The Codfather

Critic's Review

If you're in the mood for fish and chips, you can go to the strip and hit Gordon Ramsey's Fish and Chips. Or you can go to The Codfather.

This is a family run restaurant with the owner himself schlepping tables. They're closed on Sunday and Monday and will close early on Saturday for "Family Time". So prepare accordingly.

I got to the place at 2:15pm and there was a sign on the door that they were closing early; I had checked their facebook page in advance so I wasn't surprised by it.

The decor is UK modern; the authentic fish and chips are not just a theme; there really is a Brit behind the counter.

They have tables but I wouldn't want to eat here; better than eating in the car I suppose.

You can order either Cod or Haddock; the 2 kinds of fish traditionally used to make Fish and Chips. Some places may use pollack or even Mahi; those are the places to avoid.

The decor included a dead parrot, perhaps a play on an old (and hilarious) Monty Python routine?

There was a big group all waiting for their Fish and Chips and this apparently was gumming up the works. My order took quite a long time. Culture club and other British band music was playing on the sound system, and a kid was running back and forth through the flag bringing stuff to tables. LIke I said, a real family operation.

After 12 minutes a man came out with a garbage bag with my food.

I went straight home and it was still quite hot. These guys know how to wrap fish and chips.

Unwrapping the food revealed a nice, large piece of fish with a nice crispy batter crust. I initially thought it was a bit expensive at $14.95, but the price includes a drink, so it's really quite fairly priced.

The french fries were a bit disappointing; some were crunchy and some were soft; I prefer big "chips" (ie steak fries) with this dish. The fries were pretty uninspiring. Also of concern was that they didn't provide ketchup in the bag, and I didn't have any in the house. I only use ketchup on burgers, meatloaf and french fries, and I haven't made any of those things since I moved to Vegas.

I didn't want to eat off of the cardboard, so I plated the food and prepared to dig in.

Also appreciated was that they provide an ample portion of tartar sauce. Most restaurants give you a little thimble which can't possibly be enough for a big piece of fish. It's heavy on the pickles; a very good tartar sauce.

The fish was excellent; a good crust that stayed crispy and didn't separate from the fish. Nice meaty flakey cod. A real treat.

Conclusion

Open 2 years, the operation is still a bit clunky, but the product is very good. A refreshing old school reminder of how restaurants used to be before the bean counters at big corporations took over.