Just a short stroll away from Whitstable’s harbour, Whitstable Castle Tearoom offers more than just a spot of tea – it’s a slice of history with scones and seaside charm. Nestled within the 18th-century building, formerly known as Tankerton Towers, and spilling out into its beautifully kept gardens, the tearoom combines elegant surroundings with a relaxed atmosphere and affordable food to create a drinking and dining spot away from the bustle of the seafront.
We were there for lunch, dining alongside families celebrating graduations with afternoon teas, and walkers stopping off for a coffee and a slice of cake to fuel them for the rest of the afternoon.
We grabbed a table in the conservatory-style seating area, but it’s also worth looking for space in the main castle building by the counter if you want to soak up some history – or in the garden area out the front for an al fresco meal (just watch out for the gulls!)
Mains at the Whitstable Castle Tearoom cost from around £9 to £16, and include sandwiches, jacket potatoes, salads and ploughman’s lunches, through to more substantial eats like scampi and chips, vegan chilli and rice, and a range of burgers.
There’s a kids’ menu too, with both hot and cold dishes, all around the £5 to £7 mark. After heading up to the counter to order, we grabbed a few glasses of chilled water from the dispensers and waited for our food to arrive.
£9 for a tuna mayo and cucumber baguette may seem steep, but it was enormous and well-filled – the person who ordered it packed half away to enjoy later. It came with a side salad that was more varied than in many places, and a good size, too.
The child’s fish fingers, chips and peas (£7) also went down well. The portion size was huge for a seven-year-old (just look at how many chips and peas he had!), and everything was perfectly cooked. The thick-cut chips were lovely and crispy – a touch floury on the inside, but delicious nonetheless.
If you’re a cheese-lover, I highly recommend the Whitstable Castle Tearoom’s beef chilli & Cheddar melt jacket potato (£11.25). The amount of cheese on this thing was INSANE – a true moat of melted Cheddar surrounding the potato. The spud itself was soft in the middle and the skin nice and crisp, just the way I like it. The beef chilli at Whitstable Castle definitely has a bit of a kick to it too: it certainly wasn’t short on flavour.
There were a few negatives to our experience. The dining area at the Whitstable Castle Tearoom could have been a little cleaner, and the toilets definitely needed a little attention and TLC. The ladies who served us were lovely, though, and the food was delicious, with generous portions. While it may be slightly off the beaten track for visitors to the town, I can see why the Whitstable Castle Tearoom is a popular spot.