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“Divine Fish & Chips”

Bare Bones Fish House & Smokery
Ranked #5 of 82 Restaurants in Port Alberni
Price range: R 139 - R 404
Cuisines: Seafood
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Child-friendly, Business meetings
Dining options: Dinner, Lunch, Reservations
Description: A contemporary restaurant offering an innovative seafood and in house smoked meat driven menu. Our globally inspired 100% GLUTEN FREE MENU showcases a diverse range of fish, quality meats, tacos, burgers and bowls. Warm and inviting our spaces beauty and history are humbling.
Reviewed 28 November 2018

Bare Bones, located in picaresque Port Alberni, was a nice find and great pit-stop on our way back to Victoria from Tofino. Housed in an old heritage church, the specialty here is fish & chips. The menu, as a result, is fairly compact, but when you execute your specialty as well as it’s done here then there’s no need to throw the kitchen sink at patrons, either. Thus, you get a nice selection of fish from halibut to cod to salmon, done in a variety of preparations: English-style, Panko or grilled (you choose). Then, you get to pick your side: hand-cut chips with slaw or Caesar salad. Finally, each dish comes with a nice selection of sauces for dipping: Tartar, seafood, wasabi aioli (highly recommended!), lemon-dill and sweet Thai chili. For the non fish-eater, they also sell chicken strips but, let’s be honest. If you don’t like fish and chips, why would you come here?

When my partner and I visited, we ordered the Jumbo Prawn Skewer to start. The presentation was simple and to the point. The prawns were expertly done – each one giving off that nice “pop” you get from fresh, properly done prawns. Our appetizer was followed up by our fish orders. We had the 1pc cod (panko crusted) and 1pc halibut (traditional), respectively. The fish wasn’t really greasy; the batter was light and crisp; and the fish inside was tender and flaky. You could taste the freshness. And, really, what more is there to say? There’s just something about dining in an old church, complete with stained glass windows and a few pews, that makes the fish and chips here seem slightly more divine ;)

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 4/5
VALUE: 5/5
RECOMMENDATION: As noted, fish and chips are what’s emphasized here. And for good reason. It’s fresh. It’s properly done. It’s delicious. And the setting is unique. Highly recommended!

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Date of visit: May 2018
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Thank PookyCake
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (621)
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128 - 132 of 621 reviews

Reviewed 28 November 2018

Wandered into Bare Bones on a trip to Tofino in November. Very cool furnished church with focus mostly on lunches with fish and chips and shrimp. LARGE portions, nice fish tacos and shrimp skewers with nice salad choices and PLENTY of chips. Be prepared to take some home or look at sharing. Nice friendly service and prompt delivery. Nice clean bathrooms as well. Recommended.

Date of visit: November 2018
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Thank GlenandTina
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 17 November 2018

The fish and chips at this eatery is most highly recommended. The piece of fish is large; one piece is enough, but two pieces for those who might want to take a doggy bag. In a rather small menu choice, understandably for a small cafe-type venue in a former church, the fish entree is a standout, done well. Ambience is notable primarily for the stained glass preserved, thankfully, from the church that had served for decades. I would recommend the Bare Bones to any aficionados of the classic fish and chips.

Date of visit: November 2018
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Thank Elaine T
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 11 November 2018 via mobile

I went here with my husband because of all the good reviews but was sadly disappointed! Both the fish and fries were terribly greasy.

Date of visit: October 2018
3  Thank Journey07272027510
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 7 November 2018

This was the third time we visited this restaurant. The staff was super friendly and one can get the fish and chips battered or pan-fried. Everything tastes fresh and delicious!

Date of visit: November 2018
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Thank captainpete2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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