Smee’s Alaskan Fish Bar

Chef John Smee of Smee’s Alaskan Fish Bar worked 40 years as an Alaskan fisherman, and fishermen don’t eat at sea unless they learn how to cook. Smee’s fish and chips might be the best I’ve ever had ($ 12). The fried batter is thinner than most, very crispy, allowing giant flakes of moist, high quality fish to really shine. Similarly, the fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce are above average and full of atypical flavor. Other menu items include a very nice cod chowder ($ 5), and fried and grilled seafood specials (price varies). If fries aren’t your thing, you can’t go wrong with a 7 piece basket of that amazing fish ($ 15) with a side of slaw for an extra buck.

Finally had the chance to try this place. I’ve heard good things about it so was excited to try it. I, of course, had the fish and chips, and hubby had the fish sandwich. I’m not normally a battered-​anything person, but I have to say, the batter on the fish was very nice. It’s not heavy, and actually had flavor. I would normally scrape the fish out of the batter, but in this case, it was the other way around… I ate the batter first, before the fish. I forgot to take a bite out of hubby’s fish sandwich for this review, but he said it was good. He ate the whole thing. The portions were good, but I couldn’t finish mine, so had to save half for later. Mine came with fries, and that easily helped fill me up fast. Overall, a good meal.
Service was fast and friendly. I’d be willing to come back and try other items on the menu.

Smee’s was a great find for my friend and I. The food was delicious. The very best was the fish and chips (cod)! We could not believe how moist and fresh the fish was. There was no grease at all! Dreamy for sure. The Shrimp (i had it0 was just fine, but not off the charts like
the fish and chips. Don’t miss this treat when in Reno.

OK smees is the real deal. Hands down. Best fish and chips in reno. The ahi tuna served over a salad is a great non-​fried option as well.

I like this fish and chips but in my opinion brasserie st James fish and chips is better.
The first a h is extremely fresh and tasty, but the batter to me does not have slot of flavor.
The serving size is huge, one piece of fish was like a filet. It was huge. Bring your appetite because it is a big dinner between the fish and fries. They also have another plate that is just fish but with like seven pieces.
If in area I will be back.

Great food and super friendly service. We enjoyed the fish n chips and Halibut Sandwich. The owner, Captain Smee has quite an extensive fishing career! Very knowledgable and a joy to speak with. Thank you so much! Enjoy!

This place is absolutely delicious! Coming from Florida I am pretty picky with my seafood but this was probably the best fish and chips I have ever had! Just tried it for the first time last night at Food Truck Friday per several friend’s recommendations and we are so glad we did! Fortunately we got there early, but shortly after us a line amassed of probably over 50 people. I would have to say, no matter the line, this place is worth your wait! I woke up this morning craving more of it!

Is there such a word as smeelicious? If not I have just invented it.
Smeelicious describes the fresh Alaskan cod that is battered and fried, and comes out on a plate, called fish and chips.
The owner, Capt John, owns a couple boats in Alaska and frequently made trips out to sea to catch the fish.
After doing that for awhile, John decided to plant his shoes on solid ground and open a restaurant. He has not achieved that yet, but I have a feeling that within a year we will see a restaurant.
John’s food truck is not a food truck. It is a trailer on steroids. This trailer is the taj majal of trailers.
When we arrived, I had been praying (literally) that they would be there because the weather was not good and we encountered showers on the way down.
John greeted us with a big smile, and quickly prepared our fish and chips.
About four to five good size pieces of fish come with the fries. He hand delivered them to the table and said he put a couple extra in. A couple extra, total of eight!
He stayed and chatted with us for about ten minutes.
This was the best fish and chips ever!!.
We will definitely be back for some smeelicious fish and chips.

I’ve had the fish N chips few times so today wanted to try something different. Was NOT let down. The Ahi Salad was perfect and the favors was amazing! Also used the Blue card for the $ 2 off! Perfect!

Ahh… the Fish and Chips is sooooo wicked good! I crave it ALL the time!
Decent pieces of high-​quality FRESH flaky white fish, golden-​brown crust on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Served with malt vinegar, lemon, bloody tasty tartar sauce, great tasting creamy tangy coleslaw and a healthy portion of yummy fries.
A local cool food truck with nice covered outdoor seating and tables!
VERY friendly and welcoming owner and employee. I won’t forget that look on John’s face, he goes «I have to ask, where you from? I can’t recognize your accent.»
Cute little lunch spot overlooking the Truckee river at the River Walk Downtown Reno in South Sierra Street 12.
Look ‘em up on FB for locations and hours.
I’ll be back in a heartbeat to catch some Smee’s Fish and try the Cod Chowder and Scallops. Highly recommend!

I found this place while driving by on vacation. Great find. Love everything made on site. I got the cod sandwich & my wife got the platter. You get more with the platter. Great food. Got 4 outta 5 because the fish was slightly overcooked. But delicious.

Who doesn’t love Fish ‘N Chips? Most people love it. Last Friday we finally tried this famous food truck Fish & Chips.
When we arrived, it wasn’t not yet pack. Lucky for us we got just before the lunch hour.
We ordered their famous fish & chips. Waited for few minutes while they fried them.
When we got our orders, we were pleasantly surprised. Four healthy pieces of perfectly fried cod, coleslaw, and a big handful of French fries. And homemade yummy tartar sauce.
First bite, hmm foodgasm in the mouth! This fish & chips cooked perfectly, the battered wasn’t thick at all, pretty light battered & the cod fish was so good, the texture was firm enough not breaking apart. The tartar sauce was pretty dang yummy! Thick sauce and the flavor was perfect. Even the fries were fried perfect too!
The price is okay for the quality of the food and how big they are. We are talking about a very good wild caught Alaskan Cod here so heck yeah it was worth it!
If you wanna more of tartar sauce, it cost $ 0.75 only. Their Fish & Chips is a Must try! All I could say is that this is the best Fish & Chips I ever had!

After several weeks and three separate attempts, I finally made it to Smee’s Alaskan Fish Bar on Sierra Street. I didn’t want any French fries, so they threw in an extra piece of cod and another serving of cole slaw. I lived in London for almost 2 years and I’ve gotta say, this is best fried fish I’ve had since living there. Well done you, Jon Smee. It was perfection.

Hub and I caught a movie and decided to try Smee’s afterwards. We both decided to be bad and had the fish and chips. Never have I had a more perfect fried cod than this. It was cooked to perfection, moist and tender-​flaky.
The fish comes from their own boats in Alaska, which explains the fresh yumminess. I’ll be back to try the halibut on a bed of greens. Delish!

Was excited to try this place, I love Fish and Chips. I found out their location this week from FB, and it’s by the Court House on next to the Truckee River. Please note they move around so always check or call.
I got 7 piece of fish for $ 15, and my co-​worker got the fish and chips for $ 10, tax is included.
It smelled great in the car, and we put some of the malt vinegar in little cups before we left. I was starving, hence the large order.
The fish has no seasoning nor does the batter. It’s plain as it can come. It’s juicy and it tastes fresh, but the lack of seasoning was disappointing. On the plus side the breading wasn’t thick, and the fish pieces were large pieces.
The malt vinegar wasn’t very strong in flavor either, one of weakest versions I have had, it was out of a bottle, I don’t remember the name. I hate tartar sauce, and I tried it 3 times, but I can’t eat it.
If they had a homemade malt vinegar it might have helped add something special. The fries were just okay, reminded me of Ore Ida’s from the freezer.
Overall it was okay, but I would need a Cajun or a well seasoned version to return and much better malt vinegar.

After walking up to awesome trailer and looking at the great menu. I knew this was going to be a great spot. John’s trailer is like none other in Northern Nevada. Waiting in line I could not decide what it was going to be. Then I thought, let just do the basic fish and chips and after the first bite was quick to decide, this is anything but basic. The fish was golden brown and was cooked to perfection. And everything else that I watched come out of that window looked just as good. John pretty much runs this by himself and every order is cooked fresh and never seems to take long. I am glad to see him in the new spot down by the river on Sierra st. He will do well down there. Keep up the great work John. You got this fish hooked!!!

I was on my way to midtown to grab lunch but I walked past this and had to pick up lunch here instead. Wild fish is a weakness and if it was caught by the same guy cooking it, I’m all for it.
I ordered fish and chips and they were delicious. The strips of fish were huge so I’m saving one for later.
You can tell that Jon knows food in the little details. Capers, raw onions, and dill made the tartar sauce extra special and tasty. I usually snub coleslaw because they hardly ever taste fresh, but this one did! I’ll have to try the chowder next time!

Smee’s is sometimes parked on Sierra Street near the courthouses. My friend and I stopped for lunch. My friend and I both ordered the fish and chips. Captain Jon Smee took our orders and then immediately started cooking. The fish and chips were crispy, hot and delicious. The tartar sauce is captain Jon’s own creation and it is delicious and the fries! Yum yum! It was so good that I brought my husband back the next day for him to try! I hope that Smee’s is able to stay at the Sierra Street location for awhile

Finally made it to Smee’s Alaskan Fish Bar after months of trying to make time to try them. After talking to Captain Jon Smee who is just a super nice guy about fishing I grabbed a few things. The Cod Chowder, The Grilled Sockeye Salmon and of course the Fish and Chips. The Cod Chowder was very good, great flavor with big pieces of Cod and potatoes. The Sockeye was grilled with a wonderful Asian inspired glaze on top of rice and the Fish and Chips. Oh man the Fish and Chips, he batters them right in front of you. Super clean tasting Cod, right amount of crunch of the batter and with some of my favorite malt vinegar it’s great. What makes it better is his house made Tarter Sauce. His tartar Sauce is amazing. I could eat that sauce by itself. I could eat that sauce on a shoe it’s that good. Make sure you follow them on Facebook to know where they are located.

On our way home from Walmart last night, a bright blue light in a darkened parking lot caught my eye. What was this foreign light I’ve never seen before… in a spot that’s usually empty?
That’s when I noticed it… a giant food truck? No a giant food trailer, with a deck on the back which had a BBQ, a pirate skeleton painted on the side, all the makings for awesome fried fish inside and even a fire pit outside! Smees Alaskan fish bar has it going on!
The menu was simple, fish and chips, chicken or beef burgers or a bucket of fried fish, or cod chowder was pretty much their offering. The fish and chips with homemade coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce for ten dollars was a steal though and when we told him we were splitting it, he made sure it wasn’t lacking!!! Alaskan wild caught Cod was the main star here and I sincerely have not had better fish and chips than this food truck!!! Huge pieces of flaky, juicy white cod fried to perfection. Not greasy, not over cooked. Literally tender and perfect! No bad smells or weird meat textures… the fish was the best!
On to the sides… the fries were a good accompaniment, I mean, what is fish without the chips after all. The slaw was seasoned perfect… I can’t stress enough how much coleslaw needs to be seasoned… and the tartar sauce was great! Not too sour but not too mild.
The whole experience just reminded me why this is my passion! This is why I want to own my own food truck one day! Good food can be had on a truck my friends… don’t knock it until you try it… and Smee’s is a MUST TRY!