Greta Z.

I cried at the Magpie Cafe because I was overcome with all the beauty of Whitby: sights, tastes, sounds, and smells. The line starts forming before they open. They have gorgeous views of the harbor and the absolute best fish, chips, mashy peas, and sticky toffee pudding with custard! It's my favorite meal in England! And if you love their Whitby placemats like I do, they sell them down the street at the Magpie Kitchen shop!

Although the food is very tasty the prices are extremely expensive and the portion are not the biggest you can get better deals and cheaper bigger portions elsewhere

Rick D.

Yum yum we are fish and chip aficionados and this place is awesome. We had small haddock and chips and it's a large portion! Excellent value.

Stuart F.

You haven't been to Whitby until you've feasted at the Magpie Cafe, its renowned for its freshly caught fish meals, but don't just stick to the fresh cod and haddock, try the Lindisfarne oysters, sheer heaven. We generally pig out here by having lunch and dinner. The service is very friendly, well they are Yorkshire folk after all. NB: Make sure you book first, it will save you a long wait outside on the steps.

Helen C.

This place is a must visit if you find yourself in had Whitby! There is always a big queue, this time round I waited for about 30 minutes for a table for 4. The wait is usually less if there are just 2 people but it is worth the wait. There are lots of tables inside but service is still very fast and friendly. The food is so fresh and the choice is amazing. Also, genuinely one of the best cups of tea I have ever had! A word of warning, there are loads of stairs inside so this could make it difficult if you have a pushchair/wheelchair. Don't be put off by the queue! There is a takeaway option which is a good choice on a sunny day!

Marie G.

What a horrible day outside, but what a great experience inside. It was rainy and really nasty. Long cue outside but we were hungry and had heard of this place as the top for fish and chips. Well, the cue didn't take long to get us in and the experience was to die for. I'm not that big on fish and chips so in my party (total of 4) I am the only one that had the mussels and chips. WOW. Delicious. They come in a rally huge pot with a garlic and cream sauce. We didn't have dessert because we just couldn't fit it but we were so happy with the plates, filling and big portions. If you are in Whitby do go in. You won't regret it.

Nunhead N.

Whitby has fish and chips shops everywhere you turn so it can be difficult choosing where you should spend your hard earned cash. Our local foodie contacts on Twitter all said that the Magpie was the best in town so we took their advice and ignored the rest. On a Monday night in June the restaurant was fairly busy but there were still "walk in" tables available. However, we decided to keep it old school and have a "carry out" fish supper. We joined the short, friendly queue at the shop next to the main restaurant and we were served within a couple of minutes: haddock for me, cod for B and a portion of chips to share. All cooked to order and served with a smile for under £12. My haddock was quite possibly the finest piece of fried fish I have had the pleasure of eating. A light crispy batter encased a fish that was fresh, flavoursome and fragrant. B was complementary about her cod as well (being a Yorkshire lass quality fish and chips is no big deal to her) and rated it as top notch. I'm already looking forward to a return visit to Whitby and another fishy feast at the Magpie Cafe.

Marc L.

I have been to seafood restaurants many times before, but never have I had a meal quite as nice as the Magpie Café. The fish was perfect and so fresh you'd swear it had been caught then immediately thrown in the pan, the seasoning top-notch, and the drinks selection superb. Waiters and waitresses all polite and good, reasonably timed service. There is nothing I could fault about the restaurant. The queue is understandable when you consider the quality of food and service.

Carol M.

We had the cod fish & chips and enjoyed every morsel! The batter on the fish was flakey and crispy. I was so sad eating the last bite because I know we will probably never be back in Whitby and when was I going to have fish and chips this good, ever again? I thought about buying the restaurant cookbook but decided I'd never be able to replicate chippies this good. The fish was high quality, fresh and generous. The menu was super extensive with a giant selection of different types of fresh fish prepared in a zillion ways. We didn't have room for dessert but they looked great too!

Qype User (Templa…)

If I was not vegetarian thn 5 stars but there are veggie options. There are a few great fish and chips shops here..some have won awardsobviously fresh fish comes in with the fleet. The Magpie Cafe in Whitby is one of the most famous restaurants in England. Unlike other famous restaurants however the Magpie does noes deliver haute cuisine, instead it is famous for its fish and chips. Do not be put off at the length of the queues outside. Even if it is pouring down with rain, and it does quite frequently in Whitby, you can still guarantee that that there will be anything up to a hundred people that will have formed a queue outside waiting for the doors to open. Having quickly won over the locals and regular visitors to the town with its quality fish and chips, the final surge in popularity came when the famous food critic, Rick Stein announced that this place served the best fish and chips in Britain. People began flocking here from all over the country and indeed from other parts of the World too, and this placed the Magpie, within the market of fish and chips at least, into a league of its own. In many ways the Magpie has become a victim of its own success and other local traders are now complaining that the daily queues outside are obstructing their shop entrances and their trade is suffering. It is one of the town's most popular tourist attraction and serves as a magnet for visitors. It opens at 11.30. There will already a very long queue outside. It is like the TARDIS deceptively large inside. It is painted black and white, the colours of a magpie bird, from where I assume this place derived its name. The location is right on the edge of the harbour. It is not however apparent just how wonderful this location is, until you are inside the building, since the water is not visible from the front of the building. There are also views of St Mary's Church and the Abbey on the hillside above. The history of this building dates back to 1750 when it was originally a merchant's house. It became the Magpie Cafe in 1939. In between this time a prominent member of the Scoresby whaling family owned it for many years and it was also used a shipping office and a pilot's office. There is a ghost here, called Albert that puts in regular appearances. (From Harrowing's shipping office times). The menu is very seaside orientated and you will find little else other than fish and seafood.Haddock, Cod and Plaice available. It is also possible to request that the fish be poached or grilled rather than fried and served with or without batter. The magpie makes no secret in the fact that it uses lard to cook its products in and this is without doubt one of the main contributing factors to the rich taste. It is however possible to request that your food not be fried in lard and the menu does contain a small selection of dishes that would be suitable for vegetarians, but for non fish or seafood eaters this is somewhat limited. Kippers are here.. Lindisfarne Oysters.Seafood ChowderClams, Crevettes, Mussels, Crab,Anchovies, Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Scallop, Mop Herring and Prawns. Every possible kind of fish from 10 inch cod to crab and lobster thermidor. For veggies there is shepards pie, pasta dishes, mushroom stroganoff and dishes of the day plus olive and chiabatta starter. Locally sourced food is a strong theme here and the majority of the seafood that is served has been caught here in Whitby. The bread is also locally baked. The Magpie Cafe is licensed to sell alcohol and there is quite an extensive wine list.Tea arrives in a large pot that actually contains real tea leaves as opposed to teabags.

Qype User (pinkys…)

Best fish and chips ever? I think so! When people heard we were coming to Whitby for the day they all said 'go to the Magpie Cafe!'. Our plan was to go for a massive walk first, then head there for some well earned noms, but instead we nipped to the takeaway bit as soon as it opened because we'd heard the queues get massive - by the time we'd walked all over Whitby and came past again, there was a queue halfway down the street so we did well : ) Light, crispy batter, tasty chunky chips and fresh fluffy fish - deeelish.