Rockwater, Hove, East Sussex
Owner Luke Davis hopes Rockwater will help revitalise the Hove seafront. The modern, glass-fronted building on the promenade is open all day, from breakfast on the deck (crab benedict, meat- and plant-based fry-ups) to cocktails on the roof terrace. The main lunch and dinner menu includes small plates (such as lobster mac & cheese), large plates (beer-battered cod or banana blossom and chips) and sourdough pizzas. The roof terrace menu is fancier, with oysters, caviar and fruits de mer platters, while takeaway shacks serve hotdogs, bagels and tacos. There are plans for live music and film screenings; upcoming events include wellbeing talks, creative writing and chess clubs, and a “gin and sequins” party. Rockwater Life is a health and fitness programme held on the deck, the lawn and in the sea, ranging from yoga, pilates and meditation to strength training, bootcamps and paddleboarding.
Mains from £11. Open daily 7am-11pm, rockwater.uk
Sargasso, Margate, Kent
Ed Wilson and Josie Stead of Brawn restaurant in east London have taken over Sargasso, a restaurant, bar and music venue on the harbour arm in Margate. Sargasso, which is next to the Turner Contemporary gallery and is run in partnership with the musician (and owner) Matthew Herbert, seats 30 inside and now has 40 outdoor seats, too. The interior has been revamped using galvanised steel, wood and cork. The menu is focused on local seafood and vegetables, but inspired by European coastal cooking – so might include courgette fritti with salmoriglio (an Italian lemon dressing); squid with peppers, chickpeas and Canarian mojo verde; crab and girolle spaghetti; or smoked eel with gooseberries, bacon and watercress. Drinks are focused on natural wines, vermouths and draught beers. There will be regular live music and broadcasting, including a summer stint by Worldwide FM.
Mains from £19. Open 5.30pm-9.30pm, Wednesday to Saturday, plus 12pm-2.30pm Friday to Sunday, sargasso.bar
The Shed by James Sommerin, Barry, Glamorgan
Goodsheds, a mix of renovated railway buildings and shipping containers, recently opened in Barry’s docklands. This “sustainable urban high street” includes street-food traders from Greek to Mexican to Japanese; a craft beer bar and a rooftop cocktail bar; independent shops in converted Gatwick Express railway carriages; and the Goodstay, an apart-hotel. Also on site, in the 1880s Gwalia Buildings, is The Shed by James Sommerin, a former Michelin-starred chef. The building was restored by Welsh craftsmen using locally sourced and reclaimed material, including timber from the docks and slate from old snooker tables. The food is aiming at Michelin standards at more affordable prices, with starters around £8 (such as wood pigeon with black pudding, beetroot and raspberry) and mains around £18 (perhaps pork belly with sage, apple and celeriac).
Mains from £17. Open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday to Saturday, and Sunday lunch, theshedbarry.co.uk
The Fish Cottage, Sandsend, North Yorkshire
The former Bridge Cottage Bistro, now the Fish Cottage, is a few steps from the beach in Sandsend, by the entrance to Mulgrave woods. It is a seafood restaurant and a fish-and-chips takeaway, with most seafood sourced from nearby Whitby, and all certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. On the menu in the restaurant are starters such as lindisfarne oysters (£10) and salt-cod fishcakes, and mains including hake en papillotte with samphire and harissa butter, and curried monkfish skewers, all served with garlic and rosemary parmentier potatoes, salsa verde, aioli and romaine lettuce. To take away, as well as the usual favourites – cod, haddock or scampi and beef-dripping chips – there are twists including skinny fries with crab mayo, and weekly specials such as prawn tacos and cod burgers.
Mains from £12. Open 12-9pm Monday to Thursday, 11.30am-9pm Friday and Saturday, 11.30am-6.30pm Sunday, fishcottage.co.uk
The Lawn and the Bass Rock, North Berwick, East Lothian
The Victorian Marine hotel is under new ownership and will reopen at the end of September with a new restaurant, the Lawn, and a lounge/bar, the Bass Rock. Both will be headed by MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finalist Chris Niven and serve local produce. In the Lawn, that could include lobster landed off nearby Seacliff Harbour, fish smoked in Belhaven, vegetables grown in East Linton and wild Scottish game. A daily changing set lunch will include dishes such as whole plaice with seaweed, lemon and capers. The Bass Rock will serve small plates (oysters, mackerel paté), more substantial meals (steak and bone marrow burger), and afternoon tea, as well whiskies, other local spirits, Scottish craft ales and cocktails.
Prices and opening times not yet confirmed, marineandlawn.com
The Seaburn Inn, Sunderland
This pub with rooms opened on the Sunderland seafront in June, part of an £820,000 investment into the Seaburn and Roker promenade. It joins Stack Seaburn, a shipping-container development with street food traders and bars, which opened in September. Future openings will include a seafood restaurant, a gin bar inside a former toilet block, a cafe in a historic tram shelter and 12 beach huts. The Seaburn Inn has a terrace overlooking the beach, and serves everything from sandwiches and pub classics to signature dishes (such as 10-hour pork belly with black pudding sauce) and Sunday roasts. There are 32 rooms, some with balconies and sea views.
Mains from £12.95. Food served 7.30am-9pm daily, pub open 10am-11pm daily, inncollectiongroup.com
Milford Waterfront, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire
Thanks to a multimillion-pound investment, there are several new openings on the waterfront and marina at Milford Haven. They include the Green Genie, a vegetarian and vegan bistro; Madison’s, a speakeasy-style bar and restaurant; Talouies, a cafe with occasional supper clubs; and Sugar Loaf, a deli and bakery. Some existing venues have expanded, with Foam restaurant adding outdoor dining domes, the Scoop ice-cream parlour adding an on-site ice-creamery and Coco’s restaurant relaunching under new ownership. Four floating cabins opened in the marina in 2019, and a waterfront hotel is due to open in spring 2022.
milfordwaterfront.co.uk
The Bucket & Spade, Shaldon, Devon
The Bucket & Spade cafe-bar in Shaldon (six miles north of Torquay) has been refurbished and has a new chef and a new menu. The cafe is part of the Coast View holiday park but is open to the public, and has a terrace with panoramic views along the Jurassic coast. The seafood-heavy menu has a range of bao buns, including tempura prawn with pickled cucumber, hoisin and peanut; small plates such as whitebait with lemon aioli and watercress; and mains including Fowey mussels with samphire, a beer-battered mackerel burger and tagliatelle with lobster, crab and prawns. It also serves breakfasts, salads and sandwiches, and has a children’s menu.
Mains from £12.50. Open 9am-8.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am-5pm Sunday, thebucketandspade.com
Goat, Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex
This new coffee shop is a short stroll from the sand-and-shingle beach at Bracklesham Bay, which is a hotspot for fossil-hunting as well as windsurfing and kayaking. The modestly named Goat (Greatest of All Time) serves Caravan coffee and Storm tea, plus goodies from lots of local companies. There is savoury vegan food from Feed Me Momma, while Gather & Feast supplies treats from chocolate, oat and chia breakfast pots to barbecue jackfruit toasties. Scotch eggs and sausage rolls come from Treagust Butchers, pastries from Sodt bakery, four kinds of brownie from Brownie Bay and ice-cream from Caroline’s Dairy.
8am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday, 9am-5pm Sunday and bank holidays, goatcoffee.co.uk
Cove 24, Newquay, Cornwall
