The Minnis Bay Bar & Brasserie in Thanet - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Given the stunning sunset, a beautiful sea view, the potential of a pleasant evening meal was good. The first dishes arrived and seemed great. However, the youngest and hungriest eating member of our party was utterly disappointed when, instead of the ordered sausage and chips, a plate of sausage, mash and gravy was served. We pointed out the error and a replacement was promised. After a considerable wait it arrived, but the distress caused killed the mood. A bitter struggle ensued, to cut up the sausages and actually chew them. Defeat was declared and the chips consumed. The usual 'how is your meal' enquiry did not take place so we resorted to waves and gestures to attract some attention. Eventually, past the youngest eater's bedtime 2 freshly cooked and edible sausages arrived. As if that wasn't eventful enough, the state of the tables added an air of jeopardy not usually conducive to digestion. I would also question the mackerel pate was actually a pate, more flaked... you can probably tell we have had better evenings.... which was a great shame

Very nice food and excellent quality Staff fantastic

Went in for lunch, we asked for a gluten free menu, which was on an app. The only thing available on that menu was a steak. When the waiter came over to ask for our order, we asked if that was correct, only a steak available. The waiter then said we do have gluten free fish and chips today and we can make any of the sandwiches gluten free as we have gluten free bread!!! So why was this not on the Gluten free menu. Having a food allergy or intolerance can be quite problematic, so it would be much easier if the menu available was correct!! It doesn't need to be difficult with more awareness these days. If there had only been a steak available, we would have gone somewhere else to be honest!

Stopped for lunch during a cycle ride. The sandwiches exceeded expectations 😋 👌 😍

Service was great, fish and chips were some of the best I had (crispy light batter). Took a star off because the burger was just way too saucy. Really didn’t enjoy it , couldnt finish it.

All very smoothly operated, but, several people, including myself, complained about the condition of the conveniences: they are cleaned just once, at tge start of each day....insufficient, and not what one want to confront after eating a meal.

We visited for lunch yesterday. We were pleased our little dog was also welcome. We had the Haddock and chips. Pleased with the size of the portion wasnt sure we'd manage to eat it all. The fish was white and delicious. We ate it all the fish. More chips than we could manage but also very nice The service was excellent, really friendly staff and customers. The place was spotlessly clean. Highly recommend a visit. We hadn't been for a few years but will definitely go again. Thank you.

We ate on Saturday early evening and the staff were wonderful and helpful. Incredibly polite and friendly - couldn’t do enough to help us. Many thanks.

Calamari was frozen and tasted horrible, was replaced and still wasn’t great. Burger was okay

Lovely mocha and latte, breakfast good but might have been warmer. Lovely seating.

Fabulous food & service with panoramic sea views. Thank you

Called in today for lunch as was gifted a gift card from family. The restaurant is well laid out with a good atmosphere & view. The staff pleasant & efficient. The food delightful. The ribs meal is huge 😁

good place to go if you want some lfe. a place to relax and be with friends and family

Saw a very rude old lady customer get confronted by a cashier it was very satisfying to watch and the food and service is brilliant

Lovely spot overlooking the sea but nicely separated. Can eat outside or inside. Lovely food and service

Flies in my dinner an manager knew didn't even bother when told had no apologies had move table but still the same won't be going again

This is a lovely seaside restaurant. I've eaten here before and it was lovely. My last visit we just had coffees and they were really nice. The staff really make this place. We were served by a lovely bar tender, I didn't get his name but he was half Northern Irish, from Belfast and was really nice, polite and helpful. We will definitely be back. As a plus the seaside views are amazing.

5 stars all the way,but their vegetarian options are extremely limited, my Wife can only have Mushroom risotto of nothing, therefore we unfortunately don't use it as much as we would like to

Sat outside for latte. Not much to say. The sun was shining and beside the beach

My dish was fine nothing amazing ,my wife's mushroom burger was tastless ,very disappointing and 17 pounds for burger and chips way overpriced ,the menu didn't inspire or give many options for a vegetarian, a waste of 52 pounds we will not be returning ,went there 18 months ago has gone downhill since

Great place to stop for a beer in the sun

Grandchildren love it on the beach ⛱️ & in the sea 🌊 & the 99 ice cream. & picnic

I had an awful experience tonight. We got two dishes to share. The crab and crayfish linguine was overcooked (How difficult is to cook pasta?) but because it was tasty enough we didn’t send it back. We also got the pork chop with chips and although it was also tasty, I had one of the worst experiences I have ever had in a restaurant. When I was about to have the last chip, I felt something sticky in my fingers and then noticed that the chips container was dirty, it had dry green food on it. We only had chips in that container, so the green food was obviously from someone else. We had paid by then, so we requested a refund. We only got a refund for the pork chop with chips but really after such a bad experience, they should have given a full refund. This experience made me feel sick the rest of the evening and makes you wondered how hygienic this place and the food really are. This tainted the whole meal out experience. I wouldn’t go back there.

Lovely place to have a quick pint before the long walk back to Reculver Castle. Friendly staff. If I had a gripe, it would be that they could have more selection of ciders, especially on tap. But nice place overall.

We both chose the crab and crayfish linguine which was excellent. The wine list was reasonably priced. The service was very good and the air con was much appreciated. We will be back.

Beautifull relaxing brasserie, good food and super nice coffee 🥰

Absolutely dreadful all round. What should have been a double celebration of elderly relatives visiting from Australia and a birthday celebration, it descended into nothing short of farcical. Despite preordering food with three days notice, choices weren’t available on the day. Only one waitress serving the whole restaurant and one member of bar staff ( not their fault, this should have been addressed by the manager, it wasn’t a shock that we were a large party, 11 adults and 3 children). Food was disjointed in arriving with one meal forgotten completely. Service was incredibly slow and we had to ask several times to order drinks. After 1.5 hours we still hadn’t received our main courses which resulted in some of our party having to leave before desserts. We deliberately booked an early time to cater for children.Offers of complimentary desserts didn’t compensate for the disappointing service. Such a shame as we have had previous good experiences although service is very slow. Get more staff! We won’t be returning nor will we recommend to others!

Great location by the sea. Good menu selection, reasonsble prices, good service. Fabulous sunsets. Also great cocktails.

There were 10 of us for 60th Birthday celebrations. Had a fantastic meal and nothing was too much trouble. Kieran went out of his way to make sure we were all happy and Dee made sure everything went smoothly. Although on the past the Minnis has had mixed feedback I honestly could not fault Dee and her team for making our visit a really memorable one. Thank you

OK so il start by saying I didn't get the chance to eat here. I was shown to the table by a member of staff who seemed like they had better places to be, there was no warm welcome just a disgruntled look like there was another customer. The server walked to the table without us and walked away before we reached the table. Then we sat and waited, without anyone come to serve us for over 20 minutes. No drinks order, nothing. Upon hearing the table behind us being offered a free drink whilst they waited for their delayed food. I left with my family. The restaurant looked nice. The food smelt good. The toilets were clean. I was not served or approached whilst waiting to order. Disappointed because it seemed so promising and it wasn't busy.

Nice but no where to sit when the rain comes down.

Resturant looks great and great view but.... terrible service not rude but so slow. We sat down then waited 20 mins for our drinks order to be taken then another 20 mins for the drinks then ordered and waited 40 mins for our mains then I spilt my drink, I wasn't asked if I want a replacement ( as I now do not have a drink for my meal ) then the staff came over and just gave my pregnant wife a roll of blue roll. I cleaned this up then asked for another drink which took another 25 mins and I have to ask what was happening with that. It wasn't busy at all but the way the waitresses have to put an order in at the bar for each drink takes so long, I'd finished my meal by the time the replacement drink turned up. The service is very slow and keeping a 6 year old amused for 2 hours when she just wants to get back on the beach wasn't my idea of fun. We really felt like we were forgot about the whole time and will not be comming back.

Professional very welcoming staff had ice coffee served at table and cold beer takeaway. Will definitely return.

Staff totally disinterested in providing even a modicum of service. Overpriced drinks, food took ages but needed to be returned. AVOID

Lovely location and beautiful views, sadly the food was bland, prices far too high and the service slow, was a shame.

1 waiter was on when we went...he was very good but more staff were needed... Had fish and chips which was very tasty....Crispy batter. Then we had a long wait before our plates were cleared away and offered Pudding. We did speak to the manager and said more staff needed... She did apologize. We had traveled from Essex so although we liked the place and food we probably wouldn't go again because of the service. Had Baked Alaska for Pudding which was small and well put together...bit pricey for size .

Beautiful place to have lunch/dinner

Nice friendly place but seriously over priced beer and food

Stopped for coffee when out walking the dog 🐕 tool a while for the coffee to turn up, would have liked the coffee to have been hot ,nice tasting coffee ☕️ just not hot .

Lovely brasserie. Dog friendly. Free parking. Nice area.

Lovely outdoor terrace overlooking the sea.

Place is fantastic when the sun is shining! Unfortunately the food was not good.

First time visit and pleasantly surprised with this lovely restaurant, Lovely surroundings, nice relaxed atmosphere. We shared the Camembert starter which was delicious. Both of us had a lovely Sunday roast dinner which was a good portion size. The only negative we would say is the Eton Mess that we ordered for our dessert was served in a bowl rather than a tall glass dish which full of cream and a tiny amount of meringue. Staff were lovely, especially Lula who served us.

Food was ok, but quite overpriced imo - definitely not an amazing fish and chips. 18 quid. Service was good though.

A wonderful , warm greeting and excellent friendly service from Alana. An asset to the minnis....thanks.

Only had a tea, but great location, friendly staff and the food look nice. Brilliant views into estuary and beyond.

A beautiful view and the sunset was amazing. We all had fish and chips, it was nice, the chardonnay was lovely. A good atmosphere, dog friendly in the bar and outside eating area, friendly staff and a nice atmosphere.

Lovely spot by the beach . Staff always friendly. Food is ok usual pub grub

Lovely dog friendly reasonably priced good portioned food. Great on a hot summer's day. There is an ice cream shak next door and it's a short drive to Margate. On Sundays they do not do sandwiches on their menu. Instead they have a Sunday roast instead.

We were upstairs for a private reception. It has a lovely balcony area overlooking the sea & we had a beautiful afternoon/evening, the sun was shining, the setting perfect. We were well looked after & the buffet was great. It was a really lovely venue. X x

Excellent place. We had a little issue but it was solved with great courtesy

Food pretty good and location great, but the prices are too high. Also one of our dishes wasn't as advertised, but no apology or explanation was given, which was disappointing.

Prices are a bit steep for drinks but being right on the seafront the location is excellent. The bar seating area is quite small.

Lovely food and perfect location overlooking the bay. The only fault I found was as there was plenty of staff the service is not attentive enough. Sorry guys, but you need to be more on the ball!

Great view - nicely cooked and well presented food.

Great place for a drink in the sunshine

Visited Minnis Bay Bar and Brasserie a number of time. Once had lunch which was great and always pop in for a drink when we’re down at Minnis Bay for the day. The cocktail menu is fabulous!

Great atmosphere and lovely staff.

Super friendly staff, excellent breakfast!

What a wonderful place. Sea views. Great food. Friendly service. Had a great walk from Minnis bay to Recover and back. Free parking. What's not to like.

I had a pint of Whitstable Bay ale and a crayfish cocktail salad. My Dad had half pint masterbrew and prawn sandwich. They certainly didn't scrimp on prawns or crayfish and the beer was refreshing. Sitting overlooking the sea on the terrace was relaxing. The service was good with the waiter asking how everything was. Overall nice pub grub good views and good service.

Staff were happy, friendly.Service was fortress. The menu inviting and each of our five meals were presented and delicious to eat. Thank you . It was a pleasure to pay for a meal we enjoyed.

Best fish finger sandwich in Thanet. Lovely sea view. Dog friendly

Waited an hour from sitting down to getting main course , no explanation from any waiting staff as to why , whilst wating. When food arrived challenged waiting staff why it had been so long - to which he replied "I know its been too long" - How about an apology for starters! If acknowledged upon serving, why couldn't waiting staff have kept us informed ? Had grilled tuna , which was not fresh but frozen , overkill on the spices on the tuna , presumably to hide the true flavour , i.e not fresh! £19 to you sir ! Needless to say if I go to Shepherd Neame I usually go to The Bell in Sandwich where I have had a far better experience. First and probably last visit in this restaurant , it is great for expensive drinks with a view , everything else , give it a miss! No wonder it was half empty on a sunny bank holiday Saturday !

Very clean place, excellent service and you have a gorgeous view of the seafront. Whenever you go to Birchington on Sea you have to visit this place. It is breathtaking.

Very warm welcome, fast service. The portions are also generous for children. The staff is very attentive and responsive. There is a good atmosphere in the team, and it is felt in the restaurant. Special mention to the server who gives 100%, we were impressed by his professionalism. Keep it up.

Very nice atmosphere with view out over the estuary.

Arrrived at 3pm, ordered coffee and asked for a sandwich, was told they had stopped serving sandwiches, asked if they did sausage rolls was told they do so paid for coffees and sausage rolls, we sat outside and was then told that they didn’t have any sausage rolls.We then decided to go somewhere else and asked for a refund, we were told the only person that could issue a refund was the manager and she was in a meeting, she would be five or six minutes, ten minutes later we asked where the manager was and one of the staff said he would go and get her she would be two minutes, having waited a total of 20 minutes the manager appeared, no “sorry for keeping you waiting” just went straight to the till, took another 5 minutes to issue refund and all she said was there is your receipt, I always thought the customer was the most important person clearly the manager doesn’t think so, the male and female members of staff were very apologetic, the manager was down right rude, we usually go there quite a lot for coffee and sometimes to eat, I will not go there again and someone asks me again what it is like I will not be giving a good review I think the manager needs retraining on customer service

First time visiting minis bay and the pub,had a nice roast and would have been even better if we could have sat outside

Sadly not very enjoyable. Very rowdy and noisy. Greasy vegetarian options approaching inedible. Young staff are overworked and clearly struggle to show enthusiasm to be there! Great sunset views though.

Wonderful location. A lovely day out.

Excellent location. Very nicely refurbished. Very helpfull staff. I recommend it!

Tasty food, good location, nice service and flexible opening time. 👍🏻

Perfect for any occasion,service is amazing,food is great,prices are good.but the best thing of all is the view,especially at sunset

Attended with a party of 6 which included three vegetarians for whom there is a very limited menu. The main option of vegetarian pasta was out of stock so we had to leave as the only other option was salad. Needs to improve its menu for vegans/ vegetarians. M

The Minis Bay offers good food in pleasant restaurant with a lovely view and has freindly staff. I really would recommend this as a place to eat the Minis Bay Area.

Ate here as a family of 6, food was good, service a little slow and staff were quite abrupt upon arrival. Almost as if we’d inconvenienced them by arriving. The food was good, perhaps slightly on the higher price side but good none the less. Sort the front of house staff and make it more welcoming and a 4/5 is achievable.

A party of 7 adults, 2 young grandchildren. Nice venue, been here several times for drinks during local walks, this was the first time for food. Very slow service, no one ordered starters but we had been seated for an hour and a quarter before I approached the staff to ask when our food would be served. It arrived about 10 minutes later. Food was hot and everyone enjoyed their meals. The lovely manageress apologised for the wait and offered 10% off of the bill, a nice touch. Due to the delay no one wanted to order desert. We only had 1 drink each due to not being asked at any stage if we would like to order more. So in summary, this venue is missing out on business due to the poor service, the food was good, the setting is great. Plenty of room for improvement.

Just in Minnis as a stop off during a day out, went to Minnis bar & brasserie for a drink and something to eat. We were welcomed by Debbie H, she went out if her way to make us feel comfortable and was attentive at all times. Well done Minnis!

We ordered lunch here for 4, the main course came at least 20 mins apart. When we mentioned this to the waitress we were told we’d sat upstairs and you get forgotten about upstairs. She did say she’d get the manager but they never arrived. Won’t be returning. Whole place felt like chaos

If you love dogs, defo come here!!

Have not used food and bar yet, only toilet facilities. Dog walking along a nice sandy beach ⛱️

Several words, bloody expensive.

We enjoyed a lovely meal on Friday night. Our choices of crab starter, hake meal and dessert of lemon meringue were super. Really lovely. Great meal which we thoroughly enjoyed and we will definitely return in the summer months... I even went to complement the female chef because the hake dish was so good. Our waitress was lovely. Thank you to everyone involved. It was a quiet evening.

Had a lovely family gathering, with my children and grandchildren thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

If you have food allergies bring your own food. Terrible service. Queued for 30 mins to get through a very small queue to be told to look online, which doesn’t have the breakfast menu, then wouldn’t even do chips.

Took my DISABLED mum to minnis Bay, bit of a trip down memory lane. The minnis bay looked lovely for a coffee and cake visit. On entry it looked lovely, one side was the restaurant and the other, smaller and better suited to light bites or coffee. My mum is in a wheelchair and finding the easiest table was reserved I went to the bar. 2 members of staff, one doing drinks orders and the other had her face in her phone!! Waited patiently and even though the server doing drinks saw us she said nothing to us or the other member of staff! When she finally bothered to notice us I asked if we could sit anywhere. She pointed and said over there, I said but that table is reserved, no the one in the corner. How she expected me to maneuver a wheelchair through a tight space and move the chairs was beyond me. And even if I had there just wouldn't have been enough space for us, never mind the people at the reserved table when they arrived! When she did finally offer to move the chairs, quite frankly I wasn't in the mood to stay! I wonder if they have never had wheelchair users before or if she just couldn't be bothered. She was certainly not welcoming!

Had a good family meal in a lovely restaurant with great views, good food and good service

Food sometimes really good sometimes average but I haven’t eaten there for a while! Service can be quite slow and even though the young ones are lovely they don’t always see things that need doing like clearing tables outside before the seagulls are all over the food. It is an amazing setting and it’s lovely in the summer.

Excellent. Great staff team, Coffee and Cakes. Could not have asked for more. We popped in for the first time ever (no I don't know why not in all the other times we've visited the bay!) and were not disappointed. It was a bright sunny morning, although windy and a bit cold. We needed a warm up and refreshments. The ground floor was quite full, we asked just for Coffee and Cake, the staff member at the bar directed us to bar seats or upstairs to the Bay View seating that was all but empty. And yes it was a great view across the bay and more. It didn't take long for the Coffee and Scones, Cream and Jam to arrive. Delivered by a friendly and engaging young man. And it was very good too. We loved the team. We loved the friendly team and atmosphere. And we certainly will make this a stop on future visits for sure. Gotta check out the Food menu. Thank you all.. Bravo.

Been here many times. Most recently just prior to Christmas 2023, had a warming hot drink with a friend, we sat outside as the day wasn’t too chilly. Have sat inside too. In the past have eaten there too. Always delicious food, clean + friendly staff. Parking nearby either in the car park or along the road.

Lovely views of the sea nice for walk with your dogs 🐕 I didn't go into bar etc another time perhaps

Visited before and had a good experience, so popped in for some food at 1130. Waited an eternity at the front door for someone to come and meet us and take us to a table, despite the restaurant being 2/3rds empty and plenty of staff seeing that we were waiting. Was told food wouldn’t be served until midday, so we decided to just have a drink instead. Sat at the table, again for in excess of 10 minutes waiting, without a server coming over. Managed to grab a server at a nearby till and asked if we could order drinks only to be told we couldn’t, because the till wasn’t working! This didn’t make a great deal of sense as there were numerous tills in the establishment and people were sat near us having only just ordered drinks. Decided to leave and take our custom elsewhere. Won’t be returning in a hurry.

Spur of the moment treat - delicious meal - friendly & attentive team would definitely recommend.

I liked it because my dog was allowed in. It had treats on the bar and plenty of water about. Coffee excellent with a small piece of cake with it. No dogs on the beach between 1/5/24 and 31/9/24. Which is sad but understandable.

Returned to this pub with some trepidation but we were both hungry and I had been quite poorly. Well, what a surprise the Sunday Lunch was. We both had the beef which was served medium rare. Perfect for us, beautifully seasoned and an extremely generous portion. The veg were a delight and cauliflower cheese was included. Red cabbage, parsnip, mashed swede and carrot, pigs in blankets, stuffing ball and Yorkshire pudding plus the all important crispy roast potatoes. All for £20. The staff were lovely and this took the Sunday lunch to our local no 1 slot for Sunday lunch. Well done to the new chef and manager, two very happy customers.

The restaurant has improved considerably since we visited a few years ago. Excellent food and friendly smiley staff. Nice and relaxed service, not rushed.

Beautiful restaurant and bar on the beach front with great value and tasty 😋 food Have eaten here on several occasions and would recommend Staff and service excellence 👍

I've eaten here a few times when visiting my sister. It's a great setting with views out to sea. I think I've been lucky with the food as I've not been disappointed with what I've ordered. However,the service is slow. It's nice to have a catch-up while you're waiting, but sometimes the wait has been far too long. The staff are helpful and attentive, there just needs to be more of them when it's busy.

Loved the Duck salad just what you need after eating too much festive food. Nice view of the bay.