West Bay Cafe in Thanet

We had been for a swim and knew we were going for a coffee post swim so called to give the heads up as we were 10 strong. We got there the cafe was busy and one family ahead of us in the queue. We waited at least 15 minutes and the family ahead was still being served. There was ONE person behind the counter doing their best but doing everything. Come on management who is keeping an eye on the place. We ended up leaving and going to Millie’s. We were served in no time at all and this is our new go to place.

Friendly great staff good atmosphere

We called in on a Friday for a quick bite for lunch and initially intended to have just a toasted sandwich but were then tempted by the specials board which offered jacket potatoes with a range of fillings for just £1 more. After ordering and taking a seat outside on a warm September afternoon, large plates arrived quickly with a good-sized potato overflowing with filling and a generous portion of salad. Good value for £6.95. Although the normal Friday closing time is 6:00pm we noticed that on that evening they had live music outside from 5:30 - 7:30pm and the kitchen would stay open until at least 7 o'clock.

Good service, excellent breakfasts, beautiful views and atmosphere.

Good breakfast looking across the bay

Had a light breakfast after walking the dog.

A little Gem 💎 right on the beach

Went for breakfast with my daughter... waited 45 minutes thinking wow this should be good .... already paid a high price for it .... came out .. everything was burnt except the poached egg .. even the beans were out of their skins ... couldn't butter the toast as freezing cold and rock hard ... daughter had eggs florentine ... flavourless... no Capers... absolute waste of money .. won't be back ... lovely view tho and the bottled water was good ....

as always food lovely and staff fantastic

Excellent, really helpful staff, great food wonderful views, what's not to like

Beautiful place to unwind and enjoy good food and drink with superb scenery.

Fantastic breakfast with excellent views! Great scrambled egg big toast with good quality sausage on the side. Sun was shining and a superb way to start the day.

Been using this place for many years,and will continue to do so,we absolutely love it,in fact we are just off to breakfast there now

Staff more interested in their phones than serving!! Very slow service, waitresses friendly and had their work cut out trying to locate people who had ordered food. Perhaps table numbers given to the customer when they order would help the staff. Mediocre coffee, toilet is awful, for both sexes and not the cleanest, also no loo roll.

Westbay cafe, you could be SO much better. The queue is ALWAYS to the door..it is so unorganised, the place looks a shambles, there is no organisation you can tell. Tables always dirty,no instructions to help yourself to cutlery, sauces etc. Why not put a basket on each table when the food order is taken? A cappuccino with NO froth. £85 for 5 adults for over cooked dry scampi and dry chips. It could he a gem. Such a let down.

It was Easter Sunday and busy but our food was served in a good time and was delicious. The vegan options were a little bit small for hungry cyclists though. My only comment was the toilet had no toilet paper and no soap. This was Easter Sunday morning so it should have been well stocked for the day. I appreciate it could potentially be used by passers by but a polite notice and suggestion of alternative toilets for non-customers would help alleviate that. Very disappointing in an otherwise great experience.

Haven't eaten here but convenient for a coffee with service that is not too slow even when busy. Friend had cuppa + bacon sandwich for £5. There was a choice of white or brown bread. His sandwich had white bread which was fresh with crispy crusts. There was plenty of bacon and butter and it was served with a salad garnish. Excellent value. The outside seating on the promenade overlooks the beach and is very pleasant when warm and sunny. A toilet is available

I Ordered two breakfasts and two cups of tea. asked if I could have the teas served with the meal as teas go cold if the food service is slow (and it was slow). I was rudely told was told "we're too busy to bring teas to the table" At the table there was no place to leave the used tea bags or the used sugar sachets so we had to leave them on the table. The meals were delivered - and I'm not sure how as they are too busy to bring the drinks to the table - or (Doh!) they could have brought the drinks with the meals. The food was barely acceptable in quality and quantity (the toast was two pieces of warm bread) and the service was downright rude. If you want a poor quanlity meal, served by rude and unhelpful staff in a needlessly noisy cafe - this is the place for you (NOT).

Such a hearty breakfast (with coffee of course) of Crushed Avocado on Toast, and I asked for bacon on the side (beautifully done). We’re coming back and we’re bringing more friends!!

Very busy. Very efficient and nice staff. Young lad brought our tea over but unfortunately milk had been added. We have just a tiny drop but despite how busy they were he took it away and brought out fresh for us with milk to add ourselves. All very quickly. Excellent. Only downside. NO scones.☹ Sold out

Lovely late full English breakfast (vegan style). Right on the beach so amazing views. Dog friendly, prefer cash however do take card. It was a cold day so a little chilly inside. Great place. Will definitely go back.

Came here years ago, looking for a breakfast spot, not disappointed, staff great, breakfast recommended, tea and coffee as you would expect. The only drawback / downside, it was very cold in the restaurant, no heating; wear a coat on colder days. We will return….

Barking dogs and no inside toilet.

Went for breakfast this morning. Do not come here, so over priced for what you get. Ordered avocado and poached egg on toast, which only came with 1 slice of toast may I add. Also ordered eggs Benedict. Both portion sizes were terribly small for over £9 each. Biggest waste of money in my opinion.

Lovely little spot with great views. Food was really good and reasonably priced. Only slight negative was the length of time it took for the food to be served. We went mid week and it was pretty quiet but yet the food took a while to arrive. Wouldn't put us off visiting again though, we'll definitely be back!

Good basic food sometimes not the greatest food but the staff are lovely and great views

Bright December day, hoping for a late morning brunch. I got a brunch but it wasn't nice. As I walked in member of staff sweeping, plus points but I think the place might not have been swept for ages. Young man behind counter looked dirty. greasy hair. filthy apron and Guess what he went off to cook my breakfast ! Breakfast with homemade soda bread was not good. Bread, horrid! O my West Bay Cafe what has happened to you? I come back here if in the area for a bit of nostalgia.......I won't be back. Awful !!

Stuck in a time Wharf from 70s. Good views and ok for a coffee

Great place to eat or just have a coffee

A good place in a prime location though the cutlery, tables and floor were dirty, food was cold and service was poor.

Great little cafe with some good beers. Fantastic views and some free parking close by.

Just eaten here .... had a full English I asked for chips instead of hash browns and was charged an extra £3.95 which is a little excessive as I had one item less ?? Anyway what an awful breakfast good poached eggs Mushroom was burnt bland firm sausage So is this worth nearly £15...... HELL NO avoid at all costs as there is plenty of better cafes around

A beautiful spot for people watching and great views of the sea and it’s revellers. My 3 girlfriends and I decided to give this cafe/beach bar an opportunity to wow us with their Full English breakfast. We all chose the half English - unfortunately not one of us was happy with it. No one ate the sausage - we all found it too dense with a rubbery skin and a funny taste. The bacon was chewy there was inconsistency with the temperature of all the food on the plate, actually the only thing I really enjoyed was the brown toast. So sorry but that is the truth, we will not be going back.

Spotted this cafe by chance, perfect location on the beach, a short walk from the road with good disabled access to the cafe We didn't take the chair inside so can't comment on that. Food was great - both had Omelette and Chips and the portions were generous. I was quite jealous of the local dog walkers who had stopped for wine - how decadent on a week day lunchtime!

Lovely cafe on the seafront. Food was good. Service excellent and good value, all enjoyed with great views

Great little gem overlooking the sea at Westgate Bay. Good range of foods, very dog friendly, busy a lot of the time especially at weekends. Nice and old-fashioned with good Wi-Fi. Update: A new restaurant has been built above which offers a modern dining experience with lovely views.

Rubbery hard eggs, cold, gammon ws cut so thick & was so fatty.Worst eggs ben I’ve ever had. Not worth the price!

Always have stopped off here when in area , but gone downhill over priced for beach cafe ,and dubious practices with condiments , used vinegar on my chips , then noticed horrible snotty stringy stuff in the bottle disgusting just been topped up and never had a clean in years , could not eat meal after that took in showed member staff she just took off me never said a word

Stopped by West Bay Cafe and Beach Bar today. Scored a spot outside and went for their fry up. It was alright, but given the price, I was hoping for a bit more. It's not your everyday cafe pricing, but hey, you're dining by the sea. They could tweak a few things here and there. The crispy hash browns? Spot on! It's more of a once-in-a-while spot than a regular haunt. Pretty packed for a sunny Sunday morning. All in all, a solid 7/10 for me.

We visit this beach and cafe every year in memory of my grandad that passed away we have never had a problem in all the years we have been coming here until yesterday! Me and my sister sat down at a table while our mum was going to order the food for us - me and my sister gave our children something to eat at it was lunch time and they were hungry - no where in the cafe does it say you can’t consume any food or drink from outside the cafe so we didn’t think we were doing any wrong - this man walked passed us 5/y times before walking over to the other side of the cafe and shouted at us ‘PUT THAT AWAY’ my sister asked what he meant and he said ‘that food I don’t want it in my restaurant’ ok I get that he might not of wanted them to have the food in there but he could of come over to us and ask us politely and not in front of the whole cafe! It made us feel very on edge because then everyone started looking at us! It didn’t stop there so my mum had ordered the food by this point and then we was waiting for our food - the food came out and it was cold, the cheese wasn’t melted in the toasties it looked like that had just put to pieces of toast together with some cheese and onion (the price they charge they should be doing the toasties properly) my mum took them up to the counter and asked for help the staff member was so rude to my mum and was really arguing with her for no reason so my mum asked for the manager - the manager came over and was really helpful she apologised to my mum for her staff member arguing and kindly gave my mum a refund - I am so disappointed in this experience as we have never had a problem in all the years we have been coming! I would never give a bad review but this time I feel like it needs it!

Lovely food and coffee for breakfast with lovely views of the sea!

Beautiful place Beautiful food Beautiful views And more than dog friendly fresh water free dog treats and even doggy ice cream

Loved it here, staff very friendly and helpful, fantastic location, you can sit outside right by the sea snd relax. Ice cream was delicious. We will definately come here again. All in all, fab!

We had a special birthday celebration at Westbay Cafe in January on a Saturday evening. They provided everything we asked for and more, the food was cooked to perfection and a good time was had by all. A great place to have a celebration.

Very friendly and clean Good service

Awesome breakfast, lovely atmosphere, welcoming & staff.. quick service too.

Delicious food, huge portions, GF, Vegetarian and Vegan options - lovely staff and a perfect spot - highly recommended!

Breakfast at the beach. It's a lovely spot and the food is good. It can be very busy so some patience is needed.

How hard is it to cook chips? We’ve ordered chips for takeaway knowing that it’s not in house prepared (probably frozen chips) and except the high price they charging but just wanted something to keep us going until we get home. I would be embarrassed if I’d served them to anyone. Come on they are the most easy to cook, just put into a deep fryer. They were so bad, totally hard in the middle but by then we walked quite a distance from the cafe and to be honest couldn’t be bothered going back to complain but perhaps just as well we now knew not to go there for something else to eat. If they’re rubbish in cooking chips how bad would anything else would be. Indeed a lucky escape.

I stopped for a cold cider. Alan and his staff are lovely. Had a chat and was made to feel so welcome. If you're passing, don't!!! Stop, say hello and have a drink and some food. You won't be disappointed.

Visited while walking from Birchington to Margate Staff seemed lovely and menu was ok What spoils this cafe is you cannot get near counter due to cake fridge being in middle, the tables are so close together that you have to squeeze past people and on our way out I nearly tripped over children’s scooters which were lying on the floor and causing a major trip hazard

Good spot for a spot of brunch. Right next to the sea. Good grub but didn't try the terrace restaurant so can't comment on that. Will definitely try the terrace at some point.

Great place to eat and catch some summer sun. Friendly helpful staff good cafe food great views. You can sit inside or outside. Great mix of people very pleasant afternoon spent here.

Located in a suntrap, together with great food and service, makes this café and bar an ideal place to visit.

The Mr Whippy ice cream was tasteless just like frozen, milky water. Very disappointing.

Stopped for lunch and had the Vegan Breakfast. Very tasty and the toast came with vegan butter which was a plus point. Friendly service and floor to ceiling windows give a good view of the bay.

Delicious all-day vegan breakfast (even with vegan butter!) A well deserved lunch stop after cycling 17km from Reculver Towers. Recommend a visit!

So pleased to find this seaside cafe still caters for casual, everyday visitors. It has been revamped since staring in tv series Humans a few years ago. I was worried it had gone the same way as so many other little seaside cafes and become a gastro/bistro cafe i.e expensive. It has retained it's character with good, everyday food at reasonable prices. If you wanted something more "special" they do now have a restaurant upstairs.

It was my first visit here. Really lovely staff and good food. The only issue (and why there are only three stars) is that our meal was marred by the dogs in the cafe. One couple had three dogs which barked loudly every time someone entered or left the cafe - the coupld kept apologising profusely, but it was very unrelaxing. Then a woman came in with an extremely large and muzzled dog, which was straining the lead. It had to be pulled away from the three other dogs and someone moved to give it another room in the cafe. I noticed that my friend was very uncomfortable with this. I'm not a dog hater at all, but there were people sitting on the tables outside and I think these dog owners could have been asked to go outside too. Sorry - I'm sure this isn't going to be a popular view.

Great location and prices that won't break the bank.

A frequent location for our client meetings, everyone loves meeting at West Bay. The staff are lovely, while the food and drinks are always delicious.

Really bad waiting time, the staff seems not to care about it

What a perfect location to grab a drink and snack and enjoy the sea view! During my visit, I had a cup of tea and a BIG slice of homemade Biscotti Brownie, which was delicious. Plenty of seating in and outside, with huge windows to soak in the stunning view. They have a licensed bar and event nights, so I hope to experience one of those soon! Highly recommend.

Visited for a coffee whilst out walking on 19.2.23. Ordered a cappuccino and a smoothie! Cappuccino was half empty...went back in to let them know and all the waitress did was top it up with water with no apology! The "smoothie" was cheap apple juice and frozen strawberries & bananas, at £6.95 I thought this was an absolute rip off! All you could taste was the cheap apple juice. We later visited the Old Kent Market in Margate which were selling real fruit smoothies with fresh fruit for half the price! Will never eat or drink here again. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!

Great cafe right on the seafront. Amazing staff. Good prices. Definitely worth repeat visits.

In the summer bicycle access to this part of the prom is restricted because of the huts. Defo a winter/Spring experience

The best eggs in the land. If you like your eggs, come here. Perfectly poached on the laps of gods with the perfect accompaniment of avocado, toast and just a suggestion of cumin. Deelicious!

If you enjoy having dogs around your legs when eating then all well and good but I certainly do not. The things should be kept on a lead and tied outside. There is no sign outside to suggest the cafe is dog friendly, it may...

Ordered 3 small meals watched and waited 1 hour for our food to come out while party's of 6 came in half hour after us and got served, when questioning the waitress was told the large tables were a priority. Made no sense at all, ruined our day.

Nothing better than walking the dogs on the beach and ending up at this lovely pet friendly cafe. Dogs love the sausages. Gabby and the team are brilliant. Food is always delicious. Winter or summer the views are spectacular

Me and my family (of 11) showed up to West Bay on a Sunday working without a booking we were greeted by a very friendly smiley young waitress (I think her name was Maya I may be wrong )who without any problems found us a...

My husband and I came in here whilst walking our dog. We were all welcomed. I had latte and brown toast, absolutely delicious. A hidden gem.

We have eaten here on numerous occasions over the years, as it is just a short walk from our home. The views are always dramatic, overlooking Westgate Bay and the sea, whatever the weather. The food is delicious, well prepared and very well priced. This...

The best breakfast in town - incredibly friendly staff and fantastic food with an amazing view over the bay. Perfect for families, walkers & beach goers.

An absolute gem with amazing views over the bay, delicious food and fantastic staff. We visit on our walks, dog friendly, great options for children. Would recommend.

I had not known of the café underneath the restaurant!!! Mid morning delight to get out of the windy damp chill. Fab specials enticed us to have brunch, scrumptious sour dough bread was the deal clincher. Ceramic POT of tea!!!! (so rare these days) The...

This cafe has a beautiful position on sea front at Westgate. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The coffee is really great. I ordered soft poached eggs on toast and my husband a bacon sarnie. I cannot praise the food too highly. I would...

Great location on the seafront with views over West Bay. Great food,presented and cooked well with plenty of choice for all tastes especially the breakfasts. Great staff, very pleasant and quick service. We'll definitely be back soon

I couldn't fault the food or the location. But it was very slow service. It seemed very disorganised. With all counters covered in clutter. It was also dirty. Unfortunately I didn't notice this until I had eaten!

Myself and my friend come here for breakfast at least once a week...I can honestly the food and drinks is always spot if not better and the service you cannot fault staff are very friendly and attentive so all in all I rate this cafe...

Went for breakfast and first ones in when they opened. Ordered a cup of tea and hot chocolate to drink and a hash breakfast and vegan breakfast. Tea made and given by a very surly young lady who said she’d bring the chocolate over. Waited...

We came across this lovely relaxed seafront café whilst cycling along the coast yesterday. The specials board listed “Stone Bass with Braised Fennel and New Potatoes” which we had to order. We sat outside in the autumn sunshine on the spacious terrace overlooking the sea....

Got there 9 on the dot and ordered first. Well, that’s where it all starts going wrong as you sit down and then it’s not clear if the staff come to you or if you have to go and fetch your own menu and order...

Had a full English. Probably one of the best I've ever had (I had a lot) can't prise high enough. Very friendly staff and food cooked to perfection.

My scampi was delish and there portion of fish was looks fantastic 😋

Always a great place to have a coffee or a bite to eat whatever time of the year. Pet friendly which is a bonus if you have a dog.

Had waffles for breakfast, took far too long . After 45 min they arrived and my friend already had finished her breakfast.

This is an amazing place to chill and eat

Lovely place for a drink, lunch and soak in that view!

We were on a table inside with a number, waitress walked straight outside with our drinks, my wife had to chase after her. Table service seems rather disorganised. My breakfast looked very nice, but was served on a cold plate, so soon went cold. The wife's baguette was very nice though.

Since the change of proprietor I have taken my visitors to the cafe for lunch, something I have been doing for 4 years. The food recently has been a big dissapointment and waste of money. Raw chips, and last Thursday I.ordered mushrooms on toast and they were saturated in oil and inedible. My daughter in law had a vegan breakfast and the huge mushroom was the same. The staff were also slow and harassed .

Nice place to grab a bit of lunch after playing on the beach

Great beach cafe/bar with fantastic view. Food always good and more reasonably priced than other beach cafes closer to Margate. Reason it gets only 3 stars is that the service is always slow- both to get served, and the wait for your food. Shame. Just dong go there if you are are in a rush or v hungry!

Great place unfortunately very busy and a slow service could be much better

Poor customer service. You will wait up to 45 minutes for a bog standard English breakfast. Save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else

Good ice cream, lovely waffles, biscuits were average. The bar is in a beautiful place. Kind staff.

GREAT FAMILY CAFE, REASONABLY PRICED WITH OUTSTANDING VIEWS

Served by very friendly lady. Lovely coffee. Excellent views of Westgate bay.

Had an extremely disappointing meal here a few days ago. Visited for lunch, and have been visiting here for years prior to this. I ordered a cheese baguette and what arrived left me speechless. The cheese had been melted inside the baguette. I didn’t order or want a toasted and melted cheese baguette. Neither did the menu specify cheese would be melted. If it did I would not have ordered it. It was rubbery, greasy and tasteless. The side salad consisted of diced carrot and some lettuce leaves. The table was dirty, and I had to get up a number of times to request different condiments. I wouldn’t visit here again.

Really nice setting and a tasty Full English Breakfast. Only thing lacking was black pudding, otherwise it would have been ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐