Tugboat Fish and Chips: Exceptional Seafood Experience in San Jose

This is a hole in a wall in the shopping plaza. And yet, the quality of their fish was superb, the batter was light and so crispy. The portion was also generous. The fries were ok they were not heavy salted and that's fine. I would highly recommend this place for its great quality and price of the food!

As long as you nail the crispy light batter and juicy/not fishy smelling seafood fry, you deserve a 5 star review in my books! It's not easy to find perfect fish and chips, and it's even more difficult to find a place as affordable as Tugboat Fish and Chips! For $41 dollars, we were able to get 8 fried shrimps, 4 lightly battered pollock fillets, a ginormous basket of beautifully cut and fried fries, and a bountiful side of calamari! Seriously, that's a steal!! I placed my order for 12:00pm-12:30pm since that was the only timeframe available for pick up (they open at 11:30am), but I was able to ask the lady upfront to make my order asap! It's also crazy that within 5 minutes of opening, they had a flock of folks scrambling in for their fried foods! Everything was perfectly fried and not fishy, as mentioned previously!! The fish was juicy, the shrimps were crisp and crunchy, and the calamari had a nice chew, along with the huge pile of fries! I seriously think their large fries combo is 1000% worth every dollar. You could definitely feed 4 people with that fry amount, lol. In any case, this place is a no frills and all good eats kind of establishment. If you're looking for an affordable place to get mouthwatering fish and chips, please check out Tugboat! Will be back again the next time I want a fish and chips fix! The only thing that would've been nice is if they salted their items, but it might be to avoid over salting their food and allowing patrons to salt the foods themselves!

I cannot believe this is my first time here. Everything was amazing!! It is a small mom and pop shop, with a couple of tables inside and two small tables outside. We ordered the sampler and chips (1 piece of fish, 2 pieces of prawns, 2 pieces of oyster and 2 pieces of scallops), the fish and chips, and an order of calamari. The batter for the fish is super crispy and the pieces of fish are huge!! My only complaint was probably the fries, I wish it was a bit more crispy. Service was great, the food came out quick and piping hot. I will definitely come back, maybe even next week!

I've heard the line gets long here but fortunately for me it was not busy! I ordered the shrimp and fish and chips. I was pleasantly surprised beside it was not oily like other places and the batter on the fish and shrimp was not too thick, the flavor had still come through. I especially like dipping them in the malt vinegar! This is def a no frills spot. No bells, no whistle. Too small to have a large party so it's more for either take out or a couple. I wish they did have ac but maybe it wasn't working that day ??? I will go back to try other items. Oh, the best part? It was super affordable!!

Fish and chips have to be one of my favorite foods. if it's on the menu, then I'm definitely going to get it. I've tried fish and chips variations all over the country, but it's always nice to have a local spot. The menu has a lot of options and it was so hard just to choose one thing. The staff were super friendly and patient as I was deciding what to get. There are tables inside and outside of the store, we opted to sit outside. I love the size of the fish and chips, always a great place when the quantity of food is very filling. I really enjoyed the French fries and the fried zucchini. There was so much food that I had leftovers for the next day and it was still great.

Tugboat is located in the same plaza as Chavez Supermarket and Dick's Sporting Goods off Blossom Hill Road. I've been there twice now, once for dining in and another for togo. Walking in, you get nice waft of oily fried goodness. The kind that will permeate your hair and clothes if you stick around for too long. The restaurant is small, about 4 two person tables and 3 four person tables, with 2 outdoor tables. They had a lot of turn around during the times I was there. You order and pay at the cashier, then they give you a number. If you dine in, you just seat yourself and get your own drinks from the soda machine. When I ordered togo, I just waited outside because I didn't want to smell like fry oil. My food came out quickly and the cashier girl was nice enough to bring it to me outside. Dining in, I still chose to sit outside. LOL. So far I've tried.. 1 PIECE FISH & CHIPS $7.75 -instead of one long piece of fried fish, I got two separate medium & small ones. I liked the fried batter, the fish was juicy and had flavor. I enjoyed dipping them into the tartar sauce mixed with malt vinegar. Fries were meh..they came out hot but the texture was so dry and dense. No salt seasoning on them either. They fry them from frozen, so not fresh. I ate only a few of the small crispy ones and tossed the rest. 3.5/5* ZUCCHINI $5.45 -zucchini was yummy, crunchy on the outside and the zucchini slice was still moist. I think they use the same batter as the fish. Came with ranch sauce. 4/5* HUSH PUPPIES $3.45 (6) -these were small, super crispy but dense. Came with ranch sauce. 3.5/5* ONION RINGS $5.75 -got this togo. I think they use the same batter as the fish too. They're freshly dipped so the onions still had a crispy veggie bite and sweetness to them. They were light and airy and stayed crispy even after cooling down. I appreciate a freshly dipped onion ring but it was a bit plain and under seasoned. Dipped them in some ranch! 3.5/5* FISH (1 PIECE) $4.95 -got thjs togo. This is considered a side. Crispy batter with a moist piece of fish. They gave me 1 medium piece of fish and a smaller piece about 1/3 of the size. It stayed crispy even after cooling down. 4/5* Overall Tugboat satisfies my fried food cravings! I have a need to get some fried food togo from there whenever my husband wants to go to Dick's.

This little restaurant has a long line on a Friday night. You order at the front desk and then go get your meal. There are not many tables, so many people order togo . The fish fillet is outside light crispy inside tender , you can tell fish is fresh ! Dipping with tartar sauce are so good ! Overall : Good : Fish , oysters, zucchini Skip : popcorn shrimp (dried )

This is prob my fav South Bay hole in the wall for fish and chips. I was back in town for work. I got a quick dinner solo. The tarter sauce is my favorite. It's a game changer and makes the fish and chips extra special. I'm already craving it again. Lol I hope they stay in business forever. Definitely a treat when I'm visiting. The dude that cooked my food is cool. He's been here at least ~5 years. Consistently puts out crispy lightly battered fish. I appreciate him!

For what it is, it's okay. Parking is amazing in this plaza. The batter was crispy but no flavor to it, just excess oil. The fish isn't fresh and lacks a bit of flavor. Fries could be a bit crispier, but the star of the show had to be the fried oysters and popcorn shrimp. Every bite was fantastic and not too overly oily.

One word to describe this place...crispy!?! We came to the shopping center and the first sign we see is Fish & chips. So straightforward and it peaked our interest! We were greeted with a the smell of fried food. I love the decorations and the cute animals statues. The cashier was very nice and she had also cleaned a table outside when she saw us walk that way. There was so much food, we hadn't realized it was going to be that much! I think the fish was cooked really well, it was fresh and fried to a beautiful crispy goodness. I do think the chicken strips and fries were a bit over fried so it had a rubbery consistency. The fried zucchini was amazing, just thin and crispy. I loved all of the tartar sauce, it was perfect on everything. Will definitely be back when we're in the mood for fried fish!