Kent has a fantastic reputation as a gourmet destination, as we have already stated and will do so again. We produce a wide variety of foods, including hops, apples, strawberries, wine, beer, and more, so it should come as no surprise that we also have some amazing restaurants that have won awards. Five Michelin stars, a pub that recently placed in the top 20 of the National Restaurant Awards, and a good number of AA Rosettes on our list made us think it was about time we started promoting some of Kent’s premier eateries.
This list WILL make your mouth wet if you’re hungry, and your lunchtime tuna sandwich will feel utterly inadequate. However, if your stomach is growling just reading it, imagine how we felt when creating it!
The Puppy at Wingham
The town, with its medieval houses and covered houses, could be a tourist’s dream, and the Canine, a bar with eight rooms, fits right in. Originally part of a 13th-century religious community, the building has been changed and made strides over the years to grant a delightfully higgledy-piggledy structure with a comfortable sitting room, a flagstone eating room, and a shining breakfast center neglecting the cultivate, all of it refurbished in a rich shape of kitsch by proprietor Marc Bridgen’s mother Marilyn after they took it over in 2016.
The bar has around 50 gins, a few neighborhoods (one comes with its own claim thimble for serving purposes), and the nourishment, which won an Incredible British Bar grant in 2019, is yearning without being overreaching, so as well as lobster ravioli in bisque and spiced loin of venison, there’s battered angle, triple-cooked chips with paprika salt, and ham-hock terrine. The rooms shift from little to palatial—the biggest features are a four-poster bed and room for a child’s pull-out—and the neighborliness is hotter than the open fire.
- Address: The Canine at Wingham, Canterbury Street, Wingham, Canterbury, Kent, CT3 1BB
- Phone: +44 1227 720339
- Site: thedog.co.uk
Stark
This little, absolutely charming wood-lined nook—a former sandwich shop—is the nearby eatery we all wish we had. Ben and Sophie Crittenden opened at the conclusion of 2016, and within a long time, they had gathered a Michelin star. Stark is well-named: one six-course, set-price menu, with or without wine pairings (or BYO for £20 a bottle), and no alterations for dietary necessities. Observing Ben, who is still in his early thirties, work discreetly in a zone smaller than most restaurants’ gathering work areas, it’s clear that the arrangement is there to secure quality, as they ask to hold onto your cutlery is implied to anticipate a mountain of washing up within the tiny space.
The result may be a laid-back, inviting environment with wonderful nourishment that places accentuation on the surface as well as taste. Puffed rice gives crunch to a chili con calamari, whereas little balls of apple and hazelnut parts get up and go up the creaminess of a duck parfait. Menus alter week by week, and table turning is overseen with thoughtfulness and beauty. Further, no tossing individuals out on the road, in spite of the minuscule edges. An improbable, un-21st-century triumph.
- Address: Stark, 1 Oscar Street, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1QJ
- Phone: +44 1843 579786
- Site: starkfood.co.uk
The Firepit
Inside the 40-room Cave Lodging, encompassed by golf-course green, the firepit burns brightly underneath a channeled roof and architect bulbs. The barbecues and smokers aren’t on show, but their impacts are on each plate, and enhancing fires at focal points around the room serve as courteous updates that you’re here to appreciate what a wise charring can do to great fixings. Impacts run from the American Midwest to Asia, so as well as chunks of great meat (smoked St. Louis char sui pork ribs, softening from the bone; deliciously spiced lamb cutlets with mint and lemongrass glaze), there are gently cooked vegetables:
Additionally, roasted broccoli with caramelized reddish onion, and snappy sugar snap peas with beef dripping. The idea is shared plates, with chef John Bingley combining your selections appropriately so it’s not just meat or vegetables taken after, and a superb mid-range wine list that naturally leans toward large reds. Do not show up without making reservations at The Firepit because when it first opened, it has grown so well-known that guests have actually had trouble getting a table.
- Address: The Firepit, Brickfield Path, Boughton-under-Blean, Faversham, Kent, ME13 9AJ
- Phone: +44 1227 752277
- Site: cavehotels.com/firepit
The Fordwich Arms
Daniel Smith, his spouse Natasha, and sommelier Fellow Palmer-Brown were all 26 when they took on this wood-lined bar in Fordwich, England’s littlest town, but given that they came from London’s Michelin-starred Clove Club, they certainly weren’t amateurs. In less than a year, they’d won a Michelin star for their claim, with an important combination of an exquisite, tranquil riverside feasting room, wonderful fixings, and a dramatic introduction.
Prawns are hand-seared tableside on a square of pink Himalayan salt; glass chime containers full of applewood smoke lift to uncover little, delicate duck hearts beneath ringlets scented by Kent plantations. One sauce is emptied through a glass contraption commendable of Frankenstein’s lab, whereas a creamed potato with Madeira sauce gets a strong lift from fragrant white truffle, the ground beneath the swooning diner’s nose. Palmer-Brown’s wine list keeps pace, from nearby treats such as shimmering wine from Simpsons in Canterbury to bizarre, flawlessly coordinated treats from France to Chile. And the cluster of cheeses, half of them English, is awesome.
- Address: The Fordwich Arms, Ruler St., Fordwich, Canterbury, Kent CT2 0DB
- Phone: +44 1227 710444
- Site: fordwicharms.co.uk
The Spouse of Shower, Wye
In 2016, Check Sargeant, owner of Rocksalt Eatery in Folkestone and Duke William Bar in Ickham, took the rudder and redone the rooms, drinks, and dishes at The Spouse of Shower, which has been open since 1963 and is named after the 15th-century Canterbury Story.
Noteworthy tall and moo pillars (observe your heads!) are countered by idiosyncratic, modern highlights within the six rooms, each furnished in a way to make any Made.com fanatic grin, with wide beds to rest and process, delightfully soft towels and robes, beautiful teacups, flanked by mustached ceramic peculiarities, ironic hipster Penguin books, and a bounty of bronze.
The menus are similarly nuanced. Locally sourced pork, fish, poultry, and amusement are violated, shaken, and rolled by flavors from the likes of the Basque Nation and Catalunya. Standouts incorporate the rabbit and chorizo starter, which arrives prepared to jump from a tidy parcel of savoy cabbage; the shockingly light and delicate bull cheek; and the not-so-bitter-chocolate tart, served with Sevillano olive oil and Folkestone salt—the last mentioned being utilized generously on the restaurant’s mischievously plush butter. Make it beyond any doubt to investigate the Spanish drinks as well:
From the wealthy Bobal de San Juan ruddy to the oaky Alvear dessert wine, this sharp companion has utilized all her wiles to sneak out that way better bottles ordinarily kept unobtrusively back in Spain.
- Address: The Spouse of Shower, 4 Upper Bridge Road, Wye, Ashford, Kent, TN25 5AF
- Phone: +44 1233 812232
- Site: thewifeofbath.com
The Products Shed, Canterbury
At this stateside cornucopia, fabulous slow down of nearby deliveries bump one another underneath triple-height uncovered brick, kindheartedly studied by the coffee shops on the mezzanine, who have sensibly chosen that sucking back a Pink Gin, whereas the specialists bargain with all those treats, is the leading division of work. Clams are plump and powerful; greens are so green they’re hypnotizing—in spite of the fact that you’ll be occupied by the price-comparison blackboard:
Furthermore, Can broccoli that costs £1.35 here truly be £3.34 in Tesco, and do the general stores really up the cost of streaky bacon by £3? The Goods Shed certainly makes the most of that differential, with delightfully cooked angles, diversion, and ruddy meat accessorized by vegetables that can moreover take the prime position—no token vegan choices here. And puddings are astounding. You’ll take off stuffed, conceivably sloshed (the wine list is great), and cheerful, especially in the event that you halt at the Wild Goose bar for a Martini on the way out.
- Address: Products Shed, Station Street West, Canterbury, Kent
- Telephone: +44 1227 459153
- Website: thegoodsshed.co.uk
Read’s, Faversham
This excellent Georgian house off the active Canterbury Street has had a chequered later career: In 2012, the eatery misplaced the Michelin star it had held for over 20 years, and it hasn’t yet clawed it back, in spite of noteworthy attention to detail and an expansive kitchen plant that supplies numerous herbs and vegetables. After a drink in the thoughtful drawing room (wittily, the bar is in a pantry), supper is served over the corridor, among the floor-length shades, period works of art, and heavyweight table linen. It could be an appropriately rich issue with charming touches of innovation.
Duck à l’orange here is a cluster of superbly pink cuts encompassed by minor mandarins; halibut comes with a chive and Champagne velouté; cheeses arrive in a wicker bushel; and the sweets (such as a devastatingly beautiful chocolate marquise so wealthy it ought to have its own bank account) made me need to kiss the cake chef. The amazing wine list—to say nothing of the minibar that’s actually a maxi bar, with Fever Tree Tonic, spirits, and wine in a simple small kitchenette close to the breezy rooms—makes an overnight stay a great thought.
- Address: Read’s, Macknade House, Canterbury Street, Faversham, Kent
- Phone: +44 1795 535344
- Site: reads.com
The Sportsman, Seasalter
The most astounding viewpoint of Stephen Harris’s well-known Michelin-starred gastropub isn’t the calm, stripped-back wooden stylistic layout or the grinning staff. It isn’t indeed the odd horse depicted over the chimney. It’s the cost: The quality of this five-course tasting menu certainly isn’t reflected in the £45 tag. Possibly Harris Fair scrounges his shellfish, served on a bed of seashells, radiant scallops, and salt-baked gurnard (with a bouillabaisse sauce) out of the adjacent ocean, but by one means or another, that appears improbable. And besides, the wondrously wealthy hamburger and bull cheek come from Pontefract.
No, the man is fair great at his work, and any eatery with more puddings than appetizing choices gets my vote: There are six, counting unpasteurized cheeses and a Bramley apple soufflé with salted caramel ice cream, that could revive the foremost bored post-ox sense of taste. In case you do need to overspend, run amok with the well-chosen wine list: There are enticements here that would make liquidation beneficial.
- Address: The Sportsman, Faversham Street, Seasalter, Whitstable, Kent
- Phone: +44 1227 273370
- Site: thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk
The West House
Graham Garrett’s eatery, in a 16th-century weaver’s bungalow in dinky Biddenden, looks like a customary savvy eaterie—at least until you open the menu. In spite of the fact that by that point, you’ll likely have attempted the pork trickling on hand-crafted sourdough, the brilliant sensation of starting a genuinely wonderful supper will be taking over you. Garrett was the drummer in the 1970s glam-rock band The Stupid Blondes, but these days the nourishment takes the middle route:
He is constantly in the kitchen, barbecuing his claim pig collar with salt-baked celeriac, puréeing guacamole that’s served topsy-turvy with crab ketchup, or molding a cauliflower-cheese croquette to go with the confit chicken wing. The wine list is as exciting as the menu (there’s a whole section titled Wilfully Darken), and the benefit, ordinarily from Graham’s spouse Jackie and child Jake, is impeccable.
- Address: The West House, 28 Tall Road, Biddenden, Kent
- Phone: +44 1580 291341
- Site: thewesthouserestaurant.co.uk
The Drain House, Cranbrook
There are more awful places to restore a dead 16th-century bar than Sissinghurst, popular for Vita Sackville-West’s gardens. Unused Zealander Dane Allchorne and his spouse Sarah have included four light, open rooms, which implies you can now take advantage of the bar-top DIY Wicked Mary station the following morning.
Keen bar grub is dished up in an expansive room (isolated, sensibly, from the bar) with a pale, classy stylistic layout and a brick chimney; the menu ranges from luxurious F&C, aka severe beer-battered cod with thin fries, through lemon-roasted spatchcock poussin or sheep in almond drain with an olive hull to puddings such as an astounding custom-made Jaffa Cake, adored indeed by those of us who do not really like Jaffa Cakes. There’s a brushing menu too, but it’s the wood-fired pizza stove on the patio that rouses genuine commitment. Dane’s delivery may all come from within a 20-mile span, but those pizzas would make a Neopolitan yearning to go home cheerful.
- Address: The Road, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, Kent
- Phone: +44 1580 720200
- Site: themilkhouse.co.uk
George and the mythical serpent, Sevenoaks
This charmingly wonky bar, with its uneven floors and bungled furniture, has been bolstering local people since Tudor times, when Robert Dudley, Elizabeth I’s a top choice, was ruling it within the colossal nearby stately home of Knole. In spite of the fact that it appears to be a safe bet that smoked garlic chicken Kyiv with growing broccoli wasn’t on the menu at that point, There are still a reasonable few old-style touches, blended with a small, hot innovation:
Additionally, the burger had harissa mayo on it and the roasted duck breast was served with shriveled bok choi. There is a sturdy wooden bar, a calfskin couch, and an enormous working chimney to warm your cockles in the winter. The George and the Dragon backdrop may be a cheeky touch that almost detracts from the attractiveness of the dishes: Someone in this kitchen certainly knows how to orchestrate a leaf of watercress.
- Address: George and Mythical Serpent, 39 Tall Road, Chipstead, Sevenoaks, Kent
- Phone:+44 1732 779019
- Site: georgeanddragonchipstead.com
The Dark Pig, Tunbridge Wells
Julian Leefe-Griffiths started with one of England’s most seasoned bars, the George & Mythical Serpent in Speldhurst; presently, he’s brought the ‘so ancient it’s new’ reasoning of neighborhood delivery, affectionately cooked, to Tunbridge Wells. ‘Pigs, pork, and piggery’ are always on the menu, with three ham boards (English, Tuscan, or Iberian Pata Negra) and lots of other porcine treats, as well as vegetables that are really developed in soil:
There is none of your taste-free hydroponics here. The nourishment is unashamed bar grub—mackerel pâté, Scotch eggs from those nearby pigs, steak from Sussex-born dairy animals—but with pleasant frilly touches such as hand-crafted chutney, butter-bean hummus, or wild garlic purée. The wine list is truly curious and basically from small makers.
The nourishment introduction is wonderful. I thought my artful fold of smoked salmon specked with romanesco was the prettiest thing I’d seen until the huge pear and apple disintegrate, topped with ice cream, arrived in a dinky dark chafing dish. The huge photos of foodstuffs are a bit Waitrose, but everything else, from lights to backdrop, sends the message that the chef needs you to have a straightforward great time—and the compassionately raised pigs won’t have endured as well for it, either.
- Address: The Dark Pig, 18 Woods Slope Street, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
- Phone: +44 1892 523030
- Site: theblackpig.net
Casa Mia, Herne Inlet
It is a little-known truth that the, as it were, English pizza eatery certified by Naples’ Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana may be a small, sweet, modest Herne Cove: Furthermore, a brief trip, in case a long way in other faculties, from in-vogue Whitstable. Upstairs, past the mammoth bump of the wood-fired pizza stove and a few photos of that quintessential notice for Italian cooking, Sophia says, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” Loren, there’s a shinning, unfussy room where Gennaro Esposito’s English spouse will bring you fresh zucchini fries, and pasta, on the off chance that that’s what you need, and most vitally, superb pizza, the light of hull, liberal of topping—all those you’d anticipate and many, like smoked cheese or chips, you wouldn’t.
It’s sensibly estimated to boot, and the wine is exceptionally better than average, with maps on the list so you know where it comes from—a brilliant innovation for the world’s most complicated wine nation. That light batter implies pudding is at least faintly conceivable, and in the event that there’s Italian certification for monster Ferrero Rochers, these folks ought to have that as well.
- Address: Casa Mia, 160 High Road, Herne Bay, Kent
- Phone: +44 1227 372947
- Site: acasamia.co.uk