Best restaurants in Canterbury

This seafood restaurant has wowed Canterbury locals and visitors for over 30 years. The secret to its secret? A sharing menu of top-quality seafood and classic British desserts, all paired with a fish-friendly wine list.

Pig restaurants are dotted all over the UK these days, and generally they’re extremely reliable with tasteful, cosy interiors and hearty cooking. The Pig at Bridge Place boasts a lovely restaurant, but also a gorgeous terrace, which is packed on summer days with punters enjoying cocktails, chilled whites and pizzas out of The Pig’s garden oven.

A farmers market, food hall and restaurant, The Goods Shed is a must visit for any Canterbury foodie. The all-day menu often changes multiple times a day and is driven by the market’s own available produce. The diverse drinks list is another big plus, as is the on-site bakery which produces fantastic slow-proofed sourdough loaves and much more. 

A gastropub that offers fantastic food paired with countryside charm, The Dog at Wingham is home to a talented team who cook with local produce wherever possible. Bread is from the local bakery and meat is sourced from the local butcher. An ever-changing premium selection of beers, wines and spirits also means you won't go thirsty.

One of Canterbury's trendier restaurants, Citi Terrace is always buzzing. The menu is pretty international, spanning a collection of global hits that includes nachos, doughballs, pizza samosas and lamb kofte. If that sounds scary, don't worry - the food is actually pretty good, and the al fresco terrace is a great place to hang out in the summer. 

Upscale food in unfussy surroundings is the best way to describe The Fordwich Arms, a gastropub just a short drive from Canterbury. Hyper-local produce informs the menu, while the three-course Sunday lunch is a cracker.

Sourcing produce from local farms, The Corner House boasts the sort of menu where you want to try a bit of everything. Indulge with confit pork belly, before finishing up with sticky date sponge pudding.

On of the best Italian restaurants in Canterbury, Il Posticino (The Little Place) is a cosy little neighbourhood Italian restaurant based just outside the city centre. It's more than worth the short journey though, as the menu is packed with heart-warming Italian classics like bruschetta with baby plum tomatoes, and pappardelle with wild boar ragu.

A rumoured favourite of Hollywood star Orlando Bloom, this lively Mexican offers a menu of crowd-pleasing sharing dishes in a colourful dining room. Check out the weekday happy hour for half-price cocktails, beers and wines.

The Falstaff may be contemporary in look, but this hotel’s afternoon tea is resolutely traditional (and all the better for it). Tuck into homemade finger sandwiches and scones, paired with bubbles if you’re feeling fancy.

This lovely village pub is just ten minutes from Canterbury centre, and boasts a menu packed full of gastropub food, with local Kentish producers places at the heart of it. The terraced beer garden is especially popular thanks to the lovely views over Kentish woods and countryside.

Previously known as The Ambrette, The Cook's Tale Restaurant is run by Dev Biswal and offers a delicious curry-free menu which seeks to widen English people’s knowledge of Indian cuisine. A fixture of Canterbury’s dining scene, The Cook's Tale also benefits from being close to several major tourist attractions.

Like the Korean Cowgirl at the Cave Hotel in nearby Faversham, you can expect big, bold Asian flavours here, mixed with the spirit of America’s deep south barbecue. Korean Cowgirl does proper Texas-style slow-and-low smoking here in a huge drum barbecue, but there’s loads more on the menu too, including burgers and Korean rice bowls.

Offering a reliably good menu of crowd-pleasers, Marlowe’s is a popular spot for casual catch ups. Top orders include the sea bass fillet and the house burger with chips, while little ones are welcomed with an excellent kids menu. The building has plenty of local history too - it dates way back to the 16th century, when it used to assist pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral. 

Sister restaurant to the magnificent Fordwich Arms in Fordwich, The Bridge Arms has been given similar treatment by owners Dan and Natasha Smith, who have done a remarkable job of refurbishing this 16th century, Grade-II listed old pub. The menu features tonnes of local Kent produce, all effortlessly turned into elevated, homely gastropub plates. 

A more casual sibling to the Michelin-starred Sportsman in Seasalter, this casual gastropub is among the best of its kind. Expect a short but sweet menu of pub grub, plus a few more modern propositions.

The Parrot claims to be the oldest pub in Canterbury, and that's saying something in this historic medieval city as the old boozer dates way back to 1370. It's in pretty good nick all things considering, and offers some very good, easy-going pub food into the bargain, including roast ham and eggs with spiced apple chutney, and local haddock and chips.

Sourdough pizzas, cocktails and a lovely bright dining room are the three simple ingredients that have made Chapter a rousing success in the middle of Canterbury. Chapter is open all day, seven days a week and also hosts a popular bottomless brunch on the weekends, as well as Fizzy Fridays when the bubbly comes out. 

Canterbury is lucky to have a collection of fantastic gastropubs, and The Duke of William in Ickham is one of our favourites - a down-to-earth local pub with an elegant dining room, and some very thoughtful cooking on the menu. Dishes include Romney Marsh lamb kofte and chicken skewers, pork schnitzel with potato salad and chorizo Scotch egg, and there are rooms too so you don’t have to get yourself home after a big night.

Mere steps from the famous Canterbury Cathedral, this modern boozer is the place to come for quirky dishes and local craft beers - think the likes of Korean fried chicken wings and white Kinder Bueno waffles.