The Beach House, Dorset
There's something magical about this Christchurch harbour-facing place – after all, there aren't many hangouts in the UK reachable only by boat, land train, or after a healthy yomp. It gets mobbed at weekends, with visitors queuing for grub from the range of street food trucks they have on offer.
Beachside Grill, Devon
Not quite as rustic as some of the other paces in this blog, because it's part of the wonderful Saunton Sands Hotel, up on the cliffs above. But it's a beach café-cum-restaurant par excellence, with a fabulous all-day grill and pizza menu that you can either enjoy in the glass-fronted cafe or take back to your pitch on the glorious expanse of Saunton Sands beach.
Blue Bar, Cornwall
If you’re a regular visitor to Cornwall, this legendary beach bar, restaurant and café may need no introduction. For more than a decade it's been one of the county’s coolest venues to eat, drink, dance and chill out surfside. Yet tucked on the edge of Porthtowan Beach, not everyone is fortunate enough to know about it.
Located in the Isles of Scilly, hidden along a quiet lane just footsteps from Pelistry Bay, this is the sort of place you thought you could only dream of stumbling across for a cream tea or fresh crab sandwich so close to a paradise beach.
Cliff Top Café, Norfolk
This old donkey shed in Norfolk enjoys the perfect location, perched on the clifftop above Overstrand's fabulous beach, and has been a café since 1925. It's resolutely traditional, serving big breakfasts, tea and cakes and hot lunches and sandwiches, and the food is consistently excellent.
Cookie's Crab Shop, Norfolk
The huge blackboard menu over the counter at Cookie's on the north Norfolk coast prominently features their signature royal salads: plates are piled high with dressed crab, smoked mackerel, chunky hot-smoked salmon, cockles and prawns, plus beetroot (unfashionably pickled) and cucumber salad – yum.
Crab House Café, Dorset
Serving locally caught fish and seafood, including oysters from its own beds, this site in Weymouth boasts a great New England beach-shack atmosphere, and is in a stunning location right on Chesil Beach, with tables outside overlooking the water in summer.
East Beach Café, West Sussex
Created by Thomas Heatherwick, an outstandingly talented British designer, this is an ace beachside pit stop. The compact but airy space is enclosed by an intriguingly organic-looking steel shell – its shape inspired by a chunk of driftwood – and emphasis is on imaginative but unpretentious dishes.
Fern Pit Café, Cornwall
One of Newquay’s best-kept secrets: come quietly to this old-school style venue, order a crab sandwich (caught and handpicked by the family) or a Cornish cream tea, and enjoy the stunning views over Crantock Beach and the River Gannel.
The Gallivant, East Sussex
It's more of a restaurant than a café if we're honest, but we had to include it as it's so handy for the lovely beach and dunes at Camber Sands (or 'Camberfornia' as they call it here), and the food is superb, from their hearty breakfasts in the morning to their 'Oyster Happy Hour' in the evening! Rooms too, if you get the urge to stay longer.
Godrevy Beach Café, Cornwall
Tucked in the sand dunes, this outlet is almost as popular as the beach itself. And once you’ve sampled the home-baked cakes, hearty breakfasts, and lunch platters stuffed with fresh Cornish ingredients, you won’t surprised to see a queue of sandy-soled punters wrapped around this timber chalet on a sunny day.
Smack bang on the beach, award-winning Gylly is one of the coolest places to hang out in Falmouth. Lounge on the (all-weather) terrace with a cocktail, check out the regular live music sessions, tuck into a romantic evening meal, or simply pop in for a quick bite.
Hive Beach Café, Dorset
The freshest fish and the best sea views can be found at this homely gem on Dorset's lovely Burton Bradstock beach. Sit outside on the terrace all year round, or under canvas awnings if the weather’s bad, and enjoy a huge platter, including lobster, crab, langoustines and scallops, all caught in the very waters in front of you.
Joe's Café, Dorset
Little more than a shack at the back of South Beach at Studland Bay, yet it manages to offer the quality of produce that far larger establishments struggle to supply, such as Purbeck ice creams, organic soups, sandwiches and salads – and the ingredients are all fresh and largely local or fair trade.
Porthgwidden Beach Café, Cornwall
Nestled in a white-sand cove, this is the lesser-known little sister of the Porthminster Café. With world-class vistas of St Ives Bay & Godrevy Lighthouse, here the food – both beautifully cooked and locally sourced – specialises in Asian and Mediterranean seafood cuisine.
Porthmeor Café Bar, Cornwall
Retro-cool is the style oozing from this bar overhanging St Ives’ most famous surf beach. Chill out on the deck watching the surfers with a cold beer in hand, enjoy classics such as crab sandwiches, or order a bottle of vino and graze through the tapas selection while the sun goes down before your eyes.
Rocket House Café, Norfolk
There are smashing sea views from the wide windows of this first-floor eatery in Cromer which occupies the first floor of the Royal National Lifeboat building. The lively menu features local, seasonal produce – try the oak-smoked sprats and beets with salad.
Sam's on the Beach, Cornwall
Down on the small but lovely Polkerris beach, in the old lifeboat house, this is a comfortable, light venue, and the food is top notch, with great seafood, pasta and wood-oven pizzas. A top place in Fowey to enjoy tasty plates and watch the sunset. Bliss.
The Ship Inn, Fife
It's a pub rather than a café and it has rooms too, but we have to include this Elie beachside legend here because there's scarcely anywhere in Britain that's as attached to the beach as the Ship Inn. Not only did it win 'Seaside Inn of the Year' recently, it serves renowned fish and chips among many other delectable items, which you can enjoy in the pub itself or its beach-facing beer garden. It's even home to the Elie beach cricket team!
Swanpool Beach Café, Cornwall
Home-made fare is the order of the day here – think ciabattas, quiches, and their own range of quirky Cornish ice creams. Plus, making the most of school holidays, they stay open till 8pm in the summer, becoming a bustling little spot to enjoy an evening drink.
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