Dover Restaurant Guide

For “brilliant fish” in a “stunning setting by the harbour”, look no further than this curved modern restaurant – opened in 2011 by Sir Roger De Haan, Saga billionaire and Folkestone philanthropist – which has by all accounts recovered from a blip in standards when founding chef Mark Sargeant left a couple of year ago. New head chef Akos Mate’s “delicious” food makes it a “seaside restaurant to seal that deal – business conversations are not distracted but enhanced by the professionalism of the service”. There’s a new upstairs wine bar with its own menu, including a strong oyster selection.

This “great coffee shop on the Old High Street”, amid the galleries and antique shops of Folkestone’s ‘Creative Quarter’, combines yummy cakes with poetry, classics and local books to browse or buy – which “adds another dimension”.

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.

“Delighted with the food matches and the quality of the produce” – chef Allister Barsby and manager Alice Bussi’s are celebrating their fifth year at this “lovely little restaurant… their Michelin star is well deserved”. All reports this year are unanimous on its “consistently fabulous cooking, with service and wines to match” which provided some diners with their best meal of the year. “I might have given it 5/5 for food, service and atmosphere had there been more guests creating a warmer atmosphere”.

“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 manor house link in the Pig chain, three miles south of Canterbury, continues to elicit notably solid feedback; the dining room (which has the airs of a potting shed, courtesy of its preserve-lined walls) follows the locally sourced ‘25-mile’ menu of the rest of the litter, making the most of the Kentish produce; there were reports this year of some “exceptional” dishes which were also “very good value”. It’s possible to opt for more casual wood-fired snacks in the Garden Oven, while there’s more foodie goodness on offer if you stay overnight in one of their idiosyncratic rooms (“dunno where they get their breakfast pastries from, but wow!”).

“Top-end food in a pub setting” has won plaudits for ex-Clove Club chef Daniel Smith and his wife Tasha, a pastry chef, since they took over this 16th-century former coaching inn just south of Canterbury three years ago: “there’s a nice mix of people just having a drink and those out for a top-notch meal”. Its ratings declined this year, though, due to a couple of diners who feel “prices are ludicrous for good, but far from exceptional food”. The Smiths also run the nearby Fordwich Arms. Top Tip – “the set menu represents terrific value”.

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”.

“On top form since chef-owner Dev Biswal closed his Margate and Rye outposts to focus on this establishment” in 2022 – and gave it a Chaucerian rebrand, focusing on “fine Indian dining using mostly locally sourced and seasonal produce”. Those who loved it in its Ambrette days say it “never fails to deliver interesting and delicious food at reasonable prices”, be it “savoury toasted sandwiches of spicy potato, chicken tikka finger sandwiches, and fried sweet potato” or “spice-enriched scones with jam and cream” (all with Biswal “present to explain” the dishes’ origins).

“Trendy meals for university students impressing their visiting parents” are praised at this “fun” contemporary operation. The clue is in the name, when it comes to the menu-focus – “the meaty platters are huge, so come with a healthy appetite as portions are hearty”. On the downside, some see it as “good all-round but overpriced”.

“Still zinging after all these years”, this colourful Westgate outfit (est. 1988) is not the Gallic eatery you’d expect from the name, but rather a “very popular” and “lively” Mexican. Between the “happy atmosphere” and “scrumptious” cuisine, “a pilgrimage to Canterbury for Café des Amis is a must” (with the option to check out their local sibling Café du Soleil – part of a three-strong mini-empire that surprisingly includes a Hawaiian spin-off).

This “long-term favourite” in an old railway shed has “certainly put itself on the map” thanks to “solid cooking at reasonable prices using produce from the farmers‘ market with which it shares a home”. It’s a “buzzy” sort of place whose “tasty, wholesome dishes” can be “washed down with some excellent Kentish wine” – all backdropped by candlelight if you visit in the evening as the market winds down.

“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.

“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.