outs

THERE is nothing better than realising you are cool before it was actually cool, after my old road was named one of the world’s trendiest.

My learning I was a trendsetter comes from the latest revealing of the World’s Coolest Streets by Time Out.

The new Time Out list named the top 31 streets that they deem the coolest in the world.

Taking the top spot was much further afield, with Rio’s Rua do Senado in no.1.

But just squeezing into the top 31 (at no.31) was Northdown Road in Margate.

Calling it the “one-time fashionable hotel quarter,” its credited with making a comeback that is “not unlike a street you’d find in East London“.

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I left the big city of London during the pandemic to move to the seaside, choosing the town of Margate.

It has since been named one of the UK’s trendiest seaside towns, having seen a surge in popularity with ex-Londoners.

And one of the areas where this was most noticeable was said Northdown Road – a road I lived on.

Part of the Cliftonville area (named a cool neighbourhood back in 2022) the main high street is forever seeing new shops and bars crop up.

While the road is slightly out of the main Old Town which attracts most of the tourists, I rarely ventured into the centre – because I didn’t need to.

One of my favourite stops for coffee was Cliffs, a coffee-co-working-hair-dress-vinyl shop.

I would often grab a flat white in the morning to go, or spend a few hours in the quieter upstairs with a book or my laptop.

New coffee shops are always cropping up too – there is Lowlife, which feels like a grown up teenage boy decorated it with graffiti art, skateboards and oversized tees for sale.

Or there is High Tide, more popular with families thanks to their kid-friendly menu and small play area, and the fun Doubloons for more unusual tasting lattes.

If you want the best pastries, you must go to Batchelor’s Pattisserie – open since 1967, its here you’ll find the best traditional sweet treats

It’s so easy to spend the entire day on Northdown – for dinner there is the Japanese Mori Mori; Picnic Deli, a wine bar that has live music and small menu options, or some casual pizza at Casa.

Even for shopping, you can grab a vinyl at Ghost Papa, or some handmade earrings at Reo Jewels, as well as some amazing vintage interiors at Lost Property and plants at The Potting Shed.

And then into the night, the award-winning wine bar Sete is cosy but friendly, along with the newly opened The Last Light pub.

You’ll always spot a fun crowd outside LGBTQ+ bar CAMP which is a great night out too.

See what I mean? For such a small road that is barely a mile long, it ticks all the boxes.

Of course it isn’t without its problems – while Margate is often named an up-and-coming area, there are still issues with fly tipping and antisocialism.

And with the current climate, many of my favourite spots have already been forced to close in recent years, meaning many businesses struggle to stay open (I’ll forever miss the huge bagels of The Skinny Dip).

It’s also missing any good hotels, despite its claim to once be a hotel quarter.

There are a few good B&B options, including Doghouse Margate and Cliftonville Townhouse.

Instead, a short walk away are some of the more popular in town such as Fort Road Hotel and No.42 Guesthouse (or the Premier Inn by the station if you’re on a budget).

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But even the road itself is right by the pretty Old Town as well as Walpole Bay, home to Europe‘s biggest lido.

I can finally say – I knew it all before it was cool.