please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Very famous ‘pub on the beach’ that gets seriously busy every weekend when the DFL folk are in town... Rightly so though, amazing location and not as expensive as others in Whitstable.. Whitstable bay beers and Harvey’s, lots of choice... had a couple of pale ales and a Kentish pip cider... 6 oyster and chips! What’s not to like! PS seriously wonky floors just add to the feeling it’s been around a while and has many a tale to tell...
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We stumbled in here last Thursday, when the smiley geezer was doing his quiz night. He asked the crowd how to pronounce "Cheviots", and then thanked me for telling him "in a Northumbrian accent" (fake), into the microphone. (The question was "in what county are they?")
Anyway, the Whitstable Pale went down well, and I must admit that this pub is, if anything, even woodier than the Kings Arms in Oxford, and I don't mind being wrongly blamed for spoiling a quiz question either.
Hats off all round.
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Enjoy going here to sit out on the beach with a pint of Harveys Best.
Bands on Sundays can make the place very lively.
The clientele are a colourful lot!
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We eight entered and I said "Hello" to the lady behind the bar. She said "Are you going outside?". I found that to be an original response.
"No" I replied and she got the drinks.
My companions said "We're going outside"
I said "I think that you should speak to that lady about that".
They did, and they ended up buying eight plastic glasses into which to transfer our drinks.
We watched the sun set over the bay and forgot about that.
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Splendid looking pub and I love it out of the tourist season (if that exists in Whitstable...), very quirky with its sloping floor.
Harveys Best, Whitstable Bay PA and, bizarrely, Sam Adams beers on handpump.
The food is pretty good and sitting on the tables outside is nice next to the beach.
Always worth the visit in my book.
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An old fashioned feel to the pub with bare floorboards, uneven in places and lots of nautical artifacts spread around. The artwork is more modern and added to the charm. The pub is practically on the beach and there are planty of picnic tables on the shingle which are very popular in the Summer.
Not a wide selection of real ales but with Harveys on that doesn't matter!
The clientele is mixed and the staff are friendly.
Bands play on Sunday aftenoons. The day I was there We Ghosts were on and I can recommend anyone to catch them if they are in the area.
All told a very enjoyable time wa had!
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An interesting pub, like going back in time, I would certainly pop in again next time I am in Whitstable.
Whitstable brewery , and Harveys were on draught although not a great selection.
8/10
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No longer SHepherd Neame but Whitstable brewery I think given my Columbo like observation of what was on the side of the pub.
Oyster stout was decent. The wind was strong on the beach and it blew empty crisp packets away and I don;t think that should be allowed in this modern age.
Great location and decent pub.
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I am deeply saddened that this place has become another Shepherd Neame pub. Take it from me folks, there are enough Shepherd Neame pubs in Whitstable allready.
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Scores out of 5
Beers on offer 5 - Beer quality 5 - Full pint? 5 - Service 5 - Clientele 4
Garden & view 5 - Welcome & staff 5 - Parking 4 - Toilets 3 - Comfort 5
TOTAL 46 out of 50 OVERALL RATING 46 to 50 = 10
Comment: Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay and Kent�s Best plus Harveys Best on offer as well as good range of Lager and cider. The pub garden is the beach so .......... sat on the beach with the wife, chatting to lady who was a local, and a regular in the pub, while drinking good ale and watching the tide going out on a sunny day. What could be better for a first visit apart from getting even with the H & S git who ordered the plastic pots - but at least they were filled to the top by the lady who served me who seemed very pleasant. Can�t wait �til our next visit.
Returnability: 5
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Came in after visiting the Smack and though it's obviously a decent pub I didn't feel at home, but this dosen't mean it's a bad pub because it isin't.
Had 2 pints of what was marked as winter warmer but it was more of a pale ale.
Pub has an excellent uneven bar where if your glass is not positioned correctly it slides down the bar, this is great fun!
Food looked good and the pub is excellently located right on the beach, worth a visit.
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When entering the pub there was a smell of ammonia. Thought it was because someone just cleaned the toilets and it should have gone away.
So I ordered a Harveys bitter and my mates thought they would be smarter and ordered a Neptune Winter warmer.
My bitter was fine but theirs was hardly drinkable.
We wanted to get something to eat and as there seemed to a nice menu the smell of the ammonia was still present.
I couldn't understand that none of the staff reacted on the smell.
They could have washed it down or opened the frontdoor on that lovely Springday.
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Excellent pub. Unfortunately every time I've visited whilst I've been at Whitstable, it's always been tipping it down with rain! So we come running in, dripping wet, to a buzzy, welcoming atmosphere. During the summer it's often difficult to get a table inside but the beer and wine are excellent, food is very good and it's all in all a lovely old pub.
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A very lovely historic pub with good ale.
I would have given this place a good rating if it wasn't for a very rude landlady.
The 12 of us finished our drinks and moved on to somewhere where we felt more welcome.
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Location the main plus for this place, what could be better than sitting outside a pub on a beach enjoying the sun and the sea breeze?!
Good pints of Doom Bar and Harveys Original, pity it's in plastic glasses for outside but that's just the H&S rules rather than the pub's choice I guess, and actually not having broken glass on the beach is probably a good move!
Food good, and plenty of it, if slightly overpriced, but that's to be expected when the location is like this.
I know what people mean about the staff being aloof in a way; they did seem freindly enough to me though.
All in all an excellent place, that I would visit again if I was ever visiting Whitstable again.
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Yeah it's a good location but its staff need to develop a bit of courtesy because they act like they're doing you a favour by serving you. Behave yourself or go and work in a prison with a face like that.
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Had a few good nights in this pub when visiting whitstable. Found the beer great, some of the staff need training or maybe they was new.
Love the decor and the bands. Had a great reggae d j in there a few months ago. Shame its not more often as there is no reggae in the town. Great pub for just sitting in the window watching the world sail by. will be in there again.
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Visited the Neptune three times during our week-long break in Whitstable, and enjoyed it very much. The decor was right up my street - a little shabby, unpretentious with an eclectic mix of odds and sods decorating the walls and ceiling, including some local art available for purchase which pleases me greatly - it's nice that they offer an outlet for struggling artists!
I only had Harveys beer-wise, but on all three occasions it was excellent, and just sitting in the bay window with the sunshine beaming through, the sound of the sea and a packet of bacon fries was an immensely comforting experience. We ate here twice, on both occasions I had the whitebait which was lovely, and a huge side order of chips that would have fed at least two people! Our only gripe was the limited menu, but on fridays and the weekend there was an additional specials board to choose from as well so all is not lost.
The bar staff were very welcoming and friendly, and we felt really at ease here, like being a guest more than a punter. On our last visit there was a film crew filming a scene from an upcoming movie, which was good fun!
All in all, a very pleasant pub with a lovely warm atmosphere. Will return as soon as we're next in town.
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Staff very friendly, 3 beers on, the one I had was very good. Can't comment on the state of the interior as like everyone else we sat outside enjoying the sun and the beach location.We didn't eat here but the food we saw being served to others looked very nice.
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This place was in the local paper last week. Said rag said 'Watch the sunset from Neptune before you die.'
But supposing one is light sensitive?
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Hip hop, you just don't stop..Do you?
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This should be the pearl among Whitstable's pubs, and indeed not so long ago that's exactly what it was. A wonderful, if slightly shabby, place to sup good ale and watch the sun set.
not anymore.
As severeal people here haev mentioned, the ale is poor these days and what was once atmospheric shabbiness now looks like uncleanliness.
The worst thing of all, however, are the bar staff: Miserable and, if your not a local, plain rude. I've stopped going.
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Great location, atmospheric local. Only two ales on - a very average IPA and an excellent pint of Harvey's. Decent bar staff, live music of a pubby bluesey variety. The only downside was the large number of very stinky dogs, but that's not the pub's fault.
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This is one of theose pubs I really wanted to like. After all it's location on the shingle beach is to die for. As others have mentioned, going during the day was never going to see it at it's best and yesterady afternoon was no exception. After an 18 mile bike ride, we called in for a pint and a round of crab sandwiches, a rare treat for us. Can't fault the Harveys bitter, top order. The crab sandiches too. Really good.
Now I don't mind spit & sawdust pubs at all but this place could really do with a decent clean for once in a while. There's a pervading aroma of sweaty armpits about the place. Nor did the head banging rock 'music' go with the suroundings. The barmaid, who was alone, took for ever to serve the patient customers, but really needed to cheer up a bit. A cheery "Hello" would have been nice. We joined the other customers outside on the beach leaving the one solitary customer at the bar.
It's a shame. Do the place up just a tad, give customers a warm welcome. The pub's location is it's saving grace.
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Revisited this hostelry and it remains a winner. Great jukebox - even Barnacle Bill was impressed and he's very difficult to please. He's got tunnel vision when it comes to music.
Yes it benefits from a fine location but it is also a decent pub. 8/10 and a warm, affectionate handshake.
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Went here on a lovely sunny day in feburay at lunch time, what an amazing location right on the beach, service was good considering how busy it was, and seems to have a rustic charm in the bar!
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I avoid this pub in the Summer, especially during the daytime, but on a winter's evening there is no finer experience than walking along the cold, dark sea front and walking through the door of the Neptune to find the heart of Whitstable's wied and wonderful. Although they will never win any awards, I've never had a bad pint there; they're even doing Harvey's now. Note that all bad reviews are from Summer visits and if I had to serve some of those that turn up then, my bar skills might be a bit rubbish too.
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The Old Neptune might not warrant much attention aside from its position, dropped somehow onto the beach in the charming town of Whitstable.
Its beer range is unimaginative - I think you can get hold of Stella Artois in most Berni Inn restaurants nowadays (coughs), and you can spit in any direction (without phelgm ladies and gentlemen we're not animals after all) and hit the wall of a pub selling Greene King IPA.
However, I like this pub. Decent service. The lager named after a woman who could be Fitzgerald were it not for the St was cold and decent and the crab sandwich was very good.
Give it a try. Just don't expect trappist ale.
And just an aside - is Whitstable the only town left in Britain where its dogs are not staffs or miscellaneous cross-bred bull terriers attached to cliched individuals on the way to cash their giros? The lost, gentler breeds were in town. And in The Old Neptune.
Yes terenced gives this pub a 7. And I'm not scared. I have psychotic cocker spaniel with me called Gerald who will see of your pitbull on its cod-gansta-chain rude boy. Heck, pass me another crab sandwich.
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Wow. I was going to write a review of this place, but "The_Lees" wrote exactly my thoughts/experience, word for word. I was amused by the Watney's Red Barrel on the back bar though. Nice to see it's got a long-standing history of selling awful beers.
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This is the sort of pub I really want to like but unfortunately my one trip there this weekend was marred by rubbish bar staff, who really didn't seem particulary bothered about serving, & the plastic cups used to serve the mediocre beer (although I suspect the plastic cups aren't their choice).
I'll definitely be back to Whitstable but not to The Old Neptune!
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The Old Neptune, has a pub name ever been more apt for its surroundings? Situated right by the sea, this is indeed an old fisherman�s pub. I�m pleased I paid a visit on my Bank Holiday trip to the coast (5 May), yet, sadly, this picturesque old watering-hole has problems. Okay, its locality perhaps plays its part and maybe, just maybe, the public holiday and the nice weather were reasons as good as any, but I have never had such a torrid time attempting to get served. To be faced with Stella in plastic glasses or watery Green King IPA at the end of the mad scrum was another let down. Hey-ho, anyway, interior is basic, though homely and the protest-era Bob Dylan wannabe was entertaining with his guitar and harmonica. As reported, there are plenty of benches outside to soak up the sun and enjoy your pint. IPA, as if! The food being served-up by the attractive bar wrenches looked tasty though wasn�t sampled by this reviewer, nor was it by the group of Londoners seated opposite who thought throwing food was more appropriate than swallowing. Go on, pay a visit � just expect a wait at the bar and watch out for flying chips.
HTM69 - 10 May 2008 11:43 |
Once this was one of the best old pubs in Whitstable. Fantastic position, outlook & history. Not any more!
Small selection of real ale's, the largers on offer are good though. Expect an hour long wait for food orders & slightly less for your drinks at the bar... You can smell the mens toilets from Sheppy! Staff & management very disorganised, unapproachable & sour faced.
The Old Neptune has been one of my favorites for years, but unfortunatly the landlords themselves have ruined the atmosphere. I'll be waiting for change
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Great pub because of the location and the clientel but standard selection of beers and chips with everything, but then again thank god it isn't a gastropub!
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A spectacular view of the beach and the Thames Estuary, which is guaranteed to hold your attention while you wait for an hour and a half for your food to arrive. Sometimes the beer is good, and that arrives quicker.
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This pub brings lots of memories, i was taken here for my 1st date which lasted 15yrs although seperated now! I still enjoy coming here and listening to the music, and people watching, some very interesting specimens, always seems busy weekends, my kinda pub jeans and teeshirt job down to earth people, with an oldy world theme.
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Come here and imagine you are a modern day smuggler. Very atmospheric place right on the shingle beach. Eccentric characters and a fabulous view out to sea.
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No drinking trip to Whitstable is complete without a pint in the Neptune. A mainly wooden building that has been ripped apart by wind and wave on many occasion but still props itself up on the beach. Tables outside look over the beach. Inside it is bare basics with several interesting old photos of the pub in various states of repair. A real old sea captains pub.
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love going to this pub after some shellfish down the harbour.atmospheric pub although can be a bit smoky and the barmaids wear some wacky clthes. well kept bitter and fine guiness extra cold on a hot summers day. great place to watch the sun set.
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A fine old pub that is right beside the beach. Probably not the best "beer" pub in Whitstable, but totally unique: if you visit, you'll never forget it! Ideal for boozy summer evenings.
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