If you’re looking for the perfect seafood haunt with coastal views, cocktails and platters of shellfish, the seaside Buoy and Oyster in Margate, Kent is your best bet. The restaurant and cocktail bar serves up seasonal seafood caught just that day. Sit inside this ocean-inspired restaurant or tuck into well-crafted seafood dishes on the terrace overlooking the sea. Simple yet elegant bare wooden tables, an open-plan kitchen, minimal cutlery and pops of seaside accents remind diners exactly where they are.
Open seven days a week from midday, tuck into a fishy lunch until 3.30pm and dinner from 5.30pm. The family-run restaurant was refurbished in 2019, modernising the décor – don’t worry though, it continues to serve seasonal seafood dishes made from local fresh ingredients, from the Kent coastline straight to your plate. There’s a cocktail bar on-site, which a range of drinks to choose from, with a must-try being the Bloody Buoy Mary – traditional Bloody Mary with some extra zing and topped with an oyster and bacon.
When dining in the restaurant, begin with the citrus cured sea trout or Rye Bay scallops with mango and coconut cream. For mains, tuck into Buoy and Oyster’s signature dish of Halibut with charred baby leeks, saffron mashed potatoes, and Kentish Broadstairs crab bisque. Other options include crab and clam linguine, curried monkfish and a rack of lamb. End a great meal off with an artistically plated dessert of chocolate fondant or the peanut butter parfait with salted caramel, caramelised banana, and topped with toffee popcorn and a smattering of peanut brittle.
The restaurant also has its own relaxed but buzzy seafood bar with a dedicated menu of platters, small plates, fried fish and oysters served all day and available to order in the main restaurant. Buoy and Oyster is wheelchair accessible, has a “little sailors” menu for kiddies and a vegan menu too. Buoy and Oyster also run daily specials, including Sunday roasts in the colder months. Every day, enjoy the Oyster Hour from 4-5pm and shuck £1 oysters. Wednesdays is all you can eat mussels and on fish & chip Fridays, grab a free glass of wine, pint or soft drink with every fish & chips dish from 12-5.30pm.