After two years and more than 100 reviews of restaurants and cafes across Kent, we’ve crunched the numbers to find out which venue came out on top.

KentOnline launched Eat My Words in April 2021 as we sought to showcase the huge variety of food spots the county has to offer.

Our reporters have dined at a wide array of eateries - from the foodie favourite Rocksalt in Folkestone harbour to the worst-rated Chinese takeaway.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor warned people to avoid the latter establishment, Peking Express in Strood, “like the plague”.

But reporter Brad Harper gave the dishes served there a solid three out of five.

Each restaurant we’ve visited has been scored on its food, drink, decor, staff and price.

We’ve now tallied up these ratings to see what every venue got in total, out of 25.

Just one bagged full marks - but there are many which scored a commendable score of 22 or above.

Here, we look at each of these top-rated restaurants, and what our reporter had to say about each of them. (We are not including any which have sadly closed in the months since our reviews)

SCORE - 22/25

Nine venues achieved a total rating of 22 out of 25.

First up is Chrystal's in Gravesend Borough Market and its award-winning sausage roll.

Alex Langridge said the meaty pastry was “full of flavour” and gave it five stars.

At Vesuvius in Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, reporter Sean McPolin was “blown away” by the classic Italian dishes on offer.

Ambient, a restaurant serving up traditional Romanian cuisine in Windmill Street, Gravesend, also got a total score of 22.

Alex Langridge said the doughnuts smothered in sour cream and blueberry jam, a strange combination which surprisingly worked, were well worth coming back for.

A boozy bottomless brunch at Chapter in Burgate, Canterbury, turned out to be the perfect mother’s day treat for Sam Lawrie and her mum.

Sam gave the food five stars and added: “Despite the peach puree being a little bit sugary, the free-flowing prosecco can’t be faulted.”

Turkish restaurant Kaniklar in Week Street, Maidstone, served up an “exquisite” chicken doner platter to our reporter, who gave “polite and caring” staff full marks.

We described Shozna in Maidstone Road, Rochester, as “by far one of the best curry restaurants in Kent” and gave it an overall score of 22.

Another curry house, Secret Spices in Margate, got the same rating. Our reporter praised the hot and delicous dishes, adding: “£43 for six courses of excellent food is good value in my book.”

The “awe-inspiring” decor at Jacksonwood tea rooms in Sheerness High Street was given five stars in our review.

“It is packed from floor to ceiling with a plethora of things from the past,” we said.

We also tried Kent’s best-rated restaurant on Tripadvisor, Please Sir! in Broadstairs.

The “unforgettable” burger got full marks from our reporter. But the eatery doesn’t quite top the charts in our round-up of reviews…

SCORE – 23/25

Six venues achieved the impressive total score of 23 out of 25.

The Minel Meze and Grill in the former Kings Arms pub in Meopham Green, Gravesend, was praised for its “beautifully presented” main dishes.

Meanwhile, our reporter Megan Carr was full of praise for the food at the Cinar Kitchen Meze Bar in Sittingbourne.

She gave the food five stars, adding: “The cuts of chicken and lamb were some of the highest quality cuts I've ever tasted in a restaurant.”

Brad Harper took on an almighty challenge at Big Boys Pizza in Wincheap, Canterbury. Could he devour an entire 20-inch pizza? Fortunately, it was “absolutely delicious with a crispy crust”.

Sticking in Canterbury, we also tried Mr Falafel, rated on Tripadvisor as the county’s best-rated vegan-friendly 'restaurant'.

Our reporter visited the serving hatch in the city centre and devoured a falafel box – giving the food, staff and the price five stars.

The “endless Prosecco” which comes as part of the bottomless brunch at Madison's in Maidstone High Street also received full marks.

We’ve sampled many full English breakfasts across the county and the one on offer at Cafe Plaza in Larkfield is one of the best.

Reporter Chris Hunter described it as “fantastic, if you like fry-ups how they're supposed to be done”.

SCORE – 23.5/25

Just one venue achieved a score of 23.5 out of 25.

We set out to investigate the claim that The Flower Pot pub in Sandling Road, Maidstone, served up better pizzas than in Rome.

Our reporter gave the food five stars, while the decor of the “proper pub with modern twists” was given a score of 3.5.

SCORE – 24/25

Six venues were just one point away from securing full marks.

Another tasty Italian – La Villetta in Pudding Lane, Maidstone – secured a score of 24 out of 25.

Reporter Cara Simmonds said you could tell the dishes served “were really made with love” and it was only the decor – including some wobbly floorboards – which failed to achieve 5/5.

Now for the return of Please Sir! – this time the new Whitstable branch. The burgers offered up must be good to have made this list twice.

The only aspect which failed to achieve full marks was the price, even though our reporter was “more than satisfied” with the cost of the meal.

A real quirky one up next, the Bus Cafe on Margate's Royal Crescent Promenade where reporter Chris Britcher enjoyed “one of Kent’s best breakfasts”.

He said it offers up “top-notch food in the most unexpected of surroundings”. It only lost one mark for decor.

Another success story was The Command House, previously described as “the pub Chatham tried to forget”.

We visited after it had undergone a major refurb and our reporter was very impressed, saying: “We could have sat all day, sipping on our drinks, enjoying the sun and watching the water.”

It lost a single star due to the “triple-cooked” chips’ lack of crunch.

The only burger restaurant we’ve found to rival Please Sir! is Notorious BRG in Castle Street, Canterbury, which also got a score of 24 out of 25.

Reporter Sean McPolin described his El Pollo, a southern-fried chicken burger, as “sensational, fresh and flavourful”.

The one mark dropped here was for the decor.

Rocksalt in Folkestone harbour is undoubtedly one of the most expensive restaurants we’ve tried – but it’s also one of the best.

Our reporter gave full marks to the lemon sole, samphire and melted potted shrimp, the Argentinean Malbec, the airy and attractively minimalist decor and the friendly staff.

But the price – £95 – got just four stars.

SCORE 25/25

We’ve clearly sampled our fair share of the county’s top cuisine over the past 24 months. But just one venue impressed us so much that we had to give it full marks.

Drumroll, please…

The best restaurant we’ve tried in Kent is... Indi8 in Tonbridge.

The curry house achieved five stars across the board.

Reviewer Nikki White raved about the Zeera chicken and Shaktora Ghoast, the selection of Indian beers, the modern interior with coloured mood lighting, the “exceptional” staff and the good value, with mains starting at £6.50 rising to £15.95.

Indi8 has clearly already made a name for itself. The restaurant was “heaving” when we visited and they'd apparently turned away about 70-something bookings.

The place was still full when we left, already replaced by a second round of diners, and there were people queuing to get in.

Obviously, many other diners believe it’s deserving of top marks.

Of course, every review is subjective and many people are likely to disagree with our ratings. What’s more, there are hundreds of restaurants we are yet to visit.

But we hope that over the past two years – and in this article – we have given you some inspiration for some new places to try across Kent.