For three months, the new owners of Betty’s Fish and Chips shadowed longtime baker Susan Corso to ensure they got the famous Lemon Cloud pie just right. You don’t mess with a staple of the iconic Santa Rosa seafood shack, a family favorite since 1967.
In late October 2023, Dan Coleman and his fiance, Cassidy Salvato took the reins of the chippery after Corso retired, but only after securing all of the recipes. But Coleman is no newbie to the restaurant, having worked at Betty’s for over a decade, starting at age 17. When the Santa Rosa native returned home after opening a fish and chip shop in Las Vegas, the opportunity to buy the restaurant seemed right.
“The opportunity just opened up after 27 years and I picked up where I left off,” Coleman said. Corso and family members Brian and Lori Hall took over the restaurant in 1996 from the original owners.
Coleman and Salvato don’t plan to make any radical changes to the menu, aside from two new sauces — a dill and caper tartar sauce and ginger-soy Thai sauce that Coleman makes — though the restaurant’s traditional tartar isn’t going anywhere.
“If the wheel isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” Coleman said, considering adding a few new items, including a brisket sandwich for non-seafood eaters.
If you haven’t been to Betty’s in a minute, best bets include their battered Icelandic cod (no, it’s not beer battered, and yes, the recipe is a secret), fish tacos, housemade clam chowder bread bowl and fresh fruit pies, especially the Lemon Cloud.
4046 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa, 707-539-0899, bettysfishandchips.com. Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.