Birdies in Canterbury

Lovely atmosphere, friendly service and delicious food. Such a rare find these days and thank you for a wonderful evening.

Really great seafood restaurant in Whitstable. We hadn’t booked so had to come back after 90 mins for a table but it was so very worth it. We opted for the 2-3 course menus which were so good in value. The food was all so delicious. Great starters, excellent fish and a tasty chocolate dessert. The staff were all super friendly and chatty, we really enjoyed our time here and can see why it gets so busy, even on a weekday afternoon!

Birdies is just perfect, great service, beautifully cooked food. It's always a treat to eat here

Lovely staff and fabulous food we had a really great time

Absolute gem. Beautiful food lovely wine great value for money. Staff were attentive and charming.

Nice little restaurant. Very friendly staff, tasty dishes. Especially the apple tarte tatin was very delicious!

Visited 6 months ago at a whim, seems like if you ordered fish/oysters etc it would be good, service was great but the streak was grey (ordered medium rare x2) and decided to send it back, 1cm thick sirloin, no sear and well done, they asked the kitchen manager to come speak to us to tell us it was an expensive cut (200g sirloin? Alright mate) and we eventually paid for everything else and got out. Left a decent tip for the waiting staff as it’s the first time in my life I’ve sent food back and felt bad. Been on my mind for a bit, and to be honest if you are charging that money for steak frites and sending out a tiny “sirloin” with raw fat it’s about en par with a spoons I’m not sure what to say.

Apologies for this late review. My wife and I ate in the restaurant a few weeks ago. I am gluten intolerant but I really fancied the monkfish served with a soy and ginger sauce. I enquired whether I could eat the dish safely, the waiter asked the chef whose reply was not as it was normally served. However, the chef offered (and I accepted) to cook the dish to a slightly different recipe. The fish was just stunning to eat, I so enjoyed it. This is a restaurant which goes the extra mile for its customers. I can’t wait to go back again. Roy Saunders

We came across Birdies for lunch yesterday and what an amazing find. The food, service and atmosphere were outstanding. Loved every mouthful. The staff looked after us so well - I’m sad I live overseas and can’t come back again soon. Compliments to the chef and the staff. Wow!!

Great lunch today. Lovely atmosphere and excellent service.

We were spoilt for choice from the menus available. It is a French design The apple Crepe ad the desert was lip smacking, do not miss it.

Think casual lunch in France. (Not Paris...somewhere nice like Normandy or Brittany) Only with the benefit of no flight, tunnel or ferry journey. 3 of us for a family lunch. The £29 3 course set menu is great value and gives good choice. It was all good. Fruits de Mer, Charcuterie, and the Skate special in caper sauce was spot on. Normandy Style apple crepe is very good. Yum. Service was pleasantly non-formulaic and helpful. We liked their style. The place was full, mainly of locals and regulars. It was a 'nothing' Tuesday but they were still telling people to book to come back later and in the end were turning people away. People vote with their feet and their wallet. The people are clearly voting that Birdies is a good restaurant and I agree.

Relaxed atmosphere with a great value set lunch menu. Local oysters tasted great, plat du jour was fried skate and then a huge cheese plate to finish.

Lovely restaurant with amazing food, would definitely return

Gorgeous food, The seafood bisk was outstanding and full of flavour. The monkfish was also top notch. Loved it.

No fuss delicious food. Oysters and Beef Wellington a favourite

Visited on a quiet Sunday lunchtime and enjoyed our food very much. A tender beef wellington and great tasting mussels. Menu choices were from a chalk board and service prompt. It would have been even better if spare napkins and a finger bowl had been provided without asking. Pricy but worth it .

My husband and I have an amazing meal here last Friday. Food was beautiful and the staff were lovely. Would definitely recommend. We will return.

We visited Birdies twice on a recommendation and we weren’t disappointed. First off the staff are so friendly and welcoming, different each night. The meals we had included, Oysters Rockerfeller, seafood platter and beef wellington, absolutely superb. Not cheap but quality isn’t! Would definitely recommend to others and will definitely visit when next in Whitstable. Booking is essential. Thanks once again.

First time visiting Whitstable and recommended Birdies. Totally understand why. Warm welcome, lovely tables not close to other diners. Good Customer service always with a smile. Such a varied menu. I had the Beef Wellington my husband the tempura monkfish. First class food with first class service. Look forward to returning.

Great food, very friendly staff, affordable prices!

We had been several times before during the last few years and the food was wonderful, but this occasion was a big let down...the Beef Wellington I had was poor...the fillet was tiny and the vegetables..well one small spud sliced with a few green beans and half a tomato..woeful for £30...service was very good though...but we ended up paying £85 for two meals plus one starter with 2 coffees and a wine...overpriced for what you actually get.

We chose Birdies as we had been 4 years ago and it is still as good as the last time. Great food, service and atmosphere. We could only get a table outside, but it was warm enough with patio heaters on and we didn't feel separate from the restaurant and the service was just as good. We had hake which was delicious, piping hot and a large portion. Birdies is good value for money for the setting, food and service.

I booked a reservation for my partner and me to celebrate our anniversary, but unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing. Upon arrival, we were told our table wasn’t ready, so we were seated at the bar to wait. After about 10 minutes, we were finally seated at a table in the bar area, which had been available the entire time. The spot was less than ideal, as it was brightly lit, tucked away behind the bar, and situated next to a loud party of 15 that dominated the space. I politely asked if we could wait for a better table, especially since it was a special occasion, but was told there was nothing they could do. The mussels arrived before our drinks, followed by some bread that tasted a bit stale (although the mussels were nice). The drinks eventually came after we had finished our starters, though they were removed from the bill, which we appreciated. For our main course, we ordered the lobster Thermidor, but it was a letdown. The portion was small, the lobster itself was wet and flavorless, and the cheese crumb was unappetizing. It was served with Indian-flavored rice that tasted like it came straight from a packet and bland, unseasoned vegetables on the side. Despite mentioning our anniversary, the service wasn’t great, the food was mediocre, and ended up with an £80 bill. Overall, it was a very disappointing experience.

Great restaurant, mostly fish & seafood in Whitstable . We went twice, had Rockefeller oysters, seafood bisque and seafood assiette. Wonderful. Wish we had a restaurant like this were we live in Norfolk. Need to book in advance as they are always busy, because it's so good. Highly recommended.

An adsolutely fabulous duck liver pate with truffle starter. Never tasted pate likt it.

Visited with family for a birthday. Great quality food. The Rockefeller oysters were incredible- really delicious. As were the garlic king prawns and the moules frites. We chose because it’s dog friendly and sat in the courtyard and the atmosphere was great. A really magical summer feel. Lovely wine, good options for children too. The only thing that took the shine off was that waiter commented at 7:10 that we’d have to vacate by 8:15. We were all more than half way through our mains! It was unnecessary to say anything and made it feel less like a celebration.

We ate dinner here a few weeks ago during the height of the season and the restaurant was very busy. We booked late in the day but they fitted us in just the two of us they had space at the bar. The Service was efficient and the bar staff were really lovely considering we were sitting right under their nose is eating our dinner. The food was lovely. My partner devoured it and said it was the best food he needed in some time. A really lovely night with great atmosphere, Nice food and friendly staff

Wasn't impressed with the food and the service was slow. The wine was brought to the table opened and not the wine we ordered. The waiter didn't even pour the wine just left it in the chiller. It wasn't a cheap place, so expectations were high. Wouldn't rush back

Had the set lunch 3 course menu £29 l think. 1st course l ordered the seafood bisque. Tasty but very very strong, maybe just for my palete? So only had 3 spoon fulls. I didn't complain but the waiter asked if it was ok. I told him then he very kindly offered me another starter. So l had 3 Oyster Rockefeller's which was tasty. Main course l had the minute steak. With skin on fries. Super delicious. Desert was a home made chocolate mouse. Again homemade and delicious. Tres bon!!

I thought I had experienced the best beef wellington out there and then we tried this place. Out of this world! The softest beef inside even softer than fillet. The monkfish dish is amazing too with Asian flavours. Mussels to start gorgeous

Great restaurant! They went out of their way to find us a table as we hadn't booked. The food was magnificent! We had half lobster thermidore plus other bits. Delicious. Highly recommend the place.

Beautiful spacious inviting place. Well kept. Gorgeous courtyard. Welcoming kind staff. Food was delicious and well served. Cost was reasonable for the quality and location. Very child friendly and accepting with a big menu for them including vegetarian options Good wine list. Recommend.

Very friendly to us and our quiet dog, lovely food, especially absolutely epic lemon tart, apparently made by the owners wife.

As usual our favourite place to eat in Town it was brill we both had the Scottish Mussels for starters followed by the Pan fried Skate with all the trimmings for dessert cheese board & chocolate mouse. The new extension is very comfortable staff very polite and friendly what more can you ask for 5 *****32

From the outside it seems a bright, buzzy, happening restaurant. We were in the courtyard at the back with a limited menu - all fine so far. The duck pate starter was superb. We then ordered the mussels and fries at £18 for main. They should have come with 2 portions of fries but we were told they had combined the two for us - smallest portion I have ever seen. The mussels were cold on arrival - service was extremely slow - and we got to over 16 mussels that were empty! A classic sign of them being over cooked. On asking for the manager we were told that they were in the "sauce" in the plate - patently untrue. The "sauce" was very spartan as well. A disappointing experience and would give this restaurant a miss if I were you. We certainly won't be going back.

Food was amazing and staff is very welcoming. It's a super dog friendly restaurant which is always a big plus for us. We had dinner in the courtyard which has its own menu and oh my the food was so delicious. Coming back for sure

We hadn't booked so had to sit at the bar, but the food was worth it. Would definitely recommend, the food is fabulous. Portion sizes are not huge which is good and means you have room for a pudding! I had lobster thermidor which was delicious and I could have eaten it all again.

Very nice seafood restaurant in the centre of Whitstable. It's worth booking as they just managed to squeeze us in. We had mussels followed by the bacon wrapped steak, both of which were delicious. Beer is unfortunately only in bottles but that's a minor gripe, but something on tap would have been preferable.

We have been going to Birdies for the last 3 years, it's one of our favourites in Whitstable. This time was no exception, garlic king prawns and monkfish in ginger - perfect !

Always pleasant. Happy staff. Food is delicious. My favourite restaurant ⭐️

Held a birthday party for 30 people and without exception everyone was very complimentary about the food and the service. Amazing time had by all 🥳👍👍

Quality menu in a very classy place.

This is one of my favourite spots the food is consistently tasty! Good portions, well cooked and presented, friendly staff and Harvey the barman here was very entertaining last visit! I’ve never had any complaints and neither have my guests. Highly recommend! 👍🏼

We visited Whitstable briefly last Friday, as part of our holiday in the area, and had a fantastic lunch here. We sat in the courtyard and very much felt we had been transported to France in terms of atmosphere. The seafood platter & mussles were delicious. The service was excellent and everyone was very helpful to my father, who was in a wheelchair. We will definitely visit here again if we're in the area. I strongly recommend this restaurant.

This used to be my favourite restaurant and would drive to whitstable especially for this but I was so dissapointed this time it’s been made bigger by knocking through to next door and I had lobster Thermidor which was so small it was 3 mouthfuls for £27.50 !! Was told it’s small because it was local and a small portion of chips was told it was for 2 people !! Sorry won’t be back even though after complaining the charges us a lesser price ! Such a shame

We were so disappointed with our experience - perhaps Monday evening isn't the best time to visit... Crib sheet for cocktails missing... No mussels, no skate, overcooked fish, over salted chips - such a shame because normally this is our favourite restaurant. One of the staff tried her best but it wasn't the birthday celebration we planned 😭😭😭

Without a doubt, the best restaurant in whitstable. Fresh, well cooked dishes. I have eaten here multiple times and never leave dissapointed!

Great food, had the Beef Wellington, which is a speciality, great!! Prices reasonable, staff very welcoming and polite, but up for some light banter.

Very good seafood at very reasonable price

Always a great experience here. Great food and staff, thank you to the team.

We had lunch here midweek - great food, service and value

Picked birdies for our 10th anniversary meal. Have never had a bad meal here. Wonderful food, and a great, relaxed atmosphere.

We have really enjoyed this restaurant in the past before a few years back. Been today with family, the starters were lovely, we had the main course of The Bass fillet and monk fish. Sadly it was very disappointing where they attempted to introduce an Asian take to the dishes and nothing came together in harmony. We struggled with getting through even half of the main course. We gave our feedback to the staff and they were very apologetic. We paid the full cost of the bill and the staff did not suggest any discount although we did request this as it was a very expensive bill. Sadly we won't be going Back again.

Great restaurant in lovely Whitstable

Really excellent meal and service. Recommend.

Very disappointed. The food was over flavoured. I had lobster but the taste was overwhelmed by herbs. My husband had monkfish which had a very strong meaty red wine sauce with it. There was nothing subtle or delicate about the flavours. The crepe for dessert was one crepe for £8.95. They cost pennies to make so why so stingy? The cafe is very noisy and clattery so even the atmosphere wasn't very pleasant.

Just a weekend stay for us in Whitstable and Birdie's was an absolute winner! The food was amazing. We loved everything! Both my friend and I commented on how that was the best moules mariniére we have had in a while. So often the sauce is too watery, this was just perfect! It was also nice to see an Asian influence on the Monk Fish dish flavour wise while still keeping that classic French way of cooking, enhancing flavours, not overpowering the fish hero of the dish and presentation.

Disappointing overall. A pleasant room, lovely staff, great olives, but it went downhill from that. Beautifully cooked monkfish but the sauce didn't seem to go with it very well. Crepe Suzette was just one lonely folded pancake lying in sauce - tasty sauce but not flambéed as I thought was part of the dish (the waiter said he valued his eyebrows). Probably choosing different meals would have given us a completely different view of the restaurant so don't be put off, but do choose carefully.

Good food and decent prices. Not as special as I thought it would be. Nevertheless, a great choice when visiting Whitstable 🙂

We all enjoyed our lunches. One star knocked off for service. Two main courses served, then gap, two more then another wait.

Really friendly staff and great food

Absolutely lovely restaurant, relaxed friendly atmosphere, excellent service and fabulous food. Monk fish and crepe suzette were my great choices ♥️

This was our first visit and a special occasion. I was so much looking forward to it. Unfortunately the food was average. The menu was small and a couple of options I was looking forward to having, not available. The skate was coming with salsa but it looked more like a few cherry tomatoes and tomato water. Fish was ok bur nothing special. Pork belly tasted burnt. Bear in mind it's French portions so we got a small saucer of potatoes (7 small pieces ) for 2 of us. It's better value to order chips though we were told it is more than one portion of chips really ! :) Wine in bottle is affordable but a bottle of water is £5. I guess service was ok but I really expected better experience. I'm not coming back.

Excellent and friendly service with good food

Lovely little French restaurant. Really enjoyed the food, it was delicious. The setting is a bit of a mish mash but really enjoyed my first visit. One of the highlights of my Bank Holiday weekend.

Food was really good, especially mussels and oysters. The service was also very friendly !

Delicious food well done chefs! But service is incompetent, only one waiter can work others struggle and will make you wait. Be sure they repeat your order.

Lovely! We had mackerel with Normandy sauce (prawn, mussel, cream) and Crepe Suzette with a bottle of Picpoul.

Looked forward to going to the restaurant but was sadly let down I ordered the Beef Wellington asking for it to be medium rare , I got an over cooked thin slice of beef wrapped up in mushroom and pastry, it would take a stretch of imagination to call it beef wellington , I sent it back as overcooked only for the waitress to say that the chef said it WAS medium rare. I had a mouthful and left the rest . On collecting my plate the waiter owned asked about the food I had left and agreed with me . Shame they let themselves down

Turned up without booking, food and service very good.

Birdies has been in Whitstable for many years and is in the prime location of Harbour Street. I have special dietary needs, nothing is too much trouble the staff and atmosphere are so welcoming. Birdies have now extended the restaurant to next door, plenty more space to enjoy a lunch or evening meal. Highly recommend Birdies from a Whitstable native

Very good "French" type restaurant run by a family in the center of Whitstable. The menu is quite different from other restaurants around. I highly recommend the fabulous Beef Wellington cooked by the father who only works on Sundays. Inside the atmosphere is quite warm and they have just expanded it with the neighboring area.

Expensive and small portions nearly £200 for 4 of us no starters for two, overpriced Had to share tiny plate of veg with my brother! Had one asparagus stalk each!! We went home hungry!

How rude. Snotty waiter told us after waiting an hour and a half for a table we'd booked (and we went in and asked if they take dogs they said yes) that they won't allow 3 dogs in. How ridiculous and don't right stupid. We have 3 very well behaved dogs. If you have a silly dumb rule it would be great if you ask. You won't get a penny of our Money. Good. The waiter said it with a gleeful tone it seemed and told us we could sit outside. in 8 degrees. No we'll pass and go to a much friendly place.

Excellent family run restaurant. Food absolutely fabulous. Service efficient but unobtrusive. I was taken for my birthday, and the staff made it a special evening!

Disappointing. Restaurant is OK but not great. We've been to about 6 restaurants in town but birdies falls short so we shall not return. Service is friendly but also falls short. Bread bowl came but no plates until we asked. King prawns came (nice) but no extra paper towls, no finger bowl, nowhere to put shells. Not easy to eat prawns neatly, so the paper overcloth got covered in juice and bits of prawns. They should have changed it but didn't so I had to fold it in half before we could eat the main course. Mussels bland, fried camembert bland, crispy seabass reasonable. It sort of feels like food that was industrially produced rather than prepared from scratch by the chef.

Birthday evening celebrated here. Amazing food with very attentive staff. Would highly recommend.

Great, quality food, lovely atmosphere and attentive staff. My partner and I dined here last night and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Thank you

Amazing food, service and staff. Thank you!

Lovely food - great atmosphere; just gets slightly overrun which can affect service slightly Highly recommend

It was the first time I'd been to Birdies, & my friend hadn't eaten there for a while - we were very impressed, & would highly recommend the restaurant. The food was wonderful, & the service was impeccable. Great atmosphere - a lovely, welcoming restaurant - we will definitely be back.

Really good food,just a little overpriced

This is a small, pretty expensive very nice restaurant. The menu is quite limited and definitely to be avoided if not a lover of sea food. They were accommodating to requirements and the food was high quality and cooked perfectly. A few minor niggles about the service - both my daughter and myself had king prawns as a main course and the portions were generous. We were not given dishes for the peelings (we used the veg dishes) and had to ask for extra napkins and some wipes. A finger bowl would have been more effective. Of course we made an almighty mess but nobody came to remove the top tablecloth as expected so we had dessert and coffee surrounded by the grease and remnants of dinner. These are small things, but given the prices, they are things I would expect as a matter of course. If you love seafood, you've got deep pockets and you don't have exacting standards when it comes to service, make a beeline for Birdies.

A picturesque restaurant with decent food at affordable prices. Like almost everywhere else in the world, not just in England, the service is not professional. Some situations almost seem like they are in a comedy. The highlight was the main course, which ended up almost in the lap of the car The icing on the cake is the table water that is not served, which is of course reflected on the bill. When paying by card, the tip is automatically requested to be entered. You can let it be.

What a perfect dinner last night at this completely charming bistro. Lovely, honest food and great service. A really comfortable restaurant.

Lovely little French restaurant, good service, and excellent set lunch menu. The atmosphere is light and unstuffy, overall a thoroughly pleasant lunch venue that I would use again if in Whitstable. The oysters Rockefeller are very good for anyone wanting a gentle intro to oysters. You can always ask for a single fresh oyster and they will prep one for you to try. Really good little place.

Came to Whitstable for a day trip from London and found this dog friendly restaurant by chance and absolutely loved it!! The staff were welcoming(even though we jumped in just before closing for lunch time) , friendly and efficient. Had Fresh oysters, Prawn bisque for starter, Hake with tarragon sauce, Fish pie in puff pastry for main, Chocolate mousse and Normandy apple pancake for dessert and all of them were so delicious! Also the pricing is very reasonable. Would love to come back to Whitstable just for this restaurant again soon.

If you visit Whitstable you must sample the delights of this restaurant. Could not fault the food the the staff very friendly and helpful and the atmosphere 👌.

The staff are all lovely, the food is fresh and delicious. A great, little restaurant.

Great place for lunch.Staff are very helpful and reasonable prices.Had sea bass highly recommend

Delicious food, great service and lovely ambience. The Lamp and Sea Bass dishes are highly recommended. This restaurant is superb based on our dinning tonight. We live in Whitstable and would recommend this place to dine.

I had my first visit here today and the food was faultless (especially the Normandy apple pancake!).

Left really disappointed. The place was empty when we came but we still couldn’t sit where we wanted. The menu is written on walls which is silly cos guests cannot read it properly. Too much bright light doesn’t make it cozy at all. Half of the menu was not available including the dishes we came for. In the end we got beef and soup but was nothing special, yet extremely expensive. Staff were nice but they cannot compensate other unpleasant factors. The most irritating thing of all was the wobbly table we got. Choose other places if you can.

Lovely restaurant. Great food and staff.

Good menu good service fair price. Need a closer on the door. Many people born in a field!

Stopped here for lunch and the food and service was brilliant. Always put off coming in for one reason or another (with so much choice locally) but genuinely loved it. Food and staff were excellent 😊

A vegetarian restaurant that kept this meat and 2 veg boy more than satisfied. Service was immaculate! A team of exceptionally helpful people. The food was just beautifully tasty and satisfying.

Great place, lovely food and friendly staff.

Service, food and ambiance all excellent, with one exception. The food was served on lukewarm plates and disappointing that a restaurant of such a good reputation can’t produce hot food. I will return. Regards Peter Pughe.