Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop and The Golden Galleon, Suffolk
Discover good old fashioned seaside charm, classical music and award-winning fish and chips on the Suffolk coast in Aldeburgh.
The Golden Galleon Fish and Chip Shop in Aldeburgh
The beach may be pebbly but it’s long so you can go for a decent walk to work up a big appetite for a takeaway from one of Aldeburgh’s famous fish and chip shops.
The Golden Galleon is the quieter of the two, although when I visited, there was a long queue outside the door.
If it’s a sunny day eat them on the beach or take a table upstairs at the Upper Deck restaurant.
Better still, come in June for the music festival and enjoy them while listening to a concert at the Bandstand on the Beach (preferably with a bottle of rosé from Shawsgate Vineyard in nearby Framlingham).
Aldeburgh – Music, Food and Fishing
The genteel seaside town of Aldeburgh, with its pastel-coloured Georgian houses, is best known for its world-class music festival, fishing industry and of course, as a destination for foodies.
The 17-day music festival, which takes place in June, was founded by British composer, Benjamin Britten, in 1948. It offers an international programme of classical music, opera and art.
Like Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival in September, the music festival largely takes place at Snape Maltings, centered around its magnificent Concert Hall. But there are also free concerts at Aldeburgh’s Bandstand on the Beach and a series of walks, talks, films and exhibitions.
Both festivals are a wonderful excuse to visit the Suffolk coast and feast on its delicious seafood.
Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop
The Golden Galleon Fish & Chip Shop
Fish and Chip Heaven
Since 1967, Aldeburgh’s two award-winning fish and chip shops have been run by the same family. Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop and The Golden Galleon can be found at opposite ends of the High Street.
They use floury local potatoes to make their thick cut chips which, when sprinkled generously with salt and vinegar, make the perfect partner to battered meaty, freshly caught East coast fish.
Take them away wrapped up in newspaper to eat sitting on the sea wall with a bottle of beer or cider from the Adnams store.
Afterwards, choose an ice cream from over 30 tantalising flavours (including Christmas Pudding), at Ives Ice Cream Parlour opposite.
Aldeburgh’s fish sheds sell fresh crab
Buy fresh samphire
Buy Freshly Smoked Kippers For Breakfast
Walk along the town’s stretch of the beach and you’ll see the fishermans’ boats hauled up on the shingle and the trademark black wooden fish sheds, with their smoking chimneys, where they sell the day’s catch.
Buy freshly-smoked kippers for tomorrow’s breakfast, home-made potted shrimp, the first of the season’s foraged samphire and freshly-dressed crab.
Some of the huts have tables so you can eat fresh-from-the-nets on the beach. As they say, ‘Anything fresher is still swimming in the sea’.
Fresh-from-the-nets-seafood on the beach
Stroll past the smokehouses on the beach
Tips
- Walk 3 miles inland via woods and fields to Snape Maltings to shop in the Suffolk Food Hall and browse the shops and galleries
- Walk north along the coastal path to Thorpeness, Britain’s first purpose-built holiday village and to spot the ‘House in the Clouds’, a seven-storey timbered folly
- To taste more freshly-caught Suffolk seafood, visit Orford, 13 miles south of Aldeburgh to have lunch at Butley Oysterage
- Enjoy a free tasting of Suffolk beer and gin at the Adnams store on the High Street. See how it’s made in Southwold by taking the Adnams brewery tour and the Copper House distillery tour
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Where to Stay in Aldeburgh
The Brudenell
If you’re looking for accommodation in Aldeburgh, The Brudenell is just a few metres from Aldeburgh beach so you can wake up with a view of the the Suffolk Coast.
Ready to Start Planning a Weekend Break in Suffolk? See All: Best Places to Stay in Suffolk
Dogs
Pick up some fish and chips from the shop and let’s take them to the beach.
How to Find The Golden Galleon in Aldeburgh
Golden Galleon Fish and Chip Shop, 137 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5AR
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The Foodie Travel Guide
Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures.