Address: 8 High St, Whitstable, CT5 1BQ, United Kingdom
Phone: +441227273311
Rating: 4.6
based on 188 reviews.
Service
Pros:
"The service was fantastic."
"The lovely staff here got us a table even though we had not reserved and they were full of bookings."
"The staff were attentive and friendly."
"Service and ambience were fantastic."
"The service was friendly at the small number of tables provided a great atmosphere."
"The staff are truly top notch, we didn’t get our waiters name today (very rude of us) but he was an absolute superstar."
"The service was exceptional - friendly and helpful."
Cons:
"It was extremely difficult to get any staff attention."
"The experience was exceptionally lacklustre: poor timing and inattentive wait staff who were surly at times."
"However the lady at the till was not very nice."
"We were met by a very rude woman who clearly hates her job."
"Rude, ignorant, racist chef ruined experience."
"The staff and I mean all the staff are extremely rude and don't know how to crack a smile, felt rushed and unwelcomed whilst eating."
"The staff can be unwelcoming and a little sour."
Food Quality
Pros:
"They don't just serve up seafood, they create beautiful dishes in a wide variety of styles."
"Lovely food beautifully presented and great service. Very nice place."
"The mixed platter for two was delicious, it contained cod, spicy prawns, smoked salmon, coronation crab and some bread if I remember rightly."
"It's unpretentious, relaxed and just all about brilliant, delicious food."
"Best seafood I've had in the UK."
"The oysters were delicious."
"The food here was unbelievable and the byob policy meant we could accompany it with some top quality wine without paying over the odds."
Cons:
"Tried the tempura crab and mussels. Was hoping for more flavour from the crab."
"The cockles I had was a bit gritty."
"Finally managed to wangle a table for Sunday lunch- was by far the most disappointing meal I’ve eaten in recent memory."
"The food is medioca and extremely overpriced for the piddly sized portion you receive."
"Had a main fish meal that lacked flavour and was very sparing in terms of the fish in the meal."
"The fried foods are terrible."
"Oysters were room temperature and gritty."
Atmosphere
Pros:
"Very cosy but great atmosphere."
"Visited during the Whitstable Oyster Festival weekend, as it was very difficult to get a table for lunch, we ordered the picnic box from Wheelers and it was lovely!"
"A lovely place with an amazing selection of fish. I have eaten here twice now and still never booked early enough to sit in the restaurant, the counter is a suitable alternative and it is nice to be able to see the line up of food!"
"It is charming in every way. A tiny room that feels like stepping back in time. Loved the Englishness of it!"
"The place itself is very unassuming and is very akin to eating in your friends or relatives dining room (which we bloody love!!)."
"From the blast from the past parlour and take out bar to the Kardashianesque waitstaff (super nice) to the creatively prepared seafood, it was a delight."
"A great independent restaurant. Delia, Mark and team are delivering a wonderful dining experience."
Cons:
"Won’t recommend purely based on the poor service and atmosphere, sorry."
"The atmosphere and service is casual and family like."
"Several tables of guys so drunk they were shouting and arm wrestling was a huge minus."
"The atmosphere also left quite a bit to be desired. Apart from myself, the place was devoid of customers."
"I wasn't a big fan of the family with the screaming one year old kid because that room is so tiny and suddenly it went from quirky to a kindergarden."
"Very poor customer service and customer experience overall."
"The only drawback was that oysters finished while we were still eating and we wanted to have more."
Value
Pros:
"Also because it's BYO you can get a couple of bottles of wine from the offy across the road, have a 3 course meal for two and still have change from £80."
"BYOB was a nice option, great wine at a decent price (no heavy markup)."
"Prices are fair nothing fancy but a great little restaurant."
"Reasonable price at under £140 for 4 people for some of the best seafood."
"Liked it being BYO and the wine shop has a good choice at very reasonable prices."
"This is exceptional food at a fraction of London prices."
"Every single dish is divine and incredibly well priced."
Cons:
"We were changed a deposit of £10 per person to hold the table, which was a first for all of us."
"Prices were ludicrous for what we got, cafe style service for high end restaurant prices."
"Really expensive for a bar with wipe clean tablecloths. If I'm going to pay 27 pounds for one course of food no drinks no extras it's got to be really nice."
"The £90 bill left a bitter taste."
"Very overpriced."
"Rip off: £7 for about 8 Mussels stuffed with dry herbs and raw garlic."
"The food is AMAZING."
Payment & BYOB Policy
Pros:
"It is worth noting that it is a cash only restaurant and bring your own wine. If you cannot manage bringing wine or alcohol there is an excellent off-licence opposite."
"It's also BYO so I'd recommend nipping to The Offy over the road and getting some local beers or sparkling wine."
"They don’t take cards, (ATM) two doors down and they don’t sell alcohol so bring your own (there’s an off licence across the road)."
"It's a small, cosy restaurant with no alcohol licence but they allow BYO with no corkage charge."
"It is BYOB so no wine list angst either."
"Take your own bottle of bubbly or wine, cash and enjoy!"
"Note that they only take cash and cheques and they don't have a licence so you can bring your own drink."
Cons:
"Upon arrival, was told not open yet and to wait outside and if we want to drink alcohol we need to go elsewhere to buy as they don't have a license to sell alcohol."
"Doesn't accept any major credit card at all, only cash."
"Great food, however service is horrible: caffe opens at 10am, but kitchen is not until 1pm; no card accepted although no sign of it until the minute you actually want to pay; no spoons for take away (instead toothpick offered)."
"The restaurant doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages, so one has to head to a local off licence to get wine or beers."
"One point to note is that they do not have a liquor license so take your own wine, beer etc., and pay the nominal corkage."
"They don’t have a license but you can buy a bottle of wine across the street, and drink for a corkage."
"And you have to bring your own drink cos they only have one type of drink available."