Harden's survey result
Summary
“If you are lucky with the weather it’s the best place to eat on earth”, according to fans of this funky converted shipping container on Tynemouth Beach. “Surroundings are basic”, but “the view is superb and the food is top notch”: “fabulous fresh fish” brought in from North Shields round the corner. “Dinner overlooking the sea… log fires… amazing food and service… what could be better?”
Summary
“Just unique. Love it, love it, love it!". “On a glorious sunny day this converted shipping container on Tynemouth Beach is the best eating option anywhere on the NE coast”, say fans, and it has become the north east’s most commented-on destination in our annual national diners’ poll. “Sitting with your toes in the sand in a deckchair on the beach with a parasol, with a picture postcard day of blue sky, sun and warm breeze, while eating small mountains of delicious seafood that’s just been cooked in ‘the shack’ is bliss.” And “this is not your standard fish on the beach: they play with flavours and make sure the fish is super fresh”. As an experience, it’s “weather dependent unfortunately (freezing North Sea winds can spoil the ambience) but they do all they can to mitigate this with what is within their control – the food is outstanding”. “One of the highlights of the year.”
Summary
“Sitting in deckchairs on beautiful Tynemouth beach by a fire pit” (and “in the shadow of a ruin on the cliff”, to boot) – not only “a stunning location”, but it would also be “hard to find better, fresher and tastier fish” than at this repurposed shipping container, which offers a “wonderful sensory experience”. “Yes, it can be bloody freezing (what do you expect, with the North Sea next to you)”, but the “incredible” food is worth the hype (“had wanted to come here since Jay Rayner's stellar review a few years back… and it didn’t disappoint”).
Summary
“LOL… this is awesome!” – This “fantastic, on-the-beach” shipping container gets “five stars for its location” (“the views of the ocean are stunning”) and offers “a unique experience” whereby you “sit outside in deckchairs, on the sand, with an open fire, even in the middle of winter in the north east of England” eating fish. “It’s not churning out tourist fish ’n’ chips’ mind, but with fresh and imaginative use of sparkling seafood (and side orders of potatoes and salads are also real winners)”. “Queues are long even at quieter times, but it is always worth the wait.”
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Riley's Fish Shack?
King Edward’s Bay, Tynemouth, NE30 4BY
Restaurant details
Riley's Fish Shack Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Lovely fresh fish, menu changing daily depending on what's landed along the coast. happy service. Only gripe is the flimsy plastic cups for wine - this is the UK and it's often windy on the beach! You can ask for rugs and a firepit if you're freezing (which we were)"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £18.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.50 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
King Edward’s Bay, Tynemouth, NE30 4BY
Opening hours
| Monday | 10 am‑9:30 pm |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | CLOSED |
| Thursday | 10 am‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 10 am‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 10 am‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | 10 am‑9:30 pm |
