Newark is a historic market town with plenty of fish and chip shops on its doorstep, but we decided to try the town's best rated store with a 4.5 rating on Tripadvisor. Bentleys Fish and Chips, in Middlegate, has more than 110 reviews on the online review site, most of which rate the business as excellent, equivalent to five stars.
I decided to test the shop out for myself, to see how good their fish and chips really were. A visit on Friday, September 30, certainly proved that it was a popular business among people in the town as there was a steady queue from 12pm when I first walked past until 1pm when I decided it was lunch time.
There was a really friendly, but busy, atmosphere in the shop, as all the staff seemed to know a lot of their customers and they also had a restaurant on the opposite side of the building to the take away store front. There were plenty of classic options on the blackboard behind the counter but I decided to try the special of the day, which was a bargain too good not to try.
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For £5 I got a small fish, portion of chips, and baked beans, but I could have chosen peas, curry or gravy instead. Although there was a short wait to order, and then again for food to be prepared, this was only a couple of minutes each time and definitely worth the wait.
The portion I got was larger than I expected, with the small fish still being a decent size and a gravity-defying pile of chips underneath, and a generous spoonful of beans. I ate the whole fish and all of the beans, but could not manage all of the chips, but this was not for the lack of trying.
The fish was golden and had crispy batter that was tasty but not greasy, and the chips weren't greasy either. Everything was cooked wonderfully and although it had been prepared before I got there it wasn't dry, tasted fresh and it was all still nice and hot.
I would definitely return to this fish and chip shop, and maybe try one of the fishcakes from their menu next time, and I also spotted that they sell milkshakes for just £1.50 each. No wonder the location is such a favourite among locals.
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