Townhead Cafe

A fall from grace for what was once a must visit stop in the wilderness of Lanarkshire...

It was 2007 when the Townhead was voted best fish and chip shop in the UK; in the intervening seven years, I'm not quite sure where it's all gone wrong - but it's a pale shadow of those glory days.

The chips we had were quite soggy; far from the way they used to be, with a lovely crispness to them and cooked to perfection.

Also, the batter was way too hard. For me, batter on your fish, sausage, king rib, whatever - it should be golden and slightly crisp, but still with a chewiness to it. The batter on my king rib especially was a dark brown, looked almost burnt and unappetising... in places it was so crunchy that it was actually sharp in my mouth.

Add to that a ridiculous price of £1.20 for a can of barely chilled juice (the fridges looked turned off when I was in, and there was a clean down in progress) leading me to think the cans had just been put in the fridge as part of a stock up.

I'm sorry to say that for the time being, this will be my last visit here. The quality of the product just doesn't justify the price, living off past reputation just doesn't cut it any more I'm afraid.

Not sure if there's been an other changing of hands or just an upping of the game, but it's such a dramatic turnaround, I felt it needed an upgrade.

After my son's rugby commitments, The Townhead has become our stop of choice. Due to travelling a fair distance, we never sit in, but always opt for a takeaway and eat on the journey or when we get home.

The food does take a while, but I don't mind that, as it shows there's freshness put first and foremost. The batter is back to being crispy and light, the chips are the right side of fluffy inside. If you say to staff you're going to be taking it a distance away, they do their best to wrap it to keep it warm, always a nice touch.

Biggar is a nice little run on a sunny afternoon, either coming from Edinburgh or Glasgow directions, and the Townhead is surely now the go to place to stop for chips. Again!

Rotten, chicken supper at lunchtime with my mother to take away down to the park with the dogs for a nice wee afternoon, dinner al fresco (not raining) and a wee walk with the dogs after.
Chicken was over-cooked by a mile!
too hot for too long,
dried out and stringy
the dogs wouldnt even touch it!!!
disappointing to say the least!

all right.....,
thought this was a one off and tried again 2 weeks later, and by luck it was the same young man who cooked the chicken before i made him aware of how disappointed i was with the last meals, and asked him how could he not see how badly he had cooked the chicken ?

all i got was questions

when were you in?
what did you order ?
do you have the receipt??? !!!
no, i cant remember you.

all i wanted was an acknowledgement, and maybe an apology..

i wouldn't have minded as much but this was the only order he was cooking at this time, its not as though he was run off his feet and took his eye off the chicken, i found this insulting, what ever happened to customer service

nice surroundings *****
clean *****
customer service *
food quality *
taste *

OVERALL?.. BETTER GETTING YOURSELF A DEEP FAT FRYER, DOING YOUR SHOPPING AT FARM-FOODS AND COOKING YOURSELF YOULL BE JUST AS DISAPPOINTED!!.

EPIC FAIL!

AVOID!

Visited April 2016

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g551840-d3479984-r379702883-The_Townhead_Cafe-Biggar_South_Lanarkshire_Scotland.html#

Very nice food very friendly staff. I pass every wed. And fri. Nite sometimes a little after closing time. They let me phone my order and keep it warm and let me collect as I pass
Can't get better than that and food is great too.

Stopped to eat here this week.
This is not the award winning business as advertised and on old reviews. When was it sold?
Ordered food at the counter thinking it was the business in Scotland.
One cook and a waitress, but no table order.
Adequate common, but suspiciously small fish and chips. Poor value.
Tea was a half-filled pot with one tea bag and a small mug.
Bread was a roll from a supermarket pack with margarine spread already.
The toilet was a disgrace. Np paper and urine on the floor.
Observed the whole place was not cleaned. Upstairs eating area was roped off.
Dreadful service, product and misleading.
Wish we had not entered and, too late, felt conned.
Will not stop in Biggar again on our frequent journeys along the 702.

Britain's Best Chip Shop 2007


I often pass through Biggar and being half way between where I live and where my parents live, it is often a meeting place for a coffee and catch up.


The Townhead Cafe is situated on the main street in Biggar and looks every bit the traditional chip shop from the outside. However, on entering it is just the right mix of tradition and contemporary. The chip counter as you enter serves the traditional take away fish, chips etc. Plus, you also have the option of going through the back or up the stairs to sit in.


We have always sat in for food and the place has a really lovely feel. One thing that always strikes me is how clean it is - always a good sign. The staff are extremely friendly and will do anything to help you.


The food is well presented, comes quickly and is well priced and generous portions. It is the traditional fish and chip menu so you can expect all the usual suspects plus all the extras like mushy peas and pickles. Tea is served in a pot and you can get a slice of bread and butter with your meal to be totally old school.


The Townhead Cafe pride themselves on sustainable fishing, which in these times has to be a positive thing. This is supported by wining Britain's Best Chip Shop as this accolade depends heavily on being considerate in this manner.


So, i've probably briefly covered everything - except from the taste. Unfortunately I can't say it is any better than ok. Having been a few times now, this opinion hasn't changed. Don't get me wrong, ok is not bad and when you consider the overall package it is still well worth a visit if you are passing through. However, I suspect that they won Britain's Best Chip Shop because they ticked lots of boxes. If the award was based solely on taste I could think of many contenders that would give them a run for their money.

This is a chippy that has won any number of awards, not least of all the title of Britain's best chip shop, most of which seem to be displayed on the wall behind the counter.


Unlike many traditional chip shops this one has forgone the public lavatory look for a more fitting and spacious presentation, with a welcoming clean appearance and well presented, friendly staff. I generally stop off here if I'm passing through Biggar on the way home and we're running late for dinner and buy our usual choices of Sausage suppers, Smoked Sausage supper and a fish supper, all of which measure up well against any of the local alternatives.


Whilst I've not used the sit-in facility, which is situated away from the take away counter a glimpse can be garnered past the stairs and through to the back and it appears to have a diner style layout and gratefully nothing in common with the seating of the more prolific and modern American styled fast food outlets.


I admit that on my first visit I was somewhat reluctant to pass through the door given the prices in some more mediocre chippies, yet when I left I don't think I actually paid much more than you would anywhere else, so gratifying it is that they're not abusing their good reputation that I have and will go back.

This was Britains best chippie last year and no wonder. Serves the best fish n chips i've had , good sized portions on all it's food items and always served quickly as well staffed at all times i've been in. Kids love it as it's midway between Edinbrgh and M74 so breaks up the journey for them and they can look forward to getting something to eat for remainder of journey.

Visited this chip shop after reading some of the reviews. I would like to add that the award was earned several years ago and I can only say that there is no way that it would win it again. I was a sit in customer and there was one waitress running up and down the stairs trying her best to please everyone although I did notice that there were several staff downstairs doing very little. The meal itself was nothing special in fact I have eaten better at a roadside burger van. I WILL NOT be a returning customer

Oh dear. How this ''famous'' fish and chip shop has fallen since the new owners have taken over. Just visited yesterday for the first time this year and will be the last. Gone are the upstairs eating area, gone are the helpful and friendly service, and most importantly, gone are the famous lovely fillets of fish we have been used to over the years here. Yesterday began with having to go to the counter after being seated and ignored for about 15 minutes just to get served followed by our fish teas being served with rolls and butter rather than bread without even an explanation. Gone are the fillets and batter normally associated with one of the best chippies in Scotland to one served greasy, small and dried out fillets of fish I've had to taste in years. Sorry Townhead, we have been travelling from Glasgow 6 or 7 times a year for the last 5 years but will not be back.