The five Kent restaurants included in UK top 100 list

Five Kent restaurants have been named as some of the country’s best.

The Good Food Guide today announced its list of the UK’s 100 top local eateries.

Nominations were sent in by the public before professional critics went in undercover to sample menus.

Venues in Whitstable, Margate, Southborough, Deal and Folkestone made the cut.

Coming top of the Kent entries and second for the south east was Harbour Street Tapas.

This Spanish-style bistro serves small plates with an emphasis on Whitstable’s seafood.

Celebrating their success on Instagram, bosses said: “Thank you to Good Food Guide for the inclusion, our amazing team and to every single customer that nominated us.

“What a brilliant birthday surprise this is.”

The restaurant has been open for eight years.

Judges hailed the tapas bar’s “laid-back, buzzy and sociable” atmosphere where “every dish begs to be ordered”.

Specialists in Japanese comfort food Mori Mori in Margate also secured a spot.

The Good Food Guide commented: “Everything is light and delicious, from a delicate steamed bao bun sando filled with crab and asparagus to okonomiyaki topped with kimchi and smoked cheese.

“It nourishes regulars and irregulars with a frequently changing menu.”

Last years winners for the south east, Tallow in Southborough, continued to impress but didn’t make the top spot.

The judges said: “It’s still going strong and Kent continues to produce some exceptional and hugely popular destinations.”

A new entry – also taking inspiration from Japanese cuisine – is The Blue Pelican in Deal.

Opening in November last year, it has already impressed top food critics, and our own reviewer Rhys Griffiths, who wrote: “If you want to enjoy some of the finest cooking happening anywhere in the county right now, get yourself down to Deal as soon as you can.”

Finally, Folkestone Wine Company in Sandgate was also featured.

They impressed the critics who said: “The scene is set by a short, ‘fabulously thought-out’ blackboard menu listing French-inspired dishes built around local and seasonal produce.

“There are no pretensions or unnecessary garnishes.

“All in all, just the kind of local ‘worth moving to Folkestone for’.”