Andy Frary's crab. Billy Ward's lobster. Oysters from the Southerland family at Brancaster Staithe. Wells Crab House, on Freeman Street in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, names the people supplying its seafood. Kelly and Scott Dougal own and run the restaurant. It's a small place and it's seafood from start to finish: dressed crab, lobster, oysters and the platters that put a bit of everything on the table at once. I'm listing it for the names. Plenty of menus on this coast say local crab and leave it there. This one tells you who caught it or grew it, and in a fishing town that's the whole point of ordering shellfish. It also means that when you like the crab, you know whose crab to look out for next time. The oysters are farmed in Brancaster Staithe harbour, a few miles west along the coast. If you're staying in Wells, Mrs Temple's makes cheese close by, and The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe serves shellfish from the beds at the bottom of its garden. Book ahead and order the crab.

Which local producers do you source from?

Crab from Andy Frary of Wells. Lobster from Billy Ward. Oysters from the Southerland family, who farm them in Brancaster Staithe harbour. The restaurant names all three, which is rarer than it should be. Between them they cover the three things most people come to this coast to eat.

Do we need to make a reservation? If so how do we do this?

Reservations in advance are recommended. Tables are booked online through ResDiary, linked from the Wells Crab House website.

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/wellscrabhouse/

Check availability and book

https://www.resdiary.com/Restaurant/WellsCrabHouse

Signature dishes or seasonal menu highlights

Frary's dressed Wells crab. Billy Ward's lobster. Brancaster oysters from the Southerland family. Seafood platters that bring crab, lobster and shellfish to the table together. The restaurant names the people supplying them.

Our sourcing story

Wells Crab House buys its shellfish from named people on this stretch of coast and tells you who they are. The crab comes from Andy Frary and the lobster from Billy Ward, and both names appear on the menu. The oysters come from the Southerland family, who farm them in the harbour at Brancaster Staithe. Kelly and Scott Dougal could have written local seafood and left it at that. Instead they name the people working the water around Wells, which tells you more about where your dinner came from than any amount of adjectives. If you care about who caught your crab, this is the restaurant on the North Norfolk coast that will tell you.

Website

https://wellscrabhouse.co.uk

Address Summary

Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1BA