Tiny seaside restaurant named the best in the world by famous chef and its right by the beach
A FAMOUS chef has said one of the best restaurants in the world is in an English seaside town.
The Sportsman in Whitstable has won a number of awards in recent years, including there Best Restaurant by The Good Food Guide last year.
Chef Max Rocha, who runs London’s Cafe Cecila, raved about the restaurant as well.
He told Conde Nast Traveller: “This is my favourite restaurant in the world.
“It really is the best restaurant and ticks all the boxes.”
He raved about it being “fine dining at an accessible price” as well as being “creative but humble.”
He added: “It’s so welcoming when you get there.”
He even said he thought it was “every chef’s favourite restaurant”.
Having reopened back in 2019 when it was taken over, they were awarded the Michelin star in 2008.
Guests can choose between the cheaper midweek menu with three courses for £55.
Otherwise the five-course tasting menu throughout the week is £80 per person.
You can even stay at the restaurant as well, with four en-suite cabins in the garden.
Sleeping two, they include snacks for breakfast as well as tea and coffee, from £160 a night.
One said: “It’s just heaven of a local place.
“Set in a very classic coastal pub feel with not a huge pretentious or fine dining feel so very at ease and not needing to be all dressed up and fancy.”
Someone joked: “I might never in my life again taste bread as spectacular as the bread at Sportsman.”
But Whistable isn’t short of amazing eateries, with one of its most famous being the bright pink Oyster Bar.
Otherwise there is the Neptune pub, one of the few in the UK’s whose beer garden is right on the beach.
One person said on TripAdvisor that it was the “best pub in England” while another said it was “like being away abroad”.
Even famous celebs love it, including Daniel Craig and Aaron Paul being spotted there.
What is it like to visit Whitstable?
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey visited Whitstable for a winter break
I’ll admit I’m more of a fan of the English seaside in the winter than the summer.
Not only are there fewer crowds but you often get a much better experience when the waitresses aren’t being rushed off their feet.
Sure, some places are closed off-season and the weather won’t be warm – but that’s what a cosy pub with a roaring fire is for.
I headed straight to the Old Neptune, the Kent pub right on the beach, where I enjoyed a pub while being dry and sand-free (Whitstable has pebble beach).
Make sure to pass the pubic toilets, where you can spot some Banksy artwork.
Joining just one-mile of the King Charles III England Coast Path, I hopped into The Marine Hotel for the night, where half of the rooms overlook the sea.
It ticked all the boxes of the perfect seaside resort – shabby chic decor, a huge bathtub and lots of Twinings tea.
Here’s the UK’s cheapest seaside town to buy a house right now.
And we’ve found a seaside town that is just as good in the winter.