I’m always curious about the small seafood spots that look simple from outside, because a plate of fried fish and a side of hushpuppies can make an ordinary New Jersey lunch much more memorable than expected. A seafood market with a little eating area or a plain counter-service shop is often where I’d start looking when hunger matters more than fancy surroundings, especially when the goal is a meal that keeps spending in check.
The nine places below offer fried seafood and hushpuppies, but their prices vary, so a quick sandwich or side order deserves a different budget from a full seafood dinner. Along the way, you’ll find Southern-style sides, fish-and-chips shops, and market counters, with practical details to help you choose the right stop before leaving home.
1. Jody & Jodee’s Fishery, Neptune City, NJ
A seafood market with a small eatery gives you two ways to solve the dinner question. At this family-owned stop on Route 35, you can shop for fresh, locally sourced seafood or choose a prepared meal instead.
Fried fish platters and hushpuppies make it a natural starting point for this list. Clams are another option, while the market side offers a useful alternative when you would rather cook at home than carry dinner away.
I like the practical appeal here: seafood shopping and a ready-to-eat meal share one address. The setting stays focused on the food rather than a long restaurant experience, which suits a straightforward lunch plan.
Find it at 223 NJ-35, with both a free parking lot and free street parking available. Listed hours run daily from 9 a.m., closing at 6 p.m. most days and 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday; delivery is not offered.
2. The Chippery Elizabeth, Elizabeth, NJ
Onion rings, coconut shrimp, and fried sweets give this little fish-and-chips stop a playful streak. The main attraction remains fried fish, with hushpuppies ready to round out an order without turning lunch into a formal occasion.
The listed spending range is $10 to $20 per person, making Elizabeth one of the clearer budget picks here. Fish with large chipps, fried calamari, and shrimp dishes offer several directions, while shredded cabbage coleslaw supplies a different kind of side.
Save room only if you want to: funnel cake and fried Twix are among the dessert choices. Counter service, takeout, delivery, and outdoor seating make the small shop useful for several kinds of meal plans.
A practical heads-up matters at 929 Westfield Avenue: there is no restroom. Free lot and street parking are available, and the shop stays open until 10 p.m. daily, with a later noon opening on Sundays.
3. The Chippery Union, Union, NJ
A Route 22 food stop gets more interesting when cod, hushpuppies, and house-made sauces enter the picture. The Union branch keeps its focus on fresh fried seafood, including shrimp and calamari alongside the fish.
Slightly sweet hushpuppies offer a change from another helping of chips. Coleslaw, onion rings, and Honolulu sauce add other choices, so you can put together a meal around the seafood you actually want rather than ordering by habit.
Budget expectations are fairly straightforward: the listed range is $10 to $20 per person. Counter service and takeout suit a quick stop, while dine-in and delivery give you alternatives when your schedule allows.
Parking is a useful advantage at 2698 US-22, with free lot and street options and generally ample spaces. Unlike the Elizabeth location, this branch has a restroom; it opens at 11 a.m. daily and stays open until 11 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday.
4. Barbera Seafood, Atlantic City, NJ
A few blocks back from the Boardwalk, a window counter offers a different Atlantic City lunch plan. Barbera combines a no-frills seafood market with fresh fish sandwiches and fried seafood platters.
Hushpuppies can join an order as a side, while shrimp, scallops, and a crab cake sandwich widen the choices. Old Bay-seasoned shrimp are another supported offering, giving this market more range than a single fish-and-fries combination.
The appeal is its straightforward setup: choose seafood, settle on a sandwich or platter, and keep the outing centered on lunch. Inexpensive platters are part of its draw, though a specific current menu price is not provided.
Plan this stop for earlier in the day rather than a late dinner. At 2243 Arctic Avenue, listed hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Saturday, with Sunday closed; there is no restroom or delivery, and parking includes free and paid lots.
5. Crockett’s Fish Fry, Montclair, NJ
Southern-style sides can turn a fish order into a much fuller meal. Crockett’s pairs fried seafood with macaroni and cheese, collard greens, yams, and potato salad in a simple, down-home setting.
Whiting, catfish, flounder, jumbo shrimp, and clam strips give the menu plenty of seafood variety. Hushpuppies belong in that mix, especially if your idea of a fish fry includes more than fish and potatoes.
With more than 35 years behind it, the restaurant brings an established neighborhood presence to the list. Generous portions help explain its value appeal, but the listed $20 to $30 spending range makes it a higher-budget choice than the least expensive stops.
Leave a little flexibility for your arrival at 162 Bloomfield Avenue. A wait is possible, and street parking can take some searching; dine-in and takeout are available, while peach cobbler and sweet potato pie offer reasons to consider dessert before finishing your order.
6. John’s Seafood, Paulsboro, NJ
Fried flounder and steamed broccoli make a useful pairing when you want seafood without every side coming from the fryer. John’s offers that flexibility within a long-running, low-key place serving platters, sandwiches, wings, and sides.
Crab cakes, shrimp bisque, and macaroni and cheese give the menu its own direction. Hushpuppies work as a side or part of a platter, so a smaller order can still cover the craving that brought you here.
The listed spending range stretches from $10 to $40 per person. That is a good reminder to compare individual choices rather than assume every seafood meal costs the same; the simpler orders and larger platters serve different appetites.
Tuesday is the day to avoid when planning a visit to 529 West Broad Street. Otherwise, dine-in and takeout are available, and free lot and street parking generally provide plenty of room; reservations and delivery are not offered.
7. Roy’s Fish Fry, Newark, NJ
A whiting sandwich gives you a different starting point from the usual seafood platter. Roy’s builds its menu around fried fish and traditional soul food sides, with catfish nuggets offering another option.
Hushpuppies, potato salad, string beans, and macaroni and cheese let you shape the meal around your appetite. Collard greens, coleslaw, and fries add familiar choices, while banana pudding and sweet potato pie handle the dessert question.
Portions are generous, but the listed $20 to $30 range deserves an honest place in your budget. I would compare a sandwich order with a larger meal before choosing, rather than treating every item as an equally inexpensive lunch.
Counter service keeps the setup casual at 830 South Orange Avenue. Delivery, dine-in, and takeout are available, with free street parking generally accessible; there is no restroom, and listed closing time is 8 p.m. except Friday, when service continues until 9 p.m.
8. The Chippery Jersey City, Jersey City, NJ
Late-afternoon cravings have a home at this Broadway fish-and-chips shop. The Jersey City branch opens at 3 p.m.
Tuesday through Sunday and continues until 11 p.m., making it a dinner choice rather than an early lunch stop.
British-style fish and chips anchor the offerings, joined by shrimp, calamari, wings, and clam strips. Hushpuppies are explicitly on the menu, and fried Twix supplies a sweet finish for anyone who wants to keep the fried-food theme going.
Here is the budget distinction to keep in mind: its listed range is $30 to $50 per person. That is notably higher than the Elizabeth and Union branches, so check the current menu before expecting the same total from all three locations.
At 156 Broadway, on-site parking is available and generally plentiful. Dine-in, outdoor seating, takeout, and delivery provide several ways to order; Monday is the closed day to remember when making plans.
9. Jack’s Seafood Boil, Pleasantville, NJ
Not everyone at the table has to choose the same kind of seafood meal. Jack’s brings bag-style seafood boils, fried baskets, and seafood fried rice together, making it the broadest departure from a traditional fish shack here.
Flounder fish and chips keeps the headline’s fried-fish promise in view. Hushpuppies, fried scallops, calamari, and crab cake bites provide other choices, while boil combinations bring corn and potatoes into the meal.
The listed $20 to $60 range spans very different orders, so this is not automatically a bargain dinner. Choose a fried dish or compare combinations carefully if keeping the bill down matters more than ordering a larger seafood spread.
Families get useful extras at 630 Black Horse Pike, including high chairs and a kids’ menu. Table service, reservations, takeout, and delivery are available, with free parking options; across this list, matching the order to your appetite is the clearest way to protect your budget.
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