Wavy Boy Smith spent one video putting four Harlem seafood spots through the same test — crispiness, batter, fries, and house sauce — to crown the best fried fish in NYC. Harlem took the title. Here’s what to know about each contender if you want to run your own taste test, plus a bit of history on why fried fish carries so much weight in Black food culture in the first place.
Why fried fish runs this deep
Fried fish’s place in Black American food culture goes back to enslavement, when plantation work slowed by Saturday afternoon and enslaved people used the remaining daylight to fish and cook their catch together as a community meal. After emancipation, as the Great Migration carried millions of Black Southerners into cities like New York, that Saturday gathering shifted to Friday nights — partly because Catholic immigrant communities’ Friday fish customs had already made seafood more available and affordable on that day of the week. The result is a tradition that’s less about the fish itself and more about the gathering around it, which is exactly the energy a proper Harlem fish and chips crawl is tapping into.
The 4 contenders
1. Make My Fish — 120 W 116th St
Open Tuesday through Saturday (closed Sundays and Mondays), with hours running 11:30 AM–8 or 9 PM depending on the day. It’s a smaller, order-and-wait spot that’s built a strong neighborhood following — catfish and whiting are the standouts diners mention most. Two practical notes if you’re headed over: it’s cash-only, and there’s no chicken on the menu on Fridays. 📞 (917) 388-3138
2. Famous Fish Market — 684 St Nicholas Ave
Open daily except Sunday, with the longest hours of the four on Fridays and Saturdays (until 11 PM). It’s a counter-service, no-seating setup where the fried fish sandwich and shrimp have built a citywide reputation — it’s popped up in food coverage well beyond Harlem. Expect a line, especially on weekends. 📞 (212) 491-8323
3. Devin’s Fish & Chips — 747 St Nicholas Ave
Open seven days a week, with late hours on Fridays and Saturdays (until 11:30 PM). It’s the most straightforwardly “fish and chips” of the four, leaning into a British-style fried fish format alongside classic sides. 📞 (212) 491-5518
4. A Taste of Seafood — 2530 Frederick Douglass Blvd
Open Tuesday through Sunday, with unusually late hours — open into the early morning most nights. Combo plates pairing fish or shrimp with mac and cheese, fries, or yams are the draw, and it’s built loyalty from customers who’ve followed the business across different Harlem locations over the years. 📞 (212) 866-0275
Watch the full breakdown
Ratings, reviews, and a quick call ahead will only tell you so much — the real test is in the batter, the crunch, and the sauce, which is exactly what Wavy Boy Smith’s video walks through stop by stop before crowning a winner. Watch all four rounds, then drop your own pick in the comments — Harlem’s got more fish spots than just these four, and the debate is half the fun.
