At first, you may think that there aren’t many places to eat on the docks. Ashton’s dock area isn’t, after all, famous for its cafes, there is no fast food strip, nor is this the centre of Preston’s pub culture.

When you look at what is actually available, however, you’ll find that there is a huge range of eateries on the docks. Whilst there is no single type of food establishment, there are in fact elements of all the types mentioned above. The docks are, therefore, well worth considering if you just want a few drinks, if you want a snack, or if you want a three-course meal.

The Boat House cafe, near to the swing bridge is the perfect place to have a quick cup of coffee and a snack if you’re just taking a stroll round the dock.

Two pubs

There are two pubs on the docks: the Ribble Pilot and the Waterfront. Both pubs are well established, having been on the docks for around 20 years. As well as the usual drinks, both pubs serve food throughout the day.

Both pubs are ideal starting points or end points for that stroll around the docks, and if you go later in the evening, visiting both pubs can be an excellent start to a night in the city centre, or they can form part of a mini Ashton pub crawl.

Other eateries

The docks also have a Mexican restaurant, Chiquitos, popular with cinema-goers as it is right next door to the Odeon. If you want an informal, cheap and cheerful cafe, in the meantime, it’s worth popping into Morrisons, which offers a wide range of un-fussy food at good prices.

The Green Frog

One of the most popular places for snacks is The Green Frog, which is a takeaway stall next to the parking area on the dockside near Morrisons. The Green Frog takes advantage of the fact that many people visiting the docks don’t want to visit shops, they just want to drive to the docks take a stroll. These people often buy burgers or hot drinks from The Green Frog. Other stalls are sometimes available on this part of the docks.

Fast food

Unsurprisingly for such a popular shopping area, McDonalds and KFC are both on the docks, for families in a hurry and people looking for a treat after all their shopping.

Eight eateries

There are eight places on the docks where you can find food and drink. Looking at the wide range of food establishments, it seems that the docks have become an eating area more by luck than by design.

There is a cafe in a supermarket and in the docks’ offices; entrepreneurs have set up stalls on the dockside, all showing that there is huge need to give people something more to do than just shop in this picturesque part of Preston. The dockside could be much more than just a shopping area.

Your opinion

As stated in the introduction to this article, we’re not quite sure if the docks is for boozing, snacking or dining. Is this variety a good thing, or should the docks be focused in a specific direction? Could it be a place for an evening out, or should more smaller cafes be encouraged? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A new Chinese restaurant called Tang opened recently on Fylde Road. The restaurant offers its own dedicated Karaoke rooms so you can enjoy a Chinese meal whilst listening to your friends sing 'I will survive' without the fear of other people hearing your X Factor audition! According to the restaurant's website: “It doesn’t matter if you are a bad singer here because you are just in the room with your friends.”

Anyone driving down Fylde Road before Christmas 2009 will have seen the rennovation of the old Dr Syntax pub. Whilst its sad to see the disappearance of old pubs in Preston, it's great to see that the buildings are being put to a new use.

One reader of ashtononribble.com (Chinese, no less) has already recommended the food Tang has to offer.

For more details, visit the restaurant's website.