Oh we do like to be beside the seaside.. | Lily Ella

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside... At our favourite Fish Shack!

Opened in 2016, we thought we’d found the perfect hidden gem in Rileys Fish Shack, but it didn’t stay secret for long as it was an instant hit with everyone else too!

Crafted from a couple of old shipping containers, Rileys Fish Shack is small and perfectly formed.  With just a few high tables and chairs inside, a row of high stools along the exposed front and the all important wood fired oven and bbq on the end, the Fish Shack is the place to be. There are deck chairs in the sand for the inevitable overflow of customers – we don’t mind telling you our Lily Ella jumpers and jackets have come in handy a few times, it is the North Sea after all!

With a distinct ‘hipstery’ vibe, Rileys Fish Shack is perched on the lower prom right beside the beach below the steep cliffs on King Edwards Bay in Tynemouth.  With views straight along the sand to the waves beyond, and with Tynemouth Priory on the top of the cliffs to the right, this is a very special spot indeed.

Great for a morning coffee and a quick detour from the dog walk, it’s even better for a fishy brunch or an evening meal.

With fire pits burning in the sand and the glow of the oven behind, there’s nothing better than Riley’s wonderful home fired flat breads that accompany all the food. 

The garlicky, diced roasted rosemary potatoes are to die for, but the true stars here are the grilled fish – everything is bought fresh on the fish quay down the road so amazing flavours are guaranteed.  

With an unerring lightness of touch and imaginative recipes, the dishes are all produced with inventive ingredients so your box of unctuous delightfulness never fails to impress!

Even on a cold day there’s nothing better to blow away the cobwebs than a trip to Rileys – just layer up and wrap up warm and enter a different world as you watch and listen to the waves crashing on the beach.  We love it in the dark when the shack is lit with magical festoon lights!

We mentioned Rileys Fish Shack was a hit with everyone else – well it doesn’t get much better than a rave review from Ray Rayner in the Guardian!  ‘Call off the search.  Close down the web browser and put away the guide books.  I have found the dining experience of the year.’

Check out the great reviews here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/30/rileys-fish-shack-tynmouth-restaurant-review-jay-rayner

Michel Roux also gave Rileys a rave review on Channel 4’s Hidden Restaurants series last year.

So, whilst we’re delighted to see our favourite local, casual dining destination very firmly on the map, it does mean that queuing is now also on the menu!!  Thank goodness we’ve got our Lily Ella layers to keep us warm whilst we’re waiting!

Rileys is run by locals Adam and Lucy Riley along with a load of other stuff they are brilliant at curating, we say long may their success continue!

All photos are used with kind the permission of local photographer Nigel John. 

Check out more of his amazing work at: www.nigeljohn.com