A COSY restaurant and café in Willerby has been named as the best place to eat in the area. Atkinson's Bistro has been named the number one eatery in the area by users of the international review website TripAdvisor.
The website ranks more than 400 restaurants in Hull and the surrounding areas, based on customer reviews.
Atkinson's owners Paul and Laura Atkinson first opened their establishment as a cafe in 2010 but soon decided to expand.
Since hiring a full-time chef and launching their evening menu a year ago, the couple say the restaurant has gone from strength to strength.
Paul Atkinson is pleased with the customer feedback and says that TripAdvisor reviews are vital to help growing small businesses.
He said: "We're thrilled that customers have given us such good feedback.
"What the TripAdvisor recommendation shows is that we are delivering what customers want."
The couple say they have been inundated with enquiries since winning the crown of best restaurant in Hull.
Paul said: "TripAdvisor has been massively important to our business.
"We can't control what customers write about us, it's their opinion, so it offers an outsider perspective for potential customers.
"The only downside is that the pressure is now on for us to deliver what the diners expect."
Paul said that since the birth of their son Fletcher in November last year, it has been a challenge to balance work and home life.
"The major drawback of being self-employed is that it is difficult to take time off," he said.
"With a new baby in the family we have found it difficult to juggle the responsibilities of running our own business, but the news we have topped the TripAdvisor list has made all our hard work worthwhile."
The delighted couple say they continue to have big plans for the future of the restaurant.
Paul said: "We're going to focus on growing the evening menu and develop that side of the business.
"We want to make it more than just a café and it seems the evening trade is the most successful part of what we do.
"We've got big ideas but we will try to grow slowly – we want to walk before we can run."
