Turner Contemporary Cafe in Thanet

The building is uninspiring, and there is little or no art on display. The current exhibition, Anya Gallaccio: preserve, is profoundly underwhelming - a mixture of naivety and hubris - and could best be described as an emperor’s new clothes experience.

Seems like a lot of space for not very much to look at. Saying that I don't really 'get' modern art so I definitely won't be going back. Honestly I'm surprised there's even an art exhibition space in Margate, I think it might fit in better if the whole area was redeveloped - the Lido for instance. Good for parking however and there are lifts to all floors. Gift shop was really expensive.

We found the gallery to be clean, tidy and well staffed. We enjoyed our visit, although the apples hanging from the ceiling for one of the installations provoked us to hold our noses!

Very disappointed with what was on display, such a shame.

Wasn't expecting the gallery to be free! One show on at any one time - excellent Anya Gallaccio when we visited - the cafe is great too.

A wonderful, thought provoking little homage to crabs. Friendly staff. Free entry (but please make a donation!). Great for children and adults alike.

Ok, but a bit lacking. Dubious ''art'' works. Needs more umph....and more art.

A lovely gallery and exhibitions that change during the year. There is a nicely located coffee shop- which seems to be run independently, although the staff are very friendly, the service is slow and the selection poor. This seems to have been managed by several operators over the years and the present operator is not particularly good.

Fantastic display of living art from the moment you enter the installation of macrame net suspended from the ceiling united the coastal setting to the interior. See an amazing display of living art as oxygen works on the exhibits. See candle wax melt to form ever moulding architecture. See gazanis flowers as their life ebbs into decay and amazing colours fade to grey fibrous skeletons. Stunningas you watch an amazing 3d printer at work - more art in the making.

Don't use the Turner car park under any circumstance. It's run by a private company that will try and fine you at any oppertunity. If you don't purchase a ticket within minuites of entering the ANPR will clock you. You'll then receive all kinds of threats and scare tactics. Shame on Turner who will reply to this review with a generic response about using other car parks rather than making a stand.

Great coffee shop and also a wonderful Anya Gallico exhibition. Very interesting. The staff are knowledgeable and extremely welcome to questions on the art and the building. A very calming place.

Nice and quiet during the week,

Lovely gallery where we saw the Anna Gallaccio exhibition. Very enjoyable

Very disappointed today. Web site indicates Gallery being open. Arrived approx 11.30 today, only to find all closed. It was our first visit. Somebody is not doing their job in updating Web site.

A lot of the galleries were closed so not a good experience!

Deckchairs with a sea view outside the cafe are lush on a sunny day.

Wow . What can I say . I've been lucky enough to taste this little gems food via too good to go .. and if I can't eat it all . I share with less privalidged people . Yesterday we had . The best soup in years . The tastiest sausage rolls and this morning pain o choc to die for .. trust me if your visiting the Tate .. leave the packed lunch at home . And spoil yourselves.. because Louis on sea makes it a great day xx

It is a lovely building with huge space to display modern art, but there’s not much on display. What is on show may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, they do sell cups of tea (and coffee too) in their cafeteria which might be more appealing for some visitors. I enjoy modern art and was looking forward to this gallery. Didn't feel that the building made the best of its seaside setting. There wasn't a lot inside. A wedding was taking up a large chunk of the building. The exhibition was ok

Most of it closed. What i saw was overpriced and pretentious

Very disappointing. Only 1 exhibition on display which was only 3 sculptures. Apart from the shop and the cafe, everything else was closed

Unfortunately, only the downstairs area was open on the day that I visited, even so the works by some very young artists were inspiring.

The cafe has a lovely situation and I have eaten there with two previous tenants. The current menu is not particularly exciting and is expensive for what they offer. The food itself was ok. The main problem was the whole place felt grubby. Cakes were uncovered on a counter scattered with crumbs. Tables were not cleared or cleaned for a long time. I had to move dishes so I could eat. Even the floor needed a sweep and good mop. There seemed to be enough staff but perhaps they need to be trained and organised better. Generally disappointing and not as good as before.

Nothing to see very few pictures no Turner to see , exhibition space closed, car parking expensive

Nice and free exhibition. A bit small and wish there was more to see! But one should be grateful it's free! Recommended!

What a fabulous location this place has! Really wonderful views of the seafront with deckchairs and DJ music outside. We had delicious mushroom and gorgonzola pizzas. The staff were chatty and friendly and made sure that we had a wonderful evening. Can't wait to go back!

Just ashame your not aloud dogs and not local artists or I would visit more often

Could be better. Would be great with some proper art.

Hugely disappointed, only one artist. Not my cup of tee. Walked out. Glad I didn't have to pay. Surely this space is better used exhibiting a range of artist, local, nearby scenes?

Excellent contemporary art gallery about 15 minutes walk from Margate railway station. The gallery which opened in 2011, is built on the site of the boarding house where JMW Turner stayed during his visits to Margate. Entry to the gallery is free. We travelled by train from London to see the exhibition of work by American abstract expressionist Ed Clark which closes on 1 September. It was excellent. On the ground floor there were also three interesting bronze sculptures by US artist Linda Benglis.

Had lunch in cafe today. What we had was good but very small menu. Wanted to then go into the gallery during gheir advertised opening times but they suddenly shut for 2 hours prior to opening for an evening event, so very disappointed

A wonderful art gallery. Beautiful light and a very nice cafe. Loved the deckchairs. Must be one of the loveliest free galleries in the UK.

The staff was very nice. Used toilets and cafe. Didn't visit the gallery.

I liked the place, very well organised, fantastic views, great coffee, comfortable chairs, welcome and kind staff.

Artwork was awful the most boring thing ive ever been to went in alive come out dead

Is ok it's free and toilets and all but needs be bigger and more variety of stuff

Good for Margate to have this gallery. Not a huge amount in it though, but it's definitely worth a visit. I always think they could have used the amazing location much better with a more thoughful building design. Don't bother with the attached cafe - not great.

Very nice small gallery. Free entry however donation boxes are placed inside. Toilets, lift. Cafe. Outdoor seating area with entertainment. Great views.

Lovely coffee but £4.50 for a slice of incredibly dry lemon and poppy seed cake. Very disappointing for something some expensive

I visited Turner Contemporary in Margate, and my experience was a mix of highs and lows. The gallery itself is in a great location, with beautiful views of the sea, which adds to the overall ambiance. The building's modern design is striking and blends well with the coastal surroundings. The exhibits were thought-provoking, with a good range of contemporary art that caters to different tastes. I particularly enjoyed the installations, which were both creative and engaging. However, I felt that the overall collection was a bit limited, and some of the exhibits didn’t quite resonate with me. While the staff was friendly and welcoming, I found that the layout of the gallery could be improved. It felt somewhat disjointed, making it difficult to navigate between different sections. Additionally, I was hoping for more information and context about the artwork on display. The lack of detailed descriptions made it harder to fully appreciate the pieces. The café offered a decent selection of food and drinks, but the prices were on the higher side for what was offered. It would have been nice to see more affordable options available. Overall, Turner Contemporary is worth a visit if you're in Margate, especially for art enthusiasts. However, there's definitely room for improvement in terms of exhibit variety and visitor experience.

Free entry, wonderful gallery to visit!

Beautiful, airy, inspiring space. Right by the sea. Incredible building. Particularly loved the Ed Clark exhibition.

2 gallery spaces which change regularly, with a standing exhibit/activity room for kids. Event space downstairs also. Gift shop and a good cafe that serves frozen apersol spritz slushies in the summer.

A good and fun small exhibition showcasing some local artists as well in their market section. Definitely worth a visit.

Used the café which was mainly clean and tidy, great coffee, but generally prices seemed a bit high.

If you are visiting Margate sands - why not spend an hour or so of your time absorbing the culture found within the Turner Gallery. It is free, continually changes their exhibitions throughout the year and houses some exceptional work from across the globe. In short - a worthwhile visit. Longer Review: we have never been disappointed with our visits to The Tate groups, Turner Gallery. We have seen work by Turner himself, Grayson Perry and even a piece by my favourite American artist Edward Hopper. The gallery is modern and not too demanding on time. There are lockers to store your belongings, restrooms, cafe and a gift shop. On sunny days, there may even be deck chairs at the entrance overlooking the bay of Margate sands. In our most recent trip, this was accompanied by a DJ plying vintage sounds. The Turner Gallery is more than just a museum though - it serves as the hotbed of forward thinking ideals and virtues - bringing a blend of cultural life into Margate that is wonderful to see and experience. Personally - I love this venue and always look forward to our next visit.

Nice place to visit if you like art galleries.

Fantastic exhibition space. And free.

Only interesting place in this town. Contemporary art and beautiful sea view.

Always a great place to visit, although the current Ed Clark exhibition is not one of their best. And it's free!

Took my friend from Hertfordshire and she enjoyed the gallery

Great gallery, not busy so great for seeing the art. Beautiful setting and enjoyed sitting outside the cafe in deck chairs.

The exhibits are something to look forward to but the actual structure overlooking the sea has magnificent views. Definitely make time for this one!

Nice museum, donations optional of course. Staff friendly and helpful. Ed Clark exhibition very interesting and worth a visit. Particularly the ovals and rectangles and how we see images! The Lynda Benglis sculptures are so inviting to the touch, but do not touch! Definitely worth a visit.

Disgusted by the Car Parking Arrangment outside of the building that would be used by visitors..monitored by a company that fines you as they use cameras to note your registration that you are not made aware of when you park using the Ringi App, then 4 months down the line get a letter from Debt collecting company (Debt Recovery Plus) chasing you for £170 unpaid ticket for or threatening you with court action..never received a parking ticket or 3 previous letters from the debt collection company either and have my Ringo evidence that contradicts the camera timings of entering and leaving on time for my Ringo payment time. Will be taking this up with Local BBC media and social media to establish who else has been conned by this parking company called SMART PARKING LTD. Please post on hear if you have been caught as I am going to build up a case.

Loved the Ed Clark exhibition and the clever way it was collated.

It is a nice modern gallery. Different exhibits on during the year.

This gallery is the best thing about Margate!

I’ve just been to see the Ed Clark exhibition which was well worth the trip, as always thoughtfully curated. The previous exhibition featured an enormous breadth of work by history’s best female abstract artists. Complementing last year’s joyous Beatriz Milhazes exhibition. The galleries are spacious, the staff super friendly and it’s free. Ignore the negative reviews and immerse yourself.

Small gallery with changing exhibitions.

I had wanted to visit this gallery since hearing of it. A long journey from where I live it took a while to plan a visit. I was prepared to be amazed. The sculptures in the entrance foyer were wonderful and I was prepared for further treasures. Sadly the main exhibition was five fooms by a featured artist who was not to my taste at all. That was it! I suggest visitors research what is currently on display before travelling. Disappointing, no, but sadly I was derinitely underwhelmed.

Cool building right on the sea front. Also, it's free entry so accessible to everyone, including pushchairs and wheelchairs. There was only one exhibition on display, Ed Clark, which is why 4☆

Only in Margate for a few days. Was looking forward to visiting the gallery on Friday May 24th and was disappointed to learn, when I arrived, that the gallery was closed for the day. If that had been mentioned when I checked the hours of operation, I wouldn't have walked for 45 minutes just to get there..... Update: thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I don't live in England, which is why the closure was so disappointing. I imagine there are many visitors in Margate who do not live in, or regularly visit that part of the world, so it would be a good to make it known when you will not be open, however temporarily.

Lovely place with changing exhibitions. Cafe was lovely and nice view of the sea

Even if you’re not a fan of modern art, Turner Contemporary is worth a visit for the view alone. The Ed Clark exhibition was striking and informative.

Spent a very nice hour around the exhibitions and gift shop

Open airey museum. Very clean. Love the art displays.

A great edition to the town, even though I've not seen anything that I've hugely liked in my couple of visits to Margate pa. Sincerely fantastic gents so happily donate a fiver. Don't get upset, you appreciate it your way......!

Not to be missed when in Margate. Great views of the sea to be enjoyed together with the art exhibitions of the moment. I do not always appreciate contemporary art, but enjoyed the Ed Clark exhibition. There was a nice little gift shop and cafe in the museum, and chairs you could lounge in to enjoy the sun and the sea.

A nice place to spend some time. Nice food.

+ A nice, airy place with good atmosphere and location + Plenty of contemporary artwork for those who enjoy it - Many of the works of art looked like someone had splashed paint onto the canvas, and used a broom to move it across to the other side. - Art pieces lack information, although there are placards next to each painting, there isn't much information on them.

This is more than a gallery. Exhibits change and experience of them.is a matter of taste. Other things about the Tirner gallery are katters of fact and I visit a lot so can.htske the l8bg view. So, as a matter of fact, the staff are friendly and welcoming especially in the coffee shop where they make time for everyone. Security is subtle and completely unobtrusive. There is no need to go online and be at the mercy of algorithms, bot puzzles and coverage drop-outs. Walk in and enjoy. And a special mention to the bathroom.facilities which are plentiful, well equipped and very well cleaned and maintained. The V&A may have more exhibits to offer (exhibits are fantastic) but you won't be as well looked after and it doesn 't have a lovely sea view! Nor are there great fish n chips just over the road.🏖

Nice shop, nice coffee, nice displays of art. Also has the biggest lift we've ever seen!

Excellent temporary exhibition and good service for lunch with a view.

Beautifully displayed, very spacious. Not a fan of contemporary art generally, but it was worth a little visit.

Not an attractive building from the outside, and nothing special inside, with drab and dull spaces and little done to exploit its position on the seafront next to the harbour. The main exhibition wasn't great but the knots on the ground floor were ok. There is a room for children and that seems quite nice, looking in through the doors.

I visited here with some friends and had t really researched the place. I expected to see some Turners given the seemingly eponymous naming of the gallery. What I found instead was a curious contemporary gallery housed in an architecturally intriguing building. It really adds to the town and looks great. Sadly, we didn’t get to see much as they happened to be setting up exhibitions when we were there, but we saw a couple of pieces from the permanent collection, and checked out the shop which was full of quirky bits and bobs. Hope to come back here and see more!

Very disappointing. Only one Artist displayed. Not many painting to see. Not worth the journey.

Simply loved this place. We went to the James Donnelly Supper Club with a special menu featuring local food for £60. (There's a matching wine tasting which we didn't have but looked good.) This was a special 'pop up' event. There was a broad bean & ricotta salata tartlett to start, then a fish & chip roquette or asparagus both served with pea fitter (my favourite part of the meal). The main course was steak with a Thai sour fruit salad (there was a vegan option of a cauliflower 'steak' and a delicious strawberry & clotted cream baked alaska as a dessert. The venue is great with glorious views over the harbour and town. The staff were attentive and friendly. We'll definitely come again.

Where were the pictures by Turner? Not a one in sight.

Always pop on for a look at contemporary art. Regularly changed. Great arty space. Gift shop and refreshments.

Enjoyed looking around the exhibition, great atmosphere inside and beautiful views of the shoreline. Some more seating inside would be amazing for people who need to rest. We enjoyed our visit.

Small gallery, unfortunately the exhibitions on didn't appeal to us but was still nice to visit.

Very inclusive gallery with activities room for younger ones. The gallery is clean and spacious. It has a gift shop and cafe on site. It's on the seafront and provides a couple of hours activity on any Margate day out

Frequent rotations of installations, often very good, sometimes a bit of a miss, but it's free entry so nothing lost if what's on isn't for you. I never regret popping in - I especially enjoyed the current exhibition of Ed Clark's mid-century abstractionism. The café is also pretty decent. Definitely worth a stop by if you're in Margate.

Not much there really. Underwhelming.

A unique and impressive experience among world-class works of art! Fully accessible for disabled people. There is a separate corner for entertainment with children and a restaurant!

Next to nothing there, when it's "between exhibitions". It's a big shed. The café isn't great either. Food on display, unprotected in any way. It was a letdown.

Great place for the whole family. Daughter loved making her own wooden sculpture.

I am a Turner fan - as such an (overdue) impromptu Margate visit made the Contemporary a main focus. Disable Parking was convenient, the entrance is predominantly a very nicely appointed and spacious shop. Large tactile-looking sculptures adorned the ground-floor space encouraging visitors to be... well, tactile. But don't. The small and too-distant wall plaque says not to touch... at a height and size unsuitable for smaller children, the disabled or otherwise challenged folk to notice before they had passed (and touched) the sculptures(?) The seaward window is amazing - a real nod to what the Contemporary's namesake would come to Margate to see/paint/harness. There wasn't anything else of note available/on-view downstairs, other dusplay room doors were locked or closed off. Moving upstairs was the main gallery feature of Ed Clarke work. This was a pleasing homage and insight into the artist and his method(s). It was across three medium-sized gallery rooms. For us this wasn't enough unfortunately, and means you leave the space prematurely. The coffee shop is well located and takes advantage of lots of light and glass. The cakes were unfortunately not good enough in our opinion, lacking flavour. There's plenty of arty hubbub and eclecticism to be found elsewhere in the surrounding streets; vintage mod moped riders, carib dining, vintage furnishings/clothing, sweets and ice creams. Dreamland is a very short walk. By midday Margate has a compact, thriving, summery feel. A classic seaside town in recovery and constant positive transition... 'Turner conditions'. Margate is on the up.

The building is modern and spacious inside. The art gallery was upstairs, and the lift wasn't working. There were seats available outside with music from loudspeakers. The view of the beach from here is beautiful at both high and low tides.

Exhibitions and space are amazing, overpriced shop

Drove from Deal to this place and found it closed. Several school parties also showed up and had to go away disappointed. The pastrami sandwich in the cafe was excellent however. Shame about the gallery

Impressive building, great cafe. Gallery closed

Great space with amazing exhibitions and lovely staff

Lovely place and a great view of the sea

We came down from North London to visit on Thursday to find it CLOSED. Was there advance warning? I didn't see it and so was VERY disappointed.

Gallery wasn't open the day we came but the cafe was, we had some nice low alcohol beer and the girls that served us were lovely.

Great location and nice cafe, but limited gallery space and exhibits of variable quality.

I am not a massive art gallery person but this was particularly pretentious. 2nd star added for the toilet. Best part of it was the views out on to the sea.

A very pleasant visit to an exhibition “Beyond Form: lines of abstraction 1920-1970”. It’s worth a visit to see the sea though the windows. It’s nice to see sit outside the cafe when it’s nice. Love the toilet roll dispenser, so sleek!