a little R+R – WHere to eat at Folkestone Harbour Arm

Folkestone Harbour Arm is full of fantastic places to eat during your visit. Year after year Folkestone tops lists saying it’s the best place to live in the UK. There are many winners of awards for best restaurant or venue around town.   Whether you’ve been shopping at our Harbour Marketplace, or supporting the wealth of local independent retailers, or need somewhere to meet up with friends to celebrate, Folkestone Harbour Arm has the right spot for you.  Folkelife has curated a list of venues for a little tipple, a bit of refresh and refuelling, or meal for the family.

the goods yard

The Goods Yard at Folkestone Harbour Arm is a venue that always makes you feel like you’re on holiday.  Set back with stunning views of Folkestone and the English Channel, plus over to France on a good day, you can relax with so many different types of food on offer. Greek Street food is irresistible; Rotisserie chicken, Pizza, Grill and Fish and Chips, all washed down with some Floc. beer.  There’s something for everyone.  There’s a selection of free Family Films showing every weekend from March to September along with live music and community activities. Live sport is shown every weekend of the year.  The Marketplace runs from March to October and will open up again mid November for the Festive Marketplace until Christmas Eve.  It has local artisans selling their wares and these make great presents.

Lighthouse Champagne Bar

Stroll along Folkestone’s Harbour Arm passing Cavells – Mediterranean feasts, and Shesells SeaShells – sharing platters of the freshest fish – to the end of Folkestone’s Harbour Arm to the most magical location for a bar in the UK.  It’s an award winning bar with not just Champagne on offer.  If you need warming up there’s hot chocolate laced with liqueur or specialty beers and wine too.  Look out for their sister venue The Tasting Rooms at Platform 4 where your cosy party will certainly have a fabulously memorable time.  During the summer, the Lighthouse Champagne Bar is the best location to sit back and enjoy the porpoises running the Channel whilst you sip your drinks. Next door to The Tasting Rooms you will find Gaia Studio and Gaia +Grind.  The Gaia business prides itself on quality cocktails with excellent flavour and poured to perfection.  You’ll find the same with their coffee.  They start serving from 8am, although, not the cocktails!

Sailbox and Harbour COffee

The Harbour’s own Harbour Coffee roast and brew their own delicious blends which are also available to buy.  Arguably these guys have the best hot chocolate in town too.  Once you’ve tried an almond croissant you’ll find them calling to you so you need to visit more often.  Its sister restaurant, Sailbox, is bright yellow and next-door, you can’t miss it.  Here there’s brunch and beyond with bargain fish and chip lunches on a Monday and stonking roasts on a Sunday from mid-October to March.  Try the fish bites, again, they’ll help you plan your next visit.

harbourside

Alongside Sailbox and Harbour Coffee there’s Minutas which serves authentic Argentine street food.  Chimichurri herby sauce covers the succulent seared beef, and churros for pudding is a must.  You can be guaranteed of a decent hotdog from Jamie at The Meat Shack. Also, stop off to discover the amazing delicacies served at Shuck It And Sea.  The fish finger sandwiches are delicious.

On the other side of Sailbox, you will find our gastro gaming centre with Hugo’s @ The Board Room.  Here you can play electronic darts, shuffleboard and eat by your board, or dine in style with a sumptuous menu of small plates, snacks and burgers.

rocksalt with friends

Rocksalt is Folkestone’s finest restaurant with the best views over the harbour.  Whether it’s low tide or high tide, the view changes daily.  This is a fantastic place to treat the family for a special meal and a great place to go for pre-dinner drinks at the upstairs bar.  You might want a different sea view at their sister restaurant Little Rock, on the beachside of Folkestone Harbour. The Pilot Bar is also open for coffee, tea and hot chocolate during the day, and a warm place to sit for cocktails of an evening. The Rocksalt Group also owns a number of pubs, one being The Radnor Arms at the western end of town.  This is a wonderfully cosy place for drinks and the food is as you’d expect – delicious. The vegetarian and vegan options are always so tasty.

beachside

To the west of Folkestone Harbour Station there’s an oasis of fun and relaxation with the adventure golf course.  There are golf clubs to fit the tallest to the shortest, and during the winter you can enjoy this by night as it’s lit up, with glow in the dark golf balls to boot!  Next door, with views of the sunset, is Brewing Brothers.  This is one of the largest venues on the Harbour site and has an authentic Italian pizza oven producing the best pizzas in town.  Their selection of small plates are equally delicious; the best prawns you will have had in a long time, smoked mackerel pâté, delicate crisps of bread to dip into your humus… the list goes on.