Open week adds roughly 40,000 people per day to a town that normally sees a fraction of that. Every restaurant in Southport will be busy. Some will be overwhelmed. The ones that aren't will have either planned exceptionally well or aren't worth going to in the first place. Here's how to eat well during the most chaotic week of Southport's year.
The golden rule: book everything
I cannot say this strongly enough. If you want a restaurant meal on any evening from Thursday 16 July onwards, you need a reservation. Saturday 18 July (Moving Day) is the hardest — people are celebrating good rounds and consoling bad ones in equal measure, and every table in the town is spoken for from 6pm. Book now. Do it today. Don't wait until the week.
Best for dinner — make a reservation now
These are the restaurants worth the effort of booking, in no particular order:
- →The Swan, Churchtown — proper food in a proper setting, 10 minutes from the town centre. My first choice for a special Open week dinner.
- →Volare, Lord Street — reliable Italian, good wine, consistently strong. One of the few places in town you can get a genuinely good pasta at 8pm on a Saturday.
- →Birkdale village restaurants — the village's independents are your best bet for avoiding the main town centre crush. Worth the short taxi ride.
- →Hickory's Smokehouse — chains aren't usually my recommendation, but Hickory's handles volume and has the kitchen for it. Good for groups.
Lunch at the course
The on-site food village at Royal Birkdale is genuinely decent during Open week. There are proper food stalls, not just burger vans. If you plan to eat lunch at the course and dinner in town, you're spreading the pressure in a sensible way. Queue for food mid-morning before the main rush.
Birkdale village — the smart choice
Birkdale village is 10 minutes south of the town centre, right next to the course. The restaurants and cafés here fill up quickly on practice days as players and caddies wander around. But they're slightly off the main tourist trail, which means they're marginally less chaotic than the Lord Street options.
Breakfast — where to start your day
If you're heading out for a full day at the course, eat a proper breakfast first. The independent cafés on and around Lord Street do solid full English breakfasts. Southport Market opens in the morning and has good options for a casual start. For hotel guests, a full hotel breakfast before heading out is the most efficient option.
🍽️Don't underestimate the value of a late lunch strategy. Eating at 3pm rather than 1pm means avoiding the main rush at both the course food stalls and town centre restaurants. If you can be flexible, early or late always wins during Open week.
What to avoid
Walk-in dining on championship evenings without a plan. Delivery apps in the immediate Birkdale area during Open week — drivers can't get near the course. Anywhere on the main seafront strip that you wouldn't normally eat at — they'll be at capacity and the quality won't improve under pressure.
We have a full guide to restaurants for Open week — curated by location and type.
Open 2026 restaurants guide →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk — Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
