A Whitley Bay seafront restaurant has created a stunning outdoor space to enable guests to enjoy a spot of al fresco drinking and dining in the summer sunshine.
Hinnies Restaurant, based on Whitley Bay’s East Parade, has opened a new terrace offering guests the chance to indulge in a lunchtime or early evening bite in the sun and to sip a drink whilst looking out to sea.
The pavement entrance in front of Hinnies has now been transformed into a picturesque courtyard complete with cosy, fixed natural stone and timber seating booths nestled between raised, bespoke, salt-tolerant planting, sheltering guests from any coastal breezes.
The terrace is dog-friendly and cyclist-friendly, featuring specially installed bike racks so that cyclists have a secure space to store their bikes while they enjoy a break at Hinnies. The location is also ideally placed to take advantage of extensive morning and lunchtime sunshine, and seats facing east and south have been installed in the seafront haven.
Hinnies commissioned Gosforth-based landscape architects, Elmfield Gardens and North Tyneside landscape contractors, Landscape 35 to create the garden.
Jo McCreadie, owner of Elmfield Gardens said: “Our brief was to bring the inside out, transforming the area in front of the restaurant into a delightful alfresco terrace. The restaurant was to be extended outside, with the pavement entrance in front of Hinnies to be redesigned to create a space to enjoy a lunch time or early evening bite in the sun and a drink whilst looking out to sea.
“We took our inspiration for the new design from not only the interior of Hinnies, but also from its coastal location. Within the new courtyard, cosy timber seating booths nestle between raised planting sheltering you from the wind, whilst “drift wood” inspired paving edged with sandstone guides you to the front door of the Restaurant. Everything has been carefully considered, there are even bike racks now so you don’t have to worry if your bike will be secure while relaxing mid ride!”
Paul Monaghan of Landscape 35, who are based at West Allotment worked closely with Elmfield Gardens to ensure that the vision for the new courtyard terrace was complete in time for guests to enjoy the summer sunshine.
Andy Hook, owner of Hinnies said: “Our new outside terrace looks wonderful and it’s been great to work with local suppliers Jo and Paul – they’ve put a lot of hard work into this project and it’s everything we hoped it would be. In the past, we’ve struggled to accommodate cyclists and guests with dogs, but now our al fresco dining space can be a relaxed space for everyone to enjoy – whether they need a break from cycling, somewhere to chill out after a dog walk, or simply want to enjoy beautiful views of the North Sea.”
“This is a very exciting time of regeneration for Whitley Bay, and we feel proud to play our part in improving the look of the East Parade. We can’t wait to see what our guests think.”
Andy, who also owns Blackfriars Restaurant and Dobson & Parnell in Newcastle opened Hinnies 18 months ago, offering ‘Geordie comfort food’ to diners. Since opening Hinnies has made a big impact on the local dining scene and has won a number of awards including the OpenTable Diners’ Choice North East Award; The Journal’s Best Value Restaurant and was nominated for Best Small Business in the North Tyneside Business Awards
For further information about Hinnies, call 0191 447 0500, visit www.hinnies.co.uk, like Hinnies Family Restaurant on Facebook, and follow @HinniesRest on Twitter.
Hinnies Restaurant, East Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, NE26 1AP.