The chips I had weren't super crispy. They were thick and chunky...like if you tried to make french fries at home. Fries resembled real potatoes!
I like this place because of it's simplicity. You can go to Penrose and pretend you are back in 1950... probably easier than finding a time traveling DeLorean and trying to get it to 88mph. -
Review from Stephen G.
Mississauga, ON
10/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Old school fish and chips...in the very best way. If you are a fan of the traditional style it is more than worth the trip to midtown and visit this institution. No glamour per se...but crunchy hot goodness.
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Review from Heather B.
Scarborough, ON
9/18/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Fish & Chips Mate?
I really enjoyed this place.
The fish was fresh and the just the right amount of batter.
(You know how come places have like the tiniest piece of fish and then it's all doughy batter?)
The fries were made just right. Hot and crispy.
Im assuming is a family restaurant, there is a waitress there who is like 80 years old...so sweet. The staff are friendly and the food comes quick.
I wish there was more seating, it's quite limited but it makes you feel more homey at the same time. -
Review from Nicole B.
Updated - 4/5/2010 1 photo
When Deep Blue didn't work out (didn't realize it had shut down and become Peter's Place), my cousins asked me if I knew of a "for sure" fish and chips place, it being Good Friday and all. I immediately started up the Mahz-da and headed over to Penrose.
Still love that everyone, including the little old lady, are super friendly. They got all of our orders right and I love that they wrote the name of each order on the package. We ended up driving down to Lakeshore to enjoy our fish delights and the smell all the way downtown made me want to put on the emergency lights and just eat in the middle of the road...but it was still worth the wait.Listed in: Thunderstorms? Pshaw!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/6/2009
I've been craving fish and chips for weeks now. Of course my craving has to do with memories of my… Read more »
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Review from Erwin M.
4/6/2010
I'm not really a fish & chips enthusiast and whenever I do have it it becomes a forgotten dining experience as soon I get the check but I have to admit my first attempt at Penrose may change things for me.
I got the pricier halibut simply because I figured if you want to know how good a place is, get what costs more. So halibut had to be better than that other fish. What I got was pretty thick, moist, the batter was crispy though really oily as can be expected. The fries were a tad soggy but very passable. Service was all I could ask for.
One con is that I find street parking such a hassle and unfortunately this is the only option. -
Review from Deanna W.
5/15/2009 1 photo
Penrose Fish & Chips is definitely a must-visit for any serious fish and chips fan. This tiny family run shop on Mount Pleasant has been churning out the fried stuff and doing it right for over 50 years. The family matriarch can even be seen at the front counter graciously taking orders and carefully wrapping up orders to go in newspaper.
But what draws the crowds here is the crunchy, golden batter, fresh fish and their tasty hand cut fries served with old fashioned authentic charm. I had the halibut and chips which were moist and fresh, Although yes the batter and fries were slightly greasy, but it was perfect because the beef drippings (yes beef fat!) they use for their fry lends a unique taste to their version of F&C. I'm told that the have a lovely homemade lemon meringue pie on offer on Fridays but I had already exceeded my calorie count for the day with my main, alas next time.
If you dine in, the interior dining space is lined with knick knacks such as historical toronto photographs, old menus and of course fish posters-charming additions to this comfy shop.Listed in: Gone Fishin'-Fish and Chips
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Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
9/6/2009
I'm quite particular about my fish and chips. It has to be really fresh and just the right balance of crisp and oil so I can't say I was overly impressed. The fish was a bit burnt and dry. The chips were a bit soggy. Tough to compare with the places in London so I'm not sold. Maybe Harbord might be better.
