Serving Since 1935

England-born brothers Jack and Frank Alger were very familiar with British-style fish and chip stands—even though they were raised in Vancouver, B.C.—and in 1935 decided to try a version of their own on Seattle's west side beachfront. In the midst of the depression, they converted their small garage and in June began serving up the restaurant's now famous fish and chips from a small take-out window. Seattle's first fast food restaurant was born, complete with a "parking lot" where customers would lay their boat sails out to dry. At the time, 10 cents could buy a paper "boat" cradling two big pieces of breaded cod on a sea of French fries, reminiscent of the inspiration from their island nation home far away. The fillets today are the same size the Algers served in 1935.

Not commonly known is that the Alger brothers helped Ivar Haglund in 1938 when he opened his first fish and chips stand, at the entrance to his aquarium on Pier 53 (now Pier 54). Roy Buckley, Ivar’s first employee, brought with him fish and chips expertise that he had acquired at Spud. Additionally, Frank, Jack, Ivar and Roy were from West Seattle and used not far from the original Spud.

Since then, Alki Spud customers have enjoyed the same recipes established by the Algers nearly 90 years ago, including other fresh seafood hand-breaded daily, "Spud" hand-cut fries, and freshly-made tartar sauce. Over time the garage has grown from the original building to a modern one featuring portholes, then expanding to a two-story restaurant that continues to serve as an anchor for visitors at Alki beach.