Samphire in Canterbury

Had a lovely romantic night here as a birthday treat with my husband. The manager was friendly and knowledgeable. It was out of season so by 9.45pm we were the last ones there and left soon afterwards to allow the staff to go home. I had the cauliflower steak and hispi miso cabbage as a side. My husband had the mackerel which whilst delicious was disappointing at over £25 that I t didn’t come with anything but sauce. The wine list started at £29.95 - I’m sure it would still make them 100% gross margin if it was £19.95….just unnecessarily expensive in my opinion. All in all lovely but a bit pricey.

Service was excellent. Would score 3.5 if able but the food standard in relation to cost cannot really be justified if compared to other places that we have eaten. We had the lunch time menu, main was excellent but the sides, veg & roasties were not the best, appeared as probably pre-cooked, over cooked, teeth breaking roast potatoes as at end of service but even so shouldn't be the case, first time eating there so a bog let down as pretty pricey, including the drinks.

Superb food and great service. Highly recommended.

Had an early dinner. Good range of wines. Pleasant staff and good service. Food was lovely and enjoyed the mussels.

The atmosphere was lively with three generation families eating together. The food was fresh and perfectly cooked. Impeccable service.

Very good quality food and service, happy to accommodate the dog. Would highly recommend for breakfast and dinner menu looks fabulous.

Great atmosphere and amazing food

From ringing up to book to the welcome on arrival and dining experience, everyone was kind, friendly, helpful and welcoming. We arrived tired and left replenished. The food was delicious

A real treat , staff are so attentive, the food is very good and the ambience is warm and friendly.

We recommend the set menu, especially as the mains come with a glass of house wine. Leek and potato soup was delicious, possibly the best we've had in a restaurant. The fish pie was full of fish and the mashed potato was creamy. Really enjoyed the Creole mussels with Trinity sauce, however there are a LOT of mussels so you might want to share this between two people. Service was attentive and quick. It is not cheap but it is good value.

Fantastic restaurant with nice professional staff. We had a wonderful evening with great food and wine - I would recommend the bacon chop !

Delicious food, great service and nice atmosphere. Highly recommended.

We last came to Samphire 5 years ago when we were celebrating our son's graduation. We had such a lovely experience we wanted to return as we were in the area. Granted it is not cheap but we could not fault the quality of the food or the service. We were greeted with a friendly smile and shown our table. We decided to try the special Wine of the week as well as a glass of the Chapel Down Flint - neither disappointed. We avoided the starters but did have the Focaccia to share and it was soft and delicious and warm. The spicy butter was delicious and you only needed a small amount to be about to taste it. For mains my husband had Butternut Squash and Ricotta Pithivier which he said was delicious - it looked small but he found it very filling. I had the fish pie - and had no complaints about the size of the portion, nor the amount of fish in it - the mash was also smooth and tasty. For dessert I choose the Apple Frangipane and Blackberry sorbet - both to die for. My husband stuck to Afrogato but was very pleased with his decision. It was probably the most expensive meal we have had out for a while - but well worth it. The restaurant was busy the night we went, but the service with still attentive and friendly. We would recommend it.

Fish pie with 3 pieces of soggy salmon. No sauce and a couple of peas £25 for a tiny portion. They are having a joke Thought I might have a pudding £9.50 😳😳😳 not a chance

Fantastic lunch at Samphire! Even though I had to wait quite a while, I am very delighted I did, definitely worthy of it. The oysters and calamari were something incredible, super fresh! Attentive staff as always. Going to return as per usual.

It would be 4 stars if it wasn’t so expensive. A bit odd having to pay extra for sides, if you order a fish, you get a fish. As long as you are OK with that concept and have deep pockets you may well enjoy it more.

Very tasty food. Loved the oysters and mackerel. Just didn’t feel like great value for money - £28 for one mackerel and a bit of samphire without any potatoes which we had to get separately.

The beef tartare was full of dried onions and tasted bitter, the other shared dishes were edible but no more than that, service was helpful and friendly

We thought we'd researched the options that whitstable had to offer thoroughly but sadly we still got it badly wrong. The atmosphere was non existent. To say the food was average would be paying it an undeserved compliment. We had oysters which are pretty hard to mess up. From that point things headed south quickly. My beef tartar was like eating a raw hamburger with those nasty onion crisps on top. My wife's crab was dry and pretty tasteless. My main of their "celebrated" fish pie was like a child's portion from Iceland, with anonymous seafood and watery mash, with a spoonful sized ramekin of boiled cabbage. My wife had a bacon chop which just tasted like a hunk of the gammon I make at Christmas every year but at 27 quid seemed like it believed it's own hype. With a bottle of wine and no pudding or coffee I feel like over 170 quid was extracting the Michael a bit. Self aggrandising, over priced caff food posing as precious, poncey, emperors new clothes cuisine. If food grabs me my the taste buds and makes me glad to be alive then I don't have a budget but in instances like this when I'm disappointed to the point of walkin into the sea with my clothes on then even a freebie would not assuage my angst. Sorry if this upsets you but I think you know you can do better and that you're just rinsing those that either don't know better or are too conditioned to say otherwise.

Good food, quirky cafe style seating, ambient lighting, shame about the poor service. Not friendly or welcoming. Server & chef seemed like they wanted to be anywhere but there. No atmosphere. No hand wipes offered after eating moules?! Just a dry napkin?! Server looked offended when I asked if they had anything to wipe my hands with, like a wet cloth, which is normal in any other places that serve seafood. Not sure if they were having a bad day? Needless to say, on our experience, I would definitely try other places, plenty of choice in Whitstable.

Had fish and chips take away. Delicious 😋 very large fish and more than plenty of chips.

Had dinner here. Advice everyone to book in advance, it is hard to get a table here. The food is amazing. A few vegetarian/ vegan options which are hard to find in Whitstable. My partner and family said the seafood here is excellent as well. Definitely will come back if I visit Whitstable again. For price, it is not cheap, but reasonable for the food quality and service.

Fantastic Sunday brunch and cocktails

We were very excited to try Samphire as it came highly recommended. The lady who attended us was very nice until I found a dead fly in my meal. I was certainly disgusted and being pregnant quite concerned. We pointed this to her and she just said sorry. It wasn’t a heartfelt apology or a kind response. I have been to many high rated restaurants and an incident like this is handled in a more professional fashion. We got discounted just my dish and we left very distressed. Even though produce might have been fresh the execution and hygiene was questionable. The place was full of flies and warm. I left deeply concerned and won’t return as my meal was ruined by this experience. I understand due to the volume of tourists a bad review won’t make much difference but we went to Birdies a few meters down the same road and we had an amazing meal and an excellent service.

Fantastic food, and great waiting staff

A comforting atmosphere , excellent food , the two ladies /staff were very welcoming and friendly , definitely recommend , you won't be disappointed .

We were a group of 8 and our table was at the back of the restaurant near the kitchen. Overall the experience was great, but I have a concern to share with the owners. From my seat I could see into the kitchen, I was surprised to see that the chef was on his phone while cooking food. My concern is that I don't think this is very hygienic. I'm interested in a view from the restaurant management. We didn't raise it as an issue at the time because we didn't want to spoil the atmosphere of our meal with our visiting relatives.

Best steak I've had in England ever , beautiful food , super special , a must visit restaurant !

Staff helpful re 2 off menu diets. 6 people 2 x 2 had same. 5 happy with food. Mine : chard needed draining, olives v dry and peppery, sour dough toasted ? , mash off putting shape. Arrived on opening time, but waited 1 hr for food. Youre given 2 hrs to eat and go.

beautiful food and the friendliest service, we were made to feel so welcome all the servers are super lovely! We recommend the mussels which were amazing:)

Great, there was no reservation, they helped us immediately, the menu tastes super, thank you.

Little gem with fabulous food and service. Definitely book during busy periods.

The bacon chop and leeks were so good I had to call my Irish Mother to tell her!! The best thing I’ve eaten in a long while, simple, tasty and nostalgic. Lovely warm welcome from the team and couldn’t fault the food. Go. Go tomorrow. And the next day….

Superb little bistro. The food is excellent, with a good little menu to choose from. The waiting staff are a wonder, they really make the place shine.

This was a prebooked Birthday treat for my partner. On arrival we were put in the window seat area which was not comfortable for older people. We were sat right next to the open door at supposedly the best table in the house! Unfortunately, it was a very warm day and our area was completely surrounded by flies so we were constantly swatting! The starters were Oysters and Cod's Roe which were excellent. The mains were fish pie and we added vegetables. The other main was liver and bacon, for some reason, on toast. The mains were rather bland and overpriced. Because of the flies, we decided not to stay for coffee or dessert. Overall, our main disappointment was the lack of care from the staff. It would have been so easy to have offered us another table and perhaps a complimentary coffee or dessert as an example of good caring customer service. We have been there a number of times for excellent meals but we won't be returning. A disastrous Birthday lunch.

Best brunch ever! So tasty, fantastic, friendly and efficient service on Sunday morning! If I had to be critical, the coffee was a bit strong for us but will not stop me from returning

Dropped in for lunch when on holiday. Unpretentious little cafe serving some really wholesome and flavourful food. Our server Ashley was super friendly and accommodating and a don’t of knowledge in the local area. I had bacon chop, creamed leeks and a smoked apple sauce, my wife had freshly caught mackerel, beetroot and samphire. We enjoyed it so much we extended to STP and summer pudding + coffee. Reasonable price and a lovely friendly vibe, thoroughly recommended!

Tonight I had the best meal I have ever tasted, but this place is special. 5 stars all day long; amazing staff too.

Very tasty meal. Friendly service. Recommended!

Food was delicious - home made, and so tasty. Staff were very attentive and friendly. This was one of the best meals and restaurant experiences I’ve had for a long time.

My son took us here for a belated fathers day present. He is a vegan and enjoyed his cauliflower steak,,I had a lovely Dover sole and my wife had the lobster ,Food wonderful, staff excellent.and at 5.30pm the place was packed . If you go ,booking is a must !!! We will be going back

Great staff, lovely food and value for money. Excellent venue.

Took my Mum to Whitstable this past Saturday and had a lovely walk along the harbour and had booked Samphire for 2pm on a recommendation from a friend. We ended up walking by the bistro at 1.15pm and popped in to see if we could seat early as we were hungry. They could not have been more accommodating and seated us at one for the side by side tables in the front so we could watch the world go by whilst enjoying one the tastiest meals we have ever had. I cannot express how impressed we both were with the food, service and atmosphere of this lovely little seaside bistro and would recommend to all with total confidence that you will too feel the same….as I did to quite a few passer’s by who saw what we were eating 😉 Thank you very much Samphire team including the chefs who I personally thanked on the day. We will for sure return for more or the same.

Took my Mum to Whitstable this past Saturday and had a lovely walk along the harbour and had booked Samphire for 2pm on a recommendation from a friend. We ended up walking by the bistro at 1.15pm and popped in to see if we could seat early as we were hungry. They could not have been more accommodating and seated us at one for the side by side tables in the front so we could watch the world go by whilst enjoying one the tastiest meals we have ever had. I cannot express how impressed we both were with the food, service and atmosphere of this lovely little seaside bistro and would recommend to all with total confidence that you will too feel the same….as I did to quite a few passer’s by who saw what we were eating 😉 Thank you very much Samphire team including the chefs who I personally thanked on the day. We will for sure return for more or the same.

Me and my husband came here for lunch and wow!!! Amazing food and lovely setting. We had the set menu which is great value. Our oysters were so tasty we ordered another half a dozen. Mussels for our main which were the best we’ve ever eaten. Will definitely be returning

Exceptional food and very friendly/helpful staff. Steak tartare starter very good. Mussels really good, so much better than the usual mariniere. Creme brulee with pistachios was amazing. The only disappointment was the olives, which were ok but nothing special. Overall an excellent meal with lovely waiting staff in a very enjoyable atmosphere.

Exceptional food in a lovely environment. Steak tartare starter was excellent with lovely crispy onions. Mussels were really good, such a refreshing change from the usual mariniere. My wife loved her fish pie. The creme brulee with pistachios was amazing, probably the best we've ever had. The wine was good and the espresso martini as good as I've had anywhere. Overall an excellent evening. Highly recommended.

Really really nice lunch with fantastic fresh oysters and smoked cod’s roe and as mains great Creole mussels with smoked prawn butter. Price-quality is very good.

Gorgeous food, quick friendly service. Ashley was chatty and helpful when we had questions about the menu and made my girlfriend and I feel very welcome. Also, the veggie options are creative and delicious! And the pistachio brûlée was a real surprise highlight. Also, great choice of music too. Will definitely be coming back next time I'm in Whitstable, thank you!

Good appetisers and drinks, however; there can certainly be a better variety of vegetarian options. Just one option on the menu at the moment!

An amazing little place, food is clean & filling, some nice concepts on the classics. Breakfast is a must at this place. The girls on front of house are kind and fun

We were passing through the area and chose this restaurant based on its good reviews and ratings. It did not disappoint… Started with both some amazing fresh oysters, and the soft roe with crackers. The fish of the day was a perfectly prepared grey mullet, and I had the “famous” fish pie. Delicious. Even the sides were great, a chargrilled smoky hispi cabbage, and some divine potato pavé. All finished off with an interestingly green bit delicious pistachio crème brûlée. The three ladies serving were efficient and full of fun personality. Very inviting and engaging. Oh, and I forgot… don’t miss the Italicus Spritz. Popular in Italy and Austria, and great to see it in the UK.

Nice enough food and atmosphere. Seating slightly cramped and unfortunately a screaming baby near us when we went.

Food is good, here the 4 stars are driven by value for money. The offer is around classic British fish food slightly more expensive than average. Good quality, but not different from what can be found around in Whitstable. On the other hand. The cocktails were amazing ! Italicus spritz highly recommended. They have an excellent service

Simple, classic, expertly executed. Great little spot with a relaxed vibe. Lovely staff. 10/10

Professional service,great food.

Was expecting better food but any Fish & Chip shop would be better choice, and much cheaper. My fish was burn out and tasteless.

One of my favourite places in Whitstable! Limited menu options but fresh and well thought. Some cooked dishes might be a bit too buttery so that can be a consideration.

Had excellent lunch on set 3 courses menu . Seaside town price . Will visit again in future

Chef’s kiss! A gem of a place. The cauliflower steak was magic. Also had the mussels which were delicious, has a really nice hot kick to it, which I’ve never really had with mussels before. Service was quick and friendly. Beautiful decor and ambience. Kombucha topped things off. Little expensive but totally worth it. Definitely recommend!

Lovely place, amazing food!! Best oyster ever

Excellent evening with beautiful food service. Gorgeous fish. Especially happy with the gypsy tart!

We arrived around 19:20, on a Sunday, and we had not reserved a table. Still, a very helpful waiter managed to fix a table for us (two adults and a 12 year old boy). What followed was honestly the best meal we have had in a restaurant for years. The fish pie was out of this world, probably the best one I have had my whole life, and our 12 year old loved the mussles. The burnt basque cheesecake with rhubarb that I had for desert was equally wonderful. The atmosphere was great, and the service was impeccable. If you ever visit Whitstable, you have to pay this gem of a restaurant a visit! You will not regret it, I promise.

Worst restaurant in the whole area. They allow big dogs in the middle of the restaurant who aren’t being controlled by their owners or on a lead. The big dog went after our dog and didn’t listen to any recall from its owners and hurt our dog. Then the server proceeds to smugly call our dog “untrained” when our dog walked by us ever since we entered the establishment. Overall the worst experience ever, staff are unprofessional and stupid.

Staff were absolutely lovely and the food was amazing. Our favourite restaurant in whitstable

They may have ruined fish pie for me. Not sure it will ever be as good anywhere else. Superb food. Great service.

Excellent food and service! This is a must go if you’re in Whitstable. The staff are all lovely and welcoming. We had the Sunday lunch menu which was super tasty and great value.

Had walked past this place many times but finally went. Excellent brunch menu- not boring and inventive, good quality food, most nicest service and ever so helpful as we had an infant! Highly recommend - I’ll be coming back for lunch

I sent back the mussels which were full of sand so inedible.

We were in Whistable for a couple of days and this place caught our eye. Great food and service. Highly recommended

Simple, seasonal, utterly delicious food, cooked exquisitely. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere with intuitive, attentive and warm service. A huge bonus for us was being able to take our beloved elderly retired guide dog. Not for everyone I know, the whole dogs in a restaurant thing. However so important to us. We visited twice during our stay ((lunch and dinner ) after all, when you find a gem. We cant wait to return. Thank you. Sarah Carl and Foxy

Excellent food, high quality and friendly service. We had the beef tartare, veggie pithivier, mackerel and croquettes, all delicious. Great to see this restaurant getting better since last time we visited. Will definitely come back soon.

Wow, if you are looking for an amazing old restaurant in Whitstable then Samphire delivers old world charm. The food is amazing and the options curated for a wide range of tastes. Their special menu is highly recommended and maybe join their FB friends to see their latest offers. Special mention to George and his staff in back of house for making it a thoroughly memorable visit.

Lovely food, my dish was a bit small for me, which was fish pie. Busy place need to book. Lots of fish dishes.

We had a delicious lunch today. The mussels were absolutely lovely as was the fish pie. To make it even better they are dog friendly! Thank you we really enjoyed it.

An unplanned lunch stop - and some of the best food I’ve had in a while. I love eating mussels and these were very plump and fresh with an unusual creole sauce plus a fantastic smoked shrimp butter. A big shout out for the amazing fresh bread too. Thanks for being so dog friendly 😊 we’ll be back even though it is over an hour away!

Wished I could have given this more stars from reading the good reviews. Went in a Sunday for lunch, we made a reservation and glad we did as it got busy very quickly. Staff were attentive and polite. We weren't told that the specials board was not on, on a Sunday, until we came to order. It's also not clear on the website that the children's menu is not available on a Sunday. Child option was only a small roast portion- okay of your child eats roast, not great if that's the only option. Also only an hour into service and one of the mains had sold out. The food we received was okay.

We really wanted to have a good meal here. Walked passed many times and have heard such good stuff. What I can’t really get over is the smelly glasses and plates. It was like they had washed up with dirty water. It was very off putting and spoilt the whole experience. Food was disappointing and we won’t be coming back

We had a lovely meal at Samphire last night, our second visit there. They allow (well behaved) dogs which is so helpful. One of the team called us the morning of our reservation to make sure we had a table that would work well for tucking our little dog out the way which was good. The food and service was brilliant (the focaccia, mussels and fish pie were all delicious), we had a great night and we'll definitely be back next time we're in Whitstable

Excellent service polite and discreet.Had from the lunch menu with a glass of wine. Delicious fish pie and soup so tasty

Amazing fish and oyster place . Far more than your senses could imagine

We are so happy we chose this place to celebrate my birthday. Thank you very much for this kind surprise they prepared for our table!✨ Everything we ate was very delicious! I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a nice meal in Whitstable!

Loved this place - special attention if it’s your birthday, attentive staff, delicious food. Oysters are twice more expensive than anywhere in the town, so you might want to eat them elsewhere, but the rest of the food was great and interesting. Highly recommend but book in advance!

Sunday roast was awesome! And the mussels starter was the best I've had.

Super little cafe, with a delicious breakfast menu. My wife's Turkish eggs were delicious and spicy. My white beans on toast with green salsa was superb. The coffee is nice and mellow but a little lacking in bite for my taste. Recommended.

Pleasant cafe. The white beans on toast was excellent.

Very friendly staff and a good atmosphere

Toast was tough, coffee very small, dutch pancakes not fully cooked. Staff did not tell us about the service charge. Not enough vegetarian options.

Saturday night with friends. Good food, good wine and great service. More fish, chicken and steak options please.

Probably my favourite restaurant, ever. Always tasty, relentlessly innovative, amazing value for such considered cuisine. Truly splendid.

Great and fast service! Highly recommend the bacon with hash browns

Been wanting to pop in here for ages, as we are Whitstable regulars but usually just picnic or do the fish and chips, so thought we’d treat ourselves to brekkie. Not many hot veggie options, but I’m sure they would have accommodated if I requested to veggify a dish (e.g., without the bacon). The staff were friendly at first when seating us, but inattentive throughout our meal, for example, there was no check back once we received our food, and it was difficult to engage with them to get the bill (in an almost empty restaurant). So, although we paid the service charge, we didn’t think it was deserved. It took so long for our food to arrive - around 25 minutes - and my Eggs Forrester was cold all the way through when it got to me. Very simple brekkie that shouldn’t have taken that long, especially considering we were just one of only two tables in there. Perhaps dinner is better there!

Came for what we hoped would be a lovely Father’s Day dinner, unfortunately we were forgotten about once sat down and waited for drinks whilst a lady came round a few times looking at tables but ignored us. Once another staff member came after they’d finally remembered us we took our order only for a main course to not turn up until the other three of us had finished. We were offered the main course and a drink free of charge which we appreciated but didn’t feel like there was much care or explanation for the issues and would have rather the staff been honest if they had forgot to put the main course through. We were not offered any water or asked if we had enjoyed the food throughout the evening either. The Service here really needs to be looked into. Sadly I wouldn’t return after this which is a shame as the food was great as well as the Atmosphere :(

I thought it was overpriced a little for the food, although the wine was excellent value.

Absolutely cracking spot in Whitstable. Great service. The duty manager, Ashley, was brilliant. The food was awesome. We had the Porterhouse steak for two. Spectacular. That review above was from last year, and back again this year, 2023. Just fabulous. Had the most amazing pork chop. Great service. Ashley again attentive and expert, answering all the questions. Brilliant all round. Get there.

Freezing, poor choice of main courses, very expensive for what you get. Saving grace was the starter

We ordered the roast with the Yorkshire pudding. The portion was decently sized, but they told us that they would usually have more beef in there so they also gave us a portion of pork. The beef was great, but the pork was also phenomenal. The service was excellent. We also got the mussels and they were great and decently sized. Overall a great place, with great food and amazing service. We'll definitely visit it again

Good food, good service, happy days

We had a wonderful Sunday lunch here. We’d walked from Herne Bay so appetites were primed. We were greeted by a supremely handsome, tall gentleman who showed us to our table and provided us with attentive, friendly service during our stay. As it was Sunday, we opted for the 2 course roast menu. One of our party is vegan, and had dined at Samphire before without realising that the Sunday menu was slightly different. The staff could not have been more easy going or helpful - the vegan options were easily as large and well made and presented. Eating out for a roast can be a very mixed affair. So many places get it wrong in some way but this isn’t the case at Samphire. Large portions, ample accompaniments of veg (thank you!! This is an area most places fall down) and crispy roast potatoes. I would have liked a small jug of gravy as an additional thought(maybe I could have asked) but even so, the food was so good that it didn’t spoil anything. Didn’t have room for a dessert which is a shame because the option of sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourites. Anyway, highly recommend Samphire. Nice work, everyone involved!

Lovely breakfast, welcoming and friendly staff. Recommend