What’s the vibe?
You’ll find Sargasso on the little island bit in Margate (the Stone Pier, on Margate’s Harbour Arm), which looks out over the rest of the town with the bay stretching out through the middle. It sits right on the edge of the arm, with a few specials scribbled on a chalkboard, thin wooden tables and benches outside, little umbrellas, and high stools indoors for sitting by the window. There’s also a little rock before the entrance, where you might see a group of friends sink an entire bottle of orange wine as they wait for a table to become available.
It is, on all counts, a perfect restaurant – sunny and bustling in summer, moody and romantic in winter. Fun waiters, knowledgeable bartenders and small plates with bold red Sargasso branding that are begging to be photographed (and eaten).
What should I order?
The menu here changes, but there are some permanent fixtures, like those by-now Instagram-famous Cantabrian anchovies sitting plump and doused in delicious olive oil (they are as good as they look). We start with olive oil crisps and taramasalata, the feta, cucumber and melon salad and the crunchy panisse, a satisfying balance of salty, soft and sweet, paired with a minerally sparkling wine.
The main event ended up being the squid sandwich – fried calamari, squashed into a soft white bun, topped with guindilla peppers and a squeeze of lemon for each bite. Hot tip: if you didn’t snag a table, they offer this to take away for £14, so you can eat it on the beach with a bottle of their wine. I would probably come to Margate again just for this sandwich, so it would be well worth it.
You’re best off letting your waiter run you through the specials and tell you what they’d recommend – we may not have ordered, for example, the chickpeas, spinach and paprika, which ended up being one of our favourites. But you’re definitely going to want to trust them on the wine. We paired a punchy nduja slip sole with a chilled red; a zesty white with charred mackerel and salty gremolata. Dishes here feel like they’ve had love and care poured into them – the kind of food that makes you want to stay too long in the afternoon sunshine, and order one too many bottles of wine. I pray anyone who goes gets to try the chocolate torte with Amerena cherries and crème fraîche with a glass of sweet wine, before they stagger along to the Crab Museum for the afternoon.
What are the prices like?
Snacks are £5-8, bigger starters and small plates to share £9-15, and a big old fish will typically cost around £23. Cocktails are surprisingly reasonable at £7-10, and you can get cheap wines on tap for a fiver, though they’ve got bottles for closer to £100 too.
What’s nearby?
Did I mention the Crab Museum? Well, it’s nearby and and it’s a real laugh. Our waiter recommended it. You’ve also got the brilliant Turner Contemporary five minutes away, Pomus for yet more wine nextdoor, and the Shakespeare for pints on the seafront. If you’re sleeping over, try the very lovely Margate House.