New era for Southsea Beach Cafe as stunning beachfront site opens following major renovation

Uninterrupted beachfront views and stylish surroundings await customers at a café’s newly opened second location.

In a matter of months, the team at Southsea Beach Cafe have transformed the former Beach Club, along Clarence Esplanade, into a seaside oasis equipped with a refined menu.

Taking inspiration from Dutch interiors, the cafe officially opened on Wednesday, June 3 after weeks of painstaking renovation work.

The business, owned by Ian Clarke, Toby Woodfine and Adam Glyde, opened its first site in Eastney in 2014 before buying their second venue in 2021 where it operated as Mozzarella Joes.

The trio completed a mini makeover before the eatery was forced to close for a year and a half due to the ongoing sea defence works. But now the work along that particular section of the beachfront has been completed, the owners are embarking on a new chapter at Southsea Beach Cafe following a major refit.

Speaking about the launch of Southsea Beach Cafe’s second site, Elisa Standley, general manager, said: “I’ve been with the place for nine years - I started off as a runner and now I’m general manager, and I’m really excited to see what this place brings.

“It’s been a long anticipated wait for a lot of people. We’ve had a lot of people stopping to ask what’s going on and how the place is getting on. I think this place has completely reformed the beachfront - it’s taken a modern twist of what we used to do, and it’s expanded what we do in a better way. It’s got probably the best view in Southsea.”

To kickstart the site’s new era, Southsea Beach Cafe will host a series of events including ‘Five Nights of Summer’ which will feature live music, sunset dining and cocktails.

Elisa added: “The staff are all buzzing and ready to go, and I just think it will be a place that people will need in Southsea to bring a bit of a different lifestyle to the seafront.

“They’ve kept it quite minimal at the front so you walk in and it’s sort of like a Tardis effect when you walk in because you’ve got the restaurant on the left and restaurant on the right, and a private dining space you can rent out.”

The cafe will continue offering its beloved menu classics including the full English, French toast, fish and chips and charcuterie boards, while making refinements.

Toby Woodfine, co-founder of Southsea Beach Café, previously said: “The new location has given us the opportunity to create something fresh and exciting, taking inspiration from famous European beach bars and cafés, while staying true to our spirit of relaxed, high-quality hospitality.”

The owners are planning on operating the original Southsea Beach Cafe site alongside the latest location until the end of the year to ensure customers have a smooth transition.

Ian added: “This is an exciting step forward for the whole team and one that allows us to take Southsea Beach Café to the next level.”