Review
Venus at Broadsands

On a sunny day with the tide low and the holiday vibes high, there are few better places to be than sitting outside a beach café. For now, we’ll have to imagine what that’s like because the wind is howling and the rain seems to be going sideways. But here (very much) inside the Venus café at Broadsands, the people, the atmosphere and the food are enough to make us feel that those long summer days are not far off.

Founded in 1958 by Michael Smith, Louisa Newman and Lee Porter, Venus has eating beside the seaside down to a fine art. This family-run firm has bagged some of the best spots on the South Devon coast, with cafés at Bigbury-on-Sea, the seafront at Teignmouth and here, right next to Broadsands beach in Paignton. The menu is fresh, mostly local and just what you want after a hard day’s sandcastle building, paddleboarding or lying on a blanket doing absolutely nothing.

We arrived just before my other half’s late shift at work, after a tough morning spent dropping the kids off at school, then walking the dog in an unseasonal blizzard. But for an hour or so at least, we could pretend we were on holiday.

Luke ordered one of the Venus Devon burgers (of course), a 6oz patty of grass-fed beef with two slices of cheese and two rashers of right-nice bacon. It came with a side of homemade garlic slaw and he ordered fries. Juicy and beefy was how he described it.

I felt sure I was going for a fish or chicken taco but then I saw the ‘seafood specials’ board with a choice of catch from one of the local day boats. As we sat looking over at Brixham, it seemed like the right thing to do. The special of the day was mackerel – perfectly and simply cooked. It reminded me just how underrated it often is. The meaty fish was nicely offset by a wakame seaweed salad. This Asian-inspired little sneaky side ended up being one of my favourite things about the entire lunch.

We finished with a trio of squares of raspberry Bakewell cake, millionaire’s shortbread and a citrusy cheesecake. I’d like to say they were mere palette cleansers, but they were much more sweet and satisfying than that.

Lunch was rounded off with a lovely chat with Louisa Newman (one of the owners at Venus), who popped out from the busy kitchen to say hello. We chatted about all sorts, from kids to living in Devon, plus the state of the world and the firm’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. All Venus cafés use home-compostable packaging and work with like-minded suppliers and local producers. It all added to the general warm feeling of this place before we zipped up our coats and headed back out to the rain and the daily grind. Roll on summer!