The best all-around beach cafe at Tanjung Rhu
There’s no going to Tanjung Rhu beach without stopping in here. The only worthwhile eatery (and for a while there, the only washroom) on the beach, Scarborough Fish & Chips is a popular place to get drinks and casual food in Tanjung Rhu. With its convenient location and unhindered view of the islands in the distance, everyone staying at a resort in Tanjung Rhu will eat here at least once, more likely multiple times, during their stay.
Ambience & Amenities
Scarborough Fish & Chips main dining area is one long hut. Even on sunny days, it is very dark in here but at night it is more comfortably lit. The tables on the patio overlooking the beach are the prime seats. During the evenings, there are a lot of mosquitoes around these patio tables, but the restaurant should promptly place some mosquito incense under your table when you sit down if they’re not slammed. On the sand are the restaurant’s loungers which will likely always be occupied at peak times.
The family who runs this restaurant has a dog, so there will be some pooches wandering between the tables or playing on the beach. The dog is well behaved and doesn’t bark or relieve itself on the premises. Any remotely undesirable behaviour (like staring while you’re eating) will have one of the staff shooing the animal away. If the dog gets too unruly, the family leashes it in an out of the way place on the sand.
The service could be better as it was initially a little cold even though there was almost no one in the restaurant. One of the staff took an interest in Mark near the end of our meal, but this might have been simply good salesmanship since he bid us a hopeful “see you tomorrow!” as we left. On another visit for dinner, the place was super busy so we had to sit there getting eaten by mosquitoes for twenty minutes before the incense at a recently vacated table was brought to us.
The toilet at Scarborough Fish & Chips is closer to the road. Exit the restaurant and on your right will be the washroom with the sink out front. Inside is a western-style toilet with toilet paper, as well as a urinal. The outside sink has soap but no towels to dry off with. If you’ve used Scarborough Fish & Chips as a home base for your beach day, there is a shower right next to the sink to get the sand and saltwater off of you.
Menu
The menu at Scarborough Fish & Chips is only one double-sided pamphlet but there are lots of options for food and beverages. Although “fish & chips” is in its name, there are only two true fish and chip options on the menu. The other fish options are not deep-fried or don’t come with fries. Those not craving fish can choose from simple dishes like fried rice, pizza and chicken in a variety of styles. Since Scarborough Fish & Chips opens at 10 am, they have even added a couple of breakfast options to their menu.
Food
The Snow Fish (RM33) had a clean, even texture on the outside. The fillets were not too oily, and the provided tartar sauce had a good enough consistency to stick to the fish. Under the breading, the flesh was bouncy. Fat chips and a basic romaine salad accompanied the fish. The chips were not crispy but still pleasantly edible. This dish certainly was not terrible, but I don’t think this was a stellar fish & chips. I’m not English enough to be an expert on that though.
The Pan Fried Mackerel (RM45) strangely didn’t taste very fishy. It was almost chicken-like. Is that good or bad? We found it palatable in any case. The mackerel didn’t have many bones, just some along the rib but they were easy to spot and remove. The bonus shrimps on top were a surprise. There were no carbs in this meal except for a single piece of potato. This is a vegetable-heavy meal with both a salad and cooked veggies on the side. Interestingly, I think the cooked veggies were stir-fried in coconut oil, as they all had a hint of a coconut undertone, especially on the broccoli. To drink, we ordered draft Heinekens for RM7 per glass.
Saturday Worthy?
The stunning view and relaxed beach bar vibe are the biggest draws of Scarborough Fish & Chips for me. The food won’t blow you away but this is the place to get reasonably priced drinks and perfect beach food in the area. It’s not even a competition with the other restaurants at Tanjung Rhu. Further along the beach to the north is an Indian place, and beyond that, the pricey restaurants at the Four Seasons Resort. It’s no surprise that even guests who can afford to stay at the Four Seasons still choose to eat here at Scarborough Fish & Chips.
Price for 2 Pax: RM108.90
Heineken Draft x 3: RM21.00
Snow Fish: RM33.00
Pan Fried Mackerel: RM45.00
10% Service: RM9.90
Scarborough Fish & Chips
Address: Lot 1388, Jalan Tanjung Rhu, Mukim Air Hangat, 07100 Langkawi, Kedah
Opening Hours: Daily, 10am – 10pm
Alcohol Served: Yes
Is it pet friendly? Can dine in with dogs?
I am not 100% sure Joey, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring your dog here. The restaurant’s dog obviously sees Scarborough Fish & Chips as its territory, and there’s no telling how it or the other strays on the beach will react to your dog.
Bad hygiene – a lots of flies fly around and station on your food, drinks and source.
Bad service – staff no clean up table, let you waiting. Understand that holiday season will take longer time to get food served but the staff no respect me as their customer at all.The worse is they no follow order to serve the food, people who come later than me they serve them first. When we trying to highliggt, the staff are trying to argue some more. Bad attitude and bad service. We pay for and get teh service like this.
Food taste is so so only, price also quite high.
With this kind of service, food price, taste and environment, actually this is not worth for you to come over here just for a overated first and chips. You can find it anywhere in any area of Langkawi.
I agree that one should not come all the way to Tanjung Rhu just to eat here – the focus should be Tanjung Rhu beach itself. However, it’s a stretch to say that you can find fish & chips “anywhere” in Langkawi without offering any suggestions. By my knowledge, there’s Charlie’s in Kuah, then FatCupid and Coco’s near Cenang. Many of the restaurants we’ve come across did not have fish & chips on their menu, but if you know of any more, then please do post them.