The Oyster Bed in Canterbury - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We had a lovely meal was very tasty and hot plus our waitress Lauren was very attentive and very helpful if we asked her for anything or asked a question.

Great Stake & Ale Pie with garden pees, washed down with cider. Thank you to the lone waitress who got everything sorted for everyone. Pretty packed on a Wednesday afternoon.

Visited on Tuesday night for a quick midweek meal. Quick clearly does not figure in this restaurant vocabulary, the service was chaotic, ibvious lack of communication between the young chefs in the kitchen and the team leader who was trapped behind the bar all night, presumably because she was the only one legally allowed to pour alcohol. Our waitress, Jenny was as delightful as she has been when we’ve visited in the past, was most apologetic for the fact we had sat for an hour and a quarter and having only been served a starter. As I popped to the loo on the I could see in the kitchen in the young chefs completely disinterested, and without any dynamism at all laughing and joking with the young waitress, and when I mentioned this to the team leader at the end of the shift we had a very insightful discussion. I even left my number for the manager to call me the next day for me to give some constructive feedback. However he didn’t so, unusually for me, I will publicly critique a frustrating visit. To sum up food adequate, front of house staff lovely chefs apparently incompetent and either out of their depth or dis-interested. It wasn’t busy so don’t try to reply with that sad excuse and I was aware others were waiting a long time. Whole experience poor!

The food was awful but staff pleasant and surrounds quite nice. For this reason I have given a 'poor' rating rather than 'awful'. I ordered a roast pork Sunday lunch. The gravy managed to be both gloopy and watery at the same time, without flavour. The Yorkshire pudding tasted and looked as if it was made from blotting paper and glue. The meat was very average (think pre cooked old person's delivered meals) with a small amount of prefabricated apple sauce. Potatoes and peas were fine! I had thought the braised red cabbage might save things but it was missing from my plate. I didn't complain as I really didn't think there was any way of salvaging this meal. Never again, at least on a Sunday.

We had lamb shank absolutely terrible very small dinner for adult very little mash no. Veg would suited a small child brownies for pudding no thicker than a biscuit we go regularly here now don't think go back

Absolutely lovely evening and Sam our waitress was amazing and made sure everything was ok with our drinks and food, nothing was to much. I must say the sea bass was amazing. Would definitely like to come back again soon.

Thank you Sam we had a such amazing evening. And we look forward to coming again soon. Time with friends good food and fantastic service.

Shocking service. Hardly any staff and one poor girl trying to do everything. Waited an hour and a half for mains, which were only just warm when they arrived as they had clearly been sitting for ages. Took half an hour just to clear our plates away, and when we asked about dessert the poor waitress said she couldn't say how long it would be as she was expected to go and make them! She also had to do reception, serve tables, serve behind the bar. It was ridiculous, we saw several couples arrive at reception, wait about 5 minutes and then go. And the restaurant wasn't even that busy! Where were the staff? Surely on a Friday evening you would expect more staff. Won't be going there again! Shame is the food was really tasty, just lukewarm. You could see dinners sitting on the warm plate in the kitchen as there was no-one to serve them.

Last visited at end of Covid but what an improvement. Reviews were read and I went expecting something bad however the service was good the food okay, only gripe was grissel on steak and mushrooms no available. However all in all good and well worth trying ( might be surprised)

I was so disappointed with this place, my meal was awful, overcooked and cold, however I did not complain due to the staff, it was half term 30% off mains and only 2 waitresses and 2 in the kitchen and very busy so I could not be that harsh to them. I would not return until the staffing is better for a better customer service.

Very good service by Vova and enjoyed our meals, the steak Americano was nice as way the kebab. We had Lovely time overall

Never been to the Oyster Bed before, was recommended by friends. Was served by Amy who made our evening relaxed and enjoyable. Food took a little while to arrive but it was worth the wait. Thank you.

We visited this restaurant when it first opened a number of years ago. Out experience was truly awful and we hadn't returned until today. Very pleasantly surprised by the place today. Very busy but the staff were very attentive and polite. The food was very well cooked and very tasty. Very much improved all round

Excellent Restaurant the Best in Whitstable, use it on a regular basis because it is by Far the Cleanest, Actually its Spotless especially the toilets Its Value for Money, Lovely Friendly Atmosphere, and The Best Staff Especially Sarah who is Always Polite,Helpful and Informative and Knowledgeable on the current menus. Would 100% Recommend.

We visited on Saturday evening an hour and half later we had had one drink and 3 starters, we asked the waitress what was happening she disappeared in the kitchen five minutes later came out and went straight to another table. We walked out I remember why we hadn’t been here for a few years we would never go again it wasn’t even busy.

First the waitress was as attentive as she could be for the number of customers. We were surprised that there were four non-service dogs allowed in the restaurant which kept barking and affected my husband's allergy to dog hair which made him feel poorly. The...

Visited on Sunday at 2pm, roast day for most people. However, only beef available and I was the last one to get that. They then ran out. I wished they had run out before I ordered. Although meat was OK yorkshire was more like a...

We visited in the evening on Boxing Day with family. If the food was good at lunchtime as another reviewer suggested, it certainly was not in the evening. The vegetables with the roast and pies appeared to be reheated, were dry and the brussels were...

Great service loverly food will definitely be going again boxing day dinner food was loverly and a lot of it

Came in for our work christmas meal, there was 16 of us so as you can imagine a very complicated meal time. The girls waitressing were amazing with sorting all problems that arises and the manager was able to sort payment problems. all round good...

We visited with family. Had a lovely time. Service was great Sarah was our waitress, who was amazing and listened to our needs. Food was delicious, everyone was happy with their meals.

Another fantastic meal and even better service! We had an amazing waiter, very kind and couldn't do enough for us! Thank you Vovo! Shall definitely return very soon!

Really really enjoyed my food here! Everything was on time and cooked really well. We thought the service was also very food, however, I have only put 3/5 as I was told the kitchen staff DO NOT get any of the tips! Terrible!

Booked online and it gave me a booking of 1130 am, arrived a few minutes early to be greeted with a locked door, when it was opened we was greeted with we don’t open until 1130. We was shown to our table and drinks brought...

We decided to come here after a Sunday walk for drinks and food. We arrived at the opening time of 12 noon and went to a table. The table was filthy as were the tables around it. Chocolate sauce on table and chairs. Chairs were...

Starters came quick, we waited over an hour for the mains. The chicken burger was burnt with way too much guacamole and salsa. The fried tomatoes were overcooked and dried but tasted stale. And all this was for 2 people. I think I will only...

Lovely meal and excellent service from Amy. Food was yummy and nice relaxing environment. Cosy too and food was served in good time.

OYSTER BED COMPLAINT Eight of us had the misfortune to celebrate my father’s birthday at the Oyster Bed in Whitstable yesterday evening. The service and attitude of the staff were diabolical. The table was booked for 6 pm; admittedly half the party were slightly late...

I hadn't realised this restaurant was here and received a recommendation to go from a friend. I took my family here for lunch and was extremely impressed. Food is excellent, well priced, and service outstanding. The layout of the restaurant allows for quiet dining or...

I am a regular at the oyster bed for early evening drink. I am always received with exceptionally friendly welcome especially from Sam and sarah They even have my drink ready if they see me coming Thanks Sam and Sarah

Came for a family birthday celebration. My brothers 40th. We were a group of 12. Service was slow. Many menu items weren’t available (something about changing menus) which was frustrating as 6 of the 12 people are vegan, so have limited options at the best of times. The food came out with many issues, the most shocking was when the whole root base of a lettuce (which would usually be binned) was put in a salad bowl and served. The food didn’t arrive as one order, some people finished their mains whilst other were still waiting for food. Service terrible, food awful, ambiance dreadful, cleanliness borderline okay. We’ve tried this branch several times over the years and had only one good experience. We will NOT be returning!

Shocking Won’t be going back in this lifetime Didn’t have to use dinner plate might aswell use sideplate the potions are that small and the cook can’t call him a chef can’t get the order right On the plus side the waitress was very good poor girl working in that establishment

We only visited this restaurant as we had a discount voucher & our previous visits have either been extremely slow service or not brilliant food, however we both had an extremely enjoyable meal, excellent friendly service & delicious food.

Went for a meal with my husband and son last week . Great food and even better service! Our waitress Sam was brilliant and we shall definitely be back. Thank you 😊

Amazing food and service, very friendly staff. Service and food was quick and to a good standard. Would recommend.

This pub has always had a bad reputation due to unfriendly staff, but having visited a lot over the last 18 months since a change in ownership I cannot fault it. Sam the new manager is fantastic. Cannot fault her, friendly and really welcoming. The roast is the best meal would highly recommend people give it another visit!

Pre-prepared fair produced without flair. Unremarkable and charmless. I was served instant coffee from a sachet having irdered americano. Little to recommend

We visited here last Sunday. When we booked the table we were told that the earliest we could book was 18:00, so a really busy day. When we arrived we were given a Sunday roast menu from which we obviously chose the roast. We were then told it was off. The excuse being that they had been busier than usual and they had run out. As I stated earlier, they knew that they were going to be busy, we couldn't get a table until 18:00. However, they made no attempt to order in extra food. Next we tried to pick alternate meals but we're again told that things were off. In the end the waitress told us what was left, as it was quicker than telling us what was off. Bearing in mind that this was only 18:00, and they don't close until 22:00. They had four hours to go with virtually no food to offer, and people were still coming in. How the manager still has his job I don't know. He has the staff well trained though, as they made every excuse not to disturb him. The irony being, that while we waited to be served we were filling in the Christmas meal form. This quickly went in the bin. This is typical of restaurants attitude in this country. I get sick of seeing restaurant owners moaning on TV about how they are struggling, a lot of them deserve to be. It will be a long time before I consider going there again. This is also the restaurant that has the least choice for vegetarians, dispute what they claim. On the way out at about 19:30, we passed a large group going in. We of course warned them to check the menu before they got too comfortable.

A lovely place, indoor and outdoor seating, Clean and tidy with reasonable prices, my lasagne was lovely.

Excellent food/drink Sarah waitress, great/considerate. I was impressed, as a coeliac with G F menu.

High quality food. Good menu. Prompt service. Friendly and helpful staff. Good atmosphere. Enough space round tables so privacy maintained and conversation could be heard round table.

Friendly staff and nice food. Booking a table online was very easy. It's a pity that they have got rid of the rotisery chicken though 😑

A massive thank you to the lovely Sarah who was so friendly and helpful! Went exploring the local area with my dog and ended up walking a lot further than expected and it turned very hot. I was looking for somewhere dog friendly where I...

I would like to say a huge thank you to Sam and Andy the chef and all the team at The Oyster bed for their kindness and sensitivity in helping me organise my Mum’s Wake, they gave us a designated area away from diners for...

My mother went out with my adult son for a quiet meal early Saturday evening. My mother didn't realise at the time, she had been seated next to an party of a dozen plus people. There were some children, but they were well behaved, it...

Staff lovely, the atmosphere is really nice as is the actual restaurant. The food in this place is always hot or miss. We have had great roast dinners here but then not so great dinners. My starter was not good and although the staff are...

Great Food And Great Service what more can you ask great drinks selection vegetarian options and delightful deserts

The Sunday roast was one of the best I have ever had beef cook to perfection, piping hot potatoes and vegetables with a rich gravy 😋 excellent service will be back next week just booked a table see you then.

This is a family favourite for us affordable good fresh food with a good menu choice . We really enjoy coming here the staff are great & very helpful my mum forgot her glasses & the staff called us to let us know which I...

Ten of us visited this Sunday for a family lunchtime feast! We had the turkey roast (delicious) and also had burgers, mixed grill and salads! Very accommodating and a big shout out to Courtney who looked after us brilliantly! One day you’ll beat your 22...

I am so sorry to have to write this . As the Oyster Bed was lovely as was the staff.. but my Husband and I has the steak we both had the rib eye as it is advertised as melt in your mouth …. I’m...

We booked for a Friday evening. The restaurant was busy on arrival but we were promptly greeted by the manager on duty and she showed us to our table given menus and left to settle and browse. Good selection available no food off of the...

This is a lovely pub. The menu is varied and the food was yummy. The kids enjoyed it in the garden and they welcomed our dog.

We went for our 8 year Anniversary, we really like coming here on occasion. Although they where extremely short staffed with only 2 staff members and the chef that had been there all day, they were brilliant. They apologised for the wait but shortly after...

4 of us had a roast dinner, hmm the Yorkshire pudding was flatter than a pancake and not cooked, I would be embarrassed to serve it up at home! the potatoes were chewy, not fresh, the pork was a bit dry and very thick cut,...

Fabulous service Came into the oyster bed for some lunch with my other half, adored the signature burger, highly recommend! Food came quick. Wonderful service from Sam and Courtney, lovely to chat to and ever so friendly and helpful :)

We have been to the Oyster Bed quite a few times as it is one of our favourite places to eat as a family. Today's meals were hot and presented well, but the portions of chicken and the quantity of chips were quite disappointing. My...

Lovely food, great atmosphere, polite staff, clean, nice location, some dishes are a little pricey for what they are like pie, mash and veg, however overall not expensive as a night out in a nice restaurant

Fantastic staff at this restaurant. The food arrived hot and the portion size was bigger than expected. Sadly they seem to be understaffed, but that's something out of their control. Marston's really needs to support their restaurants.

The food was good, but unfortunately it took nearly 3 hours to finish our lunch due to the slow service, you really need to employ more staff!!!!!

Very slow service, staff friendly but completely run off their feet lunch was booked for 12:30 and desert was served at 14:58! Slowest service ever. Don’t go unless you have a day to spare. I

Would like to thank all the staff that made our Diamond Wedding party special good buffet and they were very helpful on Saturday night

We went for a Sunday lunch family meal. The food was ok, but was a bit more than your average pub Sunday lunch. I asked for some more gravy and they bought out 2 extra gravy jugs (even though it was only me who asked...

Had a great meal, the food has changed for the better, nice to see it busy. Our waitress Courtney was so lovely, she said we were in an area to order at the bar but came and took out order anyway and couldn't me more...

We went here for a mother's day meal and the restaurant wasn't ad busy as we antisipated, but we had made a booking. The wait staff were incredibly slow and often times would walk into the section our table was in and the walk away...

Went on a Friday night . 2 couples. Booked a table at 6.30 . Eventually got our main at 8.15. Very average meal. We both had surf and turf. Steak was a very sinewy and prawns which looked like deep fried from Iceland ( the...

The food served was very was nice, however, the new menu has removed a number of personal favourite dishes. There is a very limited choice of lower calorie dishes. The feel good salad which was ordered on previous visit was very poor- mainly green leaves...

Having previously been VERY reluctant to return after shocking customer service and the way certain things were handled by staff a few years ago now, have to say it’s ok. Wouldn’t consider food at all but drinks, absolutely! Good service these days however do think...

Come for some food with some work colleagues Very nice and friendly place and our waitress Frankie was absolutely amazing she catered for our needs making sure we was fine and that we had everything we needed that lady is a credit to the company...

Food not up to scratch and the service was poor. We ordered starters and mains of 2 steak dishes and 2 hunters chicken. Starters were OK and came out complete and at the same time. When mains arrived there were 2 steaks and 2 scampi,...

4 of us came in yesterday to try out the new menu we started with the sharer great value for money by the way and a portion of calamari. We then moved on to the mains we had the ham hock, sausages, and mash along...

Very disappointed with the service and our meal tonight,potion size has been reduced while prices have gone up. The food wasn’t hot, starters were a joke in size, we had to ask for condiments, my partners steak was poor, chips that came with the burger...

Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff. Just a shame the menu changed and the prices have changed with it! Used to be able to get a decent sized meal here but portion sizes have been reduced even though prices have been increased! Was still hungry after the...

Chips were underdone, and there was no bbq sauce with Hunter's chicken. Male toilets have graffiti which has been left unpainted for months and months.

The restaurant was very clean. They asked at the door if we had any allergies or foods that needed to be avoided or anything they should know that was special. We were seated and the waitress came to take our order. Sarah was very pleasant...

Food was good, the service was good too. We particularly loved the burgers and the nachos. The hunters chicken was a hit too. The big negative was that we were seated right next to the indoor play area, no idea why there is a need...

This is the second time we’ve been to this bar/restaurant since we moved into the area back in November. Both occasions have been very good experiences made so by the excellent staff. This time it was the lovely Sarah who seated us and then served...

Excellent pub grub - roast beef was succulent and lots of it! Best Yorkshire pud I’ve ever had and gravy was tasty. My son had salt and pepper calamari for starter and said it was the best he had ever had. Main course was triple...

A few family members were dubious about going for my birthday meal due to poor reviews from others. Well… from the moment we walked in the staff couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful! The table was set for 17 of us and a high...

Just went for Sunday Lunch at the Oyster Bed in Whitstable. Really surprised with the quality of the food. Fantastic Sunday roast. Only downside I have trouble cutting the meat with my knife. Staff were friendly and happy to help.

Great food not too expensive. Staff were friendly and attentive. A large gin selection and indoor children's play area.

Very friendly service and the food was generous and lovely, we had the battered fish. Will definitely go again

Went here to meet up with Family for lunch. Staff were very friendly and helpful. My mother in law cannot eat big meals and the server advised that she could eat from the children's menu if she wanted to, which she did. All of the...

We enjoyed a great festival meal. It’s Amazing food and good value too. Great service from Penelope. We’ll be back soon.

Super family friendly place to go. Good choice of food for children and clean, safe play areas inside and out. Elf breakfast event was amazing, one of the best Christmas experiences we had (and we went to a lot!) food was lovely, staff were attentive...

Went to the oyster bed for Christmas dinner there was 9 of us and we was really looked after by Samantha, she see to all our needs and was so happy a jolly. I could see how busy the staff was but 10 out of...

I went to the oyster bed with my partner for a meal and our 3 kids, I was pleasantly welcomed by Ryan who showed us to our table, a waitress gave the children some colouring in to do and that kept them busy and happy,...

My wife booked a table here as a post-Christmas treat for the family ( my wife, myself and our two children aged 16 and 20 ). The table was booked for 6:30 pm and we arrived in plenty of time. We entered the restaurant and...

My daughter and I had a great meal and drinks.The waitress was superb and food came out quickly and hot.Prices reasonable and good tasted great.

Had a lovely meal with family (I can thoroughly recommend the fish and chips or chicken skewers) and the service provided was excellent. We were looked after by a lovely young lady called Frankie who was very attentive to all our foody needs, thank you...

Me and my fiancee went here today and the food and service was brilliant and the desserts were also spot on, highly recommended!!

We booked here for a family dinner. The food was good, the atmosphere was lovely and relaxed and the service was exceptional. Frankie ensured we was well looked after and very attentive.

I went to the oyster bed in November with my family we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The food was lovely and staff were very pleasant. Our waiter Frankie went above and beyond to insure we were happy with everything and anything we asked of her...

I took my family out to the Oyster bed on the Thurs 8th Dec, Thursday is steak night, and to my surprise it was also a Magician night. We was amazed by the magician and my kids loved it. We was served by a lovely...

We had a lovely lunch for 7 at The Oyster Bed, but come bill paying time, we couldn’t electronically tip the fab waitress. Apparently the money goes centrally and they don’t get it back!!! We scrabbled around for cash, but who carries cash these days!...

Amazing food, Courtney was an amazing waitress. Would definitely come back especially for that good roast

Good food , friendly staff definitely an improvement from the start of the year, will be coming back again :)!!

come today for a family meal. food was perfect the roast beef was so amazing and the service from Courtney and Frankie was brilliant. well done to the chefs we will be back for Christmas

Came to eat here with my partner and can honestly say it was the best experience I've had in a family restaurant. The staff were all lovely and particularly a staff member named Courtney, as she was serving us during our stay. She was polite...

I have reviewed here previously following a not so pleasant experience however, I do like to also review when I see such an improvement. Couldn't believe the difference during a visit booked by friends for a reunion, lovely friendly staff and very tasty food. I...