Paya Thai Fish & Chips

This place has the best fish and chips ever! Its always perfectly cooked and Cheyenne comes in ever morning to prepare it fresh. Amazing ceaser salad also. We have been going there fot 18 years now and it is always heavenly.

Trust the reviews on this one. A little hard to find but man is it worth it. Was in town for the day and saw the reviews and decided to check it out. If you are a fish and chips lover or a clam chowder connoisseur, you will not be disappointed. We had both the Cod and the Halibut fish and chips, big pieces of fish and fries that were some of the best we’ve ever had. The halibut was amazing but the Cod definitely held it’s own.
We also love Clam Chowder and are on a constant search for the best. This one stands up with the best we’ve add, may be in top 3. Fully loaded with clams, which is the best kind of chowder. Creamy and delicious. And all super affordable. Got two helpings of more food than we could eat for about $ 30 Total.
Definitely check this out!

Excellent food… Great service… Generous portion sizes… Service very personable!!!
annnnnddd Funky atmosphere… a winner

Very fresh, light crunchy breading, good flavor on all battered food. Also good flavorful tartar and cocktail sauces. They were helpful and nice service.

Amazing Fish & Chips!
I arrived in uniform and ordered the fish and shrimp special with a drink. The owner began to ring me up, stopped, and then told me my lunch was on him and thanked me for my service. My food was amazing. The fish and shrimp were fresh and perfectly fried. As I sat and ate, I watched the staff take care of everyone as if they were their own family. One customer left their phone and one of the workers grabbed it and ran after them to return it. So, the long and the short of it is that the food, service, and quality of character of everyone working here is above and beyond what I have seen at a restaurant in a long long time

Excellent, excellent fish and chips. Perfectly crispy outside, delicious fresh cod inside. Clam chowder is outstanding as well. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed my visit here when I ate here. My father in law even said that the clam chowder here is some of the best he’s ever eaten. The price is pretty descent and the quality and freshness of the food is excellent.

Food is still delicious but they have seemed to downsize their portions and raised their prices. I have definitely cut down on the number of times I go visit.

This place puts well known fish and chips restaurants in shame!
They give you a generous portion with a killer deal. Always made to order so my fries and fish are hot and crispy. Beware, you may burn your tongue like I do if you dig in right away, but it’s so hard to resist!!!
They uses some sort of panko batter, so it makes the fish light and crisp. Very good seasonings. I usually order cod.
Their calm chowder has really good flavor too, but not the best I’ve tasted.
Overall, their quality stays very consistent. The owner is very nice, how many food court places you went to will come up and ask you how’s everything tasting?
Love this place!

First of all I LOVE THIS PLACE. Best fish and chips I have had in Tacoma (although ive yet to try Fish House). The guy who works here (maybe owns it?) Is always soooo friendly and provides excllent customer service. They always have a special which is a good deal but their regular menu prices are reasonable for the portion sizes anyway. HUGE PORTIONS, AMAZING QUALITY. Chowder is unique and delectable. And plating is impressive.
I always get the cod because it is fresh (the halibut is frozen and much smaller portioned). I have never been disappointed by this place.

Food is above average but the food is too expensive. The value for money is not there and no drink with the meal. Cost for drink is also expensive. Imo you better off going to a upscale restaraunt like Anthonys because cost is about the same.

Love the food. Always good. I had the scallops and Tristin had the cod. Fresh food and great service. Looking forward to trying more.

We stopped here based on our unyielding search for the best fish and chips. Though, not the BEST we’ve ever had — it was super good, hot & fresh, a large portion and came accompanied with extremely friendly service.
It’s a bit off the beaten path — as it’s inside the old Freighthouse Square — a place I’d not been since I was quite a bit younger — and, honestly, surprised it was still there! Parking is a little strange, but those who know the area shouldn’t have any problem… and it’s FREE parking!
My husband and I both ordered the special — which included two pieces of fish, fries, coleslaw and a cup of chowder. All of this for $ 13.00 a piece. If you’ve ever ordered fish and chips anywhere, you’ll know this is a steal.
The plates were absolutely MOUNDING with large pieces of moist fish and crispy fries. The coleslaw was up to par (not a favorite side dish of mine anyway), and the chowder was also piping hot, full of clams and a nice consistency.
The husband/​wife duo that seems to own this place are both an absolute joy as well — brought our food out to us, made sure we were happy, invited us to try their homemade sauce all with brilliant smiles on their faces.
We would come back here a million times — the only thing that sucks about it is the location!

A very special mom and pop shop. The husband and wife who own the place are very nice and informative.
I got the fish and chips which was very filling. People on Unilocal say the 3 piece can feed two people and they’re right. I ordered the 2 piece combo w/​clam chowder and cole slaw but the owner came out and said «you order 2 but we’ll give you 3 so you come back». That was very nice of them and it worked because the cod was very well made, I needed more! It was lightly battered and a good portion. Their fries and cole slaw were a nice touch as well but the fish stands out well on its own… Aside from their clam chowder which was very creamy and filled with clam, carrots, potatoes, etc. every bite was almost a new dish from my mouth getting accustomed to the new flavors.
The service was above and beyond, the food on point, and the hipster environment was perfect for the Tacoma lifestyle.

Delicious!!! Going to watch basketball tonight at Tacoma Dome, and came in for a quick bite. Owners are very friendly. Food is fresh, hot, and very good. Love the crispy outside, and tender fish/​shrimp.

Excellent Fish and Chips!
It is kind of in an unlikely place though in the old Freighthouse Square. However nearly all trips I made to the food court here have been good so maybe I should get past that.
The portions are great!
I got a two piece Cod, fries and coleslaw under their Combo Meal which also comes with a refillable fountain drink.
The breading on the fish is fantastic and the fries are nice and fluffy on the inside. The white dipping sauce is great too!
The people that run this place are so nice and are very attentive!
Definitely a nice little find! My favorite place to go for Fish and Chips closed in town but this new favorite is going to ease the pain a great deal with the loss of the first.

Tons of food, very friendly and accommodating staff, but in a terrible location.
My family has been going to Freighthouse Square for a long, long time. Our grandparents love the Asian food and always order noodles, so regretfully I have little knowledge of the other vendors.
Fortunately, one day I was being indecisive and a friend of mine convinced me to try Paya Thai for lunch.
Both of us ordered some type of special plate that came with fish, shrimp, and fries. The service is incredibly fast, considering the amount of food they prepare, and the meals are appropriately priced.
I was so stuffed by the time we left that I didn’t need to eat for the rest of the day.
If you’re in the area, I highly recommend that you stop by. Paya Thai is now one of my favorite places for fish and chips.

Super good! The lemon wedge was cut so cute and the American flag was a nice touch lol but Really good fish and chips!!! The location sucks because I think the freight house square is weird now… not what I remember as a kid. They do serve you and take away your plate which was strange for «fast food» but a nice touch. If you’re waiting for the sounder or bus I recommend this place, lived up to its reviews! Oh yea the fish pieces are large I could only finish one!

We went here yesterday and it was a little confusing to find at first only because we’ve never been there. We asked a lady nearby and she said go down 3 more doors and enter underneath a blue sign that said ATM or something, it was like a random secret society?!
Anyway, we get inside and there’s really nothing secret about it at all. Just a bunch of places to eat and a bunch of picnic looking tables and chairs to eat at. Or you can take it to go, which is what we did. So we get to the counter and are greeted by a guy who was very nice and helpful. He told us the special of the day and my hubby got that and I got the 3pc cod meal.
The cod was awesome!!! It had a real clean taste to it. The fish fry coating was just amazing. Not like other places where it tastes like the fish grease has probably been sitting out since the night before and they try and fry your fish in that SAME grease… ewww! But at Paya Thai fish, everything tasted fresh! And also the fries were delicious. It tasted a bit above average than your typical fish and chips combo. The tartar sauce was on point too. Not sure if that was a house recipe but if it was store bought, then I want to know the store! My hubby got 2pc cod and shrimp and the shrimp was excellent as well!
Everything was awesome and we definitely see ourselves coming back here again!

Yay I actually like fish and chips now!
This a little late review as I went here way back in December 2014 but hey, why I can’t I review now, now that I have the time. My boyfriend and I were waiting for the Chris Brown concert and we’re looking for somewhere to eat.
I don’t know about parking because I parked on the streets near by the Tacoma Dome, not really expecting to walk all the way over here. Found this place on Unilocal and saw really good reviews for a cheap restaurant so we decided to go here. When we found the place, oh jeez it sure was scary and dead walking through the halls. The cafeteria wasn’t very appealing either.
We got to the fish and chips area and looked at the menu. Unsure what to get without spending so much (we wanted to get sonics after the concert lol), we were about to just order two plates of fish and chips. The owner told us about a cheaper and bigger plate with fish, shrimp, and chips so we ended up getting that. He was really sweet and funny. Same for the fryer lady in the back. So sweet that they gave us extra since we shared! She also came up to my boyfriend and told him he was lucky to have a pretty girl like me… *blushing* :) great customer service and food. Gave a fat tip for a small place and one meal, couldn’t help it… Big heart, big tip lol!