The 2025 Edible Bucket List
A time to celebrate, enjoy delicious food and usher in change through new year’s resolutions, there’s never a better time than now to achieve all three by exploring insideKENT’s very own 2025 Edible Bucket List.
Home to 50 vineyards, over 200,000 hectares of farmland and boundless open stretches of coastline, it’s no wonder that Kent has become a hotspot for dining experiences, with fresh and local ingredients on our doorsteps across the entire county. A vital location for international trading routes, those who venture out across Kent will find that quintessential British cuisine is being fused with flavours from around the world, building an exciting catalogue of innovative, modern and inspired dishes to try.
Exploring new openings, quirky eateries, fantastic fine dining and the best places to meet with family and friends, here’s our must-visit places to dine and drink across Kent this new year.
Thackeray’s
Hottest New Opening: The Ivy Canterbury Brasserie, Canterbury
Standout dish: Eggs royale with The Ivy 1917 cured smoked salmon
With a stylish bar, inviting outdoor terrace and elegant private dining room in the heart of Canterbury’s historic city centre, The Ivy Canterbury Brasserie officially opened in October of last year. With menus featuring modern British cuisine, brasserie classics and a mix of vegan and vegetarian options, there is something for everyone to enjoy at The Ivy, whether you’re planning a mid-week afternoon tea or Sunday steak supper with the family.
This new year, The Ivy’s weekend brunch menu showcases a variety of sweet and savoury dishes to indulge in, from eggs royale with smoked salmon to buttermilk pancakes with red berry sauce, each paired with a refreshing smoothie or a seasonal cocktail. Best of all is their brand-new Sunday roast, with yorkshire puddings, rosemary roast potatoes, dry-aged English steak, vegetables and red wine gravy. Available every Sunday from 11am – 5pm, there’s no better way to celebrate the new year than with a quintessential comfort meal in one of Kent’s most exciting new restaurants.
Most Family-Friendly: Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium, Whitstable
Standout dish: Glacier with strawberries, brownie and biscoff crumbs
Situated on Whitstable’s bustling high street, Bears Ice Cream offers creative soft-serve treats, artisanally churned scoop flavours and ice cream cake slices in the UK’s most original ice cream parlour. With every recipe developed from scratch, Bears Ice Cream uses only the highest quality ingredients, sourcing milk from Jersey to create their selection of in-house churned, plant-based flavours. Founded in 2016 by Phil Harrison and Vera Thórdardóttir, the ice cream parlour – alongside its sister location in London – has become an Instagrammable hotspot, attracting both locals and visitors to their doors.
In the shop, customers have the chance to get creative and mix their own flavour by choosing from over 40 toppings, which can be dipped, rolled or smashed into the ice cream, allowing for an endless combination of flavours and textures to be created. A fun visit for all the family, Bears Ice Cream is sure to provide a treat for your sweet tooth this new year. For those looking to combine one of Bears’ unique ice cream flavours with the perfect at-home dessert, their website features a blog series with delicious recipes to make with the little ones.
Bears Ice Cream
Most Stunning Location: The Conservatory Restaurant at Updown Farmhouse, Deal
Standout dish: Brodetto with brill, cod, mussels and prawns
Set within a beautiful 17th-century former farmstead just outside of Deal, The Conservatory Restaurant allows guests to dine under grape vines and watch their chefs tend to the wood-fired grill and original farmhouse bread oven in the open kitchen. The Conservatory Restaurant’s menus are small and hyper-seasonal, changing regularly and using the best of local European produce. With monthly menus, set Sunday roasts, breakfast dishes and even steak nights, guests can choose from an array of starters, mains, desserts and meals to share.
The Conservatory Restaurant’s wine list offers a glass of indulgence with every dish, featuring a mix of winemakers that the team at Updown have loved for years alongside newer finds from smaller producers. Drawing heavily on the Italian aperitivo tradition, their cocktails are predominantly based on bitters and vermouths which pair well with their delicious desserts such as vanilla panna cotta with poached rhubarb and ginger pudding with custard. Overlooking the glorious Kentish countryside with a kitchen garden for guests to explore, The Conservatory Restaurant boasts one of the most charming backdrops for fine dining in the county.
Perfect For A Date Night: Thackeray’s, Tunbridge Wells
Standout dish: Pear and cobnut frangipane with vanilla and mascarpone
Thackeray’s is a restaurant that offers seasonal menus, local produce and a warm atmosphere in the historic building that was once the home of author William Makepeace Thackeray. An ideal spot for date night dining, the restaurant’s fairy-tale cottage feel with slanted panels and sloping floors combines a homey background with the elevated dining experience. Led by Head Chef Patrick Hill, Thackeray’s core values of provenance, attention to detail and creativity shine true with every dish they serve, staying ahead of food trends and flavours of the month with consistent tasty meals for all kinds of appetites.
Thackeray’s prides itself on being a dining option available to everyone from fledgling couples on first dates to those celebrating milestone anniversaries or newlyweds. Designed with accessibility in mind, their menus cover varying price points and levels of sophistication, featuring everything from daily lunch menus with affordable bites to indulgent chef’s tasting menus for those looking to push the boat out a little.
www.thackerays-restaurant.co.uk
Thackeray’s
Most Loved By Locals: Quince, Westgate on Sea
Standout dish: Charred mackerel with sweet pickled rhubarb and lovage
Offering relaxed dining within their neighbourhood bistro, Quince fuse their British and Spanish heritage into their menu with honest, flavour-focused and constantly evolving cooking that responds to the seasons and locally available ingredients. Quince’s dining room is considered a home away from home for the locals that frequent it, and the warm, friendly service is an unparalleled aspect of the dining experience.
Quince’s menus feature fresh, flavourful and elevated dishes from lamb and pistachio terrine to truffled cauliflower and pork tenderloin. For dessert, guests can order their popular brown sugar panna cotta, pairing the dish with a glass of local wine. For those who haven’t yet visited Quince, their Sunday lunch menu is a must-try, with three courses for £29.50 or two for £26, making it a perfect spot for a meal out by the Kentish seaside this new year.
Most Award-Winning: Bridge Arms, Canterbury
Standout dish: Gloucester Old Spot pork chop
Originally a coaching inn from the 16th century, the Bridge Arms is a Grade II listed pub that has been restored to its former glory under the ownership of Daniel and Natasha Smith. Gaining their first Michelin star in February 2022, the team at the Bridge Arms are dedicated to combining the fine dining experience with a family-friendly atmosphere in the rural village of Bridge that they call home.
Bridge Arms’ menus are produce-driven with a focus on seasonality and provenance that supports local suppliers and highlights the very best of British ingredients. Offering a daily menu alongside a four-course tasting menu, their dishes are often cooked in a Josper oven, using charcoal produced from a local Kentish woodland. From their daily menu, guests can enjoy dishes including Maldon rock oysters, chickpea panisse with confit garlic mayonnaise and Scottish langoustine, with the option of a set menu at varying lunch and dinner times throughout the week.
Bridge Arms
Where Art Meets Food: Palette Pizza, Tunbridge Wells
Standout dish: The Emin – white base, blue cheese, mozzarella, peaches, garlic oil, honey and walnuts
A sourdough pizza restaurant and art gallery, Palette Pizza provides a quirky and unique place to eat for all the art enthusiasts and curious minds out there wondering how exactly pizza and paintings pair so well together. Open Monday for takeaway and walk-ins, then Wednesday to Sunday for sit-down diners, Palette has an eclectic, colourful interior with lime-washed walls and wooden tables, inviting guests to enjoy their delicious slices in their bright and airy restaurant.
Palette Pizza’s menu is just what you’d expect from a small business: service with a smile, incredible dishes and a unique premise you won’t find anywhere else. From their tables, guests can bathe in the creative energy of Palette’s art-plastered walls while enjoying pizzas named after the most iconic painters of our time. With options including the Mona Lisa: straight up margarita, the Picasso with nduja, salami and Parmesan, and the Frida Kahlo with tomato, halloumi and garlic mayonnaise, Palette Pizza are serving up slices of inspiration for their guests this new year.
Most Atmospheric: The Blue Pelican, Deal
Standout dish: Venison saddle with koji blackberries and sorrel
A hub of Japanese-inspired dining, seasonal cocktails and small bites, The Blue Pelican is an absolute must-visit for culinary connoisseurs looking to enjoy all that Kent’s best restaurants have to offer. Based on a Japanese izakaya – a word which means ‘stay-drink-place’, The Blue Pelican combines the atmosphere of a laid-back bar with small, expertly curated plates of food just a stone’s throw from the stunning coastline of Deal. Guests can book a table with a sea view, take a spot at the chef’s counter for an intimate meal or – for tables of six or more – be seated in their private dining room with clear views over Deal’s conservation grounds.
With a seasonally-changing menu, weekly specials board and a set lunch for £23 per person available on Thursday and Friday, there are dining options for everyone at The Blue Pelican. Small plates include crab croquettes, enoki tempura and ribeye tartar, while tables can share larger dishes of pork katsu, rainbow chard rice donabe and squid with red onion and maitake mushrooms. For dessert, a simple custard with chestnut cream is sweet enough to complete a delicious meal out at one of Kent’s most inspired and atmospheric restaurants.
The Blue Pelican
A Hidden Gem: St Leonard’s, West Malling
Standout dish: Apple, cinnamon and blackberry tart with vanilla ice cream, almond crumble and meringue
Where fine British produce meets vibrant seasonal flavours, St Leonard’s is a restaurant and private dining room nestled in the picturesque market town of West Malling. From brunch through to dinner, St Leonard’s menus are constantly changing to provide a range of dishes to suit all tastes, with classic British cuisine elevated by exotic flavours from around the world. Guests who opt for their à la carte menu can choose from coronation crab with puffed rice, or roasted partridge with brioche-pancetta crumb, while their tasting menu offers Korean fried chicken thighs or soused cauliflower and cheddar croquettes.
Most underrated of all are their desserts, with a menu featuring delights such as coffee and almond macarons to vanilla cream brulee, chocolate choux buns and petit fours. Taking care to construct each dish with creativity, patience and that all-important flair, an indulgent dessert at St Leonard’s is a perfect closure to a classically Kentish fine dining experience.
For The Best Roast: Bull Inn, Bethersden
Standout dish: Sunday roast with beef topside
A pub well-loved for its inviting atmosphere and historic charm, the Bull Inn is a must-stop on an exploration of Kent’s best eateries, serving the best Sunday roast this side of the county. Inside the pub, guests are greeted by their inglenook fireplace, relaxing sofas and board games to entertain those of all ages. With a large, immaculately kept garden and patio area, the Bull Inn is an ideal place to bring the entire family together for a classic Sunday lunch.
Served with roast potatoes, a selection of vegetables, stuffing, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding, guests can choose from a variety of meat and non-meat options for their plate: beef topside, lamb shoulder, chicken breast, pork belly or nut roast. With the option of additional sides, their Sunday roasts start at just £15 per person and pair perfectly with their pub-favourite desserts of sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble and crème brûlée. Serving delicious meals with small-town charm, the Bull Inn is an excellent place to bring the family together for a post-Christmas celebration.
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