An East Lothian fish and chip shop has been crowned one of the 50 best in the UK for the third year running.
East Coast on Musselburgh’s North High Street is known for its high quality fish and chips as well as it's seafood at their adjoining restaurant next door.
The only chippy in Edinburgh and the Lothians to make the prestigious list, the eatery was mentioned by Fry Magazine as a definite one to visit.
Ranked by mystery diner visits on two occasions, anonymous judges sampled the food and assessed key aspects , from the quality of the food and customer service, to the cleanliness of the premises to staff knowledge, professionalism and social media presence.
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With 100 marks up for grabs, the standard was extremely high, with the benchmark being 96 per cent or over for takeaways to win an award and 95 per cent or over for restaurants.
East Coast scored an impressive 98 per cent overall with the mystery diners particularly praising the ‘lovely taste’, ‘freshness’ and ‘perfectly cooked’ food; ‘plenty of choice on the menu’; ‘efficient and prompt’ service; ‘cleanliness’; and ‘friendly staff’, who are ‘obviously proud of their products’.
The upmarket East Coast Fish and Chips Takeaway also runs specials such as East Coast lobster with garlic butter and twice cooked chips, prawn loaded fries and monkfish scampi. There is also a kids’ menu and gluten free options available.
Owned by Carlo and Katia Crolla, East Coast is the next chapter for the Crolla family, who have been serving Musselburgh from its venue on North High Street since 1974.
Speaking about the award, Carlo Crolla, owner of East Coast in Musselburgh, said:
“We’re really proud to have been named one the UK’s 50 best fish and chip takeaways for the third year running. We’re also amongst Scotland’s top 10 and the only fish & chips takeaway in Edinburgh and the Lothians to land a place on this list.
“This award is owed to the hard work and effort of the whole East Coast team who strive every single day to be the best and help put East Lothian on the map as a real foodie destination.
"Businesses in smaller towns like Musselburgh are often overlooked in UK-wide competitions like this, so it means a lot to us to represent the town on a national level in a competition with such a high benchmark.
Reece Head, Fry Magazine’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways competition organiser, added:
“We’re so pleased to announce this year’s winners, including East Coast in Musselburgh.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for the industry, in particular for restaurants that have had to deal with closures, but operators continued to adapt, motivate their workforce and invest in new equipment and systems that have seen them come out the other side stronger and in a better position."
