We checked 14 Canterbury area restaurants, from The Goods Shed to Michelin-starred The Sportsman, for prices, hours and hygiene ratings. Updated October 2026.
Canterbury has 14 restaurants worth booking in 2026, from The Goods Shed, the market restaurant by Canterbury West station, and Franc, the French-leaning newcomer on Northgate, to two Michelin-starred places just outside the city, The Fordwich Arms and The Sportsman at Seasalter. Below are their hours, prices, booking rules and hygiene ratings, with the Whitstable seafront close behind.
Prices are as shown on the venues’ sites on 24 October, and they change often.
Canterbury city centre
1. Franc
Franc, at 49 Northgate, is the newest name here. The Michelin Guide lists it as a selected restaurant and describes a set menu served in the upstairs dining room and an à la carte in the wine bar below, with “both French and British influences”.
The Good Food Guide rates it Very Good. Franc does not have a website of its own that we could find, so check hours and book by phone; the Michelin Guide advises booking early for a table upstairs.
Booking by phone; book early for a table upstairs (Michelin Guide)
Call 01227 851804
Address 49 Northgate, CT1 1BE
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 30 June 2026
Listing Our listing
Good for Michelin Guide selected, Good Food Guide Very Good, set menu upstairs, wine bar à la carte
2. The Goods Shed
The Goods Shed is a farmers’ market, food hall and restaurant in the old railway goods shed beside Canterbury West station. Its restaurant page says “the compact, seasonal menu constantly changes, using the best local ingredients the market has to offer”, with bread from the bakery and meat butchered on site; the site quotes earlier praise from the Guardian and the Telegraph.
Open restaurant lunch Tue to Sun 12pm to 3pm; dinner Tue to Sat 5.30pm to 9pm; closed Mon
Booking by phone or through the website widget; no bookings by email
Call 01227 459153
Address Station Road West, CT2 8AN
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 12 October 2023
Website thegoodsshed.co.uk/restaurant
Listing Our listing
Good for farmers' market, seasonal menu, free customer car park, by Canterbury West station
3. The Corner House
The Corner House is an independent restaurant just outside the city walls on Dover Street. Its site promises “simple food, done well” from British, locally sourced produce. The main room seats 40 and looks into the open kitchen; a second room over the garden seats 26 for private dining.
There are gluten-free and dairy-free versions of the menus, a set menu, Sunday lunch and a children’s menu.
Food Mon to Thu 12pm to 9pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to 9.30pm; Sun 11.30am to 8.30pm; set menu Mon to Sat 12pm to 5pm; Sunday lunch 11.30am to 5pm
Price children's menu £15 including a drink, main course and ice cream
Call 01227 780793
Address 1 Dover Street, CT1 3HD
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 5 June 2025
Website cornerhouserestaurants.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for open kitchen, private dining for 26, gluten-free and dairy-free menus, children's menu, Sunday lunch
4. Café du Soleil
Café du Soleil promises “delicious wood fired cuisine on the Stour river”, and its menu runs from pizzas to mains. Its history page says it opened in 2010 in the Woolstore, built in the 1820s on the foundations of the 14th-century city wall and used for grading and storing wool until 1972. The French-British team added a bridge across the river to the entrance and a riverside terrace.
There is a set menu, a Sunday roast and a children’s menu, plus allergy menus.
Open every day; Sun to Thu 12pm to 9.30pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to 10pm
Booking online or by phone
Call 01227 479999
Address 4-5 Pound Lane, CT1 2BZ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 29 April 2025
Website cafedusoleil.co.uk/history
Listing Our listing
Good for riverside terrace, wood-fired pizza, Sunday roast, children's menu, allergy menus
5. Posillipo
Posillipo is a Neapolitan Italian with branches in Canterbury, Broadstairs and Faversham. Its site says it was founded in 1994 by Vincenzo and Espedito, who met at a culinary school on the Posillipo hills above Naples. The menu is built around wood-fired pizzas and pasta, with daily specials and a list of Italian wines and artisan beers.
There are private dining rooms.
Open Mon to Sun from 12pm "till late"
Booking online or by phone
Call 01227 761471
Address 15-16 The Borough, CT1 2DR
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 6 August 2026
Website posillipo.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for wood-fired pizza, daily specials, Italian wines and artisan beers, private dining rooms
6. Il Posticino
Il Posticino on Dover Street was opened in 2015 by Jerry and Cristina, who describe it as “an upscale Italian dining experience where tradition meets modern elegance”. Its menu has Tuscan starters such as homemade flatbreads, pasta running from a pork and fennel ragù to truffle-filled pasta with scallop tartare, and a sharing steak. Every Sunday there is a Tuscan Sunday lunch inspired by the chef’s grandmother.
Price flatbreads from £6.95; pasta £17.95 (pork and fennel ragù) to £23.95 (truffle-filled pasta with scallop tartare); mains from £26; sharing steak £85
Booking website availability checker, by phone or by email at come2@ilposticino.co.uk
Call 01227 788022
Address 61 Dover Street, CT1 3HD
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 21 February 2024
Website ilposticino.co.uk/menus?menu=menu
Listing Our listing
Good for Tuscan Sunday lunch, homemade flatbreads, sharing steak
7. Salt Steakhouse
Salt Steakhouse is on Northgate, part of the King’s Mile. Its site says it serves “30-day aged cuts” alongside a wider menu, including a bone-in ribeye to share and a weekday Burger Club offering a beef, chicken or halloumi burger with chips and salad.
Food Burger Club weekdays 12pm to 5pm
Price Salt ribeye or Salt sirloin £20.95 each with salad, fries, baguette and the house sauce; 30-day aged bone-in ribeye to share £60; Burger Club £14.95
Booking online or by phone
Call 01227 636839
Address 111 Northgate, CT1 1BH
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 20 January 2026
Website saltsteakhouse.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for 30-day aged steaks, steak to share, weekday Burger Club, King's Mile
Villages outside the city
8. The Fordwich Arms, Fordwich
The Fordwich Arms is a Michelin-starred restaurant in an Arts and Crafts pub by the River Stour in Fordwich, which the Michelin Guide calls England’s smallest town. Dan and Natasha Smith have run it since 2017. Its site lists a tasting menu with wine pairing, an à la carte and a weekday set menu.
Food Tue to Sat 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm; Sun 12pm to 4pm
Price tasting menu £110 a head (wine pairing £100); à la carte £85 for three courses; set menu £45 Tue to Thu and Fri lunch, not served in December
Booking £40 a head charge for cancellations with less than 48 hours' notice
Call 01227 286690
Address King Street, CT2 0DB
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 28 May 2026
Website fordwicharms.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for Michelin star, River Stour, tasting menu, Arts and Crafts pub
9. The Bridge Arms, Bridge
The Bridge Arms is a 16th-century inn on Bridge High Street, south of the city. Its site describes “a village pub and restaurant in Bridge, Canterbury, serving seasonal food, local drinks and warm hospitality”. The Michelin Guide lists it as a selected restaurant and mentions a Josper grill, 28-day-aged sirloin and a set menu served at certain times.
Open Mon 3pm to 9pm; Wed to Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun from 12pm
Food kitchen closes at 9pm, or 5pm on Sun
Booking OpenTable, by email at reservations@bridgearms.co.uk or by phone
Call 01227 286534
Address 53 High Street, Bridge, CT4 5LA
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 10 September 2026
Website bridgearms.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for 16th-century inn, Josper grill, 28-day-aged sirloin, Michelin Guide selected
10. THE PIG at Bridge Place, Bridge
THE PIG at Bridge Place is a hotel and restaurant in what its site calls “a 17th-century red-brick hideaway with secret staircases”, where Led Zeppelin, The Kinks and The Yardbirds all played early gigs. The menus draw on the hotel’s own kitchen garden, and the site runs daily kitchen garden tours, a Sunday menu and breakfast.
Price rooms from £325 a night
Booking tables through the hotel's website
Address Bourne Park Road, Bridge, CT4 5BH
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 7 August 2026
Website thepighotel.com/at-bridge-place
Good for kitchen garden, daily garden tours, Sunday menu, breakfast, rooms
Whitstable and Seasalter
11. The Sportsman, Seasalter
The Sportsman sits by the sea wall on the road between Whitstable and Faversham. The Michelin Guide notes that an inn has stood on the spot since 1642, and the pub’s site says it has held a Michelin star since 2008.
It offers two menus of “small, seasonal dishes”, a Full Menu and a Short Menu. Children under 10 and dogs are not allowed, and the kitchen cannot currently cater for dairy-free diets.
Food Tue to Sat 12pm to 1.45pm and 6.30pm to 8.30pm; Sun 12.30pm to 2.45pm; closed Mon
Price Full Menu £85 a head; Short Menu £60, Tue to Thu
Booking OpenTable, for up to 10
Call 01227 273370
Address Faversham Road, CT5 4BP
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 25 February 2026, registered as Ye Olde Sportsman
Website thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for Michelin star since 2008, by the sea wall, seasonal tasting menus
12. Wheelers Oyster Bar
Wheelers on Whitstable High Street says on its story page that it was founded in 1856 by Richard “Leggy” Wheeler, a dredgerman turned master mariner. The kitchen makes everything from scratch, including the bread and ice cream, and buys from local fishermen: lobsters, Rye Bay scallops, crab, sea bass, cockles, whelks and native oysters.
It is not licensed, so you bring your own wine and pay a small corkage charge per table. On Friday and Saturday nights it serves an eight-course tasting menu only.
Open Mon, Tue, Thu and Sun 10am to 5pm; Fri and Sat 10am to 8pm; closed Wed
Booking by phone only, with a £10 a head deposit
Call 01227 273311
Address 8 High Street, CT5 1BQ
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 24 July 2026
Website wheelersoysterbar.com
Listing Our listing
Good for bring your own wine, native oysters, local seafood, tasting menu Fri and Sat nights
13. Samphire
Samphire is an “independent bistro in the heart of Whitstable”, a few doors from Wheelers. A review from ‘CENE magazine quoted on its site says it has been “a destination for locals and tourists for almost 20 years”. Its sample menu runs from soup and grilled Cornish prawns to gnocchi, a bacon chop and its fish pie, with a weekday set menu.
There is a children’s menu.
Open every day 12pm to 9pm
Price starters £8.90 (soup) to £14.90 (grilled Cornish prawns); mains £21.50 (gnocchi) to £27.90 (bacon chop); fish pie £25.90; set menu Mon lunch to Fri 5pm, £23 for two courses or £28 for three
Booking online; parties of seven or more by phone
Call 01227 770075
Address 4 High Street, CT5 1BQ
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 8 July 2026
Website samphirewhitstable.co.uk/menus
Listing Our listing
Good for independent bistro, fish pie, weekday set menu, children's menu
14. JoJo’s, Tankerton
JoJo’s in Tankerton has been run since 2000 by cook Nikki Billington and Paul Watson front of house. Its site describes “freshly cooked home-made food with a Mediterranean influence”, with most dishes made for sharing. There is also a cocktail and tapas bar that needs no booking.
Only guide dogs are allowed inside, though dogs are welcome on the terrace. The owners are buying the building’s freehold after a Crowdfunder.
Open restaurant Wed 6pm to 10.30pm; Thu to Sat 12pm to 4.30pm and 6pm to 10.30pm; Sun 12pm to 5pm
Booking online or by phone; the small terrace cannot be booked; tapas bar needs no booking
Call 01227 274591
Address 2 Herne Bay Road, CT5 2LQ
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 24 August 2026
Website jojosrestaurant.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for sharing plates, cocktail and tapas bar, dogs welcome on the terrace
How we chose
We started with the restaurants Canterbury people search for and those recognised in public guides, chiefly the Michelin Guide, then kept those whose own websites publish their menus, hours and booking details. Every place here has a Food Standards Agency hygiene rating of 3 or above on the FSA register, checked on 24 October 2026. The Whitstable Oyster Company is in the Michelin Guide but is not included: the most recent rating for its Royal Native Oyster Stores is 2, from September 2025. We left out places whose websites had lapsed or that publish no details of their own. We have not yet found a Herne Bay restaurant that meets those tests; tell us if you know one. Our monthly Canterbury food hygiene ratings story covers new inspections across the district.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@canterburylive.co.uk.
For more to do, see things to do in Canterbury, what’s on in Canterbury this month and our Canterbury business directory, which includes local businesses in Canterbury and in Whitstable.
Frequently asked questions
Which Canterbury restaurants are in the Michelin Guide?
Two restaurants in the Canterbury district hold a Michelin star in the 2026 guide: The Fordwich Arms in Fordwich and The Sportsman at Seasalter, near Whitstable. Franc on Northgate, The Bridge Arms in Bridge and the Whitstable Oyster Company also appear in the guide, without a star.
Can I take children to The Sportsman?
Not young children. The Sportsman’s website says children under 10 are not allowed and there is no children’s menu. Dogs are not allowed in the restaurant either.
Which Canterbury restaurants are open on a Monday?
The Corner House, Café du Soleil and Posillipo publish Monday hours, as do Samphire and Wheelers Oyster Bar in Whitstable. The Bridge Arms opens on Monday from 3pm. The Goods Shed restaurant, The Fordwich Arms and The Sportsman are all closed on Mondays.
Have your say