Makcaris in Canterbury

I’ve no idea where they got the idea they can charge these extortionate prices for average food and drink, not even London is this expense!

Food is way overpriced for what you get. We only ate there as they had Gluten free options, plus I went there about 4 years ago and the food was amazing back then. The chips were undercooked but the fish was nice. The menu's were so dirty that I didn't really want to touch them. The toilets were horrible. The owner/management obviously do not care about the customers and have become greedy. The 2 members of staff I dealt with didn't even smile. I would happily pay those prices if the food was great and the place was clean.

This place is Amazing !!!! If you like ice cream you’ve got to get one here. A bit more pricier than other places but you won’t regret it. It’s an enormous ice cream and more. The flavours are spectacular. The staff are great, friendly and kind. Would always have to go here every time I’m down this way.

Outstanding ice cream parlour 🍧 Well worth a good walk along Herne Bay seafront Impressive range of gelato flavours. I'd recommend the gingerbread season flavour 😋 Plenty of seating inside Great find. Highly recommended

Food was very average. Little care had been taken making it. For what it was it was very overpriced.

So pricey, it’s by the seafront but a black coffee for £3.95 that’s London price and a piece of “luxury”cake for £4.95 ( big slice I have to say ) but then so a full cake loaf at the market for cheaper … I felt like they ripped me off, they saw the tourist coming in. Advice: go the the side street nice little cafes , plenty of places .

We really like this place. Fish and chips are good but their menu is massive and varied. Staff are super nice. They serve alcohol and allow dogs (they love dogs!)

Beautiful place to eat ice cream menu amazing and staff very friendly and welcoming young Maire was very polite to myself and my client explained about all the ice cream’s they had and service was very efficient and good value for money

Lovely seaside premises. Includes an ice cream bar.

Thank you to John for serving us on our day out. It was a lovely experiance and the food was good.

Always so welcoming and family friendly too! My children love coming to Makcari's.

It’s a lovely place to come very friendly and the hot chocolates made by John are the best

We are regular customers of this establishment, it is a lovely family oriented cafe. They are always so welcoming especially John! We will be back!!!!!

So went in on the off chance and was pleasantly surprised at the awesome decor. Food fresh & tasted amazing. Service second to none also JOHN was a great laugh and made the whole experience fab !!

Amazing food - fish and chips is fresh and delicious. Decor extremely fun and beautiful - pink and blue diner theme. Service friendly and efficient. Food cooked by John who was also excellent - great personality and friendly.

Lovely food staff was excellent (John) and very pleasant surroundings will definitely be back 👍

Excellent fish & chips nicely presented, showing attention to detail. Helpful and professional staff like John fulfilled our order just right; top service. A welcoming and enjoyable place to eat. Highly reccommended

Wonderful fish (cod) and chips, really delicious and fresh and nicely presented. Very friendly and accommodating staff (John) and nice and relaxing atmosphere just across the road from the beach. Will be returning soon!

Great food made even better but Johns service!

It's OK, staff need people training skills !!

Can't believe Makcaris is still there. Must be 50 years since I was there. Very retro, but food and ice cream still as good as ever it was.

Compliment you on the quality of the bread pudding purchased yesterday morning.👍😋 However, the price of £5.05 charged was a bit steep ☹

Both sites are great. Forgive some of the younger team members. Classic teenagers. Still great atmosphere and healthy portions. Would definitely recommend

Been here many times and always been lovely went yesterday 17th August it was dreadful full ordered haddock and chips the fish was definitely not haddock if it was it was a horrible frozen cheap bit of fish when I brought it up to the young lad it was a oh well never mind and walked away I was having a nice relaxing day and didn't want the stress as it didn't see that I would of got any where will definitely not return and have advised others to stay away

Excellent fish and chips. Clean oil used for chips which were golden and crisp. Good batter on the fish which was cooked perfectly and fish not dry. Nice café area with ample seating. Customer toilet available. Selection of soft drinks and tea or coffees.

Good fish and chips but compared with some other fish and chip shops it is a bit expensive.

Overpriced and not even a smile from the staff serving, toilets are dirty

No table service at the bandstand café. Ice cream sundae were generous but arrived melted, and without a saucer under them so it was overflow and leak through the table slats... No napkins. Terrible service by student staff who are totally disinterested and clueless. Quality was ok/edible but prices were extortionate. Live music was a nice touch hence the 3* for atmosphere. Not recommended.

Burnt burger. Over cooked fish. Think the chef was on leave today.

Expensive and not very clean. Mouldy strawberries on display were a bit off putting too.

Awful ice cream at extortionate prices

Really bad coffee at London prices! We didn't order food. But the coffee was so bad we left without drinking it.

I ordered calamari with fries, £16, sick price. They arrived after a while, but it turned out that the fries were flat and tasteless and the squid were bitter and hard. I do not recommend

Have eaten here a couple of times now and both times it has been really good. The rock and chips were good but the cod and chips were very good, lovely thick piece of cod and crispy batter. Lots of ice cream available, the sundaes were very tasty as were the waffles. Great portions so bring your appetite. It's also dog friendly.

Ordered fish and chips what a mistake the batter was so hard you could lump someone round the head with it l. oil it was cooked in along with the chips tasted like it was changed ten years ago all the ingredients are the cheapest ones possibly sourced to make maximum profit owner doesn’t actually care wouldn’t give money back avoid like the plague and for £23 for one fish and chips with a coke is a joke Guy thinks he’s in West End it’s a tourist trap my advice go somewhere else fish is definitely not fresh

£6,50 for 2 tea,s £20,50 for fish an chips,a big rip off,it,s cheaper a cross the road Dean's plaice great fish an chips(large) freshly cooked,and a lot cheaper,with tea or coffee £16.50🍽yummy

Overpriced overall. Also the ice-cream they serve is nowhere near gelato, I'm not even sure if it has milk in it, it was super watery. Also it's self serve, not worth the money they charge

Looks alright inside, had ice cream and it was nice however did not got the right order and staff were quite rude

We walked by and saw the ice creams. I found it weird that no price was shown anywhere. When I asked the guy if the price / scoop or combo if you buy more scoops, the answer was scoop. But he didn't say how much. Never mind we were on our day trip and the flavours sounded good, the ice cream looked good as well we wanted buy. I had apple pie and white chocolate fruit ones. I must say I liked the ice cream. 🙂 I think a scoop was nearly £3.

Amazing food Amazing stuff and it was wheelchair friendly

This is a fantastic place to stop for something to eat if you are visiting Herne Bay. You can grab a coffee and cake or something more filling of their menu such as fish and chips ,burgers or a roast dinner. The staff are always really friendly and efficient. They also sell the most amazing ice cream with loads of flavours to choose from. Definitely give this place a try.

Excellent place that brings back memories. Our parents remember visiting the area as teenagers themselves in the early 50's, but the ice-cream shop more so 1970s.

Absolutely love this place. A little dear but I'm not complaining when there's ice cream and bread pudding like this! Seating inside and out, with regular music in the quadrangle. Gorgeous sundaes, desserts and coffee. And a big favourite for me, bread pudding on the counter to take away. It is GORGEOUS. Staff are always polite too. Don't you ever change 👌❤️

Excellent selection of home made cakes and great coffee

Had to remind them about my food order after 30 mins, took another 12 minutes to get my cod and chips and I was the only hot food order they had. The fish was ok but the chips looked like they'd been in the fryer far too long. Won't bother using this place again. Did get a free coffee as an apology from the young lad serving.

Their plate of chips is 2nd to none. It seems they use fresh oil for every plate.

Love this place have gone back many times , the owners are lovely and so welcoming with wooden spoons for orders and great food on the expensive side but worth it and wow the ice cream too sooo good. They also do fish and chips that I haven't tried yet..

One of the staff (old man) touched me inappropriately. The food was overpriced. I do not recommend.What happened to the previous owners? Sad that you can get a decent view by the seafront ruined by dirty old man waiter.

I found out old waiter or manager touched my wife inappropriately. I wish I knew that when I was still dining. Horrified. Food was overpriced for a breakfast. Disgusted with the old management.

£14 for 2 small glasses of very poor wine

A nice location. Food and drink average was vastly overpriced so not good value for money

This place is a must we love it

Great location, but the food was overpriced. I had a cheese baguette very average, a few crips instead of the promised nachos and the smallest of salads. Maybe it was just a bad day but the staff were unfriendly and unsmiley.

Nice place. Polite and friendly staff. Variety on menu. Good Ice cream choice.

Just visited, young staff are great but the chubby guy collecting plates is rude as anything.

Visited for lunch 2 days ago. Food was good but the coffee was better! Nice views of the beach. Staff could have been a tad friendlier.

Has been done up nicely but is more expensive now. We counted 8 staff with not too many customers. Used to be a struggle to get a table but lots of space now. May be because of the prices.

Wow! I love Makcaris but the prices are too high and I think locals are struggling. Otherwise food is good and the staff efficient and friendly.

Waited over half an hour for cod and chips. Fish was bland and over cooked on outside but Luke warm inside. Chips were ok Not worth £20 unfortunately

Very dissatisfied !!! notice on the door advertising 1/2 price meals after 3pm Mon to Fri we were told this didn’t apply because it was school half term We sat down to look at the menu which we were not given the staff seemed more interested in cleaning the floor which was very muddy left by previous customers We ordered cod and chips and rock and chips plus two cups of tea cost £35 The cod and rock fish were well over cooked and far from fresh the chips were just warm all in all a waste of money never again

Toooo expensive, Gordon Ramsay is cheaper for fish and chips, save your money better places to eat

Would you pay £8 for a tuna mayo,salad baguette?? Bread pudding is £4.95 and in the bakery/corner 3 minutes walk around the corner so much cheaper. Large Cappuccino is worth the money. I will be going to the bakery next time,wanted to see if Makaris still had value for money and quality food. Sorry, I won't be returning at these prices and no value for money.

Wanted a sandwich and portion of chips, although chips on menu, can’t have as only 3 people serving, something as simple as chips, when there’re serving fish and chips, seems a bit odd, won’t come here again!

Great food, great atmosphere and friendly staff

My husband and I had fish and chips which were expensive and extremely disappointing. I had skate which was overcooked with the bones breaking up. I was unwell after this meal and complained to the manager over the phone who told me that he did not know who was cooking and when the oil had been changed. Not very efficient! The chips were very odd and seemed to have been cooked several times. Would definitely NOT go back. Very very poor.

Only had a coffee so cant rate the food can imagine would be busy during the season was quiet during the off season

Great place for a coffee and a decent meal. Great fish and chips, which can also ve served in gluten-free batter

What has happened to this place? Used to come regularly and now very disappointed. Fish and chips very expensive, £2.50 for the smallest portion of mushy peas, chips undercooked. The final turn off was the disgusting unclean toilets, no toilet paper, no cleaning schedule to be seen - ugh!! Won’t be returning.

Nice restaurant. Deserts to die for. Fantastic sea views. Brilliant staff.

Not ver impressive when I visited. It was the end of October so not especially busy but the staff seemed in no hurry to serve. You order at the counter - if you order a massively overpriced soft drink (£3.25 for a diet Coke ...really???), you have to collect it yourself from the fridge then look around for a bottle opener. Apparently they were at the other end of the service counter. No glasses, only a paper coffee cup to put my drink in. On the plus side my tuna wrap was good and a fair price. Other items I thought we're taking the proverbial: adding grilled tomato(es?) to a standard breakfast - £3!! Cutlery was collected from a tray - how many people's unwashed hands had been there before? So to summarise, not terrible but a few changes could improve things (and please stop silly prices)

John made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in and one of the kids had a milkshake made with love and affection . Will defo tell everyone to come here .

Place was a bit shabby but that wasn't reflected in the prices. The door didn't shut properly so we all got frozen when the wind was howling round the cafe. Was like stepping back in time except for the prices. I think I would try somewhere else next time I'm in Herne bay

Must say worst fish and chips ever served on a plastic tray which kept spinning round batter on fish almost black and fish grey. Very poor for seaside fish and chips.

Been here many times before and always busy. However this visit was bad and the lack of customers explained all we needed to know. The cafe was empty all except 1 other lady. The latte's were tepid the packet of 2 biscuits cost us £2 which is steep in anyone's view and the one working toilet was very dirty at only 11am. Not something we will repeat too soon sadly.

Unprofessional! Rude! Unhelpful in rectifying there mistakes! soggy food! Chicken had funny after taste! Nothing looked appetising! and overall a bad experience on a positive note the salad and delivery time was good! I definitely won’t go here again though. 🤢 the guy I spoke to on the phone was so rude mocking me while talking to his peers thinking I couldn’t hear! And Couldn’t/ wouldn’t offer new food to replace my soggy congealed wet sandwich.

Very expensive and flavourless food, could of had a roast in the ship for a few £ more.

Lovely views over the sea and good food. Toilet not good, sorry!

Fish was lovely and white and well cooked. Chips could have done with a bit more cooking. But overall very nice

Good selection of meals available, good value for money.

Awful food, the pizza tasted frozen- the bread base was nasty and flavourless, way too much cheese, stale nachos with the pizza for no reason?. the ‘seafood salad’… wasn’t a salad. it was a bunch of canned pickled vegetables(pickled olives, pickles,MASSIVE CHUNKS of pickled onions etc) with a disgusting dressing, strange tasting shrimp which was most likely gone off in a NASTY sauce, CANNED TUNA, CHEAP MAYO, STALE BREAD AND BUTTER, AND SHOP BOUGHT COLESLAW. guess the price of the salad. 1..2..3.. lock in ur answers. £15. and it was the same price for all the salads, even the plain ones. The pizza was the £15 aswell. I was so dissatisfied with the food i had to write on a napkin about it. Now my stomach is TORN UP. it’s bubbling and gurgling. 0/10 I FEEL SO SICK AND IVE BEEN TO THE TOILET TWICE IN 30 MINUTES. i will be filing a complaint to the company aswell AND the health department. DO BETTER

I had chilli con carne as a main and it’s wasn’t the greatest, but I had a waffle after for Dersert which was amazing, but the food feels very rushed…

The egg has seen better days… Expensive for what it is, there’s definitely better options in the Bay but Makcaris deliver on Sundays so BIG UP. More mushrooms next time pls

Just purchased some gelato. One of the guys behind the counter (wore glasses) couldn’t not be more unhappy to see customers. Didn’t usher a word and looked at us like we was something he’d stepped in. Oh and if you’re going to clean out the ice cream trays, perhaps said person could use a clean cloth and not the dirty blue one he grabbed off the side! Never again.

Very good desserts, especially the cakes. However, by tea time at 5 p.m., the floor was no longer very clean. Which unfortunately detracts from the overall impression of this historic building.

Best gluten free fish and chips we've had. Very friendly staff too. I recommend a visit if you're in Herne Bay. Try the Haddock 🐟

Lovely cafe on the seafront at Herne Bay. Nice view from window seats. Coffee good, I had Americano, and partner had Latte. Free WiFi, comfortable seating, and a nice and clean restaurant area. We had breakfast here, I had the full English, and Partner had the fresh fruit pancakes. All cooked fresh and served nice and hot. There was nothing to complain about. This place is worth a visit if your passing.

Fish was OK chips were dry and hard. Expensive and no table service. Food is served on grease proof paper on a wobly uneven plastic tray which spins and slides when trying to eat and cut the food

Popped in to grab a coffee. Fast service and decent espresso.

The food was so cheap and inedible! The hot dog I had was so cheap and nasty yet cost 10quid! My husband had a sandwich which was literally cheap white bread with cheap stale prawns in. My husband couldn’t even eat his and was able to return it for his money back, however I was too mortified to do this twice with my food too! I have literally never been served such disgusting food and so over priced for what it was! Just awful!

Had to wait ages to place my order at the counter. Then had to go back to ask if they had forgotten as waited so long. They had forgotten. They were not busy. Staff all seemed to be sitting around a table doing nothing. I will not be returning. I don't think they could care less. Good luck when it gets busier.

Walked in today and the inside space was almost empty. We looked around and most of the tables were absolutely filthy so we left. Disappointing.

Friendly staff, efficient service, lovely food. The staff couldn't have been more helpful. We didn't take any cakes away this time but I can assure you that the cakes are gorgeous and portion sizes are huge! I would highly recommend this venue.

Poor quality food and overpriced

This is a place I always pop into when I'm near. It has an odd charm to the building, a hybrid of municipal space and urban piazza. The restaurant serves a decent array of meals, snacks and hot or cold drinks, the coffee was mellow and fruity and the tea was great for a builder or Duchess (I'm a teahead!) On this occasion there was a dapper gentleman charity raising by playing a multitude of wind instruments over a backing track, he rendered a wide variety of enjoyable standards with a few surprises thrown in (Ace of Spades on clarinet is mind expanding) all this glorious English quirk with great ice cream in barking mad flavours. I can hardly wait to see what's on offer for my next visit.

Food was a bit poor for me. I expected proper chip shop chips with my gorgeous and chips, but they were 'frozen fries' and a bit undercooked. However my friend's jacket and chilli was good. Great service though and the kind kids cleaning the tables were very kind and well-mannered.

Forgot 2 of our 3 orders but we're very apologetic. Nice food and ice cream. Was rather hot inside but then again it was boiling out!

Lovely lovely accommodating staff. Helped me with the cake I brought in for my friends birthday, took pictures for us and were generally cheery and attentive even in busy times. We had waffles and crepes, extremely sweet but we enjoyed them. Beautiful area and decorations.

Much more than ice cream. Everything from a full roast to beans on toast. Fish, pasta, salads, baguettes, sandwiches and breakfasts. Very reasonably priced. There are two Mackaris. One at the bandstand and one on the corner of Central Parade and William Street.

Lunch at the coast on a sunny day. Lovely! Plenty of menu options in addition to the normal seaside fish and chips. Very generous portions. Choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Umbrellas provide shade. Musical accompaniment from a saxophonist, but recorded backing track was intrusive at times.

Excellent service , menu very diverse.