The Top Restaurants On The South Coast, Kent

A nondescript warehouse by the seafront at Hythe contains a genuine delight of a restaurant, which offers a legendary daily ‘brunch on the beach’ consisting of the day’s catch. Griggs isn’t fine dining (you take your chances with the weather and a wooden bench) but the fish is fresh and cooked with care. Bring your own bottle along and enjoy the best fish and chips along this part of the coast.

Loaf offers an array of very fine breakfast and lunchtime food, set just off the seashore in the village of Sandgate, between Hythe and Folkestone. The interior is sparse but stylish, with Morris-print wallpaper, and vintage furniture to set the appropriate tone for the innovatively crafted sandwiches, ciabattas, soups and salads on offer. Loaf attracts a bohemian and trendy clientele, but parents with children are welcomed, as is the occasional well behaved dog.

The Smokehouse is owned by the same people that run the more upmarket Rocksalt, and offers a more casual atmosphere and menu. It’s a fun place to eat good food in a non-pretentious environment, with particular highlights being the salt and pepper squid and mussel popcorn from the starter menu. The dessert menu is particularly straightforward but delicious: four flavours of local Kentish ice cream.

Rocksalt is the most prestigious gastronomic ticket in town, with top quality (mainly sea) food served in a chic setting overlooking the harbour. The team in the kitchen have grand pedigrees, and their experience is reflected both in the quality of the food and its prices. The crab and mussels are highlights on the shellfish menu, and the Folkestone fish curry stands out on the mains. This cool, modernist building, with its prospect over the harbour, is well worth a visit in its own right.

Offering classic seafood cooked in an unfussy style, Dunkerley’s lets the flavour of the fresh ingredients speak for themselves. Highlights of the starter menu include seared scallops with pea puree and smoked haddock with curried leek risotto. The main menu offers such choices as North Atlantic pave of halibut and grilled Dover sole. Owners Ian and Linda Dunkerley have family history in the town and have nurtured the reputation of their restaurant for over 25 years, making it well worth a visit.

The atmospheric and architecturally stylish Courtyard Oyster Bar provides diners with the chance to eat under the stars, thanks to its retractable glass roof. Its menu is not fully seafood, with some excellent options for turf, rather than surf-lovers. The menu features bacon and Brie croquettes and garlic and lemon chicken. The fish is fresh, and options are dictated by what’s been caught that day.

Victuals & Co is a chic restaurant with an eclectic menu. You can choose from a surprising range of global foods including South East Asian as well as European-inspired dishes. The food is locally sourced and the presentation is artistic. The highlights of the menu include the Malaysian beef and coconut curry, and the lamb ballotine.

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