A Swansea venue has been named as one of the top beach cafes in the UK. Popular beachfront cafe The Secret Bar and Kitchen on Mumbles Road, which boasts TV host Alan Carr among its customers, is perfectly positioned on Swansea Bay's beachfront with views overlooking the city's coastline.
It has now been listed by The Times among the seven best UK beach cafes and described by the publication as as a "wood-walled cafe" on the sands. The venue offers a modern mix of British and Welsh cuisine and has proved popular with locals and tourists since it first opened in 2019.
Describing what's on offer at this bar and restaurant by the sea, Phoebe Taplin wrote: "This wood-walled café is on the sands, just below the Uplands suburb where the poet Dylan Thomas grew up. You might order cocktails or sparkling wine, and to eat there’s fish tacos with watermelon salsa or jewel-bright plates of heritage tomatoes on toast with a view of what Thomas called “a long and splendid curving shore.” You can get a newsletter send directly to your inbox with lots of news from the world of food and drink by clicking here.
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The article went on to recommend the grand Morgans Hotel for tourists hoping to visit Swansea and try out its popular beachfront cafe. It read: "Sleep in high-ceilinged grandeur at Morgans Hotel, along the beach near the harbour. The handsome Edwardian building was once the Port Authority office and decor includes maritime details such as stained-glass boats and wave-form lamps."
The six other seaside cafes to make the list include Trevone Beach Cafe, near Padstow Cornwall, which serves wood-fired seafood pizzas and Osborne's in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex which offers local lobster salad with garlic aioli.
In response to the glowing review, The Secret Beach and Bar Kitchen took to social media to share how "honoured" the team felt. The post read: "We are honoured to be on The Times and The Sunday Times Seven of the UK’s Best Beach Cafès list, as their pick of the places that make the seaside taste that much better!
"After opening in 2019 and enduring two years of Covid, this is a big achievement for us and one we’re very proud of! This is all down to our amazing team for their hard work and dedication, and for each and every customer who’s joined us and for their continued support. We feel like we can do so much more and the venue is no where near it’s potential, we can’t wait to show you what we have up our sleeves."
It has been a busy summer season for the venue which has even attracted a celebrity customer. Television star and comedian Alan Carr was spotted sampling food at the hotspot back in July. The Chatty Man enjoyed a vegetarian breakfast before filming scenes for an unknown TV project along Swansea Beach.
