Where to eat along the north-east coast during National Walking Month
Published 11 May 2026

The beguilingly kooky design style at Berwick's finest does justice to the abstract concept invoked by the French name, which means 'beyond'. Being poised on the border between nations, Craig Pearson's kitchen sources from both sides of the line, so expect Northumberland cheese, sharpened with leek, to go into a starter soufflé, while loin and braised haunch of Borders venison turns up for main course with pearl barley, beetroot and pickled walnuts.

Dishes are presented in the modern fashion, their ingredients tumbled about amid swipes and swooshes, but there is a clear understanding of flavour and nothing ends up being jarring. Start with a serving of Berwick crab with pickled carrot in a sea-buckthorn dressing, plus a Lindisfarne oyster for good measure, and then head to cod with potato terrine in seaweed sauce if you're feeling nautical, or a veggie main of shallot tart with caramelised cauliflower and goat's cheese in hazelnut butter if you're otherwise inclined.

The dessert alternatives might be chilled rice pudding with poached rhubarb or – at the opposite end of the temperature range – hot chocolate fondant with gingerbread ice cream. Sunday lunchers regaled with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding come away satisfied customers in every sense. A brisk list of classic international wines encompasses a few by the glass. 

Students of regional British food will know all about ‘singing hinnies’ – a type of griddled scone once popular in Northumbria’s mining communities. ‘Hinny’ is also a local term of endearment. It's a fitting name for this family-friendly seafront venue specialising in trencherman helpings of self-styled ‘Geordie comfort food'. Loyal fans keeps things convivial even in winter, while a front terrace comes into play during the summer, but wherever you sit, expect canny service from bright young staff who know their way around the menu.

The kitchen is proud to cook everything ‘properly from scratch’, be it homemade black pudding with serrano ham, poached egg and mustard dressing, haggis Scotch eggs with rhubarb ketchup or that traditional Geordie hotchpotch, pan haggerty with winter vegetables. Fish from North Shields also gets an outing, from crispy squid with piquillo pepper, saffron and chilli aïoli to whole grilled sole with sautéed new potatoes and minted mushy peas. If meat is what you crave, look no further than the beef featherblade braised in red wine and served with celeriac purée and chickpea chips.

Singing hinnies finally put in an appearance when it comes to dessert, spread with fruity jam and Chantilly cream, or you could tuck into the kitchen's ‘legendary’ sticky toffee pudding slathered in salted caramel. To drink, local ales such as Blackfriars St Dominic’s or Ouseburn porter from the Hadrian Border Brewery make a worthwhile alternative to the varied choice of wines and cocktails.

During the summer season, you can now hire a deckchair from Riley’s and eat their food on the beach (they will also sell you a blanket to use and take home if the weather’s breezy). The location – a glass-fronted shipping container facing the North Sea – is spot-on for a menu inspired by the owners’ stints as street-food vendors. Seasonal seafood is the deal, and the day's dishes (and service times) often depend on the catch. Items are rubbed off the blackboard as they sell out, although Riley’s classic wood-fired sourdough wraps (served in their famous ‘floppy’ cardboard boxes) are a fixture – perhaps BBQ Craster kippers, bavette steak or ‘hot plate’ hake with caper butter. Otherwise, the line-up might run from chilli fish empanadas via salt cod with grilled cos lettuce, smoked egg and preserved lemon to pan-roasted headliners such as turbot ‘chop’, lemon sole or brill (served with panzanella salad). Round off with one of Riley’s special soft-serves (wood-fired pineapple or peaches and cream, say). A dozen wines are served in plastic tumblers, there are plenty of ales from regional breweries and the venue also does a good line in homemade beverages (try the hot butter rum).

With its maritime blue-and-white colour schemes, blond furniture and seafood prints on planks of wood, this buzzy seafood restaurant has the feel of an upmarket beach hut – although that’s where the similarity ends. Knowledgeable, friendly staff are on hand to advise on the menu, which majors in fresh seafood in various forms. As expected, locally landed lobsters are the headline act – from a potted version bulked out with shrimps and crayfish to various classic riffs (poached with garlic mayo, grilled with thermidor sauce and so on).

Alternatively, kick off with a bowl of Shetland mussels or smoked trout and leek tart ahead of battered haddock, a freshly dressed crab salad or something from the specials board (perhaps garlicky langoustines or pan-fried halibut with lobster mayo). Meat eaters and veggies are also well served, whether your penchant is for duck and port parfait, wild mushroom and spelt risotto or rump of lamb accompanied by buttered mash, red wine jus and homemade mint sauce.

Desserts have seasonal flavour, be it a baba laced with sloe gin rather than rum or glazed lemon tart with fresh raspberries. Beers from the Alnwick Brewery show up well on the drinks list, although most praise is reserved for the wine selection, which offers a terrific international choice of styles and grape varieties. 

Is this old whitewashed Northumbrian inn a pub-lover's paradise? Its location by the beach is perfect for long walks along the unspoiled coast, the village green is adjacent for outdoor pints, there's a real fire for winter-warming, and an accomplished microbrewery for great ale all year round. Dogs are welcome (though if noisy, they'll be politely but firmly asked to sit outside), there's regular folk music too, and the interiors are all rough-hewn stone walls, wooden floorboards and fairy lights.

From the snack selection (fancy olives, Sesame Snaps, bars of Green & Black’s chocolate) to the impressive output from the little kitchen, it's clear that owner Christine Forsyth cares deeply about food. The specials board might include handmade Moroccan vegetable pies and bratwurst in a pretzel bun with sauerkraut and crispy onions but the highlight of the main lunch menu are the sandwiches stuffed full of brilliantly fresh local crabmeat. The ploughman's with locally made seeded sourdough is also a treat.

In the evenings, the options are a little heartier – ribeye steak with red onion marmalade, crispy potatoes and salt-and-vinegar greens is the headline act, although Saturday night is all about pies. Made all the better with a pint of their subtly salty Sea Dog stout.