We stayed in Whitstable for a few days. A lovely small town. Great location and lots of…read morerestaurants. We looked forward to dine here the first night. We knew there are no reservations, you just wait in line until a table of your liking gets free (inside our outside with a view). We arrived around 7pm and waited for a table outside. It only took about 20mins, which was less than expected. Our Bulldog was welcome as well. Got a table with amazing sunset views. Breathtaking. Sadly the location and the sunset were the only highlights that night. We enjoy fish and seafood. All over the world. Normandy, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Japan. And so on. We've had our share of great and not so great fish and seafood. Sadly the food here belongs to the latter. Visually it was a feast for your eyes. But sadly not for your taste buds. The lobster was pretty small and very dry. Overcooked and overpriced. The oysters just ok, nowhere near irish, french or scottish quality. Not creamy enough. The shrimps were fine. But nothing near great. Best to drown them in the sauce and Mayo that came with The seafood platter was all cold food - but we knew that before ordering, nothing wrong with that. It's just the quality that was missing overall. The salmon was possibly the worst. Low quality, smelly fish. Seasnails were ok, but the small shrimp not. Just tried one. Fries came with the lobster. Soft and soggy. There was also bread and salad. I enjoyed the bread and butter the most of the whole meal. Which is a sad statement. Had some wine with our meal. 20cl mini-bottles of a quality that's best to forget. Staff was very very busy, but ok. And as I said, the views are amazing. But you could grab some take-out food anywhere and sit down somewhere on the Whitstable beach and get the same view. We really wanted to enjoy this place. But quality wasn't there. And the prices for that really way too high. Whitstable is a place to come back to one day. The Lobster Shack isn't.

Where do I start. We queued up outside to be told to be told to find our own table and then we had…read moreto order via an awkward app that charged for sending in the order. We ordered a pint of lager, a glass of prosecco, 6 oysters; a whole lobster with chilli and chorizo, a prawn and lobster roll and because the app wasn't clear, extra chips and a side salad. The £6 pint of warm lager and £8 glass of cheap prosecco came with and in plastic glasses. This was the highlight of our meal. There was no lobster detectable in the lobster and prawn roll and the prawns were almost frozen. The chips were damp and arrived in a paper tray; these are not twice cooked potato sticks of excellence, these tasted straight from the freezer to the fryer. My girlfriend wanted some ketchup to go on the damp chips, but it needs to be ordered via the app at 20p per sachet plus ordering fee. The bill at this point was North of £80 and they want 25p for sauce sachets. The salad was a limp, uninteresting mix of lettuce and cucumber with an unpleasant gloopy vinaigrette over it. The £37 lobster arrived and it was small, dried out and tough. I didn't even know it was possible to dry out a lobster while cooking it, perhaps it had been split lying under a heat lamp for half an hour. The oysters hadn't arrived. I'd had enough. So I called over a waitress. I explained my lobster was dry and tough and the oysters hadn't arrived. She literally just shrugged, that's it, nothing else. We asked if we could see the manager. A young man came over and asked with a surly, aggressive manner what the problem was. I explained that the lobster was dry and actually tough and he almost sneered "do you want another one or a refund?". No apology, no sorry, just a replacement or refund offer. I asked for the refund. I then went on to ask when the oysters were coming. To which he responded that the food delivered in whatever order it came out of the kitchen. I explained that I'm fine with this but the starter shouldn't arrive after dessert has arrived or one has left the restaurant. Instead of an apology what I got was a defiant "I've got three people shucking oysters" Which he had, at that moment, for 25 of the previous 30 minutes it was one guy working on his own. I could see him from my table. This is a case of the manager thinking that his problems should be mine when in fact my problems should be his. I am after all, the one paying for the service that he is failing to deliver with a bad attitude. I didn't mention any of the other issues with the food as the angry manager just didn't seem interested customer satisfaction or service. He left our table instructing me to go to the counter and ask for a refund before we left. My oysters must have been prioritised as they arrived on a plastic tray five minutes later. I ate the oysters which tasted nice, but had their revenge on me half an hour after we left, which was surprising as I can eat anything without issue. Perhaps there's something in the old saying about only eating shellfish when there is an R in the month. Neither of us needed to use the toilets when we were there, which is great because you need to queue outside for them. We left the Lobster Shack with the chips, salads and lobster uneaten on the table; the table service here is just delivery and clear up after you have left. All over we had an appalling experience. Even after the refund I'd ended up spending £45 for some warm drinks, half a dozen oysters and a prawn bun. It could have been turned around with a polite, friendly apology of some sort. So often what could have been a poor experience is saved by good staff who understand customer service. They don't here. The location is great, the building is great it has the ambience of a West Coast surf bar. That's where the good stuff stops. The barely existent service is surly and . unpleasant, the food awful and awfully expensive. Warm drinks in plastics cups. This is not a West Coast surf bar. I can't imagine it gets any business from locals, it's a place tourists go, regret and never return to. I certainly won't be going again and I've been eating at the parent restaurant, the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company for 30 years.

Yep, this place is great. We were wandering along the seafront looking for a place to have our…read morefirst plate of oysters and spotted this place with a few tables out front. Very casual. On the board, they advertise various kinds of oysters, fish and chips and half lobsters. They were out of the cheapest oysters so we got the local tressels, half dozen for £10. Still a good deal as they are much more in London. We also ordered a raspberry wheat beer. As we waited, we spotted the fish and chips which is ENORMOUS. Seriously, if you can, order that too. The half lobster looked pretty good too, and a great deal at £13.50. Our oysters were large, fresh and delicious, so good we came back later for another round. I was thrilled with the place. Definitely would come back for a visit.

A+ casual beachside dining. Sitting back in deck chairs in the sun with fabulous raw oysters, fish…read moreand chips and lobsters. Great experience and a very relaxed atmosphere. They also serve local beers here. I had the kentish ale which was very smooth.

After a disappointing night out at the Seafood Shack we booked two dinners here during our stay in…read moreWhitstable. It's a smaller place, so better book ahead. It's a very nice, charming restaurant. A bit of Brasserie/Bistro style. Feels very warm and welcoming. Owner and staff were wonderful folks. Friendly, helpful and welcoming. Our Bulldog was welcome here as well. First night we've had the baked oysters (Rockefeller Style) and goats cheese salad. Both wonderful dishes. Fresh and tasty oysters, creamy flavourful goat cheese. For the mains we ordered mussels & shrimps and Beef Wellington with sides (veggies and potatoes). A bottle of wine with that. Both shrimp and mussels very fresh again and of high quality. The Beef Wellington was a real treat. Amazingly done! Kudos to the cook! A creme brulée for dessert. A really great dinner for a fair price. Happily we came back to other day and had another wonderful dining experience. Raw oysters and Terrine for starters. Both fantastic, they got great oysters here. Tasted a lot better than the ones at the Seafood Shack. Terrine was my thing...really like it. For the mains a chowder and shrimps...and another Beef Wellington. Beef was a great as the other night. Beautiful. Chowder was nice and creamy and the shrimps another winner. A winner was also the wine: Villa Des Croix. Nice, fresh, crisp. This is really a fantastic restaurant. Great food quality, wonderful staff and owner. A cook who knows what he's doing. Highly recommended.

Did a day trip in Whitstable. And found this restaurant. Really delicious food. They put together a…read moretable for the five of us so we did not wait at all. Love all the decorations they put on the wall, and mirrors that have the name of the restaurant.

Went here with a bunch of friends for dinner. The weather was pretty dull in Whitstable but the…read moreatmosphere inside was great. Our server was attentive and patiently persevered the bad jokes that my friend Tony was cracking. Everything on the menu is seafood, so don't come here looking for steak...but the seafood is fresh and well cooked. The sea bass was delicious...although Tony wanted more potatoes...but the others who had it were content...Tony's a bit of a complainer. I had the sea bream and it was excellent. Recommend this to anyone lucky enough to be in Whitstable for the weekend. PS Tony asked me to point out that he did bring his Sonos speaker with him for the weekend so we could listen to music, and he felt the review above didn't really communicate the value he was bringing to the weekend.

Oysters served several delicious ways! I tried the Rockefeller with spinach and cheese and Casino…read morewith bacon, Parmesan and a little spice...excellent! The grilled scallops with a pint of Oyster Stout (staying with the theme ) were perfect, as were the cabbage and bacon and heirloom tomato and onion sides. Right on the beach I look forward to coming back during a sunny day.

Solid 4 stars for this seafood joint in Coastal England within this cute town of Whistable…read more Reservations are strongly encouraged! Luckily, I came for lunch with a reservation right when they open and got seated on their outdoor balcony with a lovely view. I can probably eat 12 fresh oysters just by myself, they were super fresh and tasty! I ordered the Crab and Winkle Fish Pie and they did NOT skimp on the fish. I was surprised when the entree was brought out, I expected the fish to be in the pie, similarly to American-style chicken pot pies. Regardless of the presentation, it was good. The lobster roll was delicious too, wish I had gotten that after sampling a few bites. Overall, a cute restaurant and a great experience. By the time I was leaving, the restaurant was packed. Opt to sit outside on the balcony if possible, especially on a sunny day! #19/2019

You will be sadly disappointed at this spot! Prices are extremely high for the food. The oysters…read morewere the smallest I have ever seen! I would recommend eating downstairs.

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.

Avoid eating here at all costs…read more We got severe food poisoning and have been unwell for 5 days now....I have emailed them but received no response. If you go on a Sunday the menu states you HAVE to have 2 courses, I only wanted 1 but then you still have to pay £30. And we got the poisoning from the trout starter that we didn't want, but also didn't want to wast our money. The member of staff that booked our table the night before was lovely. The female member of staff who served us really didnt want to be there. Like she was hungover or is treated badly by management. Food was oversalted, not tasty and small portions. The other 2 guests we were with were also underwhelmed by the food. The trout starter came with a blue oil that was tasteless, and very unappealing to look at. We spent £150 . Overpriced. Underwhelmed and very unewell.

If you're in Whitstable and on a budget, there is no better place to visit than here. This is a…read morereview for Wee Willies, not the Crab and Winkle restaurant upstairs. Wee Willie does a thriving trade and was full the entire time we were there on a Monday lunchtime. So I imagine at the weekend, it's rammed. It's a fish and chip shop and a market in one. So you can buy your fresh fish if you're staying in the area and cook it yourself or buy some takeout. We started with a portion of whelks and a 'best of the ocean' fake crab sticks, which cost about £4.80, quite a bit pricier than the wholesale place down the street but decent and tasty. We followed this up with a fried fish platter of deep fried prawns, whitebait and calamari for £5.20, a portion of chips, two mini wine bottles and a garlic butter kipper in a bun. Pretty decent and tasty eats for under 20 quid. It wasn't the best food we had all day, but a good place to fill your fried food craving. Get the fish and chips, it's huge! There's bathrooms and more seating in the back, just follow the route all around.

This is a lovely little seafood restaurant in a great location, right on the seafront smack bang in…read morethe middle of Herne Bay. Housed in an extended and refurbished ex public toilet, there is a lower room which is quite spacious and has a view of the kitchen and an upper room which has a view out onto the seafront. Both rooms are light, airy and fairly minimalist but on balance I would recommend the upper room if you have the choice. As there is a lack of decent eating establishments in Herne Bay this place gets pretty busy most evenings so I would recommend booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. Having said that most folk in these parts seem to like to eat early so you have a reasonable chance of a "walk in" if you turn up later in the evening near the end of service. We visited last Saturday and had a very pleasant evening. We were warmly welcomed and shown to a nice corner table. After a quick look at the short but very reasonably priced wine list, the most expensive white was a Sancerre at just under £24, we ordered a bottle of Chablis which came nicely chilled and was a great companion to the fishy feast which was soon to follow. While we were snacking on some lovely bread and trying to decide what to have from the short but nicely put together menu we ordered a few oysters which came grilled with garlic, parsley and parmesan. I normally like my oysters raw with a little lemon and Tabasco but these bad boys from Essex were really very tasty and I would definitely recommend trying a couple - having them grilled is a good introduction to the delights of the oyster if you are a little wary. After much debate B decided to start with the home cured salmon which came with a crème fraiche dressing on the side. I passed on the starter as I wanted to do justice to my main but when the salmon arrived it was a very decent plateful, had an absolutely wonderful citrus flavour and was good for two to share. I'm licking my lips just thinking about it. B then moved on to her main, which was in fact another starter, of plaice goujons which she teamed up with a side of lovely thin cut fries. This was a great combination and I had a slight touch of the food envy as I tried the tasty fish encased in a very toothsome light crispy batter. However, the green eyed monster soon disappeared when my bouillabaisse appeared and I got a waft of the lovely rich fishy fragrance. It was a very fine dish indeed; made with a deft touch and containing a nice selection of firm white fish and shellfish. We finished by sharing a chocolate plate which was delicious selection of chocolate based treats and came with a nice scoop of ice cream. All in all we had a lovely meal which was served by friendly and efficient staff. This restaurant was by far the best we managed to find in Herne Bay and is well worth seeking out.

This was the second time my partner and I have visited this restaurant and I think it is brilliant…read more Le Petit Poisson is situated right on the seafront by the pier.The building itself used to be the public toilets however continuous renovation work has transformed it into a cute and comfortable seafood restaurant. On both occasions the service has been faultless.A welcoming charm that lingered for the entire experience. Once inside you don't feel the cold, harsh weather that is outside on the seafront! Both starters that we had were perfect. I had homecured salmon with beetroot salad. The salmon was delicate and flavoursome and was complemented by a creamy beetroot salad that was flavoured with thyme. My partner had the fish soup, he commented that as the he drank more of the soup it got better. I only managed to try and mouthful, wary as I was (not generally a fan of Fish soup) I was wowed by the tasty fish flavours and the deep orange colour. I would happily have this soup agian on another visit! To follow we both had panfired halibut with an oyster cream sauce and bacon. This was probably one of the best things I have eaten to date. The fish was perfectly cooked and I felt that every ingredient on the plate was great friends. As I struggled not to lick my plate in public I was saddernded to be losing this plateful of friendly food. We shared a dessert of apple crumble mousse with treacle ice cream. This was great also, the appley mousse was a contrasting texture to the crunchy crumble and washed down well with the ice cream that reminded me of a Kentish Gypsy Tart! Yum! Often when I eat out I find there is one course that isn't quite to standard. However with this meal every course was as good as the previous. I can't wait to return to eat more lovely treasures from the sea and also see how the renovation work is going! This restaurant is a hidden gem. Please visit, but make sure there is a table left for me!!

as the name suggests, you should really come here for their native oysters which are available only…read morefrom sep to apr. at other times you can expect home grown rock oysters instead. the freshness of their seafood is key. no fancy service, no fancy setting and not even fancy cooking. simple fare but guaranteed freshest ingredients. my smoked eel starter was delectable, served with a creamed horseradish on toast. the mussels were also really sweet and fresh leaving behind a broth so yummy that you need to polish it off with their bread. the pan fried scallops as a main comes as 8 plump roe-in version. simply grilled with shallots and white wine. the whole portland cock crab is a favourite with my friends. simply steamed and served cold with all the creamy crab roe laid on it's shell. my whole roast local wild sea bass with garlic and rosemary, was fresh but tasted just ordinary though. the barn like setting and big windows facing the north sea makes for a casual and relaxing atmosphere. on a sour note, our fellow diners at the next table were the party spoilers! they were a table of 2 elderly couples who were whiners!! they kept sshhing the kids in our party!!! in our humble opinion, we were not the only table with kids making noise and they certainly were within normal tolerance level. on top of that, the acoustics of the place didnt helped and was definitely not build as such. they even have the cheek to complain to the manager but the manager rightfully pointed out that they are indeed a family friendly business after all. in case you are wondering about the oysters, they were not in season when we were there and hence the silence.......

I'm torn on how to review this place. There were ups and downs about my experience here…read more The setting is simple but quite nice. It had wooden tables, sometimes covered with red-checkered table clothes. Each setting had a candle and it was fairly quaint. As a Canadian who wanted to leave the crowds of London it was perfect. Paired with an awesome guy, the entire evening was incredibly romantic. The service was prompt, friendly, and quite attentive. The highlight of the evening was our glass of wine and their Rockerfeller (sp?) oysters cooked with cheese. Best oysters I've ever had, hands down. I ordered the crab, and my date had the local sea bass. The fish was cooked properly and was quite fresh. It's quite a large fish, so you better be dedicated to flavour of fish and only three baby potatoes when you order it. Because ultimately it was quite simply marinated. The crab was done... differently. I don't know if it's a British style of cooking crab, but to eat the crab cold felt like I had lost some of its flavour. Another reviewer said that creamy roe was placed in the shell, I'm not sure if that's what it was, but it was pretty plain. In fact both of our dishes were fairly plain. Ultimately I think you should come here for oysters and fresh food, but I'm not so sure the prices were completely fair. But you can chalk that up to my igloo-maple ways!

This place was great…read more Why? 1. Menu was brilliant (albeit costly oysters... but they always are) 2. Live Jazz - on a thursday lunch - yes please 3. nice atomsphere WHy not? 1. Only two high chairs. 2. No table service ( you have to go order) 3. food took a while - but worth it. Food was really nice, I have the oyster selection plate and some chips, my friend had fish and chips. Have a look at my photos - looks yum right!? Summary - outside with oyster, live jazz, sunshine and happy staff... what more do you want in life... oh a Kia Royal, and some Strawberries and Cream. Yes.

Not bad if you want to sit in the sun on the harbour. Sandwiches, omelettes, and seafood including…read morecatch of the day specials. The fish dishes were really good but the chips were limp and undercooked and the peas grey and dull.