The Oldest Fish And Chips Restaurant In The US Has Used The Same Secret Recipe Since 1916

Everybody loves a tale of culinary longevity. The oldest restaurants in the world are beguiling not only because it's fun to wonder what it would have been like to have swapped an online menu for a paper one, but also just how they managed to stay successful for so long. The average restaurant lifespan, for example, is counted in single years, not decades. For places like Ye Olde English Fish & Chips in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, consistency is key. It famously hasn't changed its titular seafood's batter since first opening at its original Providence location in 1916.

What's in Ye Olde's fried fish batter, however, has been a secret for more than a century. And, as the place sought a larger space to better accommodate its customers — ultimately settling in Woonsocket — a bit of info narrowly slipped out. But only the oil the fish is crisped in has been revealed, as Woonsocket's municipal website noted a switch to non-hydrogenated and low trans-fat oil sometime after the restaurant's 90th birthday. Even an Instagram reel depicting the coated fish being dipped in oil does not betray any ingredients. That's a long time to keep anyone from dredging up Ye Olde English Fish & Chips' proprietary batter preparation. Does the restaurant use a beer variety for flavorful battered fish? It may take another hundred years to find out.

Ye Olde English Fish & Chips is only open Wednesday through Saturday, so plan accordingly. Its dining room is about as casual as can be, with old-school cafeteria aesthetics, rather than a vintage 1916 kind of style. You'll order at the counter and find a booth or table while they're frying your order in the clandestine batter and better-known oil in the kitchen. Authentic English fish and chips, the likes of which still battle for the title of England's national dish to this day, is pretty similar to what they're plating in Woonsocket, secret exterior notwithstanding. The whitefish itself, whether it's cod, haddock, or pollock, is the star of the show, however obscured by the crispy, golden encasement. The only potentially stymieing difference you might face should you be transported to London is the fish's accompaniment. Chips in England are thick, fried slices of potato, whereas chips in America are, of course, more commonly known as french fries. 

You can also choose from a smattering of other menu items if you don't want fish and chips. Chicken and chips are also available, and we imagine the bird is cloaked in the same clandestine batter recipe. Fish burgers, clam rolls, and chowders are also on the menu, as well as shrimp and scallops or scallops and whole belly plates. Should you find yourself elsewhere in the nation's smallest state, Rhode Island has 12 more historic restaurants that you might want to try.