Pismo Fish & Chips Serves Fresh Catch for 60 Years
Story by Erica Thatcher
Photography by Stephen Heraldo
From inside the historic whitewashed brick building that holds up the corner of a timeless city block in Pismo Beach, Pismo Fish & Chips has been producing classic beach fare since 1963. Surrounded by original décor, the red vinyl booths serve as a time machine for those who want a taste of history.
One could imagine what this block of Cypress Street looked like more than 60 years ago, when Pismo Fish & Chips first opened its doors. In the 1950s, this building previously operated as a laundromat in a growing town that was then home to about one thousand residents. Back then, the streets bustled with rumbling sedans and neon ballroom signs attracting movie stars and locals along with families seeking a new life in America. One of those families was the Zechners.
Ann and Jack immigrated from Holland in 1959 with daughter, Jannie, and started a small fresh fish market with a tidy sum of $500. Though Ann didn’t know much about business — or fish, for that matter — support from the family helped the business thrive. Their primarily Portuguese clientele apparently educated Ann and Jack about the fish they were selling.
The opening of Highway 101 and new subdivisions, trailer parks, cabins and cottages brought more business to town. The Zechners’ market evolved into a restaurant across the street in 1963 and the entire family worked there.
The Zechners remodeled several times, adding the iconic red vinyl booths and more tables to accommodate the influx of customers. Ann’s brother, Cor Visser, who painted murals in San Luis Obispo’s Madonna Inn, painted the mural of Holland on the restaurant’s wall. An additional side of the restaurant was constructed in the 1970s. By 1988, Jannie and her husband took over the family business.
After 26 years, the family business changed hands in 2014, when Karishma and Arpan Smith took ownership. Despite the transition of ownership, the Smiths decided to use the restaurant’s origin story as their compass moving forward. Stoic portraits, a cuckoo clock and a mural of windmills and grassy fields are all original fixtures that remain. In maintaining the original style, they also preserved the recipes and stories.
The stories of families and generations span six decades. “People bring their grandkids, who then bring their kids,” Karishma says. “There are so many memories in this place. It’s about the memories and consistency. We make changes to the menu, but not to the feel of the restaurant. We don’t move stuff around, because we know that’s what people want to see.”
And customers return year after year. “People like to sit in a certain booth. There’s a booth where a man proposed to his wife many years ago. And there’s a lady who always tells me that our cuckoo clock reminds her of her parents,” she continues. “It’s lovely. There are so many stories.”
One of the restaurant’s servers has worked there for 30 years. “Lots of our customers grew up with him,” notes Karishma. The Smiths also feel a personal connection to the memories of the restaurant’s ancestral owners. “It’s like they’re my grandparents.”
It may go without saying, but the anchors of the menu are fish and chips — flaky, rich cod in light, crispy batter paired with creamy, tangy tartar sauce — and house-made clam chowder — peppery chowder served with oyster crackers. These staples, prepared from recipes passed down through two generations, are treasured original recipes that produce pure nostalgia with each bite.
And like an old-school chip shop, the Pismo Fish & Chips menu offers variety. Fried softshell crab, hamburgers and salads support the menu’s classics. “People think we only have fish and chips, but we have a pretty big menu. And not just seafood,” she says. “There’s something for everyone.”
Like many vacation spots on the Central Coast, the busiest season in Pismo Beach is, of course, summer. That’s when the kids are out of school and families return to their favorite beach hangouts to make more memories. During the high season, Karishma says, it’s too busy to “even put a solid number on how many people visit.”
But business doesn’t stop when kids go back to school, and it doesn’t feel like there’s a true off-season. Karishma says visitors come to town year-round and notes that, “the previous owners said during the winter they could watch an entire movie before they had a customer, but it’s not like that anymore.”
The sign out front of the 1920s brick building has changed a few times, but the timeless story of Pismo Fish & Chips endures. It’s not just about tourism — there’s the quieter story of the locals, who visit their favorite fish and chips spot no matter the season. “We really appreciate the locals that have supported us over the years,” Karishma says.
