Kent Restaurant Guide

This pub, dating back to 1533, has been recently taken over and renovated, with the lofty aim of creating a 'food-led destination pub and country restaurant'; there's an onsite butchery and outside asado grill to help the dream come true.

A new village pub from the team behind the uber-successful Fordwich Arms. Formerly known as The White Horse Inn.

An April 2021 newcomer – an 80 seat restaurant housed in a Victorian Pumphouse beside the Medway river. Initially it is just open under the arches and on the wood decking overlooking the River Medway, with views of Queen Elizabeth 1st’ gunpowder store, the grey stone castle of Upnor on the opposite shore. As well as the ability to sample the distillery’s cocktails, the Pumproom will present a fine-dining experience and its riverside windows offer great views. A meal might start with Bone marrow, chicken crackling, smoked eel, cockles, radish & toast; followed by Ash rolled 40day aged fillet, beef shin ragout, with Granny Smith tart, toffee popcorn, and Masthouse Whisky custard to finish.

Sam Maynard, who previously worked at Hotel Du Vin, Gallivant and The Beacon, along with local chef Adam Sear, have opened this pub restaurant that aims to showcase the finest produce in Sussex and Kent.

“It seems wrong just to call it a pub… it’s so much more”. Stephen Harris’s epic inn – the UK’s best – is “well worth the trip from London” (or beyond), and “is an adventure to reach, along a virtually deserted road and through the salt marshes beside the Thames Estuary near Whitstable”. “The exterior is a bit of a shock: it looks like what it is – a weather-beaten, old building on the coast”. And there’s little hint of anything special from the “shabby chic” interior either; it’s “lovely and casual” but “not plush”; with “an authentic, scrubbed-table pub atmosphere”. But when it comes to the cuisine, “for once the hype is justified”: “it deserves all its plaudits” for the “clever” and “distinctive” but “no-nonsense” food “with a very local touch”. There’s a “fantastic tasting menu which has to be pre-ordered, although they now do a daily tasting option that doesn't need to be pre-ordered”. Or you can just choose from “the most dynamic chalkboard menu ever, regularly updated during service as they sell out of items, but always seemingly with ‘reserve’ to add in”. The fish in particular is “wonderful and fresh” (Top Tips are “local native oysters in season” and “those slip soles. Oh my!”). “Also, there’s no searching for sides (at extra cost) as the course is complete – a refreshing change, and to be applauded”. Service is “sensitive, positive and inclusive” and “first class” in a “low key” kind of way. In fact, through and through, “for such excellence, prices are very reasonable, and the wine prices even more so, thus it’s hardly surprising that even a mid-week, out-of-season lunch needs booking several weeks ahead!”

“Not the easiest place to find in what is apparently Britain’s smallest town” – Dan Smith (ex Clove Club), Tash Norton and Guy Palmer’s venture is barely two years old and “has really hit its stride” as one of the UK’s best dining destinations: “high end, but not poncy”. Picturesquely located on the river, “when you enter it feels initially more like a pub with food, but my goodness you are soon disavowed of that!”. “Every dish is beautifully crafted and presented” – “superbly intelligent combinations, prepared with skill and ambition” – and with “flavours that just hit you”. What’s more “staff are so attentive and polite and seem genuinely to care!”

“Amazing food overlooking the harbour” with “a view to die for!” – Mark Sargeant’s “elegant” waterside venture is nowadays one of the survey’s most popular dining destinations, drawing fans from across Kent and on days out from the capital (“wish we lived closer!”). Particularly prized (as you might expect, given its proximity to the sea) for its “terrific, locally sourced” fish and seafood – it’s “ideal for a special occasion, although it is somewhat pricey”.