The Harbour Garden Cafe in Canterbury

Lobster, Shell on prawns & garlic, slow cooked pork belly all fantastic, children loved items from the children’s menu too (which is a novelty). Nice atmosphere && Dog friendly inside and out.

Great food, great service lovely atmosphere, one of the bar treated us so well, had to buy him a drink to have after shift. Thanks guys

Extremely overpriced, poorly managed place. A lot of staff moving around but very long time to wait for a table and longer time to get food. Won’t recommend

Pleasant restaurant and location in Whitstable, but felt it a bit overpriced. Waited 20 odd minutes till order was finally taken. Food was very good however and would recommend still.

Sat outside on a cold, but beautiful day. Crab and chips and a cold Whitstable lager. Great view, lovely staff on a busy day, even when one customer was quite rude. A perfect snifter and nosh by the sea

Great place to eat. Recommended the crab loaded fries. Great atmosphere and attentive staff.

We have visited before and returned for more. The food is delicious, the service is excellent with friendly staff who take time to chat and make you feel very welcome. It's not just seafood, but when I am this close to the harbour, its what I would choose every time.

Great food, dog friendly, thank you for a wonderful afternoon.

Expensive for what you could get in a chicken shop 🐔 10 wings £20

Fantastic food, great atmosphere and friendly staff. Bonnet du douche 👌🏻

Dropped by today at lunchtime on a wet, windy, Whitstable day. Initially for a coffee but then decided on lunch. Staff very friendly and the fresh crab was delicious. I like the rustic ambiance and the view directly on to the Harbour. Not the first occasion we have visited. V handy that you can take your bedraggled mut in as well.

Excellent Lobster Roll and Sparkling Cosmo ....

Had to meet a prospective ghost tour guide, so due to my disability I chose this venue and was very pleasantly surprised by the excellent service I received from the staff! Seeing me in my trolley the chap opened up the side of the cafe allowing me full access to the interior of the restaurant! My friend had Seafood Stew, a mix of cod loin, mussels and white wine! I had already eaten but as you can see from his happy face he was impressed by it! Victoria was very attentively looking after us! I have eaten here before in the summer great atmosphere friendly service, come and see for yourself. Good view of the harbour and its fleet catching and landing fish!

I booked a table for 14 as it was my father's birthday. We pre ordered and expected a nice evening with the normal level of good service we usually get here. I was wrong - they guys there massively raised the bar and we had the most amazing evening. They provided balloons for the table, the food was delicious and the service was second to none. I cannot thank the staff including Julia, Annemarie, Neave and of course the guys in the kitchen. Thank you so much for making the evening one we will all remember xxx

Really surprised at the high quality of food, simply delicious! Would definitely recommend and look forward to our next visit. Exceptional!

Monotonous menu. Everything is prepared in batter and french fries. There is nothing to choose from, only oysters are fresh, tasty and mussels, but they are ordinary. There is a good selection of drinks

Good service and nice spot by the water but food was bang average for an extortionate price. Expect way better for the prices they're charging. Wouldn't recommend.

Ate here twice with the family this week. On both occasions the food and service was exemplary. If we lived closer we would definitely return. Recommend booking as always looked busy.

This is a nice harbour facing restaurant in Whitstable. Very busy when we attended on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Staff were friendly and accommodating. We ordered the seafood platter which was pretty good however a bit pricey for the portion size. All mains are around the £20 mark. A great option when visiting Whistable on a day out.

Delicious lunch at The Harbour Garden today, the lightest batter I have ever had on the cod, it was divine!

What a wonderful place to eat! The gentleman who served us and showed us to his table was so polite, friendly, and welcoming. The atmosphere in the restaurant was so cool, music playing and the smell of food was so delicious! All staff were very polite and helpful. The food was absolutely divine! The best fish and chips I've had in years!

Really great place to stop for brunch. Nice staff and accommodated us under the shelter. We had the fish and chips which was fab. I would definitely come here again and especially on a sunny day .

Lovely spot just by the water. Fresh seafood and good drink selection - although pricey. I’ve never had battered fried oysters and would say its not worth it for the price of an oyster as you end up just tasting the batter. Chips were really good but the crab didn’t add much flavour so I’d opt for regular chips next time. Worth a trip if you’re by the waterfront!

The food and service was very good but it was quite pricey. Worth it though

Unfortunately, the price on the menu is not the price you pay. I appreciate that the price of fish may vary but drinks and chips?!! The food was very good, but didn't realise the price discrepancy until I was home. Sadly won't be rushing back

Waited at the front of the restaurant to be seated, wearing masks as my dad is very vulnerable. Man approached us with very bad attitude saying “you bringing something in with that mask on? You don’t need it in here” decide to ignore is stupid remark as he didn’t know our circumstances. Then he carried on by saying “you implying I have a disease to give to you” we had only asked if we could be seated. We explained to him my dad had been in hospital for 7 months with covid and nearly died so he was protecting himself. At this point I said that we wouldn’t like to be served by your restaurant and turned to leave. He replied “I wouldn’t be able to help you anyway” even though the restaurant was basically empty. Very rude man, as this is my dads choice to wear a mask. Can’t believe he is running a restaurant serving customers, he doesn’t deserve peoples money or loyalty. Upsetting.

The best cod and chips I have ever tasted. Staff are beyond lovely and accommodating, helping us move to another table with a baby.

Absolutely fabulous , just can’t keep away , always such a great menu , excellent value for money , the mussels in cider are to die for , crab pate with the delicious bread , spicy bean burger is so mouth watering , and lots , lots more , and if that’s not enough pampered by all the staff , always a lovely welcome from Michael , cny wait to go back

Waitied 20 minutes to get into the restaurant, which was understandable as it was a bank holiday. Then waited 20 minutes to order a drink, 20 minutes later the drink still hadn’t arrived. Another 20 minutes and we walked out to find somewhere else to eat.

Excellent spot for seafood fans. Friendly and attentive service - especially appreciated on Good Friday bank holiday weekend. They managed to find us a table straightaway, and, though they advised the food would take up to forty minutes to come (always good to manage expectations!), the wait was much shorter. They didn't hurry us at all, despite the growing queue. Lovely vibe on the seafront. The lobster was fresh and succulent, and special mention for the delicious crab loaded fries. Lobster roll was tasty, though could have been a slightly more generously sized and with a brioche roll rather than bun. It's pricey, yes, but the location, good quality food, and service are worth it.

Amazing prompt and friendly service, delicious food and great location. Definitely coming here again!

While the ambience is great and the service friendly and prompt you will pay £17.95 for rather meagre portion of greasy and not very well cooked fish and chips.

Lovely spot in the harbour. Great non-alcoholic cocktails. Really good with my children. Dogs allowed. Food really tasty.

Lovely lunchtime meal with friends today I had the fish stew it was delicious. Serves was good too.

Very pleasant staff managed to find us and indoor table as a walk-in on a sunny Sunday lunch. It was the perfect spot to enjoy some delicious crab croquettes, oysters and fish stew with my partner and my 2 month baby. The food was very quick and very tasty. Totally a place to come back

Those in our party who eat fish had good portions. But the starter - £9 for 3 corn fritters the size of a chocolate coin - was a total rip-off (that's £3 per fritter), there was no avocado in the guacamole, the mac and cheese - £8 for a side, was really small for the price, £5 for 2 slices of garlic bread. Don't go there if you're looking for anything other than a total rip-off.

Booked in at 7.00pm. I was the only diner until 7.30pm when 8 others arrived. No more after this. This was a shame because it killed what could have been a good atmosphere in a good location. The food was good but I think a bit pricey. The harbour area is attractive during the day but under lit and a bit unappealing at night. The harbour area is also a bit fragmented so needs a bit of navigating.

Really nice Sea food, well presented.

Really enjoyed our afternoon here. Very friendly staff - all of them, and the food was wonderful. I think the burger I had was possibly one of the best I've ever eaten. Cooked perfectly, bun was really fresh and the cheese, tomatoes and onions were all so fresh too, plus the chips were great. Crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. Everything was perfect They also allowed us to bring the dog too, which was handy

Cafe very comfortable Staff friendly Food and beer great

How to ruin seafood. We had the seafood platter for two. Only had three varieties of seafood - octopus bites in a peppery batter (so you couldn’t taste the octopus) , some battered prawns, greasy. And two cooked oysters also in a peppery batter. You get mayo and and spicy dip. The freshest tasting item was the few salad leaves. If you like everything deep fried then maybe it’s for you. Overpriced and poor service.

Food was fantastic Nicely priced

Lovely place, and the food was amazing, especially the boozy hot chocolate 😊 Would 100% recommend to anyone who enjoys good food.

Very expensive £14.95 for 4 small Scallops ....£65 for surf and turf (although we didn't order ) ...NO DESERTS at all on menu ...staff very pleasant only redeeming quality they were great to be honest . .been caught once ...never again......

Nice view but at £4 for coffee and £18 for cod and chips can work out a bit pricey

Oysters... Are Forever in Whitstable.. Decent Service.. Felt it could have been So.. Much more...

Lovely food and drinks. Good service. Great live band but unfortunately couldn't really chat within our of group as the live music from the band was so loud and started very early. Venue closes rather early too.

Lovely sea view open air restaurant, but very expensive. The food was good and the service was great, but expected a higher standard on the food for the price. Most main dishes at £15+, £3.50 for a coke etc.

Bit pricy compared to other restaurants around this area but it’s worth it. We ordered lobster Mac n cheese and fish soup. Both tastes amazing and the view is great as well!

We only stopped for a hot chocolate so I can't (yet) comment on the food. But it's a lovely little restaurant that overlooks the harbour, welcome staff and dog friendly.

Brilliant food and drink. the staff are lovely and the music nights on Friday's are always a lot of fun! Highly recommended!

We called into Whitstable for a few hours and stopped at The Harbour Garden Cafe for a drink. We had a coffee each, and it took quite a while to arrive, despite the place not being that busy! The staff were good and you can sit and watch the fishing boats coming into or leaving the harbour. Watch out as they automatically add a service charge onto your bill!

Even though this is primarily a seafood restaurant my wife and I had the best steak and burger weve eaten in a long time here!! Excellent friendly service in a lovely location and dog friendly too, so if you are in the harbour give them a try you won't be disappointed!! 👍🏼

Three of us, two from Padstow, had lunch here on Wednesday the 7th of October.Super staff, cheerful, helpful and most efficient. This applies particularly to a lady named 'Jeanette', who I reckon is the 'boss' - maybe the owner. Whatever, she was excellent to deal with and very jolly.Lovely food (cod and chips) and a fish stew. More than adequate ambience on a cool and very windy day.The only 'dark spot' is that it is far from inexpensive - in case you are on a strict budget, just check prices before ordering. This is NOT the average 'fish and chip shop'.We will visit again!

Great cocktails & mocktails. Friendly staff. The band 'Soul Pilgrims' - utterly brilliant! Food looked great. We were charged a cover of £5 due to the band playing - worth every penny! Comfortable seating and bang up to date modern décor.

Expensive fish and chips but great location and good service

Great food, especially for seafood lovers. Burgers and vegan options available too. Dogs also allowed 👌

We have been meaning to try the cafe for quite a while , sadly the food was okay but certainly not worth the money charged. We have had far better for less. The staff were pleasant and the service was good. I must admit I was quite horrified that on every table instead of any paper napkins was a roll of kitchen paper in the condiment box. The one on our table was smeared with sauce all over the top edge where other people had used it. At a time where hygeine and avoidance of cross contaminationare paramount --WHAT ARE THEY THINKING !

First visit, Lovely food and service and right by the harbour. But it's a bit trumpy and the toilets are right round the back. Still worth 5 stars and would definitely return

Food was lovely and fresh, staff were friendly and welcoming.

I dont mind what I pay as long as its value for money.But £19.95.for cod and chips way over the top.So we just had a small drink and skipped the meal.£4.20. for a small lager absolute rip off.

Excellent sea food, excellent service, great atmosphere. Always enjoy a visit here. Hadn’t booked but they managed to fit me in.

The 1st time for lunch at this gem absolutely attentive the batter on my fish was so light hubby had the lobster roll the cocktails were amazing

First visit here and we had oystera and fish and chips. They have 3 options for children's food. Really delicious food buy a bit pricey

Great setting and food was good. However the service was poor. Forgot our order and waited 20 plus minutes until this was established. Then there was little sense of urgency as we waited for drinks and food with other tables coming before us. Then had to ask on several occasions for the bill and ironically were charged for service. Other customers seemed happy so maybe just bad luck on our part.

A nice location overlooking the harbour, weather dependant as most tables are outside, service was good but prices are high (£9.95 for a Gin & Tonic and a portion of Chips £5.95). It was very busy so booking recommended. NOTE A 10% Service Charge is already added to your bill so no need to leave a tip.

Delicious food, helpful staff. Large outdoor seating area.

6 of us. Lovely service from start to finish. Very helpful and patient . Food was really tasty, would highly recommend

There was no live music like on the poster, prices high, we had 5 different waiters. There was a lot of mix-up. One meal for us was forgotten. The fish was very fat ( so much oil), seafood presented good on the plate but without taste.

Lovely staff. Didn't eat but food served to other guests looked great.

The restaurant had a really good atmosphere with live music and great cocktails. Unfortunately, the food was poor. We ordered the surf and turf. The burger was lukewarm and the chips were tasteless. The garlic butter for the lobster did not taste anything like a garlic butter. We also had to ask for plates and cutlery to eat the lobster, which came out around 5 minutes after we started eating. Overall, the restaurant was overpriced and I would suggest only visiting for drinks and the live music.

Good, fresh food, great service. It was so popular we had to queue for half an hour to get a table so highly recommend to book before you go. Cocktails are stunning even to look at. Good access for wheelchair users, just beware the bathroom facility is a couple of portacabins so not so good there.

Lovely place to enjoy Whitstable harbour

Lovely lunch in a hot day. Seemed a long queue but only 15 minutes to get a table. Very well run and with lovely staff. Lobster roll and creole prawns very good, oysters as good as it gets

This is in a lovely location right on the quayside and we got seated quickly even though it was a busy day. The menu is limited - fair enough - but the prices were the most expense I've seen recently - I think the fish and chips (no peas) were over £18 a portion. The fish was beautiful, so could just about have lived with the price, except the chips were over cooked and dry. Also a small glass of lemonade (not the home made one) was £3.50. Worst of all, the toilets were outside, round the back and in portaloos even though the toilets were proper flush ones.

Excellent food, service and reception

Second time in for a lovely evening! Becoming a special place to go for special occasions!

Lovely place and friendly staff

Amazing sea food. Pricey but worth every penny (my wife paid the bill lol). Lovely location overlooking the harbour. Surprised this place is very dog friendly. The staff are very friendly and efficient. Would recommend to all without hesitation.

So we'd booked this restaurant as I got in the habit of booking restaurants due to the pandemic- luckily I had as it was the Oyster festival. So we were greeted with a list of thigs that were unavailable, which was a shame as one of the things we had gone for was on that list. oh well we thought everything will still be fine. how wrong we were. firstly we attempted to order drinks to be told one of those unavailable due to- wait for it- lack of mint. yes- mint! that notoriously scarce herb! by now I'm seriously regretting this restaurant but we've booked so we order food to be told that all food will be delivered as & when it's ready because of a 45minute time limit on the table. so now I'm really unhappy even more so when they attempt to takeaway the bits of our starter we haven't finished in order to deliver our main courses. well I'm not having that- I've paid for that food and I haven't even finished it! so the food was nice but even that can't make up for the experience so far - but it gets better. as we're leaving ( to an empty restaurant so why we were rushed is beyond me) we are asked how it was and my husband politely explained that we were disappointed at the lack of certain items and the rushed service the gent out front gave a half hearted apology. My husband, rightly, pointed out it didn't sound like the gent was very sorry so this gent (I use the term loosely) followed us out onto the road shouting at my husband thathe has an attitude etc etc. seriously regret going to this restaurant

Lovely food,very expensive though

We travelled from Surrey and arrived to find it was the Oyster festival (result) we took 45 mins to park and we’re 15 mins late for the reservation, this was no trouble for them, the manager was great, the staff were brill and the food was fantastic !! we can’t wait to come back ! Gold stars all round ! X

The staff were very welcoming, and the food wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. I'm happy to pay for quality, but came away feeling that it's quite overpriced for what it is. I was really looking forward to trying the lobster roll but the brioche bun was dry and there wasn't a great deal of lobster in the roll. For £23.95, it's fair to expect something a little better. Lots of other options that looked better value just a few mins walk to the high street, but we'd already eaten by that point!

When we arrived we were shown to our table as we had booked. The waitress was polite but her uniform was dirty and the only clothing that protected her was a very short apron. She said that we had 75minutes to eat our meal, which would have been quite substantial but we didn't receive our food for 35minutes. I asked the waitress how long did we have and she said we had 45 minutes. The food was very inadequate for the prices that were charged. Staff hygiene levels were disgusting, I witnessed a waitress wipe here nose with the back of her hand and went straight to a table to serve. A child was licking the top of a salt pot and it was given straight to another table.

Great location, good food and staff were unfailingly friendly, polite and helpful. Great atmosphere with live music, although slightly louder than was ideal.

I have more common sense in the tip of my smallest blunt fingernail than this waitress. Actually fuming! Think her name was Sarah?Booked a table for my dad's birthday. Only when we arrive are we told we have 75 minutes (wasn't told when we booked).She starts timing before the rest of the guests arrive, and they still arrived on time. Food also didn't arrive until 25-30mins in, so not late but still where's the common sense of 75 mins.We only ordered a single course and I ordered a £40 crab.I eat quickly and had to break some of the crab apart naturally to eat it, so took me a while. When the 75 mins is up she comes with the bill and leaves it there and says time's up. Then takes all the plates except mine away. Ridiculous!And of course added the 10% tip, so I said take that right off!Common sense would say I'm clearly not finished, I'm only halfway through the damn crab so just wait another 15 or so minutes maybe? 75mins is a joke, especially as we booked so don't care if they use the 'It was Oyster Festival Day' expected excuse.Even cut my fingers three times to blood depth due to the pressure of needing to hurry up. Completely put off and never going back to this dive! Shame as everyone else was polite and food was nice.DO NOT EAT HERE! CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE TO THE RESTAURANT - SACK HER!

Highly recommend this cafe, the food is superb

Whitstable isn’t an easy place to be seated for food so we were thrilled to be seated straight away and not much of a wait to be served. Staff really friendly and the food is amazing. I think it’s really really pricey though. I know decent sea food is but this was even more so but given the location and how popular eating places are they do have you where they want you!. Watch out for the hidden charges too. We worked out (afterwards) that our total bill should have been around £80 and it ended up £95 as tip percentage had been added without our knowledge. Shouldn’t this be optional? Naughty

A very windy but sunny day had the crowds out in Whitstable, the good weather allows for more seating, even so there was a bit of a wait , they do a very nice fish and chips, as well as crab, lobster etc prices are a little higher than average, £18.50 cod and chips but the place was full so gives you a clue to the quality,the staff were on the ball and very helpful, incidentally this was on a Tuesday!

beautiful, staff were great, live band was good, food was spot on, make sure you know what you want, all the other food coming out looked amazing, and plentiful, although my food was excellent I wish I had tried some of the things I saw being served, book first it's always packed....

Best fish & chips I've ever tasted. Lovely atmosphere with live relaxing music. Bit pricey, but worth it

Lovely location for a cafe with nice views, the staff were so friendly however the ice coffee was poor as was the cappuccino.

Dissapointed with Whitstable Harbour and town. Sandgate was far better. Harbour garden cafe was busy and expensive for the food you received. £19 FISH AND CHIPS £3.60 small coke bottle. Coffee I bought £4 and weak. Whitstable is crammed in a small space -compact.and in a bay. Sandgate was by the sea where you could see France. The lapping waves kissing the shore with foreign lands in sight. Ship Inn Sandgate was reasonably priced and good cuisine. So overall I found Whitstable to be.more Thanet than Canterbury. But this is just my opinion.

Food was great. what they do they do well. Service amazing, thanks to our waitress. Nothing was too much bother. Casual dining experience and very relaxed. Would definitely recommend the Harbour Cafe

Good food and service. Some vegan options, too. But am only giving it three stars since 9 out of 10 serving staff were women... Which just seems kinda weird in this day and age of equality?

The food here was very nice - we had oysters to start and fish and chips for mains. The oysters were delicious and well presented and the fish and chips were great. This restaurant is a bit pricey, however I suppose that is what you get if you want table service by the harbour. The service from the waitresses was great as well.The most noteable part of my visit, however, was the behaviour of the owner towards a young couple who had chosen to wear masks whilst they queued for a table. The seating and the queue are located outside and therefore most customers, including ourselves, had opted out of wearing masks. However, it is within everyone's rights to wear a face covering in public, if it makes them more comfortable, and they should not be publicly ridiculed for doing so. The owner of the restaurant, who was acting as the maitra d', singled out this couple in front of many others who were seated in the restaurant and who were queuing. He told them that they were fearmongering and unnecessarily causing other customers to be afraid of covid, that he was offended that they were concerned about catching covid from his restaurant, and that if they were that worried then they shouldn't be at his restaurant. He told them that, as they were young, they shouldn't be worried about covid. I would like to point out at this point, that the owner of this restaurant has no idea about the individual circumstances of this couple or what their experience of the pandemic has been. As a young, extremely clinically vulnerable (due to a history of cancer) person myself, this showed a complete lack of sensitivity that is appalling coming from a customer-facing member of staff. The couple told the owner that they were wearing masks as they were not fully vaccinated yet, to which the owner replied that he too had not been vaccinated (though very obviously of an age where he had long had the opportunity) and proceeded to continue trying to convince the couple to remove their masks through public humiliation. I cannot say that the owner being anti-vax and anti-mask doesn't make me question the level covid safety of the restaurant. Additionally, I think it is unacceptable that any member of staff at a restaurant, especially the owner, should set out to ridicule customers. It is personal choice whether or not to wear a mask and no one deserves to be publicly humiliated for acting in the way that makes them feel most safe.

Lovely fresh food, great outside area to have lunch when the weather is good

Nice spot on the harbour,very good food but very expensive !

Ice cold Oyster stout by the harbour great pit stop when in Whitstable great selection of food beers and of course oysters

Really shockingly poor today. Anyone thinking of coming here I would avoid it. Service was shocking today, took over a hour for food to come out and when it did the cod was swimming in oil. Apparently they can’t discount this but can offer a free coke. The waitress messed up part of the order (children’s meal). I come here frequently but needless to say never again. Sat in the sun for over an hour and wasn’t asked offered a drink. Poor service with awful and over priced food