Fish and chips is a classic British dish – and it’s long been a tradition to eat it on Good Friday, doused in vinegar and sprinkled with salt.
The Christian festival of Easter begins on Good Friday, which this year falls on April 18. And as Jesus sacrificed his own flesh on this day, Catholics traditionally refrain from eating meat – and instead choose fish.
Nowadays, it’s common to sit down with a chippie tea on Good Friday even if you aren’t religious. And it seems you don’t have to travel all the way down to the coast to enjoy some delicious fish and chips, if the results of a national competition are anything to go by.
Earlier this year, the Fry Awards 2025 revealed the 50 Best Fish and Chip Takeaways and the 10 Best Fish and Chip Restaurants nationwide.
According to Fry Magazine, the awards celebrate the incredible achievements of chippies across the UK and follow months of judging ‘in which takeaways, restaurants and mobile units were secretly assessed by mystery diners.’
Now in its 13th year, the awards are still going strong, and judges weren’t disappointed with the food they were served.
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Top feedback from the testing included comments such as ‘the best fish and chips we’ve had in a long time’, ‘no improvements need to be added’ and ‘the fish was perfectly white.’
Each business was ranked on aspects such as food quality, value for money, premises cleanliness, staff expertise, ease of ordering and their social media presence, and only those with the highest scores won an award.
‘The pass mark this year for both the takeaway and restaurant categories was 96% and above, although several were successful in gaining the full 100%,’ the magazine says.
Among the winners were two businesses in London, Toff’s of Muswell Hill and The Anchor in Bexley, South East London. Toff’s came in the top 10 for the restaurant category, while The Anchor featured in the top 50 takeaways.
Here’s a look at the full list of winners, in alphabetical order:
50 Best Fish and Chip Takeaways in UK
Ainsworth’s Fish & Chips, Caernarfon
Angel Lane Chippie, Penrith, Cumbria
Angell’s Fisheries, Newark, Nottinghamshire
Batterfly Fish & Chips, Surbiton, Surrey
Bredon Village Fish and Chip Shop, Bredon, Worcestershire
Callaway’s Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset
Churchill’s Fish & Chips Langney, Eastbourne, East Sussex
Farnham’s at Fontygary, Rhoose, Vale Of Glamorgan
Fiddlers Elbow, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
Fintans Fish & Chip Co. Llanishen, Cardiff
Fishnchickn, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex
French’s Fish Shop, Wells next the Sea, Norfolk
Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Greg & Lou’s, Redruth, Cornwall
Henley’s of Wivenhoe, Colchester, Essex
Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea
Hirds Family Fisheries, Halifax, West Yorkshire
Howe & Co 55, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Joe’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Strabane , County Tyrone
Kellaway’s Fish and Chips, Truro, Cornwall
Kirbys of Horsforth, Horsforth , Leeds
Kirbys of Meanwood, Meanwood, Leeds
Lighthouse Fisheries Of Flamborough, Flamborough, East Yorkshire
Malt and Anchor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Moore’s Fish & Chips, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway
Oysters Fish & Chips, Lightwater, Surrey
Oysters Fish & Chips, Marlow Bottom, Buckinghamshire
Pennington Plaice, Leigh, Greater Manchester
Pier Point, Torquay, Devon
Pisces, Fleetwood, Lancashire
Portside Fish & Chips, South Elmsall, Leeds
Portside Fish & Chips, Kirkstall Road, Leeds
Quintiliani’s Fast Food, Hamilton, Larkhall, South Lanarkshire
Redcloak Fish Bar , Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
Sea Blue Fisheries, Clowne, Derbyshire
Sea Salt + Sole, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
Seafront Chippy, Hornsea, East Yorkshire
Shappy Wheels, Shap, Cumbria
Shaws Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Squires, Braunton, Devon
Sykes Fish and Chips, Manchester
The Anchor, Bexley, South East London
The Bearded Sailor, Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire
The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
The Chippie Van, Penrith, Cumbria
The Codfather, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
The Fish at Goose Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester
The Fish Bank, Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire
The Friary, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim
The Hook of Clacton, Clacton on Sea, Essex
The Oyster Shell, Bath, Somerset
The Village Fish & Chips, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent
Town Street Fryer, Marple Bridge, Stockport, Cheshire
Two Gates Fisheries, Shafton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
10 Best Fish and Chip Restaurants in UK
Catch, Giffnock, Glasgow
Eric’s Fish & Chips, Hunstanton, Norfolk
Fish City, Belfast
Harbour Lights, Falmouth, Cornwall
Pier Point Bar & Restaurant, Torquay, Devon
Squires Fish Restaurant, Braunton, Devon
The Elite, Tritton Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
The Magpie Cafe, Whitby, North Yorkshire
The Scallop Shell, Bath, Somerset
Toff’s of Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill, London.
Reece Head, the competition organiser, added: ‘Congratulations to this year’s award winners! Another year has passed and, once again, these shops have shown resilience, adapting to today’s challenges with remarkable dedication.
‘At a time when inflationary pressures are being felt, these businesses continue to stay positive and prioritise their customers, maintain exceptional standards, and find innovative ways to keep fish and chips affordable.
‘Whether served in a restaurant, a takeaway, or from a mobile unit, the Fry Awards prove that quality fish and chips can be enjoyed anywhere.’
This piece was originally published on January 17, 2025.
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