One of Britain's best restaurants is in Doncaster - so we went along to check it out

Situated in the shadow of Conisbrough Castle in the heart of Conisbrough, it is a restaurant that truly has been making waves in recent years.

Earlier this year, it was named one of the best in Britain by reviews site Tripadvisor and was presented with a Travelers’ Choice Award for 2024 – putting it among the top 10% of outlets on Tripadvisor.

From nearly 350 reviews, nearly 230 ranked the restaurant on Doncaster Road as “excellent,” earning the venue a 4.5 out of 5 rating and its place on the leaderboard.

Older readers may remember it as Kennys and if you go even further back, many will remember it as The Mona, a club which used to boast a huge dancefloor and concert room and played host to live music.

But now its Sea Fish – and despite the name, there’s much more to this fabulous restaurant than meets the eye.

Free Press reporter Darren Burke and partner Giulia Savini were invited along to try it out – and discovered that there’s far more to enjoy than fish and chips and seafood too.

Turning off the A630 in Conisbrough into the Sea Fish car park, we were looking forward to tucking in on a chilly winter’s night.

Having driven past the place (or should that be plaice?) on many occasions over the years, it’s one of those restaurants that has always sparked a car conversation along the lines of “we should go there one day and try it out.”

Obviously, a busy life often tends to get in the way and for some reason, it never quite happened.

Until now.

And having visited once, we will certainly be back for more. Because Sea Fish quite rightly deserves it’s place as among Britain’s best – because the food, surroundings, service and general atmosphere are all top notch.

With a relatively small frontage onto the road (which also houses a take away fish and chip shop) the restaurant has TARDIS like qualities, with a cavernous yet cosy eating area behind.

Tastefully decorated, there’s a range of tables and booths to pick from across two levels – and we were promptly shown to our seats and met by head chef Ivan Woodward who was our host for the evening.

Ivan told us there was a lot more to Sea Fish than just your standard chippy tea – and he wasn’t wrong.

We were offered two separate menus – the standard menu and a special Christmas menu.

And what a superb choice there was from both.

Of course, there’s plenty for seafood lovers – starters included prawns, calamari and fish goujons, while the mains included tuna steak and sea bass.

But bosses want to make it clear that there’s much more on offer than the fruits of the sea – and a quick glance showed just why.

There’s a range of juicy burgers to pick from, steaks, curry, a rack of ribs and a massive range of sides to choose from.

And we’ll come to the desserts later.

With the festive season in full swing, it was the Christmas menu that caught my eye.

Available all day until January 5, it comes in at a very reasonable £18.99 per person for a two course set meal – or £21.99 for the three course.

Starters on the festive fayre include crispy halloumi fries and that Christmas traditonal favourite prawn cocktail and there’s even something for the brussel sprouts ‘love ‘em or hate ‘em brigade, a creamy soup created from the little green buds and combined with herbs and spices.

But I opted for the chicken wings – a platter of hot and spicy meat marinated in a buffalo sauce and served with a chilli dip.

No skimping on the amount of wings – there were a good seven or eight to tuck into and the beautfiully tender chicken just slid off the bone.

Golden and crispy skin – and with a delightfully spicy coating and a equally mouth-tingling dip, it was a great way to get the ball rolling. Delicious.

For the mains, the Christmas menu again featured fish and steaks, but as soon as I spotted it, I knew instantly what I was having.

And that was the lamb shank, served in a mint gravy on a bed of mash and accompanied by some beautifully crisp yet fluffy Yorkshire puddings and an array of caramelised parsnips, carrots and brussels sprouts.

What a choice.

Once again, the lamb was beautifully tender and just like the chicken, came straight off the bone. Succulent, it really was melt in the mouth stuff, topped off with lashings of minty gravy, which was splashed liberally across those Yorkies.

There would have been enough on its own with the lamb and the creamy mash, but there was also a sizeable portion of veg – and caramelised is my favourite way to eat ‘em.

There’s something spectacularly wintery about tucking into parsnips – and the sprouts were cooked to perfection – not bitter or tough like the ones you might have had the misfortune to tuck into at a family Christmas dinner over the years.

Giulia, meanwhile, skipped the starters and went straight to the main – the homemade fish pie.

And again, what a choice that turned out to be.

A mix of cod, prawns, salmon and smoked haddock in a creamy parsley sauce and topped with a cheesy parmesan cheese, the platter was huge – and would quite easily have served two.

With a side of chips too, it was a carb overload, but she smashed her way through, describing it as an asbsolute classic.

Everyone loves a good fish pie – and on a chilly December night in Donny, it was just the job.

Of course, no matter how big your meal (and we were both richly stuffed by this stage), there’s always time and space for dessert.

Options include cheese cake, Alabama fudge cake and apple and mulled wine crumble – but we instead opted for the Sicilian lemon sponge to share.

Well, let’s just say Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry would have no grumbles about soggy bottoms or the like here.

The sponge was delightfully moist, infused with a punchy and zingy tang of lemon. And soaked with a huge dollop of creamy custard, it once again hit the spot – leaving us both fit to burst, bellies filled and mind and senses blown.

Washed down with a few ciders and a glass of Coke, it was the best way to get into the festive spirit.

Oh and talking of booze, if you love gin, you’ll be in heaven. There’s an absolutely huge and bewildering array of flavoured gins to delve into – as well as a fully stocked bar with all the usual beers, wines and spirits.

Sea Fish truly is a gem on Doncaster’s eating out scene – and I’m surprised it’s taken this long for us to discover it.

So much more than a plate of fish and chips, this restaurant has something for everyone and quite rightly deserves its place at the top of the TripAdvisor leaderboard.

Try it – you won’t be disappointed – and we’ll certainly be back. 10/10.

• Full details of Sea Fish are available at the website HERE where you can browse the menus and also book a table