The Magpie Café in Whitby, North Yorkshire, has scooped Coastal Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 Fishing News Awards. By Jessica Johnson

A year after a devastating fire forced its doors to close for seven months, The Magpie Café in Whitby, North Yorkshire, has scooped Coastal Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 Fishing News Awards. Nominees for this category, which is sponsored by Coast, are voted for by members of the public who, this year, championed a great restaurant that has become almost as synonymous with Whitby as Bram Stoker himself – and for good reason. 
 
A long-time coast favourite, we can recommend bagging a window seat overlooking the harbour and feasting on The Magpie’s haddock encased in proper melt-in-your-mouth batter served with crisp, yet fluffy chips, mushy peas and a large pot of tea. All fish is responsibly sourced and includes Whitby kippers, skate, scampi and Lindisfarne oysters to name but a few, with non-fishy dishes, old-school puddings and a wide range of gluten-free choices making up a vast menu for all types of appetite. 
 
Says chef proprietor, Ian Robson: ‘It was particularly gratifying to achieve this award by public vote when up against some excellent nominated restaurants and following the traumatic events we suffered in the summer of 2017 – so thank you to those who voted for us.’
 
Coast would like to congratulate The Magpie Café and all the finalists, which included Cafe Môr, South Pembrokeshire; Crab House Café, Wyke Regis; Cromars, St Andrews; Latimer’s Seafood Cafe, Whitburn; No. 7 Fish Bistro, Torquay; Rockfish, Dartmouth; The Idle Rocks,  St Mawes; The Old Boathouse, Amble; and The Seahorse, Dartmouth. 
 
To find out more, visit magpiecafe.co.uk
 

For more coastal restaurant reviews pick up this month's issue of Coast magazine