Fort's Cafe in Thanet

Our favourite spot in Margate for flavoursome lunch/brunch. Cosy cafe run by a troop of trendy professionals of the hospitality industry. Have the most exciting menu for brunch/lunch in Margate. The Korean fried chicken in any form ( salad/sandwich) is my favourite with Siracha and homemade kimchi but today they have a new sandwich to die for... honey & siracha braised pork belly toasty, kimchi, fennel jam, reclette and alioli on the side.... crazy good. They are a bit pricy but is worth if you got it as a treat like us. Their coffee is also the best in Margate and a pleasure to see any batista making it. A true experience, well done guys 👍👍👍

Went for brunch and Forts did not disappoint! The Korean Fried chicken sandwich is to die for Lovely atmosphere and vibe

Nice enough but not worth the money. I paid the same as I would for an evening meal out in a nice restaurant as I did for a brunch. The portions were an okay size but quality of the food didn't match the price. As a keen coffee drinker - The coffee was okay but nothing special & a builders brew was literally a mug with a tea bag in. (again not really reflecting the price) I came here having seen reviews on Tiktok but I will consider other seaside cafes for the same vibe with better value for money food & beverages next time Added to the bill was a service charge (I paid and then was given a receipt) I wouldn't have tipped given the choice.

Todo fue delicioso!!!!! La atención súper buena ! Fui todos los dias a desayunar . Habían. Varias opciones de desayuno,

Over priced, food covered in oil, coffee ridiculously expensive, it cost £12 for one slice of bread and scrambled eggs.

I heard along the grapevine that Forts had amazing French Toast, so I had to try it for myself. I was delighted with the result. Topping the lightly fried toast were pear, pumpkin seeds, custard, chestnut cream, and torched meringue, Every bite was a taste treat. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the sea views enhanced the experience. I would highly recommend Forts.

Top coffee..... Amazing food.....Good service.....Great staff .......always a nice experience been back time and time again as it’s such a relaxing atmosphere....... if you haven't been already it's a "must" place to eat!!

100% recommend! I can see why this place has 5 stars on Trip Advisor!!! We popped in for some lunch and enjoyed a hot drink and warm sandwich followed by the richest smoothest brownie. Fantastic friendly and attentive service. Very reasonably priced :) Oh and very dog friendly! Will definitely be back

I love Forts. This is my local café. Food is really good and the team is lovely. Highly recommend!

Popped in as the photos on TA looked great. Weren’t disappointed..I had eggs, merghez sausages with sourdough and chimichurri and my wife had the bacon sandwich with a cheese curd and fiery tomato sauce. Both were brilliant!

Visited Forts after a coastal walk (also highly recommended), service was friendly & prompt, delicious cheese toasties with tea. Really good atmosphere.

This is a great café. Great food, friendly staff and a warm atmosphere. I had one of the best cheese toasties I've ever had!

Delicious brunch/lunch food with great vegan options. French toast and aubergine focaccia were brilliant, would definitely recommend.

The loveliest coffee spot on the cliffs... Coffee is banging, best croissant I've also ever consumed. Staff are super lovely, and some pretty cool latte art!? Make it a pit stop any time you're walking down towards the Lido! ❤️

Most amazing scrambled eggs with Toulouse sausage. If only I lived closer to visit more often! Definitely worth visiting

Outstanding breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and sausage. Coffee excellent too, although could have been hotter. Highly recommend.

In the words of the great Tina Turner this place is simply the best. Coffee great, those soft cookies - even greater, brunch great, service is awesome. The only place to get caffeinated in Margs.

Walk and impromptu brunch. Dog friendly. Good coffee. We had eggs with wild garlic on sourdough toast. Really delicious. A great vibe and understandably very popular.

A warm welcome on a busy Saturday morning with our little dog. A great ambience and lovely smiley staff. The food was fantastic, the menu changes daily and todays offering was great, a very happy family and dog. Caters well for vegetarians and meat eaters.

First time visit to this café but have previously visited the one in Broadstairs and had some delicious coffee. I went with my friend and my dog on a Sunday lunchtime, very busy and we just got the last table for 2. We had the spicy scrambled tofu, butter beans and green peppers with Kimchi on sour dough. Very nice but another slice of bread would be good. We enjoyed the coffee and hot chocolate followed by deliciously moist chocolate chip cookies. Very quick and friendly service. Will call again!

Forts food is great, cinnamon bun and mushroom eggs very tasty. Service is terrible however. Went for brunch New Year’s Day looking forward to nice meal but left on a sour note. After 30 minutes post ordering they took our empty coffee cups and no food appeared. I had to query where our food with the waiting staff, who subsequently passed the blame over to the kitchen. Not sure this was true as they asked what our order was again. When they noticed our order was never placed two or three other tables were served before us. In total we waited 45 minutes for a coffee and eggs on toast. A really insincere apology was provided and they didn’t charge for coffees which were well gone by this time. Having worked in bars and restaurants for many years I fully appreciate things go wrong. Veiled apologies and excuses irritate customers rather than just owning up to a mistake. Customers shouldn’t leave the restaurant angry if dealt with in the correct way. Shame as Forts was really high our our list for Margate and as already stated food is excellent (if actually ordered). This was our second visit not sure there’ll be a third.

I live locally and had heard good things, but hadn't managed to pop in since the new management and oh my god. Gutted I’ve only just discovered it, food was amazing, great coffee. I will 100% be visiting more often!! Cant fault it

Fabulous people, food and coffee - couldn’t fault it. The chai latte was the best we’ve had - a warming hug in a mug. At the risk of being repetitive the scrambled eggs with portobello mushrooms was just the best - yummy. A great, relaxed experience at a v reasonable price. Couldn’t fault it and definitely recommend. The woofer was welcome too.

Just had the BEST scrambled eggs and merguez sausages! Everything is filled with flavour .This place is fabulous. The staff and food are delightful . ,

Great hotel, amazing hospitable staff. Beautiful location and ambience. Breakfast was lush, I had wild mushrooms on toast and Hubby porridge with apple and honey, absolutely delicious. Highly recommend

Don't be fooled by the unassuming shop front. This is the best coffee in the area, with excellent freshly prepared tasty food and superb service - A real hidden gem!

Forts is just the absolute best, the coffee is perfect and SO amazing every time I visit. The service is brilliant and it’s so relaxed and welcoming, I truly enjoy myself every time I go (most weekends!) the food is so good, so yummy and...

I stumbled across this café as I was on my way back from Haeckels and I’m really glad I did. It’s almost understated frontier disguises a great café inside. Staff – super friendly and attentive. Coffee and cake – gorgeous. Definitely coming back.

Forts is a must if you are visiting Margate. The staff are friendly, the coffee outstanding and the food fantastic. My espresso tasted like blueberry jam. Their unique take on dishes will not let you down.

At dinner on Friday we asked our server where we should go for breakfast and she did not hesitate to recommend Forts. It is well worth the trip up this hill to this busy local cafe serving great coffee and outstanding food. It was so...

Amazing brunch here with original menu and great vegan options. Scrambled tofu was the best I’ve ever had, and the staff were really friendly.

On our first night in Margate, we had no firm plans, but came across Forts who were open in the evenings for first time that weekend. While the place was quite busy, we were offered a table outside right away by the waitress, Maria, who...

Excellent food, lovely staff and beautiful location. Food was amazing. Maria our waitress was so cute and lovely. Love your favs x

Different brunch offerings, lovely staff. Shame I was too full for a pastry which looked delicious. Looked like regular place for locals very friendly vibe

Highly recommend their cafe in Broadstairs. Super-friendly staff, freshly baked goods, decent menu and cool downstairs space for eat-in, what's not to like?

Had lunch here today for the first time, delicious food and great coffee, will definitely be returning. Brownies & cookies went down well too! nice relaxed atmosphere and really friendly staff.

Visited Forts for the first time, amazing food and great flavours. Staff are really welcoming and friendly. Definitely will be back!

Omg its so loud inside sometimes you might just go deaf. Small place and noise is bouncing off the walls. We had many take away coffees from forts on our walks and today managed to get a table for lunch. Food was delicious, really creamy...

Easily the best brunch in Margate. One of the best brunches we've ever had. Had the french toast with pear & maple cream which is made with an incredible homemade brioche, and the scrambled egg on toast. Best scrambled eggs out we've had - super...

Absolutely unbelievably good breakfast here. All the dishes we ordered were out of this world. I had the Nduja Fried eggs and they were delicious!

Nice food, good coffee and very friendly staff! Love their cookies and the Korean chicken! Oh and also dog friendly!

Perfect menu size for this very cute cafe. Filled with excellent quality ingredients very skilfully used to created outstanding dishes. The bacon focaccia was divine. The coffee was superbly crafted using a premium quality product. All surrounded in a very unique and charming space. The...

A lovely lunch today at Forts. Service with a smile, beautiful wooden furniture, and coffee with the coolest message in the froth from Best Barista in Margate, Marta. Thank you.

Came here for brunch on our mini break to Margate and there was a little queue which the staff were doing a brilliant job juggling people to get everyone seated quickly on a hot day. We had the eggs on sourdough and it is no...

Had to que to get in on a Sunday but was so worth it! The coffee was gorgeous and highly recommend the nduja eggs was so delicious

Gorgeous location, lovely staff and really great food and coffee. I'm only disappointed that I saw the insane looking cinnamon buns after I'd stuffed myself on the delicious scrambled eggs but I'll have to make another trip to try them!

Excellent little breakfast place with good coffee, friendly service and tasty food. Nduja fried eggs highly recommended!

We waited a little while to sit down but it was worth the wait for a delicious brunch. We even bought a takeaway cookie each. It's not the cheapest of breakfasts but worth it.

Working The Open Golf Championship this week and happened across this place on my way to picking someone up. It looked inviting so thought I would give them a try. The coffee was a little slow to come out but both it and my breakfast...

Really, really good. The best cup of coffee you'll find. Nice selection of food options too, focaccia sandwiches are massive and very tasty. Great service and a cool setting.

Amazing breakfast and delicious coffee. Black pudding toastie? Yes. Please. Dog friendly and just lovely chilled out atmosphere.

Excellent coffee! And some nice brunch options on the menu too, especially the asparagus. Staff were all lovely.

Arrived in Margate and needed a place to work from, Forts was the first place I was told to go and boy was I not disappointed. Forts is like a chocolate soufflé, doesn't look like much from the outside but once you get into it,...

What a find! The brunch options were incredible it was hard to just pick one and so reasonably priced. Service could not have been more friendly and they made us and our dog feel very welcome. The coffee is brilliant and the vibes positive. Lovely...

Definitely the best coffee in Margate! Friendly staff and amazing location. Can pick up take away coffee and drink it on the beach. Would like to have had some vegan cake options, but maybe it was just the wrong day to visit.

I'm incredibly lucky to have checked this place out before the latest lockdowns made travel and restaurants verboten. I know the term "hidden gem" gets thrown around a lot in food reviews, but Forts ticks all the boxes to earn that title. It's off the...

I never write reviews, but this was delicious food and lovely service. I had a bacon sandwich with bacon, alioli, chutney, cheese and butter. Nothing special? It tasted perfect as if the chef had experimented getting the right balance of each ingredient. We had quite...

I do not normally write reviews, however I feel compelled to give Forts Cafe the credit they deserve. I discovered Forts via Instagram and was instantly struck by the appetising menu of sandwiches, so when my partner booked a visit to the town I just...

Genuinely exceptional coffee. Very good sandwiches too. Not the biggest range (which is more often than not a good thing) but real attention to detail in the ingredients chosen and the combinations of flavours. Would definitely like to return for a more substantive meal.

Regularly go in for two oat flat whites! We love that there is no extra charge for oat milk (rare) and the coffee is superb. Great location too and the staff are lovely.

Realised I should probably review Forts as I visit most days of the week... By far the best coffee and tea you’re going to find in Margate. We sometimes treat ourselves to banana bread and cookies which are also to die for 🥰 You’re never...

Excellent coffee, nice staff, good operation as the payment station is now outside. They serve a small range of original and interesting sandwiches. My only comment would be that they open at 8am but the menu didn't feel particularly breakfast-y.

This kitchen cares! 100% pride in their work! We were told the menu changes depending on what is available to the chefs. The way it should be! I had the black pudding toastie the first visit. The seasoning was so on point, and the sourcing...

I was lucky enough to be one of the first customers to go to forts after it reopened with the new owners and I was completely blown away. It's been lovingly restored with thoughtful (Fortful?) touches and hints at its history while also being given...

Newly opened but already Forts feels like a regular local. The owners are part of the local community, very friendly and offer service with a smile. The coffee is out of this world and the food is something special too. They cater for all dietary...

Possibly the best coffee, sarnies and people in Margate, Thanet, wait - THE WORLD. Lots of lovely V and VG options with loads of different fun flavour tastes every day. The coffee is insane with super friendly service and a killer view too!

Just visited for the last time, as over the last year the quality of the food and the service have continued to go downhill. We have had to wait over half an hour for food for the last few visits despite the cafe not being full and this time we waited for almost an hour. Eventually our scrambled Eggs, sourdough and steaky bacon arrived - except it was scarmabed eggs l, sliced white bread and horrible catering pack bacon! We won’t be going again. The Dalby round the corner has much better food, is value for money and has great service!

Food came out very slow and not great, everything seems old and thrown together , i guess thats meant to be cool? won't be re-visiting here in a hurry

So we wanted somewhere to go for breakfast last weekend and having been to Forts in the past we opted to return. It looked exactly the same, but it couldn’t have been less like the Forts of recent years. That Forts, was effortlessly understated. Immaculately clean with crisp service not to mention deliciously cooked food. This Forts, has staff that don’t give a toss, that move at the pace of a striking slug. The place is grubby. Little things, like ketchup bottles that have never been cleaned. Every single component of the meal was as cheap as they could get, from the warm nasty orange juice, the minuscule over cooked sausage and stale thick white bread described on the menu as ‘Sourdough’. At least the black hair in my partners breakfast was free. We waited a good 5 minutes at the counter, the waitress shouted that somebody wanted to pay, and as if by magic, the shopkeeper, eventually appeared. Surly and ignorant, when he was told how disappointed we were, and why, he offered to take our drinks off the bill. Hurrah, we didn’t pay for lukewarm orange juice or stale, burnt coffee. When challenged re the Sourdough, he insisted it was. It wasn’t. This once great little Cafe, which, when you drive past, always looks like the perfect breakfast venue, is now awful. Trading on the former Cafe’s reputation, the new owner obviously doesn’t care. Woeful, avoid.

We waited 20 minutes before our order was taken. At this point we discovered a number of items were not available. We then waited another 45 minutes for the food to arrive. There were only 8 people including us in the cafe so it was puzzling.The wait was annoying but the real reason for the poor rating was the lack of any apology or explanation from the man serving us. He just didn’t seem to care.The food was ok but just standard fry up type stuff.

Have visited a year ago and was delightful. This time painfully slow service, menu description of home cooked ham did not match the wet thin ham served and cheap frozen chips on plate were supposed to be hand cut. Change of ownership ?Very disappointing and wish we had left in the time we were waiting to be served.

A small cool cafe near the Lido in Margate, off the beaten track but worth a walk. Service isnt speedy but no where in Margate is speedy so no different to anywhere else. Its like a trendy greasy spoon

Little gem of a cafe, breakfast menu is great lots of avocado for the visiting Londoners 😉 place really busy so arrive early.

I love to visit Forts every time I am Margate however this visit something seemed to have changed. The place was empty which it usually never is, it’s usually buzzing and has a great atmosphere. Ordered drinks no diet cokes. (To be fair to them the gentleman did run out and get them). Ordered food no advocado, no chorizo and no burgers. I mean it’s Saturday lunchtime and they had so many things missing from the menu it was a bit of a joke. Ordered a full English which I’ve ordered many times before and the ingredients had definitely been changed to much cheaper options. Two girls working in there couldn’t have been any less interested. They also now no longer take cards which is a hassle if you don’t have cash. Wouldn’t go back which is a big shame.

Lovely well run cafe.Very family friendly and the staff very polite.The meals I’ve had their have always been fresh ,well cooked and a good size portions.

Quirky place that has a nice feel. Was recommended to us but sadly didn’t live up to expectations. The food was really tasty & the menu was good. The place really wasn’t busy though & we had a 9.30 booking for breakfast which arrived at...drum roll...10.25!! Not ideal when you have a 5 year old with you. Not a complicated order (porridge, full English & smoked mackerel) so really have no idea at all why it would take so long. Perhaps they have their own chickens on site & have to wait for them to lay the eggs??!!Food is good but not sure it was worth the wait. Oh, and they don’t take cards but it doesn’t say this anywhere on the menu & they didn’t decide to mention it until giving us the bill...cue another wait while the other half went to get cash....

Arrived at 10.30, breakfast eventually dished up at 11.30. We even seemed to be waiting 30 minutes for an orange juice. Once two breakfasts were dished up (still awaiting 2) we requested cutlery, the waitress continued serving other tables before bringing the cutlery. Following two breakfasts arrived and the order was wrong. (Still awaiting the orange juice at this point). People had been in after us, eaten, and left before our food had even arrived. Avocados covered in cayenne pepper made them inedible. Once finished eating a very average cold breakfast we politely explained to the waitress we are not happy paying full price, we reflected it wasn’t her fault but they were clearly having a bad day there. She went out the back and out marches the rudest manager I have ever had the dissatisfaction of meeting. Did he start with an apology? Ask us for an explanation? No, he came out saying ‘you’ve upset my waitress, she’s now out the back crying’. We were polite to her, and unfortunately the poor young girl was stressed and in over her head. The manager totalled our order at £49, for 4 average breakfasts, mind you £12 of that would have been on 6 orange juices, clearly a cheap £2 carton. We said we would pay half of this. He argued that this would put them out of pocket. This puzzles me as the breakfasts would have cost them about £15 maximum. In the end we paid £30 but will NEVER return, and having only left there an hour ago, have already told 10 friends, who also shared they had a bad experience there. Such a disappointment, we love supporting small businesses, but quite frankly, the place is a disgrace, especially the owner.

Great breakfast, shame it was served at lunch. An inexplicably long wait for grilled cheese and a chorizo breakfast is too much. For that price you'd expect it in good time. At one point during our 45 minute wait for a basic meal we were asked if everything was OK,

Went with daughter for breakfast after a stop over trip to Margate. We were after a later breakie and loved reviews. I'd highly recommend the Full Spanish with chorizo, avocado, scrambled, toast, bacon...I could go on. It took a little while given we were the only customers at the time but it was superbe and the quality couldn't be faulted. At £8.50 is well worth the ingredients and comparible with chain prices but far superior in quality. My query was price for the area and whether cheaper options would bring in custom, and with it atmosphere (which was lacking, being solo dinners, made better for moving to the window booth). Would we go again - yes! Could the breakfast itself be improved - nope.

Arrived at 9.05am today (Sunday) - five minutes after their stated opening hours. Put my head in the door to check that they were open - was told that it would be about fifteen to twenty minutes, and the lady couldn't seem to wait to get me back out again.

We visited Fort’s this morning for breakfast on recommendation from a local. Thought the ambience was great fun - attentive waitress and friendly owner. Retro feel is tasteful and very on trend. We particularly liked the taste in music!

We have eaten here a couple of times and can say that the burgers are great, as are the breakfast choices, if a little pricey. I forgive this entirely as the staff and service is excellent, and they offer something a little bit different.

After a lovely walk along the windy seafront, it was nice to be able to pop in for a warm drink and delicious cooked breakfast! We will definitely come again!

Great location, and great to have the kids playroom. Food was good quality but a little expensive, but then we were not rushed and the staff were great. I would return.

The place is shabby but we were told that the food was good. Firstly, they had run out of several things that we wanted. A big breakfast is £10 or £8ish for a normal without tea which I think is expensive. We waited ages for...

Wasn't too sure if the reviews I had read online were true when i rocked up to forts cafe and saw a battered old sofa with mismatched cushions sat outside looking like someone had dumped it there. Was nice to know I made the right...

We had just completed an escape room in Margate and needed brunch. Fort’s was a couple of doors down and although we were super-hungry I was very reluctant to go in.

What a pleasant surprise this unassuming cafe is , just a stones thrown from Margate Winter Gardens .

fantastic quality homemade breakfast - all the food seemed fresh and locally sourced.

This really is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Tucked away in a corner of Cliff Terrace, you could be forgiven for mistaking Forts for a shabby old greasy spoon. That it is not!

Lovely, and catered fine for 4 vegetarians! Great coffee, parking outside, lovely friendly staff who were happy to help!

Dropped in late morning Sunday - the place is packed. Always a good sign. In fact, there wasn't an empty table. The service is outstanding. The food is amazing. The quality of the produce is second to none. Can't wait to visit again!

Visited on a busy Saturday and the food came out surprisingly quick considering how busy they were. I had the vegetarian breakfast and my friend had the vegan shroom burger staff were friendly and the food was great. Would definitely visit again but maybe book next time as we had to wait a bit for a table as the cafe was full.

Spent a day and evening in Margate, stumbled across this place when looking for somewhere to eat. It looks a bit like a greasy spoon so wasn't too expectant of menu but then discovered a great sounding burger menu. Service was great, friendly and efficient and the burgers were really good! We were a group of 5 and the wait for the food was exactly what you would expect for made to order authentic food. We had a variety of burgers across the group and everyone was happy. Would visit again!

This was one of the worst food experiences of my life. A 90 minute wait for a burger and chips (the only thing they serve) when only two other people in the cafe just beggars belief. The brusque and dismissive waiter refused to apologise or give us an actual waiting time on food. When it arrived the burger was a pappy mush of burnt slop that had the consistency and flavour of poor quality baby food - see photo. As the food is cooked to order we expected a little wait, but an hour and a half to receive something significantly less flavoursome and appealing than wallpaper paste that clearly took all of 2 minutes to blend and burn in a frying pan was just too much. I should also mention they got our order wrong and didn't apologise - as it turned out it was one less overpriced item to pay for so we were quite relieved. My friend couldn't even stomach a bite of the food and we left hungry, cross and poorer in both pocket and morale. Terrible.

We were in Margate for a long weekend and actually ate here twice as we enjoyed it so much. It does a good full English and the avocado on toasted sourdough with poached eggs was tasty. The hot smoked mackerel was served to another table whilst we were there and that also looked good. It's a very retro styled cafe, almost a bit too retro. Definitely well worth a visit

The best cafe in Margate possibly England.Simple menu. Retro ambience. Appitomises Margate cool.Thr burgers never disappoint and the fries are to die for.. Seemed to have swapped the bun this time... prefered the old.Child and pet friendly - not to be missed.

This was the first place we came across on arriving in Margate. We were too hungry and it was too late in the day to start wondering around trying to find somewhere else. We decided to give it a go thinking it looked cheap and cheerful. Fortunately it was quite cheerful as the girl serving us was very pleasant, however it was certainly not cheap. On entering the premises there was a pungent smell of old grease and stale cigarettes. We ordered a beef burger a chorizo roll and the chicken fajita burger, as well as two portions of chips. Despite being the only customers (until a couple arrived a little later) it took nearly 40 minutes for the food to arrive. It was served in what looked like old, chipped, blue and white camping bowls, which seemed odd and tacky. The chorizo roll was average at best. The beef burger was not very succulent and the bun was poor quality. The chicken burger was okay, but the burger was really too big and somewhat dry. The chips were also not very hot. The price for each was about 7-7.50. Considering this is equivalent to the cost of a burger from Byron's in central London, this was very disappointing, especially as they serve their burgers in high quality brioche buns. We felt that they should either stick to being a cheap and cheerful greasy spoon with well-made, cheap food, or up their game in order to justify charging such prices.

Wife and kids went for breakfast for two days on the trot as it was just around the corner from where we were staying, the food was good, coffee was good and the music choice was good too.They were also more than happy to serve my youngest ice cream for breakfast?!?!?! (and lots of it)I would recommend Forts to anyone, what I wouldn’t recommend is going on the Waltzers at Dreamland after the full English!!!!!

Went down to Margate for a day trip and had a lovely lunch here with my Mum and dog. Friendly service and delicious locally-sourced burgers.