A new list of the UK’s best fish and chip shops has been revealed but England has just seven.
According to the new ranking by the Time Out travel magazine, the UK’s top chippy is Magpie Cafe in Whitby, Yorkshire.
Chip experts at the magazine praised the cafe for being “no frills, all gills” saying its fish was responsibly sourced adding that its large cod and chips was a meal of “whale-like proportions”.
Following closely behind in second place was Fochabers Fish Bar in Moray, Scotland, which Time Out said had cemented its place as “Scotland’s number one fish and chip takeaway”.
The magazine said of the Scottish fish bar: “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.
“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
The Magpie Cafe, Whitby
Fochabers Fish Bar, Moray
John Long’s, Belfast
Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife
Trenchers, Whitby
Môr Ffein, Cardigan
Fish Shed, Exeter
Frankie’s Fish and Chips, Brae
D. Fecci and Sons, Tenby
Skippers of Euxton, Lancashire
The Fish Shack, Amble
The Cod’s Scallops, Nottingham
RYBKA, Brighton
Chipmongers, Portstewart
