Looking for Margate restaurants? The best foodie spots include fish and chips at, ice cream at Melt and seafood at Hantverk & Found. Check out our ideas for eating and drinking in Margate, from the town centre to the coast…


The arrival of The Turner Gallery and the revival of Dreamland, a vintage-style theme park, have helped put the seaside town of Margate, in the far southeast of England, back on the tourist map. So, too, have a fresh new crop of boutique b&bs, cafes and restaurants, their owners and customers drawn to the area’s sandy beaches and beautifully faded (for now, at least) Georgian architecture.

Peter’s Fish Factory – best fish and chips in Margate

Ask locals (or olive editor Laura Rowe) where you can get the best fish and chips in Margate, and they’ll point you in the direction of Peter’s Fish Factory, overlooking the seafront. There will be queues, but the salty, crisp and golden chips, waft of malt vinegar and perfectly cooked cod is more than worth the wait. Everything is served in boxes – so you won’t have to negotiate soggy, scorching chip paper on your lap, and you’ll get change from a fiver.

facebook.com/petersfishfactorymargate

Angela’s – best seafood restaurant in Margate

There has been a seafood restaurant called Angela’s on The Parade at Margate seafront for the past 60 years, but Lee Coad and his wife, Charlotte Forsdike, only became custodians of this local institution in 2017. It marks quite a career change for Lee, who used to be the art director of the Financial Times, but the couple have embraced their new lives as Kentish restaurateurs and, with the help of chef Rob Cooper, have attracted glowing reviews in their first year.

Two small dining rooms separated by a central kitchen, Angela’s is as no-frills as the menu, which prides itself on simplicity and minimal waste (even the tabletops have been fashioned out of recycled plastic bags). Plump Whitstable rock oysters, mussels with cider and garlic, whole roasted plaice and thornback ray with brown butter are just some of the reasons why Angela’s is still in rude health after more than half a century.

angelasofmargate.com

Melt – for ice cream in Margate

No trip to the coast is complete without an ice cream. And in Margate the freshly churned gelato from Melt is the best in town. Flavours range from peaches and cream to rhubarb and custard, peanut butter jelly and Turkish delight but they change all the time so no two days’ offering is the same. Find their parlour under the Sands Hotel, right on the seafront.

facebook.com/MeltMargate

The Greedy Cow – best for lunch in Margate

For a seriously good sourdough toastie make a beeline to The Greedy Cow. Available from noon onwards (only breakfasts are served in the mornings), we like the chorizo version, laced with fresh orange. Or go for a Gents Burger, made with black pudding, sausage, bacon, cheddar, chutney and beetroot and served with fennel coleslaw. Eat in the upstairs café or ask for your order to go.

thegreedycow.co.uk

Great British Pizza Company – for pizza in Margate

These guys are inspired by Kent’s bountiful produce, and top their pizzas with ingredients from local producers. Try Chandler & Dunn thick-cut ham and portobello mushrooms, Kentish goat’s curd with peppers and basil or Bath Pig British chorizo. All pizzas are cooked in the wood-fire oven to ensure extra crisp bases.

greatbritishpizza.com

Hantverk & Found – for seafood in Margate

A tiny eating spot with an even curiouser name Hantverk & Found is set within a gallery of the same name. Lovers of seafood, as well as art, will appreciate that this is a great option for lunch or dinner, with razor clams, squid and Rye Bay scallops often making it onto their prix fixe menus.

Be sure to try the clams in dashi miso if it’s one of the options when you visit. Veggie dishes – such as purple sprouting broccoli with truffle-poached egg – are good too, and with a head chef who used to work at Moro, make sure you book ahead.

Read our full review of Hantverk & Found here

The Turner Contemporary gallery

Most visitors to Margate make their way to the Turner Contemporary gallery. After a browse through its latest exhibition, enjoy afternoon tea in the on-site cafe – either inside or, on a good day, out on the terrace where tables have harbour views. The cafe is also a good breakfast venue.

Try the Turner Hash – Kentish sausage with chorizo, bacon, a fried egg and a splash of Worcestershire sauce on top of potato. Or wait until lunchtime and go for a buffalo mozzarella, blood orange and chicory salad with tapenade toasts.

turnercontemporary.org

Roost – for rotisserie chicken in Margate

Venture out of the old town towards Cliff Terrace (opposite the old Lido) and you’ll find a row of unexpected cool shops and cafes. Among them is Roost, a rotisserie chicken shop with a funky urban feel. Order an on-trend bone broth shot or play it safe with a quarter of a roast chicken marinated in a special rub from Brogdale Butchers in nearby Faversham, plus a side dish (try the Asian style slaw with coriander and mint) and your choice of sauce (barbecue, aioli…).

roostrestaurant.com

The Two Halves – for craft beer in Margate

Craft beer bars continue to open up in Margate and The Two Halves is the newest. With its prime spot on the seafront it’s often busy and might take some time to make your way to the bar here but it’s a great place to try locals brews from breweries such as Canterbury Ales, Gadds and Shepherd Neame.

@TheTwoHalvesAle

Hop on the train or drive 15 minutes to visit another foodie seaside town, Ramsgate for: – tapas restaurants – vegan food – sushi Click here for our Ramsgate recommendations

Best for foodie shopping in Margate

Once you’ve finished lunch, browse the shops and galleries along Cliff Terrace, including stylish fragrance store, Haeckels (which also sells a delicious seaweed tea made from locally foraged seaweed and sold in gorgeous glass jars).

The Old Kent Market – best food market in Margate

The Old Kent Market is a newly opened food emporium just across the road from the Turner Contemporary (you can’t miss it – it’s painted bright red). Inside you’re greeted by a full-size red bus that’s home to a cafe but don’t jump on the first foodie offering you see. Venture further inside and you’ll find stalls selling freshly made sushi, pulled pork and takeaway pies plus local breads baked daily on site and locally grown fruit and veg.

theoldkentmarket.com

Bottega Caruso – best Italian in Margate

Harry Ryder and his Italian wife Simona met when they worked in London restaurants, but it wasn’t until Harry visited Simona’s family in Campania that he realised the Italian food he had tasted in the UK wasn’t anything like the real thing.

“I tried her family’s tomato sauce, the pasta, the cheeses, wines and oil – I’d never tasted anything like it. I joked that we should start bringing it back to the UK, and that’s what we’ve done with Bottega Caruso.”

This small Italian kitchen and shop started out as a pop-up stall at The Goods Shed in Canterbury, selling fresh pasta and Simona’s family sauces. The duo then started doing supper clubs at other people’s homes, before getting a permanent space in Margate and opening in January 2018.

Popular dishes on the menu include verdura e fagioli – a slow-cooked stew of greens, organic beans and smoked chilli – and handmade cavatelli pasta with a meaty Neapolitan ragu comprising slow-cooked beef shin, top rib, pork belly, pork rump, fennel sausages, meatballs and Simona’s family tomato sauce.

bottegacaruso.com

Where to stay in Margate – The Reading Rooms

One of the first boutique-style b&bs to open on the North Kent Coast, and one which has made great use of the fine Georgian buildings that dominate this area, The Reading Rooms is the place to stay in town.

In Hawley Square, just back from the old town but within strolling distance of all the main attractions (and The Ambrette, the town’s famous fine-dining Indian restaurant) its three bedrooms pair ‘rough luxe’ styling (think fabulous beds and designer bathroom fittings but artfully distressed walls) with gloriously high ceilings and beautiful wooden floors. Breakfasts are equally special, ranging from a full English to ciabatta and bacon sandwiches or slices of toast spread with cream cheese, honey and cinnamon. And don’t miss the gourmet hot chocolate.

thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk

Extend your trip to Kent by visiting some of the best Kent restaurants in the area…


Words and pictures by Leanne Bracey and Mark Taylor