Debbie Green
6th November 2024

Take a break from the amazing ‘shop till you drop’ independents in Whitstable & Tankerton and treat yourself to something from the wonderful independent cafes & restaurants. They all offer vegan & gluten-free options as well, and are mostly dog-friendly too.

At the top of Whitstable High Street at 63 Oxford Street is Fable & Green, which is a great eclectically styled café and antique/vintage shop. It offers great breakfast & brunch/lunch items and cakes to follow, with a very chilled, relaxed atmosphere and look out for their live music events at weekends.

The Garden Café is based at www.umbrellacentre.co.uk and has very cosy indoor seating as well as a beautiful garden. A community vegetarian/vegan café that always has daily comfort food specials such as bean and mushroom chilli and classic desserts of Beryl’s Bakewell slice and bread pudding, mostly vegan and always with GF options too. They also make an extremely yummy white hot chocolate too!

Walking down the high street look out for these next four businesses all very different and all equally fabulous & cosy

  • Around the Clock - serving from 9.30am (10.00 on Sundays) till 3.30 and late on Fridays and Saturdays.  Set in an old bank building with the old vaults now separate cosy rooms, a lovely conservatory and garden for those sunny warm days. It has the most amazing hot chocolate range to work your way through and a menu to suit every time of day, the only hard decision is which room to sit in!
  • Revival -  Not only a family-friendly vegetarian café but also a community mental wellness hub; as they describe it, ‘it’s like eating, only happier, every day should start with a cup of kindness’. It has been beautifully planned to offer cosy little areas to have brunch/lunch or just coffee & cake to enjoy and let the world outside just drift away. They also hold events throughout the week for mental health and all proceeds help to keep them offering free support to families, young people and adults
  • Farm and Harper - love a place with brimming menu choice? This one's for you. The breakfast menu runs until 11.45 am, from bacon banana bread with maple butter to their Famous Farmer & Big Bad Vegan breakfasts. From 12.15 the lunch menu takes over with classics and twists. The upstairs dining area has great views over the high street too.
  • Tea & Times - Owned by Veronica and run along with family & friends, this café makes you feel at home as you step in the door, wonderful, tasty sandwiches, great array of cakes, pastries & hot food. It also has a lovely upstairs area to escape the world, try and grab the window seat.

Down into Harbour Street, don’t miss the following stores that specialise in serving and selling local produce from small independent suppliers.

  • Whitstable Produce - The window displays are enough to draw you in, and once inside the aromas of beautiful soups, fresh coffee & baking potatoes will make you very glad you stepped inside. Once warmed, relaxed and fed you can choose some wonderful local goods to take away too.
  • The Larder Whitstable - Their own description says it all, a passionately local independent general store, café and wine cave. Small but perfectly formed, great service, amazing coffee and delicious food from breakfast through to afternoon tea and lunch in between.
  • No1 Whitstable - Serves brunch, lunch & dinner & excellent coffee and cakes. With the twinkling fairy lights and open kitchen, you can’t help but feel comfortable stepping though the door. A constantly changing menu means you will never get bored eating here and the service is always warm and welcoming too,

Time to head over to Tankerton and nothing beats the warm cosy feeling of stepping into

  • The Bears Trading Company - especially leading up to Christmas, this unique gift shop & tea room with its log burner and cosy corners offers a wide range of delicious food all baked on the premises, don’t miss the warm cheese scones and then treat yourself to a slice of Darren’s incredible cakes, too full, just take some home. The array of bears and other gifts for sale are perfectly sought by Peter & Darren to make this shop a great excuse to drop in and treat yourself on a chilly day or any day!
  • Quite Contrary - A family-run scone, cake and gift shop, you can often catch Kim popping a batch of scones into the oven behind the counter, Another store that allows you to eat and shop all under one roof! An eclectic range of homeware, gifts, jewellery and more with great tables for people watching on the high street with delicious baking smells around you

We hope you feel inspired to try one or more of these independents after a bracing walk on the seafront or a break from the shopping..and when you do...enjoy!