Eating and drinking new places to go in 2017
Broadstairs has lots of good places to go to eat and drink – as does the immediate surrounding area. More seem to be opening up all the time these days and we thought you’d appreciate knowing about some of the newest places you can visit when you holiday with us that would not have been here when you were last here. Finger on the pulse of things you see, that’s us at Beeches! You’re welcome.
We are lucky to have several established local restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide as well as many more every day options. If you are serious about food and coming to Broadstairs, or anywhere in the Isle of Thanet, you may already know about Wyatt and Jones, an independent family owned restaurant on the edge of Viking Bay serving excellent Modern British Food, using fresh local produce, from an open kitchen with wooden floors and a very casual vibe, which has had rave reviews in national and international press – even the New York times has written about them! Likewise chef owner, Steven Dray, at Albarino on Albion Street, another unique independent, does exceptional tapas, according to a recent Sunday Times article it could be “the best in the UK”. To be honest those two are the tip of what you could call a gastronomic iceberg here – there are quite a few places you can go and really push the boat out on a special meal while you’re in our lovely area.
Other really nice, well established, places include the, Marston’s owned, Canterbury Bell, at Westwood, a modern family friendly pub which specialises in rotisserie chicken but also offers an extensive menu with something for everyone from steak and burgers to vegetarian options and a special curry night on Wednesdays which is amazing value – you can have a curry and a drink for just £7.95 – in very comfortable and salubrious surroundings! They also do sandwiches and light bites if you don’t want a full meal – and there’s a nice little garden with some play equipment for the children. There are quite a few good chain places to eat around Westwood where all the big shops are – Cafe Rouge, Ask Pizza, 5 Guys (burgers) all have outlets here and you won’t go far wrong with any of them.
So, what’s new you ask? Loads! We almost can’t quite believe how many new places are opening up in and around Broadstairs at the moment.
For seafood and/or cocktails, try the new Taylors Restaurant and Tias Bar, on the site of the old Rose pub on Albion Street, which is an old art deco building and the owners have given the restaurant design something of an art deco feel though it’s not strictly themed. Broadstairs has been crying out for a dedicated seafood restaurant and now we have one, with fish supplied by our excellent local fishmonger Fruit de Mer. (Now there’s a sneaky tip – you could of course go to Fruit de Mer yourself and pick up your own fish to cook in your well equipped kitchen back at your Beeches Broadstairs Holiday Let – but we do recommend you have at least one lovely night out while you’re here and Taylors will ensure you are fully satisfied if you are a seafood lover). Go on live a little! We’ve eaten here and the chef is seriously talented!
Further down Albion Street you’ll find Reef, which was previously known as Fish and Beer and hadn’t been there that long, just a couple of years, but has now been reinvented with not just a new name but also a brightened up interior, still with something of the feel of a cool Belgian Bar but a lot less dark in feel and the new menu is more varied, with more non fish dishes. Chef, Luke Scott, was here before but now has full rein to do what he likes as he and his family are the new proud owners. The passion shines through and Luke really knows what he’s doing. His chunky beef dripping chips might just be the best and crispiest you will ever taste. Along with the likes of moules (pictured above) and small plates you can now expect a wider range of food and an ever changing selection of interesting global beers, with more wines too, all carefully selected with the focus on small producers.
On the same street, just this week, a new coffee and tea house has opened, facing out to sea over Balmoral Gardens, it’s called C and Sea and is very nicely considered with a cool, slightly Scandinavian styled interior and comfy mid century seating, serving up coffee from Garage in Canterbury and Debonair teas, which are luscious and cakes from the legendary Cakesmiths, though this may change to a more local supplier in time. If a local supplier can be found who comes up to owner Lauren’s high standards. Lauren is passionate about everything in her cafe being the best it can be and as she comes from an HR and training background in the hospitality business, although she hasn’t run a cafe before, you can see that the service here is swift, on the ball and friendly as well as the fare on offer being great quality – and this little place is going to be super popular.
On the High Street, work is currently underway on a new restaurant on the site of what was previously the Cats Whiskers Cafe. The freshened up frontage is looking extremely good and the name above the door is The Rustic. When we find out more about it we’ll report back. It’s opposite Cardak which is a fantastic and very affordable family owned Turkish restaurant and just up from Houdini’s Magic Bar and Mind the Gap micro pub so this little stretch of Broadstairs High Street is becoming something of a going out hub – in a good way.
For an amazing sea view while you dine, out of Broadstairs but not far away, you might want to head along the coast to Pegwell Village to the new Sea View Restaurant and Bar at the Sir Stanley Grey Pub attached to the Pegwell Bay Hotel. The new wraparound terrace (shown below) makes the most of the spectacular location on the corner of the cliff and the food is tasty and fresh. This is another one we predict will be super popular so we do suggest you book in advance if you can, especially if you want to sit outside. Mind you, Thanet never fails to amaze us that you can often get a table at most places without having to book ahead. We do think this could be set to change as the area becomes increasingly well known though so better safe than sorry. Thorley Taverns tell us they will soon be adding a children’s play area at ground level too making this an even more appealing destination for the whole family.
Pick up a copy of Isle Magazine and read the Isle Bites section while you’re here (or read online via the above link) to find out more about all the exciting eating out options around Thanet – that’s Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and the surrounding villages.
Thank you for reading our blog today, we hope you have enjoyed it and that it has given you some inspiration for your holiday – now if you haven’t already booked your Broadstairs holiday with us, check availability of our self catering holiday lets using the form on our home page and get in touch to reserve your stay!