No Expert …but I know what I like – Food Blog, Restaurant reviews
Reviews, Guides & Maps
(July 2026)
Finally managed to visit Angela’s, the acclaimed seafood restaurant in Margate, and it’s certainly worth the trip. It is a casual, laid-back spot featuring two dining areas, an open kitchen, and – much to our surprise – an outside toilet!
The daily menu is displayed on a chalkboard.
We ordered the sea bass alongside a rather lovely bottle of Ark Pinot Gris.
It is definitely worth a return visit to try more of their dishes.
(July 2026)
The Sir Stanley Gray has been a favorite haunt of mine ever since they added their stunning balcony, boasting panoramic views of Pegwell Bay. While I usually stick to their excellent bar menu for a light lunch, a recent visit from friends staying at the Pegwell Bay Hotel gave me the perfect excuse to try the restaurant. After their long journey, dining right on their doorstep was incredibly convenient.
To reach the Seaview Restaurant, you simply head through the main bar area.
While the menu sticks to conventional classics, the culinary execution is impressive. Enjoying our meal out on the balcony on a beautiful evening made the experience even better. The Pie of the Day (Steak Pie) with skinny chips, and the sea bass with new potatoes were both outstanding – beautifully prepared with top-tier ingredients. Finding this caliber of comfort food within a pub chain restaurant was a delightful surprise. The attentive service capped off a wonderful night.
(July 2026)
We visited two of Thanets rooftop bars, one in Margate and one in Ramsgate – both very different but lovely in their own ways.
With it’s stunning views of Margate Beach and the hotels highly professional service, indulging at The Rooftop Bar is a real treat. To get to the bar you speak to the receptionist at the Guest House No 42 Hotel (High Street entrance), they check if there is space. They don’t operate a booking diary for the roof, so it’s first come, first served. Be warned you do have a bit of a climb (six flights of steps). Our visit wasn’t at sunset (which is the peak time), we simply had some pre dinner drinks. They serve cocktails, local beers, and a small, quality-driven wine list where bottles generally run over £60.
There’s only one flight of (external) steps to get to Noa, the rooftop bar at the Granville Theatre. It’s not a large venue, you can do a walk in for drinks but it’s essential to book a table if you want to eat there. They serve handcrafted cocktails (highly recommend The Pain Killer), delicious sourdough pizzas and roasts in the autumn and winter.
The staff are efficient and friendly and the place has stunning sea views. There’s indoor and outdoor seating.
It’s a popular pre theatre venue
Latest visit May 2026
Currently open every day (9:00am-3:00pm), it’s a lovely spot for breakfast. They also have a good selection of cakes.
Update (November 2025) :- Vincent’s will shortly be under new management, so likely to be menu & opening time changes.
October 2025 :-
An Instagram post for a black pudding & omelette roll called ‘Vincent’s black & gold roll’ drew my attention back to Vincent’s, it’s somewhere I usually just pop in for mint tea & cake if I’m passing by on a sunny afternoon. However now they’re doing breakfasts from 8:30am Wednesday to Saturday and from 9:00am on Sundays.
The black & gold roll was really good, cheesy egg omelette and a large slice of black pudding, served on a surprisingly large roll (I’m keen to return to see if they’re as generous with their bacon rolls). Their Coffee was excellent too, so Vincent’s is now firmly on my list as a regular breakfast venue. The café is located in a really attractive, charming decorated hut overlooking the local Tennis Courts in Spencer Square. They have several tables inside and plenty of outside seating available when the weather permits.
Update :- Returned to checkout their Bacon rolls. We thought £7:50 for a Bacon roll was excessive, well above the average price, but seriously it was an absolute bargain. Easily twice the size of a typical bacon roll, it was huge, loads of good quality bacon cooked to order, one roll crispy, the other not, options for streaky or unsmoked back bacon. I’m absolutely stuffed. Highly recommended.
First visit (May 2023) :-
Vincent’s is a gem of a cafe in Ramsgate, one you would struggle to find without local knowledge. It’s located in Spencer Square in the little hut overlooking the Tennis Courts, I didn’t even realize that it had inside seating, but it does and it’s surprisingly spacious. It’s a friendly place serving good Coffee and homemade Cakes. The outside seating is on both sides of the hut, so you can also sit overlooking the rather stunning Vincent van Gogh sculpture.
Spencer Square leads into Addington Street where you will find some interesting independent shops, see the Addington Street section of the Ramsgate Shopping Guide for details.
Vincent’s is also located at the start point for the Vincent van Gogh self guided walking trail.
Wow, yet another new Coffee Shop/Café has opened in Ramsgate. This new coffee shop Giant Coffee is located on the ground floor of the old wine warehouse in Charlotte Court not far from Staple. This almost hidden area is also home to the Ramsgate Arts Club in the old wine warehouse basement and to the very attractive Saltworks shop next door.
There is plenty of space for outside seating in Charlotte Court too, it will be a lovely spot in the summer.
The Giant Café itself is quite small and cosy with friendly staff, excellent coffee and delicious plant based cakes (amazing what a good baker can do without dairy). We had a piece of ‘Chocolatey’ banana cake with a hint of coconut and a very refreshing and tasty pineapple cake. We’re looking forward to returning to try more of their cakes. They also have Coffee Shops in Margate and Broadstairs.
Update : We’ve been back a few times now, their coffee is that good. They have some excellent savoury pastries too.
We have been making good use of the seasonal 69 Open Top bus to go to less familiar parts of Thanet. Westgate-on-Sea and Westbrook are an easy reach (Norman Road bus stop). You can get there quickly by train too. Highlights are the beach cafes at St Mildred’s Bay and West Bay, the Sunken Garden, the Carlton Cinema, the Brocante in Ethelbert Street, Staple cafe (hidden away in a back street) and Quince. This local restaurant is well worth a visit, reservations are required so plan ahead. We had a lovely lunch there with excellent service. They have set and a la carte menus and a decent wine list.
