Pier Road, Whitby · since 1978
The boat is on the menu, next to the fish.
We buy off five day boats on this harbour, fillet it in the back kitchen and put it on the board with the skipper's name. When a fish is gone, it comes off the board rather than out of a freezer.
Skipper Dan Cowley. Day boat, seine net.
In the kitchen: In beer batter, or grilled with parsley butter
Prices are for the plate, chips included on the fryer dishes. Market fish is weighed in front of you.
Quay to plate
Four hours, and about ninety metres.
Whitby lands enough for a town of restaurants. We only need enough for 74 covers and a hatch, so we can be fussy about which boat it comes off.
The boats land
Five day boats work out of Whitby and sell to us on the quay. Nothing travels further than the width of the harbour.
Filleted at eight
Sam fillets in the back kitchen with the door open, so you can watch it happen on your way past.
On the board by eleven
Whatever came in goes on the catch board with the boat and the skipper next to it. When it is gone, it is gone.
Cooked to order
Batter is mixed in small buckets through service. Nothing sits under a lamp waiting for you.
The menu
Fried, grilled, or picked cold.
Chips come with everything from the fryer. The grill list follows the board, so ask what came in this morning.
Takeaway
Skip the queue on the pier.
The hatch on Pier Road serves the same fish as the dining room, wrapped for the harbour wall. Pick your order and a collection time and it is bagged when you get there.
12:30 to 13:30 and 18:00 to 19:00 in summer. Pre-orders jump that queue.
Eat under the awning, not on the wall. They are quick and they have no manners.
Reviews
4.8 out of 5 from 1342 reviews.
★★★★★They tell you which boat your cod came off. The batter is thin and loud and the chips are proper. We booked the window table and watched the tide go out.
Helen R., York
★★★★★Local prices for locals in the winter and no fuss about it. The crab is picked that morning and you can taste the difference.
Tom B., Whitby
★★★★★Pre-ordered chips for six on the way over, walked straight to the hatch and they were bagged and waiting. Ate them on the pier.
Priya S., Leeds
Opening hours
The hours move with the season.
Whitby empties in November and fills again at Easter, so we change the rota rather than keep an empty room warm. The board below is always the current one.
| Day | Dining room | Takeaway hatch |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 11:30 to 20:30 | 11:30 to 21:00 |
| Friday and Saturday | 11:30 to 21:30 | 11:30 to 22:00 |
| Sunday | 11:30 to 20:00 | 11:30 to 20:00 |
| Bank holidays | 11:30 to 21:30 | 11:30 to 22:00 |
Kitchen and takeaway hatch both open. Queues on the pier are quickest before 12:00 and after 19:00.
The place
Two rooms, a hatch and a terrace.
Window tables go first at weekends.
Book by phone or send the form and we confirm by text.