Photo: Tripadvisor

The Clipper

Name: The Clipper
Address: Irish Town, 78b Irish Town, Gibraltar, Main Street & Town Centre, GI
Telephone: +350 200 79791
Price range: ££–£££

European · Bar · RestaurantMain Street & Town Centre££–£££

An European and Restaurant restaurant in Main Street & Town Centre that rates about as well as the Gibraltar average, on 1,103 Tripadvisor reviews.

Gibraltar Index

4.3 / 5

Tripadvisor4.21,103

Google4.41,894

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

Ratings read 6 September 2026.

Our review

The Clipper is an English-style pub in Irish Town, a quiet street behind Main Street, and the reviews were re-read on 6 September 2026. It holds 4.2 on Tripadvisor from 1,103 reviews and 4.4 on Google from 1,894, giving an Index of 4.30, and the newest reviews are from the first days of September 2026.

Fish and chips is the dish most people come for and most come away happy: excellent, superb, exceeding expectations, in review after review, including several cruise passengers who chose it for that reason. The burgers get the same treatment, the pulled pork above all, with the Clipper burger, a crispy chicken burger, a Coronation chicken wrap, steak pie, pasta and the all-day breakfast also named. Portions are big, prices reasonable, and a January table paid £42 for three Sunday roasts and three drinks, having been told to pre-order because the roasts sell out.

The staff carry it under real pressure. Naomi is named twice, on the door and on the floor, with Julie and Grace also thanked, and reviewers in Spanish, Russian and Slovak all remark on big plates and quick service even with nearly every table taken. The boat-propeller fans, the televisions and clean toilets get their own mentions.

The weaknesses are those of a packed room. A server covering tables inside and out on the pavement can be hard to flag down for the bill, one August visitor waited 45 minutes and called the service poor, and another found the food average and the salad tired, at a price they thought high. Smaller gripes: a bacon or sausage roll costs nearly as much as a full breakfast, the two-meal deal starts at six o'clock sharp and not a minute before, tap water goes to locals while tourists are told bottled only, and a January fish arrived undercooked after the order was forgotten. The vegan choice is thin, though staff will find options.

Come for fish and chips, a pulled pork burger or the Sunday roast, cheap and generous, with staff who stay friendly when the room is full; do not come in a hurry or expecting refinement. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is drawn 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 29 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.

Fish and chips and the pulled pork burger are the dishes reviewers name most, and rate highly.
Big portions at fair prices: three Sunday roasts and drinks for £42, and a two-meal deal from six o'clock.
Staff are named and thanked, Naomi especially, for staying warm in a packed room.
The room is almost always full, and a few visitors found service slow or hard to flag down.
Small irritations: pricey breakfast rolls, bottled water pushed on tourists, an undercooked fish once.

What it gets right

Reliable pub cooking, the fish and chips and pulled pork burger above all
Genuinely good value in big portions
Warm, named staff under pressure

What it gets wrong

Busy enough that service can slow or stall
Thin vegan choice
Bottled-water and breakfast-roll pricing niggles

How it compares

It holds 4.2 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from 1,103 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 6 of 17 European options we track, by rating.

It is priced in the middle 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. The Clipper scores 4.2 from 1,103 on Tripadvisor and 4.4 from 1,894 on Google, which the model blends to 4.3.

We read the 29 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★★★★☆4.2· 1,103

All on Tripadvisor →

2026-08-29
Fish and chips in Gibraltar
Stopped off in Gibraltar on our cruise, wanted to try the local version of British fish & chips. The Clipper had an excellent rating on Trip Advisor, so decided to give it a try. Glad that we did! We were seated promptly, and drinks came out right away. The fish & chips was excellent and exceeded my expectations. My dining companion had omore →
jtfman · via Tripadvisor
2026-08-19
Expensive rolls, good breakfast
Went for breakfast. Breakfast is great but stay away from ordering a bacon, sausage roll etc as its nearly as expensive as ordering a English breakfast. It's a shame they over charge for a roll over £more →
GMRGibraltar · via Tripadvisor
2026-08-05
Always good value and friendly service.
Always visit here on our annual trip Gib. Nice relaxed atmosphere, staff helpful. Prices are very reasonable and food excellent. Tucked away behind Main Street in Irish Town. Definitely worth a visit.more →
ElaineN17 · via Tripadvisor
2026-08-01
Perfect
Superb experience, very good service, and beautiful English-style setting, we were 11 and 1 baby, the servers were all very friendly and we all ate very well We recommend without hesitation 👍more →
Gaga62128 · via Tripadvisor
2026-07-29
Good food nice experience
Lovely food and extremely friendly staff....more →
39ovidh · via Tripadvisor

Google★★★★☆4.4· 1,894

All on Google →

2026-09-03
We stopped in for lunch while I Gibraltar port on a cruise. We had perfect timing with seat immediately available outside. We had fish and Chips and the Coronation chick wrap. Both were excellent and the beer was great! If I can get it a home, we're stocking up!more →
Melanie Stensrud · via Google
2026-09-02
Good foodmore →
Afonso Rodrigues · via Google
2026-09-02
Place recommended by locals, with decent British food like steak pie and not expensive. They serve a unique brand of Bushey's Gibraltar beer (made on the Isle of Man ;-) and with a souvenir label. Ambiance commensurate with claim, maritime. Service friendly, though locals get water in a jug from tap (for free?) and tourists even when askimore →
Marcin Wit · via Google
2026-08-31
La comida estaba genial, buenas raciones y buen servicio, además de una carta de variedad considerable.more →
Carlos Peñalosa Álvarez (Orenjo) · via Google
2026-08-30
Amazing pulled pork burger! The meat was incredibly juicy and tender, with a perfect balance of flavours. 🍔🔥more →
Mário · via Google

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