Whether you prefer cool coffee bars, vintage tea rooms or European bistros, there are many great cafés in Kent to get your caffeine fix.
The Vintage Empire
104 High St, Herne Bay CT6 5LE
Staying true to its name, The Vintage Empire in Herne Bay is a 40s themed café serving classic cakes such as Victoria sponge and coffee and walnut along with scones slathered with cream and jam. Think pretty floral wallpaper, delicate bone china tea sets and bunting-lined walls.
The Green Door Deli
23 William St, Herne Bay CT6 5EG
Take a step through the green door of The Green Door Deli on Willams Street in Herne Bay and be greeted by the aroma of fresh coffee. Pick a corner and enjoy a slice of one of the delicious cakes on offer. Just a stone’s throw away from the beach, you could also select some fresh deli food and soak in the views by the sea.
Frederic Café Bistro
Market Buildings, Earl St, Maidstone ME14 1HP
Frederic Café Bistro in the lovely Market Buildings in Maidstone is run by husband and wife team Ulric and Sarah Allesbrook, chef-patron and chef-patisserie, respectively. With an authentic bistro style, there is a curated lunch menu with a French twist, including dishes inspired by Ulric’s childhood in Dordogne, France. Pick a cake from the window display and settle down with an espresso to while away for a couple of hours.
Tiny Tim’s Tearooms
34 St Margaret's St, Canterbury CT1 2TG
Voted Top Tearoom in Kent by our lovely readers in 2015, Tiny Tim’s Tearooms, located on St Margaret’s Street in Canterbury, is a vintage gem serving over 30 types of tea alongside fabulous café treats. Pop in for Eggs Benedict at breakfast time, a warm quiche of the day with salad for lunch, or de-stress with a hot chocolate orange with the delicate background hum of the 30s and 40s music.
Juliet’s Café
54 High St, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XF
Juliet’s on Tunbridge Wells’ High Street is a trendy café with reclaimed wood tables and exposed brick walls. There’s an extensive selection of cakes with daily changing specials to choose from, so why not grab a slice of chocolate and raspberry cake with a big cup of tea and enjoy the atmosphere?
Casa Da Claudia
5 Castle St, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XJ
The homely café Casa Da Claudia on Castle Street in Tunbridge Wells is run by Claudia herself, who serves sandwiches, coffee and even some Portuguese treats. Try a Portuguese egg tart or another pastry with a strong coffee to compliment the sweetness. This spot is a lunchtime dream with crayfish salads, generously sized tuna melts and granary bread bacon sandwiches to eat in or take away.
Café Nucleus Rochester
Halpern Conservancy Board Building, High St, Rochester ME1 1PY
If you have never been to one of Café Nucleus' locations, then perhaps the fact that the Rochester branch won Kent Coffee Shop or Tea Room of the Year at the 2020 Taste of Kent Awards will change your mind.
The trendy and artsy cafe occupies the regal-looking Halpern Conservancy building and offers diners the option to sit in the main cafe, the tropical garden, or a boardroom. The food is tasty, and the coffee is positively glorious.
Corby’s Tea Rooms
18-20 York St, Ramsgate CT11 9DS
The old-fashioned Corby’s Tea Rooms on Ramsgate’s York Street is just down from the harbour and serves tasty cakes and afternoon teas. Great teas and coffees are served in the bright, open space, and the walls are adorned with hand-painted murals depicting different spots around the town. What better place to indulge in the British tradition of a cream tea with friends?
Moat Tea Rooms
67 Burgate, Canterbury CT1 2HJ
The Moat Tea Rooms in Canterbury’s ancient Burgate is housed in a charming old building that dates back 500 years. Sample some speciality cupcakes, freshly baked cakes and scones or enjoy a full Champagne cream tea. If you’re after a savoury fix for lunch, try an omelette, baked potato or a cheese ploughman’s.
Making the most of a gap in the market, Moat Tea Rooms has also more recently become a tea and coffee merchant, stocking 39 types of tea and 15 varieties of coffee bean. Enjoy these in the tea rooms or buy by the bag to enjoy at home.
Steep Street Coffee House
18, 24 The Old High St, Folkestone CT20 1RL
Lined with bookshelves housing hundreds of literary gems is Steep Street Coffee House on The Old High Street in Folkestone. Find a cosy spot by the window and lose yourself in a good book while sipping on a warming coffee and indulging in a homemade cake.
For avid readers, there’s plenty of literary talks, readings and workshops hosted at the coffee house for you to get involved in.
Stag Coffee
108-110 High St, Ashford TN24 8SD
With a focus on high-quality coffee from local roasters alongside pastries, sandwiches, cakes and muffins, Stag Coffee on the High Street in Ashford is a perfect stop off for a takeaway drink and sweet treat to enjoy at your desk or spend a bit longer and have some lunch. Light dishes like pasta salads, “ultimate” cheese toasties, and Spanish omelette are freshly prepared. There’s even ice cream!
Fine Grind Espresso Bar
90-92 High St, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1YF
Being meticulous about coffee is in the DNA at Fine Grind Espresso Bar on Tunbridge Wells’ High Street. Using coffee supplied by the local, family-run Horsham Coffee Roaster in the excellent quality coffee machine and grinders, professionally trained baristas will prepare your hot drink just the way you like it. Enjoy your coffee in the chicly decorated café with dark red walls and black painted doors and windows.
The Bakehouse at 124
124 High St, Tonbridge TN9 1AS
Housed in a beautiful timber-framed building is The Bakehouse at 124 on Tonbridge High Street, the bakery-cum-café serving fresh bread, pastries and more to take away. The decor is rustic and inviting, creating a perfect spot to enjoy a coffee and cake with friends if you have a little more time. The Bakehouse at 124 won Best Independent Food & Drink Retailer at the Kent Life Food & Drink Awards 2020, which we are so pleased about
Finch House
Unit 15, The Pavilion Shopping Centre, High St, Tonbridge TN9 1TE
The award-winning Finch House in Tonbridge’s Pavilion Shopping Centre is beautifully decorated with tones of white and pale blue in a bright and open space. Stop in for a leisurely breakfast of rustic breakfast rolls and coffee or porridge with honey, fruit and nuts on top. Locally sourced ingredients go into every bite.
Gallery Kitchen Café
1 Abbey St, Faversham ME13 7BE
Chef Lorraine King creates fabulous café food and cakes at Creek Creative Studios’ Gallery Kitchen Café on Abbey Street in Faversham. Enjoy your latte however you like with any of three non-dairy kinds of milk to choose from alongside regular milk. With new cake creations on offer all the time, dig into a treacle tart slice, a lemon sunflower cake or a slice of sticky rhubarb and ginger cake.
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