The Fordwich Arms Restaurant

Name: The Fordwich Arms Restaurant
Address: 1647 King Street, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom, CT2 0DB
Telephone: 01227 286690
Price range: £41 and over
Rating: 4.8

4.8

53 Reviews

£41 and over

Gastro Pub

Make a booking

2 people

29 Dec 2024

7:00 pm

Booked 9 times today

Good for special occasions
Charming
Great for fine wines

The Michelin Starred, Fordwich Arms, located in the smallest town in England, dates as far back as 1828. Draped in ivory and wisteria in the most picturesque location over looking the Great River Stour, the perfect setting for an idyllic summers lunch. Boasting open fireplaces for the colder winter months, creating a cosy and welcoming ambiance.
Daniel and Natasha Smith took over The Fordwich Arms in 2017 and were awarded a Michelin Star within the first year, as well as being in the top 100 gastro pubs in the UK, multiple culinary awards, notable wine awards and various other accredits, a testament to their hair work and talent.
The seasonal menus focus on provenance, showcasing the best of local Kentish ingredients, sourced directly from local farms and producers. Dan's cooking is accomplished yet approachable, served in a relaxed pub environment with a choice of a la carte or tasting menus.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, English
Hours of Operation
Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Bar Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–10:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–7:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 6:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
01227 286690
Website
https://www.fordwicharms.co.uk/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Daniel Smith
Private party facilities
For smaller events we offer a private hire of our dining room and in warmer months our idyllic terrace, for either lunchtime 12-5 or dinner 6 - close, which seats a maximum of 33 guests. For larger parties we offer exclusive venue hire which seats a maximum of 63 guests across our two rooms. Please email us for further information.

Location
1647 King Street, Canterbury, Kent CT2 0DB
Area
Canterbury
Parking details
Public Parking
Public transit
You can reach Sturry by train or from both the number 8 and 6 buses. Follow the signage for Fordwich. Once over the Bridge, follow the road around past The George and Dragon and head straight down toward The Town Hall where The Fordwich Arms is directly opposite.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wine

What 53 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

5Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Kent
Best Overall
Kent
Best Food
Kent
Great for fine wines
Kent
Good for special occasions
Kent
Gastro Pub
Canterbury
Best Overall
Canterbury
Best Food
Canterbury
Best Service
Canterbury
Best Ambience
Canterbury
Best Value
Canterbury
Healthy
Canterbury
Hot spot
Canterbury
Great for fine wines
Canterbury
Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Fordwich Arms Restaurant offers an "outstanding" fine dining experience with "exquisite" food, "fabulous" service, and a cozy atmosphere. Known for its "superb" tasting menus and "exceptional" value, it's a perfect spot for special occasions. Attentive staff and inventive flavors create "a memorable dining experience" that guests highly recommend.

53 Reviews

L
Louise
Berkshire
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our meal on Christmas Eve was delightful as always. This is a lovely place, with attentive and knowledgeable staff. Always a great pleasure to eat here.
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W
William
Kent
5 reviews
4.0
5 reviews
Dined on 21 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Spent a beautiful evening food and service was excellent thank you
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V
Vickie
London
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on 20 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional food, flavour combinations just a delight. Perfect example of you get what you pay for. Service, ambiance, menu all wonderful. Will look forward to returning !
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A
Alex
VIP
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 19 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely evening to celebrate my wife’s birthday with the children. Tasting menu is always fun and friendly, attentive staff. Great fun.
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M
Michael
Kent
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 18 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The Tasting Menu was superb, top quality food and good, non intrusive Service. Wine list is huge, but expect to pay quite a lot for even fairly modest wine, still and sparkling. You should also know that because of the quality and high standard, expect that be reflected in the price. This is not a gastro-pub…. It’s much, much more than that.
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M
Maria
Kent
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 15 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
I was not advised at the time of making the booking that I would be sitting by the bar, rather than the dining room. I did not appreciate paying nearly £400 to sit right in front of the bar, where people were laughing, talking loud and enjoying drinks, as you do when you sit by a bar. I”m afraid that tainted the whole experience
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K
Katie
VIP
London
113 reviews
5.0
113 reviews
Dined on 15 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
One of the best value Michelin star dining experiences in the South of England, we love it here. We had the festive tasting menu and every dish was a banger once again (although the turbot was slightly over but we didn’t care, we were loving life with their very generous wine pairing pours). The trout, suckling pig and chocolate orange were my highlights this time. We will be back for our third visit very soon.
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R
Roland
Kent
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 15 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Fabulous festive tasting menu, bags of flavour from bursting from small plates. Our second visit and planning to come more often. Very welcoming and enjoyable time, our favourite place.
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J
Joanna
London
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on 14 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Lovely venue . Highly recommend. It was more chilled pub vibes in the bar area great cocktail menu and drink selection but we had quite a wait before we were acknowledged by the one person behind the bar and we could order our first drink which he was openly following a manual to make so maybe a new staff member . We were only ones sitting on stools up at the bar so that felt a bit odd. Cocktails were great and good selection . Our visit we had small children in bar area with iPads on high volume so we were all listening to Peppa pig for 45 mins. We thought staff might ask them to lower the volume but no one mentioned anything. Couple next to us in bar also mentioned the iPad volumes as it was very noticeable loud and at 8pm lots of people on evening out or special occasions.. Once in the dining room it was delightful wood panel room stunning fire place and good lighting. Was not advised when booking it was a tasting menu fixed price we assumed it would be a menu we could choose from as per website. Regardless food was fantastic as was the service and pace of food coming out. Lovely ambience and wine sommelier was excellent. Allow a good 2. 5 hours for tasting menu. Cabs on a Saturday night were booked in advance as advised it could be tricky. Overall food and dining experience was excellent as was the restaurant service. Highly recommend . We came here after a long weekend in Canterbury so this was a great way to finish out trip.
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K
Karen
Baltimore
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on 6 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had the tasting menu with wine pairings. Food was outstanding—beautiful presentation and delicious. The wine pairings were great compliments to the food and from varied countries and continents. Wholeheartedly recommend!
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FAQs

The Fordwich Arms Restaurant is rated 4.8 stars by 53 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

29 Dec 2024

7:00 pm

Booked 9 times today

Google Map for The Fordwich Arms Restaurant

1647 King Street, Canterbury, Kent CT2 0DB

Additional information

Area
Canterbury
Hours of Operation
Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Bar Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–10:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–7:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 6:00 pm–9:30 pm
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, English
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Parking
Public transit
You can reach Sturry by train or from both the number 8 and 6 buses. Follow the signage for Fordwich. Once over the Bridge, follow the road around past The George and Dragon and head straight down toward The Town Hall where The Fordwich Arms is directly opposite.
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Daniel Smith
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wine

Website
https://www.fordwicharms.co.uk/
Phone number
01227 286690
Private party facilities
For smaller events we offer a private hire of our dining room and in warmer months our idyllic terrace, for either lunchtime 12-5 or dinner 6 - close, which seats a maximum of 33 guests. For larger parties we offer exclusive venue hire which seats a maximum of 63 guests across our two rooms. Please email us for further information.

The Fordwich Arms Restaurant

Make a booking

Additional information

Menu

What 53 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Fordwich Arms Restaurant restaurant rated?

Is The Fordwich Arms Restaurant currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information