Herne Bay, British, Traditional - Restaurant Guide

A Whitstable fixture since 1984 – this “lovely local French-style bistro” run by Philip & Sue Colthup (helped these days by son Rhys) offers a “well-cooked and presented menu” that’s “heavily dependent on seafood, given its proximity to the harbour”. It recently added “a lovely courtyard garden” to help cope with demand at busy times of the year. Top Tip – “very good value set lunch”.

2023 Review: The dining room “upstairs in a rickety old pub, with wonderful views over Whitstable Bay”, offers a “good mix of innovative food” – including “beautifully cooked fish” – “and homemade pub classics, served by staff from the kitchen on the floor below”. “Eaten there many times: the ambience is excellent and always found the food good”.

“Situated in the covered market next to Canterbury station, this mezzanine-floor restaurant allows you to enjoy delicious food in an interesting setting”, with its “small menu of local and seasonal things” (wholesome soups, tarts, salad bowls) reducing the food miles to about two feet. While, for the odd longtime visitor, there’s a sense that “prices have shot up” of late, the opposing view is that it’s “still as good as it was twenty years ago”, with “wine from a nearby vineyard” to wash down the “locally sourced everything”.

2025 Review: This “lovely gastropub in a pretty Kent village” with “well-kept beer and very good food” – including “unusual dishes such as a celeriac and truffle tart” – is part of Saga heir Josh De Haan’s Pickled Egg group. Top Tip – “enjoyed a drink in front of the log fire while looking at the menu”.

“A mixture of very interesting small plates and main dishes” inspires limited but very positive feedback for this ‘family run, dog friendly restaurant’ – chef Jamie’s food is more ambitious than you might think given the easygoing style of the place. Top Menu Tip – handy for brunch!

“A real gem by the sea”, this “stunning” family-owned indie of recent origin has a dramatic location under historic York Gate with wonderful views, and a winning interior featuring stained-glass windows and chapel chairs. The “always interesting and varying menu” revolves around a short list of sharing plates cooked over fire: pork belly and fish feature (there are roasts on Sunday) but it’s also “somewhere where they care about the vegetables as much as the meat”. One visiting Londoner who stumbled across it by chance “absolutely loved the place”, which is also “dog-friendly”.