Whether you want slow cooked pulled pork, huge steaks or some surf and turf, we’ve got the meat-heavy restaurants in Kent that you need to visit
17-18 The Borough, Canterbury
Caribbean BBQ chicken restaurant Saint Smokeys serves up big portions of chicken with appropriate sides such as chips, rice and peas or corn on the cob. The recipe for the chicken has been passed down for generations by the family who still own the restaurant.
What to order: choose your spice level and how much chicken you think you can handle. Meals come with a choice of two sides, either rice or chips and either corn or a side salad.
123 St Johns Hill, Sevenoaks
Cooked for up to 15 hours in the hot smoker, meat at Brisket and Barrel has been described as ‘melt-in-your-mouth tender’ and is complemented with sides including mac and cheese and homemade BBQ baked beans. Owned and run by two cousins, French chefs who wanted to recreate traditional meat-smoking methods, Brisket and Barrel also serves a curated list of craft beers, bourbon, spirits and wines.
What to order: there is slow-cooked brisket, beef ribs, BBQ chicken and changing guest meats which are charged based on weight. So load up on whatever takes your fancy and don’t forget a couple of croissant buns to pack with meat.
13 Palace Street, Canterbury
Texas meets Seoul at BBQ brisket and Korean fried chicken restaurant The Korean Cowgirl. Slow smoked beef brisket, pork belly ssam (lettuce wraps), double fried chicken wings, steamed buns stuffed with brisket and Korean bulgogi sauce and plenty of tempting sides populate the menu at this quirky joint.
What to order: grab a couple of friends and order The Ludicrous Cowgirl; one pound of brisket, six pork belly lettuce wraps, baby back ribs with Asian sauce, eight pieces of fried chicken, smoked BBQ pit beans, seasoned fries and Asian slaw – phew!
8 High Street, Herne Bay
It’s surf and turf heaven at Oyster and Chop House. Meat is slow-cooked in the in-house smoker, lobsters are cooked whole and fresh and big burgers are freshly ground daily. Happy hour is every day from 5pm to 6pm with two selected cocktails for £8, 20% off your food bill and kids can eat for free.
What to order: there is lots to choose from, but don’t fill up on starters too quickly, because you can delve into platters of slow smoked beef ribs, pulled pork or soft pork belly all served with house pickles, coleslaw and fries. Seafood lovers will want to order lobster macaroni cheese, made with one pound of lobster meat.
3 The Square, Birchington
The Cow Shed, whose décor is rustic and inviting, serves stacked burgers, big steaks, ribs and fresh seafood dishes. Family run, this Birchington restaurant has a secret spice mix that is used for the burgers which are minced on site and then grilled to order and served up with locally sourced extras.
What to order: burgers are huge and you can order your beef patty topped with slow cooked pulled brisket, crispy pancetta and smoked cheddar.
27 Sun Street, Canterbury
Free range pigs from local farms are used at Pork & Co. for its 14 hour slow cooked, smoked pulled pork with dishes available to eat in or take away. This is then used for mouthwateringly decadent dishes taken straight from a whole pig which can be seen at the shop front.
What to order: big portions include nachos, pulled pork-topped macaroni cheese, or big sourdough toasties with pulled pork, cheddar and macaroni cheese. Craft beer features heavily on the drinks menu, or order a whiskey sour to go with your pork.
9 Nevil Street, Tunbridge Wells
With amazing deals on drink including bottomless Prosecco and house wine on Fridays from 12pm to 1am for £20 per person, and a generous happy hour from 5pm to 8pm every day with £5 cocktails, Grub & Liquor is known for its meaty food options too and is certainly living up to its ambition to “shake up Tunbridge Wells”.
What to order: dishes are cooked in the clay oven including lamb fillets with yoghurt and mint sauce or opt for a 12oz steak with your choice of sauce. Burgers are tempting with The Spicy Beefy featuring spicy cheese, jalapenos and hot sauce.
39 High Street, Hythe
Lovers of Turkish cuisine who are also of the carnivorous persuasion will love the flavours of Sunshine BBQ and Wine Bar. Food has been hailed as “authentic” and “superb” and includes plenty of tempting meaty dishes infused with Turkish spices.
What to order: the restaurant recommends the Sunshine Mixed Grill to share between two people. The Mixed Grill consists of chicken shish, lamb shish, lamb ribs, chicken wings and adana served with rice or bulgur and salad.
London Road, Hurst Green, East Sussex
On the border of Kent and Sussex is the A21 Diner, an American, 50s-style eatery with generously portioned food. Pick from stacks of pancakes topped with sausage or bacon and eggs at breakfast time or browse the menu of meat-heavy mains with everything from steaks and ribs to hot dogs topped with chilli and a big range of burgers. Sides include BBQ pulled pork and cheese-topped fries and sweet potato fries.
What to order: a true meat lover should tackle the Mr ‘T’ Bone Steak, the 18oz T-bone served with grilled tomatoes, mushroom, onion rings, coleslaw and chunky chips.
35 The Old High Street, Folkestone
As you may be able to gather from the name, Big Boys Burger Co creates big, loaded burgers with a creative variety of toppings, and even claims to have the “finest burgers in Kent”! Sides include cornmeal-battered hot dog bites with a honey and mustard dip or Garbage Fries, which are loaded fries topped with pulled pork, honey onions and American-style cheese sauce.
What to order: we love the sound of the El Chico Mexicano burger which is served with chipotle ketchup, guacamole, nachos, lettuce and tomatoes. All burgers are served with a big portion of rosemary fries or you can upgrade to any other fries.
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