The Cove Café

Perched right on the pebbles at Coryton Cove, a short walk from Dawlish town centre, The Cove Café runs out of a simple kiosk with rows of outdoor tables that hug the shoreline. It built its name on wood-fired pizza and fish and chips, alongside proper coffee, a wide cake and pastry counter that includes Italian classics like cannoli, and gelato for the beach crowd. Breakfast baguettes, burgers and sandwiches cover the rest of the day.

In the evenings the terrace shifts gear, with acoustic sets and jazz combos playing out over the pizzas as the tide comes in. The café is dog-friendly, which matters given how many customers arrive off the coast path or the beach next door, and staff have a reputation for remembering regulars' faces and chatting about the weather or the tide times. It now stays open year-round rather than closing for winter, a change locals had been asking for.