The Bears Trading Company Tea Rooms

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Tankerton is a small seaside town walking distance from Whitstable in Kent. Tankerton Slopes is a grassy area overlooking the sea, and The Bears can be found one street inland from this much-visited landmark. It's in amongst the small selection of local shops on the Tankerton Road.



A tearoom, ice cream parlour and gift shop in one

It has to be said, I have walked past The Bears many times and I have never been tempted inside. From the front, it is hard to see what the set up is like and that has put me off. Yesterday, however, I decided to be more open-minded and give the place a try.

I was surprised to find how large the interior is, it stretches back a long way and there are plenty of tables of different sizes. When we arrived mid-afternoon there were several tables occupied with a mixture of people and ages. Many enjoying lunch and others having a coffee or tea with a slice of cake.

A waitress immediately welcomed me and my partner and we found a nice table and menu straightaway.



Tea for two

On the menu were sandwiches, sweet and savoury scones, soup, waffles, pancakes and a choice of handmade cakes and muffins. There are ice cream desserts too. I just had a pot of tea as we'd already eaten but the cakes looked incredible!



The interior of The Bears is styled like a North American/Canadian mountain cabin with antler ceiling lights, chunky wooden chairs and wrought-iron wood burners. It's cosy, welcoming and dark. There is a small garden outside as well.

The off-putting thing for me was all the teddy bears on every horizontal surface, most of them for sale. I cannot imagine buying one of the bears, how do you browse? Do you just squeeze past a diner to grab one for a closer look? Or do you ask them to pass it to you? And if you have children with you, they must constantly be pestering you to buy them the nearest specimen. I didn't see anyone purchasing one while I was there, but maybe others are not discouraged like me.



The staff at The Bears were lovely and the tea was perfect. The food I could see being served looked delicious and beautifully presented. The prices are very reasonable and they are offering something a little bit different from all the other places around, which is refreshing.

I think I would go here again for tea and a cake, but perhaps in warmer weather when I could try the garden. And I definitely want to try one of their ice creams in summer!

#cafes
#coffee
#ice_cream
#lunch
#near_whitstable
#tea
%wnwhitstable