Give it some welly
The Wellington (Margate)
GETAWAYS • Margate
The Skinny: Chef Billy Stock and partner Ellie Topham squeaked open food-forward pub The Wellington just in time to ring in 2026. Moments from Margate’s blustery seafront and overlooking its sheltered market square, the hospitality couple’s first brick-and-mortar venture is an ideal reason to jump on the high-speed train to the Kent coast (90 minutes from London St Pancras) for a day trip or longer.
I’ve followed Stock’s food through several iterations, from his time at bucolic country pub The Rose Inn at Wickhambreaux to Natalia Ribbe’s Sète, just up the hill in Cliftonville. He’s also known for stints at London’s St John and The Marksman, and there’s a clear throughline of deft cooking, intense flavours and solid British and French classics.
The Vibe: 17th-century Kentish coaching inn meets Parisian bistro. The atmosphere is casual, but nothing’s been left to chance with the menu. The outside of the pub (established 1849) has enjoyed a glossy glow-up in paint the colour of a fruity Gamay, while linen café curtains shroud the secrets of the customers within. It’s drinkers in the front section, diners in the back, cushioned by a long bar on one side and the gleaming pass of Stock’s open kitchen on the other.
The Food: Stripped-back bistronomy, bringing some of the Frenchification of London’s dining scene to the Kent coast, expressed in the finest British produce. I settled in with a couple of glasses of Crémant before Sunday lunch of thick slices of blushing beef with roast potatoes, puffy Yorkshires and bright veg. Puds were a fluffy chocolate mousse topped with cream and chocolate rubble and a blood orange sherbet, the lesser-seen milk-based sorbet that’s as comforting as nursery food with a grown-up citrus tang. We fought over it. I’ll be back for the truffled chicken and leek pie and the ‘Plate of Duck’ that’s fast becoming Stock’s signature.
The Drink: Homegrown beers, French cocktails, and an entente cordiale across the wine list. The Wellington’s dedication to its Anglo-French identity means ‘Le Negroni’ is made with Suze, not Campari.
The Verdict: All the buzz of a neighbourhood wine bar with a steady hand at the stove. (Be sure to make a reservation.) –Sophie Morris
→ The Wellington (Margate) • 1 Duke St • Wed-Thu 4-10p, Fri-Sat 12-10p, Sun 12-7p • Book.