The Chip Thief

The Chip Thief sits on Warren Road, close enough to the beach at Dawlish Warren to catch the after-the-sands crowd, and has built its name on the belief that good ingredients matter more than speed - the shop's own line is "we don't do fast food, we do good food as fast as we can". Fish is sourced from sustainable stocks and the potatoes come from nearby Starcross, so the classic cod and haddock sit alongside plaice and squid on a menu that also runs to pies, chicken and sausages.

Dietary care is taken seriously here: a dedicated gluten-free menu runs at all times with its own fryer, and vegan options include chips cooked separately, a vegan chicken and mushroom pie and Quorn sausages. The shop holds a five-star food hygiene rating across every inspection area and sponsors local causes, from Dawlish United Football Club to a local darts player, which says something about how embedded it is in the town. A sister site, The Lookout at Hazelwood Park, runs on the same principles nearby.