Fish-and-Chip Shop Rock Paper Fish Has Reopened in Northwest Portland

The new location comes with an expanded menu, with dishes like New England clam strips, and both lemon pepper Oregon bay shrimp and Willapa Bay oysters tucked into po’boys.

Rock Paper Fish Photo courtesy of Rock Paper Fish.
By Andi Prewitt

Rock Paper Fish, the pandemic pivot fish-and-chips joint, has reopened in a new location.

The fast-casual collaboration between Micah “Little Big Burger” Camden, Portland-raised NFL star Ndamukong Suh, and third-generation RingSide Steakhouse owner Craig Peterson started frying up seafood once again at 2309 NW Kearney St. However, unless you happened to wander by the storefront or subscribe to RingSide’s emailed newsletter, you may not have heard about the move.

“We are pleased to announce that Rock Paper Fish has reopened on Northwest 23rd and Kearny,” the notice, which went out July 21, stated. “We have expanded our menu to include calamari, shrimp and oyster po’boys as well as still serving the best Alaskan halibut fish and chips.”

Rock Paper Fish Photo courtesy of Rock Paper Fish.

Rock Paper Fish started as a pickup- and delivery-only seafood window two years ago. At the time, essentially all of Camden’s restaurants—except for Baes Chicken in downtown Portland—were temporarily closed due to the pandemic. The short-term future for Boxer Ramen, located in the Burnside 26 building, didn’t look so good—it was summer, when a bowl of hot ramen isn’t exactly appealing, and in a world when everyone wants to order to go, noodles sloshing around in broth are a hard sell if you’re on the move.

So in an effort to utilize the space, Camden asked Peterson, who previously ran RingSide Fish House in Fox Tower, to join him and Suh in opening a fish-and-chips-focused outlet—something he saw a need for in the Portland market. To make sure the seafood stayed crispy while in transit, Camden adopted Baes’ approach to preparing birds: double-battered and double-fried.

Rock Paper Fish Photo courtesy of Rock Paper Fish.


Rock Paper Fish temporarily closed Dec. 30, then moved to the Northwest location because it filled a void in that neighborhood. There you’ll find both halibut and cod on the menu along with a slew of new items, as teased in the RingSide newsletter. That includes New England clam strips, spinach artichoke fritters, and both lemon pepper Oregon bay shrimp and Willapa Bay oysters tucked into the traditional Louisiana sandwich. There are also a couple of sides that aren’t snagged from the sea: Old Bay-seasoned jojos and a creamy coleslaw.

Rock Paper Fish is open 11 am-9 pm daily.

Rock Paper Fish Photo courtesy of Rock Paper Fish.

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