The Cook's Tale Restaurant in Canterbury

We ordered the meat Thalis. This was served to us within 5-10 mins. Food did not taste like they were freshly made, taste was blend. Myself and my daughter got food poisoning the next day. Not an experience we would remember. First time we tried this restaurant and would not go again.

Lovely experience at The Cooks Tale. Nice touch having complimentary starters and truffles to end the meal. We were waited on by Asher who was very attentive. Will definitely come again

Visited last weekend with my partner - it was a wonderful experience with excellent service from Alfie, who made sure we were comfortable and enjoyed each meal. He took care to explain each item on the menu and took our preferences into consideration, despite the many other customers there that evening. The food was well placed and restaurant clean. Would absolutely recommend and visit again soon.

We had a wonderful Sunday evening experience at The Cook's Tale in Canterbury. There was lovely ambient music which was at just the right sound level. The staff were very attentive, which was very much appreciated. The food was delicious, and there was the additional surprise of some amazing, unexpected appetisers which really helped to make our evening. All in all a very pleasurable experience and the restaurant is very much recommended!

A perfect evening of fabulous food was even better with the live pianist who played brilliantly and non-stop!

Such a lovely restaurant, the food was delicious! And plenty of vegetarian options. Great service and atmosphere, lovely to have a live pianist!

Amazing food and really lovely staff. We had a wonderful evening and tried some very interesting and delicious food

In my son's words: 'this is, quite frankly, the best restaurant I've ever visited.' Food amazing, service brilliant.

Had silk road tasting menu and loved every course. Staff lovely

Enjoyed every moment. Pianist makes a night alongside the food.... It's all about the experienced. Relaxed compared to many restaurants in a similar space... Made my weekend.

Great Ambience, highly professional and hospitable staff. The food is delicious, hot and fresh. We enjoyed every food from the lovely complimentary starters to our main course to Dessert. Every dish is so nicely plated and exactly to the taste buds. After our 20 days travel across England, This was the best restaurant…classy fine dining and reasonably priced. We enjoyed our food and every moment we speant there listening to a live Piano and enjoying every bite of our food that we ate. Good job Cooks Tale’s Restaurant🥂🥂

Excellent service. Excellent food. Our waiter was very calm and smart

Silk Road 12 course tasting menu was delicious!!!!

Fabulous place, our whole family loved it. The service was particularly good.

Careful and original Indian cuisine. All the dishes are very fragrant. The service is very attentive. Don’t hesitate to ask for less spice if you are sensitive to it.

We had such a great time. They really took care of us

Live piano, fantastic food and nice treats in between, it was wonderful. Had the chicken, so juicy. Thanks to Alfie nd Asher. The small papadum samplers with chutney were not good though, bitter. May be a one time thing.

Had Alfie as our waiter, his service was excellent and welcoming. Food was also incredible, and had offered several different starters and desserts as complimentary which was very thoughtful. Would definitely recommend, thank you for an amazing dinner.

Food was incredible with lots of little bits brought throughout the night. Good value for money. Our server Alfie was very attentive and genuine making our experience lovely. Definitely recommend.

Excellent food, good service with lots of free bits to start. Nice atmosphere, and there provided a warm heater to keep us toasty :)

12 course tasting experience is 100% worth it! Thank you so much to the wonderful staff for making our new year so special, and to the wonderful pianist for making our night so perfect ❤️

Amazing tasting menu on NYE - food was incredible (so full of flavour) and the service was excellent. Would highly recommend

Lovely food, attentive staff and festive atmosphere!

Lovely meal, service and atmosphere. All the food was full of flavor and the service was spectacular. Beyond what we ordered, they served little bites, which were all fantastic. There was a pianist playing as well.

Food was delicious. Service was friendly and accommodating. Our server, Sakshi, was sweet and friendly. Would highly recommend.

During these two days in Canterbury, we discovered this very good restaurant. Flavor that we consume little but very well cooked. Go there with your eyes closed to take your taste buds on a journey. Very pleasant and understanding team despite the language barrier.

What a fantastic meal. Alfie was amazing and very knowledgeable, matching wine was perfect. Thank you!

Great food, great hospitality, couldn't ask for more.

Great food and attentive staff, thank you.

Hands down the best Indian restaurant I have been to in the uk. I am vegan and loved the options I had. Service was amazing!! If I had to be picky it was slightly cold when we first arrived but they promptly noticed (without us saying anything and brought us over a heater! Fantastic experience and will definitely make the trip back over to come again 🤙

Absolutely brilliant. Best restaurant in Canterbury. Food is really delicious, atmosphere excellent and service friendly and helpful. Cannot be faulted a real treat.

Absolutely delicious, great welcome from Asher who served us and was great to have Alfie the chef come and check everything was ok! The lamb Dosai was so good, and the meat thali was extremely flavoursome.

Very good experience, very friendly waiter and delicious and hearty food

A bit disappointing as I had heard so much about this place. Food was barely warm temperature wise when delivered. Not a great experience.

The most amazing 12 course meal! Staff were so welcoming and food was too notch. Highly recommend xx

Wonderful food, superb service, great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Great food, attentive staff, and excellent value for the quality offered

We had a wonderful lunch at The Cook's Tale Restaurant in Canterbury! As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by Asher, our host, who was friendly, welcoming, and very knowledgeable about the menu. He made sure our dietary requirements were carefully addressed and guided us through the options. We opted for the Meat and Vegetarian Thali, and both were absolutely delicious — full of vibrant flavors and beautifully presented. What truly stood out was the exceptional service. During our meal, Chef Alfie came over to check on us, asking if we were enjoying our food and if we had any feedback. It was a lovely personal touch that made the experience even more memorable. The restaurant itself had a cosy, festive atmosphere, with Christmas decorations adding a warm touch to the environment. Overall, a fantastic dining experience, with excellent food, great service, and a welcoming ambience. Highly recommended!

Lovely food in a lovely restaurant !

Food was great, service was excellent

We had vouchers for the 3 course evening meal. There were plenty of options for each course included in the menu. Everything we chose was delicious, as were the between course appetisers. Staff were very friendly and the service was very good. A wonderful meal and great value. We already have vouchers for the 12 course tasting menu so will be back soon.

Phenomenal food and service. Would highly recommend the tasting menu.

Festive taster menu with wine pairings. Full and varied . The service very attentive without being overpowering.

Made as per the Indian spice level… Really enjoyed the food!

Sudden visit but beautiful experience. Alfie was simply a great host and gave us lovely service. His charm and enthusiasm for serving us was simply unmatched. Delicious food.definitely will come again.

We came here for a meal with family, we had food from the tapas menu. The server was very friendly and offered recommendations from the menu. All of the food that we tried was really tasty, such a huge selection to choose from. I highly recommend stopping by when you’re in the area. Great value for money and something different from your average Indian restaurant.

Alfie was great, lovely service and delicious food. Will be back…

Great, tasty and unique food. Speedy service. Generous portion sizes and top ups.

Great food and service by Alfie. No changing table for kids though.

We had a gorgeous Sunday roast here. Truly inspiring food and incredible service. Our waiter Alfie was so kind and helpful - he made our experience extra special. Highly recommend this Canterbury gem.

Lovely as always. Very generous Sunday roast and brilliant service from Alfie. The unparalleled service here takes things above and beyond.

Very nice experience esp Alfie whose service is great and customer service is excellent.

Had a lovely time here for lunch. We were serviced by Alfie who was exceptional and was very sweet to my son who was excited to be here. Food was lovely although the quantity could be slightly increased.. :) but overall had a lovely experience.

Amazing food! Great service! Will definitely return! Highly recommend

So lovely - amazing food, amazing service, one of the best dining experiences had in a long time. So many little extras. They did an amazing job catering for my daughter who has coeliacs disease and really went the extra mile. I would definitely come back here!

Excellent flavoured food, great service from Alfie and Ashar thank you 👍

Absolutely beautiful meal. We had the 12 Course Festive Tasting Menu. Every course was a triumph. Highly recommended.

Fantastic food as always. Paired with wines great value and delicious. Very friendly service. We keep coming back. Accommodated our coeliac and pescatarian brilliantly.

The service was incredible and the food was a great experience. We would highly recommend and definitely come back if we are in the area.

Very good experience at the Cook's Tale from the food to the service (thanks to both our waiters, including Alfie). The live pianist was a very good bonus as well ! I recommend it for a nice evening!

The food was delicious and the service was brilliant . A brilliant piano player plays on Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays which just added to the brilliant experience

Really delicious food, great flavours.

Great service from the start, tasty food, and a nice cozy atmosphere!

10th anniversary celebrated at The Cooks Tale. Everything was lovely , from the surprise extra courseS, amazing entertainment, having a henna tattooist and just being thoroughly spoilt by the staff. Food was so delicious and full of flavour. Thank you

Absolutely beautiful and amazing food with live pianist it gives the ambiance of a real Indian feeling of the Taj thank you for your hospitality would definitely recommend, we were served by Alfie & Asshar the absolute best hosts xx

An outstanding meal, beyond anything we'd ever had before

Delicious festive afternoon tea to celebrate anniversary!

Best Indian restaurant we have had so far. Great food, great service and a very talented pianist.

Another incredible evening. Highly recommend. Excellent food, excellent service. Sakshi did a brilliant job for our staff Christmas dinner. Thank you we will be back.

A unique and delicious experience. Our thanks to Alfie for a fabilous meal. Highly recommended.

Good welcome from Alfie good meal to recommend

A real culinary experience- a delightful evening with delicious food , beautifully presented.

Had the vegan Thali which was brilliant and the service was immaculate, the staff bring you a lot of extra food while you wait which is also very good. Highly recommended

We enjoyed a fantastic three course set lunch, served by the amazing Alfie! The food was fresh and delicious, and the staff were welcoming and friendly. We will definitely be returning!

The food was incredible!✨ Such a lovely environment.. Chef Alfie is so talented and kind! 🥰

Pretty much enjoyed our meal - everything was super delicious and we were kindly served by Chef Alfie. We'll be definitely back when we're in town again!

We were very well received by Alfie, delicious meal and generous dish Above all, don't miss it while you're traveling. We will come back Viviane

Very good service from Mr Alfie

Excellent welcome from Alfie who takes great care of his customers even in French!

Alfie was a great envoy for this lovely restaurant.

We had such a lovely lunch. Bottomless roast dinner. Was exquisite. Chef Alfie was very attentive to us..very good service. For desert we shared a rose crème brûlée. Was so nice. Alfie provided us with a very top service. He’s a very good asset , very pleasant manner .

Excellent food, very innovative and attentive staff. We recommend it! Alfie was excellent

Very friendly. Alfred in particular!!

Not like it used to be. Came here for a stag do in 21 was brilliant had my 40th in there in 23 was awful. Was also a bit embarrassed as assured my family it was good.

On a visit to Canterbury we found this restaurant on a wander. From the first greeting to the thank you goodnight this is a really first class experience. Very friendly and attentive staff , excellent idea with small tasters between courses and the most amazing tasting Indian food I have ever had. The chef bringing the dishes to the table and explaining what things were and how best to eat them was fantastic. If you want to try Indian food presented in a modern contemporary way I highly recommend this fabulous restaurant. In my opinion 5stars are definitely not enough.

We had heard of The Cook’s Tale and wanted to try it out. My wife was tempted by the idea of Indian Tapas. Safe to say - the rumours did not disappoint! We arrived an hour early and were seated immediately with a smile and no fuss or disapproval - I like’d the maître d's approach straightaway - he was polite, welcoming and knowledgeable - helping guide our menu choices. OK, so, the food … it was delicious!!! For me the highlights were: Pani-puri - a delicious explosion of flavour and crunch. The chicken puff; the venison kebab; the chicken cigar were all fine. The chocolate samosas were unique and worth the trip on their own.

Had a lovely late lunch at The Cooks Tale. Their 2 for 1 tapas, a festive special is a bargain. True authentic Indian food. Ashar was particularly very attentive and prompt. Great experience and we will be back for sure.

An amazing meal. Food was delicious and the service was faultless!!! Couldn’t recommend more.

It’s my birthday & the staff made us very welcome with a little surprise on the last course of the food served 🥳 the service, food & atmosphere were all great & will definitely go back

Very sophisticated choice of food, friendly staff. One remark: the heating was off on this cold evening ...

This is my favourite restaurant ever, the food is so good and together with the atmosphere i could live here!

Amazing ! Try it totally fabulous dishes

Superb 12 course taster menu, lovely atmosphere and fantastic service from Alfie. Highly recommended!

Great place, good food and great service. Alfie really made the birthday celebration special.

The food was amazing all 12 courses! Alfie was superb as a waiter and very informative. There was a lovely atmosphere and I loved the piano music.

Wonderful food and superb service from Alfie

What a treat! We were visiting from Dorset and had read all the reviews. This restaurant does not disappoint. The service was exceptional, the food was delicious and we certainly did not go home hungry! Lots of little treats in between courses added an extra surprise! Well done The Cooks Tale!

Great meal ! Had the tasting menu , paired with wine. Beautifully cooked and spiced. All meat and fish very tender. Excellent service.

Never had a bad meal, always amazing food!

Beautiful restaurant, superb service and fabulous food!