Stepping off the train in Whitstable on a sunny Saturday morning, there’s a definite spring in the step as we head into town. No summer holiday for us this year, so days out by the seaside will have to give us that little taste of lazy days by the Med.

The sense of getting away from it all is probably enhanced by the fact it takes nigh on two hours to trundle around the coast from Folkestone by train – not far off the flight time from London to Barcelona – so by the time we arrive it feels like we’ve ventured further than from one side of Kent to another.

We have an hour or so to spare before our lunch reservation, so we enjoy a wander along the High Street, popping into a few of the shops for some idle browsing.

As it is before midday the influx of day-trippers is yet to turn from a trickle into a flood, but the place already has a pleasant buzz, with plenty of people enjoying a late breakfast outside the town’s many attractive little independent cafes and delis.

After a quick pit stop at the Duke of Cumberland pub at the northern end of the High Street, we take the short walk along to Harbour Street Tapas, a pretty white-washed corner restaurant on, you guessed it, Harbour Street.

It was recently named among the UK’s 100 best local restaurants by the Good Food Guide, with judges praising its “laid-back, buzzy and sociable” atmosphere where “every dish begs to be ordered”. It sounds like just the place for a leisurely lunch, with its Spanish-inspired menu promising to whisk us away to even sunnier climes, in spirit if not in body.

Entering the light and airy downstairs dining room, all white walls and stripped-back wood, we are greeted with cheery smiles and initially shown towards a table in the front window, ideal for a bit of people-watching while we eat. Unfortunately there’s been a slight mix-up, and we’re soon led to an upstairs dining room which, although pleasant enough, lacks a bit of the buzz of the main room downstairs.

Seated and furnished with some water for the table, we give the menu the once over. The good folk at the Good Food Guide have it right, there is nothing on there that doesn’t appeal, so we start to formulate a plan to target what look like the stand-out dishes.

We kick things off with a dish of padron peppers (£7) and a portion of jamon croquetas (£9), two classic staples of any tapas menu. Perfectly charred and served with a generous seasoning of coarse sea salt, the peppers make a fine accompaniment to the light, refreshing bottle of Macabeo – a white wine grape grown extensively in Spain – that we’ve picked out. The three croquetas are outstanding examples of the dish, with the deep and smoky flavour from the ham encased in a silky smooth béchamel.

Next we move on to a couple of seafood dishes, opting for the fried baby squid with anchovy aioli (£14) and the grilled tiger prawns with a chilli and garlic oil dressing (£16). In a town famous for its historic fishing industry, you have to hope the seafood on offer is bang on the money, and this pair of plates certainly do not disappoint.

The squid is coated with the lightest of batters, letting the star ingredient shine. The prawns are plump and juicy, almost creamy in texture. We’d used cutlery for the croquetas, but no such airs and graces now as we tuck in greedily with our hands.

At this point our server politely informs us they may need the table back for a second sitting in about half an hour, which puts a certain amount of pressure on our next choice. We had been weighing up making it a two-bottle lunch, but it is entirely understandable for tables to be turned round at such a popular spot, so we pick out a couple of meat dishes and a small glass of red each to accompany them.

The pork ribs glazed in a quince paste (£18) are a delight, hunks of the juicy meat falling away from the bone at the slightest pull of the fork. The spiced lamb cutlets (£18) are good too, served with fresh salad leaves and a mint yoghurt studded with pomegranate seeds.

They are generous portions too. Sometimes sharing plates can be a little sparse, especially if you are dividing them up between more than two people, but these dishes are all quite substantial and we find that six items between two has been just right for lunch.

How lucky the folk of Whitstable are to have this charming little place as a neighbourhood restaurant, even if they do have to share it with the tourists and day-trippers during the busy summer season when, like today, the town is heaving with people out enjoying the weather and a day by the seaside.

We may not be holidaying by the Med this summer, but Harbour Street Tapas did a fine job of serving up a little taste of Spain here on the Kent coast.

Ratings out of five:

Food: Classic tapas dishes executed really well. If we had all afternoon to while away we’d have wanted more and more ****

Drink: Both the white and red wines we tried were good, from a list naturally focused on wine from Spain ***

Decor: Light and airy, with a relaxed atmosphere and bold splashes of Iberian-themed artwork on the walls ****

Staff: A warm welcome and attentive service, you can’t find fault with that ****

Price: We felt everything was very fairly priced, especially given the generous portion sizes ****