Bottega Caruso

A meal at Bottega Caruso feels like the manifestation of all your Italian holiday home dreams, only in Margate. This tiny Campanian spot is a flickering living room of a restaurant from Thursday to Sunday evenings (it’s lunch-only on Wednesdays). Books and jars of tomato sauce sit on the shelves beside you, and bowls of hearty pesto-clad gnocchi in front. Its changing menu is as irresistible as the homely, amiable atmosphere—and polpette di pane al sugo (bread balls in sauce) or light-as-feather slabs of tiramisu will live long in the memory. Bear in mind this place only has just over half a dozen tables inside and a lovely alfresco setup at lunchtime, so booking is essential.