Magpie Cafe in Scarborough

We had heard great reviews about this place, when researching we discovered you can book a table, though this is only available after 2pm. We are so glad we did! Fast, effective, polite service. Due to booking, we were able to skip the queue, and shown straight to our table. Lovely views. We were given both food and drinks menus, which we were given ample time to peruse. We opted for the regular fish and chips (with extras) which was more than sufficient (neither of us could finish the job!) There was a slight wait for the food, however they were very busy (people were still queuing up at this point.) It was well worth it! We have never tasted fish and chips like it! Staff extremely friendly, nothing too much hassle, they clearly wanted their customers to enjoy their evening. Trip Advisor only allow 5 out of 5, we would give it a 10! If we find ourselves in Whitby again, there is nowhere else we are going for our fish and chips! The reputation this establishment has, is well worth it! Thank you!

We loved this cafe but be prepared for how busy it gets. We also felt like we’d upset the server by only ordering sandwiches rather than full heavier meals. I appreciate that most folks go I there for the seafood and chips etc but not everyone can eat that so we ordered sandwiches, which were really nice. Worth a visit if you don’t mind a little wait. The toilets and place is not for the infirm or those with reduced mobility as it’s quite hard to get around in there. Not wheelchair / pushchair friendly but food really good.

Increíble, el servicio era como un rayo, la comida simplemente lo mejor, elimina puntos de cualquiera de estos restaurantes de pescado Top en Londres

Very unclear where to queue , weather or not you go straight in if you have a booking. Very small , tight place for the amount of people in the restaurant. Was not told what they had ran run out of. Had to ask for condiments. Huge portions and quick service.

There are a number of fish and chip restaurants in Whitby and after research, we decided on The Magpie Cafe and we certainly made the right choice! We chose both a small and regular cod fish and chips off the extensive menu. Our meals were cooked fresh to order and arrived piping hot and tasted absolutely delicious! The batter was crispy, the cod white and flaky, the chips very moreish. Many thanks for a memorable and proper fish and chip meal.

Fantastic fish and chips as well as other fish dishes. During peak season it gets very busy and we struggled to get a table in the past. This time we booked ahead. We had the traditional fish and chips and the seafood hot pot. Both were excellent.

Enough has already been said about the quality of the food but what really sets The Magpie apart is the quality of the service. All the staff I dealt with were friendly, efficient and appeared to be genuinely happy to work there.

Our favourite fish and chips in Whitby. Authentic traditional fish and chip restaurant with amazing pure white cod battered to perfection. Never had a bad meal from here everytime we’ve been. We always go out of season as hate the crowds but this place has been serving us for years and it’s always consistently great fresh food every single time. Wouldn’t go anywhere else as I’m pretty sure we’d just be disappointed. Many thanks guys

We enjoyed the fish and chips, but portion sizes were small and prices were high. Typical for seaside resort, I suppose.

Good fish and chips overall. A little pricey.

No way this deserves the title of "best fish and chips".

Over priced and not very good Very poor fish and over cooked chips

A waitress met me at the door as I waited to be seated, on finding a table for me which needed to be cleaned she let out a big sigh and stormed off. Once cleaned , I sat at the tiny table in a very tight space in a corner despite the place being half empty. A waiter then brought me a bunch of menus before abruptly snapping at a young couple who had just sat near me stating that they could not drink the water bottles they had put on the table while taking their coats off. I had picked out a food order but put my coat back on (a struggle at my tiny corner table) and immediately left before ordering, so I have no idea what the food was like but being a big eater it would definitely not have all fit on my table. Would not return next time I am here.

Kade gave great service and would recommend to everyone 💯

Great meal to full to eat pudding 😊😊

Having such a fulfilling seafood meal here after walking in the beautiful harbour is really satisfying. The food is tasty with generous portion. The prawns and fishes are fresh. We ordered a hot seafood pot, Monkfish and prawns North Sea octopus as starter. The octopus cooked so well with beans, onion and garlic. The hot seafood pot is simply cooked with lemon and butter that fully matches with the flavor of the fresh seafood. Monkfish and prawns are cooked with couscous and sausages that tastes so nice. Highly recommend if you come to visit this beautiful place.

I ordered small cod chips large cod chips 2 teas 1 bread butter but was shocked my bill came to 54pounds

We visited twice on our recent trip to Whitby. The food was excellent, very large portions. Staff really friendly, great service and would highly recommend visiting. Maybe worth booking in advance.

We had the haddock & chips for dinner. The chips were cooked in beef dripping. Best fish & chips ever!! We went back for lunch the next day, but the chips weren’t cooked in dripping. Still good though, & the curry sauce is delicious.

Went to takeaway. Hard to beat fish & chips cooked in traditional way.

It was busy, quite understandably, but not rushed or intimidating. Staff are welcoming, professional and helpful. Food is excellent I had the moules frites, delicious and my fellow diner had large cod and chips. All freshly prepared and cooked to perfection.

I know it's all about the fish, but those mushy peas were divine...

Very rude and refused to serve us after we had already been seated, as they would not only serve drinks.

The food was stunning and the service was friendly. We had no idea how popular and highly rated this place is, so it was a nice surprise to find out it’s one of the best fish and chip shops in the UK. The high quality of the coffee was the cherry on the cake. One of the best cups of coffee I have had. Just lovely!

Another favourite of ours! Great fish and seafood options in Whitby.

Called in for lunch today and enjoyed the best cod and chips I've had in a long time. The fish was sublime 😁

A large restaurant on the harbour in Whitby it always has a wait to get in

What can I say about Magpie cafe. First time we have been in & OMG the best cod & chips I've ever had. We have chippy near us & I thought that was good but sorry to say the food I had at magpie cafe was on another level.

Did not want to queue up on the street to get in!

Decided to eat in on a cool winter's evening as fish and chips soon go cold. Only a small queue outside so not a long wait to get in and be seated. Went for a regular and a large cod and chips with two portions of peas and a pot of tea. The food was superb, not cheap but I would gladly eat in again and pay the price. Don't expect to get the same quality from their takeaway outside but you'll pay a lot less. Well worth going in if you've never tried it and give yourself a treat.

Been going to magpie for over 20 years still a fantastic place to eat

Good haddock and chips but not spectacular. Good attentive service. Glasses unfortunately warm which wasn't great for cold drinks.

The fish and chips were excellent and truly deserve their great reputation. I was pleased to find a locally brewed alcohol-free beer available on the menu. Although it can get quite busy, we arrived around 1 PM on a Saturday afternoon in mid-March, and we were seated within just a few minutes for our table of eight.

Very average fish and chips shop that got reccomended. Ive definitely had better. The curry sauce wasn't great and tasted very much like tomato. The chips and scraps were nice though. Had a battered sausage, that was decent. Good area to grab and sit on the pier to eat.

Cooked to perfection with a light crispy butter, fresh fish and crispy chips with soft insides. Expected to pay more just less than £12 bargain

Service food and location were faultless 👊🤌

Service was quick and attentive to dietary requirements. Delicious fish and chips.

Some of the best haddock I've ever tasted

So far the best fish n chips I ve ever had

Great to eat in such a well established local institution. The food was great! Portions were massive, in a way a bit too generous as I couldn’t possibly have coped with a pudding!

What can I say....fish and chips ticked all the boxes! Crunchy batter, meaty and flakey fish with skin, moist and not chewy. Service was excellent. The waitress knew about my wife's coeliac issue and made the experience a worry free one. Thank you

Epic food and truly epic portions, best fish and chips I've had

Be prepared take out a mortgage,,I know there are loads of good reviews and don't get me wrong it is good food but when all is said and done it's fish and chips, it's that simple,,,but it's bloody expensive fish and chips!

Lovely place. Friendly staff. Helpful staff. Great atmosphere.

Delicious chips, hot and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Would highly recommend.

Used to be a firm favourite, but portion sizes are shrinking whilst prices aren't. A recent meal of monkfish was almost certainly frozen and lost all the texture that i love in monkfish. Staff are great and the view and atmosphere are as good as they ever where - but i go there for the food! Disappointed.

Not bad, pretty nice food, servers were nice, the place is decorated nicely Not a bad experience but not hugely stand out either. Prices weren't as high as I'd expected but not cheap either

Exceptionaly attentive staff with wonderful food.

Beautiful meal, excellent service.

I had some mussels with cream and I loved it ! - From my child

I ordered the gluten-free fish and chips from the takeaway. Both the fish and the chips are cooked in beef dripping - far healthier than using seed oils as some do. The gluten-free options are cooked in the restaurant kitchen and brought down to the takeaway. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, I'd visit again. Edit: I revisited and I was disappointed to find the cod was smaller than the size I ordered as well as being overcooked.

We were staying locally in an apartment and knew we had to try some local fish and chips. We’d never heard of Magpie Cafe before but the owners left details as a recommendation. For me, fish & chips is either an eat-in lunchtime or takeaway at night. We were going to get some as takeaway in the evening but were peckish around 3pm and headed there. We picked a good time as it was not too busy and were shown to a table upstairs. I was amazed how big the place was and how many tables there were. The menu had lots of options and they had just about every drink available- I had a double Whitby G&T and my wife had a glass of wine. The specials listed some great sounding seafood dishes and I ordered monk fish & prawn on spicy couscous with merguez sausage, plus a small portion of chips. My wife had cod and chips. Have to say the food was amazing! I was blown away how lovely my dish was, really tasty with spicy heat from the sauce. Tried some of my wife’s cod which was lovely too. We got tempted to look at the dessert menu and had Eton mess and trifle which was also absolutely lovely. It was a bit on the pricey side but worth it and the staff were all lovely. Not really any ambience or atmosphere but after all it is a cafe.

The most amazing seafood - so good that we returned twice before heading home from our break to Whitby .. highly recommend!

After our first visit to Magpie Café 2 years ago, we were keen to return and were not disappointed. The North Sea octopus starter was to die for, and of course the main event was the sharing platter of fish and chips! Brilliant.

Went on Saturday 8th March at 4pm, excellent service. The fish and chips were delicious. Definitely worth a trip if in the area.

Well worth the queue! Best scampi and fish and chips we’ve had! The oysters were very fresh and delicious (this is coming from someone who typically isn’t the biggest fan of oysters, but these were great). If you’re in in Whitby for the day, this is a must try.

Great fish and chips,mushy peas excellent

Atmosphere.... it's a fish and chip takeaway though there is a restaurant too

Had lunch today. I had the langustein, I had hoped they arrive ready to eat, so was a little disappointed when they didn't. I asked for them to be prepared, only to be informed by the kitchen staff that they were too busy! Rude to say the least! I also ordered the garlic mushrooms and again not great. My husband ordered the fish and chips, and was even disappointed with that. We've been before and had a great meal, hence us returning. Sadly, this visit was a totally different experience

Didn't have to queue too long & staff were super helpful and attentive. Food lovely

We ordered medium size. Still very decent size. So far, one of the best fish and chips I have ever tasted!

I didn’t get a chance to try their fish & chips, as I got distracted by the crab but cannot complain as it was so delicious! I swapped the chips for a salad and it was so hearty and flavourful. The Yorkshire IPA beer was okay. Definitely coming back this Summer to try the fish and chips, the mussels and the fish pie! The service was fantastic! Please make a booking before you go.

Just love eating here, when in Whitby. Haddock was gorgeous.

Brilliant fish and chip restaurant 😋

Great place been once and loved it I’ve been to Whitby multiple times and I have to say this is one of my favourite restaurants I’ve been to and the staff are pleasant

This place is amazing great for a special meal out or just a nice treat we went to whity for the weekend and ate here last night as a birthday treat for me and 2 friends just under £60 for fillet steak chips half lobster salad onion rings and peppercorn sauce 😋 well worth it ... the fillet steak melted in my mouth and the chips well .....they we're the best I've had in my life great place lovely staff ❤️ thankyou it was amazing

Brilliant service and great food !! All looked, smelled and tasted delicious, ten out of ten !!!♥️

Not been for a few years and always massively enjoyed the Magpie. So looking forward to the haddock and chips and the wife spotted the crab bisque, one of our favourites so we decided to have it. First thought was it was a smallish portion but in the end glad it was! So thick, really sweet and not good at all, especially with a large amount of watercress on the top - why? Fortunately after waiting a bit longer than we liked the main event arrived and our faith was restored! A delightful piece of thick well battered haddock and superb chips. Mind you at over £20 for f and c and mushy peas it needed to be, even though the fish was regular as opposed to small! Unlike so many other chippies bread and butter another extra. Staff were friendly and polite but service was pretty slow. In fairness it was busy as usual. Enjoyed it overall but not sure it will be on our agenda on the next visit to Whitby. Was going to give 3 stars but just about 4 on the fish and previous visits.

We booked for 7.30. A member of staff noticed us looking quizzically at the steps, came out, addressed us by name, explained we were on the top floor and would be better taking the lift. Another member of staff escorted us to the lift which is located in the takeaway next door. We felt like royalty. It’s over twenty years since our last visit stairs weren’t an issue then. My husband was ninety last year. We wanted to bring our two teenage grandsons to Whitby. We have taken them to some very classy restaurants but they said that the food and service at the Magpie was up with the best. We had one small cod, two regular cod and a regular haddock with bread and butter, tea for me (fabulous loose leaf, tea pot with hot water, lager for my husband soft drinks for the boys. £71. Really good value.

Great food, and price. If you have an allergy you get a little red flag. And some of the staff are blunt but most are kind.

Had a lovely meal here. I thought the fish and chips was 10/10. Also ordered the fish pie which was delicious with a healthy amount of fish. Portions are hearty. Staff were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere unassuming. Recommend booking in advance. Some veggie options.

Fabulous in every way the good is amazing and the staff are lovely especially Anna. She's always happy and smiley and absmd super friendly. Well done magpie x

Have eaten here before, both takeaway and in the restaurant. This time sat upstairs with a view of the Abbey. The staff were friendly and hardworking. The starters of mussels and crab pate were wonderful. The regular fish and chips were just about manageable. In future would only attempt a large portion if not having a starter. The chips crisp and fluffy, the haddock snowy white with light crisp batter. Superb. Nice touch the sweets with magpie cafe on them.

Fantastic food - always, and generous helpings! Lovely friendly helpful staff.A place with a homey feel and lovely views. Excellent toilets. Great ambience. We hadn’t been since The Fire (2017 I think) and everything was just as wonderful as before: finding this sort of consistency is really good.

Delicious and great value for money.

The Magpie Café serves the best Fish and Chips in Whitby in my opinion. I recommend booking in advance if you don't want to wait and queue outside. The food is always served quickly. Our table had an amazing sea view! Accessibility will likely be an issue due to the stairs to enter the establishment. The food is great and I particularly enjoyed the grilled goats cheese. The Creme Brulee was more like Creme Cremated as someone was a little heavy on the torch but that didn't ruin the evening.

Compared to one of its rivals, which will remain nameless but was still good, Magpie was cheaper, had bigger portions and was more delicious. Their haddock was fantastic

Absolutely gorgeous fish, chips and mushy peas. Washed down with a proper brew too. Super friendly staff

Absolutely brilliant would recommend a visit.Do prebook.

Fabulous. Specials menu was tempting and delicious. Mains of mussels was very tasty with good size mussels and perfect chips on the side. F+C had a lovely chunk of cod, and the mushy peas were joucy and tasty. All staff were great, and Kadie ensured everything was provided for a perfect meal.

Incredible food. Super fast service. Friendly staff. Highly recommend 👌

Was a lovely meal although did wait for the food for quite a while but one of the staff, youngish chap with a beard was very rude. Not to us but to people coming in. Very aggressively telling them to wait outside and not come in. That's fine but maybe put the sign so you can see it on the outside rather than it being on the inside so you online see it if you walk in and look behind you! Also Husband had the vegan shepherd's pie which he's had before, said it tasted a bit spicy this time which he didn't really like

Had some food from the takeaway classic fish and chips and they were absolutely superb. They were perfectly cooked. Absolutely beautiful. The staff that were serving were really funny and friendly. It is possibly the greatest fish and chip restaurant in the world.

A beautiful sea front café with an amazing view. The portion sizes are large, so it is definitely worth the money. Everything tasted fresh, and the staff are very friendly. I would definitely recommend dining here.

The staff were great and the food is always beaut! Had 2 people next to us on about the filtered water, and being difficult. The waitress dealt with it like a pro. It was so ridiculous what they were asking and she just masterfully dealt with the ridiculousness of their enquiries. Also, they noticed I am not great on my legs and took me to the disabled toilet and let me use it despite me being quite young. First time me and my partner have been and won't be the last. See you in August when we are back ladies and gents.

Amazing place. Cosy atmosphere and quick service. 10/10

Been many times, always a great experience, only, this last time we were disappointed with the meal, not up to it's usual standard and the Salad, oh dear! Will have to think before we go back.

Visited kn February so no wait for a table! Lots of selection available on the menu. The meal was ok, great chips. It wasn't the best fish and chips ever had but nothing specifically wrong. Meal for 2 £50.

The Best Fish & Chips I've ever had!

Simply Lovely, everytime we return we are amazed at the quality of the food which is consistent and superb. Can't wait to return.

Very busy and very warm inside service good food good but had to wait a long time for food

Val was very welcoming and made the visit feel great 👍

The fish & chips were average and too oily . Mussels were exceptional. Service was really slow and they miss one of my order. The attitude wasn’t good as well.

Fantastic cod and chips. Great service. Very friendly and helpful.

Lovely seafood resto with excellent service by experienced and obliging wait staff (senior ladies). Rightfully famous for their fish and chips - lightly battered, fresh and succulent haddock. Fries are delish. Other seafood hotpot we ordered was delicious too,with fresh catch. Would return without hesitation. Kudos.

Friendly staff Good location Excellent food Good service Highly recommend

Went on a busy Saturday night in January without a reservation but only had to wait about 10mins for a table. The menu is extensive with a good mix of dishes. Food was good. We can see why this is a local institution and are glad we got to try it. If you’re after a slice of the traditional, head here.

Food over rated and expensive for what you get. Appalling attitude from staff when they had to put some chips in and cook them. They were more interested on their phones!!!! Will not be returning out of principal.

Great food, great view, awesome hospitality

Just went for takeaway fish and chips. The fish was fabulous. Best I’ve ever had. But I was totally put off by the server who kept reaching into a packet of biscuits or cake and feeding herself whilst serving the fish and chips. Just not acceptable surely?