The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Whitstable, Kent*

Whitstable, Kent Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• only Wheelers is good
• Strangely enough, there is this place whose owner is French. It is a little pricy but his cakes are fantastic as he makes them himself. Almost opposite Somerfield. You come out with your heavy shopping (free delivery for buys of more than £25) and gorge yourself with one of this chaps apricot "tartelette". Then you will know that you have visited whitstable!
• The Royal Oyster Stores is not part of Whitstable please note and is not run by Whitstable Natives. The locals can't afford to go there, but the cinema upstairs is superb in vevery respect
• Hotel continental does excellent Moules and Frites..VERY GOOD!.well Leia and I thought so!good atmosphere too..
• what about the deli in Harbour Street - Williams & Brown. I think it is amzing that we have got a shop like that in the town. Go in, it is remarkable, and the food is amazing!
• hotel continental, (da chefs of the male variety r quite cute (-;)
• McDonalds is alright once a week and as long as you don't have anything with meat in it, but watch your car wheels if the pikies are at home in the petrol station. E-Mail me at ihategypsies@yahoo.co.uk
• I have to say but I did 1 day's work at Valentie's cafe in Tankerton and then they paid me £1:80 an hour. Oh! and another thing they use Tesco value food not good quality stuff!!!
• Taj Tandoori is in the circus and it's very friendly with good food. The Black and White fish and chip shop on Harbour Street does yummy food. New Hings on Tankerton Road is a good Chinese Take Away. That Pizza Carosell on the High Street is good and quick delivery as well. For the thing Whitstable is most famous for, it's oysters go to Wheelers on the high street really good for all your fishy fancys, eat in or take away.
• Never go to seven sea's chip shop. the manager's son is a thug who picks on young girls. crab and winkle has great loo seats!!!
• The Beau Rivage and the Tankerton Tandoori in Tankerton Rd next door to County Estate Agents and just across the rd the best fish & chip shop in the area Seychelles Fish Bar yummy...
• The seychelles Fish & Chip Shop Opposite County Estate Agents,all visitors to Tankerton?Whitstable make a Bee line for it when they feel peckish...
• there is a chip shop with a huge collection of tea towels from all around the world somewhere in the old part of town. Also the tea shop called Chatterbox does huge sandwhiches and luscious cakes
• Check out El Loco,s -a neat little mexican bistro- for cheap, plentiful food and a great, if a little tequila fueled, ambiance from locals and students.
• Whitstable has 3 great curry places. Hotel Continental (Beach Walk) is plush but good value, and Birdies is pricey, but nice. Tudor Tea Rooms is probably Peter Cushing's most famous haunt.
• Everyone mentions the Oysters Fishery as a good places to eat so I am not going to. I am going to recommend Valentes in Tankerton. They have friendly staff who cook food to order and the burgers are delicious.
• Valentes Cafe serves the best burgers in Kent. 100% Pure beef and all the Trimmings
• Tea and Times Cafe on High Street.
• Check out El Loco, great Mexican nosh!
• Oysters Seafood a speciality. Good pub meals. Ever tried fried seagull?
• Oysters: notably at the Royal Native Oyster Stores. (Mind you Sunday lunch is a bit of a nightmare in there if you thought you were getting away from London.)

Pubs

• Two Brewers changed owners August 2001, Have used it for 5 years, never saw any fights. Average age range 21 to 60. New electronic pool table (50P a game)New touch screen juke box. Entertainment licence to be obtained, so live music and karaoke starting soon.
• The Two Brewers has got its act together now. The Ship Centurion in High Street does great German lagers, music on Thursday nights and loads of TVs when footie's on.
• we don't agree that the Sportsman does not cater for vegetarians. They made a wonderful artichoke pizza for us and couldn't have been more helpful
• The Tank was the best pub on the planet and its a complete injustice that it should have been closed down at all. On the other hand, the Fountain has attracted many of the same people, they play great music (no poppy mainstream jukebox) and everyone in there is lovely. Hey guys ;) Also the Neptune is not the dive it used to be, the staff are beautiful, intelligent, kind, benevolent, talented etc etc and its nice to drink while watching the sea.
• I would not recommend the neptune in whitstable to my worst enemy! the owners are very rude and are obviously not used to the service industry! the clientel are very dubious, most of them were so drunk they could not sit on there bar stools! all 3 of them? i witnessed the landlords daughter who was serving behind the bar being extremely rude to staff and any one who dared walk in, mind you she was as pissed as the few customers she had. i wonder why no one goes there any more!
• go to the ship. meet real whitstable folk .NOT dfl,s.bloody good beer .but we're sorry about the landlord.(when you meet him you will know what we mean)
• The Tank has been closed since early 2000. The Bear and Key is completely refurbished and has a late club, Sherrins. No-one wants sa modern bar with DJs. We aren't that sort of town, thank you very much - and anyway, the new Quayside, opposite the harbour is very much the wine bar sort. For the DFLs. Who push our prices up.
• Try the Labour Club in Belmont Road, just by the traffic lights. Members of other Socialist and Labour Clubs are eligible for admission with guests and Labour Party members members are usually welcomed somehow. Good beer, pleasant place, nice garden.
• The Fountain is a nice little pub. More for your locals but a pleasant atmosphere.
• The bear and key is alright. The smack is about the most boring full of prats pub I have ever seen The naval's alright (bit old fogie-ish)
• Recommendations only seem to be for the wellknown, tourists traps! Why not try pubs off the beaten track? My favourite is the Four Horseshoes, it's a quiet pub but with a great from the back bar and they keep their beer excellently. Incidentally, the Tankerton Arms has now closed down and is being converted into flats.
• Try the Marine hotel park in Tankerton Road and walk down the alleyway at the side of County Estate Agents in Tankerton
• what has happenned to the pearsons?no dell boy with the roller the sheepskin and as much gold as you can carry,didnt jimmy savill have a bracelet like that?you can sit at the end of the bar if you want to.the one thing i notice about whitstable pubs,every body seems to have a cold,i think its somthing to do with the toilets, you can here them sniffing from in the bar.and somebody has bottled the paranoia because there is a lot of people on it(what yew looking at?wanna fight?you do?hang on wheres my mobil ill call my mates they will kick yew right out of that pushchair and kick, no,no,get a sawnoff shotgun and blow your f****** face off,right?my bruvvers best mates girlfreinds sisters ex fiance used to know one of the crays brothers best mate right,so dont mess with me,another bottle of parra landlord.
• All very much below average and of the old school. Jukeboxed and dodgy lager seems to be the standard. If someone opened a decent (modern) bar with DJs they'd make a million.
• The Bear and Key is the worst place you could posibly go in Whitstable. It is full of drunks and paople the just want a row!!! Sort it out
• The East Kent.
• Teh neptune is so nice in the summer
• The Marine Hotel on the seafront at Tankerton if you cant park out the front park around the back of County Estate agents and walk thru alleyway...
• The Tankerton Arms now has a website at www.thetank.demon.co.uk
• The Last Six months have seen a lot of changes to Whitstables Pub Scene. The Neptune, which used to be the best is pretty much avoided wholesale, While the "bear and key", "East Kent" and most most drastically the "Duke of cumberland" have undergone complete refits, the Dukes is pretty much The pub in Whitstable now.
• Just to let you Know that th bear and key and The Duke of Cumberland have recently been refurbished from top to bottom inside and are now the most popular places to dirnk and eat.(Who would have guessed it)
• The Two Brewers used to be a respectable pub but these days it has been over-run by younger people who tend to want to start fights. The best pub is the Neptune. The pub is situated on the beach so in the summer you could watch the beautiful sunsets that Turner once painted. The people in there are all very laid back and easy to talk to and the beer it very nice. Overall a very good pub (with an very good juke box).
• Tankertons Arms and the Old Neptune are the only pubs in Whitstable worth going to.
• The Neptune of course. Attracts fire breathing local kids in Summer. If you give them your money they'll sacrifice their larynx for you.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• Harbour Street Cafe is innovative and great for vegetarians who like healthy and imaginative food.
• ea and imes has gone down hill and is now tatty and they never empty the ashtrays
• t and times
• Tea And Times make the nicest sandwiches, the best hot chocolate, and the most delicious panninis; the staff are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed
• Harbour St Cafe is the best!! They also open as an excellent restaurant on Fri and sat evenings with freshly cooked meals made from amazing ingredients and good value - particularly good for vegetarians. Don't go to The Sporstsman if you are vegetarian you will be treated like a martian and charged astronomical prices.
• Must mention the Harbour Street Cafe for great coffee, excellent vegetarian breakfasts and a laid back no shoo vibe.
• T and Times do the best sandwiches EVER!
• Tea & Times is simply THE place to go. Cool people, nice vibe and top food.
• Pegs Pantry, kids welcome, very friendly and most importantly good sized portions for a very reasonable price. Tea and Times, bit posh but good prices and very hip.
• Yes Tea and Times is very nice, a great atmosphere also try Pegs Pantry also on the High Street for affordable prices.
• Tea and times have the best sandwhiches to eat in or take away

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Last updated: 2008-05-07