1. Due South
Brighton, Sussex

Don't be fooled: this quirky little place under an arch on Brighton's pebble beach serves seriously good food. It's known for its seasonality and championing of local suppliers, so you never know what could be on the menu, but that's part of the fun. The window seat is the most hotly fought over - considering the spectacle of a Brighton sunset over the sea, plus the inevitable people watching. Great meals here in the past have included exquisite oysters, perfectly cooked lamb and whole seabass cooked with herbs. People do get irritated by the fuss over booking, but the truth is you can often just turn up and get in.

Zoe Ball: why I love Due South

I love eating outdoors. This is our favourite restaurant and our favourite table. Norman [Cook, aka Fatboy Slim] and I are great people-watchers - so we'll sit here early evening before getting back to the kids for a bedtime story. The fish here is always really fresh which is why I've virtually got my own table! We're both huge oyster fans so we'll usually go for a dozen. I'm convinced they are aphrodisiacs because they do get me a bit fruity. Norman's always saying, 'Come and have some oysters'. Brighton's very laid-back so we don't get hassled, although we did go out once and the place was buzzing because Chantelle and Preston had just been in!

2. The Victoria
Holkham, Norfolk

There's no use complaining that the north Norfolk coast is overrun with townies - that's because it's accessible, ineffably beautiful, indeed irresistible despite bracing winds. Holkham must be the area's most atmospheric beach, with its sand dunes and wooded backlands - an English dream in all weathers. The Victoria is its focal point: pub, restaurant and trendy hotel, which still serves locals in wellies at the bar, while wowing visitors with beef and venison from the estate, Cromer crabs, classy fish and chips and spectacular dessert plates for greedy girls who have taken a long walk on the shore.

3. Sidney's
Tynemouth, North Tyneside

A hundred yards from the fabulous Long Sands beach, the bracing scene of many a British Surfing Championship, is Sidney's - deemed the place to eat on the coast in Tyne and Wear. Fine wines and global cuisine set the tone at this modern, award- winning establishment in the middle of a Victorian terrace. New owner and head chef Alan O'Kane (ex-Angel in Corbridge as well as the Savoy and Capital in London) is the driving force behind menus that range from double-baked cheddar cheese and spinach soufflé, to seared brill in a pomegranate sauce with bean and mushroom salad. With typical lack of pretension, the delightful staffrecommend the Welsh rarebit and 'a nice cold Czech beer'.

4. Plas Bodegroes
Pwllheli, Wales

Let's face it, you drive for hours and hours to get to this five-star restaurant with rooms, but at least the wild coastline of the Lleyn peninsula and backdrop of Welsh mountains provide some entertainment. And it's certainly worth it: after almost two decades of Chris and Gunna Chown's reign here, Plas Bodegroes still serves the best food in Wales. They make Bara Brith into bread pudding to serve with whisky ice-cream, and roast the Welsh black beef to sit alongside little steak and oyster pies with Madeira jus. The old Georgian manor house is a delight with green gardens that exude peace and quiet.

5. Pebble Beach
Barton-On-Sea, Hampshire

Everyone seems happy at Pebble Beach - the waiters, the chefs in the open kitchen, the guests... This has something to do with the amazing clifftop location, which overlooks, on a clear day, the Needles and the Isle of Wight. More importantly, ex- Chewton Glen chef Pierre Chevillard (he of the Michelin star in that place) has arrived, determined to provide challenging cuisine to go with the bracing atmosphere. Everyone gasps at the massive assiettes of fruits de mer, with their whole spider crabs, oysters, winkles, whelks et cetera and some people even dance to the grand piano, with or without a glass of wine.

Due South, 139 Kings Road Arches, Brighton, 01273 821218
The Victoria, Holkham, Norfolk, 01328 711008
Sidney's, 3-5 Percy Park Road, Tynemouth, 0191 257 8500
Plas Bodegroes, Nefyn Road, Pwllheli, Wales, 01758 612363
Pebble Beach, Marine Drive, Barton- on-Sea, Hants, 01425 627777