101 Reasons to Visit Britain's Most Artistic Destination - Margate

Margate is not just "on the up". It's well and truly up and running. Margate today is somewhere that London's bright young things want to come and live. During lockdown, an unprecedented number of creatives left their beloved Hackney and Peckham for Margate's beautiful sunsets. The crew at A+C adore Margate, and we want to give you the lowdown, so you get the most out of your visit.

Our number one is essential.

1. Visit A+C. Studio Come and drool at our spacious and well-equipped studio, meet the makers and feel the magic of stop - motion - better still, make a weekend of it and give the 100 other highlights a whirl.

WHERE TO STAY IN MARGATE

2. Fort Road Hotel
With its fabulous sea views, Margate's Fort Road Hotel is ideally located a stone's throw from the beach, the old town and the Turner Contemporary.

3. The Albion Rooms
A glorious explosion of ideas from The Libertines in a former waterfront B&B

4. The Well
Sea views from a dreamy roll-top bathtub.

5. Margate Rooms
Margate Rooms offers seven boutique bedrooms, which range from Standard to Deluxe with Sea Views, plus a Family Suite, which can sleep four.

6. DogHouse
A minimalist and luxury dog-friendly B&B located in a quiet residential street just 500 meters from the sea. 

7. Cliftonville Townhouse
Relaxing interiors, comfortable beds, immaculate bathrooms, and fluffy towels in a convenient location.

8. Walpole Bay Hotel
WBH is a place to stay and somewhere to visit. If artworks made entirely on linen napkins are your thing their  Living Museum is full of vintage artefacts, a 1920s ballroom and a 'Napery'

PLACES TO VISIT IN MARGATE

9. The Crab Museum
Europe's only museum dedicated to the world of the decapod.

10. Walpole Bay Tidal Pool
A beautiful large saltwater pool that is open year-round and merges with the sea at high tide. - Wonderful spot

11. The Oval Bandstand
Cute outdoor community events venue - check website for events.

12. Haeckels House
Sustainable beauty brand Haeckels went into business with hand-harvested, organic products made from Margate seaweed, opened Haeckels House this spring, it now has a spa worthy of its cult following.

13. Shell Grotto
A Margate oddity where 4.5 million shells make up its mosaic walls. Who created it and why - no one knows.

14. Margate Caves
This former chalk mine has been an air raid shelter, smugglers' cave and a wine cellar.

15.Tom Thumb
One of the world's smallest theatres. Head here for intimate gigs, comedy, burlesque and indie films. Plus, there is a cool bar.

16. The Tudor House
The Tudor House was built in 1525 and is thought to be one of the oldest houses in Kent. The house has been frozen in time and serves as a small museum.

WHERE TO DRINK IN MARGATE

17. Faith In Strangers Cocktails with a view

18. Little Swift serves the most delicious cocktails and enjoys sea views.

19. Bar Nothing on Cliff Terrace is hipster AF.

20. Mariarchi is a lovely tequila & mezcal bar in the town centre where you can book a private agave room for tastings.

21. Stingray on Northdown Parade is supercool bottle shop bar serving craft beer, natural wine and cocktails

22. The Taproom Cliftonville. Tables outside for Northdown Road watching and a decent booze selection.

23. WILDES in Margate's Old Town is a beautiful bistro which is great for brunch during the day and cocktails at night.

24. The Little Prince is the UK's smallest pub.

25. Rose in June is a beautiful pub and serves some banging food.

26. The Fez on the High Street is a quirky hangout - Good on Tuesday Ukelele Nights

27. Rey is The Rose In Junes, little sister - beautiful views and superb drinks.

28. Daisy - In my opinion, the best cocktails in Margate - if not Kent.

29. The George and Heart - Nice boozer which offers accommodation.

30. The London Tavern has a welcoming atmosphere, fires when it's chilly, and BBQs when it's roasting. Top Sunday roasts too.

31. The Two Halves - Seafront micropub serving cask ales

32. xylobrewing - Microbrewery and taproom with uninterrupted views of the seascape.

33. CAMP - Queer bar and community space with a karaoke booth in the back

PLACES TO EAT IN MARGATE

34. Dive
Top-notch Mexican food on the Harbour Arms

35. Casa Pizzeria
Napoli-style pizza, antipasti and desserts

36. Po'boy
Creole fish hut at The Sun Deck

37. The Bus Cafe
Margate's best street food cafe. Set in a vintage double-decker bus

38. Scissortail Coffee
Just a damn fine cup of coffee

39. Cinque Ports with IWA
Vibrant, fresh, Mexican Fusion Street Food.

40. Love Cafe
Instagrammers dream - serving food and cocktails.

41. Rendezvous
Family-run Bistro inside an ugly building serving delicious food and drink

42. Bow's Kitchen
Excellent Thai curries, stir-fries and noodle dishes.

43. Lilie's
Decent tapas with a lovely sea view

44. Barletta
A great selection of tasty and perfectly presented small plates.

45. Dalby Cafe
Legendary cafe with the best hangover breakfast known to man.

46. Cliffs
Award-winning cafe, record shop and hair salon

47. Mori Mori
Contemporary Japanese Restaurant serving hot and cold dishes, sushi, teppanyaki, donburi, noodles and curry.

48. Batchelor's Patisserie
Cute cafe serving the best cup of tea in Margate.

49. Skinnydip Coffee
Lovely gaff serving incredible botega's and sando's.

50. Sargasso
From the team behind East London's Brawn Restaurant. A place by the sea to enjoy coastal cooking, real wine, music & guest broadcasting

51. Beach Buoys/ Buoy & Oyster
The best fish and chips in Margate

52. GB Pizza
Gourmet pizza with an iconic view.

53. Dory's
Delicious seafood.

54. Angela's
The OG foodie hang-out and the first Michelin Star for Margate.

55. Waverley House
The best views of Margate Main Sands serve a seasonal menu where the quality of products and simplistic cooking is key.

56. Slab
Steak, lobster and burger by the sea.

57. Peter's Fish Factory
The second-best fish and chips in Margate.

58. Mannings Seafood
A little seaside stall that sells a variety of seafood

59. The Greek Kitchen
An authentic taste of the Mediterranean.

60. Mamma Mia Pizzeria
Authentic Italian hand-stretched pizzas, Puccia & pasta

61. Gina's Bakery
Handmade bread lovingly prepared by the sea.

62. The Greedy Cow
A family-run cafe offering simple, well-cooked meals in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

63. Mullins Brasserie
Modern European cuisine with a hint of the Caribbean

64.  Bottega Caruso
Incredible authentic Italian cuisine.

65. Palms Pizzaria
Pizza by the slice served NY style, local beers, and a plethora of shots.

66. Forts
Great food, great coffee and exceptional cocktails

NIGHTLIFE AND LIVE MUSIC IN MARGATE

67. Elsewhere
Hip independent record shop and music venue.

68. Margate Arts Club
Inclusive and progressive club with eclectic nights

69. The Wasteland
The Libertines bar underneath The Albion Rooms

70. Crybaby
A modern twist on the jazz clubs of old, this art deco styled bar lies in the heart of the Centre in Margate.

71. The Sundeck
Food, drinks, dancing and the best sunsets.

ART IN MARGATE

72. Hotel Michele
A shared exhibition space has been set up to facilitate an alternating programme of exhibitions by Roland Ross & Kavel Rafferty.

73. Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary put Margate back on the map. Clinging to the edge of the land, The Turner catches Margate's seascapes in vast monumental panes of glass. The exhibitions are pretty good too.

74. Carl Freedman Gallery
Relocated from London and one of the most exciting developments in Margate's creative-led regeneration.

75. Quench Gallery
Bringing the chaos and light to Cliftonville is Quench. A non-profit gallery geared totally towards financially supporting the artists they exhibit.

76. The Margate School
Independent liberal art school offering exhibitions.

CREATIVE SPACES IN MARGATE

77. Fire Eye Land
Photography studio and creative space

78. LIMBO
Artist studio complex and project space.

79. Northdown Studio
Artist studio and project space.

80. Bon Volks
A member-run co-working space that utilises the advantages of collaborative organisation for mutual gain.

81. Studio Sam Causer
A design-led, RIBA chartered architecture practice specialising in adapting complex and sensitive situations.

82. Resort
Resort encompasses individual studios, shared facilities, workshop areas and exhibition space. They offer a high-quality programme of events and aim to foster a vibrant and dynamic community of like-minded people.

83. Marine Studio
Margate's first co-working space boasts gorgeous sea views and a professional working environment.

84. Joseph Wales Studios
Studios and exhibition space.

85. CRATE
Three floors of studios, and two project spaces. The project spaces are available for short-term use by practitioners, alongside a programme initiated by CRATE.

86. Printworks
A creative hub housing individual studios for a community of creative practitioners, a café, a yoga/pilates studio and an exhibition/event space.

COOL SHOPS IN MARGATE

87. Little Bit
A wonderful indy shop that sells brightly coloured gifts of wonderment.

88. L'absurde
Curated homeware, lifestyle concept store and Immersive Interiors

89. Werkhaus Margate
A collection of trans-seasonal modern utilitarian womenswear and curated vintage.

90. The Margate Bookshop
Indy independent bookshop situated in the heart of the Old Town offers a selection of new and second-hand books.

91. Albion Stores
A brilliant clothing store with super helpful staff that have an impressive eye for style.

92. Les Animaux
Beautiful shop where you can get the boilersuit of dreams.

93. RG Scotts Furniture Mart
This is the DFL home reno heaven - you can still get an MCM bargain here. Bonus - Downstairs you'll find Junk Deluxe a trove of Modernist peices.

94. The Grain Grocer
Organic food store and café.

95. Lost Property 1&2
Vintage furniture & decorative items

96. Ghost Papa
Coastal haunt for book lovers and music fiends.

97. Skate Pharm
Full range of skateboards and brilliant t-shirts.

98. Artisans & Adventurers
Lovely shop filled with West African and South American handcrafted items.

99. Boondock
A curated collection of individual pieces - mostly vintage & some modern. On Margate Harbour Arm

100. Mahal Kita Flowers
Hands down the best florist in Margate. Their exciting and unique flowers are works of art.

101. Modern Provider
Fresh bread and local deli produce + sandwiches as big as a toddler - get there before 1 pm otherwise 'NO BREAD'