The History

From the Streets of London to Old Town Newhall: How Fish and Chips Became the Soul of Pub Culture

Fish and chips is not just a dish. It is one of the most culturally significant foods in the English speaking world, and its history stretches back more than 150 years to the streets of Victorian era London. Understanding where the dish came from makes the version served at Maginn's Irish Pub in Old Town Newhall even more meaningful, because it connects a plate of food on Main Street in Santa Clarita to a tradition that has fed working families, fueled communities, and anchored pub culture across Ireland and the United Kingdom for generations.

The origins trace to the 1860s, when fried fish vendors in London's East End began pairing their battered fillets with chipped potatoes. The combination was cheap, filling, hot, and portable, which made it the perfect food for the factory workers and laborers who drove the Industrial Revolution. By the late 1800s, fish and chip shops were opening across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland at a pace that made the dish one of the most widely consumed meals in the British Isles. During both World Wars, fish and chips was one of the few foods not subjected to rationing in the United Kingdom, a decision that reflected how essential the dish had become to national morale.

In Ireland, fish and chips took on its own character. The "chipper" became a fixture in towns and cities across the country. The Irish approach emphasized fresh Atlantic fish, a lighter batter, and a communal atmosphere where the food was wrapped in newspaper and shared among friends and family. The Irish chipper was not a restaurant. It was a gathering place. A social ritual. A reason to be out together on a Friday evening.

That tradition is exactly what Maginn's Irish Pub carries forward. The wild caught haddock, the light beer batter, the thick cut chips, and the bespoke newspaper presentation all pay direct tribute to the way fish and chips has been served in Ireland and the UK since the dish first appeared over a century and a half ago. When elite Magazine readers voted it the best in Santa Clarita, they were choosing a dish with 150 years of history behind it, prepared in a pub that was designed in Dublin and shipped to their neighborhood.

The Craft

What Separates Great Fish and Chips from Average: The Details That Make Maginn's the Best in the Valley

Fish and chips appears on menus at seafood counters, chain restaurants, fast casual spots, and bars all across the Santa Clarita Valley. The dish is so ubiquitous that most people assume it is all more or less the same. It is not. The gap between average and exceptional is defined by a series of decisions that most kitchens either do not think about or choose not to invest in. At Maginn's Irish Pub, every one of those decisions is made with intention.

The Fish

Wild caught haddock. Not cod, not pollock, not tilapia, not whatever frozen whitefish fillet was cheapest from the distributor that week. Haddock has a cleaner, sweeter flavor than cod and a finer texture that stays moist and flaky when fried properly. It is the traditional fish of choice in Ireland and Scotland, where fish and chips originated as a cultural staple.

The Batter

Beer based, light, and designed to crisp rather than absorb oil. The biggest mistake most kitchens make is using a batter that is too thick or too absorbent. At Maginn's, the batter is thin enough to let the haddock be the star while still providing the golden, crunchy exterior. The beer creates carbonation during frying, producing tiny air pockets in the crust that keep it light and crisp rather than dense and oily.

The Frying

Oil temperature is one of the most overlooked factors. Too cool and the batter absorbs grease. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through. The kitchen at Maginn's maintains consistent temperature throughout service, which means the fish and chips at 5 PM on a Friday is the same quality as the order at 9 PM when the kitchen is at its busiest.

The Chips

Thick cut fries, made properly. Not shoestring. Not frozen crinkle cuts from a bag. A proper chip holds up. It has substance. It is part of the dish rather than filler alongside it.

The Accompaniments

House made tartar sauce. Fresh cole slaw. A wedge of lemon. Curry sauce available. None of these come out of a squeeze bottle from a food service distributor. The tartar sauce is made in the Maginn's kitchen. The cole slaw is fresh. These details are invisible to anyone who has never thought about them, but immediately obvious to anyone who has eaten fish and chips at enough places to know the difference.

The Presentation

Served on a tray lined with bespoke newspaper sheets. This is a direct reference to the way fish and chips has been wrapped and served in Ireland and the United Kingdom for over a century. The presentation signals that this is a pub dish. Meant to be eaten with your hands, shared with the person next to you, and enjoyed alongside a cold pint.

Every one of these decisions adds up. That is why Maginn's fish and chips was voted the best in Santa Clarita. Not because of any single thing. Because of all of them together.

The Vote

How Maginn's Fish and Chips Won Best in Santa Clarita and What It Means for the Pub

When elite Magazine asked their readers to vote for the best fish and chips in the Santa Clarita Valley, the result was decisive. Maginn's Irish Pub in Old Town Newhall took the title. That recognition did not come from a panel of food critics, a paid promotion, or a sponsored ranking. It came from the people who live, eat, and drink in the valley and chose Maginn's based on personal experience.

The elite Magazine recognition exists within a broader pattern of validation. The Sacramento Bee ranked Maginn's among the top three Irish pubs in all of California, placing a neighborhood pub in Newhall alongside establishments in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. LA Eater featured Maginn's in their roundup of the best Irish pubs in Los Angeles. Yelp named Maginn's the #7 best Irish pub in the entire United States and Canada. BetUS ranked Maginn's #3 in their nationwide survey of over 250 Irish pubs.

On Yelp alone, the fish and chips has collected over 120 individual reviews and 30 customer photos. The total profile sits at 409 reviews and 524 photos with a Health Score of A. Restaurant Guru shows a 4.8 rating across 718 reviews. The consistency of feedback across hundreds of reviews from different people at different times confirms that the fish and chips delivers reliably, which is the hardest thing for any kitchen to achieve.

For the Maginn family, the recognition validates the approach they have taken since opening day. Ryan and Candice Maginn built the pub around authenticity. The interior was designed by the Irish Pub Company in Dublin and shipped to Newhall. The menu reflects traditional Irish cuisine prepared with care. The fish and chips follows a recipe rooted in the same tradition that has made the dish a cornerstone of pub culture for over 150 years. The vote confirmed that the community sees and values that authenticity.

For the Santa Clarita Valley, having a neighborhood pub whose fish and chips has earned statewide and national recognition raises the profile of Old Town Newhall as a dining destination. Every time someone searches for the best fish and chips in Santa Clarita, the best Irish pub in California, or the best pub food in the Los Angeles area, Maginn's appears. And the fish and chips is almost always the dish that brings them through the door for the first time.

What keeps them coming back is everything else. The whiskey collection. The properly poured Guinness. The live music on Whiskey Sunday. The happy hour. The sports viewing. The dog friendly patio. The atmosphere of a pub that was literally shipped from Ireland. But it starts with the fish and chips. It almost always starts with the fish and chips.