I first went here 6 years ago...and my god the fresh fish & chips reminded me of the stuff I used…read moreto eat as a kid in Southport with my parents. They cook in beef dripping....and yikes and gazooks....it is BLOODY MARVELOUS! So I was again visiting my friends and have kept the smell and memory of this place in my mind for six years. Would I be disappointed.....no feckin' way!!!! The place still offers a simple style with formica tables a mug of tea and mushy peas...and that smell.....oh it's divine!!!! My lunch which I had flown 4000 miles for was better than I had hoped it might be. Bearing in mind Whitstable has been discovered by London and now has many trendy independent shops, galleries and eating places I am so pleased the V C Jones has not changed on iota. I will be back........unless anyone can do a quick take out for me...deliver it to Woodstock Vermont where I have some original Sarsons vinegar ready and waiting.....

This is the chippy of my childhood neighbourhood. Friday night was very often fish and chips…read morenight, and the only place that could cut it was Jones. This place is the real thing and a benchmark of what fish and chips is all about! http://www.vcjones.co.uk/

Looking for a day trip from London to have some excellent seafood?…read more Samphire in Whitstable is one of the places I wish I knew about sooner. I know places can sometimes only be as good as their chefs or staff so if that is true, honestly come here now. Everything I had was EXCELLENT. Truly spectacular, if I lived in Whitstable, you would find me here regularly. I tried a few things on the menu but only had pics of a few of the dishes. I love to enjoy the day lunch special that is offered week days. Some of the excellent meals we had included: Dayboat -skate wing (Dayboat option was my favorite) Risotto with Lions Mane Pork Chop with Mash and Gravy Truly, the food here is outstanding and Michelin worthy. I adore this place and can't wait to be back to try more. Staff was friendly, attentive and knew the menu well. Food is so flavorful and served at perfect temperatures and excellent. I'm so happy with our meal here and can't wait to try more!

Extremely disappointed with the food and the wait staff. To begin with the menu's did not match…read morethe online one. Some of the potatoes were under done while the Porter house steak was tough and chewy. Lastly the head waiter was wearing gym Shorts. Over priced and too expensive for the meal we received. Would not recommend!

The Pearson's Arms had got the right recipe as far as I'm concerned. We went there with our friend…read morePhilip and we all agreed that the food and service were both top notch. Philip and I chose the venison dish but, as he doesn't like mushrooms, they were happy to change them for fennel instead. The meat was succulent and the sauce absolutely delicious no danger of calling it 'gravy'! Judi chose a smoked haddock dish which she pronounced to be superb. The wine list was a bit confusing as their affordable bottles are found on the 'by the glass' page. We chose a splendid Malbec from Argentina whilst Judi had a zingy white which she clearly enjoyed as she finished the whole bottle by herself. I can't remember what it was, however :-( Then came the crowning glory(s). We each chose a different pudding and we each declared our choice to be the best pudding we had ever had! I had the clementine parfait, Judi the roasted black figs and Philip the clafouti. The Maury Grenat Grenache Noir topped it off perfectly. They were very busy (as they should be!) and if the service was fairly slow the food was not 'fast' and that's fine by me!

Super cute bar next to the water with live music, how can you go wrong? Just to be clear, you can't…read moresee the water from inside the bar. I love how it's very festive for the holidays just like every other place in the area. We came here with a group of ladies to grab some drinks, hang out and have some interesting conversations. One of the ladies mentioned that they are known for their oysters which then of course I ordered half a dozen. Not bad, but not my favorite. Would I ordered them again? Absolutely. You have very hard-working stuff behind the bar to serve you your beer and cocktails and even take your order for some must have oysters. Highly recommend check this place out.

This restaurant is a very good option for a sit-down lunch (with table service) at Leeds Castle in…read moreKent. We were greeted and seated right away. It's a beautiful dining area under a high ceiling with wooded beams. We very much enjoyed the view of the castle from our table. The service was professional and polite. We knew exactly what we wanted. The Ploughman's Platter is usually a quick & easy lunch. We only had about 45 minutes before meeting our tour group for the trip back to the port. It was an easy decision. So, we've had many Ploughman's lunches over the years at various pubs around the UK. I must say that this was the best and heartiest plate we have ever received. The honey-glazed gammon was a thicker cut. We kept commenting to each other about it. Everything was presented beautifully. It had a slice of white cheddar along with a salad, apple slices, and a seeded wheat bread. Everything was so fresh and tasty. We added the stilton cheese, but honestly didn't need it even though it was delicious. We were definitely overloaded with cheese. Haha! My husband made himself a stilton cheese sandwich with the bread. He also really liked the chutney & mustard relish. The salad was dressed very well. I just wish we had more time to savor it all. It was such a great meal! We didn't get to finish it all. That's on us. We shouldn't have ordered an additional cheese. It's just that the stilton brings back memories of a soup and a cheeseburger that we had back in the day. We left the restaurant very satisfied. It was a beautiful & memorable day for us. I highly recommend a stop here for lunch or dinner when at Leeds Castle.

What is one to do when one arrives in Whitstable during the first day of the Oyster Festival with…read moreno dinner reservations? Beg? Well we did, and we were lucky enough to get a spot at the bar at the yummy Williams & Brown Tapas Bar. Its cozy and busy with genuinely friendly staff (everyone in Kent seems to be nice!) and a great menu that is heavy on the seafood and updates weekly. The star of the evening was the Galician Fish Broth, which is a stew of mussels, squid, white fish and prawns in a scrummy broth that will force you to order extra bread so you don't lose a drop. We also had the seabass (fantastic) and the salchichon and chorizo plate (simple but good) and the lamb chops (only disappointment, a bit tough) as well as the patatas bravas. We also loved the wine, Vega del Rayo Rioja (2006). Highly recommend, but think about making a reservation if you're visiting Whitstable on a Saturday in high season!

Varied and tasty menu. Fast friendly service. Next time I am in Whitstable this will be a dining…read moredestination! Thank you for squeezing us in to your busy evening!

As one of the few local shops that opened late, we ordered various fried offerings to eat along the…read morebeach. Its not a super fancy spot but what chippy is? Staff were nice (maybe a bit rushed as being the only option for food people were queuing up for a bit). We ordered plenty of food between the two of us with an order of fish and chips, fried spam, fried scampi, fried mushrooms (you can see a theme here). The food came out fresh and fast and the best part is the beach is like a minute walk so we enjoyed our food by the beach, watching the sunset. The food itself was great. The cod was flakey and the batter stayed on the fish. The chips were perfectly soggy and crisp (not usually a good thing but always works for fish and chips). Fried mushrooms, awesome, fried scampi, awesome. My favorite actually ended up being the fried spam, they had a nice thick piece and it was melt in your mouth salty/umami goodness. Spam lovers and doubters should both try this and see what they think! This was definitely one of the highlights of my short Whitstable trip, esp since everything else was closed or closing. However, Ossies with their later close time and proximity to the beach saved the day!

Good service good value great food Excellent staff. Food…read morefreshly cooked. Cod Was excellent. Chips cook traditional way. Nice and crispy.

This restaurant was essentially as described on its web site- basic British food. The food served…read morewas solid and well presented and well above good pub grub. Service overall was convivial and discreet. The restaurant only gets marked down for price - it was a bit high. We ate: Appetiser Roast duck on mixed greens - duck was far too tough / chewy and seemed to be the bits you normally throw away. Pity because good taste. Fish gougeons which turned out to be a euphemism for fancy fish sticks. Good taste though Mains Roast chicken with parsley roast potatoes Monkfish with crushed new potatoes Both the above were very plain almost bland but saved by presentation and cooked just right Desert Cheesecake, - very good. sorbets - out of the box but well presented Wines acceptable. (House Merlot) Overall: Well presented well served copious old fashioned food that is hit and miss. And a tad expensive.

This was my favorite restaurant in Leigh until they removed the pianist on a Saturday night. This…read moreof course doesn't affect the quality of the food which 'll hasten to add is outstanding. The piansit gave the restaurant a certain something that other restaurants in the area don't have. I would still heartily recommend it all the same. UPDATE: Recently revisited this restaurant for our Christmas lunch and I'm pleased to report that food and service were of excellent quality. They handled my 4 y\o daughter and 11 week old daughter admirably.

I was visiting from Vermont and friends in Whitstable treated me to dinner. It was off the beaten…read morepath, full of locals and had I understand moved a while ago from the front of a standard house, where the concept started. The place is unlicenced, and provides a positive corkage charge to wine bought from Tesco...as a protest to that organisations take over of the UK! I loved this quirky feature, the design and style of the restaurant with old tables and chairs meeting modern lighting and colourful paint....and by god the food was good! Also they had not made the mistake of cramming as many tables in as they could, so one has space and the noise level was just right. Portion size was generous and the whole place seems to have been developed to follow a Spanish tapas style with a Kiwi twist. It works! On a cold damp Friday night in January the place was packed....shows me that locals go there as most places have difficulty filling tables post Christmas. Go visit but do book....they deserve the success and I want to go back!

Fabulous, welcoming little cafe/restaurant. The tap water is especially tasty...everyone thought…read moreso. The coffee was almost as good as Starbucks.