Category: Ramsgate

Flavours by Kumar : Ramsgate

Latest Visit ( December 2025) :-

Over the years as restaurants come and go in Ramsgate, Flavours by Kumar has persevered. It still looks pretty much the same as it did on my first visit many years ago, and they still have their reasonably priced set lunch menu. It’s also a popular choice for home delivery and one of these places where you know every dish is going to be good.

We’ve recently been ordering a la carte rather than ordering from their set lunch menu. They have a large selection of starters that we’re working our way through, for lunch we typically order a sharing platter & some extra starters. Highlights include Gobi Manchurian (just stunning, love the texture & flavour), the Chilli Pork and the Mint & Coriander Chicken.

The amuse bouche and the little cup of soup are also a treat, there’s a good reason this restaurant is called flavours.

Older review 2014 :-

I have been eating regularly at Flavours by Kumar for a while  now and just realised that although it is included it in the No Expert – Eating and Drinking Guide it does not have a more in-depth review in its own right; which it most definitely merits.

The restaurant is tucked away in a side street in Ramsgate (2 Effingham Street). It is in a converted pub that still looks like a pub when you enter, but don’t judge this place by the decor, this is not your average Indian Restaurant. The owner and Head Chef, is Anil Kumar, who worked at The Cinnamon Club in London, and in restaurants in Dubai, Jordan and India.

We go for the set lunch which is amazing value. You start with a welcome drink usually a mango juice concoction. Then a small amuse bouche, which is a mouthful of deliciousness. They have a nice selection of starters, the Masala Dosa is a work of Art, and I highly recommend the Squid dish.  Next there is a small complimentary cup of spicy soup. There is also a good few main courses to choose from. We have tried several of them, the highlight for me is the Goan Fish Curry, it is served with rice and warm freshly made naan bread.

The service is good and there is a small selection of  wine.

The restaurant is well regarded, it won a Tiffin Cup award to find the UKs best South Asian Restaurant and has been favourably covered in the national press, see Guardian article which described the food at Flavours by Kumar as some of the tastiest Indian Food in the South East of England and they are so right. If you are in the area, this is a treat not to be missed.

Return to top page

Vincent’s : Ramsgate

Update (November 2025) :- Vincent’s will shortly be under new management, so likely to be menu & opening time changes.

Latest visit (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.

 

Return to Top Page

Giant Coffee : Ramsgate

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.

Return to Top Page

Njord – Scandi Style : Cliffsend Pegwell

Latest visit (September 2025) :-

Njord had to close for several months this Summer due to flooding, but thankfully it’s now open again, completely renovated and with a new chef and new menus. We popped in for breakfast, ordered a Full English and Chef’s Toast (almost a Full English on toast – it didn’t exactly match the menu description as it included Chefs rosti rather than pickled red onion, but I was fine with that). I also couldn’t resist some post breakfast Apple pie. It’s great to see this excellent cafe back on its feet.

The (seasonal) 69 Open-Top bus can be used to get here from Ramsgate, the Viking Ship bus stop is only a few minutes walk from Njord.  

First visit (May 2024) :-

I’ve wanted to try out Njord for a while now, I mean a Scandi style place overlooking Pegwell Bay is so intriguing. So we headed out on a lovely sunny day (it’s only a few minutes away from Ramsgate by car or bus) and about a 40 mins walk if you’re feeling energetic!

Njord is in a great location on the edge off the Pegwell Bay nature reserve, it’s rather lovely inside, with a mix of comfy lounge style seating & coffee tables, dining tables with bench seating and bar stools at the window overlooking the bay. There is also some outside seating and lots of bike racks for cyclists.

The breakfast/brunch menu is mainly muffin, sourdough & croissant based dishes. We rather fancied the less conventional breakfast of Cochon Pulled Pork with Sundried Tomato & Chorizo Tapanata and Poached Kentish Free Range Eggs on a toasted English Muffin with Hollandaise sauce & chilli flakes. However they’d ran out of pork and were doing a pulled Chicken recipe instead, so we ordered that and Americano Coffees. The Coffees were served quickly and were excellent, I even had some left when the breakfast muffins arrived, the pulled chicken muffins tasted as good as they looked too, nicely spiced from the Tapanata and very filling.

Njord is also a Bar with an excellent drinks menu, lots of different brands of rum and gin is always a good sign. They also serve a few cocktails to enhance your breakfast/brunch experience.

The cakes at the Bar looked really good as well, they’re from the Beardy Baker in Canterbury, so I’ll certainly be back to try those.

Attractions in the area include the aforementioned Pegwell Bay nature reserve and the Viking Ship Hugin, which is a great photo opportunity and I guess sort of in keeping with the Scandi style at Njord.

 

Return to Top Page

Staple : Ramsgate

So nice to see a business like Staple Stores commit to Ramsgate. Moving from thier tiny shop at the bottom of York Street (which they have  converted in to a soft serve ice-cream shop called Scoop), they’ve taken over and revamped the former Corby’s Tea Rooms at 18-20 York Street. Which means they are now a proper café with plenty of tables inside and outside in the courtyard.

On our visit we had some of thier excellent coffee and shared a pastry for breakfast, you pick the pastries yourself and pay at the till. We bought two different pastries, a coffee yum yum and a filled cruffin, planning to share them, but we were so full from just one pastry, we had a takeaway as well. Staple are very much geared up for takeaway, with lots of pre wrapped items.

The Ramsgate café is open every day from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

On subsequent ‘takeaway’ visits we’ve tried lots of different cookies (all good) and  a lovely mango custard & strawberry tart.

They also moved their bakery operations to nearby Manston Business Park in March this year and have another café and shop there.

Staple : Westgate-on-Sea

If you’re in the area, the original Staple in Westgate-on-Sea is worth a visit. You won’t find it in passing as it’s well hidden down an alleyway (St Mildred’s Walk) off St Mildred’s Road. Friendly efficient service and the usual selection of Staple treats.

 

Return to Top Page

 

 

Bedford Inn : Ramsgate

UPDATE : July 2025

The menu has changed, it has some (small plates) Nibbles & Starters, main courses include, Burgers, Tacos and Steak, see Bedford Inn website for an example menu.

Earlier visits before menu changes :

The Bedford Inn has recently been converted into an independent hotel that consists of 4 bedrooms with wet room en-suites, above a rather lovely Pub. The Bedford Inn also has a restaurant and an attractive outside seating area (with a sandy beach & deckchairs in the summer). We’ve visited a few times, indulging in their rather excellent cocktails, we were also very pleased to see that they had a Tapas menu (served after 5:00 pm on Thursday & Friday and after 12:00 noon on Saturday – and Sunday during the Summer), we just had to check it out. The Tapas was excellent, very authentic, definitely the best Tapas I’ve had in Ramsgate (and just as good if not better than some I’ve had in Spain).  We had six dishes for two people which is probably ideal for an evening meal. Two per person for a light lunch would work too, the Vegan Seaweed Croquettas and the Anchovies, Roasted Peppers, parsley oil worked especially well together. We also just had to order a couple of their rather tasty French Martinis. It was impressive that the lunch time staff made just as good a Martini as the evening staff. We returned for more Tapas, eating in the garden this time. The Serrano Ham, Manchego, Almonds & lavender infused honey was a real treat. The Calamari was excellent and the Cured Ham & Sobrasada Croquettes were so tasty. Just the perfect place for lunch on a sunny day. For more information on the Tapas see About The Bedford Inn Tapas. The Bedford Inn on West Cliff Road is a short walk up from the town centre. Addington Street & Spencer Square Tennis courts are close by. It’s also on the Loop bus route (Cannonbury Road Bus Stop) so it’s easy to get too. They’re doing Sunday roasts again too, and they elevate them to another level. I had the mushroom, lentil & root vegetable Wellington and I can’t recommend it highly enough. There’s a really lovely ambience in the basement restaurant and the service is first rate.

Return to Top Page