Old Kent Market – The vibrant food & crafts pop-up market in Margate

The Old Kent Market is a restored former cinema in Margate that is set out as an old-fashioned high street shops. Inside, The Old Kent Market contains a diverse mix of stalls selling food, drinks, vinyl records, baked goods, arts and crafts, and more. There is also a vintage London double decker bus converted into a creperie, various cafes and coffee shops, a bakery, cocktail bar, and microbrewery.

I always pop in every time I’m in Margate as it’s just opposite the Turner Gallery. Last time I found amazing doughnut stall there and their dark chocolate and sea salt doughnut was my favourite!

The market has a quirky, colourful, and eclectic atmosphere with a combination of historic cinema architecture blended with various modern shops and eateries. It’s nice to see that it has become a popular destination and community hub.

History of Old Kent Market

Situated on Fort Hill opposite the Turner Contemporary Gallery, it’s a good example of the enticing blend of the old and the new which is fast making vibrant Margate more than just a bank holiday destination.

Housed on the site of the former Parade Cinema, which opened in 1913 and operated until the 1960s. The venue has had a chequered history, every bit as colourful as the seaside town itself, having also been a private members club showing 16mm uncensored adult films, a bingo club and latterly a snooker club.

In 2018, the cinema building was restored and reopened as The Old Kent Market.

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Visiting Old Kent Market

The rich red art deco exterior still boasts the original ticket booths. Inside, it’s a veritable cornucopia of pop up ethnic food shops downstairs and vintage and retro clothes shops upstairs.

There’s an open top red bus which serves refreshments and upstairs is a great place to admire the purple barrel vaulted ceiling. This lends a certain intimacy while still letting in streams of light from the sea front entrance.

The range of food stalls inside the Old Kent Market

We visited on the Friday just before the end of May Bank Holiday. The food hall manages to convey a cheerful arcade feel of neon strip lighting with some seriously artisan food stalls. We were tempted by the wonderful aroma from Bpen Thai Kitchen not to mention the smile as long as the seafront of the lady serving behind the counter.

An obliging sample of the chicken green curry quickly convinced Majda that a full portion was required. Steaming hot and full of rich flavours, it wasn’t long before I found myself ordering more of the same myself.

Old weather beaten barrels add a nice touch to the seating arrangements. This gave us a chance to take in the array of aromas – from Afro-Caribbean to Japanese, not to mention traditional smoked and pulled pork. For deli lovers, there’s also home cooked pies and vintage cheeses, not to mention craft beers.

Surrounded by so many choices, we felt our taste buds being pulled, like the pork, in so many different directions. As it was time for desert, we decided to plump for Chelsea and Bath buns only to find that on our way back to our seats, we’d also bought a dark bread pudding with a hint of honey and a banana and walnut cake.

The food was delightful but it was an added pleasure to talk to the owners as well. Most seemed optimistic about the forthcoming bank holiday trade and for several of them, it was only their second or third time of opening.

Pop up shops are a true sign of everyday enterprise each with a unique story. It’s all very well, supermarkets starting to feature the names of individual farms and suppliers on the backs of the products. If you want to know more about what’s you’re buying and talk to the supplier direct, just pop into a pop up shop.

After so much food, we slowly climbed the wooden stairs to the balcony, passing under the Fortune Teller’s colourful alcove in the corner. Upstairs there’s a selection of mainly clothes stalls. 

A chap quietly dozing in a pork pie hat, surrounded by bomber jackets, and two tone black and white checked mod accessories caught our eye. Not all stands were fully occupied, some owners were busy setting up for the weekend, and it would be fair to say that sales were probably sporadic.

Walking around gave us a chance to admire the bus and the ceiling at even closer quarters before we boarded the bus for a farewell Americano and cake and hung on tight to our fare!

It’s still early days for the sellers and individual success is by no means guaranteed. The venue can be used for a range of activities and is a great backcloth to any form of entertainment. Having been restored and updated, you no longer have to buy a ticket to enjoy the show. Just take in the atmosphere and enjoy the food.

I don’t know what the Fortune Seller predicts for its future, but at least the Bpen Thai Kitchen lady was still smiling as we left.

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Practical Information for visiting Old Kent Market

Location: 8 Fort Hill, Margate, Kent, CT9 1HD (opposite the Turner Gallery)

Opening times – opens every day from 8 or 9 until 6 pm (or later on special days and in the summer), some stalls inside might have different opening times ( e.g. winter time it might be just weekends).

The current shops & pop ups opening in 2024 are: Rat Race (clothing), Gina’s Old Kent Bakery, Bagel Mama, Burrito Box, Breen’s Sweets, The Greek Kitchen, Mama Mia Pizzeria, BB’s Cafe & Bar, The Little Prince Pub, Mae’s Bar, Old Kent Roastery, Summer Salt (Gifts), Herboristeirie (Natural Herb Remedies), Lee Lee London (Gifts)

This blog post was originally published on 18 June 2016 and last updated on 22 January 2024