RESTAURANTS
JoJo's, Whitstable, Kent
It's a boon that JoJo's is even open – the owners were considering going travelling. But business in their new restaurant on Whitstable's Marine Parade is booming. They moved to this bigger site this year but remain on first-name terms with most of their customers, which adds to the living-room-meets-supper-club feel. Dishes such as calamari, chargrilled sardines, mutton koftas and meze are prepared in front of you. JoJo's is great value for such a trendy seaside resort – and it's BYO, too. If you're too late to get a booking, grab a sandwich at their coffee shop.
• 2 Herne Bay Road, Tankerton (01227 274591, jojosrestaurant.co.uk); mains £6-£8.50
Jeffers by the Marina, Bangor, County Down
It's only in recent years that decent restaurants that are worth visiting for more than the pretty views have opened on Northern Ireland's coast – previously, most of the best grub was found inland. One of those to receive top marks from both locals and reviewers is Jeffers by the Marina, housed in a bright townhouse on the seafront, and doing spot-on sea bream, smoked cod and meat dishes, risotto packed full of fresh fish, plus excellent breakfasts.
• 7 Grays Hill (02891 859 555, jeffersfood.com); mains £11.95-£19.95
The Gurnard's Head, Cornwall
There's a new head chef, Bruce Rennie, at this cliffside spot, and he's dedicated to using the freshest seasonal produce, often stuff that has been dropped at the back door by locals. It's an ideal stop-off for hikers heading along the South West Coast Path from St Ives to Zennor, and has a big enclosed garden with a smattering of picnic benches, palm trees and a view from the headland over the craggy Atlantic coastline. The new Kitchen Garden menu offers more veggie choices such as garlic veloute with grapes and almonds and gnocchi Parisienne with samphire and vierge dressing. Make a day of it and take in a performance at the Minack alfresco theatre (01736 810181, minack.com) nearby.
• Near Zennor, St. Ives (01736 796928, gurnardshead.co.uk); mains £12-£16
The White Horse, Brancaster, Staithe, Norfolk
The views from the terrace here, overlooking the salty marshes stretching towards the horizon, have always been fabulous, but it is only in recent years that this formerly chintzy Norfolk pub has made the most of its location. These days the food and the slick conservatory restaurant are a match for the views over this area of outstanding natural beauty. The seafood – Cromer crab, cockles, mussels and oysters – is very local, some coming from the fishermen down on the beach, or the next-door-neighbour "mussel men" who deliver to the kitchen door. The bar menu is good value (seafood platter £9.95, half a dozen oysters £9.50, grilled mackerel £9.50) but for a summer treat eat on the restaurant's sun deck terrace (bouillabaisse with saffron new potatoes and sauce rouille £13.95, fillet of turbot with spring onion potato cake, broad bean and wild mushroom jus £17.95), then walk it off on the quiet, vast sandy beaches.
• 01485 210262, whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk
FISH AND CHIP SHOPS
The Rockfish Seafood & Chips, Dartmouth, Devon
This snazzy chippy, just opened in June, is the new endeavour from Mitch Tonks, the former Fishworks owner. It feels like a big beach hut, all bleached walls and wooden floors, and sits right on the seafront in Dartmouth so you can watch the estuary bustle outside. Most of the fish are fresh off the boat from round the bay in Brixham, although the crab and lobster comes from Dartmouth and the salmon is home-smoked by Mitch. The menu has five white fish, served battered or breaded with chips, but also includes scallops, oysters and classics such as jellied eels, cockles, cracked crab and potted shrimp.
• 8 South Embankment (01803 832800, rockfishdevon.co.uk)
Colman's, South Shields, Tyne and Wear
This acclaimed chippy has been feeding fish and chip fans (including local MP David Miliband) for four generations. Along with the usual cod, haddock and plaice – all sustainably procured, wild and locally caught, and available in gluten-free batter on request – there are crab cakes, battered scallops and squid, mussels and lobster. Settle down in Marine Park to stare out at sea with your chip shop dinner, or wander a little further to South Shields's blue-flag beach.
• 182-186 Ocean Road (0191-456 1202, colmansfishandchips.com)
Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife
It's all hands on deck at Anstruther's, where the whole family pitch in with fishing and frying duties. Everything is locally and sustainably sourced or personally fished or hand-picked by them. Footage of the family fishing plays on loop in the restaurant and shows 50 years of angling prowess. Even the tatties are grown exclusively for them by farmer friend Kenneth. Expect a catch of the day that was caught a couple of hours before you sit down to eat. And it makes a great refuelling stop for walkers on the Fife Coastal Path (see page 17).
• 42-44 Shore Street, Anstruther (01333 310518, anstrutherfishbar.co.uk)
The Fish and Chip Shop, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
On a sunny day, or any day really, you can expect to queue with a horde of fish fanatics. Thankfully, there's a pub across the street to pop into to sink a pint while you wait, or bring it back to the queue. Don't be deterred; service is speedy, and that batter is worth waiting all day for. There's no seating, so take your fish supper straight down to the shingle beach.
• 226 High Street (01728 452250)
Fish Tram Chips, Llandudno, Gwynedd
Fish Tram Chips is just opposite the tram terminal that heads up to the Great Orme from Llandudno. It holds many industry awards and has repeatedly been voted the best fish and chips shop in north Wales. If you're not too stuffed, head to Badgers Tearooms in the Victoria Centre for a tea and cake afterwards, then walk it all off on the longest pier in Wales.
• Old Road (01492 872673)
Mungos kiosk, West Beach, Dorset
For freshly cooked fish and chips, this place, among a collection of stands on the seafront, is unbeatable. The woman behind the counter takes your order, then freshly batters the fish in front of your eyes, creating a light, thin crisp and non-greasy coating that melts in the mouth, served alongside perfect crescent-shape chips, pleasantly squishy and slightly darkened round the edges, and – the impressive finishing touch – beautiful homemade tartare sauce. Have a portion for lunch before a big walk along the cliffs at the end of the beach and you'll probably be tempted to have another for dinner on the way back.
SEAFOOD SHACKS
Old Leigh High Street cockle sheds, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Stroll down this quaint cobbled street and choose from the handful of cockle sheds winding their way down to the sea wall. Once you've picked up some cockles or mussels, whelks or jellied eels, wander to the end of the high street and sit on the sea wall overlooking the fishing harbour. You might spot some cocklers at work once the tide goes out. A walk to the end of the high street will reap a Rossi's ice-cream or a stick of rock.
• oldleigh.com/cocklesheds.html
Wheeler's Crab Shed, Steephill Cove, Isle of Wight
Two picnic tables and a wooden hut mark this modest eatery right on the beach. Since Steephill Cove is one of the Isle of Wight's best-kept secrets, it seems apt that no road leads there. The only way to access it is to hike along the cliff path from Ventnor (a 15-minute walk) and wander down into the cove, or park up in Love Lane nearby, although spaces are limited. The simple menu is based on what owner Jim caught at sea that morning, but staples include crab pasties and sandwiches, mackerel ciabatta and salads and lobster. If the catch has been rich, you could also find king prawns or fish pie.
• 01983 852177, steephillcove-isleofwight.co.uk
Skipness Seafood Cabin, Tarbert, Argyll
The cabin has been here, and run by the same family, for 22 years. It has the grounds of Skipness Castle as its garden, and the Kilbrannan Sound across to Arran as its view. Work up an appetite with a walk around the glens on the estate, then head to a picnic bench outside the green oak cabin for a salmon roll from the family smokery, a home-grown salad or a seafood platter. Other popular choices include the crab and grilled queenies (scallops), and everything is modestly priced.
• Skipness Estate (01880 760207, skipnessseafoodcabin.co.uk)
Kishorn Seafood Bar, Strathcarron, Ross-shire
This popular wooden lodge, right in the Highlands, has delicious, cheap seafood and a lovely verandah that looks out over the sea to Skye. Try a Blasan Bradan (a platter of four different treatments of salmon), garlic scallops served with a croissant, homemade cullen skink soup, or choose from any seafood you can imagine that's come straight off the boat.
• 01520 733240, kishornseafoodbar.co.uk, open March to November
ICE-CREAM PARLOURS
Morelli's Gelato, Broadstairs, Kent
Take a walk along the Broadstairs front – and back in time – to the land of the ice-cream sundae. A soda fountain, pink leather booths, Formica tabletops and 1950s music blaring from the jukebox make Morelli's rather special, and ice-cream has been made fresh on site every day since it opened in 1932, including Ferrero Rocher, raspberry ripple, and banana and marshmallow. You can even invent your own and order it a week ahead.
• 14 Victoria Parade (01843 862500, morellisgelato.com)
Sunset Ices, Morecambe, Lancashire
A vintage Bedford ice-cream van pulls up on the promenade next to the Midland Hotel from Thursday to Sunday all summer, and sells 99s, Angostura ices, oysters, snowball toppers and waffle cones. All the ice-cream is from Wallings farm nearby, and you can also get soya ice-cream. This is a snapshot of the seaside glamour that is fading fast – in fact this may be Sunset Ices' last summer here. Its motto, "Everyday is like sundae", is a big camp homage to Morrissey's song, written about Morecambe.
• Midland Hotel, Marine Road West (everyday-is-like-sundae.co.uk)
Lickety Split, Seaham, Durham
Across the Pennines at Lickety Split, there's more rock'n'roll kitsch, including a Wurlitzer, Elvis impersonator and red vinyl booths. There are dream boat floats (a fizzy drink with a scoop on top), sundaes with names such as Chantilly Glace and Choc Berry, and smoothies called The T Bird and Flake, Rattle and Roll. You get the picture.
• 13 North Terrace (0800 917 5531, lickety-split.co.uk)
TEA SHOPS AND CAFES
Metro Deco, Brighton, East Sussex
Brighton's only 1930s Parisian-style tea salon and art deco furniture shop is less than five minutes' walk from the pier, and is as forward-thinking as it is vintage-focused. In this beautifully furnished cafe, you'll find a delicious breakfast menu, lunchtime specials and an impressive array of ethically sourced green, black and white teas as well as homemade cakes. And the cafe has a strong online presence, with its owners tweeting constantly and offers for users of the Foursquare app.
• 38 Upper St James Street (07956 978115/07878 508719, metro-deco.com)
Sandside Cafe, Sandsend, North Yorkshire
Coastlovers have been enjoying this cafe-in-a-cabin for more than a century. Sandside sits right on the beach at the edge of Sandsend village, with stunning views all round the heritage coastline, the North York Moors and Whitby Bay. The cafe has been completely rebuilt, with beautiful wooden panelling and comfortable seating, indoors and out, reworking the cabin's old rustic charm with a modern touch. On offer is a rich assortment of homemade pies, cakes and pastries, fresh seafood and other locally sourced goods, which you can eat in or take out for a seaside picnic.
• East Row (01947 893916, sandsidecafe.co.uk)
Poldhu Beach Cafe, Mullion, Cornwall
A popular family destination, Poldhu beach is one of the largest, and safest, on the Lizard Peninsula. Enjoy a lunchtime barbecue or an evening pizza while looking out on to the clear blue water and the rolling green fields that frame the seafront. And if you've forgotten anything, it has a shop, too.
• 01326 240530, poldhu.net
The Boat House, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
A half-an-hour's drive south of Aberdeen in picturesque Stonehaven, the Boat House on the old pier in the harbour is a small cafe with a huge reputation. The daytime menu is fairly simple, with homemade soups and sandwiches, but in the evenings you can tuck into Portlethen prime fillet steak or fresh fish from Gourline – while feasting on the views of the bay to the north and Doonie Point to the south. The atmosphere is intimate and relaxing, with a maximum of 25 people of an evening, so be sure to book.
• The Old Pier (01569 764666, boathousestonehaven.co.uk)
Rendezvous Cafe, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Housed in a 1930s art deco building right on the seafront, the Rendezvous is a nostalgic gem serving excellent traditional ice-creams, pastries and hot-dogs. Largely unchanged since the 1950s, it has bags of old-world charm and homemade goodness.
• Dukes Walk, Northern Promenade (0191 252 5548, rendezvouswhitley bay.com)
Additional research by Dale Berning