Dartford Restaurants: The Best Places to Eat

The Dartford restaurants most people look for are Le Tre Sorelle on Hythe Street, a family-run Italian kept by three sisters; Efes and Sedir, the town’s two Turkish grill restaurants; and Cadiz Tapas on Spital Street. For a pub meal, the usual names are The Malt Shovel, dating from 1673, and The Horse & Groom in Wilmington. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own website on 24 October 2026.

We have not eaten at these places for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the restaurant says about itself and what it publishes about prices, hours and booking, then adds the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating. Prices come from menus published online on 24 October and change often.

Town centre

Le Tre Sorelle, Hythe Street

Le Tre Sorelle says it is “an Italian restaurant in Dartford run by three sisters, hence our name”, aiming for “the kind of eatery you would find back in Italy”, with candlelit tables. On its main menu, pasta and risotto dishes are £11.95 to £17.95, with seafood linguine at the top; meat and fish mains are £15.95 to £26.95, and an 8oz fillet steak is £34.95. A set menu, Sunday to Thursday, is £19.95 for two courses or £24.95 for three, and there is a children’s menu. Evening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5.30pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 5.30pm to 10.30pm; Sunday 12pm to 9pm. Closed Monday. The menu page says lunch is still suspended, though the home page lists lunch on Tuesday to Saturday, so check when you book. Call 01322 221530. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 22 April 2026). 12 Hythe Street, DA1 1BX.

Efes, High Street

Efes describes itself as part of “one of London’s leading Turkish restaurant groups”. On its eat-in menu, charcoal-grill mains run from £15.95 for an Adana kebab to £25.95 for lamb chops, with mixed kebabs at £24.95. The weekday lunch menu, Monday to Friday from 12pm to 4.30pm, is £10.95 for one course, £12.95 for two and £14.95 for three. It also publishes a brunch menu and does takeaway. Open Sunday to Wednesday 12pm to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 12pm to 11pm. Call 01322 471458. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 1 April 2026). 55 High Street, DA1 1DS. Our listing.

Sedir, Lowfield Street

Sedir calls itself “your family-owned Turkish getaway located in the heart of Dartford”; the name means cedar tree. Its menu lists grilled meats, wraps, meze and fresh bread. On Friday and Saturday nights there is live belly dancing and a DJ. It advertises coal-fired Christmas parties with a set menu from 1 November to 5 January. It takes reservations online and does takeaway and delivery. Its about page gives hours of Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 11pm and Friday and Saturday 12pm to midnight. Call 01322 226421. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 25 March 2026). 29-31 Lowfield Street, DA1 1EW. Our listing.

Cadiz Tapas, Spital Street

Cadiz Tapas says it aims “to provide the best authentic and modern Spanish cuisine using the best imported Spanish and local Kent ingredients”. Its head chef, Maria, trained in Spain. On the menu, single tapas run from £4.40 for garlic mushrooms to £13.50 for a pork, chicken and seafood cazuela, and paellas cost £14.50 to £17.90. The restaurant says it is dog friendly, and it takes bookings and deposits online. Published hours: closed Monday; Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 10pm. Call 01322 222226. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 3 June 2026). 70 Spital Street, DA1 2DT. Our listing.

Dartford Dosa House, Hythe Street

Dartford Dosa House serves South Indian and Sri Lankan food and describes “a warm, family-friendly setting”. It says vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes “are always prepared separately”. On its restaurant menu, dosas are £5.95 to £9.95, biryanis £8.95 to £12.95, and Sri Lankan chicken or mutton curry is £9.95 or £10.95. It also offers string hoppers, puttu and idly, and has party halls and catering. Tables can be booked online. Open Monday and Wednesday 5pm to 11pm, Thursday to Sunday 12pm to 11pm; closed Tuesday. Call 01322 223875. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 23 July 2026). 41 Hythe Street, DA1 1BE. Our listing.

Thaiger Thai Shack, Market Place

Thaiger Thai Shack calls itself “authentic Thai street food in Dartford”, cooked to order with ingredients imported from Thailand. On its menu, green, red, massaman and phanang curries are £12.99, pad Thai is £10.99, and the special duck curry is £16.50. Starters run from £2.99 to £7.99, and there are vegetarian versions of the main curries. It takes reservations and online takeaway orders. Hours are not on the website, so check before going. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 5 August 2025). 1 Market Place, DA1 1EX.

Pubs with a kitchen

The Malt Shovel, Darenth Road

The Malt Shovel says it dates “back to 1673” and calls itself “the archetype of a classic country pub”, a short walk from the town centre. It serves Young’s ales and “traditional pub food”. The kitchen is open Friday to Sunday: a set menu on Friday and Saturday (12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 9pm) and Sunday roasts from 12pm to 6pm, which it suggests booking. Its website announces a kitchen relaunch on 26 October 2026, so menus may change. Well-behaved dogs are welcome indoors and out. Call 01322 224381. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 17 September 2025). 3 Darenth Road, DA1 1LP. Our listing.

The Horse & Groom, Wilmington

The Horse & Groom is a Shepherd Neame pub that describes itself as “a dog-friendly, traditional pub” serving “classic British dishes with a modern twist”, using local and seasonal produce where it can. Dogs are allowed in the bar and garden but not in the restaurant area, except service dogs. It does Sunday roasts (it advises booking) and a Beef Wellington sharing menu for two or more. Food times: breakfast 10am to 11.30am on weekdays, then Monday to Thursday until 9pm, Friday until 9.30pm, Saturday 9am to 9pm, Sunday 11.30am to 7.15pm. Garden tables cannot be booked. Call 01322 290056. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 19 March 2025). 15 Leyton Cross Road, DA2 7AP. Our listing.

The Flying Boat, Spital Street

The Flying Boat is the town-centre Wetherspoon, the chain option for an early breakfast or a cheap meal. It opens at 8am every day and closes at midnight, or 1am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 may be there between 8am and 8pm only. The pub lists step-free access, baby changing and a licensed outdoor area. Prices are in the Wetherspoon app, not on the website. Call 01322 421970. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 21 May 2025). 36-42 Spital Street, DA1 2DT. Our listing.

At Bluewater

Buenasado, The Village

Buenasado is an Argentine steakhouse with sister restaurants in Walton-on-Thames, Reading and Bristol. On its menu, steaks run from £27.95 for rump and £33.95 for sirloin to £48.25 for the lomo fillet. Beef empanadas are £9.45 and burgers start at £16.95. It also publishes a children’s menu and an Argentine wine list. Open Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 11pm. Call 01322 387409. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 21 April 2026). Unit WVL18, The Village (lower), Bluewater, DA9 9SE. Our listing.

Big Easy, Bluewater

Big Easy is an American barbecue and crab shack, one of five branches. It says the Bluewater site has 250 seats over three floors, with two bars and live bands on the mezzanine every night. It takes reservations, has group menus for ten or more, and serves a weekend brunch. Open Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11.30am to 10pm, Sunday 11.30am to 9pm. It is next to the Vue cinema, and the roof car park is the closest. Call 01322 942150. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 10 August 2026). Unit SVU05, Bluewater, DA9 9ST. Our listing.

Tapas Revolution, Upper Mall

Tapas Revolution says it specialises in “all your favourite Spanish tapas”, from albondigas and croquetas to tortilla, and pitches itself at shoppers and cinema-goers. Dishes on its page run from £6.25 for patatas bravas to £10.50 for crispy pork belly. On Saturday and Sunday, a bottomless brunch for over-18s is £25 a head: three tapas plus an hour and a half of sangria or house wine, pre-booked between 11am and 2.30pm. Open Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11.30am to 11pm, Sunday 11.30am to 8pm. Call 01322 381817 to book up to six people. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 13 October 2026). Upper Mall, Bluewater, DA9 9ST.

How we chose

These are the Dartford restaurants people search for and can check: long-running independents in the town centre, the pubs known for food, and the busiest names at Bluewater. Chains appear where they are what the borough has. Every place has a food hygiene rating of 3 or better, and none had posted a closure notice. The facts come from each venue’s own website and the Food Standards Agency. Several popular places are missing only because their own websites were down or blocked our checks on 24 October; we will add them once we can confirm the details. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@dartfordonline.co.uk.

For more to do in town, see things to do in Dartford and what’s on in Dartford this month, or browse restaurants in our directory and local businesses in Dartford.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a cheap set lunch in Dartford?

Efes on the High Street serves a weekday lunch menu, Monday to Friday from 12pm to 4.30pm: one course £10.95, two courses £12.95, three courses £14.95. Le Tre Sorelle on Hythe Street has a Sunday to Thursday set menu at £19.95 for two courses or £24.95 for three.

Which Dartford restaurants allow dogs?

Cadiz Tapas on Spital Street says it is dog friendly. The Malt Shovel welcomes well-behaved dogs indoors and out. The Horse & Groom in Wilmington allows dogs in the bar and garden but not in its restaurant area, except service dogs.

Which Dartford restaurants are open on a Monday?

Efes, Sedir, Dartford Dosa House (from 5pm), the Horse & Groom, the Flying Boat and the four Bluewater restaurants all publish Monday hours. Le Tre Sorelle and Cadiz Tapas are closed on Mondays.