Photo: Tripadvisor

Roy's Cod Place

Seafood · BritishMain Street & Town Centre£

A Seafood and British restaurant in Main Street & Town Centre that rates about as well as the Gibraltar average, on 808 Tripadvisor reviews.

Gibraltar Index

4.1 / 5

Tripadvisor4.0808

Google4.11,721

A weighted blend of both, not an average. How this works

Ratings read 6 September 2026.

Our review

Roy's Cod Place is the fish-and-chips institution on Casemates Square, tucked behind the cannons on the western side: 4.0 on Tripadvisor from 808 reviews, 4.1 on Google from 1,721, and an Index of 4.10. The reviews were re-read on 6 September 2026 and run to the day before. The Index lists a Roy's Fish And Chips separately; reviewers here use both names for this one.

The fish is the case for it. Reviewers call it the best fish and chips in Gibraltar, cooked to order in about 15 minutes, with enormous portions that hang over the plate, a batter neither too thick nor too thin, and cod preferred to hake by a Spanish family who tried both. A regular says it has been consistently great for many years, Cristina, Yasmín, Rocío and Emy are named on the floor, and the owner is described as a nice gentleman.

Price and service are the two complaints, and they are constant. Just under £15 for fish and chips in mid-2025, a £1.50 haddock surcharge, £2.75 for peas, £27 for one plate with a pint, £37 for fish and chips and a burger, 109 euros for four with a beer, and sauce sachets charged extra. The service complaints are pointed: plates slammed down without a smile, a drinks-only table having its cutlery snatched away, a customer mocked for ordering chicken fingers in August 2026, forgotten orders without apology, change not returned, and one August 2026 account of a waitress adding her own tip to a cash payment with no receipt.

The food itself is not unanimous either. Two reviews from early September 2026 and a Hungarian one from August find the fish unsalted and bland and the curry sauce watery, a May 2025 reviewer got greasy, tasteless fish that was not the haddock ordered, and a June 2026 burger was dry with nothing on it. Set against that is a longer run saying the opposite, so the honest read is that the fryer is good on most days and the seasoning is not to everyone's taste.

Come for a big plate of fresh-fried fish on the square, paying square prices and eating it hot before the batter turns; go in expecting brusque service and check the bill and your change. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is from the reviews.

Written from the Tripadvisor reviews and both platforms' scores on 6 September 2026, not from a meal we ate — nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here. We show the Google rating but have not yet read Google's reviews for the write-up. The recurring themes it draws on are below.

What reviewers consistently say

Our summary of recurring themes across the 28 most recent reviews, written in our own words and read on 6 September 2026. Recent reviews from both platforms are quoted, with attribution, further down.

At its best, fish and chips reviewers rate the best in Gibraltar, cooked to order in about 15 minutes.
Square prices: under £15 a plate in 2025, surcharges for haddock and peas, and extra for sauces.
Service draws the sharpest criticism: plates slammed down, mockery, and a tip added without consent.
The seasoning divides people, with several recent reviewers finding the fish bland.
Staff who do it well are named: Cristina, Yasmín, Rocío and Emy.

What it gets right

Fresh, enormous fish and chips on Casemates Square
Fast once ordered, and a regular's pick for many years
Named staff on the good days

What it gets wrong

Steep prices with add-ons for sauces and sides
Service that can be rude, with a bill and change worth checking
Bland or greasy on a bad day

How it compares

It holds 4.0 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from 808 reviews — level with the Gibraltar median of 4.1 across 106 restaurants with enough reviews to rank, and on a very large body of reviews.

Among comparable places, it is 7 of 12 Seafood options we track, by rating.

It sits at the budget end of Gibraltar's range.

How the Gibraltar Index Score is built

It is not an average of the two. Each source is weighted by how many reviews it carries, then pulled toward the Gibraltar average so a high score from a handful of reviews cannot outrank a strong score from thousands. Roy's Cod Place scores 4.0 from 808 on Tripadvisor and 4.1 from 1,721 on Google, which the model blends to 4.1.

We read the 28 most recent Tripadvisor reviews and summarised what recurs, in our own words; the reviews we drew on are quoted below, attributed to their authors. The Tripadvisor and Google scores are each shown 1:1 as those platforms publish them; the Index Score is ours and the formula is above. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here, so nothing is a first-hand verdict.

Recent reviews

Shown from each platform, attributed to the reviewer. We don't edit them — read the full set at source.

Tripadvisor★★★★☆4.0· 808

All on Tripadvisor →

2026-08-26
Family meal
A very good experience, spectacular food, 10/10 service (it is worth highlighting the service of the waitresses Cristina and Yasmín) very kind and they make your stay very pleasant, we will definitely return!more →
A3180WQlucar · via Tripadvisor
2026-08-05
Horrible
The most unpleasant waitress I have ever met in my life, she spoke to us with contempt and threw the drinks onto the table without any kind of manners or respect. When we went to order food, she mocked us by asking what "chicken fingers" were, saying she was not going to serve us that because it did not exist. Anyway, zero stars, we did nmore →
M9727MHisabell · via Tripadvisor
2026-07-04
Great Fish and Chips
The best fish and chips in Gibraltar. Lovely freshly cooked and tasted great! We will be back.more →
roysW8036GG · via Tripadvisor
2026-06-04
Expensive bland food
Raking it in on a false reputation. Very expensive and the burger I ordered was as dry as the bun it was in. Not an onion or sauce in sight. Fish was bland also. Fish & chips and a dry burger £37 🙄 Don't waste your money 👍more →
stevemP5114ZK · via Tripadvisor
2026-03-26
Food is a 10 - Service is a 5
Roy’s is known in Gibraltar for the place to go for fish and chips. It’s located on the square and has a great location and great people watching. I was lucky, when I arrived the line was short and it didn’t take long. While there the line grew, it was massive and snaked into the square. Service felt very unwelcoming. I watched the waitremore →
Sfphotocraft · via Tripadvisor

Google★★★★☆4.1· 1,721

All on Google →

2026-09-05
Very expensive for a plate of fish & Chips although very delicious. Had to wait a while but I guess it was their busiest time when we were there. Probably would go back again if I return to Gibraltar.more →
Melvyn Batchelor · via Google
2026-09-01
Chips taste like fish.Curry sauce for 3 Euro is some watery,dull, tasteless nightmare.The fish was really good,but they dont use any kind of spice or salt whatsoever.Simple dishes,few people but the Kitchen staff somehow cant produce quality.The service staff is ok,but the food.....🤮more →
Mark M. · via Google
2026-08-31
Good food good service we spoke with the owner. It’s very nice gentleman.more →
Na Na · via Google
2026-08-31
Amis touristes, fuyez! Etre servi par une personne aussi souriante qu'une porte de prison a été un régal. La serveuse a fait la gueule .... pas mal d'attente. 109 euros pour 4 fish and chips avec une bière.... sinon j'attends toujours la monnaie..... très très déçus. Je mets deux étoiles car le fish and chips était mangeable mais pas excemore →
Ya True · via Google
2026-08-29
Porcja duża, cena też. Byliśmy koniec sierpnia, było bardzo mało klientów. Szybko podane jedzenie. Najlepiej jeść jeszcze na ciepło. Jak wystygnie mocno czuć tłuszcz w cieście. Można płacić kartą. Jest toaleta. Na zdjęciu filet z dorsza i kawałki ryby.more →
Joanna Mar · via Google

Reviews are the opinions of their authors, reproduced from Tripadvisor and Google with attribution and a link to the original. Roy's Cod Place did not provide them and Gibraltar Index did not solicit or edit them.