Olby's Soul Cafe in Thanet

Starter was nice. Main arrived. One was Jerk chicken with salad and pitta. What arrived was chicken burger and fries. Sent it back. Original meal arrived a minute later. Chicken was dry and tough. The salad was drenched in sauce. The pitta was two tiny cuts of a thin wrap. Second meal was the burger. Came with onion rings and fries. The burger was pink in places inside and so thick and dry it was impossible to chew or swallow. Tried to thin it out but the meat was still dry and tough. Onion rings were cheap Iceland ones. Fries were ok but very dry again. Told waiter as we barely ate any of our meals. Got no real apology. No offer of a partial discount. Then asked if we wanted to leave a tip on the card machine. Awful meal. Basic service. Would never go again

Great atmosphere, friendly service and the food was superb!!! Something for everyone! Went with friends and family and had a great time. Already booked the next meal out there!!

Staff always friendly and food always top notch

3 of us had a lovely dinner here . The food was all excellent, tasty well cooked and hot. I had the coconut chicken and salad with extra chips and slaw . The waiter was very attentive, and we enjoyed talking to him. Would recommend you book at weekends The only thing negative I could say is the music is very good but also very loud when you are trying to hold a conversation . Thanks for a nice evening

After more than an hour and a half waiting (despite the restaurant being half full), the food finally arrived. We were disappointed with the food. Very basic, tasteless. The final shock was the bill......Quite expensive for what it was. I won't recommend this café, even if you're starving.

Awesome venue for a gig or a pint

#bestroastonthecoast really does sum it up. An absolutely delicious meal, the flavours were to die for & everything was perfectly cooked. 2 of us had the calypso chicken and 2 had the jerk ribeye, all 4 of us polished our plates clean. Also, the staff were lovely & attentive, such a welcoming environment. We will definitely be returning!

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Staff outstanding; good customer service and very good quality of food. Will definitely visit again.

We stumbled into Olby’s by accident and we’re so glad we did! The staff were super accommodating and lovely, specific shoutout to Eli who was such a brilliant help and made great surprise cocktails! The food was so tasty! We had a good mix of the small plates (they aren’t small- the portions are super generous). A lot to say about it all but all in all a brilliant place to eat.

This was our first visit to Olby’s and we had heard good things, it did not disappoint! The waiting staff were excellent, knowledgeable about the food and the evening’s entertainment. Attentive, but not loitering. The food was excellent. We tried a mix of small plates as starters, we loved all of them and we were all equally happy with our choice of mains and desserts. The restaurant has a great relaxed atmosphere and it was a really enjoyable meal. After we headed downstairs for the Bangers Comedy event. The venue space was well organised and set out, the MC was great and linked the acts together well. All the acts were enjoyable and it was great to see live comedy in Thanet again. 👍🏻 Overall we had a great evening and it is great to see a local business thriving.

Mains or desserts, all very tasty...

Can't complain I had a really good night. I even appreciate the bouncers for removing me from the building. I deserved it for running round like a crack head screaming 'call the police, I want a night in the cells' some of my finest moments

Fabulous food and lovely staff x booking is not always easy, but worth it when you get there!

What a gem! Great food, amazing atmosphere, fab staff. In love with this place. Food was amazing!

The atmosphere is great. Staff are polite, but the food is unbelievably delicious. I have never tasted a roast dinner as much as I had at Olby's. Definitely will be revisiting!

What an awesome place! The staff are amazing, and the food is sumptuous. Plus there are so many fantastic bands and artists to see. Check their website regularly as there's always new events being added.

Visited on a Sunday and between the family we had the roast butternut squash, lamb, beef and pork. Everybody on the table spoke about how good their meat and vegetables were fresh and cooked to perfection. The differing gravies spiced brilliantly. The young servers were brilliant, smiling and joking. A great roast and great value.

A must go if you are in Margate!!! Highly recommended for food and ambiance!!!

Just had the best “New Years Eve” night out in Olbys Soul Cafe. The atmosphere was brilliant DJays playing music in both upstairs and downstairs bars and then we were treated to “Odyssey “ playing a set in the downstairs venue! The whole place rocked and people really enjoyed themselves. Canapés were served throughout the evening and as midnight approached a glass of bubbly appeared!! The evening continued with music until very late and people brought in the new year with a smile ! New friends were made and many will be back to visit! Excellent night with fabulous staff and a big thank you to Eli and Heather for a wonderful evening !!

Everything was excellent. Such a different menu from the standard options, but still hit the spot perfectly. Ribs were epic. The service was great

Went here for Sunday lunch on Christmas Eve. It was the best roast dinner I have ever had out in a restaurant which is very high praise indeed as I am extremely fussy and don’t like my food too spicy. I had the lightly spiced roast ribeye beef, which was delicious! The garlic blackened prawns were equally delicious. The staff were lovely with very good service. I would definitely recommend!

The environment is not so organised or decorative

Great bar staff and brilliant drinks collection

I didn't want to write a review because I'm afraid that I'll never be able to book a table again! We went for a Sunday Roast today and it was OUTSTANDING; quite possibly the best roast dinner (out at a restaurant/pub) that I've had in the last 15 years of living in the UK. With such HUGE, decadent portions, I struggle to comprehend how they turn a profit! The vibe is cosy and friendly without being overbearing. Will return again and again!

I will never get bored of coming here for a Sunday roast! Amazing staff, a cosy setting that makes you feel at home. Amazing price for a Sunday roast, if you haven't been to Olbys your missing out!🤌🏻

Went see Dutty Moonshine band at venue at back of cafe So we thought we would eat at the cafe frist I had jerk chicken and rice and pea Lovely flavour rather than too hot Beautiful taste My Girlfriend had beef burger Homemade lovely side dish of salad Again very nice Desert treacle tartari with custard Clean lovely staff And great venue for live music after meal

We had seen people commenting that Olbys does the best roast dinner, and had high hopes. We were not disappointed!! Absolutely stunning roast beef, full of flavour, delicious and plentiful portions too. Will definitely be back.

Great food, excellent staff. Thank you

We visit for Sunday lunch and it definitely lives up to its reputation as best roast on the coast. We both had the rib eye beef and it was amazing. So tender and the meat and vegetables are subtly spiced. Beautiful meal and the staff were so friendly and happy. A really great experience, thank you.

Had the Sunday roast with friends and it was great. Good, home cooked food, tasty and lots of it. I will definitely be back and recommend.

We went here on a rainy Saturday, and as soon as we walked in, the smell of the food was enticing! We ordered chilli and mango prawns, loaded potato skins (pulled pork), a jerk chicken burger, and two soul stack burgers. With drinks, obviously! The service was polite and friendly, while the food was absolutely delicious! It's definitely one of the places where you want to try everything from the menu!

There were 11 of us - and we were all looked after, service was like the food - Great , The Sunday roast is banging . I think the best roast dinner around- if anyone has been here and can tell me another place that does a Sunday roast with the amount of veg for the same price please add a comment of where . I didn’t eat all day waiting for my roast at olbys and in return it was just fantastic and I found room to share a sticky toffee pudding for desert. Again absolutely yummy Thank you Olbys and to the staff . 11 people full up and happy 😋

If your after a great night out with great people, great atmosphere, great music and great drink selection then Olbys is for you, plus they stay open late, been there a few time and Halloween as well, was such a amazing night 👍

Soggy soft corn on the cob, Jackets with pulled pork was really jackets with bbq sauce, ribs had too much bbq sauce, the flavour of anything else was drowned out. Underwhelming food.

What a fabulous Sunday roast. The portions are huge and everything tasted delicious. My husbands beef had a Jamaican twist with the jerk seasoning and my lamb was so lean and tender. We will definitely be back soon with friends. A real friendly staff team who worked well together to ensure everyone had a great experience. Thank you.

Can't comment on food, the performance venue has a good feel and a great atmosphere, drinks are averagely priced, sound system is pretty good, only niggle really is the accessibility isn't the best, the chairlift is useable but there are two steps inside the venue, on to access the dancefloor/front of stage area and one to access the rear platform, toilets are a little small too, basically if you have some mobility you can access this venue, otherwise it's a big no. The front bar toilets are also not accessible as they can only be accessed by a staircase.

Wow!! Words do not do this place justice. You must try this place out for a Sunday Roast to see for yourself. Definitely the best place for a Roast in Thanet. We have been numerous times and have never had a bad meal. The food is plentiful, the atmosphere is inviting and chilled and it is most definitely great value for money too. The staff are a credit to this place, nothing is to much and they are super friendly and easy to talk to whilst remaining professional. If you do decide to give this place a try I would definitely recommend booking in advance. They are usually booked up 2 to 3 weeks. That says all you need to know.

Great spicy food, service and atmosphere. Red stripe on tap was a bonus, definately worth a visit for something different.

I was at a concert there. That was amazing. Location is super quaint. A great pub. Unfortunately not too many parking options. I didn't eat there so unfortunately I can't comment on that. The people, the music and the good mood...it's just infectious.

I am a lover of great taste and presentation when it comes to dining. Olby’s is second to none. Service is 10/10 and friendly. Atmosphere provided by brilliant interior design and soul-warming music brings me a feeling of calm and joy like nothing else. On a hard day it’s just what I need. That’s not even to mention the food! Unbeatable Jamaican Creole / Tex-Mex style dishes. True “Soul Food”. I recommend Olby’s Soul Café to everyone!!

Had Sunday lunch with my family. We all had the roasts (chicken, beef and vegetarian) and we all agreed that the food was delicious and lived up to its “best roast on the coast” accolade. We didn’t think we would be able to eat desserts too after the large portion roasts but we gave it a go 😀 and we ate every bit as it was delicious. Thank you Olby’s: great food, great service and great atmosphere. We will definitely be returning.

Still the best Sunday Roast in the area. Food and service were brill. Great atmosphere and value for money.

Had Sunday roast and possibly the best we’ve had. It’s touted as “The best roast on the coast” and we’d have to agree. The portion sizes were epic, the calaloo mash was delicious. On our table we had the chicken, ribeye and butternut squash and all were fantastic. 100% recommend, we’ll definitely be back!

Wonderfull place make sure you book as it is so busy. Good choice of food and drinks. If it is dry there is some outside seating.

Another 2 wonderful Sunday Roasts enjoyed at Olby's, so much going on, on a massive plate of food. No trip to Margate is now complete without going here at least once. Staff always so warm and friendly. Highly recommended 👌🏽

Delicious sunday roast. Food was very tasty, we would definitely be back. The only issue was that our dinner was at 3pm on sunday during crazy heatwave. Restaurant is very hot inside. Would benefit from a ceiling fan at least…phew it was a challenge and everyone was using menus as fans lol

Only used to come here for events for years but today I came for Sunday lunch and it was fantastic! So flavoursome and wicked roasties (crispy and not frozen!) All 3 meats beautifully tender and proper gravy! Service with a smile and very reasonably priced. Cannot wait to try more from the menu

Brilliant venue great night of comedy 👍 The bar staff were amazing 👏 Look forward to going back

Wonderful fresh and homemade food, you can bring your dog inside, very friendly and welcoming stuff. They have a separate Sunday menu. We highly recommend this place if you’re in Margate!

I found myself stuck in Margate because of the train strike and wasn’t really inspired at the food options I could find as I just wanted a quiet meal - I stumbled across this place and got in just before the kitchen closed, luckily I did as the food was amazing. I had the jerk chicken burger with upgraded sweet potato fries and the portions were fantastic, the flavours even more so. Feels like a gem. Staff were friendly and all round I had a great experience.

Brilliant venue excellent night 😁

We went to an after party Saturday night downstairs, fab atmosphere!

Excited to go this bar as a soul lover, myself and my friends headed in. We received plastic cups to drink our drink out of which was quite bizarre considering we had been to a few venues in Margate that day which didn’t do this! We began to realise quite quickly why this was the case. Whilst there was security on the door to control what I can only describe as absolute chaos, there was one particular bald and tall security man that came across as quite rude and aggressive, especially towards the women in the venue. He could be found outside having smoking breaks and bad mouthing the customers to what clearly looked like a bunch of people that he knew! Completely unprofessional and off putting. It didn’t reflect well on the venue. Needless to say we won’t be going back again.

Great authentic carribean food with a twist, always good music but service could be better...Do some brilliant comedy and music nights too..Definitely recommended.

Love this place. Always friendly staff and chilled groove.

Fantastic vibes, warm attentive service and beautiful vibrant food (standouts were the jerk chicken salad and the jerk ribs). This place says soul food and soul music on the outside; it should say good for your soul too, because if you don’t leave here with a smile on your face, there might actually be something wrong with you.

Wow what a meal we had last at Olbys we had the Coconut chicken And the jerk chicken which was close to the best mouthful of food ive had all served with potato skins salad, fries and cajun onion rings , you must know how good you are fantastic ,epic evening from the bottom of my heart thank you .please open in HerneBay .And we most most definitely will be back .im 61yrs old and i ve waited all this time for the best you r amazing what youve got there is so so special tks Paul and family .❤❤❤🤘🤘🤘🤣😀🤣

A decent place for a drink. Pretty friendly staff and reasonably well decorated. An old building so you cannot expect to be 100% disabled friendly, but they appear to have tried their best. Staff are attentive and helpful. Floors and tables could do with a bit more of a clean when busy though. Overall well worth a visit as the DJ at the front has decent taste.

Lovely place for a Sunday roast ☺️☺️

Extensive menu - it was hard to choose so I will have to go back and try the other things I liked the look of. The food was delicious. We also had a very refreshing gingery cocktail 🍹

Dinner with the family, jerk chicken was spot on (and we eat it a lot!), Chips were scrummy. Daughter loved her veggie burger and son the beef burger. Lovely place for dinner in Margate.

I'm working in Margate at the moment and find myself coming back here every chance I get! Great food and friendly staff!

This place is amazing the food is outrageous love it

Fabulous place, fabulous food, fabulous staff, fabulous atmosphere. Exceeded my expectations. *****

First and last visit. Utter chaos. Arrived with friends for a booked meal. Waited for 15 minutes before they 'found' the booking. Rammed with people who were shouting, singing so much, the bar staff couldn't hear us. Then given plastic 'glasses' for reasons we never...

Been here a few times and always love it, this time we only had drinks. Fast friendly service with a resident dj playing music, really good place.

In Old Town Margate suts this great bar and restaurant. We had burgers here on Friday evening before a concert at Dreamland. The service was really friendly and the food delicious. The bar has a great buzz about it and we will return for some...

Wonderful food, wonderful staff. Had a lovely birthday lunch with all my family. The staff make that extra effort to make it all a happy experience (birthday cake presentation!). As always superb food, generous portions. Thank you so much.

What can I say....the best roast dinner I've had in ages! Friendly service. Definitely come again. Great ambience

One of the worst meals we’ve ever had. The food was awful. Burnt prawns, mushy salad, dry chicken. All barely warm. The service was terrible. We waited too long and had to just call for the bill eventually. No one asked if our food was ok. Staff just hanging around at bar. Some eating. A real shame.

Great service from one lad in particular. So helpfully and friendly.

Found this little Gem on our visit to Margate to see McFly at Dreamland So glad we did! Quirky little restaurant, lovely ambiance, DJ booth playing soothing soul, food was amazing! Jerk Chicken Salad & Olby Burger was delicious! Chips best I’ve ever had in a restaurant! Lovely Rose wine too. Our waitress was lovely too! Chilled atmosphere made you want to return which we definitely will do x

Olby's Soul Cafe never fails to deliver the most delicious, mouthwatering food everytime I've visited. And friends that I take a long agree with me to. It's beautifully presented. The staff are always so welcoming,friendly with big smiles on their faces. The decor and atmosphere are fab to. This is such a gem and great music to. Your never rushed to leave and tbh always reluctant to leave. As such a fab place to be..

Great food, great music, great prices and great customer service

Family of four enjoyed a fantastic meal. Burgers were the best ever and service was attentive and friendly. Will definitely revisit when back in margate.

Brillant lunchtime in margate, sun was shining people were having fun. I was at a lovely table at the soul cafe. Food was excellent, jerked chicken was lush. My first experience and I loved it. The salad was so good. The staff were very good and so relaxed and friendly 🤗

Absolute winner. Super friendly staff and food that was not only reasonably priced, but insanely tasty. The prawn (in any variety they came in) were particularly good. Desserts were gorgeous too. Wine/beers are limited but a very minor thing. Atmosphere goes from cafe/eatery to pretty lively with music from about 8pm at the weekends so get in early if you want a more intimate meal. As I say, pound for pound, might be one of the best Margate has to offer

Great music, great decor, great food, great price, and lovely staff!

We went for Sunday lunch and could barely finish it. Masses of vegetables nicely done. Couldn’t even manage a dessert which for me is rare. It gets 1 star knocked off for my uncomfortable seat & a dark unappetising route to the wc. Staff lovely. Good atmosphere.

We found this place by accident walking down one of the many alleyways near Margate beach. I saw someones food (who was sat outside) and knew we'd have to go back for lunch. The food was incredible and obviously made with love, plus the staff were attentive and polite. The barman said I need to come back to try the jerk BBQ ribs, and I definitely will. Highly recommend!

Superb and intimate venue for a gig. See the Rifles here and it was absolutely superb!

Great food, service and gigs! What more could you want!

Unreal roast. Massive portions for such a great price. Really friendly service and vibrant atmosphere. Great little gem in Margate.

Upbeat friendly staff, quick service for drinks great atmosphere.

Best Sunday roast in Thanet and the staff are great too

My meal was fantastic! I would highly recommend the butternut roast! And as for the sticky toffee pudding… heaven sent!

Great tasty food. Attentive friendly staff, we really enjoyed ourselves. Nice vibe

Super fun venue. Great vibes and music.

Real good roast at a decent price - great volume of meat and wide range of veg

We arrived in the rain, and were instantly cheered up when we got inside. There was a bit of a party going on and it was a great fun environment! Very tasty food with a caribbean vibe. Super friendly service. Interior bit knocked about but...

What a lovely restaurant teat atmosphere background music. Food was excellent well presented and really tasty. Staff were so friendly I will definitely go again and would recommend

Just love this place and the most amazing roast. 10/10 bloody brilliant 👏

Our family had a lovely lunch at Olby's Soul Café. The food was plentiful and delicious (plenty of seasoning on the jerk chicken salad!). They are also very dog friendly. The staff were super helpful and attentive. Really nice atmosphere and great music playing.

I was having a random Margate day, really craving a Sunday roast, so a quick googling suggested Olby’s. The internet had spoken, and the internet was spot on! Such friendly, attentive service, with the warmest of welcomes. The roast ribeye beef was fantastic, so many...

I was having a random Margate day, really craving a Sunday roast, so a quick googling suggested Olby’s. The internet had spoken, and the internet was spot on! Such friendly, attentive service, with the warmest of welcomes. The roast ribeye beef was fantastic, so many accompaniments and a very generous portion too! I do love having an experience so overwhelmingly positive that I feel the need to spread the word as much as possible. Can’t wait to return and check out the rest of the menu!

Comedy show. Very entertaining. Great time

We came here just over a week ago and we were blown away with the food. Came today for Sunday lunch and it was one of the best toast dinners we’ve ever had. Roast isn’t one of my husband’s favourites but he loved it! The...

Great grassroots live music venue 👌

Great food (especially the roast) and good value for money, with very decent portions. Staff are always super friendly, efficient and accommodating.

What a find!!! Just what we were looking for - tasty light snacks! Jerk Chicken, Prawns with Mango & Chilli & BBQ Ribs all hot and full of flavour. Extra mention - Wine is a good large - always welcome 🙏