The only thing that beats a delicious meal is a delicious meal with a view. When it comes to picturesque restaurants, it’s hard to beat a beachside eatery. Whether it’s a moody winter afternoon, a brisk autumn morning or a gorgeous summer afternoon, its tough to match the experience of dining while enjoying a beautiful sunset or the sounds of breaking waves.
We have selected some of the finest beachside restaurants to enjoy across seasons and climates that are far from just your ordinary fish and chips takeaways. These restaurants will take you to tropical paradises where you may wind up eating in a seaside cave, seated at a table literally surrounded by the sea, and even enjoying your meal beneath the sea.
And don’t forget that every meal you enjoy on your holiday will taste better knowing you are protected from gastro (and a slew of other things) with award winning travel insurance. You don’t want an unfortunate food experience to turn into a costly doctor’s visit the next day, which could be a downright difficult pill to swallow (pun intended)!
The Grotto: Thailand
In addition to its beautiful view of Phranang Beach, The Grotto is made all that more impressive by the fact it is situated in a limestone cave setting. The restaurant is part of the Rayavadee Resort which borders Krabi Marine National Park. The area is known for its natural beauty where you’ll find abundant wildlife. Not to be missed is The Grotto’s special barbecue nights where you can enjoy a variety of fresh local seafood.
The resort also offers the equally beautiful Raitalay Terrace which is open for lunch and dinner. Here you can dine beside their free-form infinity pool while you stare out at Railay Beach.
Grotta Palazzese: Italy
This absolutely stunning seaside restaurant may be lacking a beach but it more than makes up for that with its breathtaking views. Located along Italy’s southern Adriatic coast in Polignano a Mare, the restaurant is said to be the most romantic in the world.
The restaurant opens around Easter every year and serves until around October. The journey to the restaurant involves descending 5 flights of stairs into a natural cave that opens up to the Adriatic Sea. The restaurant’s location has been used for centuries to entertain guests attending parties and banquets. You can choose between two tasting menus, a vegetarian menu, or you can create your own meal with the "Gran Carte" menu.
Enjoy king crab, seared scallops, fresh calamari, and Balik carpaccio.
The Rock Restaurant: Zanzibar, Tanzania
The Rock is a restaurant where you will enjoy 360-degree ocean views since it is perched atop a rock out in the middle of the water. Depending on the tide you may have to wade out, boat out, or simply walk out the restaurant. This cosy little restaurant provides seating for only about 20 people, giving it a quiet intimate feel.
Situated in front of Michamvi Pingwe Beach, the restaurant was once just a simple local fisherman’s post. Now it has become a popular attraction with its open-air terrace that allows diners to stare up at the African stars and over the Indian Ocean. Be sure to try their Swahili style chicken, Tandoori and Coconut milk squid, and Zanzibar vanilla flavoured ice-cream.
Ithaa Restaurant: Maldives
Ithaa Restaurant has taking beachside dining to a whole new level, a level that is five metres below the surface of the water. The world's first all-glass undersea restaurant, Ithaa provides a truly unique dining experience found nowhere else.
Enjoy contemporary European cuisine as you take in the 180-degree panoramic views of underwater marine life. The restaurant is part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort, under the Hilton Hotels brand. Here you will find the famous over water bungalows that the Maldives is known for. As for the restaurant, it has received numerous World Luxury Restaurant awards.
Enjoy fine caviar, foie gras and truffle dumpling, reef lobster, and a final tab that may give you a heart attack. Although this restaurant may be extremely expensive, where else can you dine with blacktip reef sharks?
Latitudes Restaurant: Key West-Florida, U.S.A.
You know you are in for a treat when the restaurant is located on an island named Sunset Key. Latitudes Restaurant offers up every meal of the day and includes a beautiful short boat trip to get there. True to the island’s name, the restaurant offers spectacular sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico from tables located both indoor and al fresco.
Enjoy soft sand underfoot and palm trees overhead as you start with crab cakes or lobster rolls. Enjoy locally caught fresh fish like grouper and snapper and don’t forget to top it off with the famous key lime pie for dessert.
Icebergs Dining Room: Sydney, Australia
You cannot have a list of the world’s best beach restaurants without including at least one Australian eatery. The only thing better than catching a wave at Sydney’s Bondi Beach is to watch others do it while you break into some surf and turf in the Icebergs Dining Room.
Specialising in modern Italian cuisine, the restaurant offers incredible Black Angus rib eye, Riverina lamb, and a range of fresh seafood. The price may not come cheap, but the seaside views are worth a million bucks alone. You may even catch a glimpse of Hollywood royalty – a range of A-list celebrities have pulled up a chair at Icebergs including Nicole Kidman and Oprah.