30 Best Restaurants in The Southeast, England

The crowds line up all day to make their way into this small fish-and-chip shop just off the seafront, down near the fish shacks. Although the decor is humble, reviewers consistently rank the battered fish and huge plates of double-cooked chips (chunky fries) as among the best in the country. Everything is steaming fresh, and it's all cheaper if you get it to take out—the beach is just a few steps away.

Set just outside the medieval city walls, this historic pub-turned-restaurant serves locally sourced British produce with creative culinary twists. Mains include confit pork belly with burnt-ends croquettes and monkfish in Parma ham, but it's the "nibbles" (snacks) that are really inventive—try the sausage roll, served as three thick slices with mushroom ketchup. It's a little pricey, but the food is excellent and the portions are very generous. There are also five appealing bedrooms available upstairs, with prices starting from £120 (double that in high season) including breakfast.

No seaside town would be complete without an ice-cream store, and the delicious, house-made, artisanal gelato here is a real treat. Everything is made fresh daily; try the cherry cheesecake flavor or maybe a scoop of the delicious chocolate and sea salt. There are also dairy-free options available, as well as a full menu of desserts, including the "gelato burger" (sandwiched between brioche with chocolate sauce) and the old-school British concoction known as the knickerbocker glory (a tall glass filled with a mixture of ice cream, whipped cream, fruit, and nuts). Alternatively, if you have high levels of self-control, you could just have coffee.

Despite the fact it has no hot meals, no waiters, and no tables, Knoops has been one of Rye's most consistently popular "restaurants" for years. Step inside and it's easy to see why: this unassuming little shop serves perhaps the best hot chocolate in England. You can select your chocolate from a dizzying array of clipboards that highlight cocoa percentages and tasting notes, and then add all manner of extra flavors, from herbs and spices to fruits. Knoops has become very successful, with stores across the country, but this is where it all started.

Tucked away off St. James's Street, this tiny Kemptown tea room is one of Brighton's gems. Impossibly cute decor, traditional British crockery, and faultlessly friendly service make it a timeless haven in the heart of the city; even better, the toasties, cakes, and scones are to die for. It's so small and so popular, you may need to book in advance.

White tiles, bare metal tables, and sparkling chandeliers set the tone as soon as you walk through the door of this casually elegant restaurant. The house specialty is oysters, fresh and sustainably sourced, served with or without a foaming tankard of black velvet (champagne and Guinness) on the side. Other options include squid and shellfish risotto and Sri Lankan monkfish and prawn curry. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, so come early or be prepared to wait. However, you can reserve a table at their sister restaurant, Riddle & Finns The Beach, which overlooks the sea and has the same menu.

Serving the best of British seafood, as well as an extensive choice of champagne and sparkling wines, this intimate little restaurant has bar seating set around an open kitchen, so you can watch (and chat with) the chef preparing your food. But don't let the relaxed, friendly, and unstuffy atmosphere fool you; this is exceptional quality, fresh seafood cooked to perfection (or not cooked at all, in the case of the delicious oysters). Order from the catch-of-the-day specials pinned up above the bar, from the à la carte menu, or from the special oyster menu: it's two-for-one oysters every Friday between 4 and 5 pm.

Located near the castle in Herstmonceux and set within a 17th-century brick farmhouse with wood-beamed ceilings, this charming, family-run restaurant features imaginative French fare based on classical and modern approaches. There's an à la carte menu, but you might opt for the pricier eight-course Menu Dégustation; it changes with the seasons but may include pan-fried king scallops with pine nuts and tarragon, venison medallion with black peppercorn and juniper cream sauce, and crêpe Suzette.

Once the home of Victorian novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, this mid-17th-century tile-hung house is now an elegant restaurant known for creative French cuisine, with à la carte dishes like roast stone bass with artichoke sauce and confit pork belly with blue cheese ravioli. The fixed-price, seven-course Chef's Tasting Menu is another option.

This popular restaurant is set within a gorgeous space in the city center, with exposed brick walls and high ceilings. The à la carte menu features updated Mediterranean dishes including fried zucchini "cakes" with fresh Greek yogurt, veal cheeks with potato puree, and roasted octopus with caramelized onions. Save space for a traditional Greek dessert.

One of Rye's most popular restaurants, where most of the seafood served is freshly caught nearby, occupies a brick building that dates to 1907, but the interior has been redone in a sleek, modern style. Sample dishes like cuttlefish and noodle salad with fennel and orange or the pan-fried Rye Bay scallops with pancetta and chive vermouth sauce. 

What started in the early 2000s as a distinctly Lewes café-restaurant has since grown to become a full-blown chain, with dozens of restaurants across the United Kingdom. This is where it all began, and the casual, eclectic, mostly Modern European food remains as reliably good here as it is everywhere. Start with a plate of garlic and herb flatbread, then move on to spiced crab cakes with chili, then a flavorful cheeseburger with grated black truffle. Breakfasts here are excellent, too.

Long lines and lots of satisfied finger licking attest to the deserved popularity of this excellent fish-and-chip shop in the center of town, where all orders are takeout. Everything is freshly fried, the batter crispy, and the fish tasty; the fried mushrooms are also surprisingly good. There's no seating, so your fish is wrapped up in paper and you eat it where you want, perhaps in the park. This place closes at 7 pm.

This lively Italian trattoria in the center of Rochester specializes in pasta and pizza, the best of which is the simple Napoletana pie, topped with mozzarella, anchovies, capers, and tomato sauce. If that's just not enough to satisfy your appetite, try a hearty calzone stuffed with two types of Italian cheeses, spicy salami, and tomatoes. There's also a good range of pasta, fish, and meat dishes. Best of all, the prices are very reasonable.

Next to Canterbury West Station, this farmers' market restaurant with wooden tables is well known for offering fresh, seasonal Kentish food—think spring lamb leg with lemon and mint or wild bass with a crab and tarragon broth. Whatever is freshest that day appears on the menu, whether it's quail eggs, trout, or duck breast. The vaulted wooden space with stone-and-brick walls was a storage shed in Victorian times (hence the name); today the restaurant has huge arched windows overlooking the market and a butchers' stall.

This incredibly popular café serves high-quality and great-value meals and snacks from mid-morning to late afternoon daily. Come early for an excellent full English breakfast or opt for a light lunch like homemade soup or Welsh rarebit (a fondue-like dish where a sauce of melted cheddar, ale, and mustard is poured over slices of toasted bread). Save room for a homemade cake or delicious cream tea (scone, jam, and clotted cream). Above the café are eight pleasant, individually themed bedrooms. Avoid peak lunch hours (12:30 to 2 pm) on weekends, unless you want to wait in line (it's not possible to reserve a table).

This popular restaurant and café is a must for visiting vegetarians, though even the most ardent carnivores are likely to leave satisfied. The food is laid out cafeteria style (or "canteen" style in British English), so you choose your meal based on choices of main dishes, sides, and toppings. You could go for a chile bean enchilada or pea-and-goat cheese arancini (breaded and fried rice balls), maybe with some Cajun spiced potato wedges or sugar snap slaw. The restaurant also does a very popular vegetarian breakfast.

Relaunched in 2024 as an upscale steak house, this sleek, plant-filled restaurant offers a pared-back menu of prime-cut, grass-fed bavette, sirloin, and rib-eye steaks cooked over charcoal. The meat, which you can watch cooking in the open kitchen, comes medium-rare unless otherwise specified. To accompany your steak, choose from a selection of tasty sauces (from peppercorn to chimichurri) and sides (from sweet potato fries to macaroni cheese). There's a good choice of desserts too (try the lemon posset), along with a tempting wine and cocktail menu.

Tiny and unassuming, this restaurant might seem like an unlikely venue for exceptional sushi, but it's the best for miles. Everything is fresh and delicious, from the fragrant miso soup to the light tempura to the sushi platters that are big enough to share. For something heartier, try a bowl of steaming fried noodles or a katsu curry. Note that the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, although you're welcome to bring your own.

Located 8 miles southwest of Guildford, just a short hop down the road from Waverley Abbey and roughly halfway between the Sculpture Park and Watts Gallery, this unusually handsome country pub is in an old water mill; you can still see the working water wheel in the lobby. The menu nicely balances British pub classics and more ambitious restaurant fare; expect to find fish-and-chips and burgers alongside pan-roasted sea bass and Devonshire crab on toast. The huge beer garden is an extremely popular spot when the weather's nice, and it's also the venue for occasional open-air theater performances by local groups. Look out for the cute (but slightly intimidating) flock of ducks that are not only well practiced at begging for crumbs but also will immediately pounce on any unattended meals.

A colorful, friendly old pub near the cathedral, the Old Buttermarket is a great place to grab a hearty lunch and sample some traditional English fare with a modern inflection. You can sip a pint of fresh English ale while sampling a wild boar and chorizo pie or perhaps a warming bowl of Cheddar-crumbed mac and cheese. There's been a pub on this site for more than 500 years; historical records show that there were once secret tunnels connecting it to Canterbury Cathedral.

This sophisticated modern bistro, with its hardwood floors and royal blue banquettes, is popular with locals for a special-occasion dinner and with the theater crowd, who enjoy the fixed-price early-bird menus. The food strikes a balance between hearty, traditional British fare (like beer-battered fish-and-chips) and contemporary international dishes (like confit duck croquette with saffron aioli). The pre-theater menus, available before all performances at the Chichester Festival Theatre, are a good deal at £25.95 for two courses or £29.95 for three—considering mains alone typically cost between £25 and £35.

Good coffee, fresh produce, and delicious pastries make this coffee shop one of the best places in Lewes to drop by for an afternoon pick-me-up. A light-filled space with wood floors and simple tables creates a pleasant, casual spot to enjoy a cup of coffee with breakfast, a scone, or a light sandwich or salad lunch. You can also order to go.

Considered by Guildford locals to be one of the best Thai restaurants in the Southeast, Rumwong has an incredibly long menu, with dozens of choices from all over Thailand. Tasty dishes include the poh-taek, a "seafarer's soup" made with lemongrass, lime leaves, and shellfish, and kai pud krapraw, a spicy stir-fry made with ground chicken, fresh chilies, and basil.

In a quiet, edge-of-the-center location, this popular Italian eatery packs in the crowds on weekend nights with its inexpensive and classic pasta and pizza dishes. Try the mixed seafood spaghetti with garlic and tomato sauce or the 'nduja pizza topped with a spicy, spreadable pork sausage, mozzarella, and tomato. The atmosphere is cheerful and bright, and the food is straightforward.

Just over a mile south of Penshurst, this historic pub first opened its doors in 1520 and in many ways hardly appears to have changed today. Its big inglenook fireplace and heavy beams give it character, the views from the hilltop are lovely, and the good food (a mixture of traditional pub grub and slightly more sophisticated fare) make it a pleasure to relax inside. Come on Sunday to try the popular lunchtime roasts.

This inspiring vegetarian restaurant is incredibly popular, so come early for a light lunch or later for a more sophisticated evening meal. The food here has a pan-Asian influence, with dishes such as Korean fried cauliflower with kicking kimchi and steamed buns stuffed with ginger-braised halloumi. There's also an excellent collection of wines from around the globe.

Owned by talented graphic designers and photo artists, ThewitchEZ is certainly a unique concept: delicious German- and Polish-influenced comfort food served in the middle of a design studio (which means you can have your passport photo taken while you wait). Never mind the weirdness of the concept; this place is a whole lot of fun, and the food is good to boot—schnitzel, pierogi, German sausage, pizzas, and more.

This chic, contemporary café serves delectable baked goods, all-day breakfasts, and tapas-style light bites. Come for the Turkish eggs, poached with yogurt and dill, or try the fancy bacon roll with spinach and chili jam. Or you could just drop by for a delicious slice of fresh cake and a darn fine cup of Joe. There are also beautifully minimalist rooms here if you want to stay over.