Review of 'The Coast'
In our never-ending search for somewhere good to eat we headed off to Tarporley which is just 20 minutes from where we live. Despite being in the area for a few years now we have never visited the town and we were very impressed with many nice shops and good looking restaurants including “The Coast” in the middle of town on the High Street. As it was a Saturday evening we made sure to make a reservation which is just as well as by the time we left the place was quite busy.
The interior is quite light and airy with slightly kitsch decór complete with fake greenery and modern art on the walls. As you enter there is a small bar on the left and booths along the wall to the left with tables filling up the rest of the space but they are a good distance apart and you never feel crowded in.
The menu is generally Italian but there are a number of dishes from other cuisines which makes it a bit quirky. The single sided menu is divided into “Breads & Olives”, “Starters”, “Pasta & Risotto”, “Pizza” (four options), “Salads” (two options), “Meat”, “Grill” (steaks, beef and pork, served with vine tomatoes and a choice of fries or sweet potato fries; sauces extra), “Fish” then “Sides”. The prices are not too bad with the fillet steak (8oz), as might be expected, being the most expensive at £37.95. The bar offers a full service (I ordered an alcohol-free gin and my companion had a pint of lemonade).
We were both drawn to the “French Onion Soup” (£9.95; “parmesan croute, french bread & butter”) which was absolutely gorgeous - Though looking thin the broth was incredibly rich and it was nice they did not overwhelm the bowl with cheese and bread. The single crouton was deliciously cheesy and the side bread fresh with lightly salted butter. A good portion for a starter and we would not have wanted more.
For her main, my companion ordered the “Chicken Diavola” (£21.95; “grilled, flattened chicken breast, spicy nduja calabrian sausage, spicy arriabatta sauce, chilli & garlic spinach”) which very simply presented but she found it quite good though, oddly, a bit underwhelming in flavour. The chicken was juicy and the sauce was tasty.
I am a sucker for risotto so I opted for the “Seafood Risotto” (£21.95; “arborio rice, wild red prawn, king prawns, mussels, calamari, clams, cherry vine tomatoes, chilli, garlic, saffron, cherry tomato sauce”) which was very good indeed though my companion, on tasting, found the risotto very “fishy”. It was perfectly fine for me but, of course, a bit fiddly with all of the shells and I even found some small pieces of shell in the risotto. The seafood was all very fresh with the prawns verging on being overcooked which is not too surprising. The rice was al denté, as is correct, and the sauce very fresh with no hint of the “chilli” mentioned in the menu.
Though satisfied with our dinner so far we opted to have a look at the dessert menu which is a small single-sided affair that also includes “Coffee & Speciality Teas” and “Dessert Wine & Port”. My companion opted for the “Lemon Tart” (£9; “with chantilly cream, strawberries & fruit coulis”) which she found distinctly underwhelming though I thought it tasted quite nice. She wanted more lemon flavour but the crusty pastry and the (out of season) fruit were both very good.
My “White Chocolate & Raspberry Semifreddo” (£9; “semi-frozen italian mousse, topped with fresh raspberries & raspberry coulis”) was approved by the waitress and was very tasty. The “semifreddo” was more “frozen” then “semi” but very delicious with the raspberry providing a bit of sharp contrast to the sweet. The white chocolate was quite obvious but nicely was not over sweet.
At just over £105 for the two of us (including a 10% service charge included) for three courses including a drink it was not that bad though it is a bit on the pricy side. The food was certainly presented very nicely and tasted generally very good. The waiting staff were very welcoming and friendly as well, offering suggestions when asked and being quite honest with us. We were allowed to sit and enjoy the experience in the comfortable chairs, allowed a nice amount of time between courses to just relax.
A very pleasant and delicious restaurant in Tarporley. Some of the flavours were occasionally bland however the ingredients were top notch and most of the time it was exactly what we expected…no huge surprises. We look forward to returning to try more from their menu.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-03-14
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 67 High St, Cheshire, Tarporley CW6 0DP ENGLAND
Location: Cheshire (England) - Tarporley
Map:
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Telephone: +44 1829 730785
URL: https://www.thecoasttarporley.co.uk/