Bowpicker Fish & Chips

Fantastic food. Really amazing. Fried to perfection. Cannot say enough about how good this is. The line is long but that speaks to how great this place is.

The best fish & chips in all the land, super nice folks behind the counter. all around amazing experience. definitely must eat here when visiting the pacific northwest

I don’t know if the fish is really that good or we just got really, really hungry by the time we received our food. What I know is, the time management of the staff is clearly lacking. They take your order and then make it. Then the next person orders and they take their sweet time preparing it. To maximize the efficiency of the staff, it should be a line production. I think they do it on purpose to get the hype up. Not worth the long wait, in my opinion.

Do it! The line is long, but the wait isn’t that bad. Best fish and chips I’ve ever had!
It’s super cheap too!

Epic fish, I love this tuna. Always a first choice on my menu. When I want some fresh tuna Bow picker is where I go for the freshest tuna on the block.

Really good and worth the wait. The pieces are smaller than normal fish and chips but they are tuna so way heartier. A half order would have been plenty for me. I wish the fries were better though. They had the boxes out and they are the cheapo fries from Cash and Carry.

Literally the BEST fish n’ chips you can get anywhere. We are fish and chips snobs and Bowpickers takes the cake hands down! We drive all the way from Vancouver just to come here. The lines are usually long, but the 30min wait in line is well worth it!

Yes, the line was long. Yes, it was totally worth it for the best fish and chips ever.
If you are looking for the best fish and chips in the NW, this is your stop. Thats the only thing they sell and they do it very well.
Cash only, hopefully you get there before they run out of fish.

This place is really easy to spot. It’s a boat parked on the sidewalk of a side street in town. Talk about an interesting food delivery system.
As the name indicates, this place specializes in fish and chips. Unlike other places I’ve been to, the fish they give you here is very thick. I usually get annoyed when places give me a fried piece of fish that feels thinner than a McDonald’s chicken nugget, so this place was very greatly appreciated. The tarter sauce is really amazing too. Eat your fries with the ketchup and save the tarter sauce for the fish.
The line goes down on side of the street, and on the other side is some very limited seating on picnic tables. Given the number of people who are here and take up the seats, it’s easier to just eat your food in your car.
If you ever pass through Astoria for any reason, don’t bother looking for a brick and mortar restaurant for a bite to eat. This boat is the only place you need in town.

Came on Memorial Day Sunday. Even though Unilocal said it was closed — I think that is based off winter hours though. Line was supposedly shorter than usual. Took an hour from the moment I walked up to the line to when I sat down with my food. Luckily it was a beautiful day.
The food was DELICIOUS. The fried part was not over greasy — I usually hate fried food and how it makes me feel after — but this was not the case. Fries were perfect, too. People in the line were nice so that helped — and skatepark right across the street provided some entertainment.
Service super friendly. Your meal is prepared when you order it. VERY FRESH. Hot right out of the fryer.

This was BOMB fish and chips. We are still dreaming about the lightly battered, flavorful, fresh fish! There isn’t really seating so we are in our car but it was so good we didn’t care! They only take cash but luckily we happened to have some on us. If the line wasn’t so long (always a good sign) we would have gotten seconds! We will be back!

Since my wife and I have been married, we’ve decided that one of our missions in life is to find the very best fish and chips available in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve tried everything restaurants big and small, taverns, drive-​ins, you name it. But we think we just had the very best fish and chips we’ve ever tasted at Bowpicker fish and chips in Astoria, Oregon.
And judging from the line behind us, most people agree! The shop is in a vintage fishing boat called a Bowpicker. You can read about them in line.
The fish, not sure if it’s cod or halibut [EDIT: Albacore tuna!], is firm, flavorful and succulent without being watery. The breading is thin, crispy and not at all greasy. There was no «pond of grease» on the bottom of our baskets like we normally have. The fries, while simply the frozen steakhouse variety were equally crisp and non-​greasy. The tartar sauce was flavorful without overpowering the fish.
The menu is extremely simple. Full order of 5 pieces for 11.00 or the 3 piece for 9.00. A side of fries is 3.00, drinks (water or soda) I a buck. There, the first time in my life I’ve EVER memorized an entire menu!
This is Oregon, so no tax, but bring cash: no cards are accepted. We’re definitely coming back next time we drive through! Well done, Bowpicker!

Let me start by saying I’m not a big tuna fan. Having grown up on ‘tuna from a can’ for dinner many times, it’s pretty much tainted any and all desire to touch the stuff. The Bowpicker has changed that! Yea, sure, anything fried could cause you to say that, but the batter is PERFECTION, just the right amount for the flaky fish it enrobes. The French fries, though probably from a bag of frozen goodies, picks up enough of a twang from the fish that when doused with a bit of Malt vinegar & salt (holla New England style!!), are a potato-​y, slightly albacore tasting goodness. Heck… Even my almost-​6-​year old about cried when we finished our order (tip: get the full order. You won’t regret it if you do. You will if you don’t)… I can’t wish to go back!!!

DELICIOUS! I’m always on the hunt for some good fish and chips. I was driving up to Astoria to see the Goonies house and was hungry after driving up from Cannon Beach. I didn’t expect the store to be inside a little docked boat.
The menu was simple, you either order full or half an order of fish and chips. I had to get the full order, since I came out so far and was hungry! I heard the lines here could be very long but I got lucky, there were only a few people in front, so it was pretty short. The wait was probably less than 10 minutes. It might have been the rain that scared people away but I did see the pictures on Unilocal with the super long lines.
The fish was cooked in small strips using a different type of fish. I know it’s not cod as it was thicker and not flaky. I’ve had fish and chips where they give you a huge slab of fish. There was good flavor in the fish and the texture of the batter was crispy.
I would go back if I could to get some more.

Came on a Thursday afternoon only 2 people ahead of me. Service was fast. I am not sure about the fish and chips. I thought it was ok, thick cut fries and thickly battered fried fish. I have had better fish and chips. Perhaps it’s good when you are in town and plan to enjoy the view across the street at the Columbia Marine Museum area while eating fish and chips paired with some classic vanilla ice cream near this shop.

Loved, loved, the food truck for fish in chips in a boat. The line wasn’t too long and the ladies were friendly and overall I loved the concept. My only feedback is that I wish the fish had been less firm and more flaky and that I thought for $ 11 a few more chips would have been good. The fish is most likely a preference issue as the taste was delicious. Overall a fun place to get fish and chips when in Astoria!

Order a full order, it was fantastic. My wife hates fish but she tried it and said it was good.
We went in the off season waited 20 minutes and it was worth it.
Take cash

Have been here multiple times since my first review, and Bowpicker’s retains its status as the best fried fish in the land. Again, the only con is the long lines. But it’s SO worth it. I always get the whole order which comes with 5 pieces of fish plus fries. The half order comes with 3 pieces of fish, which just isn’t enough to satisfy my cravings. I will definitely be back!

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed Bowpicker! I guess I’ve raved about my experience to so many people that it felt like I had written a review!
Once I found them, I was relieved that I was early enough that the line wasn’t «too» long. I enjoyed chatting with the other folks waiting with me. I ordered the full ten piece, and even that was served up pretty fast. There is a table with all sorts of sauces and seasonings so that you can customize your meal.
I took my order back to my car, and dug in. WOW! Super crispy batter covered the amazingly fresh and tender albacore! The fries were fresh and crispy as well! Absolutely delicious!
I finished about half of the order, and had to get over to the Flavel House. So, I parked there, and left the remaining fish and chips, expecting a true degradation in quality when I returned (which would have been my fault, of course). After an hour in the house, I returned to my car and the remaining fish and chips. The fries were a little worse for wear, but the batter on the fish WAS STILL CRISPY! I couldn’t believe it!
Kudos to Bowpicker for delivering a first-​rate, top-​notch fish and chips experience! The best I’ve had in Oregon!

I spend a lot of time in Astoria and have always wanted to try The Bowpicker but always find myself going elsewhere for my fish and chip fix due to the ridiculously long line at this place. I know that sounds ridiculous long lines=obviously delicious.
Well, one particular ridiculously rainy day I drove be and saw no line and knew that was the day.
The fish is tuna which I also always thought sounded weird. I’m absolutely goofy for halibut, but had never had tuna fish and chips before.
Bottom line… Incredible. Their breading is ridiculous. The fish is succulent. The fries are awesome, and the tarter sauce is tasty!
Next time I’m in town I’ll know the lines are legit and it’s totally worth it.