Sandside, Sandsend

It’s nothing more than a wooden hut and serves nothing more ambitious than a toasted sandwich, bacon butty or a slice of cake, but the Sandside Café is a coastal gem, perched above the beach in upwardly mobile Sandsend.

Sit inside for a view of the bay from their picture windows, but the best of Sandside is sitting in the sunshine at a bistro table on their little terrace with a slice of coffee cake or lemon drizzle and when the terrace is full, on the grassy verge beyond.

It’s simple, delightful and just what you want of a seaside café which might be why they’ve extended. They bought the hut next door that used to sell buckets and spades and have built a rather lovely terrace very modishly surrounded by glass that acts as a windbreak. It’s a fine place to take your tea, cake and the daily paper and of course that view across the water.