top beach restaurants

The Lonestar Restaurant, Barbados.

We’ve eaten here many times and it is firmly placed in my top five restaurants worldwide. The food is great and the setting is just fantastic – literally on the beach. We took our three children for lunch and they happily messed about in the sand while we wondered how the wine bottle was mysteriously emptying itself. Try the curry if you go in the evening. It’s top notch.

Check www.thelonestar.com for details.

For flights to Barbados click here.

Fifteen, Cornwall, UK.

Situated on the vast beach at Watergate Bay, Jamie Oliver’s foray into the south-west gazes out over two miles of beautiful sandy shore on the north Cornwall coast. Wonderfully light and contemporary inside, seating in the restaurant is cleverly designed to maximise the view from all tables, except the seats facing the wall. Fight to get the outward facing seat first. Or be civilised and change places after a starter of Taglierini of Cornish sardines, pine nuts, raisins and Amalfi lemon. Fifteen Cornwall might have scooped awards for its location but the food isn’t to be sneezed at (or over) either. Headed up by Executive Chef Neil Haydock, the restaurant serves delicious Italian-style food almost exclusively from ingredients grown, reared or fished for locally. They also aim for a minimum of 80% of ingredients to be Cornish. The beach itself is a laid back surfing destination so go for a lesson afterwards to burn off the Amedei chocolate tart with hazelnut praline, creme fraiche and chocolate sauce. And try not to sink.

Check www.fifteencornwall.co.uk for details.

Neptuno Restaurant, Mojacar, Spain.

Want fantastic sardines? You'll find them at Neptuno. They cook them to order in an old speedboat while the sea laps the beach by the restaurant. The amazing aroma of barbecued sardines and other delicious fresh fish rises up into the warm air, mingling with the easy conversation of other diners. Washed down with bottles of Spanish rosé, you will soon be thinking that life doesn't get much better than this.

Posted by Suse, June 2009

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

In what used to be a swimming club complex at the corner of the beach, this little beauty is situated in one of the more over-hyped but still quite attractive locations of the world - Bondi. The panoramic views of the horizon and the beach, modern interiors and a contemporary Mediterranean menu with a strong emphasis on seafood have kept this restaurant full of beautiful and occasionally disappointingly ordinary people since it opened in December 2002. The bar area is just made for lounging and there are even hammocks if you can’t remain vertical. The food is excellent and they change the menus constantly to reflect seasonal produce. Their seafood dishes are widely admired so tuck into hand-dived Coffin Bay half-shell scallops. Or try the roasted whole Barossa free range chicken, marinated in lemon myrtle and wild chicory. The beach is a pebble’s throw away if you have strong arms and post-meal strolls are always romantic if you bought dinner.

Check www.idrb.com for details.

For flights to Sydney click here.

Sandbar Restaurant on Anna Maria Island, Florida, USA.

Located at the northern end of Anna Maria Island, off the west coast of Florida, this historic restaurant dates back to 1913 when the island was only accessible by boat. In the 1930s a diving platform was built 100 feet offshore. Unadventurous types could reach it by cable, minimising the chances of becoming a snack for the numerous sharks that frequented the area. Over time the restaurant also battled with fires and hurricanes and was badly damaged by one in 1950. Positioned on a beautiful white sandy beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, nowadays the simple restaurant has an indoor bar area serving up tropical cocktails and two pagodas preventing diners from melting in the midday sun. There are four menus to choose from and don’t miss the conch fritters and wasabi-encrusted salmon. In the evening the Sandbar transforms into a romantic candlelit venue, with bare feet in the sand and local artists wandering about with guitars.

Check www.sandbar-restaurant.com for details.

For flights to Tampa click here.