We try the York chippy crowned Britain's best - was it worth the drive? asks Nadia Jefferson-Brown.
Britain’s best chippy sits in a layby beside a busy road on the outskirts of York.
Once a public toilet block, the building on the A1079 by Dunnington is now distinguishable by an underwater scene with a giant fish painted against the deep-blue exterior walls.
Since scooping the top Takeaway of the Year title at the National Fish & Chips Awards 2026, The Scrap Box has been busier than ever and can now count former footballer and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker among its recent customers.
So it seemed high time to try out the nation’s most-talked about takeaway treasure which is run by brothers Aman and Gavin Dhesi.
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We arrived just after 4.30pm on a Friday afternoon. The serving counter is just inside the entrance, in front of a row of fryers with a menu above.
My son ordered haddock and chips and went for the large option at £13.95, with a side of mushy peas (£1.50). Other sides included curry sauce, gravy, and homemade tartare sauce.
For variety, I plumped for cod and chips (£12.95), which only came in one serving size, and a cup of tea (£2) - with the tea bag left in so you can choose your own strength. Perfect.
Extras included a large sausage (£2.55), scampi (£6.50), spam (£3.50), chicken nuggets (£3.50) and Yorkshire fishcake (£3.50) but we were confident our order would be enough.
Just to the left of the open kitchen is a small waiting and dining area with two booths, each with a wooden table and high-backed benches facing each other, plus another single booth with a two-seater bench facing the wall. There were also tall stools around a wooden bench-shelf along the corner wall, which was painted white and decorated with an eye-catching map of places around York.
The high ceiling and skylights, along with white wall tiles, made the relatively compact space seem light and airy, and I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and tidy it was. I used the ladies’ and can vouch that they were clean too - always a plus.
So first impressions were good. We managed to get a booth and had obviously timed our visit well as the place got much busier towards 5pm. I couldn’t say whether it’s like that every day, or whether The Scrap Box is a popular end-of-week treat destination, but it could be worth bearing in mind if you’re in a hurry.
Our food came in nicely-branded cardboard boxes, each with greaseproof paper to help absorb any oil, though there wasn’t much to worry about - another plus - and proper wooden cutlery, not just the small forked bits of wood some takeaways provide.
The fish, described as ‘sustainably caught’, was fresh out of the fryer and piping hot. It was coated in a light batter that was golden in colour and crispy. We both noted that there weren’t any larger bits of ‘scraps’ hanging off the fish that we’ve had elsewhere which might explain why my cod looked slightly smaller than I was expecting. That said, my portion was perfectly decent, and the fish was well cooked, lovely and flaky.
My son’s haddock was noticeably bigger than the cod in both length and depth, with large chunky flakes, and it seemed good value for just £1 more. That would be my choice next time. He happily tucked in and thoroughly enjoyed it, along with the generous side pot of mushy peas.
The ‘fresh cut, double-fried’ chips were on the pale side but nice and crispy, and plenty of them. We left feeling satisfied, agreeing that it had been worth the drive and both suspecting that The Scrap Box had won over the Awards judges with their fine batter - and noticeable absence of grease - which had made the whole experience more enjoyable than most chippy dinners we’ve had.
Reviews are independent and paid for by The Press.
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