THE owners of Southend’s hugely popular Ocean Beach seafront restaurant have officially opened a sister venue in Old Leigh, on the site of a former seafood restaurant. 

Jonathan Bacon and Ritchie Bridge, owners of Ocean Beach, have opened Cockleshed No.1 this week after they transformed the old Simply Seafood restaurant which had fallen into a state-of-disrepair since closing in 2020. 

Ocean Beach, on Eastern Esplanade, offers modern cuisine from a glass dining room with views of the Thames Estuary and has proved a huge hit with residents and tourists a like. 

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Now, bosses hope to have similar success in Old Leigh with the new restaurant also offering customers views of the Thames Estuary as they tuck into breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Christopher Spracklen, partner and manager at Cockleshed No.1, said: “It is a unique family-run restaurant in the heart of Old Leigh, which offers a wide and diverse selection of high-quality fresh food with a great atmosphere and view.

“We hope this new venue will enjoy the same success as Ocean Beach and we can only hope that customers enjoy this place as much, after all it is the customers that make the business what it is.

“The menu and style are similar but there will be new dishes to sample.”

Simply Seafood reportedly closed many years ago after the previous owner suffered from poor health and the building has been left empty since, falling into a state of disrepair in Leigh’s popular Old Town. 

However, owners of Ocean Beach saw an opportunity in the location of the venue and took the jump to repair it and open and second venue.

In the future, bosses are also hoping to be able to extend it further to increase the capacity and are considering submitting additional plans to Southend Council for an expansion.

Mr Spracklen added: “The building had fell into a state of disrepair.

“It has been a bit of a slog making repairs to get everything ready and back in working order, but we are finally there.

“We are so glad to be able to be open in time for the rest of the summer months.”

“We do also have plans for the future to increase both the views and internal capacity once planning permission is achieved.

“We then hope they will also help secure the future success of the venue.”