The greatest fish and chip shop in Britain has been crowned for 2026

Whether you’re a mushy pea fanatic, a vinegar fiend or crazy for gravy, there’s one thing all Brits can all agree on – our great pride in fish and chips. The UK is home to more than 10,500 restaurants and takeaways dedicated to mastering the country’s signature dish, from its perfectly golden batter to crispy on the outside yet pillowy on the inside chips.

Celebrating those who’ve turned fish ’n’ chips into an art form is the National Fish & Chip Awards, which every year plucks out the best chippies the nation has to offer. The brains behind the competition put chippies up and down the country through their paces, with rounds of interviews, skills tests, live tasks and taste testing by anonymous judges.

The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), which organises the awards, recognises the nation’s best takeaway and its top restaurant in two separate categories. But one county in the north outranked the rest in both awards: North Yorkshire.

In this year’s Oscars of the chippy industry, The Scrap Box in York took home the ‘takeaway of the year’ gong. 

Co-owned by brothers Aman and Gavin Dhesi, a short menu of classic dishes done well characterises The Scrap Box – think cod, haddock, fish bites, scampi and fishcakes. Operating out of what was once a council-owned toilet block, Aman and Gavin have built the business into a local staple, even introducing a mascot called Scrappy designed and custom-made by the duo’s mother. Hard not to love it, right?

As for the ‘restaurant of the year’, that prize went to fellow Yorkshire chippy Trenchers of Whitby. Serving up fish fare fried in the traditional beef dripping since 1980, this seaside restaurant is no stranger to glory, having taken home the prize in 2019.

Sister restaurant Trenchers Spanish City – which is in Whitley Bay – won the same award in 2020 and secured third place in 2025. With plans to open a new location in picture-perfect Cumbrian town Bowness-on-Windermere later this year, Trenchers is well on its way to ruling the northern fish fry scene. 

Unsurprisingly, London’s fryers failed to rank among the best of the best – though one did make it through to the shortlist. You can find a full list of the winners at the official Fish & Chip Awards website here.

National Fish & Chip Awards 2026 winners

See below for the champs that took home the top prizes this year.

Takeaway of the Year

1. The Scrap Box – York, Yorkshire
   
2. The Fish Works – Largs, Scotland
   
3. Shaws Fish & Chips of Dodworth – Barnsley, Yorkshire

Restaurant of the Year

1. Trenchers of Whitby – Whitby, Yorkshire
   
2. Noah’s – Bristol
   
3. Whitby's Restaurant & Take Away – Rotherham, Yorkshire

Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year

• Winner: James Ellams of Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove – Chester, Cheshire
• Runner-up: Abigail Barker of Millers Fish & Chips – Haxby, Yorkshire

Newcomer of the Year

• Monster Fish & Chips Co. – Fort Augustus in Inverness-shire, Scotland

International Fish and Chip Operator

• Fish & Chips Lake Mývatn – Iceland (find out more here)

Did you see that 16 mighty British burgers are in the final of the National Burger Awards 2026?

Plus: a huge £15 million entertainment centre with a vast food hall is coming to this northern English city.