The Princess Cafe & Harbour Restaurant in Scarborough

Home cooked food to the highest standard, friendy atmosphere and spotlessly clean

Limited menu choices, cottage pie was peppery. Liver & onions was ok but unsure whether it was lamb or calf liver. Thought it was overpriced for portion size & veg was peas.

We arrived just before 11.30 so at point of ordering was a few minutes after breakfast service, was originally told couldn't do breakfast so we went to leave as that was what we were looking for and due to how busy they were we couldn't just order a drink. Someone shouted us back in and they kindly offered to do us a breakfast, they made mine gluten free also. Dog friendly, huge portions sizes.

avoid at all cost not home cooked meals my daughter and i had cottage pie, there was a big piece of plastic in mine, like the plastic you get from a microwave meal, i did show the waitress and we didnt pay for our meal we just paid for our drinks.

Food was good enough quality and dog friendly was a bonus. Chips were very dry and crunchy though. All the tea mugs were chipped

We’re regulars who live in the area with our dog, food is always top quality. Great staff usually, but today, was left waiting to pay for a few minutes while the waitresses were cleaning up or seeing new customers in.

Shocking. My dad went in for a takeaway fish and chips and was charged £20.00 for one portion and my brother in law was charged £30.00 for two fish and chips. All because those are the DINE IN prices. They didn’t dine in yet still had to pay the increased prices. What a joke. Food was awful too.

Food was absolutely lovely, staff are friendly and attentive. Would definitely recommend the full monty breakfast!

Not the most welcoming place and quite overpriced for what it is. Visited about 2pm, got sat down with menus. Once the lady came to take our order, I proceeded to order a pint and some scampi bites, and my partner ordered a latte and a slice of cake. We were given ‘feedback’ that they were only doing main meals and we ‘should have said before we sat down’. While I find it an odd approach when there were half the tables free, I would have accepted it if told upfront. However, the onus shouldn’t be on the customer to say what they’re going to order before even sitting down. Scampi bites were fine. The cake was delicious. Wouldn’t return given the vast array of other establishments in the area. This place needs to step up its hospitality and welcome.

Called in as recommended for Gluten Free Fish & Chips. Definitely worth it. The best Gluten Free battery I have ever had, lovely, light and crispy. Service swift and friendly.

Had a beautiful fish and chip lunch today 21/8/24 batter was superb 👌. Quick service freshly cooked couldn't fault it .

Food was nice, gluten free options available for friends and seating available on a busy day. But what spoilt it for me was I’m intersex / female and the waitress kept calling me sir !

Popped in for lunch after walking from North Bay. Easily got a table inside for two. No seating outside. Friendly staff. We had a pulled pork baguette and a fish finger bap with chips. The food was very good. Recommended when in the area.

The fish and chips were absolutely lovely and the staff could not have been more helpful. The meal was thoroughly enjoyed and we will definitely be returning to this quaint cafe.

Stopped off at the Princess cafe, wanted to get a table and our family enjoy pots of tea and milkshakes whilst we needed to feed our baby. There was a table free outside, my other half asked if we could sit there and order some drinks and the member of staff rudely said “ main meals only” so we were turned away and had to go and find somewhere else to have a drink and feed the baby 😒 I was sad about this as we wanted to go here as we had memories of having tea and cake here on date. Very poor treatment to to turn paying customers away!

Nice food, 9 of us all very pleased with what we had. Service was excellent, didn't have to wait long for food. Prices are a little steep, perhaps to be expected with the location. Not so much the food, but the drinks I personally felt were overpriced. Overall, it was a lovely meal and service with a smile. Thank you

Good cafe, very good breakfast, shame the kitchen team complain to the waitressess to make them coffee when its busy. Not very good for customers.

Very basic, food was bland, service was minimal. Convenience was the reason we went. Wouldn’t recommend if you are looking for more than British basics (overpriced for what you get)

This place was something else. Me and my family came in and immediately there was an extremely unclean and greasy feeling to the place but we decided to give it a chance. I orderd peri peri chicken goujons with a side portion of chips thinking i was playing it safe, little did i know what horros were awaiting me. The food gets practically dropped on my table by an extremely rude staff member. It did not look like what i orderd at all. The chicken was not crispy at all but instead soggy and coated in this spicy liquid and was overall just not for human consumption and should probably have been tested in a lab, and the chips were so cold and soggy i couldnt dare swallow it. Bare in mind ud need to sell ur house to pay for the food in there it was that overpriced.All the food stank of badussy and overall not worth your time. We left them a cheeky surprise in there toilet so have fun unclogging it x

At first I had high hopes for this place since it looked nice from the outside, but I was quickly let down by the food which just wasn’t good, it was typical greasy junk that I wouldn’t have expected to cost as much as it did. Some advice for this place would be to lower their prices as the quality of their food is just no where near what i expected for that price. If I pay £11 for chicken goujons and chips, i expect them to be half decent. They should’ve been half of that price. Not only that but everyone else in my group were let down by their food. Very disappointing.

Came in yesterday evening 02/08/24 because of the gluten free options. As a local to Scarborough im afraid to say it's not somewhere I've really thought about coming to but my experience has changed that opinion. The fish and chips were as good as any I've ever had before, the restaurant is really lovely and as a bonus we got to sit in the window at the front, people watching. The service by the young lady who looked after us was impeccable, she's a real credit to the establishment and I'm sorry I didn't carry more change to leave a bigger tip.

Me and my boyfriend came for lunch the woman was a bit abrupt on showing to a table and snappy when asked if we can order off the lunch menu and said in another 20 minutes in a abrupt manner my boyfriend's chips were the scraps from the bottom of the chip pan and undercooked my jacket potato was like plasticine with the red leicester cheese dumped on top of it sorry won't be coming again very disappointed

Met a young fellow called Nathan, he was such a lovely lad and very good at his work and I will be coming back more often.

My nan asked for gluten free food due to health issues. She was really ill after eating at Princess cafe. Being sick for hours. Please review your procedures for people with allergies and health issues

This was the only place on the sea front we could find which could accommodate the various needs of our group of vulnerable older people. Staff were friendly, helpful and patient and the food was top notch.

Went in today with family while on holiday and got served straight away and food was great

Great experience on a hot and busy day. Really good gluten free knowledge with GF sides too (Curry and Gravy!) Service was lovely despite the challenging heat. Will be back.

Went today with my grandson who has special needs and I can't thank the staff enough for the way they accommodated my grandson. They did everything I asked them too. We went in the sea view room in the end because nobody was in there and a couple wanted to come in and they asked them not too as a little boy in there was trying to calm down when we left I thanked the staff for there friendly caring service and it was very emotional when I was telling them how fantastic there staff was. I will definitely go back next time we go to Scarborough. This is the best service iv ever had in any restaurant with my grandson. So thank you to all the staff for today 15th June 2024

Abysmal food, service was ok, seated as soon as we entered but after that nothing good to say wobbly tables and cramped seating. Reheated old chips, rock solid jacket spud with off flavoured beans. J2O not shaken so sedement left at the bottom. Pepsi was ok but no ice.

Been here a lot over the years but service isn't as good anymore. Food was ok. Staff not unfriendly but only do the minimum & doesn't give the right atmosphere at all. Sad.

Just back from a visit from Liverpool. My 10 year old niece saw the home made chicken curry on the menu and wanted to eat here!! The food was all home made and it did not disappoint!! The staff were so nice!! 4 adults 3 kids. All fed and happy. Fish and chips, steak pie, chicken curry and chilli were amazing!! We will definitely go back next time!!

Nice food, well positioned and dog friendly.

Very rude British old man at reception…. If you are a non British and no white. Then don’t visit

This is a lovely harbour-front café serving great quality fish n chips! However the menu offers a lot more from full English breakfasts to a selection of tea and cake! The staff were friendly and the café was quaint and quirk, full of character too! We would definitely recommend this place for a visit!

Friendly welcome by Lisa Harrison & Libby Wright. Quick service. We didn't want to leave as we were having a good time listening to Lisa's funny story's. We had a fruit Scone & and 2 pots of lovely tea each

This is a lovely place to come and eat. Staff were very friendly, and gluten-free fish and chips and amazing definitely recommend. I had gluten-free cod, chips, and mushy peas with strawberry ice cream milkshake, and my husband had normal cod and chips. We both really enjoyed them

One star would be overrated Check the image & make your own mind up Words fail me £6.50 for this filth for a one year old child. How another human could serve this to a child is beyonds me By the way this chicken nuggets & baked beans AVOID

Coffee woeful, was filtered and tasted like it had been there 3 weeks 😁

BEST BREAKFAST EVER! Extremely friendly environment with fast table service. Within 10 mins the food was out and piled. Worth every penny and decently priced. All was so worth it that we left a £5 tip. Will definitely be going back again and again x

Good food and very welcoming staff, Fast service, don't often see 1 of my all time favourites Liver and Onions top drawer defiantly recommend

I’m going to give it one star due to value for money I had shepherds pie it was a small pie served with a hand full of peas cost to make probably £1.20 cost to buy £11.99 of special menu absolute rip off would have been ok of served with veg or chips we had to go somewhere else straight after for a burger

Excellent service. Gluten free and vegetarian options. Huge portions beautifully cooked.

Took me ages of searching for a cafe that would serve my partner traditional fish and chips but would also serve vegetarian options fried in vegetable oil. This is it! Thank you Princess Cafe for the multiple veggie choices, the halloumi burger was lovely and chips were traditional chunky chip shop chips but fried in oil. Clean and tidy, prompt and friendly service too.

We had a great experience at this deceptively large but cute cafe on the Scarborough seafront. My daughter and I both have coeliac disease and were delighted to find they served gluten free fish and chips, as well as couple of other options. The portion sizes were perfect for both of us (sometimes places don’t do kids sized gf meals which can be wasteful). My wife had a very generous prawn salad. Staff were helpful and service was prompt. Toilets were clean. We’ll be back!

Very friendly staff, lovely food and well priced too. Cafe is quite big but with a cosy feel. Dog friendly too.

Our visit (group of 8) was very disappointing. Some of our order arrived and the rest seemed to be forgotten so we had to remind the staff. A scone with jam and cream was extremely poor - completely bland and tasteless jam with fake squirty cannister 'cream'. All the coffee drinks had no taste of coffee at all. The staff seemed indifferent, no smiles or friendly service. None of us would visit again. Such a pity as it looks pretty nice from the outside.

As the Tunny was closed, the advice was to go to the Princess Cafe. We definitely won't be doing that again! One member of staff was lovely however the older lady in there could do with going back to charm school. Frosty reception, very overpriced when taking away and small portions compared to the rest of the seafront. I rarely leave a negative review for anyone, but on this occassion I would say do yourselves a favour and go elsewhere!

Came for a breakfast just before 12, it was spot on! Classic full monty fry up with fried bread and just as you would want it, great bacon! The staff were lovely and so friendly, very welcoming to young children and dogs! Great atmosphere and would recommend!

Brilliant place, lovely place, great food and value for money

Fantastic food, brilliant staff. This place is the best in Scarborough for fish and chips, and if that wasn't enough, the staff were so friendly, welcoming and lovely, it can't br topped. We cannot recommend it more,

Great GF haddock (massive, just the medium) with excellent batter, one of the best I’ve had. Lovely chips and mushy peas with some bite. Halloumi yummy too and nice chocolate hearts on the cappuccino. Service very friendly and food arrived quickly. Can’t fault it. Very enjoyable lunch.

On holiday fancied fish and chips - so called in - couldn't fault it - I think maybe a tad overpriced - 2 medium cod and chips and 2 cokes just under £33, but apart from that very pleased with everything,

Revisited and the Gluten Free Cod n Chips was same great standard as previous, crispy batter, no scimping on sauces, staff service lovely, and they hv a GF Menu for Veg lasagne, veg chilli etc, highly recommend.

Love the Gluten free Cod n chips crisp batter, no skimping on sauces, service good and recommend this place, they also do GF menu with veg lasagne veg chilli etc and more.

We've been coming here on our holiday for the last 3 year, we love it. The staff are so friendly, and we can't fault the food. Great food, and it's not to expensive. It's also dog friendly as well 😃👍.

First visit to Scarborough in 20+ years so looking forward to a great fish lunch. Service was ok, cleanliness ok, the food was hot and the fish very good, as were the mushy peas. The chips seem to have been cut from small poatoes and were a bit crunchy in places. Nevertheless, I give them 3 stars for the service.

Would not recommend and will not be returning. Everything seemed like too much trouble for our main server and another member of staff was rude and unhelpful. Food was of poor quality. For the prices we paid it should have been better. Don’t waste your money.

Amazing GF fish and chips!!! We had the most amazing GF batter, so crispy and tasty!! The normal fish and chips was also fab and the staff were so lovely!! Definitely try it :))

The place is quite dated and small. Staff very abrupt but answered our query. The food was awful. My child had sausages, chips and peas. Looked like an eighties school lunch. I had the halloumi burger and my husband a beef burger. Our chips looked and tasted like the day befores, reheated. The kids milkshakes were meant to be ice cream milkshakes but were just powdered milkshake, which at £4.50 each is poor value. Spent £60 on 4 meals. Would not return!

We had a wonderful meal the staff were so kind they found out it was our anniversary and gave us a big slice of cake free and all wish us happy anniversary, made our day ,we be going there for all our meals,the nicest cafe we have ever been in,thank you all.xx

Staff was completely lovely and welcoming as we walked in, seated us quickly. We had the gluten free Fish and Chips which was absolutely delicious 😋. We couldn't have asked for better service as we had been walking around a while trying to find gluten free fish and chips.

***NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY*** Would give it 0 stars if it would let me, Today me and my family decide to eat here on arrival was told up stairs, fine no issues with us, so took my child out of their pushchair and took it upstairs to be told no the pushchair stays downstairs (this meant taking everything off the buggy and to be put next to other customers as there is no "buggy parking" as we were trying to sort it out the manager walked off into the kitchen muttering about us so the other staff started laughing! Absolutely no need, especially when there were 8 of us who were going to have full meals! I was honestly so embarrassed and shocked at their customer service. We left and went down to the Golden Grid, who were absolutely fantastic and can see why people pay the price to eat there. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not go here unless you want to be insulted and made to feel like rubbish!

Super friendly service. Excellent fish pie. Even gluten free vinegar to put on my coeliac husbands gluten free fish and chips.

Came here for a family meal. The staff were AMAZING everyone said hello to use when we came in. All staff were great with my very loud three year old one member even brought him some crayons and some paper to keep him entertained. Brilliant gluten free fish and chips! It was so refreshing to see. Thank you!

Lovely friendly cafe... I need gluten free, and wasn't disappointed... Fish was fresh, crispy and delicious.. the staff were friendly, and helpful

We were looking for a place to refresh that offered a variety of food and drink, suitable for children, not a noisy bar or primarily serving beer and had toilet facilities as the public ones can get dirty. This place is great. It's a nicely decorated cafe with toilet facilities well kept. The Princess milkshake is a good choice as is the Princess Cafe fish and chips. We ordered a Maxi burger and Cheese Jacket potato which were generous in size and a good portion of salad also. The smoothies were also great. One thing I think they could improve on is to ensure they can take tips by card as they'll get more for the really nice, hospitable and generous staff. Fortunately, we had cash for the tips but many might just have recently put any loose cash into the arcades etc.

***NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY*** Would give it 0 stars if it would let me, Today me and my family decide to eat here on arrival was told up stairs, fine no issues with us, so took my child out of their pushchair and took it upstairs to be told no the pushchair stays downstairs (this meant taking everything off the buggy and to be put next to other customers as there is no "buggy parking" as we were trying to sort it out the manager walked off into the kitchen muttering about us so the other staff started laughing! Absolutely no need, especially when there were 8 of us who were going to have full meals! I was honestly so embarrassed and shocked at their customer service. We left and went down to the Golden Grid, who were absolutely fantastic and can see why people pay the price to eat there. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not go here unless you want to be insulted and made to feel like rubbish!

Went there for lunch today, me and my partner had two panics. Food was really good but didn’t like the way the waiters was staying around watching us. Was a quiet little cafe, w will return in the future.

On arrival was promptly told "upstairs only, you cannot sit down here" I am a lady who has a condition called lipoedema with secondary lymphoedema. It affects my legs and causes lots of pain. I did say I struggled with my legs, to which I was told ,"well the toilets are upstairs" I was in two minds to leave but I did not want to embarrass my family I struggled up the stairs. The staff who were serving upstairs were very friendly and were good with explaining the Gluten free menu. Food was ordered I went for the fishcakes , we also ordered GF fish and chips and scampi. The cafe was soon filling up although there was not a lot if space between tables and some families struggled to fit in the spaces. The food arrived and to be honest the fishcakes did not look very appealing. They were soft and tasty inside with quite a lot of fish in them. I did not eat the coating/outside as this was very dry and hard. The chips were freshly cooked. The other two meals were very nice. The portions were good. The price was good for the meal. When we left the downstairs was full. So not quite sure why we could not have sat there. A nice gem of a seaside traditional cafe, perhaps a look at some basic manners and understanding that some disabilities are hidden.

Great Cafe with friendly attentive staff and a lovely atmosphere. Thank you to Brooke and Elaine

I always write a review for the Princes cafe,because for me its been consistently good for its food and service, everytime i visit, as in previous reviews you can guess what im going to say,yes i ordered the cottage pie,it was on the specials board,i would have been gutted had they stopped doing it,so as always i had the cottage pie,with chips,and again delicious,the hot potato on the top with extra gravy,in fact credit to the waitress who noticed i was running short said would you like more gravy,well done to you,it was most welcome,i arrived just before the start of a thunderstorm,so i was watching the heavy rain lash the Scarborough streets as i tucked into a hearty helping of Cottage Pie,once again thank you for a great lunch,its very easy to get distracted with the many other cafes around,but try to avoid that temptation and try the Princes cafe,when in Scarborough.

I used to be a regular here and always enjoyed it, but I hadn’t been in a while. I visited with my child and my mother for dinner, we were bundled into a tiny alcove seat that wasn’t comfortable for any average sized adult. When we asked to move to a larger table near the back an extremely rude and abrupt woman told us no because if a family of 6 came in she could only seat them there (it wasn’t booked, it was speculation) and the only other table we could have was a furnace in front of a window with direct sun streaming in. Even though I explained to the incredibly rude woman why we couldn’t sit in that heat, she was still nastily adamant that we weren’t allowed the other table. Needless to say, we walked out and took our custom to the welcome inne, which was lovely. As locals, we visit these places out of season too when they don’t have so much custom. Needless to say, this place is now off our list!

Efficient and friendly service. I was really pleased to find they have gluten free options. The GF fish and chips were lovely. My partner had fish, chips and curry sauce. Also very enjoyable. Will definitely return on our next visit to Scarborough.

My wife and I sat in the restaurant for approximately 15 minutes and people who arrived after us were served before us. There were only three tables occupied at the time. We were totally ignored. We got up and walked out never to return. I do NOT recommend this restaurant at all. We then walked into Winking Willy's was greeted at the door, seated and order taken within 5 minutes. Alan Nairn

My daughter had bbq chicken wings & cheesy chips to satisfy her "hangry"! Me and my friends had lighter bites. I enjoyed my nachos, and myself and my daughter had the most excellent milkshakes! Sometimes when you get a milkshake it's just milky. This was proper thick, and tasted of flavours requested - strawberry & vanilla. Staff very friendly and efficient, food and drinks didn't take long to come. Highly recommended!

I went here on recommendation as I have to have a gluten free diet. Being at the seaside I really wanted fish and chips. I had the medium cod and chips and they were amazing worth every penny. Also the staff are so friendly cant...

The three of us were visiting Scarborough and called in for lunch. What a fantastic find! A terrific selection of great food served by lovely staff. Good prices too. Loved it!

A small restaurant on the front and one of the only fish & chip restaurant’s that cooks In vegetable oil, most of the others cook in beef dripping in the area, no good for a pescatarian We had the classic fish & chips and a...

Ordered 2 meals @ £30, service was ok, food took a hit because mushy peas were flat cold, chips tasted stale, the coffee my partner had tasted sub standard. I liked the pot of tea. There was a dog yelping extremely loudly every few minutes which killed the atmosphere. Told the staff on payment about the meal, they apologised profusely but didn't deduct the inedible peas from bill as my partner couldn't eat them. The battered fish was really nice, the highlight of the meal. Overall 3 out of 5.

Went in as it was dog friendly, staff were at first welcoming but then lacked after. Good was terrible for the price, chips were like yesterdays chips warmed back up. Although warm was an understatement. Fish was ok, but greasy. For £15 each and lack of customer service it’s a bit of a rip off. Wouldn’t eat here again. Shame as its sister company is quite nice.

Visited today with my family, one child is gluten free. Asked for a gluten free menu. When the food came, we said is that the gluten free meal and they agreed. Afterwards when querying the bread being gluten free we were told that we hadn’t ordered it even mentioned gluten free meals and that the bread wasn’t gluten free. Not sure if the young lad didn’t hear but I specifically asked for a gluten free menu which he stated was. Very disappointing service when it is an allergy not a choice .

After walking out another establishment due to not even been acknowledged. I found this little cute place. I was greeted by a waitress who was very friendly. Offered a few places to sit. The staff throughout the visit were lovely, friendly and accommodating. Thankfully they did ice cream floats too. Nothing was too much. The food was delicious. The decor was inviting.

On entering the Princess Cafe I was impressed with the decor which looks very inviting. Server's were very nice, although seemed a little unorganised when I attempted to place an order and I felt like a bit of a nuisance. Managed to order a portion of chips, some bread, side of curry sauce and a bottle of bottle. Chips arrived which really didn't appear to be very fresh, more like they had been sat out a while. I then had to remind the staff that I had ordered a side of curry sauce, which then came relatively quickly but really didn't taste great. In summary my visit was acceptable, but not good enough to want to return in future.

Not a bad place to visit for a meal. I recommend the Spam fritters but everything else was great too.

Had a good meal with my little one and my sister with her little one. Was made to feel welcome and the server had a laugh regarding her saying here's the last meal 😂 also was pleasantly surprised to see a baby changing in the male bath room.

We went 2 times there and the staff were lovely (specially the guy who’s serving food in the ground floor and was super friendly and always happy, laughing and smiling). They all made us feel very welcomed and they’re dog friendly, got our little one a bowl of water and were amazing with him. The food is also very good. We totally are coming back.

Lovely friendly cafe and wide range of well cooked food. The staff are also accepting of well behaved dogs. We ate here a few times this weekend and have no complaints at all. Service was good and the food was nicely cooked. We will be...

Lovely staff n food was great n coffee was so nice too

First off lovely members of staff, ordered nachos as a starter, I think this is a great twist/addition to the menu, perfectly presented, great to kick off the meal would highly recommend

Just ok, expensive for the quality of the food, the chips were awful, think the fat was dirty/needed changing. Customer service was good, the one lady comes across as quite abrupt but is actually quite accommodating. It was clean and tidy. I wouldn’t go back.

One member of staff had no time of day for us when I asked for gluten free meal and tried to send me elsewhere ( stupidly I stayed) £35 for 4 small takeaway meals that were less than satisfied. Never again!

Delicious homemade fish cakes. Huge portion.

Lovely visit today making wonderful memories, thank you to everyone for making it so special for our family, especially Elaine and Lisa. Oh and the fish and chips were absolutely gorgeous! Thank you X

Went to this place at about 11.45 my two grandchildren had a can of drink each nearly empty this really rude woman said they can't have those drinks in here so I said well we are not going to through them away so you keep...

1st time here and the last . Fish n chips was shocking all you could taste was grease There was more batter than fish and at paying nearly £14 it was utter rubbish Sorry guys !!

Went in with my wife after a long walk up to the castle and given the menus when sat down. Came to take our order and my wife asked what the pudding of the day was, to be told sharply apple pie by a woman...

Only fish and chip cafe to do gluten free in this area.Lovely food reasonable priced, also dog friendly

Very friendly and helpful staff

Got scampi & chips & haddock & chips, the chips were undercooked & anaemic, plus the favour was awful, I left them, they didn't apologise, just said they had been cooked in beef fat. There should be an option, don't assume everyone wants beef fat😡

After giving this place the Benefit of doubt I returned today . Asked for 2 fish cakes for my 6 year old grandson to be told I had to buy a full meal at that included 1 fish cake and chips cost £9.95 . There was 5 of us all together we were all going to have a meal . So walked out . Definitely won’t be going back . It’s not the first time we have been disappointed with this place . Won’t ever go again