Folkestone, Fish & Seafood 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.

2023 Review: This “fantastic little bistro hidden away in Deal” is “well worth trying” for the “very high standard of its classic French cooking” – although there is some pushback against its “London prices”. Owner-operators Benoit & Sarah (respectively the Frog and the Scot) also run Le Pinardier wine shop and bar a few doors away.

Close the harbour, a Victorian hotel dining room with a modern seafood-based menu and specials board which impressed critic Grace Dent of the Guardian.

2023 Review: This “very buzzy spot in a pink container on the harbour arm” serves “very fresh fish and seafood”, and is the “sister restaurant to Rocksalt”. “Spilling out onto a terrace, it makes a delightful spot for lunch in the sun, with engaging service and all that one wants from a decent fish restaurant”.