What’s better than sweeping views of the ocean, with sandy coves, dramatic coastal bluffs and the big blue stretching out as far as the eye can see? All that, with some of the tastiest food thrown in. We’ve scoured the coastlines around the USA to find the best restaurants with seaside views, from laid-back spots with tables spilling onto the sand to upscale restaurants perched on clifftops. 

This chic, cosy spot could have been airlifted into its enviable oceanfront spot from Paris. With just a quiet road between it and the ocean, Blue Moon Over Avila – in laid-back Avila Beach, on the Central Coast – combines the charms and alluring menu of a French bistro with soothing Pacific Ocean views from its small but perfectly formed patio. It’s a favourite for sunset drinks and plates like salad Niçoise and steak tartare.

The Florida Keys archipelago actually has surprisingly few sandy beaches, and even fewer with restaurants beside them. Which goes some way to explaining why Marker 88 is such a perennial favourite with people making the journey between Miami and Key West. Located in Islamorada – a relatively serene spot – it’s known for locally-landed, perfectly-prepared seafood, plus cocktails and craft beers, all served to tables nestled in the sand, with clear ocean views that stretch to the Gulf of Mexico.

The only way to get closer to the ocean would be to dive right in. But we think a table at the refined yet wonderfully relaxed M.C. Perkins Cove is a better option. For a start, diners here get to enjoy beautifully fresh regional seafood, like whole fried trout, famed Maine lobster and whatever the catch of the day happens to be. Picture windows frame the Atlantic views on three sides, so no seat misses out on the surrounding vista.

It would be disappointing if 99 Sea Level didn’t have clear seaside views, given its name. But this restaurant and raw bar more than lives up to it, with farm-to-fork (and sea-to-spoon?) dishes made from locally-sourced seafood, meat and vegetables. The location is just seaside perfection, with patio seating perched just a few steps above the sand. Inside, picture windows also frame the Atlantic Ocean views.

Tom Ham’s restaurant has something few others do: a functioning lighthouse on its site. The beacon on Harbor Island is one of San Diego’s most recognisable landmarks, and the restaurant is one of the area’s most popular places for a special meal. Its menu is dominated by sustainably-sourced seafood like lobster corn dogs and shellfish platters, served up with sweeping vistas over San Diego Bay to the Pacific beyond.

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Gastón Acurio is widely credited with drawing the world’s attention to just how delicious Peruvian food is, and the acclaimed chef’s Miami outpost proves the point firmly. This spot – as the name La Mar suggests – is perched in the Mandarin Oriental hotel above Biscayne Bay, with views of blue melting into the Atlantic. There are also views of the Miami skyline, but the water is even lovelier, in our opinion. The food is predictably delicious, with contemporary Peruvian dishes including a range of zingy ceviche and empanadas – and perfect pisco sours.

Rehoboth Beach is one of the most-visited areas of Delaware, thanks partly to its stretches of soft sand and also its abundance of great places to eat, such as Victoria’s Restaurant. Part of the Boardwalk Hotel, this charmingly traditional dining room is arranged over three tiers, like a wedding cake. Each level has beach and ocean views, but the best spot to enjoy the menu – with modern American dishes – is the patio, right by the boardwalk.

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Dining at Geoffrey’s is like slipping into another, much more marvellous, world. One where there are views of the Pacific at every turn, where dolphins frolic in the waves while people eat, and where every single bite tastes incredible. The décor and general vibe is a mix of Mediterranean and pure Californian, with blues and whites that match the natural surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere, despite the upscale feel. Dishes include ahi tuna tartar and grilled Pacific swordfish, while the lavish brunch menu is always a winner.

Diners are positively encouraged to linger at this waterfront restaurant, part of the Wequassett Resort on the Cape Cod peninsula. And why wouldn’t they? The views are as delicious as the food. Twenty-Eight is housed in a former sea captain’s home dating from the 18th century and has windows gazing across Pleasant Bay, stretching out to the endless blue-grey of the Atlantic. The plates are pretty too, with a seafood-focused menu of dishes like butter-braised lobster and celery clam chowder earning it a stellar reputation.

Certain restaurants just seem to draw people back time and time again, even if they have to travel for it. The dining room at Little River Inn is one of those. Both hotel rooms and tables are often occupied by people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and reunions. That’s largely because of the impeccable location, slap-bang across the road from an uninterrupted view of the Pacific Ocean. The vistas are so clear, in fact, that people have reported spotting whales from their tables. Top dishes include oysters with Champagne mignonette and cioppino – a fish stew with Dungeness crab and clams.

Mississippi has some of the best beaches in the US and a string of oceanfront resorts and restaurants to take full advantage of it. The Chimneys, right opposite the water in Gulfport, strikes the perfect balance between Southern charm and relaxed, oceanfront vibes. The best tables are on the covered porch or right by the windows, which frame magnificent oak trees, a streak of pale-sand beach and the hazy blue of the ocean. The food is also coastal Southern, with seafood gumbo and crab cakes, claws, stuffed mushrooms... the list goes on!

Along with Mississippi, Alabama’s coastline boasts some of the whitest, softest sand in the country so it makes perfect sense to have a restaurant that spills right onto it. The Gulf, made up of salvaged materials and shipping containers, is a gloriously ramshackle spot serving up the freshest regional seafood, salads and grilled food, with seating on terraces or right on the sand.

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Diners at The Reef, on the beautiful barrier island of St. Augustine, don’t have to venture far to be on the beach, or even to dip their toes in the ocean. This restaurant is one of the few here that are right by the sand, with views of the Atlantic. These are some of the best seaside views in the state, in fact, and picture windows and patio seating means they can be lapped up along with snow crab legs, jumbo shrimp and freshly-caught fish.

This spot on Kauai, the “Garden Isle”, boasts some of the best ocean views in the state. The dining room at Sam’s Ocean View is open-sided, allowing the coastal breeze and views of the blue Pacific in. The menu is just as it should be at the beach, with dishes like poke nachos with ahi tuna. It’s also known for cocktails, with inventive drinks infused with fresh ingredients, like the blood orange margaritas and a mai tai made with Kauai rum.

Part of Ocean House resort, COAST is a much raved-about oceanfront spot that (as the name suggests) offers incredible seaside views. Large windows frame views of the Atlantic that blend perfectly with the soft, cottage-style blue and white décor. The four-course set menu changes with the seasons and typically includes regional ingredients like scallops from Nantucket Bay and vegetables from nearby farms.

It’s hard to avoid the ocean in Huntington Beach, known for its surfing culture, long pier and beaches the colour of crumbly shortbread biscuits. Even so, Pacific Hideaway, part of the Kimpton Shorebreak hotel, seems to have grabbed more than its fair share. The tiled patio is the place to be, with views out to Huntington Beach Pier and the Pacific Ocean. The menu is a suitably bright and breezy blend of Asian and Latin American fusion dishes, like turmeric roasted cauliflower and rock shrimp tacos.

Mobile, although it has a bay of the same name, isn’t best-known for ocean views. But Dauphin’s, tucked on the 34th floor of a skyscraper in this charming port city, has a high enough vantage point to take in not only views over Mobile Bay but beyond to the Gulf of Mexico. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal this expanse of blue beyond the city, while the food is equally distracting: plates of seafood packed with classic Southern spice and smoke.

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At A-J’s Dockside Restaurant, the décor is simple and the menu is straightforward (and delicious). The setting is something else. Located on Tybee, one of Georgia’s Golden Isles that lace the coastline here, the spot overlooks a boat dock on Tybee Creek, with views that stretch to where it joins the Atlantic. The menu is mostly seafood-based, with freshly-caught fish alongside Southern specialities like shrimp and grits, and sides such as hushpuppies (small cornmeal fritters).

People have been drawn to Nepenthe since it arrived at its enviable clifftop perch above the Big Sur coast in 1949. Long a favoured spot for poets and artists, it’s also popular with just about anyone who loves a good meal while watching the sunset. Seafood and house-made burgers are on the menu, served to the terrace or dining room, which has picture windows. It’s the views, down across treetops to creamy, bluff-backed beaches and the wild Pacific, that are the biggest attraction, though.

The Tiller, in Cliff House resort, has the look and feel of the most exclusive and luxurious dining room on a cruise ship. The beautiful curved ceiling is designed to mimic the hull of a boat, while nautical motifs abound throughout (in a cute, tasteful way). But it would be easy to miss these details because most diners’ eyes will likely be transfixed by what’s outside the huge picture windows: endless, blue-grey ocean. It must be among the best Atlantic views on the coast, and dishes like Maine mussels and lobster poutine complement it perfectly.

Part of the Fairmont Orchid hotel on the Big Island, Brown’s Beach House matches stunning surroundings with thoughtful décor and an impeccable menu. The setting is unrivalled: the tables in the alfresco space are dotted around spindly palm trees, which are pretty much the only things between diners and the ocean. The restaurant is right by Pauoa Bayb and views open right up to the Pacific. It's a favourite for sunset cocktails and dishes made with regional produce.

Diners at Restaurant Beck find it hard to draw their eyes away from the view out of the window here (or, if it’s a mild day, across the patio). The fine dining favourite is perched above Whale Cove in Depoe Bay, on Oregon’s central coast. Tables look over the bay, surrounded by rock formations, clumps of forest and small beaches, towards the Pacific. It's just glorious – as is the food. An ever-changing tasting menu features regionally-sourced ingredients from rockfish to pork belly.

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The sister restaurant to The Gulf in Orange Beach, Alabama, this mini shipping container restaurant chain takes the concept to Fort Walton Beach on dreamy Okaloosa Island. The menu is all about seafood, naturally, with dishes such as blackened mahi tacos and snow crab with corn. Everything is served with wide-open sea views and, often, live music adds to the chilled-out atmosphere.

Sierra Mar, the Post Ranch Inn’s award-winning restaurant, is as perfect as its Big Sur surroundings. The blend of wood and glass complements its Pacific Ocean views just-so – and what views they are. Suspended on a clifftop, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean (and, at night, a starry sky), it matches a world-class location with a world-class menu of coastal Californian cuisine with dishes like scallop crudo and Big Sur bouillabaisse.

This family-run restaurant has been serving delicious dishes and breathtaking views on the Big Island since 1947, and offers something a little different to the rest. The Seaside Restaurant’s menu specialises in Hawaiian-style surf ’n’ turf, oysters and poke, with seafood freshly caught from the on-site aqua farm. The décor is simple and homely. But with Loko Waka Pond on one side and Hilo Bay and the Pacific Ocean on another, anything else would surely be an unwelcome distraction.

With roof panels that are held aloft like boat sails, The Schooner has bagged itself what must be one of the most enviable spots in the Pacific North West. The restaurant sits right on the north edge of Netarts Bay, with sheltered views of Netarts Spit – a skinny stretch with pale sand – and out to the ocean. The Cape Lookout Chowder, packed with locally-sourced seafood and milk from a nearby dairy, is a menu favourite.

Oregon’s glorious coastline has been gathering more and more attention in recent years, and rightly so. And The Wayfarer is arguably the best place to eat while drinking up that scenery. The restaurant has tables right by large windows, with clear views across the pale honey beach to Haystack Rock, a dramatic sea stack. The food is also attention-grabbing. West Coast seafood plates include Dungeness crab cakes, oysters and salmon from nearby Astoria, paired with cocktails, craft beers and Oregon wines.

Overlooking Nantucket Sound, with wide-open and uninterrupted views of the Atlantic, Ocean House is a real destination restaurant. With a setting like this, it would probably be fine if they served up the most average food. They don’t, of course – expect delicious dishes like tempura lobster maki rolls, scallion pancakes and grilled oysters. This is seaside dining at its best.

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The best seaside dining often involves sand in your toes and the ocean reflected in your eyes. Sea Level offers both of these things, plus tasty tacos, burgers and hot dogs too. The blue beach cottage, in a cove in West Pass Harbor, has a smattering of picnic tables on the sand, with ocean views and a cooling Gulf breeze that ruffles through the palm trees. Menu favourites include mahi mahi tacos and freshly-squeezed lemonade.

At high tide, the water comes so close to the huge picture windows of The Marine Room that it can feel like dining on a boat (without the swaying motion). On a coastline rich in waterfront eateries, this is one of the most elegant dining rooms around. Its seafood-driven menu perfectly complements the views – glorious at any time of day but especially at sunset, when the waves often lap gently against the glass.

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