We recently enjoyed a really lovely day out in Whitby with our little girl and two friends and their little boy.

We went for a great walk at Falling Foss Waterfall, and had a good stroll around the streets of Whitby, but our day was punctuated by three fantastic eating experiences! Based on our day out, today we bring you three family-friendly cafes and restaurants in Whitby.

Be warned though, there’s no fish and chips anywhere in sight on our list!

Falling Foss Tea Garden

Located a short drive outside Whitby, Falling Foss Tea Garden is a cute little outdoor cafe (with covered seating – although the appeal of this place is dampened slightly by rainy weather, no pun intended) that overlooks Falling Foss Waterfall.

We stopped by to fill up before going on a wonderful walk in the woods, which took us past an old ‘cave’, a charming little fairy door hidden in the trunk of a tree, and past the noise of the roaring waterfall.

As for the cafe itself, which seems to be popular whatever time of year it is, there were no high chairs to be seen, so minus a few points there for baby-friendliness, but we were able to borrow a changing mat to take into the (fairly small) toilet with us.

Lack of facilities, which is understandable for such a small cafe set mainly outdoors in the gorgeous surroundings of this part of Yorkshire, aside, the food was great. Scones with cream and jam, hot chocolates, huge slices of cake, fruit loaf, and plenty more besides is on offer here, and it’s not as pricey as this sort of place can be.

On a nice, sunny day, this makes for a brilliant stop-off for some family fun outdoors, but this option is perhaps better for slightly older kids who can run around and burn off some steam, rather than tiny ones.

Where is it: Midge Hall, Whitby, YO22 5JD

Beckett’s Coffee Shop 

Widely claimed on TripAdvisor to be the best coffee shop in Whitby, it’s clear from the moment you walk into this charming little cafe that it deserves such plaudits.

This coffee shop, just a short hop from the main streets in Whitby, is decorated with quirky little touches. One whole wall is taken up with second hand books, and there’s even a little rack of reading glasses that you can borrow whilst you’re in there with a book.

The food more than stands up to the decor. The cakes are legendary, and there were so many to choose from that it took us all a while to decide what to get. The slices were so huge that we struggled to finish them, despite how moist and delicious the cake was (I’d gone for the vanilla and chocolate cake – amazing!).

A shout-out as well to the milkshakes here; you know you’re on to a winner when the milkshake has a whole scoop of ice cream sitting at the top by the straw.

Non-sweet treats also looked brilliant, especially the toasties, and the warmth of the staff shone through. In fact, we were brought a gorgeously presented baby plate of food for our little girl, with grated carrot, salad, cheese, etc (which she loved!) and the lovely staff didn’t even charge us for it when we settled up.

Beckett’s is baby and dog friendly – there were at least three dogs in there when we went in.

Time can be of the essence for some visiting Whitby, so if there’s one place on this list to try, it’s Beckett’s.

Where is it: 9 Skinner St, Whitby, YO21 3AH

The Humble Pie ’n’ Mash Shop

The Humble Pie ’n’ Mash Shop keeps things very simple, only selling pies, that are served alongside homemade, creamy mash, peas, and meaty, gorgeous gravy. The pies come in a range of flavours, including traditional flavours like steak and ale, and more unusual offerings like sausage and black pudding.

Three of us went for lamb, leek, and rosemary, with Kyle choosing to be the odd one out by ordering the creamy chicken and cider pie. The pies were really tasty, packed full of tender meat and coated beautifully in the gravy (there was no skimping on the gravy here – a huge tick in the box for us!). The lamb had been slow cooked, with the rosemary drawing out the best of the meaty flavour.

The little ones were kept happy by the ‘kids’ plate’, a smaller plate of mash, peas, and gravy. It may not have been the ideal meal for the little ones (what with the gravy probably having a bit of salt in!) but they indulged as a treat and really enjoyed it.

We were also tucked away in a quaint little dining room – literally decorated like the dining room at your gran’s house. This historic building dates back to the 1600s and they’ve kept the structure pretty much intact, which meant our dining table fitted in its own cute little dining room. Our little ones could holler as loudly as they wanted without disturbing anyone!

With all of this weighing in at under £7 per meal, there really wasn’t a downside to proceedings!

Where is it: 163 Church St, Whitby, YO22 4AS