Broadstairs Restaurant Guide

“I absolutely adore this place and have been eating here for years” – “it’s perfect for a date night or to catch up with friends”, agree fans of this pizza independent with a sharp focus on toppings made from local Kentish ingredients. Founded in 2012, it has bounced back after being gutted in an arson attack two years ago.

“A tiny marvel in Margate” with “tables outside to extend it in better weather”. “If you like fish in all its various incarnations, then please please visit! At first glance it looks slightly crammed in… that’s because it is!… it’s a small building and they clearly need to fit as many tables in as they can”. But fans say that “rather than being off-putting, this just adds to its charm”. “Fabulous locally caught super-fresh fish is served alongside the most delicious vegetables and herbs ever: who knew courgette could taste like that?!” “Staff competently and charmingly squeeze their way through to deliver dishes that vary seasonally”. “The freshest of fish dishes are the best… kept simple and treated with respect. How they get that out of the tiny kitchen is amazing!”

“Varied and well prepared seafood” is the “pleasing” proposition at this ten-year-old venue with “excellent views of Margate sands” – “cocktails are lovely on the terrace while watching the sunset”. Founders Nadine & Simon Morriss also “look after those who are not into fish”, and have launched a nearby spin-off street-food spot, Beach Buoys. Top Menu Tip – “monkfish curry is recommended”.

“Our go-to for a tasty bite in Margate”; the “fun” younger sibling of restaurant-with-rooms Angela’s, round the corner, “punches above its weight” by all accounts, turning out “excellent” small-ish plates based on the day’s catch (often delivered raw, cured or pickled) plus vegetables from their co-op (they also have a shop stocking biodynamic wines).

It’s “unusual to get a quality outlet on a pier”, but that’s the score at this five-year-old joint, enjoying “excellent views of France across the Channel”; on the menu, “good value” breakfast and brunch options (not least the ‘bottomless brunch’ including unlimited Aperol Spritz) and “fantastic” steak and lobster evenings on Friday and Saturday nights.

“We love The Dog” chorus fans of this old village pub just outside Canterbury where “the food gets better and better – it’s easily some of the best gastropub food in Kent these days”. Landlord Marc Bridgen “and the team always give a fantastic welcome” and “work very hard to maintain a high-quality establishment”.

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”.

“It looks like a typical pub from the outside but what a surprise inside” – Daniel & Natasha Smith jointly run the kitchen at this riverside pub that they purchased in 2017, and which nowadays is one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. “There’s not a false note in the memorable experience”: “polished and attentive service delivers a succession of superb dishes – cooking of sustained excellence that’s worth every penny”. “In the summer, there are a few tables by the river and it’s delightful watching the passing boats”.

“Outstanding fresh seafood at a reasonable price” and a full range of “authentic Italian dishes” including pizzas and pasta are served by “cheerful, incredibly helpful staff (often Italian)” at this “very well run and authentic” Kent-based operation – launched 30 years ago by life-long friends Vincenzo Esposito & Espedito Tammaro. These days they have a trio of Neapolitan-style venues in Broadstairs, Faversham and Canterbury.

“Fresh-off-the-boat fish is supplied by local fishmonger Jason” and “imaginatively, even exotically, cooked” at this Mediterranean sharing-plates bistro (est. 2021), whose other virtues include a “joyous bar to dine at” and “a few outdoor tables which are quite sheltered” (plus have views over Viking Bay). The “consistently good service is overseen by Sarah Kebbels”, who here makes her first – very successful – foray into the restaurant world alongside husband Richard.

“Utterly delicious French-leaning but more broadly European food” is building a culinary reputation for this recent arrival: a 40-seat back room added on to an established Francophile wine bar. “Front-of-house is run by ebullient owner Natalia Ribbe who makes all feel welcome” and chef Billy Stock’s small plates are “as well-suited to sharing as to having one’s own courses”. Top Menu Tip – “particular highlights (if on the menu) are the chicken schnitzel with Café de Paris butter and rhubarb choux bun… but everything is excellent”.

A seaside spin-off from the owners of London’s fooderati-favourite Brawn that’s now three years old; it may be “another small-plates restaurant” (this one set in a low-slung red-brick building hugging the sea wall and with a “view across the harbour back to Margate”) but it’s by no means rote, delivering delicious seafood- and vegetable-centric cooking alongside a “great wine selection that changes frequently” (plus DJ nights and other one-off happenings). Follow up a visit with a mooch round Turner Contemporary, three minutes away on foot.

This two-year-old neighbourhood bistro, handy for the station, pairs the British and Spanish backgrounds of owners Ben Hughes and Rafael Lopez, who honed their talents working at The Goods Shed in Canterbury. Local fans say the cooking is “absolutely beautiful” – “all local and seasonal” – with “great imagination shown” despite the simple descriptions on the menu. Further boons: the “great-value set lunch” (two courses £26, three courses £29.50) and “very warm” service “with a smile”.

“Wow! What a delightful surprise” – this newbie with “great izakaya food” from chef Luke Green, who spent five years in Japan, has turned a lot of heads, and makes “a fantastic addition to the restaurant scene in East Kent”. Sharing the building with a yoga studio, it is run by Alex Bagner & Chris Hicks, the couple behind the nearby Rose hotel and restaurant.

“A bit hidden away, right down on the south coast of Kent, but really worth the trek” – this “idyllic” 17th-century farmstead (now hotel and restaurant) is overseen by Oli Brown and FOH Ruth, the daughter of Le Café Anglais founder Rowley Leigh, where Oli used to work. Alongside its many local fans in our diners’ poll, it’s now also a “hangout for the chattering classes down from London”, who arrive at the “charming farmhouse and wander down to the bottom of the garden” to the conservatory dining room, which turns out “delicious, open fire-grilled” seasonal fare in a “magical” setting beneath the vines.