Turner Contemporary Cafe in Thanet

I was going to visit to see the Steve McQueen exhibition on Resistance but I emailed them a question about it about 6 weeks weeks ago and they still haven't replied so I decided not to go. If they can't even be bothered to reply to an email...

excellent exhibition curated in part by Steve McQueen - photographs of resistance in UK...should be seen

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Saw the Steve McQuuen exhibition on resistance. It's been a while since I've seen something so raw, real & visceral. Many of the photos were from events when I was growing up. I'll confess I had to step out for a bit to regroup as it was quite emotive. Well done to Margate for holding this, London can't seem to do exhibitions that are brave and make you think these days ...

Loads of lovely exhibitions. Currently some thought provoking art from Africa. A well stocked gift shop.

Stopped at the gallery to sit in the sun with an ice cream. Hugely disappointed when my husband came out with a paper cup (cone not even offered) and the smallest size scoop of ice cream I’ve ever seen!!!!! It was literally one of those paper spoons with a knob of ice cream at the end of it. Not a scoop for £3.50. I took it back and the girl said that was their size. So £7.00 for 2 spoons of ice cream. I said nicely I don’t think so and with that we agreed to put more ice cream in the cup to at least add up to a portion. Won’t be returning.

Always worth a visit and the current exhibition (Resistance) is a must.

Turner contemporary - a museum with barely one work by turner. Very disappointing. The museum’s architecture is minimalist design with natural light entering into some of the the exhibition spaces. The current exhibition is- RESISTANCE: How Protest Shaped Britain and Photography Shaped Protest. Hope for more art by turner in the future.

I recently visited the “RESISTANCE: How Protest Shaped Britain and Photography Shaped Protest” exhibition at Turner Contemporary, and it was fantastic. The museum’s architecture, designed by David Chipperfield, is striking, with its minimalist design and natural light pouring into the exhibition spaces. Located by the sea, it offers stunning views that complement the exhibits perfectly. The exhibition itself explores the role of photography in British protests, featuring powerful works that capture key moments in history. Steve McQueen’s contribution added a unique depth to the show. The entire experience was immersive, thought-provoking, and definitely worth seeing.

Visited on Sunday 13th April to see the ‘Resistance’ photo exhibition which was fantastic. A very helpful member of staff in the main gallery area saw us coming and told us about a children’s photo event upstairs, which we went to and really enjoyed (we wouldn’t have gone and investigated without this recommendation). She also encouraged my children to look at the large globe art piece, and was great at engaging them without being pushy. Everything we did was free - it’s a bright and calm art gallery - highly recommend.

Enjoyed the venue , only what they were exhibiting was not to my taste , so check before you go. Worth a visit though if you get a chance

A small Gallery with lots of photos and sadly only one Turner painting on display. The sculpture was already disappearing as the tide was coming in, bit disappointed as I have never visited when the tide is out. Big positive was free entry. Toilets were clean.

Lovely space, well organised and clean.

Fantastic exposition! "Resistance" about protests over a 100 years in the UK!

A brilliant activity for all children

Art of resistance Imagine strong images Seaside see protests

A snack, delicious mushrooms on toast hit the target

We went on to see the steve mcqueen photo exhibition. It was very interesting.

Definitely worth the day trip from London.

The Turner Contemporary is in a great location, right by Margate Beach, with lovely sea views from the large windows inside. I visited on a weekend and it was quite busy. Entry is free, and there’s a quick security check at the entrance. There is a big gift shop, clean toilets, and a café. The gallery itself is spacious and spread over a few floors, with large halls. We saw an exhibition showcasing photography focused on British history and human rights. While the space is impressive, I found the number of exhibits quite limited and the overall experience a bit underwhelming. It was an okay visit, but nothing was particularly memorable for me.

Lovely clear space overlooking the sea. Deckchairs outside with a view while you have a drink.

Amazing art in an amazing place!

Wonderful and interesting. We fully enjoyed the exhibit. Easy parking in the area. Very friendly staff. Pleasant coffee shop. Recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Very entertaining exhibition. Laid our and explained very well

Underwhelming. I had expected to find at least one gallery displaying a core collection of modern art, with the exhibitions providing a thought provoking and changing counterpoint. The Resistance exhibition was good, but would have fitted into half the space, with the other rooms given over to modern (and ideally local) artists.

Turner Contemporary Gallery, has a fantastic exhibition space, located facing the harbour arm in Margate,

Fantastic exhibitions. When in Margate, a must!

Free entry art gallery. Great exhibitions.

Excellent photographic exhibtion

Excellent building that is currently hosting an inspirational exhibition of photography illustrating the struggles that have gradually won rights and advanced awareness. It covers from the Suffrage movement onwards. The building is spacious, busy yet not crowded and has a cafe that seems very popular. Entrance is free.

Beautiful free exhibition. Nice view of the sea from the window.

Free Admission with high quality exhibitions

Definitely worth a visit, free entrance and very accessible. A snap shot of photos recording events from the past.

Cafe always rammed, staff bit dismissive

Meeting place for our cycle group

It good for a wander if you're into art

Great exhibition Resistance- curated by Steve Mcqueen and others. Lots of community visual histories of the UK. So much i can relate to

Always clean, tidy and have great exhibitions- free entry. Lovley little cafe area, decent prices and clean toilets. Right in the center of Margate, food market opposite, beach and parking close by. Parking behind from £2 an hour. I found the exhibit quite moving and a very interesting, always worth looking online for whats on.

Massive space, but "between exhibitions" and literally nothing to see. Nothing interim, nothing in the spaces that weren't being changed. Not clear why they even opened. Disappointed.

Gallery open but no exhibitions on display at all. Seems a bit odd to me. Luckily there are lots of galleries in the town!

DON’T GO - there are no displays over half term whilst they set up a new exhibition. Not one painting to see!!!

Avoid! It’s half term and the new exhibition isn’t open,very poor planning on the gallery’s behalf. Definitely not worth a trip.

Lovely exhibition center with helpful and kind staff. The installations by Anya Gallaccio were divine. We really enjoyed our visit!

Website said the upstairs exhibitions would be closed til Friday 7th and they were still closed on the 8th. Pretty disappointing when you've planned a trip for the weekend. Absolutely nothing on ground floor. Musuem description says "Dramatic spaces displaying art by JMW Turner and contemporary artists, in eye-catching gallery." They have no Turners!

The last two times I've been here, the gallery itself has been closed. We went to the cafe instead and had some of the worst cake known to mankind - it'd clearly been sitting out all day.

The gallery in itself is fine. The car parking is however a complete scam and a trap. Even if you pay for parking if you take a few minutes to initially make the payment you receive a fine and an appeal still gets rejected with proof of payment.

Nice exhibition space on the sea.

The buildings aesthetics promise more than the exhibition delivers. And not too long after arriving the promise of shelter from the driving rain and biting cold couldn't keep me from the overwhelming urge to leave... This was encouraged by the aroma / stench of the rotten apple exhibition... which will test the constitution of the most committed modern art fan. Having said that, the cafe does a great quiche (if you ignore the uber strong mustard dressing on the most token of side 'salads'). And the 'toastie' was edible. Although they could reconsider the vast quantities of raw onion. Perhaps I'm more of a classic art fan🤔

Lovely exhibition centre. Very helpful staff. Wonderful atmosphere. We were very lucky to visit the place the only day they were open till 9.

Incredible venue and the friendliest staff! I had the privilege of photographing a wedding here and can't wait to shoot another one.

Great venue to while away a Sunday on a grey and slightly overcast day. Staying in Broadstairs and easy bus ride to grab a coffee and see a fabulous installation. Will visit again when there next. Staff so helpful and cafe/bistro great place for lunch.

A Very interesting exhibition, not really sure what's the message about, but we enjoyed throughout.

The Turner is a glorious spacious spot to muse on art, the sea (beautifully framed in the big windows) and get a cuppa.

Huge building and yet only a few pieces of art on show, so feels like a huge waste of tax payers money. The art itself, well the rotting apple wall OMG YUCK it stank soooo bad! Others were rotting flowers and old trees. It’s pretty basic as far as art goes. The building is modern and flash, clean and FREE so that’s good but should provide more. Security in door to check bags.. seems excessive

I loved this gallery! Great exhibition with interesting pieces.

Great space, rotten show on at the mo though.

Compact and bijou, but very nice to wander around.

Amazing exhibition and loveeedddddd the book selections at the gift shop:)))

Knock it down and put the pub back stop wasting tax payers money on this ridiculous waste of money

Went to see Anya Gallaccio’s exhibition - loved it

A very charming gallery with an interesting selection of artist exhibits

Just the most fabulous space to view art.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Turner Contemporary today. An amazing exhibition, lovely coffee, friendly staff!

Visited Margate late last month and was pleasantly surprised and delighted to have the chance to visit the underrated Turner Contemporary Gallery . One of the better highlights of my visit staff were local based and friendly I asked about vinyl stores and I was direct by a nice lady on the first floor she had a ponytail and mentioned Aldi supermarket on the Northdown road. Thank you I made the vinyl shop It must of been fri 25 October.I would definitely go back to see future exhibitions it was free but I contributed a donation . The building has a lovely energy about it though.

I'm not really into art, but I found this gallery very calming with some interesting items 😌

Was planning a visit, but no free car parking close by, how can you build a new building like this without it's own free car park.

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.

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

Nice and quiet during the week,

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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