Winking Willy's Famous Fish & Chip Shop & Cafe in Scarborough

Paid almost £10 for a large haddock without chips. The other half had fish and chips almost £7 but their fish was the same size as mines plus he got loads of chips. Made me feel ripped off and won’t ever return. If you want good fish and chips stick to the Lifeboat fish bar or the Fishpan in town. Further towards North beach the Northbay Fisheries and Caplemans chippy!

Absolutely great atmosphere service quick can't fault it

With my expensive e-bike parked outside on a very busy pavement, I was keen to keep an eye on it. With a table free right by the window, I moved towards it, only to be told somewhat firmly that I couldn't, as it was for four people. That was slightly odd as the place was emptying out after lunch service. Luckily, close by, a couple were about to leave and kindly offered me theirs. I was planning to go to the highly recommended Lighthouse, but it was closed until Friday. So, as it was Tuesday, Winking Willy's was the next on the list. I opted for 'Willy's Deal', haddock, chips, mushy peas, bread and butter and a pot of tea for £19.10. To be honest I don't think it was much of a deal, when I added everything up and I also question whether the spread on the bread could be described legally as butter! I left the mushy peas which weren't anything to write home about. The haddock was lovely, as fresh as fresh can be, with a nice crispy batter. (Later at the port, I discovered a Willy's Fish Merchant which I guess is linked). One of the waitresses (they call everyone darling round these parts!) brought me, at my request, lots and lots of tartare sauce. Chips were nice, hot and freshly cooked. Venturing upstairs to the nice and clean loo, I realised that the place is absolutely enormous, so Mr. Willy must be doing very nicely thank you at peak season. When I paid, the table for four at the window was still vacant.....

Edited: We have been three times this week, now. Fish and chips were beautiful every time. This has always been our families first choice of chippy when the Lifeboat is closed, we visit year round, as my mum lives locally in the Old Town. My first visit after the refurb and new owners. I only got a fish, to take away. it was huge, fresh and delicious! Thanks so much!

Went inside to sit down When I seen the prices . Decided to go the take away bit . Half the price than the sit in part . The fish was disgusting, chips not bad Don't think I would go again sorry

Excellent food and service would recommend.

Inside shop been renovated but food gone downhill. Couldn’t even get through batter with a fork. Wouldn’t feed it to dog to be honest. Shame really always get fish and chips here when come to Scarborough.

Great fish and chips beautifully cooked with quick, friendly service. We ate our fish and chips overlooking the sea, perfect.

We arrived and was greeted by the lovely staff. The shop was busy which is a good sign in my own opinion. We ordered cod and chips and tea and pop. It came to table about 10 minutes. Cooked fresh and Home made tarta sauce . It was blinking gorgeous the whole meal. Right on the harbour front. Thanks for a lovely meal and great service.

Friendly staff. Nice fish & chips (they also offer a steak pie & children's menu). Large dessert portions including treacle sponge, spotted dick etc at 5.20. Only let down by hot chocolate which was so weak I honestly didn’t think it was, was like dishwater! As of April 2025 (after they’ve merged with Bamfords) it’s really gone downhill. Food gone up in price & quality at an all time low. Won’t be going again.

Excellent quality fish and chips. Big portions. Service with a smile in the takeaway. Thanks to John frying who looked after us.

Absolutely fantastic chippy, great menu, great prices and amazing service. In my opinion the best fish & chips in Scarborough. They do scraps now which is a bonus. Also the staff were very friendly and helpful. Fast service and the "Willies Whoppa" really was a whoppa!!! A+++++

Tried going to this establishment on 16th April with my mum who is in a wheelchair, and they would not let us in as they said they don’t allow wheelchairs. There were 2 empty tables near the window that would have had enough space and we could’ve easily put the chair down but they didn’t even want to accommodate us. It was very disappointing. Went to GG’s who couldn’t have been any nicer.

A great and straightforward chippy

Sat outside on a bench, this was the nicest fish and chips that we have had in a long time… I can really recommend this cafe…

Best fish and chips I've had in long time

Food is fine but lacking in care. Curry sauce was barely warm, sent it back. Menu states all fish served 'skin on' which is how I like my haddock and how it should be served. Menu does not state which fish the standard fish and chips is. So we asked and were told it was haddock. My wife does not like skin on but the large fish, cod, would have been too large so she also ordered standard. They both came skinless. Haddock should be skin on. It was lovely though. Attention to detail needed.

Poor, got a ‘winking willys fish n chips and peas, came to near enough £12 , peas weren’t cooked properly, tiny fish, whatever it was , was mainly batter plus they didn’t put a fresh one in for me, was all served out in 30 seconds, funny, on the menu it says ‘must try’ next to peas, was worth maybe a fiver, also staff looked very miserable. Rip offs..disappointing, especially right on the seaside.

Good grub if a little expensive. Probably similar price to other places though.

Big no for this place , avoid this place much possible, racism level at the top, specially lady waitress needs to learn how to behave with foreign customers as she was extremely racist, before starting food we were about to go toilet and she started shouting at us and all people were looking at our face , so embarrassing, she is not happy to see foreign customers she shouldn’t work in tourist spots, after a million insult we manage to sit and eat , since we ate both of our stomachs are really upset .

Extremely rubbish food, customer service was awful, racist women was so unhappy with non Engle , never ever try here again in my life, I’ll definitely recommending this racist place to everyone, specifically my community to never go there, they must pay for their racist behaviour to customers, their behaviour was horrendous.

Been going here for years. Unfortunately, it's getting worse every time I visit. It seems Willy's is lacking consistency in every department. The staff were polite but seemed to be lacking in training. The staff did not ask which sides we want and what drinks we want. We had to remind about cutlery and an extra plate a couple of times. It's not a massive issue for me because the main thing was that the staff were really nice. The chips were pale and judging from other reviews they are often burnt. This is what I mean about consistency. The fish was very soggy which was very disappointing. It was not good enough for the price at all. For over £70 for fish and chips we are expecting quality. I will go again just to see if it get better. I hope it will.

Sure! Here's a glowing 5-star review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an absolutely amazing experience! Milly provided outstanding service—she was friendly, attentive, and made sure everything was perfect from start to finish. Her warm personality and professionalism truly made our visit special. On top of that, the food was excellent. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be coming back. Thank you, Milly, for making our visit so wonderful!

We turned up at 7.25pm not knowing that the restaurant was closing at 7.30pm and yet we were welcomed with open arms. The service was second to none and the food was amazing. Prices were very good indeed and the Staff were very friendly and didn't bug you to see if all was OK etc. I would recommend this place to all my friends and family for sure Well done

I used the takeaway here yesterday. Chips were awful, to the point we threw them in the bin. Very disappointed. Fish and chips £1 cheaper and much nicer at a different chip shop further along the sea front

Absolutely lovely food with amazing friendly staff in a lovely atmosphere cannot recommend this place enough

Had a fish & chip tea at winking willy's today, beautiful fish & chips, served with fresh lemon slice and tartar sauce, sat upstairs in the restaurant part, the service was fantastic and both myself and my wife really enjoyed eating here, it will be the only place we will go to the next time we visit Scarborough

Fantastic place to have Fish & Chips if you're ever over at the East Coast. Staff are friendly and the food is great. If you sit upstairs, you also get a fabulous view of the Sea.

I has the six willy platter. All was lovely, but I only got one scampi. What gives Mr willy??? Would come back on the proviso I got more scampi. My friends large willy meal was divine x

Never had a bad experience or meal here. The staff are friendly, the food is always hot and reasonably priced. You can choose to sit upstairs and look out over the harbour.

Fish was stunning. Service from Drew was top notch. Very helpful.

This was our first time visiting here, Drew was our waiter, he was very friendly and helpful , the food was fantastic , and the fish was perhaps one if the finest we have ever had , not to mention the value for money, we will return again for sure.

Always fabulous service and food

Spot on fish and chips and a good children menu!!

Excellent fish and chips made better by the great service not sure of the young goalie name but she was very friendly

Not eaten here for years but an impromptu trip to Scarborough had us look g for fish and chips so we ended up in the restaurant here. Looks like the place is having renovations but didn’t impact us in anyway. Our waitress (Alisha) I think was very friendly and helpful, not just to us but to everyone she served. The portions were huge and the fish was perfect. A bit more than what we would pay at home but we expect that at the seaside. We will be back on our next visit.

The best fish and chip shop in Scarborough.

Eating fish ‘n’ chips on Scarborough seafront 2 days before Christmas seemed surreal, but I’m glad they were from Winking Willie’s! A very good price and served steaming 🔥

Absaloute rip of five pound for a battered sausage on its own

Fantastic fish and chips. Highly recommend. Staff are great too.

Wish I knew how to upload a picture as we ordered a large sausage and chips and it was smaller than a child's portion in a tiny little tray, absolutely shocking value for money and the quality just wasn't there 😕. Chips tasted old, dry without much flavour amd the battered sausage was no more than average, all in all we won't be returning, over £15.00 for 3 child's portions.

Absolutely terrible. As my wife said All skirt and no knickers.

Cannot say how the food was as we went to this restaurant to sit in. When we arrived there was a young male member of staff stood by the door on his phone. As we entered he just stared at us, so we asked if they were open and he just looked up from his phone and rudely replied 'no'. That was it. Due to this rude occasion we went elsewhere and would not recommend or be going back sadly.

Arrived just before closing time on a Sunday night. Lovely fish and chips. Nice fish!

Visited last weekend, wasn't disappointed with the fish & chips

I went 2 years ago and i could easily give this 5 for everything above. Service was great, bill was a bit pricey but enjoyed the evening. Sadly this time it failed straight away. We walked past some people sat down on seating away from the restaurant and as far as we was concerned they were just enjoying the day no one was near the doorway or i believed not wanting to enter the vicinity. We got to the door for a lady in her middle 50s to open the door and she said we have people outside waiting and just literally shut the door in my face.

Not open on time, asked about opening at 1135 and told 10 minutes....went back 10 minutes later and told another 5 minutes. Staff sat eating cereal and have an attitude. Opening times should be amended to 12:00 if not going to be open

A real shame of a visit. First thing first the food was really good. That was it. Went to go sit upstairs, was told to come down and sit at a corner table. Not the best when a couple mid way through our meal went upstairs! But the real issue is the atmosphere, there is none. No background music so no conversations the only sound was dishes being washed from the kitchen in the corner of the restaurant! Felt really uncomfortable and didn't even want to finish the drinks. A real shame because the food was good just won't be back again totally unwelcoming.

Lovely flakey fish and proper fluffy potato chips

Not like it used to be but still worth a try

Very disappointed. Chips were anaemic, and the fish was slimy and cold in the middle. The only nice thing I had was the portion of curry sauce. The restaurant had no atmosphere, could do with some background music to drown out the noise of scraping plates and cutlery being washed. I will say the service was quite good, except for nearly being scolded with the hot tea from the teapot that the girl teamed out while trying to carry too much to our table. Will not be going back.

Proper chips (not frozen), fish cooked to our liking, proper mushy peas (not tinned), friendly staff, nothing was too much trouble

Fish and chips were good but was expensive I have had similar quality elsewhere for cheaper

Really nice fish and chips throughly enjoyed Free bread and butter was a great bonus

Much prefer the lifeboat fish bar!

Fish was tasty although the end was dry. Chips were a nice golden colour. We weren't waiting long for food. Nice and hot when it arrived. Service was good.

Always loved it at WWs for lunch when visiting Scarborough

Best fish&chip shop in Scarborough

Disgraceful advertised Hero's welcome yet I was talked to like Rubbish I Am a Veteran and also work in NHS yet was told I had to have military ID to get the discount/ only serving Hero's have ID,this was informed to me by a extremely Rude false eyelashes, false nailed lady! when I asked would she recognise military I'd she shrugged disinterested and rude, so I spent £53.95 & was then asked if I wanted sauces I asked for 4 ketchup and was charged a further £3.50 needless to say winking Willie's failed to welcome this Hero's, and breached health and safety as the server had extreme false eyelashes and extended finger nails, I'd like to know what you make of this situation as a business.

Chips was amazing the bread cakes very old and dry they went into the bin.

Small fish fried in near rancid oil/fat, served by miserable counter staff with poor customer engagement skills.

Brilliant service and food ,visited for weekend definitely be back next time I'm in Scarborough 🤞

Possibly the worst fish and chips I've ever had. Everything just bland an undercooked (chips) over cooked (fish). The fish was small, the batter overcooked and brittle. The mushy peas were insipid just totally flavourless and watery. We met a relative of a staff member to eat here (who usually avoids the place because of the food) who told us that staff are not allowed to season the peas! Much better fish and chips to be had in Scarborough, avoid.

Sadly I’m unable to give this Fish & Chip Restaurant any more than two stars mainly due to the quality of the fish itself. I ordered a large haddock and I know I’m from Grimsby but I cannot really accept that what came was large. It was also a little tasteless and grey in appearance. I know fish is expensive but I’d much rather pay more for a smaller fillet which is of good quality and well cooked. All in all a disappointing visit and I’m sorry but I cannot recommend this establishment.

Amazing food and great customer service was my first time in Scarborough and will definitely be coming back the fish and chips were amazing xx

Decent fish and chips, and seating area outside to sit and eat.

The chips here used to be delicious, cooked in dripping and just tasty as anything - now they're about on par with your local, nothing special. The fish is about the same, but the big disappointment is the SIZE of the cod / haddock. It's the smallest "regular" anywhere in the region. I have a feeling the place has had many complaints / comments about this, because there are signs all over the entrance saying things like "we don't do small", and displaying the average weights of the different fish sizes. You have far better options just down the road with the Fish Pan and the Lifeboat. Give them your money instead. If you think this is a good chippy, prepare to be surprised by the alternatives!

We went here today 4 of us to be greeted at the door with a lady with an attitude which to me was disgusting, it was nt just once but twice her attitude was totally wrong. We was asked to wait outside thinking it was to let the pram out to then be told again with an attitude to wait again whilst table is cleared, fair enough I get that tables after be cleared but the tone of her voice was bang out of order and if my staff approached any of my customers like it they would be through the door, being polite cost nothing, I honestly think she needs training again , we went to king richard lll where we were welcomed by friendly staff

It's a lovely place and food is delicious. Staff seemed friendly enough The staff did seem in a bit of a rush to get us seated, served and out the door but it's the 6 weeks holidays so we're busy. Would go back

Chips cooked in beef dripping and a variety of fresh fish perfectly battered

Really nice place with lovely staff. Fish was good, chips were decent, but not the best I've ever had, but overall all a good meal

Nice clean restaurant. Friendly staff. Not the best I've tried (which is alot) but not bad fish & chips.

The fish & chips are amazing its a good job i don’t live local as i would be in every day i’m already doing cold turkey

Dreadful, very poor quality, must be the worst in Scarborough. Best avoid.

I feel like the food is really expensive but the staff are lovely and the places is lovely and clean and tidy.

Portion size was like a child’s portion for £15, 2 x cheap fish cakes and chips £13 sorry certainly not value for money, certainly won’t be returning,

We came here on the weekend as i'd seen good reviews on social media and we were not disappointed. It was a lush day so we wanted to sit on the outside balcony. We we greeted by the lovely ladies downstairs, sorry I didn't take note of any staff names. Then we were seated by a young lad who so chatty and pleasant. We must not have been sat down 10 minutes before our food and drinks were ordered and brought piping hot! Food was absolutely beautiful, cooked well and we were advised beforehand that the fish was cooked with skin on. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant

Came this time last year and decided to come again this year, service was OK nothing special no real interaction. I chose homemade steak pie chips peas and gravy with a pot of tea; Chips were lovely but the pie was inedible the pastry was rock hard & the chunks of meat were dry and aso hard( unable to cut with a knife).The milk for the tea had an obvious chip in it. The others dining with me had fish & chips all was fine except the tiniest amount of tartar sauce I've ever seen. Price was slightly above average in the area, approximately £15 per meal.

Great fish and chips. Really enjoyed them.

Under 12 kids meal/ medical card, disrespectful for people who don’t want big meals,

We walked into the place on a Sunday afternoon wanting a standard fish and chips. When I sat down to eat the fish it still had the skin on. The batter was still uncooked and put me off it. Also the price was insane as it was £9 including my chips which were mostly undercooked.

Can't rate the food as did not get that far sat for quarter of an hour before someone took our order was not even busy took our order came back 10 mins later to say they had no large fish so walked out would not recommend at all

We really enjoyed our food which was piping hot and large portions. Had a lovely view of the sea and the staff were incredibly friendly. Best fish and chips on the seafront by far!

PRETTY DISGUSTING FOR PRICE. Ordered two portions of chips and a fish cake £15. We will never eat at this again, there was about 10 chips on side of tray and other side of tray the supermarket lookalike fish cake. Totally ripped off. I didn’t even get a potatoes worth of chips. I was going to go back in and tell them I was that disgusted but ques waiting to get ripped off. I drove past a shop some weeks ago and saw a large bag of spuds £3.99 to public. Now chippys get these at trade price and bulk buy. They pay LESS THAN THIS SO WHY ARE THRY RIPPING US OFF IN THESE TIMES. Go to one of side st chippys in Scarbourgh trust me you will pay half this price. I don’t believe in ripping folk off but these owners have no morals for people struggling in hard times.

Staff were extremely helpful, service was brilliant and the food was top notch

Been here many times over the years & it was always really good quality fish & chips until today.the fish tasted a bit sour & quite small & the chips were just the scraps with cold mushy peas.i don't like to say it but we will definately not be back

This is the appalling i went for chips and curry sauce on Saturday the day it was armed forces day and ordered 2 chips with curry sauce it came in the thinest tray iv ever seen the width ov a cup matt there was hardley any chios in if n tjeh charged me 8.80 what a scam ill never go there again n ill steer all my guests away from such a scan chipshop and i beleive they pjt tje price up as it was armed forces day wrong ens dont go o know priced ha e risen since lockdown but for them. Prices you should at least get a proper portion of chips

Nice to be seated upstairs with a view

Was brilliant, food was amazing and the pot of tea was great, I got willy's whopper and it came with tar tar sauce the fish was huge and came with alot of chips, but it was £19.99, needless to say willy's whopper filled me up real good.

On the way for a day out to Scarborough thought I would look for the best fish and chips to eat . Well I wish I hadn't bothered.Very disappointing to say the least .Flat coke ,tinned peas , ghastly tartre sauce in a packet .No real apology on paying for it.I presume they think that it's here today, gone today.

First visit to this fish restaurant with a fish shop attached. Very good service and our fish and chips were lovely and well priced.

Very beautiful sausage and chips they were really nice thank you so much 🥰❤️would definitely come here for lunch again in the future

Came here the other day for fish and chips The chips were lovely The fish was not the best but I think that that's because of the batter The place itself was lovely, really nice place inside, and the staff were so friendly, but the food (fish) was naff And it's expensive

Fantastic place with jumbo fish as big as your head

The fish was very small for the price £48 three fish and chips + drinks.

Good hot food at reasonable prices for takeaway but much more expensive if you sit inside

Loved the chips but was slightly disappointed with the fish. Seemed to have been kept warm for some time before it arrived.

Food OK but a bit pricey to eat in. Service was good and the chips were very hot, sausage was just warm.

This place is super busy, the food is lovely!

Waterfront shop taking advantage of it’s location selling below average fish and chips