Crown Street Fish Shop - Surry Hills

I read the reviews and was a little hesitant but for $1 oysters, I'll try anything and I'm glad I did.

Decided to have lunch here in leafy ol' Crown Street and I have to say I left feeling robbed ! $16 for a portion of fish and chips and with no salad to boot

How is this place still open? It's a clear rip off of Fish Shop in Potts Point, but that's where the similarities end.

We've been here loads of times in the past. This was our second visit since they've divided the premises to add a totally different sit down restaurant. As a result the fish shop occupies a much smaller space. They appear to be more focused on home delivery and take away than on eat in customers. Meals are now served predominantly in disposable containers. The seating is now high tables only, crammed together. Service is generally inattentive; we had to wait at the counter for attention and had to ask for cutlery and napkins.Several items from what is now a significantly reduced menu were not available, including ones written on the wall (which could therefore have been removed).The food remains great, but we are no longer impressed by the venue as somewhere to eat.

The Monday night oyster special is a fairly callous scam just to get you in the door - don't be fooled like we were, the oysters run out after about 11 minutes. After that, the food options are overpriced and, frankly, of below average quality. The Lobster Roll, for example, costs $18.00 and tastes like it comes out of a can, plus it is only small in size. There is a side of chips included (at least they were hot and fresh), but that is a basic achievement, at best.To top it all off, one is expected to pay slightly less than 2% to use any credit card (including a debit card!). Evidently that is a little cheeky, if not downright disrespectful of customers. Needless to say, Amex is not welcomed. One wonders whether there is an over-enthusiastic appetite to keep this business 'cash only' for somewhat obvious reasons...Overall, this is a business to be avoided. There are just too many good eateries in the vicinity to subject yourself to this place. The decor is kind of nice for a seafood themed place, so you could check that out as you walk on by to somewhere good!