The best restaurants in Kent

A handsome country-house setting gives The Manor at Bickley an easy sense of occasion, whether you’re here for lunch, dinner or afternoon tea.

Its menu moves between seasonal specialities and polished classics, while leafy gardens and a relaxed bar make this Bromley address feel pleasantly removed from everyday bustle.

The Rose is a stylish Deal institution where a handsome old boozer meets modern seaside hospitality.

This boutique hotel, bar and restaurant has a short, seasonal menu rooted in Kentish produce. Its High Street setting puts you minutes from the beach, though lovely staff and hearty modern gastropub cooking make for cosy days too. 

A Whitstable institution, Wheelers has been serving seafood from its tiny High Street shop for generations.

Oysters are the headline act, but the appeal goes beyond the bivalves, with a changing selection of fresh fish and shellfish. There’s no grand dining room here, just serious produce and plenty of seaside character.

Korean barbecue and Texan barbecue might not sound like obvious bedfellows, but The Korean Cowgirl's calling card is a hit.

East Asian flavours and American smoking techniques combine on a menu that's unapologetically big on flavour. Located within the enigmatic Cave Hotel, expect plenty of sharing, smoke, and spice.

Shampan at the Spinning Wheel turns dinner into a bit of an occasion, thanks to polished Indian cooking. 

Set just outside Westerham, it offers airy dining rooms, a stylish bar and private spaces, with a menu that moves confidently from familiar classics to more inventive plates.

Tucked into a suburban parade, Shampan Welling is proof that destination-worthy Indian food doesn’t need a destination postcode.

Its kitchen balances traditional dishes with modern flourishes, while cocktails, fine wines and a famously welcoming atmosphere keep the restaurant busy with both spice obsessives and local regulars.

Dan and Natasha Smith know a thing or two about running an excellent pub, and The Bridge Arms is further proof.

Their second Kent venture, bringing polished cooking and serious pastry skills to this traditional village setting, The Bridge Arms is built around good produce, easy-going (but very elegant) country pub interiors, and classic technique.

The Sportsman has held a Michelin star since 2008, which tells you plenty, right?

Key to that success is that Stephen Harris's celebrated restaurant has managed to achieve that level of cooking without sacrificing its relaxed coastal pub feel. This is an essential booking for serious food lovers.

If your idea of a great restaurant involves gardens, countryside and a meal you don't want to rush, Updown Farmhouse should be on the list.

This restaurant-with-rooms near Deal features manicured gardens surrounding its barn dining space, and the food follows the same philosophy: seasonal, simple and driven by excellent ingredients.

Part wine bar, part shop, part kitchen, Sète brings a little Mediterranean-minded sophistication to Margate’s Northdown Road.

French-leaning modern European dishes champion Kent produce; the thoughtfully assembled wine list ranges from old-world classics to natural and female-made bottles; and a garden adds al fresco appeal.

Bowleys at The Plough takes the familiar country-pub format and kicks it up a notch.

British ingredients, transformed into carefully considered dishes, with the restaurant offering everything from brunch and Sunday roasts to a more ambitious tasting menu. That tasting menu really shows what the kitchen can do - great if you’re celebrating.

Sevenoaks gets a vivid taste of Sierra Leone at Shwen Shwen, Maria Bradford’s elegant celebration of West African cooking.

Expect dishes rooted in Freetown and sharpened with contemporary flair, from groundnut and coconut-rich short rib to jollof and Salone BBQ. Warm, colourful interiors complete this intimate, characterful newcomer.

Enclosed within a red brick 1930s building, The Fordwich Arms serves the smallest town in Britain with some truly fabulous food.

More restaurant than pub, Dan and Natasha Smith have built a reputation for sophisticated cooking rooted in Kentish produce, and menus change with the seasons.

For a relaxed meal surrounded by Kent countryside, the Brasserie at Mercure Maidstone Great Danes is a dependable choice.

Anticipate crowd-pleasing favourites alongside internationally inspired dishes, while the adjoining bar makes an easy spot for drinks. Outside, a terrace overlooks the hotel’s gardens and fishing lake.

With origins stretching back to the 13th century, The Dog at Wingham has centuries of character.

Exposed beams and traditional details give this village inn plenty of atmosphere, while the kitchen takes a more contemporary approach to British cooking, with dishes ranging from pork belly with pancetta creamed leeks to hearty favourites.

Deal's seafront is better known for fish and chips than Japanese cooking, which makes The Blue Pelican all the more interesting.

Head chef Luke Green, who spent five years in Tokyo, serves a small-plate menu inspired by the izakaya tradition. Look for dishes such as smoked eel with tamagoyaki and sansho pepper, and chicken tsukune with hedgehog mushrooms and sake broth.

Atul Kochhar brings his Michelin-starred credentials to Petts Wood with Indian Essence, which sees familiar regional flavours given contemporary treatment.

This is polished Indian dining rather than a straightforward curry-house experience, complete with a menu that flits from tandoori monkfish to Anglo-Indian lamb curry.

Tallow is proof that ambitious food doesn't require an intimidating dining room.

Centred on the seasons and local produce, menus result in beautifully presented dishes that demonstrate plenty of technical skill without losing sight of flavour. Warm and relaxed, its fine-dining credentials make it a favourite for significant dinners.

Westgate-on-Sea has become something of a quiet dining destination, and Quince is one of the reasons why.

Chefs and co-owners Ben Hughes and Rafael Lopez run this intimate neighbourhood bistro, where British ingredients meet Mediterranean influences. The cooking is thoughtful and seasonal, with Kentish produce doing plenty of the heavy lifting.

The Small Holding grows, rears and produces almost everything that it serves, and what it doesn't create itself, it sources from local producers.

That approach results in a menu dictated by the seasons rather than a fixed list of signatures. Award-winning, sustainable, and run by lovely people, it’s well worth the journey into the Kent countryside.

You don't have to go far to find out where the ingredients at The Goods Shed come from: they're being sold just metres away.

Part restaurant, part farmers' market and part food hall, the kitchen keeps things seasonal and relatively unfussy, allowing the quality of the ingredients to take centre stage.

A handsome Victorian building provides the setting for The Kentish Hare, one of Kent's better-known gastropubs.

Inside, the space is split between two lounge areas and bars, while the main restaurant occupies a large conservatory that opens onto a terrace, perfect for wine and sharing plates or a long lunch.

Helmed by Allister Busby in the kitchen, Hide and Fox has earned its place among Kent's fine-dining heavyweights.

Five- and eight-course menus are modern British and highly seasonal, matched with wine pairings carefully selected by in-house sommelier Alice Bussi. It’s the only two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Southern England outside of London.

Perched above West Bay, Finbar’s pairs panoramic sea views with fresh, locally sourced cooking.

Independently owned, the restaurant specialises in fish and seasonal dishes, with daily specials adding variety and floor-to-ceiling glass giving almost every table a front-row view of the coast. The terrace, meanwhile, makes the most of sunny days.

SARGASSO has the sort of location that makes choosing a table almost as important as choosing what's on the menu.

Perched on Margate Harbour Arm, the restaurant looks out over the sea, making it an obvious contender for a long lunch when the weather plays ball. The kitchen keeps things firmly focused on the coast, with fresh fish and seasonal British ingredients.

Canvas brings contemporary world cuisine to the heart of Tunbridge Wells, with small menus that put flavour and provenance first.

Chef David Fuller’s menus champion fresh, seasonal local produce, changing every six weeks to keep things interesting, and the intimate, relaxed dining room is matched by a carefully chosen wine list.