Short answer: Truro is inland, so it can't compete with harbour towns on freshness. The Thomas Daniell does the best version in the city. If the fish specifically is the point, drive to the Heron Inn at Malpas or out to the coast.
Worth being upfront: Truro is Cornwall's only city and, unusually for Cornwall, it isn't on the coast. Fish and chips here is a different proposition to Padstow or Port Isaac.
A genuine local favourite converted from an old pub into a wine bar and restaurant — the fish and chips gets specific praise, and it's the most reliable version in the city itself.
Three miles out, on the water, and a noticeable step up. A genuinely lovely waterside pub with a seafood platter worth the drive, plus blankets and patio heaters for cooler evenings.
Cornwall's best fish and chips comes from places where the boats land a few hundred yards away. Truro doesn't have that, and no kitchen can fully make up for it — so if the fish specifically is what you're after, the coast is worth the twenty minutes.
The city's genuine strength is its independent food scene — Sip for Persian, Bodega 18 for tapas, Petty Fours for tasting menus. Arguably better uses of an evening here than chasing seaside food inland.
Falmouth is twenty minutes away and has a proper working harbour. If you're set on fish and chips with a sea view, that's the drive to make.
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