Weekend in Margate: 10 Reviews
Superb dining scene, funky vibe, and fresh coats of paint give this seaside town restored magnetism. From Michelin caliber spots to ice cream, a few of my favourites.
Who is looking forward to the Bank Holiday weekend? Where are you eating or drinking? Hit Reply or drop in a comment and let me know.
A warm welcome to new joiners. There’s been a bit of an influx — thank you, Karim! — and I’m approaching 250 subscribers, at least a few of whom aren’t indulgent family members. I’m thrilled that there are people who like and value a good lunch. If you’re new, start with the the London Guide, which has suggestions for every occasion, not just lunch. Then watch for a foodie update on Monday and a weekly review each Wednesday.
And something new from me this week: Rather than a single review, I’ve created a mini-guide for Margate. I hope you’ll find it useful. I’m sure there are places I’ve overlooked, so please add your favourites in the Comments. I didn’t have time to do the wider Kent coast, so nothing from Deal, Dover, Folkestone, or Whitstable as yet, but I’ll try to add some in the future.
Now, to Margate!
Margate is an easy journey for us, as it is for most Londoners. From our place, it’s a quick 90 minute jaunt down the A2. On the train, it’s the fast train from St. Pancras or the coastal runner from Victoria. And increasingly, Margate is what Brighton used to be: Cool, funky, interesting, challenging, and occasionally gritty with a spectacular food scene shaped by the best local seafood and produce available anywhere in England.
We have visited Margate several times over the last few years, including in February and again this past weekend, and we always have a great time, whatever the weather.
If you need a suggestion for accommodation or activities, please drop me a line. Enjoy the guide, and let me know your own favourites so I can try them next time.
Explore the interactive map here.
Daisy: American Barbecue & Cocktails
We went into Daisy because we wanted a nightcap and because it had a great view of the sea, just above the Margate Lido. We changed our plans and returned the next day for lunch because the menu — handwritten in a moleskin — was so compelling.
Daisy is a gem on a little strip that weekend visitors might not stumble upon. Even if you can’t squeeze it in for a meal — and you should try — go for a cocktail and the view. On our evening visit, I went for the “Mole Manhattan” made from, apparently, “Mexican corn whiskey and agave and Cynar.” Best Manhattan that I’ve ever had.
We returned for chef Mark O’Brien’s take on Carolina-style smoked barbecue, and we sort of went crazy. Devilled eggs, cornbread, pimento cheese, fried chicken, chopped pit beef, “embered pickled veggies,” and potato salad. It was unbelievably good. For me, a taste of home. For everyone else, an absolutely delicious and decadent treat. Mark does nose-to-tail, and his approach to his residency at Daisy includes buying big things — a whole pig, for example — then serving the bits in every possible way.
On both visits, the service was friendly and charming. And the prices imminently reasonable. I really can’t recommend it strongly enough.
Website. Instagram. Snake Oil Barbecue Instagram. Google Maps.
Sète: Fancy Meets Chill
Only the best restaurants can turn a mood from foul to sunny, but that's exactly what owner Natalia did for us when we visited in February.
I arrived, for whatever reason, in a slightly crotchety mood. She set me up with just the right glass of wine and then helped us settle into the Sète vibe: Chill.
Food from chef Billy Stock, formerly of St. John and the nearby Marksman, was fantastic. Every mouthful to be savoured. Sharing is encouraged, but if you want to go starter, main, dessert, that’s fine, too. Or if you just want wine. Or whatever. Relax.
Grace Dent, who reviewed it shortly after we visited, summed it up perfectly:
Sète is small, unshowy and just a little away from Margate’s main drag, so it may well be overlooked by daytrippers. But if you’re in the know and down here to catch some art at TKE Studios or some waves once the days grow warmer, this is the place to reserve a table.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps.
Angela’s: Simply the Best
If you’re going to go to seashore, surely you’ll want seafood. And if you want seafood in Margate, you need Angela’s.
We first visited Angela’s in 2018, on the recommendation of the desk clerk at the Sands Hotel (now No.42 Guesthouse) who was kind enough to nab a last-minute booking for us.
It’s fair to say that would no longer be possible, given Angela’s enduring and well-earned popularity. Here are a few highlights from my 2018 review:
The restaurant is very small, so a booking is essential. The menu is composed on a chalkboard, and dishes developed based on what seafood the team could get from local fisherman and purveyors that very day. The whole experience was magnificently unpretentious, and the food was outstanding.
…
For starters, I went for local crab (caught in Folkestone that morning) on sourdough toast. My wife went for fresh cut baby asparagus. Perfect in season. Both were excellent. For mains, I went for sea trout, while my wife went for Hake. Both were served with well-made sauces and fresh vegetables. Dessert a lovely chocolate tart. We drank a Rose from Kent, which was surprisingly good. Service was friendly and attentive, and the whole vibe was welcoming.
All is all, the experience was fantastic. And I'd go so far as to say that Angela's is worth a trip to Margate, just for dinner. Build a day on the Kent coast if you need to, but it's a gem worth your time.
Every word rings true today. Angela’s is the best spot in town, and it’s worth whatever effort is required to nab a booking.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps. Michelin Guide.
Dory’s: Relax with Seafood
If you can’t get into Angela’s, you should be able to score a spot at Dory’s, just around the corner. Dory’s is from the folks behind Angela's and is even less pretentious, but offers a similar concept: Fresh, locally caught seafood and a great selection of wine.
Dory’s is all counter seating, and you should grab a spot at the food counter if you can. The chef during our visit in February was welcoming and chatty, and made the experience even better with her hospitality. By the end of the night, we’d also gotten chatting with our neighbours, and the whole dinner became a bit communal. The food was fantastic. From fresh Whitstable oysters to caught-that-morning fish and lovely, local veg.
Dory’s was great, and unlike Angela’s, it’s open for lunch and has a great view of Margate Sands. Booking suggested, but walk-ins not impossible.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps.
Sargasso: Great Cooking
The Margate Harbour Arm is no longer teaming with fisherman or really anyone with nautical interests. But thanks to a bevy of all-day bars, it is teaming with an intriguing variety of all comers. The vibe is noisy.
Sargasso is first of the spots on the Arm, a slightly calmer oasis compared to the rest of the Arm, and among the best one or two in Margate.
There is outdoor seating for sunny days and a comfortable inside space for less sunny ones.
There is a chalkboard with a menu of choices that changes every day and a wine list full of trendy stuff, but also includes some “classic” options for those of us who like our wines to be “good.” All the plates are made to be shared. Food comes out whenever the kitchen feels like sending it. So Sargasso hits all of the trends.
But the food is stellar. From the team behind Brawn in London’s Columbia Road market, it’s all fresh and locally grown, except when it isn’t. Like the black pudding. Which is made in France, because they do it better, and brought to Sargasso where it is seared at high temperature. The result is crispy on the outside but still smooth and soft on the inside rather than the hockey puck consistency that’s so common in most places. It’s served with chickpeas and spinach, and I could have had two or three portions and died happy, right there under their counter.
Then there is the “crab egg mimosa.” That’s a huge portion of crab with boiled egg grated over the top. There were fresh oysters from Whitstable, fresh asparagus from just outside of town, and fresh clams from Folkestone. Dessert was a huge spoonful of dark chocolate mousse with a drizzling of olive oil and sea salt.
As a two, we were seated at the counter nearest the open kitchen. Which was great fun. Watching this team practice their craft, and occasionally chatting with them, added a lot to the experience.
Bottom line: If Angela’s is the best place in Margate, Sargasso is a close second. It’s a tough booking, so get on the website and work out when you can secure your spot. I’ll certainly be doing so for our next trip.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps. Michelin Guide.
Botega Caruso: Nearly Great
Margate locals believe that Grace Dent has a lot to answer for. The Guardian reviewer seems to love the Kent coast, and her first glowing write-up four years ago focused on Botega Caruso. Thanks to Grace and Jay Rayner’s review of Sargasso, bookings at these local gems are now hard to come by. But booking secured, after some effort, and I was excited to try it.
The food was, by and large, very good. My favourite dish was the bowl of anchovies that opened proceedings. Fried courgettes served over smoked trout was also a pleasant surprise. And the casarecce (twisted pasta) with all sorts of fresh veg and a light tomato sauce was a highlight. But my rigatoni with lamb and pea ragu was over-salted and the pasta was undercooked.
Sadly, the wine experience was a problem, unfortunately mimicking my experience at Camille. Every wine was labelled “natural.” When I asked what that meant, I was told “biodynamic.” Many good wines are biodynamic these days, so this wasn’t very helpful. I asked for something “classic,” and told them I was craving a nice Brunello or Chianti Classico. I pointed to the Sangiovese on the list, and was warned off. “Quite funky.” Sigh. Anything not funky? We settled on a Pinot Nero which was, frankly, gross. Lightly gaseous with metallic notes. For £70. If you’re selling it for £70 per bottle, you’re no longer trying to feature affordable options from less appreciated regions. Italy is the best wine producing country in the world. Why not offer some good wine? I am very happy to pay for it. Please. I’m literally begging you.
I’m glad we got the booking at Botega Caruso. You should try it. But given the myriad of other fantastic options in Margate, I think we’ll focus our attentions elsewhere in the future.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps. Michelin Guide.
Little Swift
A bar and wine shop just a couple of doors down from Dory’s, Little Swift also faces onto Margate Sands, and its first floor is a fabulous place to watch the sunset over the Thames estuary. The wine selection is excellent and accessible, and the team does delicious cocktails and a range of snacks. It’s a great place to stop for a drink before dinner or to grab a bottle of fizz for sunset watching on the steps across the road.
Fort’s Cafe
As I’ve said elsewhere, I am not a coffee lover, but happily, my wife is a proper coffee snob, and makes a point of finding the best “3rd wave” or “specialty” coffee joints wherever we go. (And no — I don’t know what 3rd wave means. She just told me to say that.) Fort’s is the best in Margate and probably the whole of Thanet. The coffee is so good that even I like it, although they do make fun of me when I ask for sugar in my espresso. Fort’s also does pastries, some breakfast sarnies, and a few other things. Best of all, it’s got a view of the water right across the road. So in a race between Fort’s and Oest for best breakfast / coffee spot, it’s Fort’s by a nose.
Oest Bakery
We visited Oest for breakfast and coffee on the recommendation of the lovely folks at Little Swift. Oest is a working bakery producing outstanding fresh bread, pastries, and confections. Its products are used in Margate’s best restaurants, including Sète just a little further up the street. We tried a pastry and a big piece of quiche plus coffee. Everything was spot on, and the coffee was fantastic, nearly as good as at coffee-snob haven Fort’s.
Website. Instagram. Google Maps.
Ramsay & Williams Ice Cream Bar & Gallery
Fantastic ice cream spot with attached vintage shop and gallery. The ice cream is homemade, and there are copious vegan options. Flavours change all of the time and include some fun and challenging options. This is sophisticated ice cream for grown-ups made by someone who really knows that they are doing.
Thanks for reading. I hope you found the Margate guide useful. Do let me know your favourite spots in the Comments. Feel free to share this post and subscribe if you haven’t already.