Princess Pub

Fish and chips might be my favorite bar food. Sure, I love a good burger every now and then, but come on, fish and chips is FRIED! And it’s fish, so I can convince myself that it is kind of healthy. So of course, I’ve been searching for the best fish and chips in San Diego (yes, I’m obsessed with finding the “best” wherever I go).

I had heard good things about the Princess Pub located in Little Italy, and happened to find myself standing in front of it while taking a summer stroll. So we decided that this would be the night we tried it out.

The décor is what one would expect from a faux English pub – beer signs, some neon, and lots of gold and red. Stereotypes aside, the bar was clean and had a respectable selection of beers on tap. We ordered a Boddington’s and Guinness, since these are necessary for correct consumption of fish and chips. The beers were not badly priced either, and the Guinness was poured correctly (I’m still not sure what’s “proper”, but it sure tasted good).

We were soon served the anticipated fish and chips with a salad to be healthy (ha!). The salad was a typical salad served in a bar: iceberg lettuce, some tomatoes, a few cucumbers, and red cabbage. Nothing to write home about, but it was what I expected.

The fish and chips was quite good, with a nice crusty batter on the fish, and a good flavor. Served with a mound of handcut fries, and cole slaw (I did not taste this – I hate slaw), it was one of the better fish and chips I’ve had on the West Coast. However, the portion size of the fish was a bit lacking, particularly considering the price. One large piece of fish is not the typical offering, but with the same trend happening at other pubs, like Shakespeare’s I worry that the plates will indeed become smaller.

All in all, I’d certainly return when I hanker some fried fish goodness. So far, this place has the best fish and chips that I’ve had on the West Coast, but I think to get the real deal, I’ll have to head East, like 3000 miles East!