A fish and chip shop in North Yorkshire has been named among some of the best in the UK for 2023 by The Times.

The Magpie Café in Whitby was featured in the ‘18 of the best fish and chip shops in the UK’ list and has been described as “the quayside queen" by the publisher's reviewer.

Whether you’re after the biggest portion of salty chips or the freshest fish you can find with a side of mushy peas, the coastal hotspot is known for its variety of seafood restaurants.

What did The Times say about The Magpie Café in Whitby?

The reviewer said: “I didn’t want the Magpie to be the best chippy in Whitby yet again.

“Such was my determination to dethrone a restaurant that celebrated its platinum jubilee in 2009 that I sampled fish and chips from four other outlets in the town.

“It was all for nowt, though, because none came close to the quayside queen.

“The wine is terrible, the stairs steep, the floorboards creaky and the rooms like a funfair haunted house, and the restaurant menu is longer than a phone book — more in hope than expectation that someone will order anything but their fabulous beef-dripping fish and chips.

“But maybe one day try the “Woof”. “Is it a dogfish?” ask customers. “No, it’s a catfish,” grin the waitresses — and it’s true. Cod and chips £11.95 (magpiecafe.co.uk)”

@robbie.reviews The Magpie Cafe in Whitby is 10/10 Perfect fish, beautiful chips and an incredible retro vibe#fishandchips #chippy #uk #whitby #traveltiktok #britishfood #chips #ukfood #visituk #seaside #uktravel #travelfood #tiktokfood #ukfoodblogger #foodreview #review ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

18 of the best fish and chip shops in the UK according to The Times

You can see more information about some of the best-named fish and chip shops by The Times on the website here.

  1. Whitehead’s Fish & Chips, Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire
  2. Les and Rita’s Fish Bar, Rhyl, Denbighshire
  3. The Rocketeer, North Berwick, East Lothian
  4. French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
  5. The Haven, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
  6. Bennett’s Fish & Chips, Weymouth, Dorset
  7. Morton’s, Ballycastle, Co Antrim
  8. The Bay Fish & Chips, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
  9. Lighthouse Fisheries of Flamborough, East Riding of Yorkshire
  10. The Mermaid, Barmouth, Gwynedd
  11. East Coast, Musselburgh, East Lothian
  12. Steel’s Corner House Restaurant, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
  13. Fraser’s, Penzance, Cornwall
  14. Fishers, Hunstanton, Norfolk
  15. Maggie’s, Hastings, East Sussex
  16. The Magpie Café, Whitby, North Yorkshire
  17. VC Jones, Whitstable, Kent
  18. Lewis’s Fish Restaurant, Seahouses, Northumberland

On Tripadvisor, The Magpie Café currently has a 4.5/5 rating out of 9,173 reviews.

One customer said: "A very popular seafood restaurant in a popular coastal town.

"We booked a table for 3pm and arrived an hour early, but they found us a table without any fuss.

"Friendly, efficient staff. The food is excellent. I had the Whitby Crab starter which was generous and fresh, followed by a regular portion of Cod and Chips.

"My son had a Scallop starter special of the day, followed by a Hake special of the day for his main - he said that it was the best cooked fish that he'd ever had, anywhere. Would strongly recommend booking a table."

The Magpie Café in Whitby, North Yorkshire is located at 14 Pier Road, Whitby, YO21 3PU.