I love nothing more than a cooked breakfast and I’m always looking for new and different variations on the Full English breakfast.
I love walking along Margate seafront and I have walked past the bus cafe so many times and never been in so I booked a table for us and we went to Margate to see why they have won many awards for their breakfasts.
Our visit
I like places that are quirky and different and I was so looking forward to going to the Bus Cafe for a breakfast treat.
It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and the one thing I love about a cooked breakfast is that you can eat it any time of the day and it still tastes great.
There’s plenty of parking around the cafe and it’s right opposite the train station if you’re not driving. You can not miss it.
As soon as you turn the corner towards the coast, it is right in front of you, proudly looking out to sea. We were so excited to go for breakfast on a bus overlooking the fabulous sandy shores of Margate.
We were warmly welcomed by the waitress and taken upstairs to the top deck and sitting area. As always when you go up on the bus you have a big decision to make, either sit all the way in the back, if you were the naughty ones, or all the way up front, if you were eager to see where you were going and the cars flying by .
We chose at the back as it was more private and we were given a menu to look at.
Everything looked so delicious and appetizing it was such a hard choice. I think it was our first time wanting to go for the whole month but it was really such a hard decision to make because everything sounded so beautiful.
We opted for the full English breakfast option “The Hangover” which consisted of fried, smoked Heinz beans, mumbled egg, tamai mushrooms, crispy bacon strips, butterflied, locally made GF sausage, homemade pickled onions, homemade mustard aioli, roasted seeds, balsamic glaze and spinach and served on sourdough bread.
Their Hangover Breakfast won British Breakfast of the Year in 2019 and I can totally understand why. The presentation was great. It was laid out as you would expect fine cuisine to be presented.
It looked great and we couldn’t wait to dig into it. It was literally a taste sensation. I loved everything and I loved the way there wasn’t too much of everything and hints and flavors of everything. It had seeds for nutrition and texture and the homemade pickled onions were so tasty.
I also liked the bus’s ethic that all food is sourced locally where it can be.
We were both impressed during and after eating the breakfast and agreed it was one of the best breakfasts we’d ever had and said we’d love to go back again and try the smaller bits like the crumpets or beans on toast or the sausage or bacon sandwiches.
I think that’s the highest praise for an eatery, that you want to come back to try more of the menu.
The service was great, the views were spectacular and the food was sublime. What wasn’t fun about it? They have many different variations of breakfast, also substituting meat for fish and vegetarian and vegan options, catering for everyone, including a children’s menu.
You may be wondering what are mumbled eggs?
Mumbled eggs
Mumbled eggs are made by cooking the egg white first and adding the yolk at the last minute, so it’s like a cross between a scrambled egg and a fried egg.
What is the Buscafe?
The Buscafe is what it says it is. It is a cafe in a double-decker bus with the seating on the upper deck and the kitchen on the lower deck.
It’s a vintage 1980s double-decker Bristol VR bus that has been converted into a cafe and is affectionately called “Rosie”. The lower half is the kitchen and above that is one of their dining areas with a fantastic view of the harbour.
Where is the bus cafe?
The Bus Cafe can be found on the seafront in Margate on the Royal Crescent Promenade.
How did it come about?
The idea of a bus cafe was conceived by owners Simon Lindley, Jodie Ellena-Lindley, Xander Muir and Lois Du Plessis.
They serve fresh, locally sourced ingredients and everything is cooked fresh on the bus. They are also very eco-friendly and use recyclable, biodegradable packaging and go out of their way to upcycle and reuse.
Local suppliers
Their local suppliers are: Garage Coffee, Woodlands Farm eggs, Nash Farm fruits and vegetables, JC Rook and Sons Butchers and Grain and Hearth bakery.
Awards
The awards they have won include the National Breakfast Awards, Best Takeaway Food in Margate and The National Breakfast and Brunch Awards.
Margate
Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south east England.
It is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and is home to The Turner Contemporary Gallery and Dreamland, both located right on the seafront.
The town has a wonderfully nostalgic Victorian feel and there is much to see and do for adults and children alike. It is easy to get to with a train station opposite the promenade. It is definitely a place to visit.
Conclusion
I like Margate, I like quirky offbeat places, I like the coast and I like breakfast so this ticked all the boxes for me. The bus cafe was great.
We were warmly greeted and served some delicious food and made to feel so welcome. The views were spectacular and we felt like we were dining like royalty.
After filling up on breakfast we had a lovely coastal walk and it really was the perfect way to start the day. I highly recommend.
A perfect place to watch the world go by and eat award winning food. If you want to reserve a table, go to the bus cafe where you can reserve a seat on the bus or on the outdoor seats.
You may also like:
- Whitstable Bay High Tide Afternoon Tea at The Marine Hotel in Tankerton
- A dining experience at Botanica, Kirkby Lonsdale
