West Whelks in Canterbury

We ordered a hot and cold selection of seafood. The hot dish was awful. The fish was frozen and very uniformed and the batter stodgy. One so called prawn had no prawn in it - just a lump of batter. All processed and revolting for £6.50. The cold dish slightly better but cheap crab sticks. Considering the place is well known for fish we would have got better in Iceland supermarket!

There always been Wheelers , originally the oysters came from Cornwall and were kept in tanks of Whitstable waters before going to Wheelers....leastways that's what I was told when I lived there so perhaps thirty years on the oysters have their own local beds. Whitstable has changed a lot as have most places so we decided to try this place as ut was new to us...the seafood was fairly tasty, nothing special but we enjoyed it, what we didn't enjoy was how we were treated in such a surly fashion by a staff member perhaps that's their way but it does lack people skills which us what you need whennuou work with the public. Food was OK though.

Just do yourself a favour and stay away. Whatever they sell as lobster tails are some some weird white substance with orange paint on. Scampi was horrible and white bait was the worst I have ever had. It put me off seafood. Plus staff had no masks or whatsoever

Oysters are okay but don't buy anything else. Fake coloured Lobster tails. Good location and Lovely staff.

Great Oysters also Fresh whelks if you arrive early in the morning you will see them shucking the whelks.

This is the best place to eat oysters in Whitstable (apart from Wheeler’s restaurant of course) Plus you can take your own bottle of wine or beer here too! It is open Saturday and Sunday weather permitting. Just grab a table overlooking the harbour and send your partner or friend up to the counter to buy while you open the wine. Good value and very fresh. They are filter cleaned in the harbour sheds and they supply them wholesale to restaurants etc Great basic outdoor dining but very relaxing lunch :)

Terrible service... if you can call it service. Went for an early morning stroll along the harbour intending to buy some fresh seafood, after deciding what we wanted we waited patiently for one of the numerous staff to greet us and were completely ignored until we asked a girl walking past us for about the 5th time to which her response was 'What do you want now?' Given we hadn't yet spoken to anyone or placed an order we thought it a pretty odd way of addressing customers. Once we'd asked for what we would like to order she abruptly said 'we don't have it' and started to walk off before giving us a chance to ask for an alternative. Meanwhile a table of staff were sat watching and also made no effort to serve us seemingly more interested in gossiping amongst eachother. It's as if they don't want any custom as it's clearly too much effort. No wonder we were the only customers stood there, which only makes the lack of effort worse. In the end we gave up and went to the Fish Market and had the most delicious oysters, cockles and crayfish, all served with a smile and at a great price... imagine that?! Do yourself a favour and avoid West Whelks if you want a pleasant trip to Whitstable Harbour.

These whelks where the best!! I've tried all sorts of stalls selling seafood and I rate this stall very highly.

Fresh as you like, tasty and cheap as chips, feet away from and overlooking the boats that catch the shellfish. Use it or loose it!

Visited for a 1/2 dozen oysters and some cockles. Very fresh and the cheapest on the harbour that day. Rock oysters £1 as apposed to £2 and local &1.50 as apposed to£3+. All served the same cockles also brilliant and juicy plus they sell a whole range of other traditional seafood like roll mops n whelks. Lovely jubbely with no frills and a cant miss.

What greed! For a stall to charge £2 for a tiny cup of seafood is just a total rip off.Harbour needs some competition like in Folkestone then prices might come down.

Just wanted to buy 6 oysters and this place served on ice with no frills but tasted lovely. They also knew and were happy to share the subtle difference between a range of products on offer.

My partner and I were having a pleasant stroll along the harbour and I decided to tuck into some seafood. I had some whelks from here and sat down whilst my veggie partner went to get some chips. When she joined me a very rude man came over and told her she couldn't sit down despite the fact that I had spent best part of a tenner on their very average seafood and half the tables were empty. Go elsewhere, there are lots of warmer welcomes and better food a minute's walk away.

Went to whitstable today and visited West’s whelks apparently the best ,well they didn’t look the best all dried out and when I tried one my suspicions were confirmed like rubber a total disgrace for a company that processes them, just old whelks there trying to get rid of at the publics cost , so watch out stay clear West’s whelks Rubbish !!!

A rude horrid man who had no compassion whatsoever that we had 3 elderly disabled people with us and told us to leave, as a few of our party were eating an ice cream sitting at the tables,whilst the rest were eating his shell fish. There were plenty of tables available, he was just rude & very unhelpful. Would never recommend this place.

This place is in the corner of the Harbour. You can’t miss it. Prince Charles visited some time recently to celebrate 69 years of service to fishing, oysters and whelks! There are only casual tables - first come first served. The oysters are the best value in Whitstable, the cockles are good. But don’t bother with the “lobster tails”, because they aren’t. They are some sort of reconstituted fish posing as lobster tails with coloring to deceive. We should have guessed from the price, but we didn’t until it was too late. Nevertheless, the oysters were so good, we had a dozen each. 30 paces along the quayside, they are twice the price? No alcohol is served here, so it isn’t as romantic as up the quayside, but for real oyster lovers, this is the place to be.

Always have oysters here during a Whitstable visit and usually they are plump but last week they were Irish not local, and although really tasty were quite small. However, the whelks and cockles were delicious, as always.

For 7 or 8 years, I have been to West Whelks to buy oysters to take away (50 at a times), not open, and always got a good deal until 2 weeks ago when the price was not so good anymore due to “the tide and brexit” dixit the middle aged man who never smiles. The oysters were not meaty and the whole thing disappointed me. Instead, go to the depuration centre by East Quay. “Frank the tank” knows what he is talking about and the quality is far superior to “West Whelks” oysters. Plus, you have the smile and a friendly chat!

Sit down by the quay, decide upon your seafood choice and enjoy. The oysters, cockles and whelks are fabulous. Enjoy !!

Enjoyed seafood here many times but one of the staff , a middle aged bloke really gives customers dirty looks even as they handing money over, no need for this, an older gentleman there clears tables and was filmed for TV while we sat there, so there's something about the place and the food is nice, if you reading mate, (middle aged bloke) give us a smile be happy then we'll upgrade from 3 to 5 stars

During a lovely visit to Whitstable harbor, we popped into West Whelks on the advice of a local and enjoyed some terrific fresh fish! This little place is just brimming with atmosphere & the service is speedy and friendly. Recommend!

terrific friendly people, full of valuable local advice and history, as well as superb local whelks and oysters.

I learned to eat oysters here this year! Never liked the look of oysters and refused to eat them. But this year (our group visits Whitstable harbour yearly to feast on oysters) I surrendered. I should have done this earlier...

Столики на улице и палатка где сами рыбаки чуть ли не из лодки вскрывают и подают вам свежайшие устрицы!! А цены! 80р за штуку!!

visited 11th Sept 2016..glorious sunny day...had some rock oysters...80p each...very clean and delicious to eat..good value too....recommended.

Delicioso y mariscos frescos a precios muy competitivos!! Mesas para disfrutar de los platos y excitante ambiente arbour! El personal es muy amable! Recomendado!!

My husband loves it here. We always take visitors too. It's all fresh & definitely the best value in Whitstable. Friendly service & an awesome location. be prepared to wait at events as it is always mobbed but worth the wait.

Best oysters, opened (often) by the old fella himself Mr West and a family run show. Not overpriced, local and lovely!

In my opinion West Whelks are the best on the harbour for Oysters and Whelks. And the best value for money.

Started with one oyster; went back formore and a large pot of king prwans and shrimp - what a feast!!! Very friendly staff; clean, right by the "top of the harbour" and if only we lived closer!!

This little shack has lovely seafood, which is totally fresh. The staff are friendly and there are seats to polish off your oysters on. However, it is a little pricey in my opinion, but not compared to other similar outlets in the area. I guess a great location has that effect sometimes.

Stopped at west whelks and tried their oysters, then had to try king prawns following that we gave the crab claws a go all excellent, you need a nice day as it is all outside but in such a lovely place is well worth a visit

A wonderfully fresh seafood on the street! A choice of shellfish, deep fried options and fantastic oysters! 10 out of 10 for streetfood seafood!

They have a very good selection of fresh seafood here, all at a very good price. We just had some breaded crab claws and chips as we were just looking for a cheap snack, but the rest of the options, such as the oysters, prawns, whitebait, etc all looked really good. This is more of a food stall, where you get the food on paper plates/plastic tubs, but it is all great value and excellent quality and we just went and sat on the beach to eat it. There are other restaurants nearby if you want a proper sit down meal, but they are far more expensive and I can't imagine the quality would have been any better. Definitely recommend if you like your seafood, particularly if you are on a budget.

We stumbled across this place by accident and thoroughly enjoyed the freshest oysters we have ever had. We tried the local Whitstable as well as imported rock oysters and they were shuckling them as you order. We also had some cockles and crayfish, all very rustic and unpretentious. It's family run, and we interesting to hear about all the establishments they supply.If you fancy some very fresh oysters but are not looking for anywhere fancy to enjoy them then this place is spot on.Top tip - stop at this place at the harbour if you like your oysters fresh as they come.

Lovely oysters served quickly. Whitebait delicious too, served to order so hot and fresh. Loved the fact the whole family was involved in the business and the grandaughter and grandfather were so friendly.

Whenever we go to Whitstable we always get our seafood from here. Oysters, dressed crab and crab claws are my favourite. The staff are wonderful always polite and helpful, I forgot to collect 2 dressed crabs that i'd put by, phoned them the next day and the owner arranged for me to pick them at the stall in the afternoon even though they would be closed. If you visit the harbour buy your seafood from here.

The owner is very rude and possessive over his tables. Even if you have spent lots of money there he will humiliate you by making you and your family leave the table if you have anything on there not bought from him.

it was impossible for me to go past and not have an oyster. at 80p each it was very worth while. A very good selection of fish. Delightful.

stopped as attracted by the fresh cooking of whelks on the front and had some oysters (seemed the cheapest in town) and some whelks to go - excellent. Not open all day and couldn't see sign advising of opening times but seems to shut after lunch and may not open again? Why don't we have more places like this as they are the very best of what is good about England.Well done chaps.

Stopped of for a few oysters and went back for more. A bargain and the best we've had for a while. A good choice of seafood other than oysters too. Great!

The best place in Whitstable to buy oysters.The oldest & the best value! Be careful though as it's not always open.

My husband and I went to whistable for a walk. We walked along the harbour and stopped here. We had crab claws, breaded king prawn and whitebate and 2 drinks. It was great value all this for under £7. The food was so fresh. A great find. Go and try for your self.

Then buy them here, fresh and excellent and choice of other dishes but really whelks is the word at west whelks

This is one o the best value eats in Whitstable - great range of seafood served right by harbour just like a chippy.

Have used and sold to this great family run business for many years only the finest quality from these guys hardworking clean and above all the most knowledgeable seafood family on the kent coast . A must visit when in whitstable kent for the finest quality seafood youll be mad to miss if you like all seafood they also have a mail order service from there website

I prefer to purchase and eat the whelks at home, I always remove the gut and the "nail" head, which involves less chewing and more enjoyable.

The home of the Whitstable oysters, The Wests have shucked more fresh Oysters than you've had hot diners, literately. They do lots of other shellfish too.

OK, I'll put my hands up for this one. I'm a sucker for fresh, raw oysters. Frankly there is nothing in the world to compare with them. The loose change in my pocket was weighing me down and the stall is strategically placed on the harbour on the way to the waterfront. Time to yield to temptation. I am so glad I did. I have tasted raw oysters in many different locations but these were absolutely divine (well I had to carry that metaphor on!) They were simply presented in their shells on ice with the option of squeezing lemon juice on to them if you were so inclined. The only thing missing was the opportunity to drink a pint of Guinness with them but they were so good it was a small sacrifice to make. Am I going back there? You bet!

We just keep going back to this stall, over and over again for plates of Oysters, so cheap and so very fresh and delicious. The cockles are also excellent. I'll be going back to Whitstable just to eat more oysters from this excellent business.

This looks like a very simple stall right on Whitstable Harbour, but the food is superb. We had rock oysters, crayfish and some outstanding rollmops. There are a few tables available right by the docks, but you can enjoy the food by the seaside just a few yards away.

If you want outstanding seafood and excellent value for money then look no further than West Whelks. Situated in the heart of Whitstable Harbour, a cornucopia of delights is on offer delivered in a no-frills style. We started with a seafood platter of prawns, whelks and deep fried crab claws cooked to order that was excellent. This was followed by half a dozen oysters dressed with shallots and red wine vinegar for a brilliant £3.50.They were simply wonderful that my wife and I had to control ourselves from ordering another portion! Seating consists of the ubiquitous plastic tables and chairs, but with produce this good it's not that much of an issue. Considering other oyster bars on offer in Whitstable, West Whelks is there with the best of them.