East Sussex is proud to boast some of the best seaside restaurants in the UK. Here, locally sourced meats and the freshest seafood are served in stylish establishments and beachside eateries alike.
Need a few tips on where to book tables? At Beside the Sea Holidays, we think the following 5 dining destinations are some of the best seaside restaurants in the UK.
The Gallivant
Set before the grass-topped dunes of Camber Sands, this former motel turned seaside hotel and restaurant is inspired by the beachy style of New York’s Hamptons. It’s also scooped up numerous awards, including a spot in Squaremeal’s UK Top 100 Restaurants 2016.
The food is modern British with a regularly changing specials menu. Pretty-as-a-picture dishes make the most of locally sourced produce. In fact, over 90% of the menu is sourced within 10 miles of the hotel. Opt for the succulent Romney salt marsh lamb, Dover sole, or roast pigeon with salsa verde.
Free tea and cakes are served in the bar everyday at 4pm. Plus, the bar and restaurant boast the largest collection of English sparkling wines in the country. In the warm months, sip drinks on the sun-drenched terrace. Pure seaside bliss!
Webbe’s Restaurants
Owned by chefs Paul and Rebecca Webbe, the expanding Webbe’s Restaurants empire includes a self-service cafe in Hastings and three contemporary restaurants. Located in a converted farmhouse, The Wild Mushroom Restaurant in Westfield offers a fine dining experience using foraged wild food and local ingredients, including Rye Bay & Hastings fish & shellfish.
In Hastings, Webbe’s Rock-a-Nore lays claim to having “one of the shortest ingredient journeys in Britain”. The seafood-focused menu includes gratinated native lobster, and steamed flounder with mussel and cider sauce. Fresh-off-the-boat seafood is supplied by the Hastings & Rye fishing fleets.
For more fresh-as-it-gets seafood, head to Webbe’s at the Fish Café in Rye. Housed in a former antiques warehouse and teddy bear factory, the generous menu here includes Hastings cuttlefish, chargrilled monkfish loin, and a Tapas-style fish tasting board.
The George In Rye
The buzzing restaurant in this restored 16th-century inn dishes up a modern British menu with a dash of European inspiration. The dining room decor is comfy and contemporary: globe-like pendant lights dangle above upholstered couches and dark wood floors.
As for the menu? Fresh meat and vegetables are sourced from local farms, and much of the seafood is whipped straight from the sea by the trawlers of Rye Bay. A wood-charcoal grill at the heart of the kitchen is used to cook an array of crowd-pleasing dishes. The wood roast Rye Bay scallops is a must-try starter, while the whole lobster and 18oz Châteaubriand steak is a decadent main dish for two to share.
Landgate Bistro
Landgate Bistro has been ranked by The Good Food Guide as the best restaurant in Rye for the sixth year running. The focus is very much on seasonal produce, carefully selected from local fishermen, farmers, and hunters. Foraged goods also feature prominently, including wild herbs, garlic and mushrooms – all picked from the surrounding woodlands and fields.
Dig into a British menu full of beautiful seafood options, such as poached fillet of lemon sole and roast fillet of cod. In winter, Rye Bay scallops are a favourite. Marsh lamb served with pickled fennel and beetroot 3 ways is a main course highlight for meat lovers. Just be sure to save space for seriously tempting homemade puddings, from baked vanilla cheesecake to prune and armagnac creme brulée.
Tuscan Kitchen Rye
Among the quaint tearooms and cobbled streets of medieval Rye, Tuscan Kitchen Rye feels like a rare and unexpected find. Dark timber beams, leather chairs and Italian memorabilia feature in an intimate and romantic dining room. In the kitchen, regional Tuscan dishes are cooked by chef Franco, who grew up on his family vineyard and farm in the hills around Florence.
The resulting dishes feel authentic and rustic, with plenty of olive oil and fresh herbs adorning a great selection of antipasti, pastas, meats, and seafood specialities including brandy flamed red prawns, cod caponata, and a classic Livornese shellfish soup. Bellisimo!
Accommodations near the Best Seaside Restaurants in the UK
If you’re planning on a trip to East Sussex, arrive with an appetite. It’s home to some of the best seaside restaurants in the UK. The five options above are all big favourites with foodies, so all that’s left to do is grab a fork and dig in!
Feeling inspired to visit? Book from our range of rentals today.
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