Sportsman in Canterbury

Celebrated a birthday with friends. The food, the wine, and the service were all excellent. We had the £55 lunch menu which we felt was good value.

Superb Michelin star restaurant. We had the lunch time taster menu & every course was a delight. The setting is a little surprising but everything was faultless once inside. The staff are well informed and explained each course as it was served. They have a conservatory where I saw people with their dog. This is a bonus to me & will mean that we can return with our pet.

We had a wonderful meal at the Sportsman this evening. There was a choice of menus and we had the five course tasting menu. There were three amuse bouche before the main menu started. These included a cheese wellington pudding and a type of lamb samosa with mint sauce. I started with oysters and my partner began with butternut squash soup. My fish course was John Dory with olive tapenade and Bouillabaisse sauce and my partner had slipsole. Our main course was beef and for dessert we had a tarte tatin for two. There was an extra pan cotta brought before the main dessert. Every course was sumptuous. It was a very high quality meal indeed. The waitresses were all pleasant, helpful, efficient and lovely. We were brought three different types of bread, all delicious. There is a good wine list and selection of other drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The restaurant is a long way from anywhere, but they offered to get us a taxi if required. There is ample parking if you come under your own stem. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

First class restaurant, best meal we have had in a very long time. Excellent servicem generous quantities and we loved the atmosphere. Thanks to all the team.

Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere in this award winning pub. Unfortunately the food was a little underwhelming with a couple of errors (but nothing worth returning) and I think there are better fine dining options in East Kent.

Beatiful food. We had tge taster menu. What a fantastic experience!

It was my fiancé’s birthday and my sister had kindly put a £200 voucher on the table so the Sportsman knew it was a special occasion. Unfortunately we were sat at the bar where they make the coffee. Dreadful table with a view of a cracked wall, plus a constant stream of waitresses walking passed. There should be no bad tables but if the restaurant is greedy enough to use this area put a glass screen up. I will not be returning or recommending this restaurant. We spent £246 on lunch.

Super food, service good, nice atmosphere. Recommended but book early.

Absolutely beautiful food. I've eaten at many celebrated chef restaurants and this is certainly to be celebrated. Staff amazing amongst the best

Excellent food... Worth the wait.

I might never in my life again taste bread as spectacular as the bread at Sportsman... I almost wish I could forget it; return to a blissful slumber - but I believe that one must look the truth in its face. Nothing lasts. My ever more distant-growing memory of our fine dining experience at Sportsman marks the fleeting of time, without which we wouldn't have beauty, or drama. In short: great bread!

Pricey but definitely worth it. We had the 5 course tasting menu which was wonderful. Service was pleasant, friendly & efficient. Booking essential.

Wow! Such a great tasting menu; lovely relaxed afternoon with friends. Expensive but worth it. Some changes in the menu but still great. The extras are all mouth watering!

I’m a local, lived here my whole life. I was turned away despite it not being busy at all, looked at like I was dirt. You’re a pub, not even an upscale restaurant in a tiny village inside a tiny town. Don’t bother coming here, condescending attitude all around.

Wonderful evening, very well looked after and the food was superb. Thank you all.

Great food and lovely environment. Will definitely revisit.

More of a club than a restaurant! There were tables available and the kitchen was open with chefs cooking but they couldn’t only serve drinks at 2:45 pm on a Saturday ! The family owned pub down the road was much more hospitable and warm . Perhaps it is only designed for people who know the place and make prior reservations…

So excited to visit this restaurant after hearing positive comments. However, for me it was disappointing. As a group we decided on the three course option for £55. I had informed the venue in advance that I was a pescatarian. From the choice of two starters I picked the mackerel which was delicious. The bread was wonderful. Unfortunately, for the main course there was a choice between pork and cheese soufflé (which is normally a starter) . The soufflé was plain, rich and greasy. Why was there no fish course as a main? Because I had had a soufflé for main I decided not to choose the raspberry soufflé for dessert. The chocolate cake was dense; I left half of it. On the other menu costing £80 which offered 5 courses there was a huge choice of fish dishes. My meal with wine cost over £80. Lack of choice compromised my experience.

Lunchtime tasting menu, food was cooked and presented well, staff very friendly.

What a remarkable place. Our second visit was even better than the first. Every course including the two amuse boche was sensational. Every dish was cooked to perfection and reflected locally sourced ingredients. The front of house team was brilliant too in a wonderfully unobtuse way. It's a treat.

Simply amazing book well in advance. 5 course or 3 course tasting menu superb

We arrived here with high expectations having known of the Sportsman for sometime and we even have their cookery book. Delicious and creative mushroom morsel to start, which wasn't even on the menu. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Overpriced and underwhelming when set against expectations. A particular low point was the ratatouille served with the main which could have been served out of a tin. Also, the dark chocolate tart was more diluted chocolate than dark. To be fair the Brill was a creative highlight. However, overall there was little that warranted the price of a "tasting" menu about either of the main dishes we were served, a simple roast at best. If I'd paid a quarter of what I did I wouldn't be complaining. Sadly not deserving of it's good reputation tonight :( and even more disappointing when considered against it's reputation.

From booking the sportsman’s( personal and accommodating) delicious food, lovely attentive service and a taxi sorted. This place is definitely 5 star in every way. Would highly recommend

A feast for the senses - every course from the flavour filled morsels of starters through the delights of the tasting menu was a wonderful combination of textures and flavours. Using the best of locally and home produced foods cooked well with attention to detail but no unnecessary theatrics - Thank you Chef and staff .

Great dining experience start to finish, with all round lovely staff! Will definitely be back, the food alone was worth the trip!

This place is lovely, the food is perfect the atmosphere is so lively. Honestly go and enjoy

Hikers and casual drinkers not welcome at this pub. The waitress and barmaid were very rude and refused entry to our group as we probably didn't fit with their clientele. It looks like a very shabby pub from the outside, inside not much better. Avoid.

Often the best in the UK, sometimes feels like the best in the world. There’s no better place to be on a balmy summer’s lunchtime.

One of the very best meals I have had in a longtime, five course lunch plus at least five little extras, relaxed but "on it" service, plenty of room, tables not crammed together. It was like the best pub food ever – no fancy tweezer flowers or any concept that has to be explained to you (!) – just solidly great cooking with incredible flavour. I licked every plate clean!

We came 1h before they open but the staff was kind enough to let my 4y son to use the toilet. Thank you so much. Much appreciated

Wow! What can I say that hasn't already been said, an amazing time 👌👌👌

Absolutely spot on from start to finish. Nice relaxed and attentive service. Staff booked our cab for us in advance for peace of mind. Drinks were all really nice and reasonably priced. The food was outstanding, we picked the five course menu and you choose from a selection in each course. All the dishes flow well with little snacks and pallet cleansers between for good measure. You can see why it’s hard to get a table here!

We have waited years to be in this part of the world and to go along to The Sportsman. It was well worth the journey and the wait. What a fantastic experience! Thursday lunchtime not particularly buzzy time but the atmosphere was relaxed and unhurried and entirely in keeping with the environment. That being said, the service was excellent: charming servers who were efficient and helpful. But the food! It was absolutely sublime. Every single course (and we had the tasting menu) was faultless. Highly recommended: the roast lamb, but the brill with crab bisque was incredible… I could have eaten it for every course! I can’t recommend the restaurant highly enough - an amazing experience. Thank you so much!

Was weirdly turned away when trying to order drinks because they were overwhelmed with food service! Very odd, given its a pub!

Fantastic food and lovely staff Looking forward to going again

Very tasty food with lots of options. Very friendly staff and attentive to dietary restrictions.

Had the lunch set menu, service was exceptionally good and incredibly good food. Fish was fresh and local ingredients used.

We took a couple of friends there for a celebration meal. The five course tasting menu was superb. Great wine list. Could not fault anything about the meal. Superb. Thanks for organising the taxi home and being so accommodating with our friends dietary needs.

Shabby outside, don’t be deceived! Excellent service and food! Will return

Incredible and I mean "incredible"food, impeccable service, laid back atmosphere. Absolutely perfect lunch, can't wait to return for the full tasting menu in the future for dinner

Had such a beautiful evening here - the service was impeccable, they want to let you enjoy your dinner so there’s no pestering. The food is incredible and there’s a lovely laid back atmosphere. Can’t recommend enough!

Can't rate everything about this highly enough. Excellent value, superb food with great service.

Food fantastic, staff informative and helpful, wine list brilliant and service from all the staff is excellent. Attentive without hovering. High recommend

Great tasting menu, attentive but not intrusive service A great experience

Wonderful lunch. We had the tasting menu and was thoroughly spoilt with lots of choice and some extra snacks along the way. A real treat.

A fabulous restaurant, my absolute favourite. The staff are so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and of course the food is the best quality and absolutely delicious

Outstanding service and food. What a gem. Good value overall. The monkfish was outstanding. Will return.

All ways a fab time food wine staff are excellent

Disgusted at the rude waitress trying to humiliate us in front of other customers after daring to want a drink in a pub. We went in for a drink to see if it was nice inside - went to the bar and were then met - as I cannot say greeted - by an arrogant rude waitress who after staring at us like dirt..then went off to ask if we were ‘allowed’ to have a drink….well don’t worry - it’s no honour for me to spend money in your tatty pub masquerading as an upmarket restaurant - all I heard was sorry from behind as we had already turned round to walk out disgusted by the condescending attitude. The exterior is run down with peeling paint and messy surroundings, inside is tired. Who cares about the allegedly good food when you are welcomed like this.

The food is delicious, beautifully cooked with a light touch and packed with flavour. We particularly loved the well balanced sauces and the onion soup amuse bouche will be remembered for a long time. The decor is relaxed as is the dress code. Remember you should book ahead and try a short walk to admire the amazing view.

So did fancy a drink but unfortunately the bar was shut on a Saturday afternoon at 330 strange.

Not a cheap pub meal but food to die for and staff who treat you like a customer should be treated. Our son paid this time, will have to save up for a return visit!

Only popped in for a drink, made to feel welcome. Sat in conservatory which is nicely decorated

Absolutely my favourite special restaurant

Amazing meal, fantastic value and very relaxed and friendly staff

Lovely lunch today everything 🥰 perfect. All the staff very helpful 👍 thank you we really enjoyed it. Nice table in conservatory too x

This an absolute MUST visit!! The food was simply unbelievable, we had the tasting menu and wow, what a treat - quite probably some of the best food I've tasted. We stayed overnight in one of their cabins which was also great fun. A simply wonderful time 😁😁👍💯

Amazing as always, wonderful relaxed environment

Delicious food & excellent service. Everything was lovely & the attention to detail was evident both in the cooking of the food & in the experience in the dining room. Highly recommended.

I'm just a postie. The staff are always super friendly, and the facilities are topnotch.

Had the 3 corse winter menu and the home made bread. Wonderful food full off flavour, and me a d my wife can not thank the staff enough for a wonderful experience .

I'm leaving this review because my wife Isabelle had a different experience to me.We visited for Valentine's Day lunch partly because we had lunched once before and remember a sensational meal. Isabelle had a great meal. Mine was good but not great. Ham hock terrine was good but could have been improved with a little more seasoning. Bread was superb. Linguine was a letdown and somehow I feel that nothing could have saved it. It stuck together which made it difficult to eat and didn't taste of much. It was also let down by lack of seasoning. I wonder if this dish hadn't been correctly cooked because it didn't taste like any linguine I have every previously? Chicken breast, the main course, was very tender, nicely cooked and had clearly come from a good bird. But again I think that I could get this dish in a number of other restaurants. I was underwhelmed. Desserts, atmosphere and service were superb. Prices were good value, especially the wine. Isabelle says that I just made some bad menu decisions, but I don't think there should be any bad options in a restaurant with a reputation like The Sportsman. I'd like to think that management will pick up these comments because we would definitely love to return. Soon.

Wonderful place. We had the tasting menu and spent a night in one of the cabins behind the pub. The food was so delicious and the staff were so kind, friendly and accommodating. We look forward to coming back!

Amazing.... Has to be one of the best dinners I've ever had.

Yet another triumph. Poached oysters are a must every time which poses a problem when the other first course options are so tempting; so I resolved this by having the oysters AND the game terrine as well. Good decision. Their bread is marvellous. The new version of slipsole was brilliant, carrot and crab hollandaise delicious, as was the main course Chicken in truffle cream sauce. Six of us ate a variety of dishes all of which drew ecstatic groans and exclamations. The freebies between courses were delicate and exquisite flavour and texture delights. Have the apple soufflé and follow their advice on how to eat it (excavate a hole, put in the ice cream then pour in the caramel sauce): they know what they're talking about.

Absolutely faultless all round. From the moment my friend and I entered the restaurant we were welcomed warmly and with humour from the fantastic staff. The food is indescribable (make sure you get the oysters!) and all the little additions were to die for, particularly the macarons. Just the most perfect meal, couldn't recommend highly enough.

Loved the vibe of this place. Relaxed, super friendly and attentive service, excellent menu, all food executed to perfection. Would love to return, a real treat.

Bad experience, vomiting all night, not the slightest concern by management. Never again.

We had an amazing lunch here, the food was excellent! The staff were very knowledgable about the menu and couldn’t do enough for us. I can’t wait to go back again.

A lovely birthday treat from my wife. I've been wanting to try their menu for a while and was lucky enough to get in. Food was exceptional. However, we did find our mains roast dinner vibes, still delicious nonetheless. Just means we'll have to return in the new year! 😀

So much of a fine dining experience is about service - and this was very well done/ friendly approachable and well timed. Food was wonderful - better experienced than described in detail

Most wonderful food, bread and butter could be a meal by itself. Everyone should serve pre pudding. Yum yum

Our fourth time here. Fabulous meal this evening celebrating our anniversary. Never normally have chicken at a resturant, but knowing what a great chef he is I went for the chicken option for my main. AMAZING fabulous main never tasted chicken so good. The whole meal was fabulous. The Staff were attentive but not intrusive, atmosphere great. We had a fantastic evening. Will return during another season to sample another menu. Thank you to all at the Sportsman.

Wonderful lunch. It's a tasting menu but with lots of choices. We shared two of the four dishes offered each course and still wanted to book the very next sitting to experience all the things we didn't order. If you can get a table, you must try it.

Had lunch today. Everything excellent. Could not fault it on anything. Will be having lunch there again asap .

The tasting menu was superb, imaginative and brilliantly cooked. I love the casual atmosphere here, no fussing. Highly recommended

Great food n service. One of the better experiences.

Five fantastic courses! A wonderful dining experience, start to finish.

The most special and relaxed meal. Lots of treats and surprises along the way. Beautiful wine and food - we will be back.

We had booked for an 80th birthday celebration so we really wanted a treat. We had high expectations and they were exceeded. Absolutely fabulous meal - every dish was delicious - and lovely staff who looked after us exceedingly well and very carefully and thoughtfully. Really good selection of dishes for each course.

Tonight we finally made it to The Sportsman in Seasalter for what has to be the best mid week meal in a long time. The place was packed and we now know why we had to book months in advance to secure a table for the evening meal. The only offer a 5 course tasting menu , but a choice from 4 on each course, and at £80, that’s good value for money for a one star. The highlight for me was their used trout, crab and carrot, and the lemon tart with meringue ice cream. Our visit was well worth the wait.

The food is exceptional, as is the service. You don't need me to tell you that (the Michelin star does that). What it doesn't convey is just how friendly everyone is, and how relaxed the overall vibe is. It makes a real difference. Pretension and stuffiness have no place here. Some of the best food, with understated but diligent service. It put us at ease and enhanced the experience. 10/10 - would recommend, and will be back. Thank you.

Local ubicado a orilla de playa, una carta menú muy buena y selecta. Atención cordial , ambiente grato . Puedes llamar y hacer reserva. Local amplio.

I could not fault the food. This was a truly special meal. Superbly cooked food and a delicately crafted menu. Relaxed atmosphere, in fact I went suited and booted but really smart casual was the way to go. The staff were efficient, friendly and appreciative. The only thing missing is a cocktail waiter; I really think this is a must have to push this restaurant to the next level, the food is already top drawer but it was a shame not to be able to get an old fashioned or a Martini before dinner.

wow! What a treat, exceptional food and service. our only complaint was the sample menu at lunchtime was just too much, we really struggled to finish but obviously couldn’t leave a scrap of food as everything was so delicious.

Amazing food at reasonable price, lovely staff too

This was a special birthday gift from our Grandsons. The food was amazing and portion sizes brilliant for a tasting menu. Staff were attentive but discreet. 👏 The pictures were my selection of oysters, slip sole, duck & almond tart.

Waited for years to get an evening booking at The Sportsman, went here as part of a 28th wedding anniversary weekend to Whistable. We heard some negative comments about there only being a taster menu, but having had the same at other restaurants we were in no way deterred. The food did not disappoint in any way & actually for £80 the taster menu was amazing value, especially as there was the ability to choose most of the courses within the menu. Ingredients were obviously of high standard & excellently prepared & cooked. We had plenty of time before our taxi returned not be rushed in any way & each course came at a really good pace. Eagerly looking forward to visiting again in the future, a big thanks to the whole of the Sportsman Team.

Our experience at the Sportsman was nothing shy of magic. We arrived by train from London to Whitstable on a clear, sunny August day. There wasn’t a single taxi available for several hours (definitely book ahead). Not to worry the Sportsman said, Phil will come collect you. A lovely gent came not long thereafter, and gave us the inside scoop on all the comings and goings of town, its history, and the God forsaken developers. Upon arriving at the pub, I politely asked Phil what his association with it was. “I own it,” he said just as we were stepping out of his car. This is the kind of delight, charm and hospitality you will find in every ounce and measure of the Sportsman. The food, the wine, the setting were all unrivaled. Just go already (if you can secure a booking).

Very good, faultless, brilliant,love it

Fabulous evening, had some lovely food, great staff and stay in a comfortable lodge. The menu was excellent and had something for any taste. Wine menu was extensive and service was great. Had the best pudding, the blackcurrant souffle was amazing.

We came for Saturday lunch and really enjoyed the food experience at this Michelin star pub. It's 5 courses for £80 and includes snacks and bread, another palate cleanser dessert and some mini macarons at the end. Between the three of us, we all got something different so we could taste more of the dishes. Everything was delicious but the highlights includes the three poached rock oysters, native lobster with potato, tomato and hollandaise, maple cured pork loin and the blackcurrant souffle. Service was relaxed and friendly.

Best lunch I’ve had in Years!!! Staff are great. Food was amazing.

Excellent food, excellent service, relaxing atmosphere. Booked again as walking out the door. Looking forward to returning.

This was our second visit to the Sportsman. The food was perfect and the service was great. I’m looking forward to my 3rd trip.

Amazing food. 3rd visit. Will return

Amazing food, the staff was lovely, we really enjoyed the experience, and it was well worth the money. A bit more time between courses would have suited us a bit better, but would love to go again someday.

Just called in for a drink on Sunday afternoon after walking our dog and was turned away by the lady standing behind the bar as they were not serving drinks as the restaurant was too busy! We were going to sit outside anyway as it was such a lovely day. Utter madness, turning away paying customers. We are local and we will not be returning! We are in disbelief!

Very nice food, lovely setting, good service!

To celebrate a significant anniversary, my husband and I ate at Sportsman on 07/05/23. There is nothing that would have improved our experience. The food, drinks and staff were all exceptional. The five course taster menu has options for all diners. It was so delicious from start to finish. We will definitely be going back for more Bloody Marys, bread, duck with brik pastry and passionfruit souffle and everything else but those were my favourites. We were delighted with the walnut biscuit stack with candle as a celebration of our anniversary.