Kent Diversification Award Highly Commended: Buoy & Oyster

Buoy and Oyster is a family-run seafood restaurant overlooking the beach in Margate. Opened in 2015 by husband and wife team Simon and Nadine, the restaurant continues to grow and develop into what it is today, undergoing major refurbishment works in 2019 to create the all-day dining seafood bar and theatre kitchen.

Their shared dream of running a restaurant began when working together in kitchens in some of the highest-quality chalets and privately-owned villas in Europe before going on to work as an estate management couple in a privately-owned estate in West Sussex.

When returning to visit Nadine's family in her home town of Margate and seeing what was starting to happen with the Turner Contemporary and Dreamland regeneration projects, it soon became clear that home is where the heart is and they began looking for a property to turn their dreams into a reality. After falling in love with an old cocktail bar in a Grade II-listed building overlooking the beach, the idea of Buoy and Oyster was born.

Now in its seventh year, the restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes annually since 2019, won the coveted Kent Restaurant of the Year in the Taste of Kent Awards 2018, the Best Family Business in the Canterbury Business Awards 2019 and has been proud runner-up in the Kent Tourism Awards 2018 & Muddy Stilettos 2019.

Craig Edgell joined the team as head chef in 2019 and brought with him a wealth of experience, having worked in many top restaurants throughout the county. He has a shared passion for seafood, honest ingredients and creating a relaxed, welcoming and family-friendly dining environment.

The tourist industry continues to grow in Margate and with an influx of new residents moving into the area we are excited to be a part of the ever-growing Margate food scene and our kitchen is open seven days a week for all-day dining midday-9pm.

We are proud to celebrate local and British seafood and the fishing industry and our menus celebrate local produce as much as possible. We work closely with our trusted local suppliers, Jason at Fruits de Mer and Carl at Worgan's Farm Shop in Canterbury, to ensure our menus change with the seasons and we are proud to have created a little slice of seafood heaven here in Margate.

During the last couple of years and throughout the Covid pandemic we have developed other areas of the business and are proud to have launched Margate Suites "immersive escapes by the sea" and Beach Buoys takeaway in 2021.

Margate Suites was a collaboration with some incredible local designers that we have admired from afar for ages. Lockdown gave us the opportunity when we had time to reach out to some amazingly talented people living in Margate (Studio Margate/Amy, Jess and Elouise and Yard Girl/Leanne) and they had the time and availability to be able to create the incredible Margate Suites.

In April 2021 we opened our sister restaurant Beach Buoys. All fish sourced from our trusted fishmonger is lightly coated in a homemade Northdown Brewery beer batter and fried-to-order in 100% British rapeseed oil.

Expect traditional seaside classics such as local skate, haddock or cod, battered local butcher's sausages and mixed seafood boxes.

Our menu is designed with an emphasis on our vegan and gluten-free dining options.