The Best Cafes in West Malling, Kent, United Kingdom (2025)

Without a doubt the best bakery in Kent - I’ve cycled 2 hours and driven 30 minutes and would walk 8 hours if I had to just to get one of their cookies. If you go after 11am they do toasties and sandwiches and they’re also incredible - I highly recommend the cheese and kimchi. Also the coffee is 10/10 Service 10/10, so friendly and smiley and just such a nice vibe all round I’d like to spend the whole day there

Delicious baked goods and nice coffee! Reasonable prices and good service. We got the butterscotch and milk chocolate cookie and the cinnamon bun and both were extremely good! They had a few sandwich and toastie options as well as a cauliflower soup when we went. There is both indoor and outdoor seating.

My favourite coffee shop! Food & drink always incredible and made with care. Staff are so friendly and the whole place has a really positive feel. Dog friendly too which means you can visit at the end of a walk which I love 🐾✨

There is nothing average about their food, it’s brilliant. I came here specifically to try the cheese and kimchi toastie and it did not disappoint. The bread was perfectly crisp and packed full of delicious melted cheese. The kimchi had a beautifully flavour to it. On the counter they also had some sweet treats, but also some savoury ones too. I picked up a cheese and sweet chilli jam swirl. It was beautiful soft with a punch of strong cheese and chilli. Inside the shop it’s very minimalistic but their sandwiches and coffee are where the effort has been put.

Nice place for a break

Great little cafe by the car park. Great coffee, sandwich and staff. Friendly regulars popped in and often, making us feel welcome.4

Very nice place to stay a while and have a tasty coffee

Absolutely lovely coffee bar, lovely staff very reasonable prices. We visit 2 or 3 times a week.Highly recommend 👌

Went on a long walk from East Malling to Ryarsh and came across this little gem! Very clean, toilet facilities, staff were lovely, inside and outside seating 😍 we had take away tea as we carried on our journey

Excellent place to stop for coffee and cake. Can sit in or out... service with a smile

Got a coffee here this morning, it was really nice and very reasonable. Will definitely be coming back here. Staff lovely too.

Fantastic!! My wife and I had a rare date night without the children. We have wanted to try St Leonard’s since moving to West Malling a few months ago. We decided to have a cocktail before we headed to our table and it was the best margarita we have had in a very long time. We went for the tasting menu , each dish was really tasty and well presented. The monkfish was my favourite. Wine was very reasonably priced and the service was on point. We will be back again very soon!!

Well, this was a great surprise. I'd been working in West Malling all day filming, and my mother in law booked us in for dinner. She is rather discerning, and this was to be her third visit in a couple of weeks, so I had high hopes. We had the taster menu. See the attached pics and what a wonderful gastronomic journey it was. The kitchen team has obviously honed this menu to a level of layered brilliant flavour bombs. We loved this meal and every course was interesting and delicious. We had a nice, well priced Malbec, and I'll be back it it was a great meal. The staff and venue were attentive and yet relaxed. Thanks very much, and keep up the great work!

We booked a private dining room for a family Sunday Lunch and opted for a lamb sharer. We were served beautiful warm bread rolls with a selection of butter and oil and a superb starter. The main Sunday roast meal was delicious with lamb that was so tender and tasty served with onions, garlic and herbs and a selection of vegetables, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and massive Yorkshire puds. Absolutely fantastic meal with sticky toffee pudding and clotted cream to follow. The private room was spacious and set out for our family lunch and it was just what we wanted. We were able to eat in relaxing surroundings with our family. The staff were professional, polite and made are lunch very special. In the words of my granddaughter ‘we are in a super special room’. All in all a wonderful lunch and afternoon.

Vegan blueberry croissant £3! It was nice but over priced & their kitchen closes early so if you're vegan there's only 2/3 cakes, tea/coffee & smoothies.

The vegan food and desserts were lovely, they also do gluten free. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, the cafe itself looks sweet and inviting, the vegan menu is a little small but what they do have is very tasty. Definitely looking forward to visiting again.

If your gluten free looking for a lovely place for lunch, go here! It’s always so easy to find something on the menu, pretty much everything is catered for! I can come here and eat normally, and the brownies are so delicious, not just the only option for gluten free like usual! I can bring my dog as well, staff are always so lovely! Love coming here!

We had a special afternoon here before Christmas. We are keen cooks and we like to go out to restaurants to have food that we couldn’t create at home and have a proper experience. This was certainly it. Every dish was out of this world. We found it hard to rank them at the end. I’m sure we will speak about this meal in years to come!

My husband booked a table at this establishment for our wedding anniversary, I thank him very much for the chance to have this unique experience! Food and service were beyond my expectations, we were lucky to have lovely people around, the atmosphere was vibrant and relaxing. Definitely recommend!

The food here is very good. Each of our seven courses from the taster menu was top quality. In line with its marketing, this is definitely a small and cosy restaurant. There are literally only 10 seats and - as far as I'm aware - only the taster menu is available. You therefore definitely need to book ahead. As it's a taster menu, you get a nice varied meal, and the menu changes each month. The food comes out promptly and in sync with the other diners. Some people choose the wine pairing option too, though a regular drinks menu is available. On our night, the chef introduced each of the dishes personally.

Had one of (if not) the best brunches at Chef's Table. We ordered the Chicken and Waffles with bacon jam and maple syrup, Steak and Eggs as well as the mushrooms and potatoes on the side. All were delicious and the server went out of their way to ensure we had the best experience. A quaint setting with only 12 seats, we were the only diners which felt very intimate but we enjoyed this. Definitely enticed me to want to come back and try the A La Carte or Tasting Menu offerings!

What a great place. We visited for the first time and enjoyed the Whitebait and the Courgette Fritters to start with. The Sea Bass was great and the Cajun mussels were amazing. We finished with Creme Brulé which was lovely. Would definitely recommend and will come back again soon.

Lovely lunch with friends the most incredible mussels menu absolutely delicious 😋

What a lovely place, absolutely fab! Found this place on Google after looking for places that serve mussels, as my partner and I have recently started enjoying them. I'm glad we came here. So much choice of mussels and their main menu also has a good selection. We will definitely come again, hopefully on a Monday or Thursday when they have their mussels nights!

This restaurant has been on my radar for absolutely years and I finally got there! And, wow, did it exceed my expectations. Yes, it's a little pricey but the location, the building, the service and the food more than make up for it however, I would say, this is a place that's definitely reserved for a special occasion. I went for the classic mussels with white wine and cream but the choice of mussels dishes is quite large, about 15 to 20 I think. There's other more traditional foods like steak if you're not into mussels, again a nice varied menu. I had tap water so I can't comment on the alcohol but there was a good selection to choose from. Another table requested to try two wines as they couldn't decide which one to have and the server brought a sample of both so the decision could be made. I've not seen many places do that nowadays. All in all, a great restaurant, great food, no complaints here, just compliments all round.

Love this place - I discovered it during Lockdown and have been visiting ever since. Such a great charity too ! Great plants and garden ideas plus a lovely cafe and food shop too, and a little gift shop . The Pumpkins this year were brilliant !

We took our little 3 year old grandson to Spadework today to do some pumpkin picking and what fun we had. So very impressed with the whole pumpkin picking setup (even better than last year and that was really good!!). A wooden train, helicopter, seats and a playhouse for the little ones to play on and so much more as well as the great pumpkin field. Volunteers were so friendly and welcoming and helped to make our whole experience a great one at the same time supporting this fabulous charity. We shall definitely be back next year - thank you Spadework.

Great little place to head to, to support their charity. Great, even with a buggy, easy to get around, plus a cute cafe. Maybe a little pricey for a pumpkin, but it's for a great cause. Lovely garden centre too.

Wow what a lovely little sanctuary, a lovely garden centre run by lovely people. All friendly service. Had lovely meal in cafe, all fresh food prepared. Garden centre lovely an well stocked. I suffer from my mental health and this place is lovely and calming. Just what I needed. Will definitely be back soon.

So, I’m working down in Kent ( Yorkshire lad) and like most people I’m always on the look out for a decent cafe. Imagine my shock when I find probably the best cafe in the uk literally 100 metres from where I’m working. A strong claim? The staff… 10/10 delightful and funny. The food choices 10/10… absolutely brilliant. Dozens of sandwich fillings, both hot and cold… Taste… 10/10 Drinks… 10/10 Now the big one! Price…10/10 SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. And this does not reflect on the quality. Example: one coffee, yogurt pot (freshly made and topped with real strawberries) and a bacon sandwich…. A grand total of £7!!! The coffee alone would have cost that in London. If you work anywhere near the Memphis Belle cafe… take the time to visit and enjoy the food, drinks and the banter. One word of warning… if you can, pre order lunch time food. It can get very busy…. Which is a good thing… don’t you think?

Went here for a quick lunch. My partner says "the best chicken and bacon mayonnaise baguette" he's ever had. The staff were super speedy. Ordered and out within 5 minutes. Thank you very much

Recently moved to Kings Hill, work from home occasionally and so happy to find this place a short walk away. The sandwiches are incredible, fresh baguettes, great choice of fillings and a very reasonable price! £3.50 for a fresh coronation chicken baguette!! A cup of coffee usually costs more now 😱

The staff here are great. Very nice and friendly always. I'm not sure how you could not like this place because you literally get to make your own sandwich, the prices are also great. The only thing is they will sometimes run out of things so make sure you get there early, although they will suggest an alternative if they don't have it. Perfect for your lunch break if you're local.

Really good food and service. Went for Sunday lunch and the roast was delicious. Other options on the menu as well.

First visit to this incredible little gem today for our anniversary brunch, couldn’t find a single fault, not that we were looking however, staff were perfect! Welcoming, polite, friendly, felt like we were the only ones there because they were so attentive and lovely, would go back just to be treated so nicely, but the food was 5 star, perfect temperature, fresh, and really good options especially for me as a vegetarian, love love love this place! Will be going back asap!

Lamb rump really delicious. Small, single hasselback potato accompaniment needed some friends, for £26 though! And the side of veggies at £5 also a derisorily small portion size. Service and vibe superb, so if the pointlessly miserly approach to vegetables is rectified, this place would be perfect!

Spent a Saturday afternoon here drinking delicious cocktails and absolutely loved it. Fabulous range of cocktails for a pub, and all the ones I ordered were delicious, unique and beautifully presented. Decor is lovely, seating cosy and service friendly and attentive. Slight criticism is the as the afternoon turned into early evening service became overbearing as a member of staff approached our table persistently every few minutes asking if we were ready to order more drinks. There were only two of us and it was clear that our glasses were not nearly empty so it felt like we were being rushed, perhaps as they wanted to accommodate more patrons arriving. But I had a lovely time and would definitely return.