Beer and Sandwiches: the Last Light in Margate

Northdown Road in Margate is one of those glittering arteries of independent shops, antiques caves and cafés that often finds itself cited on lists of Britain’s coolest streets. But for years, it was missing one key ingredient: a decent pub.

All hail the Last Light, a fledgling of a thing, having opened its doors in July 2025. Until last summer, the space was home to an eclectic charity shop where I once donated a human-sized teddy bear I’d rescued from the street. For years, the bear sat in the window wearing a new red tie.

These days the windows are candlelit, lined with mid-century-style bar stools, but a few grandma-style trinkets (a porcelain cat, two tired-looking Japanese wooden dolls) nod towards the building’s thrifty past. Wander up the hill from Margate’s town centre and pose among them with a dill pickle gin and tonic (£7.50) after a visit to pay your respects at David Hockney’s Sunley Window at the Turner Gallery.

Yes, the bar is made of plywood and the bathroom has posh soap, but you’ll find no small plates here; this is a proper boozer. A blackboard menu of perfect bar snacks helps keep visitors for longer than they intend: scampi fries and pickled eggs go down well with crispy chilli sauce and a pint of Last Light lager (£6.50).

On a rainy Saturday the place is full – of humans, dogs, young and old. Everyone here looks mildly famous; more likely they are artists, aura-farming (well, this is Margate). Most remarkable of all is how established and firmly lived-in, this place already feels. Long may it continue.