Maggie's
Rock-a-Nore Rd Hastings East Sussex TN34 3DW
Fish doesn’t come much fresher than at Maggie’s: Hastings’ fishing fleet (the largest beach-launched fleet in Europe) unloads its catch virtually outside the front door. There are plenty of fish and chips shops jostling for custom in and around the town’s historic fishing quarter, but Maggie’s is the only one right down on the beach itself, nestled amongst the iconic tall black net shops; the best tables are by the window or out on the small terrace, overlooking the fishing fleet drawn up on the pebbles. The café itself is no-frills – plastic menus, net curtains and plastic sauce bottles on the tables – and the fish and chips is magnificent: cooked-to-order by Maggie herself in her open kitchen and served in enormous portions. Maggie’s is only open for a couple of hours each lunchtime and, as you might imagine, it’s very popular, so make sure you book ahead.
