10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Whitby

Given that Whitby is famous for its seafood, you can't go wrong by starting at the harbor. This picturesque area of town is clustered with lavish restaurants and charming cafés. One of the most popular is The Star Inn The Harbor, which has 180-degree views from the deck and serves the local catch of the day, Yorkshire lamb and Lindisfarne oysters.

Across the harbor, The Angel Hotel is a sleek bar serving a standard pub menu with burgers and steak, with great views from the second-floor terrace. If you're looking for something more low-key, visit The Cabin Cafe for a full English breakfast or loaded jacket potato.

Ditto is a family-run restaurant that serves exceptional quality food bursting with surprising flavors. The set menus are frequently updated, with mainstay dishes like chicken and chorizo terrine, steamed haddock fillet with spätzle, and frozen chocolate fondant with salt caramel. The setting has the same traditional bistro feel as the food, with an intimate interior of wooden floors and striped curtains.

The wine list includes dessert wines and champagnes as well as a good selection of reds and whites from Spain, Chile, and New Zealand. Ditto is often booked up weeks or months in advance, so plan ahead to make sure you get a table during your stay.

Pier Road is popular for a stroll along the River Esk after dinner. You shouldn't miss Harry's Lounge Bar & Brasserie, which offers a huge list of gins and gin-based cocktails and filling meals like rump steak, half a fresh lobster and oven-roasted duck breast. If real ale and classic cheeseburgers are what you're craving, head for The Pier Inn.

The Magpie Café is a classic waterfront café serving some of the finest fish and chips in Whitby. Visit Quayside for the award-winning lemon sole and whole-tail scampi. Finish your meal with the hot puddings and homemade cakes at Grandma June's – it also has great vegan and gluten-free snacks.

Al Taco is a must-visit if you want to spice up your visit to Whitby with a fun taste of Mexico. Locals love the loaded fajitas and nachos topped with chipotle cheese sauce. You can build your own burritos or tacos by choosing from broiled chicken, steak or pulled pork and then piling on the rice, refried beans, vegetables, grated cheese, salsa and sour cream.

There's a delicious Texan chili that comes in beef or veggie versions, as well as cheesy potato skins and homemade guacamole. The Mexican hot chocolate has a pleasant kick to it and will keep you warm on a cold day. The cheerful orange-and-green interior is complemented by friendly staff in sombreros.

Tackling Whitby's 199 winding stone steps is a challenge, but the incredible views over Whitby are worth the climb. Reward yourself afterward with a treat at one of the cafés and ice cream parlors clustered at the bottom of the steps. Abbey Steps is the obvious choice for melt-in-the-mouth scones served with jelly and cream and ice cream sundaes in a snug tearoom.

The Beach Hut is an ice cream parlor with a great selection of vegan and dairy-free ice cream in inventive flavors like rhubarb crumble and cinder toffee, plus delicious milkshakes. Around the corner, W Hamond Tea Rooms will serve you a delicious slice of carrot cake or Victoria sponge with your tea or cappuccino.

Trenchers takes its fish and chips very seriously, using only the freshest local cod and haddock, as well as Whitby crab and scampi. Fish are cooked in gluten-free batter and served with chipped potatos and homemade tartare sauce. The interior is bright and modern, with comfortable leather booths and gleaming chrome fittings.

Try Trenchers Fish Pie, a house specialty of cod, prawn, salmon and cheddar cheese served with creamed potato. There are several vegetarian and vegan options like vegetable lasagna or spinach and falafel burgers. There's also a tempting menu of classic British desserts like Knickerbocker Glory and sherry trifle.

Mademoiselle's is an offbeat part-bistro, part-café that's sure to put a smile on your face. It's housed in a beautiful Georgian building and decorated with heavy chandeliers, ornate mirrors, and richly colored walls. Get cozy in the Cellar Bar or enjoy the sun in the Secret Courtyard.

Light bites and homemade cakes are served for lunch, while the dinner menu is heavily French-influenced with classics like goujons, moules-frites (mussels with fries) and confit chicken. For dessert, try the tarte au citron with raspberry coulis. The bistro has a remarkable selection of gins, including rhubarb, Opihr-spiced, and Masons Tea gins.

Stroll along Whitby Beach and you'll encounter dozens of welcoming cafés and fish and chips shops. Along Khyber Pass are 2 outstanding fish and chip shops, The Fisherman's Wife and Mr Chips, both serving battered fish and accompanied by crispy chips and salad.

The Battery Parade Café has excellent dessert options, including knickerbocker glories, banana splits, and ice creams. Walk west up the beach along Cleveland Way and you'll reach Clara's, a brightly painted cabin serving cappuccinos, milkshakes and ice creams. There's also North Beach Café, which has a decadent menu of toasted crumpets, tea cakes, jelly and coconut cake.

Enjoy deluxe modern dining at Kamthai, which serves bold, original Thai food in stylish surroundings. Start by snacking on duck spring rolls, satay skewers and deep-fried calamari, before moving on to traditional curries, tangy stir-fries, broils of marinated chicken and jumbo king prawns. Authentic Thai spices are used alongside sustainable local produce for a fresh, natural taste.

There's an emphasis on seafood at Kamthai, with pan-fried scallops and lemon-steamed fish with chili sauce as standouts. Wash your meal down with a glass of popular Asian beers like Singha or Tsingdao. The cool, minimalist interior and comfortable leather seats give the restaurant a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.

Get cozy on Church Lane with some of the town's oldest taverns. The 16th-century Black Horse Inn has a tapas menu featuring pork pies, crab pate and a Yorkshire cheeseboard. At The White Horse & Griffin, you can eat aged sirloin steak and Shetland mussels in rooms that have hosted Charles Dickens and Captain James Cook.

The Fleece is a dog-friendly pub with tasty seafood sandwiches and lovely river views from its balcony. Grab a table at The Board Inn and watch boats come in while enjoying beer-battered fish or homemade steak and ale pie. At the top of the street is The Duke of York, a snug 19^th-century tavern decorated with 250-year-old harpoons.