Nauti: the Dunbar harbour seafood shack named in The Scotsman

Down on the hardstanding at Victoria Harbour, with Dunbar Castle's ruins on one side and the fishing boats on the other, Nauti serves some of the freshest seafood on the East Lothian coast. It is run by owner and executive chef Brodie Goodwin, formerly head chef at Monteiths in Edinburgh, who now cooks everything to order at his own harbour-side seafood stall, and it was recently picked out by The Scotsman. It is a street-food style shack, open through the summer season, dog friendly and relaxed, and built around local produce landed more or less on the doorstep.

From Edinburgh kitchens to Dunbar harbour

Nauti is the work of chef Brodie Goodwin, who came to cooking at twenty and never looked back, drawn in by the pace, the craft and the people as much as the food itself. After years in kitchens, latterly as head chef at Monteiths in Edinburgh, he had long dreamed of a place of his own but held off, wary of rising food costs and of how exposing it feels to put your own work in front of people. When the chance of the harbour site came up through a friend, he took the leap, leaving the Edinburgh job and building the unit himself, by hand, so it would be exactly how he wanted it. It was, by his own admission, a big undertaking, but the result is genuinely his own and he is proud of it. These days he runs Nauti with his head chef and right-hand man, Sean Upjohn, who holds the fort whenever Brodie is not at the harbour. What he set out to make was honest, high quality food that does not have to be fancy, but has to taste good and be cooked well, at a price that still feels fair.

Images @a.m.photographics

What to order

The cooking is bold and flavour led, making the most of the local catch, and the menu changes with what has been landed, so it is always worth seeing what is on. Dishes that have featured include chargrilled mackerel with beetroot slaw and lemon, chargrilled lobster, smoked haddock arancini with cheese foam, and there are always vegetarian options, such as a halloumi burger or a vegan fishcake, depending on what is on. There is usually a retro fish-finger sandwich with tartar sauce too, and triple cooked chips that people rave about. It is, as the team put it, the kind of food they would want to eat themselves, a little bit special but still affordable.

Images @a.m.photographics

When and where to find Nauti

You will find Nauti at Victoria Harbour, Dunbar, EH42 1HS, set among the working boats below the castle. Opening hours vary seasonally. For the latest opening times, please check Nauti's Instagram or Facebook. Everything is made to order, so allow a little time, take in the harbour while you wait, and bring the dog if you have one. You can sit down to eat at the harbourside, or take it with you and eat further along the coast.

Images @a.m.photographics

If you are exploring Dunbar harbour and want seafood cooked fresh with a view to match, this is where we would point you. Pop down, say hello, and see what is on that day.