Whitby venue listed in top 10 fish and chip restaurants in UK after Fry Magazines' secret judging

A North Yorkshire chippy has been named among the best in the country by an industry magazine.

The Magpie Cafe, in Whitby, has secured a place in the top 10 best restaurants list by Fry Magazine. The publication puts together an annual list of the 50 best fish and chip takeaways and 10 best fish and chip restaurants- and it has now revealed its choices for this year.

Sadly, for Teesside foodies, none of our chippies received a mention - with the closest being the Whitby offering. The results follow months of judging in which takeaways, restaurants and mobile units were secretly assessed by mystery diners on a range of aspects such as food quality, premises cleanliness, staff expertise, value for money, ease of ordering, and social media presence.

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Only the operators with the highest scores earn an award, Fry Magazine explained. “The pass mark this year for both the takeaway and restaurant categories was 96% and above, although several were successful in gaining the full 100%.

“This is the 13th year the awards have taken place and judges were not disappointed with the quality of entrants or the food served. Feedback included comments such as “The staff were so friendly”, “The best fish and chips we had tasted in a long time”, “The fish was perfectly white”, and “No improvements need to be added, they are doing a fantastic job”.”

The winners in alphabetical order are:

50 Best Takeaways

• Ainsworth’s Fish & Chips, Caernarfon

• Angel Lane Chippie, Penrith, Cumbria

• Angell’s Fisheries, Newark, Nottinghamshire

• Batterfly Fish & Chips, Surbiton, Surrey

• Bredon Village Fish and Chip Shop, Bredon, Worcestershire

• Callaway’s Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset

• Churchill’s Fish & Chips Langney, Eastbourne, East Sussex

• Farnham’s at Fontygary, Rhoose, Vale Of Glamorgan

• Fiddlers Elbow, Leintwardine, Herefordshire

• Fintans Fish & Chip Co. Llanishen, Cardiff

• Fishnchickn, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex

• French’s Fish Shop, Wells next the Sea, Norfolk

• Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire

• Greg & Lou’s, Redruth, Cornwall

• Henley’s of Wivenhoe, Colchester, Essex

• Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea

• Hirds Family Fisheries, Halifax, West Yorkshire

• Howe & Co 55, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

• Joe’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Strabane , County Tyrone

• Kellaway’s Fish and Chips, Truro, Cornwall

• Kirbys of Horsforth, Horsforth , Leeds

• Kirbys of Meanwood, Meanwood, Leeds

• Lighthouse Fisheries Of Flamborough, Flamborough, East Yorkshire

• Malt and Anchor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

• Moore’s Fish & Chips, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway

• Oysters Fish & Chips, Lightwater, Surrey

• Oysters Fish & Chips, Marlow Bottom, Buckinghamshire

• Pennington Plaice, Leigh, Greater Manchester

• Pier Point, Torquay, Devon

• Pisces, Fleetwood, Lancashire

• Portside Fish & Chips, South Elmsall, Leeds

• Portside Fish & Chips, Kirkstall Road, Leeds

• Quintiliani’s Fast Food, Hamilton, Larkhall, South Lanarkshire

• Redcloak Fish Bar , Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

• Sea Blue Fisheries, Clowne, Derbyshire

• Sea Salt + Sole, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire

• Seafront Chippy, Hornsea, East Yorkshire

• Shappy Wheels, Shap, Cumbria

• Shaws Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

• Squires, Braunton, Devon

• Sykes Fish and Chips, Manchester

• The Anchor, Bexley, South East London

• The Bearded Sailor, Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire

• The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway

• The Chippie Van, Penrith, Cumbria

• The Codfather, Wakefield, West Yorkshire

• The Fish at Goose Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester

• The Fish Bank, Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire

• The Friary, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim

• The Hook of Clacton, Clacton on Sea, Essex

• The Oyster Shell, Bath, Somerset

• The Village Fish & Chips, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent

• Town Street Fryer, Marple Bridge, Stockport, Cheshire

• Two Gates Fisheries, Shafton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

10 Best Restaurants

• Catch, Giffnock, Glasgow

• Eric’s Fish & Chips, Hunstanton, Norfolk

• Fish City, Belfast

• Harbour Lights, Falmouth, Cornwall

• Pier Point Bar & Restaurant, Torquay, Devon

• Squires Fish Restaurant, Braunton, Devon

• The Elite, Tritton Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

• The Magpie Cafe, Whitby, North Yorkshire

• The Scallop Shell, Bath, Somerset

• Toff’s of Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill, London

Reece Head, competition organiser, comments: “Congratulations to this year’s award winners! Another year has passed and, once again, these shops have shown resilience, adapting to today’s challenges with remarkable dedication.

"At a time when inflationary pressures are being felt, these businesses continue to stay positive and prioritise their customers, maintain exceptional standards, and find innovative ways to keep fish and chips affordable. Starting the year as award winners is a fantastic way for fish and chip shops to kick off 2025, setting the tone for a successful year ahead.

“Whether served in a restaurant, a takeaway, or from a mobile unit, the Fry Awards prove that quality fish and chips can be enjoyed anywhere.” All takeaways, restaurants, and mobiles that entered receive their mystery dining report, while winners also receive a plaque to proudly display in their shops.

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