The Waterfront Restaurant and Bar

If you're after a quirky, independent restaurant, offering a range of delicious food and drinks with a sea view, look no further. The Waterfront restaurant has everything you need. We enjoyed really tasty food that was cooked with care and passion, and served by friendly and attentive waiting staff; enthusiastic in their work and who couldn't do enough for us. We booked ahead but walk-ins are catered for. I honestly wish there were more stars I could use. Fantastic food. Fantastic setting. Fantastic staff. Fantastic time had by whole family! Cannot wait to visit again! Edit: Visited The Waterfront yesterday, and this place is an absolute gem as always!

Had a late lunch here and had a wonderful time. There’s some lovely views inside and nice tables. The staff are very friendly and good service. The atmosphere was nice with other customers being friendly. And decor was cute. The calamari was very good, the pork belly salad was also very nice. Fish and chips was well made and tasty. And the burger was good too. I can’t fault this place at all. The drinks were really nice too. The prices are slightly pricey but that’s in line with the type of establishment it is so it didn’t feel unreasonable or unexpected. Would recommend for a nice meal in Hithe.

+6

What a wonderful place!! We whiled away the whole of Sunday afternoon here. Had some fabulous food, lovely drinks and generally watched the world go by on what was a glorious sunny day. Perfectly positioned, right on the beach. Really cool place. Lovely, friendly staff.

Beautiful location and decorated restaurant with amazing sea front views. Food was fantastic especially the crispy chili beef starter and prawn cocktail starter. Bill was less than expected, so great value. Service was top notch, very well looked after.

A firm family favourite for all occasions big or small Never been let down or had a bad meal here Staff are always excellent and I’ve lost count how many times I have meant to leave another review Thanks for looking after us on Monday lunchtime it really is a pleasure to Spend time here and although we get a little raucous at times it’s always with good humour. Thanks once again see you all soon x

We have visited the Waterfront on several occasions now and we absolutely love the place. From the service , location, incredible staff, atmosphere etc it’s just absolutely perfect. Our food last weekend was incredible and great value for money. We were served lobster 🦞 caught that very morning whilst being serenaded by an amazing singer. What more could you possibly want, apart from that incredible sea view. Well done to the whole team, your absolutely brilliant ❤️

+3

First time we've been here for a evening meal. We chose from the two course menu. Salmon and chicken were both delicious. The only criticism was more vegetable selection would have been nice with the chicken. The venue is very cosy with a beautiful pink blossom tree taking centre stage. An outdoor terrace with tables and chairs for warmer weather overlooking the sea. A revisit definitely planned.

Were out and wanted lunch. Found this gem by accident. We did not have a reservation, but were lucky enough to get a table for two. First impressions were good and it just got better from there. Staff were attentive without being intrusive, food was spectacular, atmosphere was made perfect by live jazz and swing. Thank you for looking after us, making us feel so welcome.

It was our first time here, although my parents used to come regularly when it was the Hythe bay fish restaurant. The place is decorated beautifully for Christmas and really does get you in the festive spirit! We had a nice, spacious table overlooking the bay and really enjoyed our meal and drinks. The food was tasty and service was friendly and efficient. There was a dj playing good tunes in the background and he read the room well with his choices 👌 we will definitely be back!

PERFECT in every way. Delicious food, wonderful service from Alanna and stunning views of the beach. We all had the sea bass which was outstanding. Would definitely come again.

So according, no soup on menu but chef made me a mussel soup & so good. Their bread & garlic bread is amazing. Staff very friendly & service made it all special. Singer here & atmosphere just amazing by the sea.

What a pleasure to eat at the Waterfront Staff very pleasant and acommodating. Food was brilliant all came up well presented. So full no room for dessert. Will definitely be back again.

Managed to get squeezed in at the Bar as we hadn’t thought to book, they had a singer on who provided a great ambiance to the flamboyant setting. Our Sunday roast lived up to our expectations, the lamb cooked to perfection. The place is buzzing with people, very busy with lots of attentive staff flowers everywhere. They had clearly started the Coronation decorations which looked spectacular hoping to come back next week to enjoy the festivities. We found thd prices about right and understand with the costs of goods going up, staff wages, utilities and so forth restaurants some how near those costs, we chose knowing the prices and weren’t disappointed. Thanks to all the staff for making a great bank holiday and squeezing us in when you were so busy inside and out. Well done

By far one of the best restaurants/bar i have ever been to. The staff here are absolutely amazing! The food is very tasty and very filling. The Interior and overall mood is stunning and very calm. I will definitely return here once more. Recommend to anyone and everyone!

Sat outside and had a great brunch, the staff are great, the food was lovely , came quickly and was really good. A little more expensive than some places, but the portions and quality was worth it. Will be going again.

Booked a table here for Easter Sunday with the family. It was extremely busy but the staff were calm and collected. We were glad we had booked in advance. They had a raffle on for Pilgrims Hospice and this is such a nice cause to raise funds for. For starters I had the fried oysters, these were very nice. A good mix of both sweet and salty. Sticking with the fish, I got the Dover sole. This was cooked to perfection. The option to have it de-boned is also available. The fish was so tender it just fell off the bones. My friend got the beef burger. They said this was juicy and full of flavour. You can tell the coleslaw is home made by how creamy it was. To finish we got the choc brownie and the cheesecake to share. They were both delicious. The cheesecake of the day was passionfruit. Highly recommend it. They had an amazing singer on called Josh. It really made the vibe good. A great addition to an amazing restaurant. I would Highly recommend this restaurant.

Great polite, friendly service. Food was delicious and very filling. Great view of the beach too. Would definitely recommend to others.

Our group of 19 held our Christmas party last night at the Waterfront, everyone throughly enjoyed themselves, loved the live singer making it even more festive, also the food was excellent. As special thank you to the all staff, especially Megan & Cedric.

Loved this place. Came here for a drink during the day, lovely wine, nice beer. Beautiful spot right on the water with a great terrace. Came back for dinner - nice food, great service, beautiful decor. Looking forward to coming back.

One of my favourite restaurants. Service is always amazing and the food so very fresh and wonderful. Have been a few times now and has never disappointed x

OMG guys thank you for saving our valentines evening, we booked what we thought was the waterfront Hythe to discover on the night we had booked the waterfront but it was in fact the Isle of White 😳 the manager and staff were amazing finding room to accommodate us and what a fantastic time we had great food entertainment and an amazing atmosphere We can’t thank you enough See you again soon x

Lovely place to eat. Sea bass was delicious. Took quite some time for the food to come.

+6

First time here (couple early 30s). Car park was easy to Park in and you sign in at the till with your reg number. We had a great window seat with amazing views. Food order was taken and the starters arrived promt. There was a bigger gap than expected between starter and main but food was of good quality. It was a lunch time serving but was a good atmosphere. I think we will be back again. Update. Back for a second visit. A year on and incredible food. We ate outside and took advantage of some amazing weather. Add some new pictures of meals. Starter Haddock fish cake Calamari Main Sea bass with muscles Cheese and bacon 8oz steak burger (chips where amazing)

+6

Pleasantly surprised! Having seen the decor and how busy it was I thought it was more of a place to be seen rather than to eat so when the food was as good as it was I was surprised. We went along on a Friday where there was live music and the atmosphere was amazing. Not one complaint about the food! It was all great. Portions are generous so if you’re a big eater you’re onto a winner here. The fish pie was amazing and the fish did not stop coming, it was crammed with delicious fish and prawns and the mash was buttery and smooth 5* Highly recommend for a dinner date with partners and groups! If I’m back in Hythe I will definitely visit again!

The best food we have ever had in UK EVER. The deserts were delicious also. We definitely will go back. And if you want to have the best service ask for Cedric.

Popped in for lunch on Valentine's day so quite busy and we had not booked. Greeted and seated with no problems, we ordered some olives and bread while we waited for our main courses, good choice of wines and a fairly comprehensive menu with something for all tastes. I had the Crispy duck confit, it was a very nice Duck confit it was not however crispy. My wife had the sea bass with mussels, mussels were OK the bass was Good but the tomatoe based sauce was very very fishy Desserts were proifiterols with chocolate sauce ,,the 4 proifiterols were the size of large eggs and stuffed with a flavoured cream , all floating on chocolate sauce. Delicious but OTT. The wife had a sweet terrine which looked and tasted wonderful. Service was slow but good well with a visit if in the area.

Great spot on the seafront and a nice place to stop for lunch. Menu is a mix of basic essentials (fish & chips, burger), seafood and some finer cuisine dishes. Updated 2025: Another lovely fish & chips with mushy peas. We arrived for lunch on a busy sunny bank holiday Monday without booking ahead and were seated quickly, outside in the warm fresh air. Thanks Chau for great service. Since we had our schnauzer with us, she brought him a dog bowl of water.

We arrived in the early evening and, after a walk along the beach, decided it was probably time to have some food. I'd read some good reviews for the Waterfront on Google and we thought we'd give it a go. We hadn't booked, but they were happy to seat us outside. The first waiter seemed a little put out by our existence, but the rest of the waiting staff were really friendly and helpful. We had some enjoyable meals: The crab cakes were delicious with enough mango and pineapple in the salsa, which I originally thought would be odd but surprised me. The sea bass was nice, I am told. Just avoided the mussels as they weren't fully open. The deserts were great - lemon meringue and salted caramel + chocolate tart. Worth a trip and I bet its even nicer if we actually get a summer anytime soon :D

We visied on a cold windy grey day with our 3 small dogs. We were not allowed inside but ate outsidebon their verandah. Service was good as was food Pricing was above average. Maybe the owners could think about a covered outdoor area as the building is right in the promanade with many people walking their dogs.

it was very nice experience and fancy place next to beach with the great view but very disappointing with the gf fish and chips. it was way tooo heavy and made me feel bloated afterwards there was no seasoning on the food it bland the desert the was heavy too tooo sugar and sweet

Pretty disappointed with our visit. I had the mussels which didn’t taste of much at all, the garlic white wine sauce just tasted like watered-down cream. My partner had the roast, the beef was nice but the Yorkshire pudding was overdone and tasted like it had been sat around for a while. My father-in-law had the fish and chips and while the chips were good, the batter was soggy instead of crispy. On the plus side, they do have a nice selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, but overall the food was very average and we wouldn’t come back.

Friendly staff, nice interior, good veggie options and very good GF options with dishes labeled on the menu. But the food was so bland. Would be more forgiving if it was cheap, but the flavour and portion size was poor value. The jazz singer was also pretty loud, making it difficult to talk amongst ourselves and to the staff. There's way better food on the High St.

Great location at the beach, great interior and staff However the food was not good at all I never send the food back and at this occasion I had to send the chicken back because it was not seasons and only boiled in water it was so bad I couldn’t eat it I received a compensation so the staff picked it up perfectly however not coming back for lunch

This started out as a lovely experience. It’s a lovely place and has a nice atmosphere. Great decor, too. We went on Sunday evening. It was fairly busy but not stacked. Staff were welcoming, drinks came quickly, along with the starter. Then… we waited an hour for our mains. The food was pretty much thrown down on the table like we were an afterthought. I had a roast, which I enjoyed, and the food for my children was fine. However, don’t bother with the burgers. My husband paid £23 for the cheese burger with rubbery American cheese and a small portion of chips, but my daughter had more with her child’s meal. She had more chips than him, and had baked beans as well. There wasn’t even a salad or relish, or anything you might expect for £23, leaving him still feeling a bit peckish! (I fed this back to the waitress).

The Waterfront Restaurant in Hythe, Kent, is a place that looks like it should be top-tier. With stunning sea views and a trendy interior design that oozes sophistication—plus the added glam factor of gold toilets (yes, actual gold)—you’d expect a dining experience as fabulous as the décor. Sadly, the food didn’t quite reach the same golden standard. I went with five family members, and the atmosphere was fantastic—relaxed, stylish, and buzzing with seaside charm. But, it was all downhill from there, starting with the drinks. We waited over 30 minutes just to get a cocktail in hand. And speaking of cocktails, the Cosmopolitans were actually great, so credit where it’s due. But sipping a delicious drink only gets you so far when you’re waiting over an hour for food. We could have flown to Paris and back in that time! When the food finally arrived, it wasn’t quite the First Class service I was used to. My Caesar salad arrived with a surprise—a bone! To add to the disappointment, the lettuce was limp and wilting like it had seen better days, and there was hardly any dressing. The chicken was cold (and not in that trendy, chilled sort of way), and the bread I’d ordered to go with it never made an appearance. Honestly, it was the worst Caesar salad I’ve ever had, and I’ve flown around the world and back! By the time we considered dessert, we were put off by the thought of another long wait. It turned out the restaurant’s printer to the kitchen had broken down earlier, leaving the poor chefs in the lurch for an hour, with over 50 orders piling up. The staff, bless them, had been working for over nine hours and were still managing to smile despite the chaos. Their honesty and genuine explanations were appreciated, and while the food was a disaster, the service had heart. In the end, we didn’t stick around for dessert, but we did leave a big tip in cash for the staff—those servers were running around like a busy flight crew on a fully booked 777. It was clear they were doing their best in a difficult situation, and sometimes that’s worth more than a perfect meal. So, while The Waterfront nails the atmosphere and design, let’s just say I won’t be rushing back for the food. If you go, maybe stick to cocktails, enjoy the view, and pray the kitchen printer’s working!

Group of 4 just before Christmas. Very noisy and great atmosphere. Staff friendly enough but not especially so. My problem is two-fold. The food overall was good and reasonably priced BUT the Burger . Honesty it was awful. Dry, overcooked, cheap bun nor even a brioche. Virtually nothing inside to accompany the meat. It's the worst burger I've ever had. The reason why I didn't complain at the time was to spare any bad vibes with out friends because it was a nice evening. So a few days after Christmas I emailed them to share my opinion and asked for a reply. Now, a month later absolutely nothing back from them. I find this unacceptable and unprofessional. I have them a chance to explain and they failed.

In stark contrast to my previous visit the service was slow and inattentive, the food was mediocre, becoming the topic of ridicule rather than a topic of enjoyment and the sentiment was shared by our table of 7. The decor was interesting and pleasant but the ambiance was one of random noises in a cacophony clattering without any music to speak of. Hopefully the establishment will improve.

Beautiful place, setting and comfortable in furnishing however as a family of 4 adults ,2 children we visited on Sunday 7th September for a Sunday lunch! The children's meals were OK but the adults all had supposedly roast lamb dinner! It had little flavour, one person's lamb was completely fat with minimal meat, the roast potatoes were not cooked enough, the vegetables were bland with little flavour as was the gravy ! I visit from Sheffield to meet my daughter, husband and children and were expecting so much more at this place! It was expensive for a Sunday lunch that will not be memorable.

Very disappointed with the Sunday roast. Everything arrived lukewarm, gravy cold, potato reheated in microwave and cremated Yorkshire pudding. The only tasty thing was the cauliflower cheese buy not worth £27 per dinner. Won't be returning

Everyone enjoyed their meal other than the two in our party that ordered the Salmon linguine off the special menu, which appeared to offer more than it delivered. It was bland and I’m afraid quite tasteless. Service 5 star ⭐

We were a table of 6 for my mums 87th birthday. The food and service by our waitress was lovely. It’s such a shame it was ruined by a fall down the stairs as we were leaving. The stairs and hall were so dark my mum missed the last step as you couldn’t see properly. Not well lit and dangerous!! Should have some lights on. Swollen ankle bruised knee and cut her arm. Ruined a good day .

Very disappointed with my food experience in waterfront restaurant. The service was very basic and they didn’t have mussels. We have ordered food and was tasteless. The potatoes was served very basic boiled without anything I have to ask for a plate and butter at least to be eatable. The salad watermelon with cheese was very disappointing. The Prosecco was prosecutors from Aldi case 6.99£ sold for around £30 We had this food and went to another local restaurant as the place was very basic.

Beautiful beach property with ‘gently-racist’ staff, to people with any colour on their skin. You won’t get a table inside or get offered a wool blanket to keep warm if you are of colour. You will be given the option of a table outside, in the cold, without any hope of a table becoming available, however, if you are white & walk in, you will be ushered in with a smile (reservation or not you will be offered a table after a wool-blanketed-short-wait). The stark difference in staff behaviour towards whites and other people was as clear as day and honestly, Pathetic!! We ordered a Coke Zero & a Pineapple ginger mocktail (4/10) chicken wings (7/10) 8-ounce steak burger (6/10) and Roast Lamb (3/10). The restaurant will of course respond to this and defend themselves, or not, but we saw & felt what we felt. We hope you travel to India and get treated with a lot of love, kindness and respect. Cheers!! (Added later) - We were really hungry after our walk and noticed The Waterfront restaurant and walked in. We saw an Indian couple and a few others who were sitting outside, out of choice. All the couples with white skin were offered a blanket but we weren’t. We even requested a table inside as it was getting really cold, but were told there’s nothing available, however as many as 4-5 groups walked inside after us without a reservation and were all taken inside to be seated. 10 points for guessing what their skin color was 😂