Eating and drinking on Sark

Sark has restaurants, pubs, cafes, tea gardens and small shops whose offerings change with the season.

The choice is smaller than in a city. Dining rooms are small, and local produce appears when it is available.

A meal usually begins with a walk

Going out for dinner on Sark begins with a walk or cycle through the lanes. By the time you arrive, you have noticed the light, the temperature and the quiet after the last day visitors have left.

Good kitchens on a small island

Sark’s restaurants work with limited storage, seasonal demand and deliveries that arrive by sea. Good menus are often focused rather than large.

Hathaway’s is the restaurant and cafe inside La Seigneurie Gardens. Stocks Hotel is the island’s higher end option.

Ask what is especially good that day. Fresh fish and shellfish are an obvious place to start. Caragh Chocolates also makes chocolate on Sark.

Guests on a Sark Soul retreat have chef-prepared vegetarian meals included during the five-night stay, so eating out is something you can choose rather than something you need to organise every day.

Two island pubs

The Mermaid Tavern was established in the early 1900s and is described as the island’s oldest pub. The Bel Air Inn is on the Avenue towards the harbour end.

Opening hours and menus can vary with the season, so check the venue you want to visit before setting out.

Tea gardens fit naturally into a walk

A tea garden on Sark is often a stop during a longer walk. After an hour or more on a lane or cliff path, you may come to a garden with outdoor tables serving tea, cake or a light lunch.

You sit, eat, then carry on along the route.

Self-catering takes a little planning

Cooking for yourself on Sark is straightforward, but the island’s shops do not offer the range or opening hours of a large supermarket.

There is no cash machine on Sark, so bring some cash or plan to pay by card. Several shops and cafes offer cashback on a card purchase, usually with a minimum spend of around £5.

Buy the basics, then build meals around what is available. Leave room for a meal out, a tea garden stop or something picked up during the day.

Book the meal that matters most

If there is one restaurant or dinner you particularly want, book it. Leave the rest of the week flexible.

Our self-catering article looks at how a full week works, while Is Sark expensive? covers the wider cost question. When to visit Sark explains how the island changes through the seasons.

Download the travel guide below for the practical details of getting here.