The story
Bottega Caruso is a family-run Italian restaurant and shop on Broad Street in Margate, the heartfelt project of Harry and Simona. The couple draws inspiration from Simona’s home village of Foglianise, in the Benevento province of Campania, an hour from Naples. Their cooking shares the foods, recipes and wines of that corner of southern Italy, using artisanal produce imported from family and friends: preserved tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, natural wines and heritage grain flour. These ingredients meet the excellent fresh produce of the Kent coast, creating a menu that is direct and deeply personal.
The restaurant grew out of a simple supper club Harry and Simona hosted after leaving London. That first meal, based on one Harry had eaten in Foglianise, included mozzarella di bufala, stuffed peppers, cavatelli and baba. It was so well received that they kept going. After a stint at the Goods Shed in Canterbury and a small market space in Margate, they opened on Broad Street in January 2018. The hard work and word of mouth paid off: Grace Dent of The Guardian called it “possibly some of the best Italian food in modern Britain,” and the restaurant has been recognised by the Michelin Guide, which awarded it a Recommended status for 2026. The recognition feels organic – a tribute to the cooking’s integrity rather than any ambition for trophies.
The menu changes daily, but the spirit stays consistent. Start with nibbles like giardiniera (pickled vegetables) or baccalà (salt cod with lemon and chilli). Small plates include the verdura e fagioli – Simona’s grandmother Nonna Carmela’s recipe of greens and beans – and polpette di pane al sugo, bread balls cooked in the family’s tomato sauce, born from a time when meat was a luxury. Fresh pasta is made each morning with a blend of organic flour from Nonington Farm in Canterbury and Italian semolina. Try the casarecce with broccoli and smoked provola, or the pappardelle with fennel sausage and squash ragù. Desserts like tiramisù made with espresso and rum, or bay leaf panna cotta with persimmon, finish the meal on the same honest note.
Next door, Cantina Caruso – a wine bar and shop – serves natural wines by the glass, aperitivo-style cocktails and small plates, plus deli essentials to take home. The restaurant also hosts cookery workshops, Italian film nights and wine tastings. Bottega Caruso is a place where the cooking is the story, and the story is worth sitting down to.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Endearingly popular, Simona Di Dio and Harry Ryder’s determinedly low-key restaurant has become an established fixture on the Margate dining scene. An atmosphere of warm informality is matched by homespun southern Italian cooking inspired by Simona’s family recipes from Foglianise in Campania, which provides some produce for the kitchen (the rest comes courtesy of a carefully nurtured network of local suppliers). The menu structure allows for nibbling as much as three-coursing it. At our most recent visit, we chose from a selection of small plates including a summery citrus-marinated trout with fried courgettes tossed in mint and vinegar, as well as a couple of cibo povero dishes that are never off the menu – namely grandma’s recipe for verdura e fagioli (greens and beans) and the delicious polpette di pane al sugo (sourdough bread balls, eggs and herbs cooked in tomato sauce). A small bowl of pickled vegetables was a perfect accompaniment. There’s fresh pasta, as you’d expect, made each day with a blend of Italian semolina and organic flour from Nonington Farm in Canterbury. Look out for the likes of spaghetti with sea bass, cherry tomatoes, fennel seeds, lemon and toasted breadcrumbs, or ziti with pork sausage and 'nduja. Among the choice of desserts, the light tiramisu makes an indulgent finale. The list of predominantly organic, biodynamic and natural wines heralds some of the best producers in Italy, and staff give good advice to those less familiar with low-intervention viticulture. Don’t forget to stock up on artisan Italian provisions at La Cantina, the restaurant’s deli a few doors down
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