Riverside Restaurant

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Riverside Restaurant
Riverside Restaurant.JPG
The Riverside Restaurant in West Bay
Riverside Restaurant
Interactive map of Riverside Restaurant
Restaurant information
Location West Bay, United Kingdom
Coordinates 50°42′43″N2°45′43″W / 50.71194°N 2.76194°W / 50.71194; -2.76194

The Riverside Restaurant was a seafood restaurant in West Bay, England. The building is on a causeway and the dining area was on two levels with views of the river and beyond to the sea. In 2006, locally based food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall listed it as one of his top five seafood restaurants. [1] In 2004 it was voted one of The Observer newspaper's Top 10 seafood restaurants.[ citation needed ] Fearnley-Whittingstall has also described it as arguably the most child-friendly restaurant in the country. [2]

Contents

The restaurant served local fish and was traditionally closed in December and January (the months when the fishermen do not go out in the area due to rough seas).

History

The origins of the Riverside stretch back into the early part of the last century when a tent was erected during the summer to provide tea and cakes.[ citation needed ] This was replaced by increasingly enlarged wooden huts and a post office was located on the same site. The present owners who had been in occupation since 1964 decided to rebuild the Riverside in 1976 to a design by the architects Piers Gough and Roger Zogolovitch. The building has had a few additions since that date but has remained largely the same. In 1964 the trade was limited to local fishermen, coach parties and people on camping holidays in the area. The menu was fairly basic with roast dinners and cream teas the specialities, although local fish and shellfish were listed. The rebuild in 1976 coincided with the spread of car ownership and holiday homes. This, allied to the appearance on television of champions of seafood such as Keith Floyd and Rick Stein, led to the restaurant offering a full seafood menu.[ citation needed ]

The restaurant changed hands in 2018. [3] [4]

See also

References

  1. Fearnley-Whittingstall, Hugh (23 July 2006). "Top five seafood". The Observer. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. Fearnley-Whittingstall, Hugh (19 January 2003). "My son the food critic (aged 3)". The Observer. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  3. "First they brought you the Stable, now this couple has their sights on West Bay: Here's what to expect from new business venture". Bridport & Lyme Regis News. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. "New Owners for Riverside". Bridport Life & Times. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2026.