Outdoor Dining in Kent
With restrictions being lifted on restaurants, you can book to eat in a restaurant with a garden, but where in Kent has outdoor dining? I’ve put together a handy guide to outdoor dining in Kent. Where has Kent’s nicest beer gardens that also serve food? Read on to find out.
The Ferry House, Harty
Overlooking the Swale river estuary and flanked by two wetland bird reserves, The Ferry House offers alfresco dining with quite the view! Opening initially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for long lunches from the 16th April, as well as for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, combine your meal with a stroll around their kitchen gardens and see for yourself the homegrown produce gracing your plates. Keep your eyes on their social media, because they may open further days and hours if our Great British weather is kind! They will be open for drinkers subject to availability only, so make sure you give them a call on the day if you hope to head over for a glass of something.
With an AA Rosette to their name, home-farmed beef and their game from the local estate, the freshest and most local of produce makes for a mouth-watering menu. They’re also playing a strong Covid game, with ‘AA Covid Confident Accreditation’, weekly or twice weekly lateral flow testing of all staff and stringent hygiene measures.
Make the most of your new-found freedom by walking the country lanes to see the spring lambs and foals, or take the Isle of Harty trail for a coastal stroll past the Blue Flag beach at Leysdown.
The Corner House, Canterbury
The Corner House restaurant in Canterbury is a former Coach House dating back to the 16th century. The restaurant overlooks the city walls of Canterbury. From 15th April, their garden is going to be opening for diners from 12 noon to 8pm, Thursday to Saturday and 12 noon to 4pm on Sundays, so you could pop down for a bit to eat, followed by a lovely wander around the city, taking in the beautiful architecture.
The Corner House in Canterbury is re-opening with a beautiful summer seasonal menu for Thursdays to Saturdays and Sundays will be home to a stunning Sunday lunch. Their sister restaurant in Minster will be re-opening from 19th May.
Cullins Yard, Dover
Cullins Yard is in a fantastic location in an old converted ship yard in Dover marina. They are opening their outside for diners from April 12th, with a limited menu, but they assure me that all their Cullins favourites will still be available. The opening hours at Cullins Yard will be 11am-8pm, where they will be serving food from 11am-7pm.
Buoy and Oyster, Margate
The Buoy and Oyster have really upped their game for re-opening. They are starting by opening a brand new seafront fish and chip shop takeaway. You can place an order via their click and collect service, which in turn will avoid queues and mixing with others.
Their upstairs restaurant will be back open from 12th April. Due to the uncertainty with the British weather The Buoy and Oyster have invested in a fully covered and lit marquee so that their guests can dine in any weather and enjoy the spectacular beachfront sea views.
The alfresco restaurant is opening with a smaller capacity seating just 20 people, but Head Chef Craig and Owner/Chef Simon have been busy working on some extra special menus, with lots of local produce and fantastic seafood. Sounds wonderful! Both venues are open 7 days a week.
The Secret Garden, Mersham Le Hatch, Ashford
The team at The Secret Garden will be re-opening the courtyard and the terrace for outside dining from the 17th April, with inside dining following on from the 17th May.
To dine at The Secret Garden you’ll need to book in advance, but you can enjoy one of their award-winning afternoon teas in the gorgeous surroundings of Mersham Le Hatch.
Cafe du Soleil and Cafe des Amis, Canterbury
The Canterbury-based venues of Cafe du Soleil and Cafe des Amis will be re-opening their outside dining areas from 17th May, in line with re-opening indoor dining.
Cafe du Soleil has a beautiful terrace on the river bank that accommodates 28 people in socially distanced comfort, with parasols and infra-red heaters to suit all weathers, and the full a-la-carte menu is available outside. Cafe des Amis has a much smaller outside capacity at just 4 tables, 10 people.
The team at the restaurants tell me they will be maintaining the strict COVID-secure procedures that they adopted last summer. Impressively, this includes socially distanced tables, sanitiser stations, one way systems, masked staff (who will be tested twice weekly), wine lists printed on self-sanitising anti-bacterial card and washable sanitizable menus.
I’ve had a sneak peak at the menu for Cafe du Soleil, which includes a delicious set menu and a Happy Hour between 5 and 6pm on a Friday.
The Potting Shed, Langley
With last year’s addition of a giant marquee, The Potting Shed in Langley will be opening their doors to outdoor diners in Kent from 12th April. Opening hours will be Friday and Saturday, 5pm to 8pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm. You can book for a group of up to 6 people from different households, or a larger group of up to 10 people from a maximum of 2 households at The Potting Shed, plus their children’s playground will be open.
The Swan, West Malling
The garden at The Swan in West Malling is beautiful and they are re-opening this space to diners from the 12th April as well. The garden is covered and heated and they will also supply you with blankets to keep you extra toasty and warm. You’ll need to pre-book at The Swan and they are taking reservations for outdoor dining only. Wherever you spend your new found freedom, I hope you enjoy your outdoor dining in Kent experience. I’d love to hear what other outdoor dining gems you have been to or are planning to visit.
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