The Harbour Garden — Restaurant in Canterbury

Ah, the Harbour Garden in Whitstable! What a splendid restaurant nestled by the sea, embodying the very essence of coastal culinary delight. Picture it: the sun setting over the horizon, casting a golden hue upon the waters, while you dine in the charming al fresco ambiance, the briny breeze whispering secrets of the deep blue.

Now, let us talk about the food – oh, the food! It was nothing short of a gastronomic revelation. I indulged in a lobster tail salad that was a veritable symphony of flavors. The lobster, so juicy and succulent, danced harmoniously with crisp greens and a zesty dressing that elevated each bite to an almost ethereal experience. Truly, it was a dish that celebrated the bounty of the sea in the most exquisite manner.

And let us not forget the fish and chips – a classic, yet so often misunderstood. However, at the Harbour Garden, they have perfected it to an art form. My children, usually the harshest critics, declared it the best fish and chips they had ever tasted. The fish was impeccably fresh, its golden batter light and crispy, with chips that were wonderfully fluffy on the inside. An absolute triumph!

The seafood overall was nothing short of incredible. From the oysters to the scallops, each dish was a testament to the quality and freshness of the local catch, prepared with a deft touch that highlighted the natural flavors without overwhelming them.

What’s more, our rather sizable party of nine was accommodated with the utmost ease and grace. The service was impeccable, the staff both attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring that every need was met without a hint of fuss.

In summary, the Harbour Garden Restaurant is a must-visit for anyone with a passion for superb seafood when visiting whitstable. I know there are other highly rated eateries but for a family Meal by the sea this is a place where the quality of the food, the charm of the location and the fact that it is always busy night and day are a testament to freshness and...

Poor value. Slow service.

Last visited 2 years ago and the overall decline was clear to see today. We both ordered a special of the day and then waited nearly an hour for them to arrive. To be fair our waiter did finally notice that we had been sitting there with only our drinks for an awfully long time and came over to say sorry it would only be another 5 minutes or so.

When our meals finally arrived (2 simply grilled fish dishes one accompanied by only a charred baby-size gem lettuce and the other a handful of undercooked beans &carrots) they were decidedly underwhelming which is more than could be said for the price of today's dishes priced at £28 and 26.90 for each respectively.

Thankfully we had taken the precaution of ordering a side of new potatoes to share (£6.50 for a very small bowl) or we would have left the table still hungry. When ordering the day’s special in a restaurant one normally expects to get all the side items included. I have always presumed that is why it is called the Special. The food was not badly cooked just served decidedly on the mean side.

Each mains dish was so simple it could not have taken more than 5 min to prepare so the only acceptable explanation would have been that our order was overlooked in the kitchen. Our waiter however when questioned while paying our bill chose to deny that instead offering some convoluted explanation that not one of the 3 of us really believed. No discount was asked for nor was one offered.

Our bill came to £78.40 which included an unidentified item charged at £3 that we did not notice until later. Could that have been for the tap water brought to the table without ordering? A gratuity of £9.81 (12.5%) was added to our bill without either another option or with our consent bringing the total to £88.21 which is quite a lot to pay for a light lunch.

I have given a rating of one star based on the view of the harbour but I would not let that influence me enough to...

We ate here yesterday evening. We walked past earlier in the day and loved the location and how popular the restaurant looked. Right on the seafront overlooking the harbour it was stunning! However that was where the nice experience ended. We had booked a table for a family of four and waited 30 mins from being seated to receiving our drinks order (it's was 30 degrees and direct su night so you can imagine the discomfort). A g&t will set you back £9.95!!! London prices and some. We ordered our food with our drinks and our starters came out shortly after our drinks. We then waited another 30mins before we asked where our meal was. It arrived another 15mins later (all the time we have had a second round of drinks and all our empties of both rounds of drinks and starters had been left on the table and now swatting off flies). So 1 hour and 15 mins after being seated before our mains came and we were really disappointed. The price point is very high and for that I'd expect high quality or a large portion, I didn't get either. The food was honestly so underwhelming! My bowl of mussels were half closed so inedible (they did refund these), the lobster roll was so tight with the filling it was largely a brioche roll and some chips that were crispy as promised or even homemade, they were just like the chips you buy from the supermarket frozen aisle. Our kids fish was however lovely! So that was a plus point. But our mains were SO overpriced it was cringey. We are used to dining in London and Brighton so happy to pay more for a decent meal but unfortunately having shown so much promise we were disappointed. It's important to be aware of these comments when the cheapest main course is £20 and very underwhelming. So sorry but not returning, such a shame given the beautiful setting! P.s the toilets...