The Dalby Cafe in Thanet

Really typical place frequented by locals..great english breakfast

The Dalby is the best place for a proper fry up or sausage sarnie to take to the beach. Great, friendly staff and top quality food. Excellent service from Tasha today too (as always).

Very good coffee and food. Highly recommended 👍

The best vegetarian version of a full English I've had.

As good as the food is the prices are far too expensive, more of a place to go for a treat once a month than a weekly visit

It's been a year or so since I came in after moving from the area. Just as good as always! Best cafe in thanet

Banging veggie breakfast. Couldn't finish it but I wanted too. Best veggie sausages and the bread and butter is thick and soft and buttery and mmmm I could eat it again if I wasn't so full up

Went there this morning to try the challenge and failed 😆. Have to say staff were lovely and friendly and the breakfast it self was super tasty 😋

Popped in for breakfast after reading reviews online, well worth the visit and good food a proper old fashioned café that does a top quality full English breakfast. Would recommend and visit again if in the area.

Nearly £7 for two bits of scabby bacon an egg in a tiny bigger way overpriced

The Dalby cafe does the best breakfast in margate,, Excellent service, no cheap ingredients, The staff are brilliant no fuss what's so ever... Ian

Unfortunately the prices are sneaking up

It's not my first visit and won't be my last :) The Dalby is a wonderful mix of great food, (vegan menu available) efficient and friendly staff and a traditional cafe interior (the seats are from an old tram).

The Dalby Cafe has the be the only place in Thanet where I can get a proper full English breakfast with gluten free sausages and gluten free toast!!! I've been twice now and I've died and gone to heaven both times! Being coeliac, finding a place that does a proper full English without having to remove half the items is rare!! Dalby maybe my new favourite breakfast hang out 😉🫣🤤

Food decent for a cafe but nothing special. Very expensive for what it is though and not all items you woukd expect included on the breakfast and need adding on

The food is great .. really nice only fault not the greatest seating for the larger of people

I love this place, the food is top quality, this place has been around for years and you can tell why. I will always recommend the Dalby for great food.

Very good food and service 10 out of 10

The OG of Margate cafe's and still the best. Not an avocado on sourdough in sight just top drawer fry ups.

Gluten free options available! Gem of a place with friendly staff.

Thought I'd treat myself to a breakfast. The Dalby hasn't changed. A familiar old place with good quality food aas all ways.

Always a great breakfast in here ,

Fabulous... old school cafe doing breakfasts the right way. Only dropped a star because the chairs and tables still need an update.... Freshly cooked with quality ingredients.... ..quality sausages and eggs perfectly fried ....decent portions and well priced. Really friendly staff and always busy which shows how good it is....

Great breakfast, good service, very popular cafe, 7am opening every day.. So arrive early if you don't want to wait for a seat. 😊

I was recommended the Dalby by locals and the Hotel folk...and I agree- its Terrific! Loved the decor, the food and darnit if the Music wasn't great too! Top marks

Great Café, great service, friendly staff and really good food, nice portions and all food, fresh and hot which makes a massive difference. Well done. Thank you

Forth attempt after going three times previously only to leave after waiting 5/10mins without being served, or even greeted, thought I’d give it one more go, wasn’t worth it… £9.15 for a bacon & egg roll & a black coffee, crazy price for a builders cafe. Coffee was really bad, weird smell & taste, I’m not fussy with coffee but this wasn’t drinkable. I don’t like to rate small businesses low but this place seems very over priced & service slow. All fair points I think without being too harsh.

Food and service great I wish they would replace the tables and chairs! They are not too comfy

We have a great birthday breakfast never been before it was gright

Nice place. Good honest breakfast.

Great! Nostalgic breakfast!.. I only had a small’ breakfast with bubble n squeak and it was ‘proper’

Fabulous service food perfect 👌

Brilliant family run place would recommend it to anyone 👍

Really great cafe for a classic fry up. Lovely casual atmosphere, super friendly service (thanks Tasha!!) and flippin yummy fry up. Will definitely be back!

Just had the best breakfast at the Dalby Cafe. So many options to chose from and the staff couldn't gave been more helpful. The eggs (and I'm VERY fussy) were cooked to perfection. 10 out of 10. Thank you!

We shared the mega breakfast this morning. Really nice, friendly staff. Breakfast was amazing the only thing that let it down was the mushrooms.

A lot of reviewers rave about the breakfast here, including Darren John on YouTube, who I regard as a guru of the English breakfast. So when I arrived in Margate, I headed straight here for the breakfast, even though it was lunchtime. I'm not going to rave about it myself; but it was definitely pretty good, hence the five stars. The cafe sits off a main road well back from the holiday areas. It's small, basic, and clean, with table-fixed seating you have to watch your knees squeezing into. A lovely, small, blonde young lady took my order at the counter--totally on the ball (Dalby is a smooth operation). I compiled my own plate: bubble and squeak; 2 eggs; mushroom; sausage; tomato. But I forget to ask about the type of tomato, which turned out to be tinned, so I left them. (My fault; I accept some people do prefer tinned.) First, the disappointments. The tea had that dishwatery cafe taste--I never know why that happens so often ... was the water not fresh or something? The eggs were good quality produce but came up half hard. To be fair, that's common in cafes, as it's not easy to time the eggs to arrive perfectly runny at the table. Why didn't I deduct a star? Because this was a value-price English breakfast in a cafe, not a top-dollar gourmet restaurant. And otherwise, I really enjoyed it. The breakfast was served all hot, often not the case in cafes. The bubble was the best I've had--a generous portion and really tasty. (In many places, the art of bubble has been lost, and you just get served a dollop of mush.) The mushrooms looked generic but were surprisingly tasty. The sausages were decent--hardest item to get right in a budget Full English--and I wished I'd ordered two.

Great value for money 💰 generous and tasty

Brilliant breakfast, definitely worth the price , one of the best breakfasts in Margate and quilty ingredients

It’s been a while since I’ve visited the Dolby Cafe and it’s still the great cafe I remember from when I first visited back in the 1970’s, great food at a good price, served in good time and a very pleasant atmosphere.

came in asked for a omelette and the chef said no just in case it gets to busy, sat here and it’s not very busy and watched the chef just walking around so he would of had time to make my omelette, will not be coming back. We are regulars as well

Proper old fashioned cafe with quality food and friendly atmosphere . Love the vintage fittings

Best cafe ever, have been going here since I was a child and it's never disappointed

Took our group from school here for lunch today. Food was AMAZING. staff absolutely lovely. Will definitely be back. Many thanks xx

I LOVED this cafe! Super clean, friendly service and AMAZING breakfast!! My friend and I stayed overnight in Margate and found this little gem of a place! Highly recommend! The photos say it all! Oh and the bubble and squeak was delicious, great addition to a big fat English breakfast!

A tad expensive but food was quality

If I can envisage the perfect cafe this is it, will be going back next time I visit

Lovely breakfast with friendly staff

Classic breakfast café, top quality food, excellent service and coffees, started the day off right for my mate's wedding, definitely will come back next time I'm in Thanet now I know of this place!

Honestly best and biggest English breakfast I had during my England vacation.

Proper old school fry ups. The fresh orange juice was very refreshing and recommended the full veggie breakfast.

Had breakfast, I always go there because they always do what I want and just how I want it. Will be back

Good breakfast and ok price. Standard cafe vibe. Wish the sausages were better quality but cooked well and clean.

Ignore all reviews under a six. This place is A Mazing. Love the tables, the chairs, the staff are great. The food is top drawer. Thank you

Last time I went the food was good and reasonably priced. Clearly now the prices have gone right up my breakfast wasn't that big and definitely not great tasting. Won't be going back

Has been better on previous visits. Staff are nice and friendly. Food is basic and definitely not the best in Kent as once was credited. Pretty expensive in comparison to other Cafès. Tables and chairs are screwed in place and very dated.

I drive 30 minutes to this cafe the breakfast is so good. Best breakfast in Kent without a doubt. Big love to everyone at DalbyCafe

Good food but way 2 expensive!!

Friendly cafe with helpful staff and great menu.

Great traditional cafe. Spotless clean trading since 1946... (The year, not the time) and with good reason. always go in here for brecky when I visit cliftonville.

A wet Monday morning, early, and the cafe was already busy, always a good sign. Superb food served up up by lovely staff. It’s now Tuesday and we are going back. Enough said. Fab place !

Best cafe in thanet best breakfast ever staff were helpful an friendly service was quick too

Cracking old school cafe. Great food

Easily the best cafe in thanet!

Great food, with friendly staff

Popular with the locals friendly atmosphere and a great place for breaky even has a breakfast challenge if anyone's up for it 😉

Weekend in Margate and a visit to the Dalby to finish off. Bloody brilliant. Hot, tasty and traditional. One large and one small breakfast ordered. Both gobbled our food up. Was lovely. Here’s the thing. Still 11/10 if we could score but why the range of coffee? Just have a massive pot of filter bubbling away!!! Honestly the best full English breakfast in years. Anywhere.

A proper, high quality cafe, wuth a wide variety menu, from sandwiches, breafasts to meals...... plenty of seats, so you never have too long a wait for food!!!

Brilliant time with both Grandchildren,food hot tasty,good portions Return visit on cards

Fabulous breakfast with top quality fresh ingredients. Good bubble and squeak. Highly recommended, will not be disappointed

What a place! There are at least a dozen cafés in the Northdown Road vicinity but, if you wanted a traditional full English breakfast or similar, you’d have to go a long way to beat this. There are veggie options, and I’m told the veggie sausages are the tastiest ever! Lovely welcoming staff (there’s a real sense of teamwork here); a diverse and appreciative clientele; comfortable, fit-for-purpose furniture; helpful, attractive signage - I’m working on an algorithm to calculate the best value-for-money brunch! And the background music (Radio X) adds to the feel-good vibe. Rock on, Dalby!

Excellent, charming old school spot with a modern vibe. Well done, well impressed.

Can't recommend this place enough staff are friendly food is always good price is always good would recommend

Great place great food staff are always polite and helpful cant recommended it enough

Traditional English caff ,service with a smile .Mix of blokes off building site ,someone sketching in a notebook and young families. Great!

Absolutely amazing traditional cafe in Margate. They haven’t changed the look and feel since they opened and it’s just wonderful. Super friendly staff, tasty food (sorry for my bad picture) and good prices. The best cafe in Margate and probably one of best in all England. Highly recommend!!

Great big fry up ,staff were keen to offer help in anyway possible. There's an offer of a free breakfast if you can eat the mega in under twenty minutes. Shall definitely be going to this cafe again. Its open Seven days a week .Best in Margate so far.

Visited today as a group of 17 adults and children. We reserved a group of tables and staff could not have been more accomodating if they tried. We were warned that there was a wait on food as several other tables had arrived at the same time as our large group, but it wasn't excessive and service was very friendly - hot drinks were served straight away, so we were happy to chat and wait a short while. Everyone enjoyed their food - there were a mixture of veggies, vegans and meat eaters in the group and there was something for everyone. Eggs were super fresh and everything was cooked perfectly. We are hoping to return again soon.

Early era, traditional cafe. A long time favourite amongst locals. Decore is terrible, definitely vintage. Made recently famous by Pete Doherty when he sampled the gut buster brekkie. Food here is delicious, they now do cafe by day and burger restaurant by night, both are rated on their quality for sure, and they succeed too. Not tried the burgers but I've heard they are good. Prices here are slightly higher than they should be, but considering its popularity, I'd charge the same because it's quite often full anyway. Maybe the higher prices deters the riff-raff habitable in this area. As I said the food's good, and the service also commendable. Phone signal is not great here but they do have a communal WiFi for customers to use. For a better quality experience with better decore try the Rendezvous cafe down the road. Olympia cafe too is nearby for a similar experience with slightly less quality. The Dalby finds itself in the middle. Deffo worth going to, but it really does need a make over. Comfy seats would be a fabulous improvement.

The lady in the shop was so rude and short with us we never bothered staying to sample their delightful food

The chicken burger with cheese and lettuce was my fav. Although it's not their trademark burger. The English breakfast lived up to expectations. I'll try one of the recommended burgers.

Local recommendations and no disappointment here, total delivery, will be back.

There is free parking on the road outside. The food is great! It wasn't busy even though it was Saturday morning when we arrived.

Workers cafe with excellent food. Breakfast was freshly cooked and hot.

Best burger in the South East. Dalbys is now open in the evening serving burgers and it SO worth going. BYO booze + incredible burgers.

First time visit, the menu was very good and reasonably priced, can get busy so advised to book ahead, amazing value for money and the food was 5**** would highly recommend

Very good breakfast. I can see how they have been voted the best in Kent!

This cafe is one of our favourite breakfasts places in Margate. The food is never oily, eggs are cooked perfectly, the seating is quirky and the tables are always clean. The helping sizes are a good size and the service is quick and always friendly.

I was waiting to get served for a takeaway and the girl served someone on the phone before myself, then some people walked in to get sit down food and the girl served them before myself. Not just 1 customer but 2 before I walked out! Over priced run of the mill cafe there's nothing special about the place except the massive prices.

Absolutely, the best breakfasts. Not only is the food amazing, but the staff are so welcoming and natural. Can’t wait to go back!

Top breakfast, not too greasy like in some cases

Best breakfast in Kent and the weekend burgers are amazing! the dalby never disappoints

Had a great vegetarian breakfast (one egg, two sausages, baked beans, two hash browns, mushrooms, fried bread and hash) with freshly squeezed orange juice. Friendly service.

On a Saturday night this place was amazing from the the staffs friendliness to the amazing food will definitely return

Went as a family, 2 grandaughters, their father and my wife and I. We had various traditional breakfasts which included black pudding and real fried bread. Don't go expecting mashed avocado or kwinoa (keenwah to some). Do go for a real good traditional breakfast and...

I ate here twice over the last few weeks - both time the food was what I expected and was after - wholesome English Breakfast. Restaurant was clean and tidy and the staff were suitably attentive and helpful. Will be back.

Loved it, good for us and the kids, all types of food. Really delicious and warm and welcoming service 😋

Service was friendly and efficient, and the portions were so generous that we couldn't finish our meals. Prices good as well, if I lived in Margate I would be a regular..

Best cafe ever tried fresh orange juice today it was delicious 😋

Really nice café! Good place to have a breakfast!