The word “iconic” gets bandied about quite a lot in travel, whether it’s a landmark, a tourist attraction or a local business, it’s often used to highlight importance and longevity.
And while it can be misused at times, there’s no denying that Northland’s Mangonui Fish Shop is certainly worthy of the iconic label.
Undoubtedly one of the main reasons for tourists to make the turn off the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, this picture-postcard chippery on the Mangonui Wharf has been serving locals and travellers for more than 70 years.
It’s famed for fish so fresh that it seems to have jumped from the sea onto the plate via the fryer.
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The famous building perched on its poles welcomes you into the small settlement of Mangonui, a historic fishing port in the sublime Doubtless Bay. It may not be big in size, but it more than makes up for that in charm.
There is a huge range of fish on offer – bluenose, snapper, hāpuku and lemonfish to name just a few. When my husband and I visited last year, we dived headfirst into delicately battered blue cod with crispy fries. A cheeky little raw fish salad containing fillets diced, marinated in lemon juice and smothered in coconut cream was washed down with a perky pinot gris.
We were lucky that on the day we were there that seats were freely available, we’d heard that it can get pretty packed out at times. This is after all “world famous” (it says so on the side of the building).
Getting a good seat overlooking the water on a sun-drenched day with nothing but some envious looking seagulls to disturb the view is pretty unbeatable in my opinion.
While it may be a bit strange to come to one of the country’s most famous fish ’n’ chip shops and not actually have any of the said fish, there are other limited options including a range of burgers to chow down on.
Just one word of warning, this won’t be the cheapest meal you will have around New Zealand; tarakihi will set you back $11 for a piece and $13.50 for the likes of blue cod and snapper.
However, if you happen to be in this stunning part of Northland, it’s a small price to pay for a little slice of Kiwiana joy.
Where to eat: Mangonui Fish Shop, 137 Waterfront Drive, Mangonui.
See: mangonuifishshop.com
Do you have a favourite snack worth travelling for? Email us at travel@stuff.co.nz or let us know in the comments.
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