Seasalter, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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”.

“As always the food at the Sportsman is stellar” but as always it is the fact that it’s “served in a relaxed environment” which “makes a visit unforgettable” to Stephen Harris’s “splendid” hostelry which “has been modernised but still has the ambience of a pub”: a “diner’s delight” situated “by the Thames Estuary on an ancient saltmarsh and true to its location”. But while “the atmosphere is informal, the cuisine is totally serious”, “to the highest of standards” and at very “fair prices”. “The wine list, carefully chosen by the host, is classic, eclectic and great value too”, so, not unsurprisingly, it “gets very booked up” and is nowadays one of the top-10 most commented-on venues outside London in our annual diners’ poll. The normal menu is a five-courser, nowadays for £85 per person, although there is a three-course mid-week lunch for £55 per person served Tuesday-Thursday. Not sure you have sufficient appetite? – “the ideal thing to do is take a good walk along the beach beforehand to get the appetite brimming with anticipation!” Top Menu Tip – “Local fish is obviously a must” – “served flavoured with seaweed butter or caviar” – as are the “Whitstable oysters or marsh-fed lamb presented with flair”. “Fruit and vegetables often come from the pub’s own garden”.

2023 Review: This low-key daytime-only wholefood eco-store and café (with Thursday evening ‘supperclub socials’) started out 10 years ago as a pop-up street stall and now occupies a century-old joinery workshop in a mews. The “hearty” breakfasts, light bites and lunches win consistently good ratings.

2024 Review: This Grade II listed Georgian pub near Oare Marshes Nature Reserve is “a lovely spot on a warm day to sit and enjoy lovely grub on the outdoor terraces” – “while it does not outshine its near neighbour The Sportsman, it’s cosy, well run, with excellent food and great service – all without having to book weeks in advance and much easier on the wallet”. It has seen “a resurgence in the standard of cooking under new management” – experienced ex-Londoners Tom Gravett & Renny Peret.

2024 Review: A “real bright light in an otherwise scrappy pedestrian high street”, this polished and “very well-run” hotel dining room takes the original name of the hotel that stood here back in 1892 and brings a rare fine dining option to the centre of Canterbury; add in “wonderful” cocktails, and it’s “a treat” for its many local fans.

“Exciting fusion cooking using adventurous ingredients” continues to draw a high amount of more-than-local attention to Dev Biswal’s fine dining venue near the Cathedral, which promotes an ‘Odia dining experience’ based on the cuisine of Odisha in East India. Previously part of a group called ‘Ambrette’, some reporters have followed it for ages on its journey to Canterbury (“we are lucky to live close to this imaginative Indian restaurant which we have been going to since its Margate days. The food is always interesting and delicious and service is friendly and efficient”).

A “beautiful old pub on the river” which boasts a large “wisteria-clad” terrace by the water and big garden. Daniel (chef) & Natasha (pastry chef) Smith have run it since 2017 and successfully established it as one of the culinary beacons in the locality: a haven of “all round loveliness, with cosy surroundings, warm staff and delivering excellence on the plate”. (The Smiths also used to run the nearby Bridge Arms, but stepped back from it this year in order to focus their energies here). Numerous best meals of the year were reported here by its dedicated fan club: “it’s on the pricey side but worth it to taste such flavours. While not an extensve menu, every dish is well presented and well thought out. Gripes? From a good number of reports, all acknowledge exemplary cuisine, and the most critical feedback says: “the food, what there is of it, is fantastic. But we found the portions ridiculously small”. Top Menu Tip – “Trout and quail starters, pork and venison main courses”.

This “atmospheric” former coaching inn just south of Canterbury changed hands after our annual diners’ poll was completed in summer 2025, with chef-owners Dan & Tasha Smith of the Fordwich Arms passing the lease to their friend Elliot Hewitt (a former Fordwich manager). He promised to take the menu in a more ‘casual’ direction, but with ex-Sportsman chef David Gadd running the kitchen the cooking standard should remain high.

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!”).

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”.

“Definitely worth the drive… always delicious and great to stay over afterwards” – The Bridgen family’s pub with rooms sits in a “lovely village” halfway between Canterbury and Sandwich and wins very consistent praise as “a favorite Kent bolt hole”. There’s a variety of eating options, from à la carte – which incorporates pub classics but where the focus is on more interesting fare – to an eight-course tasting menu for £75 per person – all “innovative dishes, well-prepared and served by the efficient service”. Top Tip – “Their £200 DB&B for two midweek special is exceptional value – as are their Monthly Celebration Dinners”.

“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!

The British and Spanish heritages of owners Ben Hughes & Rafael Lopez are said to be channelled by this neighbourhood bistro, although a quick scope of its menu suggests that – aside from flourishes such as quince mostarda and the odd dish such as octopus – its short menu owes most of its influences to Gran Bretaña (a typical main being Wood Pigeon Breast, Celeriac, and Black Pudding). Locals say it’s some of “the best food in East Kent (without a doubt)” and that service is “friendly and efficient”. The strong wine list is selected by MW Clive Barlow.