Sole Bay Fish Co.

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,320 reviews

#6 of 30 Restaurants in Southwold££ - £££, Seafood, British, Gluten free options

+44 1502 724241+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:45 - 17:00

Mon

11:45 - 17:00

Tue

11:45 - 17:00

Wed

11:45 - 17:00

Thu

11:45 - 17:00

Fri

11:45 - 19:00

Sat

11:45 - 19:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,320 reviews

#6 of 30 Restaurants in Southwold

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Seafood, British, Gluten free options

“The food is outstanding with a very large variety of seafood to choose from.”

“... counter and bought freshly caught prawns, dressed crab and sea bass fillets.”

“We enjoyed the rock fish, grilled sea-bass and mushy peas.”

Location and contact

22E Blackshore, Southwold IP18 6ND England

+44 1502 724241

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Is this restaurant good for breakfast?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

PRICE RANGE

£12.00 – £18.00

CUISINES

Seafood, British

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, BYOB, Dog Friendly

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4.5

1,320 reviews

Excellent

952

Very good

222

Average

Poor

Terrible

Roundy

Horsham3135 contributions

Hiddem Gem for Seafood lovers

Feb 2020 • none

We arrived at Walberswick on a dull January day but had a brief walk alongside the water, and spotted what appeared to be a vibrant shack on the other side, so looked it up and discovered it was the Sole Bay Fish Co, so we drove around to Southwold and found our way to it along the very potholed road. Then we were advised they were fully booked but the kind front of house lady suggested that she had one booking which may not turn up, so suggested if we waited for 15 minutes we might be lucky. We were happy to do so, as looking inside and at the menu, it looked perfect for us. Thankfully we were lucky and we got a table. This is such a buzzing place and it was packed with groups enjoying a fishy Sunday lunch. We loved the wooden hut decor with lots of interesting touches and nice lighting. We chose local mussels with bread, and half a lobster with a lovely flavoured butter sauce and fries plus nice side salad, both from the specials on the blackboard over the fish tank. Both dishes were excellent quality and we would love to return one day to try more of their food. Highly recommend Sole Bay Fish Co for its good atmosphere, interesting surroundings and great seafood - and you can also buy fresh fish from the counter by the entrance.

Written 11 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sluey1

57 contributions

Friday feast

Jan 2020 • family

Being treated by our daughter whilst on our 3rd visit to lovely Southwold and keen to sample seafood it was an easy choice to pick Sole Bay Fish Co. Plenty on offer but after much deliberation we ordered the Lobster ,Mussels (garlic & ginger sauce) from the specials along with the cod goujons . Food including the bread was extremely tasty. It’s situated in a great authentic location surrounded by the harbour ,fishing boats and huts and has a fish counter onsite to tempt you into trying to replicate the dishes on offer. Nice , friendly staff which made our visit perfect.Can not wait to return when we visit Southwold next.

Written 19 January 2020

Cambridge Guru

Cambridge857 contributions

Great fish and chips in stunning location - and they have nailed Covid too

Sept 2020 • none

My haddock and chips was the best I have had outside of Grimsby. And the gorgeous riverside location makes this a must-visit for fish and chip lovers. The fish itself was fresh and flakey while I was very impressed with the large portion of chips. There was a queue to place our order (Monday 1230) but that moved pretty quickly. And there were plenty of tables that were being wiped down regularly. I also liked the fact that you could get an Adnams Ghostship with your meal, and they only charged £3 for a large bottle - overall decent all round.

Written 15 September 2020

Albert

1 contribution

A bloke

Sept 2020 • family

We had fish and chips and it was really good (apart from it being served in a bag instead of a tray which made it difficult to eat, maybe that was a Covid thing, I don’t know). However, the young man that served us appeared to believe he was the maitre d’ at The Ivy rather than working in a chip shop (albeit a posh one) and made us feel rather small for daring to ask for common or garden fish and chips rather than posh seafood and whatever else they do and also for not knowing that their children’s fish already came with chips. We were on our holiday and just wanted some fish and chips which surprisingly had been hard to find. We were stressed as our little one was hungry and to then be talked down to wasn’t helpful. However, as I say, the food was itself was nice.

Written 17 September 2020

Carlos S

Bungay126 contributions

Food Glorious Food

Dec 2020 • none

Visited today with my wife and we are both very impressed. Polite & courteous staff welcomed us into a pleasantly decorated restaurant which fits in perfect with its surroundings. The menu consists of fish dishes which all sounded amazing but i opted for the Skate & my wife had the Muscles. My Skate came with excellent chips & mushy peas & a very tasty pot of tartare sauce. I have to say it was probably the best piece of skate i have had in a long time & my wife also commented on how fresh her muscles were. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted fantastic and top that off with a very pleasant pint of Adnams Ghost Ship it all together made for a great dining experience. Also its worth adding all this was VERY reasonably priced and the portion sizes were generous to say the least. I strongly recommend a visit if you are in the Southwold area as its the place to go for all your culinary seafood needs. They also sell fresh seafood from a counter on the way out !! . We were so impressed we have booked to return again at the end of the week for dinner!.

Written 8 December 2020

J992014

Stratford-upon-Avon178 contributions

Best fish and chips ever whilst watching the sunset!

Jul 2020 • none

Due to all the Covid 19 restrictions we were drawn to the harbour where we could sit out and enjoy food along with an alcoholic drink whilst feeling safe. The harbour had a real buzz about it, it was pleasantly mild and the sun was starting to set. We weren't sure which venue to choose but decided on the Sole Bay Fish Company - how glad I am!!! We managed to find a bench table outside and my husband queued up to put in our order. We had a bottled beer each whilst waiting for the food - it was a little while coming but we really didn't mind as we enjoyed our drink whilst people watching. When the fish and chips arrived we couldn't believe it - massive portions. Then we started to eat. I can honestly say these were the best fish and chips I had ever eaten, and I have eaten a lot over the years. The fish was large, meaty and the batter so crisp and light that I could manage to eat it (usually I have to leave it to avoid a severe bout of indigestion!). And the chips....crispy and totally perfect. I noticed they also offered other fishy items include a mixed seafood platter and crab. Can't comment on those but if you fancy fish and chips this is the place to go!

Written 9 August 2020

Animal2014

Bedford20 contributions

Good but...?

Feb 2020 • none

I really liked this place, its quirky and very relaxing. The "wooden hut" is so much better than you think. Staff were great no problem. Now being allergic to shellfish my options are quite limited here but I love fish. My Plaice and Chips looked amazing and I found my fish lovely and fresh and very moist but the batter was really greasy in places which let it down. The mushy peas were just Okay. My wife had the Bass which she said was lovely but the trouble was it was served on a board barely big enough in width to hold the fish and the salad was falling off - come on guys we love quirky but this was not suitable this time. It would be nice to have just a few more options for the Fish courses but overall its a really nice relaxing place to be with a comfortable vibe about it. I did think it was a little over priced to be honest. Just don't expect great. I would go back and unlike other people have said our wine was very good - we had the Picpoul.

Written 15 February 2020

sharon2274

South Woodham Ferrers92 contributions

Delicious seafood

Jun 2021 • couples

Visited the restaurant for an evening meal. Received a warm welcome for us and our two dogs from the moment we arrived. Lovely relaxed atmosphere, and attentive staff. Made up our own seafood platter from an excellent choice, all fresh, plentiful and tasted delicious. The waiter even checked that it wouldn’t be cheaper to have one of their stated platters with a substitution.

Written 14 June 2021

Mark C

Southwold8 contributions

Great birthday lunch

Feb 2020 • couples

This is one of our must visit places in Southwold. This time we walked in the pouring rain from the town centre and arrived completely drenched. We were seated beside a radiator and soon warmed up with some great seafood, especially the beer battered oysters. Good friendly service and dog friendly as well!

Written 1 March 2020

janette c

United Kingdom10 contributions

Avoid the seafood platter

Jan 2020 • family

Lovely location, lovely space, lovely staff. Fish and chips excellent, as were sprats and oysters. However the sea food platter was very disappointing - tasteless, pallid and poor quality. Much of it appeared to be from frozen and the white and brown meat of the dressed crab had been mixed. Wine also disappointing - couldn’t drink the Chablis (which is a first for me!).

Written 25 January 2020

cromarty53

42 contributions

Amazing lunch

Feb 2020 • couples

We ate here today and enjoyed the most amazing seafood. Started with oysters which were beautiful and made up our own fish platter to share, fresh bread and Aspalls cider as accompaniments. Kind and polite service from extremely welcoming staff. Packed out and full of happy customers with a really great atmosphere. Excellent all round.

Written 21 February 2020

Seasidegirl605

Suffolk16 contributions

Takeaway Lobster Platters

Jun 2021 • couples

I bought a takeaway lobster platter last summer and it was amazing so I ordered two for a special birthday celebration with family. We were so disappointed. Apart from the dressed crabs and smoked sprats everything else was completely tasteless including the lobsters. It all looked and tasted like it had come out of the freezer. It was sitting in water by the time we got it home which suggested it was defrosting I won’t be buying from there again which is unfortunate as it’s only 15 minutes from where I live

Written 1 July 2021

Bluerange35

Malmesbury401 contributions

My type of place

Apr 2021 • couples

I’m so pleased I’d booked Sole Bay a few weeks ago as it was rammed and booked solid for weeks. I love this type of place - totally authentic and enthusiastic passionate people. The crevettes and lobster were superb and we loved the location and style of the restaurant. If you’re thinking about going, don’t, just book bit get in there now. The phone rang constantly with disappointed customers being told it was a few weeks away.

Written 2 July 2021

Timothy D

Woking165 contributions

We were disappointed as we hoped for better.

May 2022 • none

Over the years we have been regular visitors to Southwold quay and Walberswick. Sole Bay presented plenty of hype about their fish and seafood and boasts an impressive fish counter: however, the service let us (and a few others) down. The sea bass came overcooked as we had been forgotten. Oysters in batter were good if pricey but were only served half an hour after we arrived. After forty five minutes we cancelled the bread (side) as we had passed that point. However ten minutes later the bread arrived with a different member of staff. After fifty-plus minutes we enquired about the main course: the message came back that kitchen had it, but it would take a few minutes. The two sea bass fillets were disappointing and dried out. At the entrance, there were magnificent and substantial sea bass on display and for sale. We learned that the fillets were a regulation eight ounces each, which gave us pause for thought. To give them credit the staff and manager responded to our discomfort and made sincere apologies. From observation, being sat in a side room is not a good move. In addition, your "standard" (but very nice) fish and chips arrives quite quickly: although speed was not our aim, you can be in and out within forty five minutes. That is preferable to mentally drumming your fingers for that time.

Written 13 May 2022

Nanster

Wanstead31 contributions

Wow - a great experience!

May 2021 • couples

Absolutely incredible food and atmosphere. On arrival and seeing what was on offer (as well as what other diners had on their tables) hubby and I ordered lunch fit for four, for two! And had absolutely no regrets! Amazing lobster, so flavourful and tender. Grilled crevettes were both sweet and deliciously smoky from the bbq. We loved that they did both raw and cooked oysters, both immaculate. Of course we also needed to sample the famous fish and chips - traditionally done in beef dripping - yum! And for hubby, a ‘side’ of dressed crab. Suffice to say we didn’t need to eat for the rest of the day, nor much of the next! We were glad we sampled as much as we did as the place is understandably booked up well in advance. Throughout the meal we kept saying how much our friends and family would love it there, interspersed with the word ‘wow’ as we devoured the many dishes. All finished off with a lovely (and much needed) walk along the gorgeous beach back to Southwold centre. Sole Bay Fish Co. thank you for a delicious day! Hope to see you again next year.