Places to eat in Maidstone

Located behind Fremlin Walk in the centre of Maidstone, La Taberna is a family-run Mediterranean and Spanish restaurant that’s long been a local favourite thanks to its rustic interiors, warm welcomings and excellent food – order ahead for their speciality paella or work your way through the wine menu and wait for an hour, it’s well worth it.

For a taste of Italy, head to Vesuvius on Lower Stone Street, an authentic Italian chain restaurant that’s taken off around the south coast. The menu covers all the traditional cornerstones, while their stone-baked pizzas are sublime.

Another highly recommended restaurant in the centre of Maidstone, the Gem of Kent on High Street, is the place to come for a taste of Turkey and a short walk from our Maidstone Town Centre hotel. If you can’t decide what to eat, they offer three set menus where the food just keeps on coming.

A Maidstone favourite since launching in 2006, Narai Thai Palace opposite Brenchley Gardens is an award-winning authentic Thai restaurant that strives to balance out hot, sour, sweet, salty and bitter tastes with every dish – try their Poo Phad Pong Gari crab speciality, and you’ll soon find out why.

Make the most of the south coast location by heading to Fish on the Green and trying some of the freshest seafood you’ll ever have. A simple but stylish restaurant housed in a converted stable on the eastern edge of Maidstone, the seasonal fish dishes and that-day-catches are the main talking point, but they do several vegetarian and non-fish dishes on the menu as well.

At the other end of the style spectrum, Mu Mu Restaurant is a glorious mish-mash of styles, with baroque interiors, Roman-esque sculptures lining the walls and some beautifully presented food. There’s substance to the style, as anyone who’s tried their signature burger or their Sunday brunch will attest.

If tea is your thing, Teapot Island will be your kinda place. A supremely quirky café a short drive from our Maidstone Wateringbury hotel, they have over 7,600 teapots on display with 2,000 of them available to buy while you can also paint and design your own custom teapot. If the sun is shining, grab something from their breakfast, lunch and dessert menu and take your pot of tea out into the garden overlooking the River Medway and enjoy the views and a freshly brewed cuppa.

Nearby on Earl Street you’ll find The Living Cafe, a classy café serving up breakfast and lunch with plenty of twists, including their range of breakfast burgers which are rightly served through the day.

Out on the edge of the Kent Downs and a 10-minute drive from our Maidstone Sandling hotel, The Bow Window Coffee Shop is a welcoming licensed café serving tea, coffee, smoothies and a wide range of cakes and lunch options including their legendary Ploughmans put together using locally sourced speciality bread and homemade pâté.