Stonehaven’s The Bay Fish and Chips has earned another turn in the spotlight after being named the Daily Record’s Chippy of the Week, a nod to a seafront takeaway that has already drawn international attention. The award-winning Aberdeenshire shop was ranked number 31 in Lonely Planet’s 2018 guide to the best food experiences in the world, the highest British entry on that list.
That recognition came with praise that still fits the way the business is run today. Lonely Planet said the setting, the sustainability and the beautifully cooked fish made people wonder whether The Bay was the best fish and chip shop in the world, with the constant queue taken as part of the answer. The shop is owned by Calum Richardson and remains one of Stonehaven’s best-known food stops.
The reason for the appeal is not hard to trace. The Bay serves hand-filleted, MSC-certified North Sea haddock supplied by the family-run Coupers Seafoods in Aberdeen, and customers can choose batter or panko breadcrumbs. Its chips are made with premium potatoes such as Maris Piper and Markies grown from locally grown seeds, while daily specials bring in fresh, in-season fish from a local market. The menu also goes well beyond the standard order, with battered salmon, battered or breaded scampi, smoked haddock fishcakes and a seafood platter alongside chicken fillets, sausages, burgers, black pudding, white pudding and a Pie of the Day.
There is also a full gluten-free menu, plus vegetarian choices such as macaroni and cheese pie and chickpea fritters, which broadens the shop’s reach without softening the core message of the business. On Google, The Bay holds a 4.5 out of five rating based on 2,273 reviews, and customers repeatedly point to the scenic location, crisp batter, friendly staff and authentic atmosphere.
Those reviews echo the same themes that helped lift the shop into Lonely Planet’s global rankings. One customer praised the fish and chips as amazing and said the staff were very organised during a busy bank holiday evening. Another called the meal the best they had eaten on a trip through Scotland, pointing to the crispy batter and flaky fish. A third said the portions were huge, the price was great and the line moved quickly, even when the takeaway was busy. For a shop that has built its name on local sourcing and a clear sense of place, the challenge now is not attention. It is keeping a daily record of the standard that made people queue in the first place.
