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The seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex has always been a good place for fish and chips and a 99 ice cream, but in recent years its culinary scene has diversified.
Worthing restaurants now offer delicious vegan and gluten-free meals and you can find everything from fine dining to food trucks.
We’ve spent months discovering the best restaurants in Worthing, and here we share our top picks including the best places to eat with outdoor seating and sea views and where to find a budget meal. All have good vegetarian options.
These are all within easy walking distance of Worthing Pier and many are right on the seafront, so you can combine a meal out with a walk on the lovely promenade.
At the end of the post, our map will help you track down the best food in Worthing.
Contents
- Our Top Picks for Eating Out in Worthing
- Best Restaurants in Worthing
- Best Ice Cream in Worthing
- Map of Worthing Restaurants
- Summary
Our Top Picks for Eating Out in Worthing
- Special occasion: Tern, Vudu
- Sea view: Perch on Worthing Pier, Coast, Food Trucks, Tern
- Outdoor seating: Coast, Level 1, Food Trucks
- Budget meal: Food Trucks, Level 1, Blue Ocean Fish & Chips, Patty Guy
- Vegan food: Yamu Yamu, Vegan Street Food Company, Pizzaface, Cow & Oak
- Sweet treat: Boho Gelato, Baked
- Open on Monday nights: Perch on Worthing Pier, Crudo, Giuseppes, Patty Guy, Cow & Oak, Vudu (in summer)
Best Restaurants in Worthing
1) Tern
Tern is the best restaurant in Worthing and the only place for fine dining now that Kenny Tutt’s Pitch has closed.
It opened in July 2023 above Perch on Worthing Pier with stunning sea views.
This stylish restaurant focuses on seasonal cuisine with 5 and 7-course tasting menus. Vegetarians, vegans, and other dietary requirements can be catered for with at least 48 hours notice.
As vegetarians, we loved our meal, and our vegan friend was well catered for too. 5 courses was plenty for us and everything was delicious from the wonderful bread and butter to the beautiful presented vegetable creations.
Chef Johnny Stanford elevates humble vegetables like celeriac and carrots (on our winter visit) into something special. The sauces were so delicious we often wanted to lick our plates.
While the food is fine dining, the service is friendly and informal with no dress code or formalities.
If the £55 cost (for 5 courses) is over your budget, on Sundays they have a more affordable brunch menu.
In winter, you’ll want to book for lunch so you can enjoy the view (dinner service doesn’t start until 7pm).
We were there for over three hours so allow plenty of time for a relaxed, fun meal. Perfect for special occasions.
Details: Located at the end of Worthing Pier (above Perch). Open Thurs – Sat for lunch and dinner and for brunch on Sundays. Bookings essential.
Website: Tern
2) Yamu Yamu
We loved Yamu Yamu so much that it’s one of the few restaurants in Worthing that we returned to.
This small, casual eatery decorated with cherry blossoms serves Japanese-inspired street food with plenty of vegan options. They also have craft beers and unique cocktails—the miso margarita was great.
Everything we tried was delicious but our favourite dish was the crispy fried tofu bao bun. The mushroom gyoza, nasu dengaku (miso-glazed eggplant), and butternut katsu curry were also tasty.
Yamu Yamu is popular so it’s best to book or go early.
Details: 134 Montague St. Open Weds-Sat 5.30pm-10pm plus Sat lunch 12.30pm-3.30pm. Closed Sunday to Tuesday. Booking is recommended.
Website: Yamu Yamu
3) Vudu
Vudu is a beautiful plant-filled restaurant on one of the main streets in central Worthing.
They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but to take advantage of their famous cocktails you might want to visit in the evening.
We enjoyed their Asian-inspired small plates menu. Vegetarian and vegan options aren’t extensive, but they are enough for a meal and marked on the menu.
The tofu bao was our favourite dish, but the gyoza, triple cooked potatoes, and broccolini were also tasty.
The creative cocktail list is the highlight as many of their signature cocktails feature fun, over the top presentations (expect lots of smoke). They are on the sweeter side, though.
Our favourite was the whisky-based Diver David, which was served inside a smoke-filled diver’s helmet!
Details: 17 Warwick St, Worthing. Open every day in summer from 8.30am – 11.30pm (closed Mon/Tues in winter).
Website: Vudu
4) Worthing Seafront Food Trucks
On a sunny weekend, my favourite place for lunch in Worthing is the various food trucks on the promenade west of the pier. In fact, it made my list of the best Worthing activities.
The food is quick and reasonably priced, and the location is perfect right next to the beach. Most trucks have a few tables or you can eat on the beach.
Food vans vary and there’s more choice during the summer holidays. Some to look out for are Pizza by Antonio, Halloumi Fries (delicious in a wrap), and Worthing Gin Genie to sample the local gin.
If you like seafood you might also want to check out Crab Shack, which has a popular restaurant on Worthing seafront with outdoor seating and a nearby stand on the promenade.
Most food trucks are only open on the weekends and have variable hours. It’s best to check their social media pages for the latest opening times. Weekend lunch in the summer is the best time to find the most places open.
5) Perch on Worthing Pier
Perch on the Pier opened in 2022 and has the best location in Worthing—in the Southern Pavilion at the very end of the pier.
It’s a gorgeous space with high ceilings, huge windows, and sea views on three sides.
Window seats are allocated on a first come first served basis—we managed to get one downstairs and the view was stunning. It was quite noisy, though, so try to get one of the window seats upstairs where it’s quieter and the views are even more expansive.
The menu is fairly small but there’s a good mix of comfort food (burgers, fish and chips) and healthier options.
I loved the choose your own adventure protein plate—I went with sweet potato falafel, poke (avocado, edamame, quinoa, pickled onions and various raw veg), and sriracha mayo, which was delicious and beautifully presented.
Booking in advance is a good idea. If you can’t reserve a table, try your luck with the outdoor seating or couches in the upstairs bar. These are walk-in only and are the perfect spot for a drink with a view.
Details: Marine Parade. Open daily 10am-9pm (from 9am on weekends), booking recommended.
Website: Perch on the Pier
6) Crudo
Crudo serves excellent Mexican street food. It has a convenient seafront location, but the only outdoor seating is out the back without a view.
There are good vegan choices and the fried plantain taco is the best taco I’ve had in a long time. It was the perfect balance of flavours with sweet plantains and pineapple salsa, earthy beans, creamy avocado, and spicy jalapeños.
Simon was just as happy with his smokey jackfruit burrito and we enjoyed the selection of salsa with chips. The cocktails are fantastic too and Crudo has a buzzy atmosphere in the evenings.
This is another spot you’ll need to book, although it’s easier to get in for lunch than dinner.
Another Mexican restaurant in Worthing that we really wanted to try is Salsa Viva Cantina—our friend says the food is even better than Crudo. As it’s small and only open for dinner Thursdays to Saturdays, you’ll need to book at least two weeks in advance to get in and we sadly missed out.
Details: 29 Marine Parade. Open every day from 12pm – 11pm. Booking recommended.
Website: Crudo
7) Coast Cafe
Coast has one of the best restaurants with outdoor seating in Worthing. The location is perfect right next to the beach and it’s close to the beach volleyball courts, East Beach Studios for shopping, and K66 for paddleboard hire.
This casual cafe is open for breakfast and lunch every day and has vegan options. I liked the Buddha Bowl and Simon enjoyed his halloumi bap.
We didn’t find the food quite as good as the others above, but with this setting, it’s one of the best places to eat in Worthing on a sunny day.
Details: Beach Parade. The kitchen is open Mon-Wed 9am-3pm and Thurs-Sun 9am-8pm.
Website: Coast Cafe
8) Level 1
Level 1 is a fantastic addition to the Worthing food scene—an outdoor food court with sea views.
There are various food and drink stalls to choose from so it’s ideal if you have a group with different tastes. Food options include pizza, burgers, and fish and chips.
You order from an app (scan the QR code at your table) and the food is brought to you so you don’t even have to queue.
We found veggie options a little limited though.
Details: Marine Parade. Open Thurs and Fri 5pm-9pm, Sat 12pm-9pm, and Sun 12pm-6pm. Closed Monday – Wednesday. Walk-ins only. Stalls may have different hours. It closes in the winter.
Website: Level 1
9) Patty Guy at The Dome
Patty Guy was another new addition to Worthing in 2023 and the only Kenny Tutt restaurant left in town (after Pitch and Bayside Social closed).
This is a very different restaurant—a casual burger joint inside the classic Dome Cinema (with some seafront outdoor seating).
It’s ideal if you are looking for a quick, family-friendly meal that’s higher quality than your average fast food joint.
Vegan burgers are available.
Details: 21-22 Marine Parade, Worthing (inside Dome Cinema).
Website: Patty Guy
10) Chipwick
You can find some of the best fish and chips in Worthing at award-winning Chipwick.
You can dine in or get takeaway from their restaurant just one block back from the seafront.
As well as all the classic fish options, vegetarians can choose from battered or grilled halloumi and veggie burger. We visited with family and everyone enjoyed their meal.
Details: 94 Brighton Rd. Open Tues-Fri lunch 12-3pm/ dinner 5-9pm, Sat 12-9pm, Sun 12-6pm. Closed Mondays.
Website: Chipwick
11) Blue Ocean Fish & Chips
This casual takeaway near the pier is our favourite for picking up a bag of chips to eat on the beach.
It’s a classic chip shop and ideal if you are looking for a cheap place to eat in Worthing.
Details: 3 South St. Open 11am-8.30pm. Closed Tuesdays.
Website: Blue Ocean Fish & Chips
12) Pizzaface
On our hunt to find the best pizza in Worthing, Pizzaface came out top.
You can eat in their restaurant on Montague Street or stall at Level 1 or order delivery.
They have an extensive vegan menu (with options like vegan chorizo and herby sausage) and plenty of creative toppings for all tastes.
Their restaurant also serves delicious Boho Gelato (see below).
We also tried the pizza at Fiordilatte, which has a great location on pedestrianised Warwick Street, but we didn’t like it as much. They can do vegan and gluten-free pizzas.
Details: 138 Montague Street. Open Sun-Thurs 4-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-10pm.
Website: Pizzaface
13) Vegan Street Food Company
Vegan Street Food Company is the only vegan restaurant in Worthing. It reopened in summer 2024 after an extended closure.
It’s a small takeaway with an all plant-based, gluten-free, and nut-free menu.
Grab a wrap or salad from the fridge, choose one of their vegan cakes or savoury pastries, or order the daily hot food selection.
This is a fantastic option for vegans, but we didn’t find the food as flavourful as the other Worthing restaurants we tried. The lasagna I had was tasty though.
Details: 2 Field Row. Open Mon – Sat 9am-2.30pm. Closed Sundays.
Website: Vegan Street Food Company
14) Giuseppes
Giuseppes is one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Worthing.
The food is southern Italian and we enjoyed our aubergine parmigiana, gnocchi Sorrentina, and pea risotto. The Aperol Spritz was also the best I’ve had outside Italy (they are often too weak in the UK).
Giuseppes is a solid choice, and it’s easier to get in when other restaurants are booked up, but we didn’t find it as exciting as some of the other places to eat in Worthing.
Details: 8 Warwick Lane. Open Mon-Thurs 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-10.30pm, Sun 12-9pm.
Website: Giuseppes
15) Cow & Oak
We went to the Cow & Oak pub in search of a veggie roast and we were not disappointed.
Our nut roast came with all the trimmings including Yorkshire pudding. You can even order vegan cauliflower and cheese as an optional side.
Even if you aren’t visiting on a Sunday, there’s a vegan menu with classic pub grub like burgers, fish and chips, nachos, and burritos.
Details: 67 Brighton Rd, Worthing. Open 12pm – 11pm every day. Bookings recommended on Sundays in winter.
Website: Cow & Oak
16) Baked
I must give an honourable mention to Baked. Although it’s a cake shop rather than a restaurant, it’s our favourite place for a sweet treat in town.
They have a huge selection of brownies and blondies including five or six vegan flavours which are just as good as the non-vegan ones. All are perfectly rich and gooey.
Even better, they are a social enterprise supporting young people with employment, skills, and training.
Baked is a little further from the pier, but it’s only a 10-minute walk and well worth the effort. They also deliver their brownies across the UK.
Details: 31 Rowlands Road. Open Tues-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-3pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Website: Baked
Best Ice Cream in Worthing
You can’t go to the seaside without having an ice cream. Here are our favourites:
- Boho Gelato – Located inside Pizzaface, this gelato is incredible. They have a changing menu of creative flavours with vegan options. The strawberry white chocolate and sour cherry were amazing.
- G-Lite – Another great option for gelato. They have all the classic Italian flavours and you combine them—pistachio and chocolate is the ultimate combo for me.
- Molloys – If you are on the seafront and want a traditional Mr Whippy with 99 flake, this is our top pick. It’s worth paying extra for a waffle cone. The stall in the middle of the pier is also good and is the cheapest option.
Map of Worthing Restaurants
Summary
Worthing is a fantastic destination for food. I hope we’ve given you some ideas on where to eat, let us know if we’ve missed any of your favourites!
See our guide to the best things to do in Worthing West Sussex for many more tips.
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Great article, thanks for sharing with us! It was really well written and simplified, even little kids can understand the language written here, thanks alot!!!
Thank you for this blog! I moved to Worthing last week, and realised Baked was just around the corner from our flat. Ten minutes later I was in possession of some insanely tasty Kinder and Double Decker brownies.
Currently considering Yamu Yamu for dinner….
Ha, that’s dangerous to have Baked so close! I hope you enjoy Yamu Yamu!
Wonderful post! Proud to have played a small part in this by accompanying you to some of the restaurants and eating the delicious food! We’re definitely going to give Yamu Yamu a try soon and hopefully Bayside Social for brunch.
Thank you for all the great Worthing food tips and for your important contribution of helping us eat it! We miss Worthing!