Shore hits... the very best seaside cafes in Britain

At last! It’s hot enough to really enjoy our glorious beaches – but where will you eat? Richard Mellor reveals the finest coastal cafes from Argyll to the Isle of Wight

THE SHACK ON THE SHORELINE The Harbour Cafe, Elie, Fife

You may recognise Amy Elles behind the counter, as she’s one of the top chefs competing in the current series of the BBC’s Great British Menu show.

On a beachy spit beside the pretty village of Elie, north-east of Edinburgh, her and husband Jack’s wooden seafood shack contains four long tables and huge windows facing across the Firth of Forth.

Short menus hinge on the catch of the day by local fishermen but often include lobster and crab served with hot, buttery new potatoes. The coffee is excellent, too.

Open Monday (lunch-only) and Wednesday to Sunday, April to September (theharbour cafe.co.uk).

CAREFREE... AND CAR-FREE Shell Beach Cafe, Herm, Channel Islands

Compact, car-free Herm boasts the Channel Islands’ most picturesque beaches and pleasingly sparse crowds.

Below grassy cliffs, Shell Beach’s golden sand slopes gently into turquoise waters, and low tide reveals rock pools to rummage through. Elevated just behind is a blue cafeshop whose picnic tables face the action.

Deckchairs can be hired at Shell Beach Cafe, while an old-fashioned menu spans sandwiches, fizzy pop and ice creams.

Open daily April-September (herm.com/ where-to-eat).

TUCK IN AFTER A PUFFIN TREK Cafe Canna, Isle of Canna, Argyll

With Canna’s latest population figure given as just 18 people, no wonder this harbourside cottage represents the remote Hebridean island’s sole dining establishment.

Luckily i t’s excellent, producing zesty plates of l ocal s eafood, i s l and meats, and items either foraged (including seaweed) or grown in a community polytunnel.

Be it mackerel tacos or wild-rabbit sausage rolls before a bowl of whi s k y - a n d - h o n e y ice cream, meals here are just the ticket after strides over tranquil green hills to watch Canna’s colonies of puffins.

Open daily except Tuesday, May-September (cafecanna.co.uk).

PARK UP BEFORE YOU FILL UP The Drift Cafe, Cresswell, Northumberland

Next to Cresswell Beach car park, and about a 30-second stroll from the fudgecoloured sand, sits The Drift Cafe. Human and canine visitors alike are warmly welcomed. Black-pudding scones represent the boldest order – otherwise opt for its cherry- andalmond counterparts or wolf down pizzas cooked in a traditional oven. Open daily (facebook. com/thedriftcafe cresswell).

A SPARTAN VICTORY Dungeness Snack Shack, Dungeness, Kent

Despite its spartan appearance, this shipping-container kitchen serves wonderful, sustainable seafood (and some sweet traybakes) on the shoreline.

Succinct menus, based on catches made by the owners’ two boats, often feature grilled lemon sole or mackerel baps alongside fish fingers.

Open Wednesday- Sunday ( dungeness snackshack.net).

STREET FOOD HITS NEW HEIGHTS Cafe Mor, Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire

Overlooking the sandy, surfer- friendly beach, eco-friendly Mor has bagged numerous national street food awards.

From its solar-powered boat-turned-truck emerge laverbread, daily-catch butties and Welsh beef burgers. Most famous, however, are its lobster rolls with seaweed-infused black butter – a snack so yummy that Mor’s team has been invited to cook it in international competitions. Other favourites are showcased on the owner’s YouTube channel.

Open daily, April-September (beachfood. co.uk)

A TOP CHOICE AFTER TEE TIME Beach Cafe, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

About a par five from the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, this cafe has views over the sandy St Annes Beach and Ribble Estuary as far as Snowdonia. Top choices include haddock and chips, and shrimp in popcorn batter, best eaten on the rock garden’s turf-topped tables. Sunset is a magical time, and alcohol is available.

Open daily (beachcafefylde.co.uk).

BIG BROTHER’S LITTLE GEM Tatams, Portscatho, Cornwall

You’ll find Tatams right beside Portscatho’s rocky shore – one Roseland Peninsula beach along from its big brother, the Hidden Hut. Let the crowds flock there while you revel in this less-publicised gem. Built inside a former public toilet block, it’s a two-parter – the gently chic ‘taverna’ serves River Fal mussels and stonebaked pizzas while a counter touts coffees with custard tarts.

Open daily (tatams.co).

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE Lucky Beach, Brighton

The cafe, located between two piers, also runs an organic coffee roastery and shares

its profits with Rwandan farmers. Options range from aubergine-and-tofu breakfast to 35-day-aged organic beefburgers, while drinks on offer includes fruity cocktails and craft beer on tap.

Open daily (luckybeach.co.uk).

DINE BEFORE DINOSAUR HUNTING Hive Beach Cafe, Burton Bradstock, Dorset

Spider crabs from the coarse-sand shore are served in peak season, alongside monkfish or turbot in tarragon and wild mushroom sauce. Its elevated garden, looking down the fossil-rich Jurassic Coast towards Portland Bill, is enchanting.

Open daily (hivebeachcafe.co.uk).

TAKE A SHINE TO SUNNY HUNNY Old Town Beach Cafe, Hunstanton, Norfolk

Much appeals about this eco-conscious shack in ‘Sunny Hunny’, but especially its varied menu – chicken burgers, sweet potato rostis, toasted sandwiches and vegan options.

Open most days (01485 532931).

A STEP BACK IN TIME The Crab Shed, Steephill Cove, Isle of Wight

Steephill Cove is a timewarp. You’ll find striped deckchairs, beach huts, lobster pots, palm trees and even a docile donkey.

Crab or mackerel pasties can be devoured on sea-facing picnic tables outside the l lunch-only hut (12-3pm).

Open Wednesday to Sunday, Easter to September ( steephillcove- isleofwight. co.uk).

SWEET TREATS FROM A FAB CABIN

Sandside Cafe, Sandsend, Yorkshire Sandsend Bay is popular with fossil-hunters, families, anglers and dog-walkers alike. This glass-walled ‘cafe-in-a-cabin’ h has fine North Sea views. Granary sandwiches with crabmeat are most popular, often accompanied by Mars Bar traybakes or slices of cake.

Open daily (sandsidecafe.co.uk).

START YOUR DAY THE RIGHT WAY

Babushka, Portrush, County Antrim Breakfast is brilliant here, be it bacon sandwiches, pancakes or tangy beans alongside coffee sourced from Swedish roasters Koppi.

Lots of the produce is local, including Morelli ice cream, while salted-caramel squares usually prove most moreish. There’s a relaxing interior while, outside, deckchairs look over West Strand Beach to the peninsula-set town of Portrush.

Open daily (babushkakitchencafe.co.uk).

HERE’S WHY CAINES IS SO ABLE Mickeys Beach Bar, Exmouth, Devon

Chef Michael Caines runs this three-part establishment on Exmouth’s regenerated seafront. Below a restaurant and next to Cafe Patisserie Glacerie – selling tempting treats and gelato by pastry chef Sylvain Peltier– comes this bar, complete with weekend DJs. Two terraces and huge windows offer fine views of Lyme Bay as the top-notch fish and chips quickly explain why Caines has received three Michelin stars.

Open daily (mickeysbeach.co.uk). Check a venue’s website or socialmedia pages before arrival, as many continue to adapt hours of service as lockdown restrictions are lifted.