Decked out like the sitting room of an eccentric great aunt, this seafront café has been ranked among the UK’s best coffee shops – though it doesn’t have a chip on its shoulder. Alongside a great cup ‘o joe, it serves the kind of hearty kedgeree, chunky soups and slabs of quiche that keep Dealites fuelled throughout the seasons. This place describes itself as “a place to raise hell” with an “atmospheric and conspiratorial basement”... which is fitting seeing as owner Dalziel Douglas is the great, great niece of poet Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde’s lover.

This converted beach hut is a great little coffee-and-cake stop off on Deal’s seafront. We like sidling up to its sunny wooden deck when walking between Walmer and Sandwich Bay; the promenade is prime people-watching turf. In summer, you can hire bicycles from here too.

From the folks behind Frog & Scot, Le Pinardier is part wine bar, part music venue and part art gallery, so it’ll refresh your cultural palate alongside your tastebuds. Mid-week quiz nights draw a crowd of locals who come here to quaff French plonk and nibble boards of cheese and charcuterie. Check online for its calendar of events – we like the vibe here best on live jazz evenings, particularly with a rhubarb negroni in hand.

Thanks to the sailors and smugglers of Deal past, the town is awash with watering holes, including the 17th-century King’s Head (which also has rooms), The Ship and craft beer-specialist The Taphouse. Our favourite? The Just Reproach. Set in the old town, this one-room, family-run micropub serves Kentish tipples and ales from UK microbreweries, and issues £1 fines to punters using their phones.

The affectionately called “Boho” does what it says on the tin. Stepping inside this hipster hangout is akin to stumbling across a flea market – albeit one with a license. By day, find a spot between its retro curios or in the sun-trap garden to pitch up with a paper and a coffee, or head here as The Gin Corner bar starts pouring measures (the “ginventory” features more than 170 labels) as well as Belgian beers and international wines to the sound of live music.