Below ground in Margate is the mysterious Shell Grotto, a series of chalk-walled salons adorned with millions of seashells that’s getting on for 200 years old. While all who venture there can agree on its artistic merits, there’s wide disagreement around its intended purpose (folly, place of worship, secret HQ) – much like Margate itself.
JMW Turner, TS Eliot, Tracey Emin, the Libertines, all have ties to this coastal town – the artistic credentials of which were sealed with the arrival of the Turner Contemporary in 2011. And yet beyond this cultural heritage, nobody can quite agree on Margate’s character – part kitsch seaside resort, part creative cauldron, and part ordinary Kentish town that resists gentrification. Whichever part you come for, the resulting cocktail is quite the weekend tonic.
DRINK
All manner of pours are widely served in Margate. For beers, try the Harbour Arms, a micropub serving real ales and ciders to bay-facing picnic tables. Mexicana devotee Dive is its neighbour on the Harbour Arm and specialises in margaritas and tacos. Margarita lovers should also add tequila and mezcal bar Mariachi to their list.
On Marine Drive, head to Dory’s for wine by the glass, including a good English selection (and polished small plates that are long on local flavour); or to exuberant all-rounder Little Swift, which has seasonal cocktails, wine and craft beers. Tucked into the Old Town, Wildes has a globetrotting cocktail menu, plus tables on the square, and you can go back the next morning to soothe your hangover with their brunch.
EAT
Breakfast comes with classy Twenties-style surroundings at the Pearly Cow. Just downhill from the (closed) Lido, Forts is food-critic-approved and has fine coffee and loaded focaccias. Most of the drinking holes listed above also dabble in food, thereby doubling as lunch spots. For dinner, the breadth of choice is enticing.
Seasonal sharing plates paired with excellent wine await in a tiny shack on the Harbour Arm at Sargasso (DFL little sister to Brawn). At Bottega Caruso, it’s the Italian classics and everything-from-scratch authenticity which ensure its popularity and mean you’ll need to book ahead.
Margate stalwart Angela’s has built its enduring appeal on finessed local seafood and seasonal veggie plates. Always a good sign, the latter two restaurants have ‘little sisters’ in Olivo and Dory’s (see Drink) respectively – so there are your back-up plans.
DO
Your ideal Margate-rita is one part kitsch, one part seaside air, and one part art. For kitsch, we’re off to Dreamland, an amusement park that dates from the 1870s, to indulge our inner child with vintage attractions (ferris wheel, roller disco, carousel, crazy golf) and street food. Seaside air could involve simply strolling the Main Sands, or braving a low-tide dip in either of Margate’s tidal pools (the Walpole option has a seasonal Haeckels sauna hut, too).
For art, turn to the David Chipperfield-designed Turner Contemporary, a free-to-enter gallery with a rotation of world-class exhibitions and locally-themed airings. In Margate town proper, Carl Freedman Gallery is a contemporary space with featured-artist shows (that happens to be Tracey Emin’s neighbour). Talking of which, Tracey’s TKE Studios sometimes has weekend openings to showcase the works of artists in its residency programme.
STAY
Two hotels in Margate have recently caught our eye – both boutique in their small-scale, detail-driven beauty. No 42 by Guesthouse, Margate is in a prime spot overlooking the Main Sands, but is also dual-aspect, opening onto the town’s shops and back streets, too. Interiors are pale-hued, comfortable and contemporary, but it’s the raft of extras that impresses here: a café and spa opening onto Marine Drive; a glamorous Twenties-style restaurant with balcony tables; and crowning it all, a rooftop bar, for cocktails on the couch washed down with sea views.
Set in the still-gritty neighbourhood of Cliftonville, an easy walk from the heart of town, contemporary B&B Margate House is a nine-room townhouse set on an elegant square: its flavour is seductively local, with everything from room fragrance to furnishings sourced from Margate itself, and strong artistic leanings evident in its custom-made furniture, striking art collection, and thoughtfully curated rust-and-rose interiors. You could stay at either hotel and have entirely different weekends…
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