Rockfish sets sail for Sidmouth

This spring, award-winning sustainable seafood restaurant group Rockfish, from CEO and Founder Mitch Tonks, will open at Port Royal on Sidmouthseafront, marking the brand’s eleventh restaurant location along the South West coast of England.

Located within the historic Drill Hall on Sidmouth’s seafront esplanade, Rockfish Sidmouth will carefully preserve the character of the original building while introducing a spacious 88 plus cover restaurant with an indoor dining room and generous outdoor terrace. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant will serve a daily changing menu of seasonal fish and seafood, delivered straight from the quayside at Brixham Market and prepared each morning in time for the first service of the day.

Nearly three decades after opening his first fishmongers in 1996, followed by the launch of his first Rockfish restaurant in Dartmouth in 2009, Mitch Tonks has remained focused on one simple mission: to do seafood better in the UK. At Rockfish, the focus has always been on serving the freshest, most direct MSC-certified seafood simply and responsibly, with real passion.

“Sidmouth feels like a natural home for Rockfish - right on the seafront, with a real sense of place and community - and we’re so excited to become part of it,”says Mitch Tonks, CEO and Founder of Rockfish. “Everything we do is led by what’s coming into Brixham Market each day, so our menus are always seasonal and at their very best. Opening our eleventh restaurant here gives us another chance to share that way of cooking and keep championing British seafood in a way that’s honest and responsible, and hopefully get more people enjoying what’s caught in our own waters.”

Menus at Rockfish Sidmouth will change daily, shaped entirely by that morning’s catch and prepared by skilled Rockfish fishmongers. In true Rockfish fashion, Mitch’s seasonal selection of fish will be hand-annotated on the tablecloth by the team, inviting guests to explore what’s at its very best that day - cooked expertly to let the sustainably delicious fish speak for itself.

With coastal views across both lunch and dinner, Sidmouth will offer a quintessentially Rockfish spread: English and Mediterranean-inspired starters including Pot-caught ‘Disco’ Scallops with parmesan & garlic; Spider crab croquettes with lemon mayonnaise followed by mains such as large line-caught haddock fried in Rockfish batter with tartare sauce; and The Rockfish wild prawn burger handmade with wild red prawns with Jalapeño tartare. From Monday to Friday, Rockfish’s seasonal set menu is available all day, offering two courses for £23.95 and making market-fresh seafood part of everyday dining, while a dedicated children’s menu at £9.95 invites enjoyment for the whole family.

Inside, the restaurant retains much of Drill Hall’s original character through exposed brick walls and high ceilings, met by whitewashed wooden beams that complement the dark wood detailing and marble tabletops. Hand-painted tiles decorate the space, taking the shape of arches across the back wall of the restaurant as well as the open kitchen, while flashes of photographs of the Tonks family punctuate the space - a subtle nod to the personal story behind the brand. 

The Sidmouth opening follows recent Rockfish launches in Salcombe and Lyme Regis, continuing the brand’s steady growth along the South West coast. From its beginnings in Dartmouth, next door to Mitch Tonks’ critically acclaimed The Seahorse Restaurant, Rockfish has evolved into a scalable, sustainable model for serving seafood at peak freshness, deeply rooted in the coastal communities it calls home.

This year also marks the fourth birthday of the Rockfish Online Seafood Market - Mitch Tonks’ nationwide delivery service bringing the same restaurant-quality, day-boat fish to home cooks across the UK. 

Launched to connect consumers directly with fishermen and seasonal seafood, the service allows people to enjoy Brixham Market-fresh fish from the comfort of their own homes. By removing third-party suppliers, the digital market ensures that only seasonal fish is available each day, helping to protect fishing stocks and safeguarding the future of the industry. 

Operating just 17 metres from the waterfront, the Rockfish team runs a uniquely short supply chain with zero waste, delivering the very best of the day’s catch directly to customers and freezing surplus seafood on site - with innovative fishing methods such as using gentle lights to attract Disco Scallops.  

Alongside the daily fresh fish, the Online Seafood Market also offers British tinned seafood and premium frozen products from MSC-approved fisheries or Rockfish’s own stocks, including Prime Dover Sole (trimmed and skinned), Frozen Craster kippers or tubs of Hand-picked Crab Meat. Each item is fully traceable to its boat of origin and delivered in recycled packaging, with an incentive scheme offering £5 off a Rockfish meal for returned boxes. 

This approach has enabled Mitch Tonks and his team to build meaningful relationships with customers well beyond Devon and Dorset, championing British seafood and winning the hearts of consumers at a national level.