Skip to content

Eating and shopping at The White Cliffs of Dover

A stylised photograph looking down on table with a cream tea for two, with scones and jam and mugs of tea.
After an inspiring cliff-top walk, why not cool off with one of our lovely cream teas? | © National Trust Images/William Shaw

With far-reaching views, the café at The White Cliffs of Dover is a wonderful place to stop for refreshments. Whatever time of the day you visit, there’s sure to be something to hit the spot – whether it’s coffee and cake or something warm for lunch. Once you’ve refuelled, take a look in the shop for the perfect gift or memento of your time at the famous cliffs.

Eating and drinking at White Cliffs

The café at The White Cliffs of Dover serves a range of hot and cold drinks, sweet treats, snacks and meals throughout the day – made freshly on site for you to enjoy as you take in the views of the world’s busiest passenger port. Seating is available indoors and out. 

What's on the menu?

  • Teas, coffees and hot chocolate
  • Fruit, plain and savoury scones
  • Cream teas
  • Traybakes and cakes
  • Soup
  • Pasties and sausage rolls
  • Baked potatoes with a selection of toppings
  • Hot lunchtime meals and much more.

Non-dairy milk and decaffeinated drinks are available on request. Check our blackboards above the servery for today's delicious choices. Hot meals are served between 12 pm and 2.30 pm.

 

Allergen information

Most of the food and drink served is prepared on site in our kitchen, using a wide range of ingredients. As a result, we can’t guarantee that any of our food and drink products are completely allergen free. 

If you have an allergy or intolerance and would like ingredient information about the food and drink served, please ask the staff, who will be happy to help.

Always check when you visit

Visited before? We sometimes change our recipes to improve quality and flavour, including the ingredients. When you visit, please speak to one of our team to check the current allergen information for your favourite dish.

 

Thank you

Every cuppa or tasty treat you buy helps us to continue looking after places for everyone to enjoy.

Shopping at The White Cliffs of Dover

Whether you're looking for the perfect gift, a memento of your visit or to treat yourself; there's bound to be something that catches your eye in our well-stocked shop. Please come in and browse. Every purchase helps support our conservation work here at The White Cliffs of Dover.

Prepare for a walk with these Roka bags and umbrella from our SS 2025 range
Prepare for a walk with these Roka bags and umbrella from our SS 2025 range | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

ROKA bags and umbrella

No matter the weather outside, or how many belongings you’re toting, a backpack is the ideal travel accessory, commuter bag, kids school bag, and all-round practical backpack. Twelve or more plastic bottles are used to make the recycled (rPET) materials for each Canfield bag, and all ROKA bags are vegan friendly too! Inside each ROKA bag is a lightly padded laptop pocket, a small personal pocket, and padding to add comfort to the back when carried.

1 of 2

We also have a wide selection of cards for every occasion, paperback and hardback books, as well as edible treats, favourite tipples and household gifts. There are even treats and toys for your four-legged friend.

Gift Cards

Can't decide what to buy for that special friend or family member? Why not treat them to a National Trust gift card, which you can buy in our shop? Gift cards can be redeemed in National Trust cafés and shops (including the online shop). You can also use gift cards to pay for entry to our places or to buy a new membership. You can even use them for National Trust holidays when booked by phone and when you stay at a Historic House Hotel – Hartwell House, Bodysgallen Hall and Middlethorpe Hall. Gift cards will either expire 24 months after the date of issue or 24 months from the last transaction (which ever comes later).

Membership

You can join the National Trust at our shop. You'll be issued with a receipt that gives you instant membership for free admission to hundreds of National Trust properties.

Members of the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland also benefit from free visiting arrangements with 14 similar heritage organisations in other countries including Scotland, Italy, the Bahamas and Canada via the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO). 

 

Thank you

It is through your purchases and support that we are able to continue to care for nature, beauty and history for everyone, for ever.

Second-hand bookshop

Edith's bookshop is currently closed for refurbishment - we expect it to reopen in late February. Meanwhile our bookcorner, at the castle end of the Visitor Centre is still fully stocked with a mix of fiction and non-fiction books and jigsaw puzzles and is waiting for you to browse and choose. We're sorry for any inconvenience.

Because we've had to remove all the books from Edith's, we've no storage space left. Please pause all book/CD/DVD/puzzle donations for the time being - we'll let you know when we're able to take more.

Visitor browsing the shelves of a secondhand bookshop
A visitor browsing second-hand books | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Books for all tastes

From novels to short stories, autobiographies to atlases; young or not so young, you're almost bound to find something that you'll enjoy at a price you'll like.  Why not buy one as a gift? Be quick though - our books sell fast.

The bookshop is looked after by a team of volunteers who sort the books to make them easier to find and quickly fill any gaps in the shelves. All proceeds from the bookshop go to supporting our conservation efforts here at White Cliffs.

An aerial view of a long stretch of the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent with the white cliffs emerging from the sea and topped with green fields

Discover more at The White Cliffs of Dover

Find out when The White Cliffs are open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.

You might also be interested in

Two people admiring the view of the sea from the clifftop at The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent, on a sunny day.
Article
Article

Things to see and do at The White Cliffs of Dover 

Discover what there is to do and see at The White Cliffs of Dover. From cliff top walks to wildlife spotting and exploring wartime tunnels, there's lots to keep you busy.

Visitor with dog at the Northumberland Coast, Northumberland
Article
Article

Visiting White Cliffs and the Lighthouse with your dog 

The White Cliffs of Dover and South Foreland Lighthouse are two pawprint-rated places. Find out about bringing your dog to the Cliffs and the Lighthouse, and what to watch out for to make sure you have a safe and enjoyable visit.

View from the sea of a stretch of The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent, beneath a blue sky
Article
Article

History of The White Cliffs of Dover 

Discover the history of The White Cliffs of Dover. From housing a prison to helping the war effort, these famous cliffs have stories to tell.

Yellow and purple wildflowers on the Dame Vera Lynn Down on the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent
Article
Article

Nature Conservation at The White Cliffs of Dover 

Discover the work that goes into conserving the diverse habitats at the White Cliffs and how Exmoor ponies and cattle lend a vital helping hand in our work to deliver climate action.

A man and a child are walking a black-and-white dog through a grassy field towards South Foreland Lighthouse, Kent. The lighthouse is painted white and stands against a grey cloud that's hanging in the sky.
Place
Place

South Foreland Lighthouse 

Striking and historical lighthouse high on The White Cliffs of Dover

Dover, Kent

Closed now
People sat at tables enjoying eating and drinking inside the tea-room at Knole in Kent

Places to eat in Kent 

Discover some of the top places to eat in Kent, including idyllic picnic spots, a café with a rooftop terrace and a 1940s-themed tea-room.

Four bookshelves filled with books of the second-hand bookshop at Paycocke's House, Essex
Article
Article

Second-hand bookshops 

Pick up a book from a second-hand bookshop to keep or share. Every purchase will raise funds for conservation projects at the places in our care.

Summer shop display at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire

Treat yourself 

Looking for the perfect gift or perhaps you're in need of some retail therapy? You can browse our full range via our online shop.