Brighton and Rye have been ranked among the best seaside spots in the UK for food and drink according to Which? The consumer champion surveyed more than 4,700 members earlier in the year about the best and worst seaside towns generally for 2024. They were asked to rate the locations in a number of categories including food and drink. Which? explained: "They rated everything from the beaches to the tourist attractions, but in some places the biggest attraction is still the perfect fish and chips or, increasingly, something more sophisticated.
" Out of all the 126 locations, Rye came 7th which was a fair bit higher than Brighton in 84th. However, because they both scored a 4/5 in the food and drink section they ranked in the top 21 placed for that particular category. The full list of the best seaside spots for food and drink can be found on the Which? website here .
Rye and Brighton ranked highly for their food and drink Out of the 21 seaside towns included in the top food and drink section Rye was in 5th and Brighton filled in the last slot in 21st. Which? added: "South East and Southern England have five of the highest-rated seaside towns for food, South West England four, Wales three, Scotland, East England, and North East England two each, and Yorkshire, North West England, and Northern Ireland one each." Rye was in fact labelled the best in the South East of England for this category by Which? Explaining their reasoning they wrote: "Rye in Sussex is the best coastal town for food in South East England.
"It’s also the only ‘seaside' town in our survey that doesn’t actually have a seafront. Although the sea once reached Rye, this medieval town is now two miles inland. Recommended reading: The five Sussex seaside towns named the best and the worst in the UK 2 Sussex spots named among UK's poshest seaside villages for 2024 Lewes named among best 15 UK places to visit in 2024 "This doesn’t stop it from being a great place for seafood, with Rye Bay Scallop Week a big attraction from 22 February next year.
"Charming tea shops and the excellent George Hotel on the High Street serve local dishes such as line-caught seabass and its rich, creamy fish stew. "Elsewhere on the South coast Deal and Whitstable in Kent; Lymington, Hampshire; and Brighton in East Sussex also rated highly.".
