Coffee and Cake with a View
By Fiona McGarry
August … the perfect time to sit near the beach, looking out to sea with a coffee, feeling the sun, absorbing the salty atmosphere – and eating cake.
Here are some of the best places you can do that around Hastings.
The Red Pig
Not a typical café … well actually a food truck. You can find it by the side of the road at Pett Level (look for the red pig outside). It’s open every weekend, 10am-4pm, and you’re sure of a warm welcome. Try some excellent Coldblow small-batch coffee with some of their homemade cake – the chocolate Guinness cake is mind-blowing: strong flavours but not too sweet. You can sit outside in the carpark, or even better, walk over to Winchelsea beach and watch the birds.
Badger Inc.
Situated in Eversfield Place and nearly opposite the pier, it might not look exceptional from the outside, but on entering you become aware of just how special it is –one of my favourite spots to eat fish (but that’s another story). Light, airy and elegant, it’s perfect for coffee on a sunny day and even feels a bit Riviera-ish; more so now it’s started serving exquisite patisserie by Victoria Made. The macaroons are works of art – mine this time was raspberry with a candied basil leaf that gave it a delicately unusual flavour. Badger is open every day except Thursday from 9am-4pm, and 6pm on Friday and Saturday.
Starsky and Hatch
Surrounded by the concrete in the middle of Bottle Alley, you might have thought this location a bit grim for an eatery. But it’s actually a novel and a very chilled place to hang out – who knew there was so much space to sit and look out to sea? If you want to get closer to the waves , you can sit on their deckchairs on the beach itself. They serve meals but also good coffee and a range of interesting cakes. Check out the chocolate and beetroot cake. It’s open every day except Monday and Tuesday from 8am-5pm, and until 7pm on Friday and Saturday.
Babilicious
A relatively new arrival to St Leonards, Babilicious is the hole in the wall on the promenade near Azur. If it’s reasonable prices with no-nonsense, homemade baking you’re after, this is the place to go. Babs is always welcoming – to locals, tourists, children and dogs – and serves the cakes she bakes herself each evening. I felt I’d gone back to a cosier, simpler time (the seaside holidays of my childhood) as I sat watching the beach activity and enjoying a large slice of carrot cake with my coffee. It’s open every day: 7am-6pm.
The Bathing Hut Café
On the beach by the old Lido in West St Leonards, The Bathing Hut is where I go with my daughter – a vegetarian and aspiring vegan – because of the range of interesting vegetarian food. Everything is homemade and feels healthy, in a good way, including the flapjacks and cookies which are great with coffee for a morning or afternoon snack. Sitting at the tables next to the hut, it’s quite exposed to the elements; but it gets my vote for the best view looking both East to Hastings and West to Bexhill and Eastbourne. It’s open at weekends until 4pm and whenever the blue flag is flying (depending on the weather) – check their Instagram or Facebook page for details.
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Not forgetting surely, the wonderful Goat Ledge, on seafront opposite Warrior Square!