Food should be both fun & fantastic.

Our food philosophy is quite simple, we want to entertain you. Our food is honest and contemporary. Joe loves taking classic dishes and moving them to new levels of taste and presentation. Our cooking is Italian in ethos in that we focus on seasonality and build dishes based on the quality and availability of ingredients rather than find the ingredients for our dishes.

This does not mean that we are an Italian food offering, in fact we take our food influences from around the world, but the fact that we focus on fantastic ingredients and treat them with respect.

Eating out should never be boring nor should it be a chore. We want you to feel comfortable about the food you receive but at the same time challenge what the perceived standard of pub food is. In a nutshell we want to deliver what you would expect in terms of food quality from a fine dining restaurant in a more relaxed setting.

When visiting the London Tavern expect the very best honestly priced as this is what we set out to deliver on a daily basis.

We operate from a small kitchen and cook 'in the moment' so if your expecting chain restaurant speed of service then its probably not for you. However if you want your food to be cooked with love and attention you have come to the right place.

About Joe:

Joe always say's the reason he cooks is because he cannot paint. Joe really does live and breath food - it is his life and he lives by the rule that he is only as good as the next plate of food he feeds a customer. You should expect the unexpected of Joe, his channel for creativity is in his food, sometimes he is far out sometimes he is traditional, the one thing he never is is satisfied.

Much of Joe's food is based around food memory. He believes that food plays a important role in cementing and anchoring our memories and most of the dishes he designs have a memory story behind them. Feel free to ask to speak to him about them but be warned he loves talking about his passion and he "can't arf chat".

About Lukasz:

​Lukasz is a rare chef indeed; someone that has a passion for food that matches Joe's. Lukasz has been a chef since really he can remember, learning to cook at home in Poland with his family.

He has cooked all over Europe taking on board many cooking styles from classic fine dining French to rustic Italian and Spanish food. His knowledge of real Eastern European cuisine is having an impact on the menu and the London Tavern's style of dish reinvention may well take it in a different direction or even a new level. Lukasz's cooking style really suits the London Tavern customer who seem to 'dig' different.

About Henry:

​Henry really is the "new kid on the block" and brings the average age of the kitchen staff down to a bearable level! Henry is studying at the Thanet chef school in Broadstairs and has a real passion for food and is driven to build an amazing career in the kitchen. We expect great things from Henry now and into the future - take a note of his name as we are convinced he will be a top chef of the future with his energy, creativity and eye for detail.

About Beth:

​Beth has been with us almost from the very start of our journey at the London Tavern. She is currently studying to be a teacher. She really has blossomed to be a real star of our front of house team and can double up in the second chef position when required. She loves food and loves people making us proud to be able to have her on board as part of the team.

About Jane:

​Jane is the real unsung hero of our food operation. She handles all the bookings, front of house and her hands are permanently in the sink! Perhaps her biggest role is keeping Joe under control (Joe and Jane have been married for nearly 30 years).

About Gerry:

​Larger than life Gerry, alias "odds-on Gerry" (he was a bookmaker in a previous life!) can be seen roaming the black room on a Saturday night. Gerry loves people and loves a chat even more than Joe. He has been called the Michael Caine of Margate and is definitely the Basil Fawlty of the London Tavern.