Starsky &Hatch

Starsky & Hatch occupies a kiosk on Bottle Alley, the concrete promenade beneath St Leonards seafront, where owners Rory and Laura opened their coffee counter in 2021. Rory spent years researching coffee abroad, including a spell living on a farm in Colombia, before running cafés in central London; Laura shapes the food side, drawing on local suppliers for dishes such as smoked mackerel on sourdough and Sri Lankan curries served at weekend pop-ups. Mornings bring cinnamon buns and flat whites watched over by the sunrise; on fine weekends the festoon-lit terrace hosts DJs and live bands. The pair took on the site to bring life back to a stretch of promenade that had fallen quiet, and their beachfront counter now anchors a run of independent openings along the Lower Promenade. Opening hours run Wednesday to Sunday, weather and season dependent.