Dittisham, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

“Such a great find on the embankment at Dartmouth”: Mitch Tonks’s “elegant”, Italian-inspired bistro flagship, latterly under head chef son Ben — and replete with new roof terrace for cocktails. “Just the sort of restaurant you want to find while on holiday but rarely do”, it attracts reams of praise for its “fantastic fish”, sourced from Brixham market a few miles away, while the attractive room exudes “a real buzz”.

“After a swim in the Shoalstone Lido, it’s a delight to eat at this seafood café on the coastal path looking out over the seawater pool” (with further views to the Bay of Torquay) and – as of 2022 – an even more dramatic rooftop terrace where they grill catch and bring it to the table. One regular fan feels it’s “got its mojo back of late”, saying “the menu had veered towards more ambitious dishes the tiny kitchen struggled to deliver, but it’s back doing what it does best – simple cooking of the freshest fish delivered straight from the Brixham Fish Auction (where the owner is a wholesaler)”.