SARGASSO in Thanet

Superb! Lovely front of house team made us feel completely at home. A late Sunday lunch of kicking fat anchovies, squid with chick peas, cracking sourdough and a darn fine fruity Beaujolais made it a real treat. Yep, we will be back! Matt

We had a bite to eat on a Sunday and can’t recommend it enough - the knowledge of the food and wine ….and frankly just really great people - the food simple ingredients but you can taste the quality - and cooked to perfection ……

Second visit this year, we were not disappointed. Fantastic dinner here last night. Staff so welcoming. We had pumpkin and sage fritters, to die for, tuna and bean salad was excellent. Homemade sourdough is just great for mopping the sauces and the delicious salty butter yum. Crab remoulade was so good and choc dessert with boozy cherries just topped it all off. Great wines too. We loved the whole experience and wish we lived nearer.

Our experience wasn't the greatest, although we had a nice time on a fantastic location with good food. We were ignored by the waiting staff for half an hour and after we flagged someone down we had to ask three times to get our drinks. We also asked some questions about the menu and the response was, 'the menu is what it says it is' albeit they were friendly when chatting it wasn't particularly insightful. The food I thought was nice, simple but fresh and well thought through. It's such a beautiful location and the restaurant looks great and I'm sure we must have been there on an off day going by other reviews, but this is all I can go on for now.

Fraud. Absolute rip off. Tiny portions, £15 canned tuna, and Cornish sole advertised as Dover sole. Multiple customers paid more than twice for the wrong fish.

Fundamentally, the food is underwhelming for the price point The mussels were good, but the other dishes we had were mediocre.

Loved this place. Great setting, awesome vibe and really on it customer service. We tried a fair selection of the menu and our favourites were the peppers, prawns (especially the garlic parsley sauce they came with), tomato salad (particularly the dressing), and the blue cheese and dark chocolate desserts. And our Aperitifs and chilled Italian red wine topped it all off. Watch out when it's windy/the waves are crashing against the harbour wall as you might get a little wet!

A lovely small restaurant offering delicious food.

My partner and I ordered two lunch dishes. Her squid dish was a decent size whist my crab dish size was like just a mouthful, not even included with a bit of bread and been charged £16 for it and I furiously can't believe I felt disrespectfully ripped off! When we went elsewhere and had two starter dishes for £6 each, the sizes was four times big, much better sizes. Unlike this place, what a disappointment and I'm afraid we're not coming back here again.

Red snapper , tomato salad , sourdough bread , tuna Catalan. and 2 glasses of Muscadet..... Heaven served on a plate. Bravo to you all , your passion for serving great meals with warm service is appreciated. I look forward to returning...and to think we only came in for coffee only to quickly realise this was to good an opportunity to pass up.

Great all round, the scallop bacon bun was a highlight as were the famous sardines

Excellent little restaurant on the edge of the harbour arm. All food really fresh, our favourite being the Red Mullet & Mushrooms. Music was on point, also.

Tasty food great staff but slightly overpriced for what you get! But is a nice experience for once!

Lovely, friendly staff, delicious food and drinks! We couldn't have picked a better place for a sunny Saturday break.

Wonderfully cooked delicious food. Conscientious, attentive staff. Delightful supper.

Stunning location and perfectly good food, but remarkably expensive for what you’re getting. The wine didn’t blow me away. Nice but not great!

During a casual exploration, I stumbled upon Sargasso and decided to give it a try—definitely a decision I don’t regret! My friends and I sampled the smoked eel and Whitstable oysters, and they were nothing short of divine. Paired with a couple of beers, we found ourselves lingering longer than expected, thanks to the cozy, laid-back atmosphere. Sargasso’s inviting vibe, coupled with its delectable offerings, makes it a hidden gem worth discovering. I can’t wait to return and explore more of their menu!

What a TOTAL GEM of a restaurant. Welcomed with open arms, navigated with humour and fun through the menu ( thanks Jess) and food cooked with fashion and creativity. It felt like the whole team were totally invested in making their restaurant a brilliant experience for.all their guests. We loved our afternoon at Sargasso and would recommend without hesitation.

Just happened to be in Margate on a dead autumn day with. Northern friends and noticed Sargasso was open. First diners in there at 12.05. A delight! Very friendly staff and great lunch.

It’s a pretty small space but they’re working wonders with it. An open kitchen feel is always great. As you’d expect, lots of enticing aromas fill the air. The staff are lovely, friendly and attentive. We were 3 adults and 2 children so had a lot of sharing plates. The squid, the cockles (more please) the black pudding, anchovies, Panisse (incredible) crab, bread… so yeah, we had a lot! Everything was outstanding and full of flavour. Wine list is good too. Can’t wait to go back!

Excellent selection of weird wines. Dark chocolate dessert sent me to space. Only drawback was they had ran out of oysters by the time we got there; noone was to blame but my heart broke, bet they would have been amazing. Still got our fish fill with the amazing anchovies and rosemary oil and the surprisingly delicious tuna and tomatoes. brilliant meal !!

We visited Sargasso on a wet Tuesday evening and had one of the best meals and experiences in recent memory. I’m veggie and my partner is omnivorous and we had lots of options. Every dish was delicious and very flavourful. The servers were fantastic, friendly and helpful without hovering. The restaurant interior is very low key atmospheric. Off season it was quiet and chill which we enjoyed. We’ll definitely be back!

Food was fabulous! Forgot to take photos as too busy enthusing about each fish dish. The black pudding was outstanding! Was my birthday treat and they put a candle in the divine ganache which was kind. !

My fourth time at Sargasso and it never ever disappoints. I could quite happily stay all afternoon and eat everything off the menu, food is consistently delicious and just has a lovely relaxed vibe! Can’t wait to come back

18 stars for a fantastic experience watching the tide roll in whilst enjoying great wines, food and impeccable service. I was going to default to my standard wine choice but Jess the sommelier advised trying a light Sicilian white incorporating zibibbo grape varietals. That wine was a perfect accompaniment to our food so thanks for the introduction Jess

Excellent squid sandwich, on the expensive side.

The food was overpriced. If you are paying that amount you expect good service paired with good food and it just didn’t match. When we booked we told them we were bringing a 5 month old. We were overheating and no effort was made to help us find a cool space for us and the baby. Had to rush through our food and wine so as to leave. Definitely not baby friendly and amenities are terrible. That’s ok, but then at least let us know when booking so we can maybe find somewhere else. Saving grace food wise was the squid sandwich and sole. Disappointed with 1 anchovie on a green pepper and some cured meat on a plate for £15!!

Short, concise review. Welcoming, attentive staff - but they upsell aggressively. Utterly atrocious portion sizes for the prices. The Squid Sandwich is excellent but none of it is worth the price put forward. The radish dish was actually laughable at £10. Small plates restaurants are a scam. Over £100 dropped on what I’d estimate was £15-20 worth of food.

The food at Sargasso was delish. We especially loved the squid sandwich. My boyfriend even got one to take away! As well as delicious food, Max the waiter was the BEST waiter I've ever had. His recommendations were 10/10, he was attentive, funny and just really brought a vibe to the place. DEFO go to Sargasso, and ask for a squid sandwich and Max!

Delicious place!! Must go. The vibe is so cool and the food and wines are succulent.

I had a solo dinner at Sargasso. Being seated at the bar meant that I was paid diligent attention by the staff, who would pop in for conversation. But, even without this social element, I was having a fantastic meal. The food was delicate, simple and hearty at once, and wine pairings were intuitively selected. The vibe of the restaurant is mature, refined yet unpretentious. Will certainly be coming back!

Superb lunch. Great service, from explaining how to get the best from the menu to sorting out the right wine (or tea) thanks. Great lunch in the summer sun

Wonderful wine bar & restaurant. Great spot in the sun and out of the ocean breeze. Excellent wine selection and food was incredible 👌🏼

The food was delicious and Alison provided exceptional service, making our evening even more enjoyable with her friendly and attentive care.

Interesting to see other people’s reviews on the slightly unpleasant waitresses, definitely took away from the experience. Food was decent but not really worth the price - especially when the bathroom situation is not up to scratch.

Perfectly cooked fish, using the best and freshest ingredients. Great natural wine list. The atmosphere by the sea,.the sense of happy buzz and the charm of the staff make it a memorable place to eat and drink indulgently.

Food surpisingly good, service enthusiastic, knowledgeable, attentive, personal (thank you Alison) great location, thoroughly recommend.

Stopped here for lunch earlier today and the food hit the mark. All dishes were really good and portion sizes are good too. Definitely get the tuna with the beans which was really nice and the sole with the seaweed butter was incredible - the greens cut through the butter sauce and the lemon zest just adds that additional zing. Great dish!

Everything was fanatasic - best of the best - words fail how good the food and service was - Sargasso for the win. Hard to say what the star of the show was - probably the sole or black pudding - or the padron peppers with mint and dill - OR Dark chocolate with sea salt and olive oil - SOOOO GOOD

Great views, great wine list, great food and service. Would highly recommend!

I usually prefer leaving positive reviews, but my visit to Sargasso yesterday left me disappointed. I hope my experience can be helpful for those considering this restaurant. For out-of-town visitors, especially from places like London, Sargasso may not be the best choice. In comparison to the myriad of small plates restaurants in London, Sargasso falls short. Despite the rave reviews I heard prior to booking, the menu struck me as “recession chic.” It featured an abundance of tinned fish, cold sourdough bread, and tinned beans, including a panisse that was so flavorless it seemed like mashed chickpeas straight from the can. Given the restaurant’s excellent location, I had hoped for fresher seafood options rather than can core. While the staff were friendly, the service was lacking. We had to repeat our requests multiple times, as we were often forgotten. For instance, we waited 15 minutes for bread, only to receive it immediately after checking in. We also had to ask for the bill more than once after our table was cleared. Although I understand that restaurants can get busy, this was at 4pm when the restaurant was not full. If you're looking for something more unique to Margate or better value for money, I’d suggest exploring other options. Nothing beats fish and chips on the beach! For locals or anyone not that into food, Sargasso might be a decent spot to treat yourself if you enjoy small plates and aren’t concerned about value. Last thing, the bathroom option was traumatizingly disgusting when I went. Far below the standard expected for a restaurant aiming for this caliber. Again, I hate leaving this review but I wish someone said any of this before I dropped quite a bit of hard earned cash here.

Felt only right to edit my original review (two stars) following my recent experiences there - which have been far more positive. Food is really good also. Thanks to Kieron and team for making me feel welcome.

Had an amazing lunch there on Wednesday , definitely worth a visit .

Went to this restaurant for my anniversary lunch and this did not disappoint. I felt slightly anxious as I did see some bad reviews and was going to go to Angela’s. I am SO glad I decided to come here as me and my partner LOVED the food. The mussels and squid sandwich were particularly delicious and we had really nice ginger drinks to accompany the food. 3 small plates and bread, butter and two drinks was around £60. Would recommend for a special occasion. The service was also great and very friendly (quite the opposite of what I’d read)

Sad to write this really but this place is bang average in all honesty - big fan of their sister restaurant up in London but this was just not even close. £80 for a few small plates and 2 drinks, had to wave down a waitress for a menu, cutlery, water, and then finally to order food. Also a shocking amount of attitude from the staff, no bathrooms on site despite watching their staff use their own portaloos and was told to walk back to the museum if we wanted to use a toilet or even wash our hands.. glad there's an abundance of chip shops nearby to fill the void of an empty tummy despite shelling out close to £100 on food - won't be back in a hurry.

Tasty..expected fish ..in fish finger a bit larger..

Service was perfect ! The food was very tasty, fresh, seasonal! All what you would want to eat on a nice sunny day. We loved it ! Thank you all !

London prices, but food, drink, service are all top notch. Probably some of the best Mediterranean food you'll have in the UK

Lovely restaurant, sat outside in the sun. We got the anchovies to start which were very nice, although the bread we got with it was quite small. We were warned about this but saw other customers portions and thought it would be fine. When it arrived we realised we got the end of the roll which I feel should’ve been compensated for with another slice. The squid sandwich was delicious and so soft, very very tasty!

It’s the most stupid excuse not to serve food outdoors I’ve heard in my life: “it’s windy and food will fall off the plate”. If you have tables outside you have to serve food, otherwise take them away. Ridiculous!

Definitely the worst rip-off I've experienced so far in a restaurant! 5 anchovies swimming in a pool of oil for £15, how do they come up with these prices?! And a squid sandwich for £14 that was so salty I wasn't able to finish it... The setting was for sure very pleasant and the staff were nice, but they didn't ask how our meal had been, which is quite unusual. I guess they know to avoid such questions...

Ordered 3 things: 1 was quite bland, 1 they completely forgot about, 1 was £18 for a single scallop. Don't get what the fuss is about at all They also don't have a loo

Lovely small restaurant near Margate seafront. Got various small dishes to share with, everything was absolutely fresh and delicious. Squid burger was my favourite.

Beautiful food, beautiful location.

Just delicious. Great menu selection. Helpful knowledgeable staff. Lovely view across the bay.

Brilliant addition to the trendy Margate culinary scene….a life-changing squid sandwich with aioli.

Solid tapas style restaurant by the harbor (but as always with small plate/tapa style, you leave hungry unless you spend a fortune…). Main focus is on seafood, which is good given how close to the sea you are. Awarded a “Bib gourmand” by Michelin - but not sure it’s at the level of Bib gourmands in London or Paris, however. Note the restaurant does NOT have its own toilets: you need to go outside and use portable toilets (!) - good luck if it’s raining and/or cold… Pro tip: just go to the (free) Turner museum after your meal.

A solid 2/5. The service was London standard (rude / incompetent) with the card machine pre-selected with the service charge (which I asked to be removed). Slide on down to the pub at the end of the pier.

The heavens shine on Saragossa Also the only place in Margate that’s open on a Monday afternoon

Such a lovely place with great wine and food, mussels being my favourite, friendly staff and nice atmosphere would definitely go again

Went here for drink on a windy Tuesday afternoon. The service was fab and the wine was delicious. Great place for a drink by the bar!

Good food, good drinks and welcoming staffs It’s the place for the people who go crazy for Seafoods. Menus are based on seasonal ingredients. Everything was decent but calcots with romesco was so fresh and delicious. Whistable oysters are insane! Recommend for the seafood foodies!

Stripped-back food with minimal sauces, seasonings or additions. Uber natural / healthy feel. Never seen a kitchen with such little actual cooking involved! Pre-prepped, raw, natural ingredients that fell a bit flat.

This is a nice little joint. Nothing fancy. But serves up small plates, some local produce and natural botanical wines. Food is sharing plates, so you have to order a number of dishes. Seafood is also a big feature of the menu. The hours are limited and you have to book.

Hungry, popped in on the off chance. Shared a squid bun. Absolutely fantastic, bags of flavour, could eat that all day. A little pricey but money very well spent.

I personally love the set up of this place, bare brick walls, and an open kitchen. I first noticed people sat at the bar eating and others at bar style tables, the music was perfect. The staff were lovely, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The atmosphere was chilled yet bustling with people at all different stages of their meals. There were 4 of us and we picked various dishes which we loved doing and shared all the dishes. The anchovies in rosemary infused olive oil were incredible, and the sour dough dipped in the olive oil was perfect. We then had a mackerel dish, skate rolled in small balls. A kale risotto, tomato salad and black pudding with a fried egg. Every dish was unique and the flavours were unbelievable and beautifully presented. We were recommended Sargasso by a friend and wow so glad we went. This is somewhere I will return in a heart beat. I would like to thank the staff and chefs for an amazing experience.

It's taken me a while to reflect on this experience a few months ago. The manager and chef were so rude I would never go back and hope no one else gets treated the same way. Kindness is free!

We’ve been a few times to Sargasso and have been looking forward to our return to check out how they’ve had a play with seasonal, local, nostalgic and comforting ingredients to create joyful dishes. Mabel greeted and looked after us as we came in from the Wizard of Oz weather, and sat us at a big window so we could watch the grey chaos outside. Our sun kissed skin mackerel, beetroot and horseradish was the kind of ‘salad’ that does tribal dances around other lesser salads on a sacrificial fire, whilst sage leaf fritti was like Winona Ryder in ‘Edward Scissorhands’, joyously staring upwards to a snow of Parmesan. A cinematic start. Black kale risotto with purslane was vibrant, mesmerising and hypnotically pulled my fork in again and again. I am now in love with black pudding, chilli, Romano pepper and a bulls eye fried egg. I mean, f*ck yeah! Knowing that we needed to wrap up warm when we left, we then went for the pork belly, polenta and kale. Dreamy, dreamy rich indulgence that would of been better than any pudding… if we hadn’t had to obey the law that is and try the dark chocolate, miso and Guinness cake. A perfect, happy way to finish. Sargasso is a lot more fun than the Turner Gallery, with colours and flavours that reflect unpretentious art on a plate as its canvas and friendly, lovely staff painting a perfect afternoon by the sea. Thank you guys! You brought the sunshine 🙏✌️💚🌍👹

delicious food with lovely service.

We had the most lovely time here, thank you The food, atmosphere and the very nice people looking after us made the whole experience amazing We will definitely be making a regular event

Delicious great spot great service

Beautiful restaurant, great atmosphere perfect service. Food was delicious. It was prepared and plated with so much love. Recommend.

Eine Perle in Margate, von außen unscheinbar, aber im Sargasso gibt es wohl mit Abstand das beste Essen in der Stadt. Die Zutaten sind top und aussergewöhnlich. Ich habe vorher noch nie Brill oder Pink Fir gegessen und der Fisch wurde auf den Punkt gegart. Alle Gerichte sind recht minimalistisch aber mit viel Liebe zubereitet. Es gab sogar hausgemachten Kombucha. Hier bekommt man Klasse statt Masse und das spiegelt sich im Preis wider. Für mich persönlich ist das Ambiente zu rustikal für diese Preisklasse, aber das ist wohl Teil der Idee: Fine Dining in lässiger Atmosphäre. Ich traute mich aber trotzdem nicht ins Dixi Klo draußen vorm Laden. Die ganze Crew war herzlich und der nette Koch erklärte uns das Dessert, das wir zum Dahinschmelzen fanden… einfach super, vielen Dank!

service was good but vegetarian dish was way too expensive for what we got. Tasted nice but too expensive for chickpeas

Understated and atmospheric choice for an evening meal. Dishes were simple with interesting ingredients, presented with pared-back flair. Easy to enjoy with a wide range of choice both for eating and drinking.

Absolutely fantastic food in a great fun setting. Tucked on the pier this cozy restaurant has some seriously tasty food. The octopus and lentil dish was simply genius. Would go back in a heartbeat

Had some genuinely delicious food here. A level above most places

Food was delicious and such a lovely location- I really wanted to like this place as it had been recommended. But the service was poor and I thought it was expensive for what it was- £16 for a small plate of eel in sauce, there was so much sauce but when we asked for bread we were told the beans were there to soak the sauce up! (Good luck with that task, beans!) So we paid extra for some bread and were made to feel stupid for doing this by the slightly up-themselves staff.

Great spot. Fad drinks, cocktails were 10/10. Food was spot on, squash was absolutely amazing! Best veg dish we have had. All in all big recommendations. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Great food. Particularly enjoyed the anchovies. Enjoyable cocktails. Spoiled somewhat by the service, very rushed and too keen to take away plates and drinks that were not yet finished. A £120 for two dining experience should not be rushed.

Super delish food and attentive and friendly service. Highly recommended on a sunny day as outside seating is available. The wine list was interesting, not specifically my cup of tea but it did not spoil the experience. A must visit place in Margate.

Incredible experience! An amazing sunny lunch, the restaurant is a completely open space, with lots of tables outside. As it has a open kitchen and fridge at the entrance, was amazing to see how everything was perfectly clean and organise, even when they started picking up with covers. Food was just INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS, and the service was attentive, friendly and fun. Everyone was really great, definitely one of the best meals ever! Not many picture taken, food was just too good 😂

Our evening was ruined by entitled, rude and snooty staff. Zelda (our waitress) however, was wonderful and about the only nice part of our evening. It’s such a shame when you read amazing reviews and are treated so disrespectfully by the people who work there. The food was fine but there are nicer places in Margate to visit.

Such a gem. We went for the oysters followed by sourdough and fresh salty butter, Calabrian anchovies, burrito with figs and onion and for the large plates, black pudding and Skate schnitzel - all were sublime. For drinks we simply had a aperitif and a glass of wine with the main meal and a dessert wine to finish. Be warned, it is pricey but utterly worth it. If that doesn't put you off then be sure to book in advance for dinner to avoid disappointment.

Superb food, a small menu but every dish we ordered were fabulous. Highly recommended.

Used to love this place. Some staff friendlier than others. The small plates have got smaller and the prices have gone up. Honestly definitely not the most value for money meal. You can get the same sort of thing in London for the same price if not less. I don’t understand how they can justify the high price.

Amazing food and place. Staff was very friendly. Only thing, Food came out very slow.

Had a few oysters and a glass of wine in the outdoors seating area overlooking the beach and it was such a treat. The waitress was also super helpful with helping me pick a wine, great service overall! Thanks

I had heard such great things about Sargasso and it did not disappoint. Amazing food and and extremely accommodating. Turned up on an evening that looked like it was about to rain with no booking, sat outside and was offered a two seat table inside with our border terrier if the weather did change for the worst. Fortunately the sun came out and we enjoyed some of the best quality food in a very long time. Thank you to the team for a great experience.

Erg duur voor een paar hapjes die je met elkaar moet delen. We misten brood bij de ansjovis die in de olie lag, dat moesten we dus bijbestellen. En 10 mosselen voor £15 pond is natuurlijk belachelijk. Het eten kwam zo snel achter elkaar dat we binnen een uur weer buiten stonden…

Heard a lot about this restaurant. Was underwhelmed. The food plates we had were tasty but so overpriced. Each table limited to one order of bread as they had run low! We decided to stick with small plates and move on. Service staff were good In relation to the other offers and restaurants around Margate I would not choose to visit again

We were lucky enough to get a table while we were visiting Margate. Excellent service, great spot for a date, and excellent fresh seafood. The standout was the oysters with chorizo - a surprisingly delicious combination that I didn’t know I needed in my life !

Went to Margate fkr the day and had early supper here. The food was exceptional, oh my word. The atmosphere was lively # great service and wine. A must, please do go.

The food was very good, lots of flavour combinations. Some worked, some didn’t (the rosemary oil with anchovies did, the very weird dressing on the tomatoes was verging on unpleasant). We enjoyed the salt cod beignets, the salami and the Dover Sole. However a few more vegetable/rice/potato options to accompany the meat and fish dishes would have been appreciated. I understand that the food is based on sharing plates but the meal didn’t seem very balanced. The service was good (apart from one person who was possibly new and when we asked what ‘Americano’ was just showed us the bottle without explaining it was an aromatic sort of aperitif, similar to vermouth

Amazing quality and delicious food, perfect location - would totally go again! Favourite dishes for me were skate with borlotti beans, salt fish beignets and the pickled chilli and sea bass ceviche

So glad we booked ahead of time, every dish was delicious! Impressive range of wines too. Most of the staff were excellent (apart from the older waitress who forgot her Ps and Qs, maybe she was having a bad day?). Mussels were incredibly fresh, skate wing and lentils had unique flavours and anchovies were just as good as you’d find in any Spanish bodega. Throughly recommend this restaurant if I’m the area.

Amazing food and lovely staff. However, we were only given our table for 1hr15 which meant we felt very rushed towards the end of the meal, especially as we were told upon booking that we would have 1hr30. Dessert arrived a couple of minutes after we had finished our mains and meant we had to rush finishing our wine which was £50 for the bottle. Definitely the shortest window I’ve ever been given for a table, which was disappointing given the price of the meal.

Great oysters and olives and lovely selection of unique wines and knowledgable waiters/waitresses would recommend! Very cool setting too

Food was delicious. Shame the customer service wasn’t too great. Been told to wait outside for a drink before they serve food. Waited an hour with a drink. When food service opened, we’ve been told we couldn’t sit inside without a reservation. The inside was completely empty for the two hours we’ve been here. Any customers could have been eating in. It was absolutely freezing outside and any business owner would think about their customers first, but apparently common sense isn’t for management in this business.

Very expensive and for a bigger wage packet than i e got very tiny portions a fiver for two pieces of bread seven quid for what has got to be fhe smallest portion of cider ive ever been served. Seven guid for small tin of ipa beer four muscles in the seafood dish should have gone to Olbys in the okd town. Any way lesson learned never again. MARGATE Is great though and well worth a visit anx well done Tracy Emin for putting her money where her mouth is .