Wheelers Oyster Bar

I dont give many five stars. This place definitely gets 5, it looks like an old chip shop from the outside. Once inside, seafood galore! Pan fried trout was cooked well slightly pink in the middle. Decent prices for uk, £5 for ½ dozen oysters and it’s BYOB. Cooking style is refined and good quantity to price ratio. Definitely need reservations if you want to sit down to eat.

Since my first visit to Wheelers I’ve been back at least 15 more times, during which time I systemically worked my way through the entirety of the appetizers menu (before their latest menu change), most of the desserts, and tried the majority of what sits on the front counter, including whelks, which I have since learned to love, but sadly wasn’t available during my last few visits. And with some additional wisdom borne by experience I can affirm my love for this place. There are not too many places where I would feel comfortable sitting by myself at the counter for an hour and half but Wheelers is just that good. It is also a credit to their front counter staff who I’ve met, especially Anita, Angela and Lyanne.
In addition to what I said in the previous review, I should also say that their Lobster Pasta on the entrees list is a must have. The same applies for their crab cake, which is the best I’ve ever had, anywhere, ever. Luckily for you, these two are mainstays which don’t disappear with each menu change. Their house made bread with pesto is to die for, and is always in limited supply, as they only make just enough for the day, every day. Their sandwiches, shrimp and salmon in particular go great with some garlic mayo butter.
If you want to come in without a reservation, usually the 3pm slots are your best bet! I understand that Saturdays at 7pm open up a few months in advance and almost invariably fill up immediately. That being said, the lunch and dinner menus are no different, so come at 3pm and maximize your chances of sitting for this real treat.

I Like Wheelers… always have. But I like the Oyster house too… Which is better?!
Theres only one way to find out. Not in a fight. Oyster House wins of course… But Wheelers is such a cute little place — a bit like your nans house… in a cosy way.

My first wonderful lobster was at Wheelers
in Old Compton Street, London with some
luminaries of the art world who virtually lived
there, & my last was at this unpretentious
little place in Whitstable. I know which place I prefer: here by a long shot. Fabulous for all the reasons given by the other reviewers. I am now so nostalgic to return. Hey, maybe I’ll just ring them now & go this weekend! I did go!: just as good as ever: just more expensive
Fabulous oysters 70p each –elsewhere in Whitstable 50p/​60p but bigger
& top quality hereThen I went back more recently. Got food poisoning. The owners refused to accept responsibility & made no apology. For that alone, I will never return.
How sad

First trip to Whitters and didn’t know to make a reservation. The tiny place was packed, food and prices looked excellent. We sloped away but I will be back to sample the fare.

Went here recently again after 21 years since my last visit. There is no doubting the inspired brilliance of this Kentish gem. It’s almost self-​consciously quirky and bohemian, with its salmon-​pink façade and loopy hand-​painted sign saying «ALL SEA FOODS». But it’s been here for 150 years, which is no mean feat. How can I possibly find words to do justice to this place of genius, this haven of of the hungry, this glorious gift to the fish fanatic? It’s a tiny little place on the High Street, with a counter in the front, bursting with crab meat (red and white), cockles, prawns, lobsters and mussels, seating about four squashed people or three with comfort. In the back there are four tables, and Delia will look after you. You can get 10 or 12 people in there. Being unlicensed, the drinks policy is strictly Fentiman’s (the entire range) or BYO, and no corkage! So you can pair the fish with the best wine you’ve got, or you can go over the road to the offie and get yourself a bottle or four. And what to say of the food? The Whitstable natives are huge, plump, luscious, pure hedonism — half a dozen is an obligation. You’ll probably wait a while for your starter, but it’s worth it. There’ll be mackerel, scallops or crab cake, nicely garnished with something light and green, maybe a small deep-​fried squid ring or two, and something sharper like beetroot or horseradish to cut through the oil or fattiness. The mains are monkfish, john dory, bass, bream — whatever’s going — with spinach, salsify, or potatoes, and other carefully calibrated accompaniments like artichokes or mushrooms. Wheeler’s is a little slow, a little eccentric, a little unusual, but it’s like nothing else — it makes you feel like you’ve arrived somewhere, and for an hour or two, or more, that there is nowhere else on earth worth being in. I am certainly not waiting another twenty years to go again.

A great unpretentious place that simply serves the best seafood in Whitstable. We often go to Whitstable during the summer months and start up by the harbour, winding our way past all the street eating places and munching on oysters, scallops etc. Having tried most of the other places along the way, ending up at Wheelers on the high street is definitely leaving the best for last.
It’s a tiny place and you stand no chance of a table without booking well in advance, but if you have a bit of patience you’ll get the best take away oysters here– the flavour really is a cut above the others. I’d speculate that the oysters are fresher her but I’m no expert!
The other seafood from potted shrimp and dressed crab to cockles and mussels and hot-​smoked salmon are all of an equally high standard. You shouldn’t visit Whitstable without going here at least once.

This is a delightful little restaurant where you can also buy takeaway seafood. The front of the café has a bar which you can sit at, in front of the chilled cabinet full of crab, prawns, oysters, lobster, cockles, mussels, etc etc. In the back there is a very small room that reminded me of a Victorian parlour — you have to book to get a seat in that room. The building looks really lovely from the outside, it’s mainly pale pink with really nice graphics and illustrations which make it stand out on the high street. You can go in and get a fresh crab mean sandwich or a bowl of prawns and take them down to the beach which is only a few minutes walk away. Service is quite friendly and the food is really good.

This is the little pink restaurant on the main high street, and home to the original Wheelers and has been in the town longer than all the other restaurants. Run by Delia Fitt and her family it is just perfect either for a snack or a meal. Its not licensed so you will need to bring booze, but Threshers is just across the road. The food is of an exceptionally high standard with monthly changing menus. There are only 5 tables at the cozy dinning room at the back so you WILL NEED TO BOOK. The oyster bar at the front is a first come first served kind of thing, but the seafood is fresh and the brown shrimp sandwiches are delightful. They are always busy in the summer months and what Delia does not know about Oysters is not worth knowing.