Britain’s best fish and chip shops revealed – see if your favourite makes the list

A cafe which serves “whale-like proportions” has been hailed the UK’s best fish and chip shop in a new ranking that has emerged online.

Time Out travel magazine revealed Magpie Cafe in Whitby, Yorkshire, as the ultimate place for Brits to grab their Friday night treat. The list, which ranges from seaside destinations to hidden city gems, named only seven chippies from England as the top go-to places. Food experts applauded the cafe for being “no frills, all gills” and highlighted that the fish is responsibly sourced.

Over in Scotland, Fochabers Fish Bar in Moray came in at second place, with experts labelling the venue as “Scotland’s number one fish and chip takeaway”. The magazine commended the fish bar for its “efficient” and “friendly” atmosphere. “Not only does the fish look and taste great but so do the chequered tables and white tiles that make up the refreshingly retro interior that hasn’t changed since the day it opened,” the list said. “What’s more, the service at Fochabers is friendly, efficient, and will see that you get your supper in a flash.”

The third-placed chippy was in Northern Ireland, with Belfast’s John Long’s being praised as one of the city’s “seven wonders”. The magazine said of the chip shop: “The portions are generous considering the friendly price point and it’s rare to get served a wedge of battered fish here that doesn’t arrive in the perfect shade of amber. John Long’s is basically what you’d get if you told an AI to create the perfect chip shop from the ground up: we wouldn’t change a thing.”

The other six English chip shops to make up the list were Trenchers, also in Whitby, Exeter’s Fish Shed, Skippers of Euxton in Lancashire, the Fish Shack in Amble, the Cod’s Scollops in Nottingham and Rybka in Brighton. From the other five chippies, two were in Wales, two were in Scotland and the list was rounded off with Chipmongers in Port Stewart, Londonderry.

Time Out described the Northern Irish fish shop as part of a “new wave” of takeaways “taking over the UK”. It said: “It’s easy to feel sceptical when seeing a monkfish and prawn thai curry on the menu at your local chippy, but Chipmongers are dedicated to keeping their prices keen and doing justice to the traditions of the chipper with their craggy battered cod.”

The UK’s best fish and chip shops according to TimeOut

1. The Magpie Cafe, Whitby
2. Fochabers Fish Bar, Moray
3. John Long’s, Belfast
4. Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife
5. Trenchers, Whitby
6. Môr Ffein, Cardigan
7. Fish Shed, Exeter
8. Frankie’s Fish and Chips, Brae
9. D. Fecci and Sons, Tenby
10. Skippers of Euxton, Lancashire
11. The Fish Shack, Amble
12. The Cod’s Scallops, Nottingham
13. RYBKA, Brighton
14. Chipmongers, Portstewart