The best restaurants in Margate

"Grace Dent wasn't wrong when she called Bottega Caruso "heroically wonderous", but most Margate locals don't thank her for it: getting a table at this Old Town stalwart was already tricky, with just a handful of bookable tables inside. Luckily, whenever the weather is kind enough the seating spills onto the pretty street outside and is kept for walk-ins, so if you haven't booked ahead, go early and be prepared to have an alfresco Oscar 697 vermouth while you wait."

"It's worth your patience (or the effort to book ahead): married couple Simona Di Dio and Harry Ryder cook up the Campanian cuisine of Simona's ancestors with love and authenticity you can taste. The fresh pasta is as delicious as you'd expect, but it's the likes of verdura e fagioli (vegetables and beans) that change the game: underwhelming sounding on paper but elevated to binge-worthy deliciousness in reality."

"Run by Kate de Syllas of Hantverk and Found - Margate's former seafood-turned-sushi hub, which is currently undergoing its own transformation - Mori Mori opened in the summer of 2022, offering Japanese-inspired izakaya dishes and bento boxes. Located on Northdown Road, the main artery leading from Margate through up-and-coming Cliftonville, the restaurant combines locally sourced, seasonal produce - Kentish sea trout, scallops and greens - with authentic Japanese ingredients."

Bottega Caruso operates as an Old Town restaurant with limited bookable tables and walk-in alfresco seating when weather allows. Married couple Simona Di Dio and Harry Ryder prepare Campanian family recipes, featuring excellent fresh pasta, verdura e fagioli elevated to binge-worthy quality, golden bread balls bound with egg, herbs and parmesan, and a rich ragu made from piennolo tomatoes grown on the family's farm. Mori Mori opened in summer 2022 under Kate de Syllas, offering Japanese-inspired izakaya dishes and bento boxes using locally sourced, seasonal Kentish seafood and authentic Japanese ingredients, including house gyoza and katsu prawns in bao.

Read at CN Traveller