Looking for Ramsgate restaurants? This seaside town on the far northeast tip of Kent cashes in on old-world charm, offering hungry visitors much more than your standard beachside fish and chips.

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Here are our best places to eat and drink in Ramsgate...


Arya – best small plates restaurant in Ramsgate

To get to Arya, you have to go through The Ravensgate Arms – not exactly a hardship. Leave yourself time for a pre-dinner cocktail, the staff will happily add it to your restaurant bill, to be paid at the end. Enquiring glances follow you as you head up the stairs behind an unmarked door. At the top, a window into the kitchen gives you a glimpse of the action before you’re ushered into the small, six-table dining room decorated with local art, all of which is for sale.

The menu is as petite as the dining room, but with three snacks, six small plates, three sharing plates and three desserts, there’s still plenty of choice – if, by some miracle, you’re not tempted to order one of everything.

The larger sharing plates are simple but focused: baked Tunworth cheese with bread, whole bream with pink fir potatoes and Iberico pork with padron peppers.

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Read our full review of Arya here

Arya, Ramsgate

Archive – best cafe in Ramsgate

Nestled inside the arched walls overlooking Ramsgate's Royal Harbour is unusual cafe cum shop, Archive. Its interiors are built with birch plywood, bringing a Scandi feel to Kent. Sit and browse the carefully curated kitchenware (wooden items from Bambu, glasses and mugs from Scandinavian brands), pick up the latest issue of Kinfolk (once you’ve bought olive, of course!) or invest in a new cookbook.

Farmer’s daughter Naomi Grady offers quiches and cakes, handmade from ethically sourced local ingredients. It is a great place for a slice of apple cake, or a late breakfast: choose the mashed, lime-laced avocado and streaky bacon on thickly cut toast with tea from local makers, Debonair (the latter is served with a timer so you can steep a perfect brew, or the homemade seed and nut granola with local yogurt and berries.

Alternatively, come at lunchtime for the Moroccan lamb wrap with harissa yoghurt and couscous or a Buddha bowl of the day, with raw veggies, rice noodles and a soy and ginger dressing.

archivehomestore.co.uk


Vinyl Head – best vegan food in Ramsgate

For a vinyl and vegan vibe, head to Vinyl Head café-cum-record store in Ramsgate’s Georgian heart.

facebook.com/vinylheadramsgate


The Albion – best place to stay in Ramsgate

On the corner of grand Wellington Crescent, overlooking Ramsgate’s harbour, The Albion hotel is in prime position for sea-gazing, especially if you book the suite that comes with a wraparound terrace. The nine bedrooms at this Regency-style hotel are set around a beautiful circling staircase and come with fine bedlinen, plush carpets and an immaculate finish.

The on-site restaurant and bar, Townley's, has just been renovated and covers most bases, from super-healthy salads to sliders, small plate sharing dishes to larger meat and fish dishes (try the whole chicken for two). If you visit at the weekend and don't fancy running the gauntlet of the noisier bars along the harbour, stay here and wallow in the elegant surroundings of the lounge areas or the hotel bar.

albionhouseramsgate.co.uk


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Words and pictures by Leanne Bracey and Pami Hoggatt. Originally published June 2016, updated October 2019

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