Bottega Caruso in Thanet

Probably the best Italian place I have ever been … a seasonal caponata with local ingredients, impressed … and pastas are just crazy delicious. Short menu, only fresh and seasonal stuff … hard to find better wherever you live.

Super find this is the wine bar associated with the restaurant, so authentically Italian. The parmigiana was wonderful, the service and atmosphere special, will be back. Highly recommended

Best pizza I've had in Margate by far.

My friends and I spent a long weekend in Margate and came to Bottega Caruso on the recommendation of a friend. We shared a couple bottles of wine, had some starters, mains and finished off with a tasty Tiramisu. The Beef Carpaccio starter was excellent, as was the Stracciatella di Bufala bruscetta. For mains, we all had the fresh pasta options. These included a mushroom pasta, ragu and the Genovese pasta & potato dish. We all thoroughly enjoyed these and would highly recommend this destination to anyone in Margate looking for Italian cuisine.

Friendly service and beautiful cucina povera food. Lovely dish of beans and greens, burrata and squash caponata with walnuts. Bbsaid his pappardelle were good, but the sauce could have been thicker. Lovely chocolate and almond Torta Caprese to finish.

Talented chef, great selection of wines, great value.

Absolutely soul food in a lovely atmosphere ! Great service! Real Italian food with high quality!!! Thank you for a great break in Margate

This is one of my favourite restaurants in Margate. Located at the heart of old town Margate. It is a small restaurant, and not quite easy to get a table, so recommended to book a table in advance. We got mussels to share, it was cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. And I got spaghetti with bream topped with breadcrumbs. Food was delicious and the atmosphere was so nice.Pasta is freshly made and they have a different menu each day. Highly recommend to anyone who loves Italian food.

Nice Italian restaurant in Margate. Pasta was truly Al Dente. We shared some small plates and a plate of spaghetti with scallops. Everything was tasteful and nice.

We were lucky to get a table without making any reservations. The staffs are really nice, and helpful. They were really good at selling the story about the menu. The atmosphere was really nice and cozy. However the cocktail and the foods we had just not good enough. The portion was small for a £17-19 pasta. I got the scallop pasta, they cut the scallops to many pieces so I think only 2 scallops in total, and they needed more seasoning for the dishes because it was so bland. The lamb pasta is so normal, we barely tasted any lamb flavor too. The tiramisu was okay, not special, I expected more for the price. For me, I won’t come back

Amazing food, lovely service, charming atmosphere. I felt as if I were having a meal at a friend’s house - a friend who is a really good cook. I had the lamb ragu, and the slightly al dente pasta was a beautiful backdrop for the warm and rich flavors surrounding the lamb. We shared appetizers and had drinks. The server was friendly and took the time to tell us about the meals on offer, and we all came away delighted and satisfied. WOULD RECOMMEND!

Fantastic gem of a place. Beautiful, homemade food in a beautiful setting.

Such passion on small plates , I’m fussy and I loved this place . Thank you for an amazing experience . Sash x

Called there for coffee and cake, not particularly welcoming, they don’t have cakes and instead I got the dessert menu and chose tiramisu - the latte was small and tepid, the tiramisu was soggy and flavourless…. I didn’t stay to finish but paid the £14!! Sorry definitely not worthy of those prices…

Charming location at the heart of Margate old town. Very tasty food, with a wide range of well put together dishes. Excellent fresh pasta. Service was fantastic, the staff were genuine, attentive and very welcoming.

We have been looking forward to eating here for ages and it was even better than we had hoped. Thank you. Now can't wait to go back!

10/10 for everything! Amazing food and service, and reasonable prices for the great quality of food and ingredients 💯

Food is absolutely gorgeous and authentic. Love love this place and staff are amazing too

Fantastic food. We ate outside and it had a great atmosphere. Lovely staff and great service

This was the perfect restaurant for our anniversary dinner. The orange wine was amazing, the food - incredible, the service - flawless. I wish I lived closer so I could have this as a treat more often. Michelin star well deserved.

Really lovely little place, some outside seating in a quiet part of old town. We had to wait quite a while for a table but happy to do so with an aperoll spritz in the little square! We were very happy with the food with the exception of the ragu, which felt a little watery and mild and like it needed more time to cook and stew. The staff were really great and friendly and I would definitely go again!

Our favourite restaurant - you cannot fault the quality of the food, the ambience, the knowledgeable and instantly likeable waiting staff.

Super friendly! Great spot for Italian!

Lovely people and easily the best Italian food I've eaten in the UK (and I travel to Italy 3 or 4 times a year fornwork) highly recommended

Oh my goodness! Once you have eaten here you will never want to eat anywhere else again. The food is phenomenal! Out of this world! We are both vegan and came away saying it was the best vegan food we had ever had!

5 years ago I rated it 5 stars. It was our go to for anniversaries, dates and my husbands 40th but the last 3 or so visits have felt disappointing. Service feels too relaxed and like you're being served by a mate from back in your 20's. The food just doesn't seem the same to us, it used to be wow but now its just good. I want to love it like we used to but I feel it's lost its way and needs some newness.

food was nice but overpriced. staff didn't seem very interested. won't go again.

Middling. Scarcely the destination restaurant it might fancy itself to be. Sorry dudes.

Good (but not great) Italian restaurant in the heart of Margate. Michelin-listed. Wine by the class disappointing. Nice, relaxed setting.

A group of 6 of us had a magical evening last night at this special, authentic Italian restaurant with its roots from Campagnia. We were greeted by Jim - he and Mimi served us all night. Not only was their service impeccable but their enthusiasm and understanding of food was really refreshing. We were all vegetarian. Not only was there ample choice but we were given 2 or 3 additional choices. We shared small plates for starters. We had parmesan with chilli jam, verdure & flagiola, burrata & artichokes, and polpetto. For mains we had papardelle with mushroom, spaghetti with wild garlic and rigatoni with veggie putanesca inspired sauce. All of it was delicious and cooked to perfection. Finally, the semi freddo was outstanding. Truly beautiful evening.

Always on the lookout for Italian (but not pizza!). This ticks a lot of boxes. Excellent "small plates" selection (hint, share several, tapas style) but limited mains, all pasta (all homemade). Efficient and helpful setvice. Small and very busy (booking essential). Not cheap. Excellent location if you are exploring Margate old town but limited nearby parking.

Spent the most gorgeous afternoon here, drinking Campari spritz, sitting in the sunshine and absolutely mega food. Couldn’t say what was my favourite cause it was all epic. And amazing front of house too. Thank you

The food is 10/10, the service was excellent and the staff very friendly!

Got a lovely table in a separate room away from the noise of the bustling restaurant. Food was delightful, rustic and charming. The person working (his name escapes me now, sorry!) was so lovely and informative, about everything from the hospitality initiative they were supporting, where the ingredients are sourced, and what the dishes were. We left full to the brim, and we didn't even touch desserts. Perfect, warming, delicious meal away from the storm. 🐶 Dog friendly too

It was an amazing experience they even gave us a table when they didn’t have one because every table was booked

Genuinely one of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had. Everything was perfect, the food was amazing and the service was great. The tomato sauce for the bread balls was honestly life changing.

Couldn't recommend more. I'd seen this on lots of lists of good food places for Margate and understand why. Great authentic Italian, no frills but lots of flavour. Lovely atmosphere. Some of the reviews about service nearly made us cancel our booking, so glad we didn't. Was a great night. Not cheap so one for more special occasions.

loved every course! the Verdura e fagioli is a must have!

By some way the best restaurant we visited on our 3 night trip to Margate. Absolutely delicious food, really friendly staff, and although not cheap, great value for money. But do book as the place tiny, and, trust me, you don't want to miss out ;)

Lovely bistro atmosphere with friendly helpful staff. A delicious menu, not the usual fare, and good menu for vegetarians.

The food here is outstanding and you should visit. The only issue is the waiting staff. They spent most of the evening in the kitchen socialising and joking with the chefs and so didn't notice when customers were trying to get their attention. If the owners can sort that out it would be the perfect food spot.

Food is mediocre/service is terrible The decoration is pretty good. The boss has his own style Warm little shop The service is really bad! It will directly affect your mood! I hope the boss can improve the quality of the waiters! 🤷

The food is so so(starters /the bread balls is great but the cod is too salty) main( the crab spaghetti is great but no unfortunately no crab as I observed) However the service is not that appealing the Latino guy is friendly but the other one is hard to tell.Sorry maybe I’m being typical but can he at least put a smile on thank you. The atmosphere is great though. Maybe you can have a try, but I don’t know whether it is a waste of money or not. Love.

Very nice private room at the back for groups, my pasta was not very authentic and I felt like I was overcharged for the quality I received. Tiramisu was perfectly serviceable.

Lovely Italian in Margate. Highly recommended

Amazing restaurant. Food was exceptional and the staff were so friendly and helpful. Can't wait to come back!

Delicious food and a really kind and caring staff who were really patient with our little ones.

Food is absolutely fantastic. Staff very attentive. We took our two children (1 & 3 years old) which we were apprehensive about. However, they made us feel at ease and prepared them a meal off menu.

We absolutely love this place. Feel so lucky to be able to enjoy the food here it makes me emosh. Please support the charity too. ❤️

Remarkable. After having heard amazing reviews from numerous people, I had high expectations of that restaurant and despite that was still impressed. When entering the place, it felt like sitting down at the Italian aunt’s house that cooked all day. The smells that invaded my nostrils were all more splendid than the other. I started salivating. The starters we chose were a perfect blend of sea and land, representing Italy’s various lands. Those combined with the orange wine teased our palates for the rest. The mussel and safran spaghetti was probably one t’of the best pasta dishes I have every tried and it reminded me that life is definitely worth living focusing on pleasures. Bless the mussel and safran pasta and thank you for that incredible 2hour time.

In my opinion the best restaurant in Margate. Flavorful Italian food done to perfection in a cozy and charming location. This is an unassuming and comfortable spot that creates wonderful dishes.

Absolutely fantastic! Every dish we had was amazing. It was clear a lot of thought had gone into both the food and wine menu and the execution on every plate was spot on. Topped of with fantastic service and a great atmosphere. Will be coming again!

The best Italian I've ever had in the UK. Every aspect of the experience is perfect. Go, you won't regret it

Fantastic meal, every dish was worth the price of the meal alone. Interesting choice of dishes as well, some unusual options but all incredible.

We managed to slide in on a Saturday evening - it was so delicious, would recommend the cod, the servers were all lovely as well

Booked for an Anniversary dinner. Really wanted to like it. Arrived on exact time and had to wait by the door whilst another group finished and the table got cleared/cleaned. Whilst waiting the suggestion of a drink was loosely offered but never followed up. Eventually sat down and then waited a while to order. The food was more than decent as was the wine. We were asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu, I was going to order cheese and biscuits but had to wait a while before the waitress finished chatting with another customer and, feeling a little let down we decided to get the bill and leave. A great shame because we really wanted to like this place. I don’t usually do reviews but felt they could do with a bit of feedback. Maybe we hit a bad night?

Booked for a large group for a birthday meal and the food was amazing. Delicious anchovies, fresh pasta and delightful portion of tiramisu. Thanks for making our evening so special!

Really solid, home-cooked Italian food. Beef ragu pasta and homemade limoncello were highlights, along with the bean-based starter! Excellent wine selection.

Almost 20 pounds for a small plate of pasta that was mediocre at best. I was still hungry afterwards. I had the ragu of lamb shoulder but the pasta was not tasty, meat was good though. l would have expected more for the price.

What a gem! Highly recommend this restaurant, amazing food and service. A massive shoutout to Jordan who was super attentive, friendly and just great vibes! He gave 10/10 recommendations.

I cannot speak highly enough of this authentic Italian restaurant. Normally the only place I can eat like this is at home in Sardinia yet somehow, they have managed to bring the taste of Italy to Margate! They have sourced the most incredible ingredients creating a symphony of taste, right down to their choice of olive oil, which is glorious. They manage to combine all of that with the most friendly, warm, inviting service in a restaurant full of character and atmosphere. I know even my Sardinian Aunt would give Bottega Caruso a five star review. Thank you! We had such a wonderful evening. See you soon!

Absolutely fabulous Italian restaurant. The food is wonderful. We went for a selection of small plates and then shared a main. The service was attentive and friendly.

Nothing to do with Italian cuisine! Questo ristorante è una blasfemia rispetto alla cucina italiana...

Fabulous in every way, from the food to the service to the atmosphere

Delicious pasta and friendly staff

Hands down the best aubergine parmigiana I have EVER eaten!! (And I’ve eaten a lot) Ordered one to share and had to immediately order another. Go here.

Best Italian food in Kent and London! The most amazingly simple flavours, authentic and great atmosphere.

The food was delicious and service delightful. Great selection of wines. Seasonal local food so worth checking out the menu again as it literally changed while I was at the restaurant.

Incredible restaurant! We’ve been twice now when on holiday with our little boy, and the staff are amazing. So kind and caring with him. The food is phenomenal and our toddler is happy to eat everything there too, which is unheard of. Can’t recommend enough xx

What a wonderful small personable Italian this is. Been trying ad-hoc for a few years and finally managed to get a place at lunch today. The menu is a single page of starters, small plates, mains and desserts. Being torn what to eat they kindly let me order half of one main and half of another. Both dishes were exemplary. How could I then not try their Tiramisu and not finish with a couple of digestivos especially as their Nocino is home made. The mad thing is, I only popped out for a sandwich...

Had the best meal I’ve had in ages! Such a lovely spot to sit outside in Margate and the staff are all stars

Amazing authentic simple but delicious Italian food. Cannot recommend this place enough - great good and wine, good value, lovely staff. Not big, so wise to book, but absolutely first class. 👌

Restaurant does not get the price, quality and quantity balance right. Little food, overpriced. Service was good but hungry after eating 8 raviolis for 20£.

Lovely authentic Sicilian food cooked up and served by genuinely friendly staff and restaurant owners. The beer/ wine list too was interesting but do expect to pay a premium because great thought has gone into pairing the wines (especially) with the food being served. A bonus is that this intimate restaurant is in the old town part of Margate so it was a pleasure to just explore the shops and streets in the vicinity. A Thanet gem of a restaurant.

The only vegan option is plain tomato pasta, and no vegan desserts. Lovely service and atmosphere though.

Incredible food and a lovely, warm atmosphere. Truly special, hope to come back here again some time.

the most incredible restaurant - uses creative and regionally specific culinary knowledge to produce absolutely incredible food. it is also like sitting in someone’s living room, which is beautiful. people who work there are also so great

We had the most fabulous evening at Bottega Caruso. We were a larger party (of 9) and Mimi was an absolute legend in accomodating us. The food and service was fantastic, and we particularly appreciated the attention made to a couple in our party who had special dietary requirements. We had such a laugh, and looking forward to coming back soon!

Gorgeous Italian home cooking with elegance. Every plate is deceptively simple, the flavours are just stunning and you will want to mop up every last morsel with bread. A must visit.

Three girls on a girly weekend away and we decided on a spontaneous evening meal here. Had to wait with drinks outside which was fine and didn’t take long. Was seated on the outside tables (tip…which are unreserved) as they were fully booked so booking ahead is a must! The food was SUBLIME- sharing the small plates was a great way of sampling the menu (highly recommend the mozzarella and nutty pesto), the pasta was perfectly Al dentè and delicious. On top of that our waiter, Jordan was engaging and welcoming which made the experience even more delightful. Thanks Jordan (and Mitzy) - we will be back! LOVED everything! ❤️

Very fresh food, delicious and friendly service. I didn’t enjoy my main as much as I’d hoped but that’s more down to personal taste than as a criticism of the chef or the food quality. Spent over £100 on 3 courses with 2 beers and 2 soft drinks so it’s the pricey end of the spectrum

Small Italian restaurant that is near perfect. 5/6 tables, small menu of Italian food, all cooked in sight of the guests. Good service. A very pleasant lunch.

Very slow service. Negligently made food. Waited 30mins for the pasta which arrived cold. Will never come back. They did take off the bill main and service, after I complained.

Had a very enjoyable time with the food and staff explaining all the dishes we had .

Was awful pasta was raw don't think there are any Italians cooking in here 😕 very expensive for cheap fare stronze

Great tasting food in a charming restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. Service was friendly, and we were made welcome.

Fabulous people & beautiful food & wine! Get the Spaghetti!!!!

Sensational lunch, the whole team were super friendly, mega accommodating to us. From snacks to desserts everything we had was delicious.

Service was friendly, and we were able to deduct the £2 optional donation from our bills. We ordered Ziti con ragu’di agnello e arancia (£19.50). It was tasty but not amazingly good, so we thought the price was a bit high. Maybe it was due to Margate being a quite touristy spot? Would recommend but might have to be prepared for quite a high expense.

Family feel run exception food a.d service was so attentive and individual...the best experience ever

What an amazing find. Fantastic quality food with staff who clearly love their role. Do take time to visit, you will not be disappointed.

The food here was the best Italian food we had in the UK. Honest, authentic Neapolitan classics prepared to perfection, letting the high quality ingredients speak for themselves. Also, great wines and homemade produce to take home!

I took my husband here for lunch on sat 18th march as part of his birthday weekend and had high expectations! I couldn't have chosen anywhere better! It was the most authentic Italian food that I've had outside of Italy. The staff were amazing and so helpful. A very memorable lunch.!!!!!!!

Doesn't want ethnic minorities. I went inside and asked if we could have hot drinks such as tea and coffee and some snacks and was told 'yes'. When they saw my wife and aunty enter they quickly said they thought I wanted tea at some point in the future and had no room now. Even though table empty and sofa empty we were told that customers were on their way to take them. Avoid.

Incredible culinary experience. Set menu was delicious. Attentive and knowledgable staff. £45 for an incredible selection of well proportioned dishes. Fantastic wine list, couldn’t recommend it more.

Lovely little Italian place that feels like you’re eating inside a home. Friendly service and some very delicious food. We ordered a mixture of starters/ small plates and 1 main as we wanted to have variety. We had the polpette di pane (bread balls in tomato sauce), alici (marinated anchovies), verdura e fagioli (greens and beans - very hearty comforting stew), pork collar and chanterelles (slices of cured meat with mushrooms), scallops, the ragu and some bread to scoop up all the lovely sauces. For dessert we got the cassata with blood orange and tiramisu. Did not get a picture of the bread balls but it literally looks like meatballs in marinara sauce and the flavour was incredible. Most things we got were excellent, some seriously tasty food. My boyfriend’s favourite was the greens and beans stew and I think mine is the bread balls / cured meat with chanterelles. The scallops were good as well and the ragu was ok but nothing really to shout about/ very average and at £18.5 a plate, you’d be disappointed if you came to the restaurant and only ordered the pasta. Cassata was really tasty and something different and the tiramisu was good but I find most Italian places do a decent tiramisu in my experience anyway. We got two glasses of the house red and found them delicious 🍷 Very busy so definitely book in advance.

Lovely place and staff with the most delicious food

Simply outstanding. No other words to write. Just amazing, authentic food cooked with love. Cannot wait to revisit!

Loved it. Great food doesn't have to be complicated. Warming delicious food for a cold winter night.

Delicious Italian food and wonderful accommodating hosts no matter what the request. Highly recommended and will be back again soon! Thank you for a wonderful evening