Real ale in Whitstable

Lurch wrote:

Here's a potted pub guide from a local, namely me (look them up on Yell.com for map links):

Four Horseshoes - lovely little Shepherd Neame pub with friendly landlady (Jane), always has Masterbrew and Best, always in perfect condition, my favourite pub in town Rose in Bloom - cosy pub with conservatory dining room, nice garden with sea views, beer passable Jolly Sailor - rotten, keep walking Blue Anchor - populated by customers of neighbouring caravan park in summer, desolate in winter, beer OK but not great Sportsman - more of a restaurant than a pub, beer OK, food /excellent/ (but not cheap) Two Brewers - horrible, keep walking - the quicker the better Noah's Ark - keep walking, because it is now an Indian restaurant :-( East Kent - beer quality hit and miss, atmosphere tends to be loud and smoky, not my favourite pub in town Coach & Horses - nice pub if a bit dingy, beer quality varies from OK to very good (MasterBrew plus the seasonal Shep's beer) Neptune - the pub on the beach, great for sitting on a picnic bench on the shingles and looking across to the Isle of Sheppey, but the beer is overpriced and usually awful (and they often run out anyway) and the staff are extremely rude Ship Centurion - absolutely essential you do not walk past this one, landlord is mad German ex-submarine captain (though his son seems to have taken over day-to-day running), beer is always superb - regular Adnams and Black Dog mild, plus guest beers The Wall Tavern - keep walking unless you want to watch the football with a bunch of loud tattooed yobs Royal Naval Reserve - not bad but a bit strange - probably best to keep walking, unless you enjoy those stranger-walking-into-a-wild-west-saloon moments The Smack - nice pub, beer's not great, sometimes has live folk music Bear & Key - keep walking, because it is all boarded up :-( Duke of Cumberland - pleasant enough, beer usually OK Prince Albert - smashing pub, tiny and usually has a motley crowd of locals propping up the bar, beer always excellent, good-value home-cooked food Quayside - horrible, keep walking New Inn - charming little backstreet local, only ever has Masterbrew but it is /always/ in perfect condition, licensees are a lovely couple Hotel Continental - only outlet in town for Whitstable Brewery beers, which are not brewed in Whitstable and are usually only available as keg rather than cask, and overpriced to boot, bar is usually populated by DFLs (down-from-London) Waterside - upstairs bar at Whitstable sports centre, has balcony with sea view, beer usually not too bad but feels a lot like the bar in a sports centre rather than a pub Marine - large sea front hotel with comfortable bar, beer usually OK Royal - odd looking place, never been in there

hope that helps!

d.

That is Wonderful - Just what I wanted - the wife wants to kill you though!!!!

Well, hope you have fun in Whitstable - it's a lovely place, which is why I live here! I may go into hiding while your wife is about, though. :-)

I realised I missed one pub off the list - Pearsons, aka the Crab & Oyster, which is near the beach. Not a great pub, beer is patchy, but I did meet Ray Winstone in there once.

d.

Drove past this one and kept on driving

Tried this one but it was full ah well.

Sorry - Was dragged past it :(

Had several Lunchtime meals in here - handy for the shops ! :-S

Twas great - managed to leave wife in shops while I went and got my phone out of the car which I had 'left' in the glove box! (Took a while to find it - the phone that is - not the pub)!!

Hey I was a DFL - used the Loo here too - East Quay Oyster Restaurant also sells Whitstable beers - and are happy for people to 'just have a drink' or 3 - even managed a Rasberry Wheat Beer - and whats more the wife liked it too!

It helped greatly unfortunatly we were at the wrong end of Marine Parade I should have asked for a pub guide to tankerton! lol