31 Things Everyone Must Eat In East Kent

Fancy a Full English Breakfast on the beach?

1. Fisherman's Roll at Dungeness Snack Shack, Dungeness

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Kelly Smith cooks up the fish from her families fishing boats right next to the spot they've been landing their catch for over 300 years at Dungenness. Look out for her fisherman's rolls (the day's catch sandwiched with her homemade punchy Mexican slaw), her plump lobster rolls (when they are in season, of course) and her delicious smoked cod chowder.

2. Mixed Starters at Thai Time, Sandwich

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Practically everything on the menu at this totally authentic Sandwich institution is delicious, but ordering platters of the mixed starters (which come with really odd but really awesome crispy sweet vermicelli noodle things) is the best way not to miss out on anything.

3. Steak Supper at The Griffins Head, Chillenden

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I might be barred from my local for sharing the gem that is The Griffins Head with the wider world, but I'lll take that chance to tell you about the amazing home cooking served up by the landlord's wife Karen. Plump for the steak, served with a choice of sauces and enough seasonal veg and sautéed potatoes to feed an army. Have the Chocolate Chiller Thriller for dessert. Trust me.

4. Cold Chocolate Fondant at The Compasses Inn, Crundale

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It is hard to believe that all of the food the chef and landlord Robert at The Compasses Inn (hidden down country lanes somewhere near Canterbury) produces is cooked by one person in such a tiny kitchen. Everything on the menu is both absolutely flawless, and good Kentish pub food. Take a drive out either for a special occasion or simply just a lazy Saturday.

5. Full English Breakfast at The Royal Hotel, Deal

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Sitting out on the patio at The Royal Hotel on Deal seafront you get a fabulous view of the water along with their Full English on a Sunday morning: sausage, bacon, fried bread, baked beans, tomato, mushrooms, hash brown and eggs your way, all for £6.95. Add lashings of toast and copious amounts of tea and local apple juice for the table, why would you ever want to leave?

6. Eggs Benedict at Wyatt & Jones, Broadstairs

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The perfect breakfast and a cup of tea comes with yet another beautiful ocean view. Choose from Florentine, Benedict and Royal.

7. Pulled Pork Rolls from Pork & Co., Canterbury

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Since it opened last Spring Pork & Co. has become a local institution both serving up pulled pork, apple sauce (or apple butter) and homemade slaw rolls both out of their Canterbury shop front (with a giant hog in the window no less) and popping up at food festivals all over the area. Look out for their converted horse box.

8. Ice Cream & Milkshakes at Morelli's, Broadstairs

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Ask anyone from East Kent where you can find the best ice cream, they'll tell you Morelli's, no question. Visit their parlour in Broadstairs for the full experience, and don't worry if you're visiting from London and then fall in love with their ice cream – they have another location in The Piazza in Covent Garden.

9. Pizza from That's Amore Pizza Co.

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That's Amore Pizza Co. serve up authentic Naples style pizza out the back of their Piaggio Ape, which actually has an honest to god wood fired oven fitted in the back. Keep an eye on their website to see where they'll be popping up next.

10. Lunchtime Salads at The Yard, Faversham

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With an emphasis on local ingredients, The Yard in Faversham is the place to go for a light lunch and a good cup of tea; one for ladies who lunch.

11. Kimchee Ramen from Tamago, Canterbury

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Everything you want from a steaming bowl-full of goodness, and far more effective when you're under the weather than plain old chicken noodle.

12. Seafood at Rocksalt, Folkstone

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Plum + Spilt Milk chef Mark Sergant's Folkstone outpost boasts both a beautiful dinning room and a stunning view over the harbour. From the menu, choose whatever seafood is available; ordering the special is always a good idea.

13. Traditional Cream Cakes at The Bandstand Bakery, Walmer

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This insanely popular spot on The Strand, Walmer's seafront is always packed with locals enjoying a Full English or a made to order bacon sandwich all day long. Get there early for their fantastic, freshly baked rolls or pop in any time they're open for their traditional cream cakes that spill all over the counter.

14. Whitstable Oysters at Crab & Winkle, Whitstable

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Whitstable is famous for its oysters, and the oyster festival every Summer, and there is a reason for that. Bonus points however if your oysters come with a side dish of practically every other type of local shellfish imaginable.

15. Beef Stew & Dumplings at Tom at Twenty One, Sheppey

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As well as serving all the usual breakfast favourites (eggs benedict, avocado toast and chorizo baked beans, check) and everything you could ever want at lunchtime (I think we can just leave it at pulled pork rolls), Tom at Twenty One serves up the most wholesome, farmhouse kitchen style comfort dishes in the evenings. Previously serving them up cafe style, their supper clubs launch in September.

16. Pie & Sides at The King's Head, Wye

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There is always room for good, English pub food to be taken to the next level, but sometimes you just want the classics. Pie. Mash. Sides that include cheese. A choice of how much gravy you pour over.

17. Huffkin Eggs Benedict at The Hop & Huffkin, Sandwich

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A Huffkin is a classic local bread with the bakers thumbprint in the middle. While there are many different Huffkins on the menu at The Hop & Huffkin, why would you want anything else other than a poached egg, bacon and hollandaise sauce sandwiched between?

18. Sliders at Burger Brothers

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Why choose one burger when you can build your own flight of up to 12 different patties? Burger Brothers have residencies Number 23 Bar in Broadstairs, Alberry's in Canterbury and The 3 Cups in Dover, and they have just opened their own restaurant and bar within The Clarendon Hotel in Deal.

19. Pies from Paramour Pie Club

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Find these stupidly beautiful pies made from seasonal ingredients and local suppliers at Kent food festivals, keeping an eye on their website for where they'll be popping up next.

20. Wild Strawberry & Cream Ice Cream from Solley's Kentish Ice Cream, Ripple

Solley's Farm Kentish Ice Cream

There is a reason this ice cream recently won a gold star at the Great Taste Awards. Solley's has become Kent's largest ice cream producer, and a big favourite among locals. Hunt them out in local farm shops, on the concessions in East Kent theatres and in their own farm shop on their farm in Ripple. (Yes, Kent's biggest ice cream producers really do have their factory in a village called Ripple!)

21. Dessert Platter at The Goods Shed, Canterbury

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Everything at the restaurant above this railway shed turned farmers market food hall is fantastic, but when it comes to dessert why order just one when you can have lots of little desserts all at once? Though, if you're feeling full a special shout out needs to go to their Bay Leaf ice cream.

22. Kale Scramble at KITCH, Canterbury

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While their avocado toasts and Full English are certainly the most Instagrammed, the best item on this healthy Canterbury menu is their Kale Scramble, served on thick buttered bread and with a generous handful of sundried tomatoes.

23. Dressed Crab at Royal Harbour Brasserie, Ramsgate

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Dressed crab is really difficult to get right, and at this harbour wall end restaurant (yes, right out in the middle of the sea) they throw in the meaty claws for you, too.

24. Wood Pigeon at Deeson's in Canterbury

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Since they opened Deeson's has had many different versions of a wood pigeon salad on their menu as a starter, and they have all been absolutely delicious. A must order.

25. Hot Chocolate at Bluebird Tea Rooms, St. Margarets-at-Cliffe

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Up by the lighthouse with a fantastic view over to France on a clear day, Bluebird Tea Rooms provide a traditional tea for a Sunday afternoon that really makes the coast look so much prettier. Make sure you turn your phone off though to avoid roaming charges – you're so close to the continent, you'll pick up a French phone signal here!

26. 100% Homemade Burgers at The Grove Ferry Inn, Upstreet

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Burgers, griddled chicken and great hunks of juicy pulled pork are taken to the next level when they're served with simple toppings between the most floury homemade bun you've ever seen.

27. French Bread from No Name Shop

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Piled into the window of their Sandwich and Deal deli's, No Name Shop have the most delicious array of freshly baked loaves in their window, ready to serve up with their French cheeses, olives, pates (grab a slab of the Provincial or green peppercorn) and cured meats that you can buy up at the counter. I'd recommend either their classic skinny baguette, or their incredible walnut loaf. If you're lucky in the Sandwich shop, your bread might just still be warm from the oven.

28. Pizza at GB Pizza Co., Margate

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This famous joint boasts some of the best pizza in Britain. Keep things simple with a crisp base topped with traditional cheese, tomato and fresh basil.

29. Sausages & Mash at The Tiger Inn, Stowting

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Nothing beats good English sausages, mash and onion gravy, especially when it has been given that all important fresh, local and free range upgrade.

30. Warm Chicken Zinger Baguettes at Rooks Butchers

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Alongside their fantastic local meats, sausages, meat pies and sausage rolls, lunchtime is always a glorious affair at Rooks with their cabinets full of fresh, meaty, hot and cold sandwich fillings, ready to stuff into fresh baguettes. You can find them in Broadstairs, Chatham, Deal, Dover, Folkestone, Gillingham, Herne Bay, Hythe, Maidstone, Ramsgate, Sittingbourne and Tunbridge Wells.

31. Fish & Chips from Walmer Fish & Chips, Walmer

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With so many good fish and chip shops on the sea front and along our high streets, it is so difficult to find a great one. Walmer Fish & Chips has those great, crisp on the outside and squishy on the inside chips that hold up well to vinegar, and their fish in batter does not come out on the too greasy side. What more could you possibly want?