The Hook & Line is a cafe, bar and restaurant in Plymouth’s Royal William Yard. Originally the Royal Navy’s main depot for food and arms, the Grade I listed dockyards are shining examples of late Georgian industrial architecture and between 1998-2008 were transformed into a series of restaurants, bars, shops and offices. The Hook & Line occupies the yard’s former slaughterhouse and is run by fisherman Ben Squire and hospitality industry veteran Steve Page. Much of the restaurant’s seafood is caught by one of its three fishing boats, with these also providing the fish for a range of fish boxes that are sold twice weekly at The Hook & Line.
The decor is rustic and pays homage to the dockyard's storied military past. The original brickwork is on display throughout, combined with long steel girders and wood that could have easily come straight off a fishing boat. Food is served from breakfast to dinner and every dish is shaped by an ethos of minimal cooking that allows the ingredients to shine through.
The main menu starters include tiger prawn cocktail, Thai fish cakes, insalate di mare, and crispy whitebait. For mains, there’s grilled sardines, monkfish coconut curry, West Country mussels and chips, and a seafood platter. This is comprised of oysters, sardines, cuttlefish calamari, prawns, mackerel pate, scallops, and mussels served with sourdough and lemon aioli. There are also non-fish dishes including a cheeseburger and a fried chicken burger.
The Hook & Line also has a rum bar, a tribute to the Royal Navy’s rum ration, a tradition that survived well into the 1970s and saw sailors given an eighth of an imperial pint of rum every day at midday. A huge selection of both local rums and those from further afield are on offer and available either neat, with a mixer, or in a cocktail.