Just out of the centre of Whitby is the highly acclaimed Ditto Restaurant, which serves only 20 covers on the five nights it is open. Your table is yours for the evening, which means you don't feel at all rushed. The restaurant has a relaxed and opulent feel to it, with all tables having ample space between them. There is a well-stocked bar and an impressive range of wine on offer too. The menu is seasonal and is a set price for two or three courses (£25 and £30 respectively). No extras, your vegetables and sides are all included. The menu is not vast but has a good range of dishes to suit all palettes.
Complimentary fresh bread with salted butter and home-made houmous was a nice start to the meal. We opted for the main/dessert option, so which one of the tempting main courses do you go for? The choices were beef, belly pork, pan-fried gnocchi, a shallot tartin and the two we eventually plumped for the fish of the day and the chicken thigh in a truffle cream sauce. Both dishes were outstanding, so full of flavour, the Coley was beautifully cooked, with a crisp skin on a fricassee of peas, broad beans and prawns, with pea mayonnaise and fabulously crispy chips; every mouthful was an absolute marvel! My wife had the equally impressive, chicken thigh with a crispy skin, dauphinoise potatoes, salted celeriac and strips of apple in a rich creamy truffle sauce. All accompanied with side orders of new potatoes, carrots, swede, as well as broccoli and mange tout with toasted pine nuts. The best two main courses we have had for a long time! The local Black Sheep Ale was a perfect accompaniment to the dish too, earthy and sweet.
The desserts were a choice of four, but one stood out over all the others, a dark chocolate parfait, dusted with honeycomb and a nut praline, accompanied by a refreshingly strong passion fruit ice cream on a crushed biscuit base. Too often, after a stunning main course, desserts fade quickly from the memory. However, this was as impressive as the mains; all the flavours complimented each other perfectly, to give a wonderful end to a fantastic meal.
Would we come again? In a heartbeat! Outstanding food in classy surroundings, great service and the sultry sounds of Lana Del Rey punctuating the air, it doesn't get much better.
OM NOM NOM.
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
The soft and yielding pigeon breast on crisply fried smooth black pudding exploded into sweet dark matter in my mouth. And I did moan.
The luciously rich duck danced a fruity sexual tango with the cherry and Marsala sauce on my tongue. And I did groan.
The perfectly ripe raspberries dissolved into a piquant jam atop the quivering chocolate cheescake and smeared my palate with pupil engorging delight. And I did very nearly re-enact that scene from When Harry Met Sally.
May I also point out that at this point the rather loosely fitted dress I was wearing slipped off both my shoulders and fully exposed the entirety of my chest. And I did not care. In fact, it was entirely apt......I had been UNDRESSED BY FOOD.
A tiny little restaurant serving only 20 covers a night in the heart of Whitby's Old Town. Book there. Go there. With someone you love. And look into their eyes all night as you share perfect food, perfect wine, perfect service and perfect romance.
*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*
What a lovely coffee shop. It was empty when we arrived, but we decided to risk it and we're very pleased that we did. The lady front of house was very welcoming and helpful. The food was delicious. We had the 2 specials and fries. There are even very nice toilets there. I would highly recommend it.
Such a cosy restaurant with a fine dining feel. We opted for 3 courses to try as much as possible, and each dish was well considered and delicious. The confit duck starter is possibly the tastiest dish I've ever had, I can't wait to go back!
The food was delicious, the flavours, textures and portions were perfect. I had the duck to start (run don't walk), the pork main (WOW) and the apple and treacle tart to finish. My partner and I both had the pork belly which was melt in the mouth good, the combination of flavours from the pumpkin, butternut squash and the sauce were heavenly.
The service was exceptional, Olivia and Emily were friendly and checked in on us enough to know we were being looked after without intruding on our meal.
It's a small restaurant (approx 7 tables), the atmosphere was the perfect blend of busy but not crowded, with compliments to the chef floating in the air.
We'll definitely be booking in advance (you have to) the next time we come to Whitby.
If I could rate this place more than 5 stars I would!
Ditto is tiny but such a welcoming, comfortable place. The staff are amazing and the food is outstanding.
Two things: I strongly recommend booking ahead, it’s so small that on a busy evening you are unlikely to get a walk in table, plus it’s so good word gets around 👍
We were there on a Saturday.
Second: don’t be deceived by some of these photos, the portions are not small!
We started with fresh bread, I had the three courses pictured plus a complimentary sorbet before my main. I was absolutely stuffed by the end and had to take a walk by the harbour.
Finally, I don’t know much about wine, but according to my dinner partner if you are a connoisseur the selection here is excellent.
Highly, highly recommended 👍👍
Absolutely scrumptious breakfast. Lovely service and excellent prices. The best bowl of Porridge in England, perhaps on the planet? Loved Ditto and all of Whitby, we'll be back for sure!
Such a lovely cafe, would highly recommend!!! The lady working this morning (Monday July 24th) couldn't have been more accommodating! We are so grateful that as a large group with 5 children she was able to get us all seated and all our orders taken swiftly, and she even offered the children some toys to play with. The food was delicious! The facilities were really good too and super clean, couldn't have asked for a better place to have breakfast ready for our trip home. A big thanks to the staff!!
Very lovely 3 course meal and I had the breaded chicken thighs and it got to be one of the best posh fried chicken I have ever had. Chicken very well marinated with herbs and it was juicy and tenders. With the sauce and coleslaw, it was dreamy.
At the time of visiting, the bistro was very quiet. The nice lady that served us was very attentive and helpful. The food service was quick and the toastie I had was very nice considering it was only a 3 cheese one. It must have had a small amount of pepper and seasoning, but it was very well made. The olive oil on the salad complemented the dish well too. I would definitely recommend this place for a lunch option and would come back again.
Unbelievably good. Everything on the menu is delicious. Lovely atmosphere. Great value for money if you want fine dining in Whitby!
We used to visit Ditto when they opened evenings, today was the first time we've been since it changed to a cafe, and we were just as impressed. Really friendly and welcoming and the food was lovely. The owner was also amazing with our little girl. Wish we lived closer! Would definitely recommend.
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