For fish and chips, it’s hard to do better than Matt Murphy’s Pub in Brookline Village. The dish arrives wrapped in newspaper. Pull back the edges and you’ll find a plate of gold: generous pieces of fresh cod cloaked in light batter. The fish is tender but not soggy, with a tempered crunch. The chips’ crisp exteriors yield to tender innards. Squeeze lemon over the fish and douse the fries generously in malt vinegar; break up the flavors with bites of the pickled onion that comes on the side.

MATT MURPHY’S PUB > 14 Harvard Street, Brookline Village, 617-232-0188, mattmurphyspub.com