Wheelers Oyster Bar in Canterbury - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We had lunch at Wheelers last week and the food was exceptional. Very glad that they keep things simple and serve beautifully cooked food without trying to reinvent the wheel. Quite a small dining room, but a lovely, characterful building. Guinness-battered tempura oysters were delicious, as was the lobster lasagne. It's BYO, too, so only £5 per table corkage, which is a steal compared to some places in the UK.

We had the tasting menu and it was absolutely stunning - delicious food, lovely service and a fantastic atmosphere. Highly recommend - if you can get a table!

I had a takeaway garlic butter lobster with French fries, tasty and super fresh. The cheapest lobster at £20 around these parts, but kinda small and not much meat to be honest. French fries were perfect and they got covered in the garlic butter.

If you are a local here they will treat you like royalty, if you are a tourist you won't even get eye contact.

Quite unpleasant and rude atmosphere, even for takeaways. No napkins, no reaction to my request. The worst oysters I ever tried, unfortunately (I tasted the Rock ones, but didn’t finish, not fine and quite disgusting taste)

Quirky and quaint decor with welcoming service and food deserving of a Michelin star restaurant. Best crab cakes we have ever eaten. Everything was just fantastic a really great experience. Make sure you book as they are busy for good reason!

We ordered a 9.5 pounds takeaway. Chips were ok but the soft shell crab was very very small and overly seasoned.

The oysters were very average, not even the freshest. Since this place is quite small, ordering food for takeaway feels a bit intimidating. Service could be better. The building itself looks cute though

£32 for 4 frozen Indonesian prawns instead of lobster in a lasagna because they ran out of lobster. Ordered lobster lasagna. They didn't have lobster. They did, warn me they would use prawns instead. Anoyingly, I didn't ask until afterwards, where they source their prawns. Turns out Indonesia and frozen. Go figure, should I expect more from a renowned and very busy sea side seafood restaurant? Yes, we all should, cmon UK. I think they should lower the price when they use Indonesian frozen prawns and can't source lobster or just take it off the menu, just a thought guy's. Or get some Cornish King prawns or wild Atlantic prawns. 🤦 Sweet place, but I would definitely stick to the deli stuff from the front of house. Don't bother with the restaurant. Nooooot good. Partners halibut was overcooked .😔 Out of sparkling water and ice, why not walk 1 min down the street and buy some from Sainsbury's? Just another thought.

Outstanding place with exquisite sea food. An excellent experience

Having been obsessed with the prawn and crab tarts for a few years, finally ate in and it was delicious. Tried all of the starters, the Korean prawns 🍤 are amazing. Service was so friendly and the decor is just so pretty. Will be back again soon!

Delicious food and lovely people

Not a good experience unfortunately. The service is unfriendly, the oysters were warm with no thought gone into the presentation, simply plonked on a plate with a scabby piece of lemon. To top it off both me and my partner are now laid up with food poisoning!! I'm angry at myself for not complaining at the time.

Wheelers Oyster Bar is the oldest oyster bar in the area, with a 4.5-star rating on Google Maps. Its pink and light blue façade houses a cozy little shop with an old-fashioned home-style atmosphere. Actually, the restaurant overall and other dishes were quite good. The Crab Cake and lobster were delicious, but the star of the show - the fresh oysters - was disappointing. Wild Whitstable Native Oysters are only available from September to April, so my January visit should have been during the peak season. However, the meat was thin, and the metallic, mineral, and sea water flavors lacked complexity. It definitely wasn't worth £3 per oyster 😩. I’d like to rate 4 stars for the dishes and restaurant itself, but 3 stars is rated after all because of the disappointment from the oysters. #KissKidsFamily

Excellent food. I had all the starters and was blown away by the standard of cooking

Planned to come here for over a year to enjoy the tasting menu for my birthday. Every course was utter perfection- seasonal, engaging, nostalgic and modern at once. The portions, pacing and curation are thoughtful and executed with calm confidence. Absolutely worth the trip from Canada for one of the best meals I've ever had. Make sure to grab a bottle of wine across the street! The owner will guide you to the best pairings. Thank you Wheelers!

The scallops at this place gave me food poisoning. Out of action for two days. Party of 5, only the three that had the scallops got food poisoning. Told the place for their information to better their processes and keep people safe. They denied this and got all defensive. Pretty poor attitude really. Cute outside tho, maybe just get some photos and move on.

Overpriced food pairing with a subpar customer service. There are lots of better alternatives out there. Quite a disappointing experience indeed.

Normally love this place but bought a pot of cockles and they are absolutely tasteless

Fantastic food, lovely staff and the most delicious complimentary fresh bread and pesto

It was busy. A little expensive for the area.

7th may 2024.. Id been yearning to come here for a year... Had a dozen mixed oysters, very small. No finger bowl, followed by A small mixed platter £40, it had been prepared for some time. Smoked salmon dull and dry as were crab claws. Cockles, whelk, muscles tasteless, and very few. The puddings were lovely, but the rest was soooooo disappointing I wont be returning. Spent £82.50 on that... Just a bottle of water

This place is fantastic, old school little bistro style place with some fab, inventive and unique courses. Highly recommend the lobster lasagne, beautiful mushrooms and creamy sauce. Crab cakes were also great, and blueberry soufflé to finish, mwah *chefs kiss* delish. Would come back in a heartbeat. Don’t forget to bring your own wine! Thanks Wheelers :)

You can’t miss this place if you’re in Whitstable. Food was top - fresh, flavourful and beautifully presented. Enjoyed the Japanese influence in some of the dishes. Cheery and homely service in a casual home-feel setting. Owner took us through the history of the place and even consulted the chefs and waiters to ensure we were getting the correct info! Pictured is the back room where we were sat. Corkage applied so bring your own booze. Hope to come back!

Went here for the tasting menu on Saturday evening, we weren’t sure at first of the commitment to a tasting menu but everything about this blew us out the park. The food was incredible, each dish bringing new elements of surprise and joy. It’s BYOB which means you can go across the street to The Offy to get your drinks from, where you’ll be advised (with great expertise on wine) on anything you fancy. The whole experience was wonderful with only one sitting for the tasting menu in the evening, not feeling like you were rushed but just to be there and enjoy the experience as a whole. Both me and my partner were enthralled by this culinary experience, I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a Saturday night meal in Whitstable.

This is the very first time I visit Whitstable, even though I am an oyster lover, therefore, as I am very passionate about food, I did a bit of research before choosing the places to go for a nice lunch, snacks, drinks, and dinner. This place was the first on my list, and how right I was in choosing it! The great experience started when calling them to make a reservation for lunch on Saturday for 2 people. They were fully booked, but gladly took my name and number in case of any cancellations. They s as odi called me on Friday to let me know they could accommodate us at 1 pm on Saturday! This might seem a banal thing, but it requires londinese and precision, and, especially if you are a very busy and renowned place, it is rare and uncommon to have this type of attention to detail. In London they definitely would not call back. I explained we errr coming from London by train so we could arrive a few minutes late because of unexpected delays, and they were totally fine with this( train was slightly delayed, but they happily waited for us !). The food is delicious, cooked expertly and with a lot of care and attention. We had 6 native oysters and 6 with yuzu granite, some delicious homemade breads ( 2 types ) kindly offered to us, then we ordered the scallops as a starter to share, the halibut and the turbot. I forced my friend to pre-order the second dessert ( I sneakily wanted to try both, the chocolate ganache with espresso ice cream, and the blueberry soufflé as well, and they both required pre-ordering) so we were now happy, seated, relaxed and very well looked after by the whole team. The service was always delivered to us by smiling, happy to be there staff, helpful, caring and warm. This is the type of great service that is not easily found anymore, and it is so refreshing when you see what a warm welcome and good service like this can do to people, like us, that love food, hospitality, eating out. The whole experience was faultless, the food delicious, the scallops were moist and tender, the oysters were incredible, the halibut was outstanding, the turbot delicious, and the blueberry soufflé and the chocolate ganache were the perfect ending to a perfect meal ! Prices are very honest and, in fact, low for the quality of food served. This will definitely be my first port of call when I will visit Whitstable again ! Thank you to all of you guys, it has been a memorable experience! Ps they are not licensed, but there is a nice shop with great selection of quality wines just in front of them, and they do not charge corkage ( if they did, I’m sure it was a very small amount, compared to normal corkage fees allied in London ).

Today took a seafood crazy friend of mine to Wheelers. So good to see the excitement and share such great food in this wonderful restaurant. Have eaten in the main restaurant and tried the tasting menu before but was really special to sit at the bar with the delicious assortment of sea food. Thank you Wheelers

We waited 20 mins for fried crispy squid, and it’s so is NOT crispy at all, not even hot, only a lil warm. Mac and cheese tasted nice but served warm too. The bread for crab meat sandwich was too dry but the filling is nice.

We enjoyed it here. Very good food and decor. Parking was a nightmare though. Would recommend the food and atmosphere.

Good selection of seafood bites with various twists on classics mixed with seafood.

One of the worst customer service in the UK to be dated. The whole experience of me and my girlfriend was: we got ignored by the waitress from ordering to delivering the food until getting my bills. No set of folks were there when we got our main and took us 10 mins until we can reach to get our set and she banged it strongly against the table like she were angry at you. Serving water to all other table but not ours. Strongly Not recommended for those who find an atmosphere. If you just eat then take that away. Awful!

Found the staff not to be very helpful or welcoming, got a funny look when ask for vinagar to take out as she said we haven't got anything of the sort had to insist to get a tub to put vinagar in. Surprised they haven't got take out small tubs as it's solely a takeout place as there's no seating, also didn't provide me with no cutlery or napkins. As for the food the "Large" £10.50 crab wasn't large in my opinion as they sold out of the small. Probably only 10g more of meat. Also the weilks wasn't nice they were too tough also wasn't cleaned properly, as the poo sacks were attached to every one. As it's a well established place I'd had high expectations for this place, but unfortunately the standards which they may have had one time wasn't there on this occasion, left there with a bad taste, so won't be returning unfortunately.

Rude staff, no napkins or cutlery in bag had to insist her to give me something to take vinagar away as bought a big bad of seafood and wanted seasoning but they are very ill equipped to serve takeout food. & The food was far below any standard that other places offer. The weilks were not cleaned and rock hard. Poo sacks on every one. Never normally have that anywhere. The over priced so called Large crab wasn't large in my opinion regretted buying that. I don't recommend this place at all. Overpriced touristy joint, and the staff needs a big reminder before their shift about customer service/satisfaction. Won't be returning..

Original Seafood place on Whitstable High Street. BYOB . You cannot leave without having tried the fresh fresh Oysters ! The other dishes were fantastic as well.

They have no drink licence so bring your own wine!Food is good but portions are on the small side and prices on the high side. We had 6 oysters between then chowder and scallops it took over 30 mins for the scallops to arrive and a further 3mins for my soup (it was good chowder, but not THAT good) My rhubarb and custard souffle was pretty but lacked a lot of flavour, no zing! Best thing was a rolmop herring from the shoo!

Quite possibly the worst fish and chips I’ve ever had in my life, or laid eyes on. Pasty, soggy and also French fries for chips? So so disappointed. Ended up throwing it away. Avoid at all costs!

Tried the whitstable native oysters. They weren't fresh. Tried the tempura oysters, they were over cooked. Was a big disappointment. Went to the harbour the next day and the oysters were fantastic there.

Wonderful food in a tiny but pretty restaurant. Started with oysters, then their crab cake starter made with delicious light mayonnaise. Cod main course with a superb butter sauce. Michelin star food quality. Lived up to the recommendation of friends. Don't miss this lovely place. You can also order homemade seafood arancini, fresh crab, prawns, hot smoked salmon and other seafood at the shop counter to takeaway or eat in the restaurant. Bring your own wine and chiller bag.

We visited Wheelers on Sunday, 8th January, and unfortunately experienced the worst customer service imaginable. My son and I were served by a lady called Mel. We were initially ignored for 5 minutes and only helped when we asked for service. When we were acknowledged, Mel (the waitress) provided the coldest, most unfriendly service I have ever experienced. She didn't muster a smile throughout our interaction or a thank you. We were served prawns without a knife or fork. When we asked for a set, it was rudely passed over the counter with no apology. Our oysters took 20 minutes to come, and that was only when we asked where they were. Again, no apology. Food was average but service terrible. Many similar places close by, so avoid like the plague!

My husband booked a table in advance for my birthday. We had the tasting menu, at £75 a head and it was absolutely delicious. A quick stop off across the road to the “Office” to pick up some drinks since there is no licence, they have a great selection and good prices. It’s a tiny place and only a few tables. The menu is set but we were asked about any allergies, dislikes etc. which we don’t have so went with it. The first plate or potato bread and chicken skin butter.. yes, that’s right chicken skin butter set the meal up perfectly. The whipped butter was delicious. As it states the taste of crispy roast chicken skin in a butter.. right up my street. Next up a plate of 3 snacks. Prawn Tom Yum, nicely spiced and prawny, moist monkfish cheeks with a blue cheese and BBQ sauce and one of my favourite dishes Tuna Poki with XO sauce. Perfectly cut tuna and so many layers of flavour. Loved it. The next plate was red snapper ceviche. Again, Asian inspired flavours which I love. So much going on with this plate. It has so many different ingredients and textures. Fresh and exceptionally good. Butter poached prawn and lobster claw cone, perfectly cooked prawn, and rich sauce. Lobster claw done in one go.. great. Next up my (and my husbands) favourite dish of the evening. Roasted scallop, rabbit fish finger, rosemary and pecorino puree, bacon, courgettes, and scallop roe velouté. This dish was next level. It had all I wanted in a dish. The scallop was sweet, salty bacon, rich sauce, and the rabbit finger, moist and perfectly pulled style rabbit meat in a crispy crumb. We could both eat this again and again.. we could also hear the chatter on the the tables next to us agreeing this was an awesome plate of food. The next dish we agreed was our least favourite, Turbot with wild mushroom, onion tea and 3 purees. Fish cooked perfectly but the purees were a bit overpowering. That said we ate every bit. Next up the first of 2 desserts, mandarin, white chocolate, and gingerbread. Served old school trifle style, the gingerbread was chewy and zingy, and the boozy mandarin was great with the sweet white chocolate. Very refreshing. To end Roly poly of apple and almond custard. A perfect end and a delicious dessert surprisingly light. Every plate we had was complete cleared. The service was excellent and compliments to the chef that kindly had a chat with the tables afterwards to get honest feedback. Loved it and can see why this place is so popular I would certainly recommend it without a doubt. We also had the pleasure of some of their take out food for lunch.. the sausage roll with place and prawn and crab tart were both equally as delicious. If there is a queue it’s worth going in and having a look. They do quite a selection to take away including as one local informed me an awesome fish pie.. sadly it was closed before we left to go back home otherwise for certain we’d have got one to take back home. We will with no doubt be returning when next in Whitstable. Thank you all so much for a perfect birthday meal.

Bought on counter crab meat and got food poisoning. Shouldn't sell not fresh seafood. Disappointed as for litlle pot paid over 8£ and got sickness me and my husband.

We had brunch in the bar in the front. The seafood and arancini were great. We also ate delicious rock oysters. Jeannette was the best host, very funny and diligent. She offer me gluten free crackers because I’m Celiac. Finally you can bring your own wine to the restaurant.

The food was amazing and the pricing even more so!

Lovely tiny restaurant! Fresh and delicious oysters!

Very reasonable priced very good seafood!

The food was fine, but the hygiene was not good (e.g. putting cutlery on the bare table, not on the napkin)

Have both today a large tray of fish pie. Presented really nice but after taking it out of the oven felt really disappointed. Fish pie cost £11 . It was hard to find a piece of fish! Few pieces of garden peas… That’s all! Would not go for it again. As I said very disappointing experience!!!

Always wonderful, an incredible menu in a historic building

Great food let down by poor , rushed service Waitress cleaning toilet in between serving our table

Finally got to experience this absolute gem of a place. We went with friends and had to book in advance and put a deposit down. This place is popular and I now understand why. The inside is basic with a few tables no frills, but the staff are lovely and there is a lovely atmosphere. I now understand why this place is so busy, people from all over flock to this place for the amazing food. We started with oysters, I wasn't keen but tried them and now a convert they were incredible. I wish I could remember the toppings but can't. The flavours exploded in your mouth and lasted for a long time after they were incredible. The starters were faultless I had the pork belly and scallops and again the flavours were incredible. For my main I had the Moroccan spiced monkfish omg wow and souffle for desert. All the dishes we had were breathtaking and we can't wait to return. If you want amazing food, coupled with excellent service then you have to come here. This food is made with passion and that shines through. You will not regret booking this excellent value for money.

A must do .When you visit Whitstable or live here !

This is a winner. Fresh fish . Tasting menu of 8 courses including the bread but not the cheese- so no agonising over choice. Great inventive and delicious cooking. From a spectacular start of light potato buns with crispy chicken skin butter to finishing with plums via scallops - a stand out and lobster and Dover Sole this was a culinary triumph. It is BYOB so no wine list angst either.

Had a fantastic lunch here while on a holiday in Whitstable, the food was served quickly and looked amazing, thoroughly recommend it,specially if you love fish

Stars for the ambiance - cute place. Came specifically for the oysters and was very disappointed. Oysters were fairly warm and very small. Sharing an image of one of the oysters I had.

Enjoyed the tasting menu - was amazing! Best meal in ages. Thoroughly recommend!!

We were able to get a table but that didn't matter as they offer take away. I got a crab sandwich, my husband got a prawn tart. Both perfect to sit on the beach and enjoy while people watching.

Best choice for oysters and not only.

Been 4 times now. First 3 were excellent all round. This time not so. Food was great but service was appalling. We booked months ago for 9 and a high chair. Paid GBP 90 deposit which was fine. As soon as we arrived the rather stroppy woman waiting told us we had to put the high chair up ourselves and we were to put it at the other her end of our table. We were squashed in as it was. I’m sorry but arranging the furniture for the restaurant is a big no no. It’s up to the staff to do that. They had had plenty of time! I suspect it was greed as there wasn’t space for all the diners in this particular room. She then complained that it (high chair) was in her way. Attitude issue 100%. We ignored her. Waitress was odd right through the experience. Very unprofessional. We’ve decided that that was our last trip to Wheelers. We will go elsewhere next time. Birdies just down the road is very nice. For the price the service at Wheelers should be top notch. It isn’t.

The food is 10/10, really really good. The service is not the friendliest, and the place is really small. But probably the best food for the best price in all of Whitstable

One of the best sea food which I had so far . Manu is very original. Combination of Cod and watermelon was UNBELIEVABLE!!! ❤️ Definitely worth to try if you love sea food but just bored of classic fish and chips.

Excellent fish and chips and Genus butter oyster.

Amazing food, the best we've had in a very long time!!

Fresh oysters 🦪🦪🦪Top notch and great food quality. There was a queue for take away but the staff was very efficient! Excellent experience! You may park in the car park nearby. Very convenient.

Great oysters + service. Nice to sit at the counter

The degustation menu was excellent,good size portions and full of flavour. The courses were well spaced out and made for a very relaxing evening. The staff were attentive and friendly. would definitely recommend dining at this restaurant

I used to frequent wheelers when a local and always try and get a table when in the area. This visit is the first for about 5 years and did not dissapoint. It was at the weekend so was the tasting menu and i thoroughly enjoyed it. Even got to chat to Mark who i had not spoken to for about 10 years, also Delia who was friends with my father back in the day. Great food with some nostalgia thrown in.

We have been going several times for lunch, take-away and the test menu and I truly recommend to everyone who loves seafood. All dishes all well thought out, creative and perfectly presented. Always a pleasure, thank you.

Lovely place, really good tastng menu. Very friendly.

Got 6 fresh rock oysters and half lobster with garlic butter + fries - absolutely delish. Worth the wait for the lobster which took 15-20mins

Whitstable is a vibrant town with a lively working harbour with all manner of seafood available on the Quay. Wheelers is 4 minutes stroll from the harbour and absolutely worth a visit. Excellent service, and some of the best and freshest seafood I have ever had, and I have eaten seafood all around the world! Their oysters are perfectly prepared and super fresh, you absolutely must try them! Be sure to book in advance to guarantee a place, as it is (deservedly) very popular!

Lovely food beautifully presented and great service. Very nice place. Tables very close together, if you have a noisy group next to you it's difficult to hear each other (not a criticism just a watch out).

What a lovely place, food is divine and staff so nice. Definitely be returning

Fabulous meal. Bring your own wine and if you run out go to the Offy opposite.

BYOB was a nice option, great wine at a decent price (no heavy markup). All our starters were delicious and the pan fried crab was superb. My food (hake) was great but as always the wife's order of lobster lasagna looked and tasted better.

If you like your food piled high on a soup plate (serving dish) and tepid this is the place for you.

Food was great and at a good price. The only downside is that we were sat at the bar section and lots of people queuing for the take away.

Fantastic tasting menu, can’t wait to come back. It may seem a bit pricey but it’s great value for such lovely food and byob helps keep the end bill down.

Excellent tasting menu experience! If you in the area give it a go.

Absolutely loved everything about Wheelers Oyster Bar

We tried oysters and it was amazing! Perfect combination of ingredients. I recommend to try not regular one, but a mix of different. My favourite oysters so far!!!

The tasting menu is simply the best, Mark and his team do an amazing job 😃

What a fabulous little restaurant. Great atmosphere, lovely waitresses. You can take your own alcohol in with you and there's a lovely off licence just across the road to purchase booze from.

I had very fresh crab in focaccia, haddock mac and cheese cake and raspberry lemonade. very good.

Brilliant food! Good oysters, amazing lobster lasagne, fish, all starters were great (dumplings and tuna especially). I'd probably skip on scallops as were a little tasteless but everything else is perfect. Its a BYOB place so bring your wines ! They don't put them in a fridge so have a little cooler

Got some bits from the counter to take away - all divine (best sausage roll I've ever eaten, with haddock in... Who'd have thunk)! Friendly staff & bustling atmosphere. Will return to eat in for sure.

An establishment with old traditions, a relaxed atmosphere, everything was delicious! I was also pleased with the souvenir towel!😍 It was nice party! Grate!

This place is an ABSOLUTE must when visiting. The best seafood place. Traditional and fresh. Love it.

Not real fish and chips, the fish is frozen and rubbery and extremely oily. Chips were French fries? Portion size vs others in the area is much smaller. Really don’t recommend. I guess the tartar was nice lol

My friend booked this, forgetting I was vegetarian. The staff didn't flinch when I said I didn't eat fish and cooked a beautiful vegetable tempura. The passion fruit souffle was amazing. The fish eaters in my group highly recommended the fish meals. Service and ambience were fantastic. Thank you

It was expensive but very tasty... recommended.

A little crowded but that is only be testament to the service and produce!

Truly awesome . Came for the Oysters and were not disheartened. The only drawback was that oysters finished while we were still eating and we wanted to have more. The ladies who run the place really go out of their way to look after you. They don’t have a license but you can buy a bottle of wine across the street, and drink for a corkage. I hidden gem and ancient one!

The oysters were nice , not the nicest we ever had but ok. However the lady at the till was not very nice . At the entrance we’re two people sitting at the till/bar table and a stool chair was blocking the very tight entrance anyway to actually make it 2 steps away where the till was so we could pay. They also took 20 mins to serve half dozen open oysters for takeaway?! Very poor customer service and customer experience overall. We chose this location for the oysters based on the hype it’s got on TikTok , won’t recommend purely based on the poor service and atmosphere, sorry .

Delicious starters to takeaway I was not able to get seats inside, so can't comment on a seating in menu. But tartlets, arancini balls and other small foods were scrumptious. Especially prawn and crab tartlets: very creamy

What a place, lovely restaurant and service, food was brilliant - particularly the crab cakes!

Delicious food, cosy atmosphere, great service.

Cannot rate this restaurant highly enough. We had the 7 course fish tasting menu and it was some of the best food we have eaten. Service was exceptional and all staff very friendly and helpful. Very cosy but great atmosphere.

We had an excellent quality meal today. I was very happy with everything

Tables booked up for the whole weekend, so we took a few tartlets, and slices of pie to go from the take away counter, and they were beautiful. Highly recommended, but you would wouldn't you, it's Wheelers Oyster Bar.

Very good seafood just loved it