please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Ale was decent on this visit and friendly enough though only a few in the place - although those few were all sat on stools along the bar. At least they did make way for me to get served.
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Unlike the pub next door there were lots of customers and the lights were dimmed and it was bustling. In a good way. Warm and welcoming would sum up our short time here.
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A decent pub with a former navy man at the helm. Fortunately the pub still seems to maintaining course even though the landlord regularly crashes on the rocks!
His constant online outbursts are becoming tedious and customers who also drink in a certain micro pub are rebuked for being disloyal. He created Faversham's first independent real ale pub and rightfully gained awards and praise. Maybe that went to his head? Unfortunately it is now becoming clear that he clearly doesn't accept or understand the spirit of competition.
I would like to politely suggest that he stops throwing his toys out of the pram and raging at the world. Surely the way forward is to improve the experience of visiting the Elephant? This is certainly not achieved by constantly slagging off the competition and their customers!
Maintaining a good selection of beers, and most importantly, creating a friendly atmosphere are vital for the future and may avert that man overboard moment that our seadog landlord is navigating towards.
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A great pub just a short walk from Faversham train station, has a good range of ale and cider and some decent lager too, drank "black ops" on my visit very reasonable at £3 a pint.
A pub with naval connections and reflects this with plenty of memorabilia throughtout the pub, got a decent beer garden out the back and tables out front for the summer months.
Nice pickled eggs too!
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Further to my review of 19/5/14, I read with interest the comments of Derek "the grumpy landlord" of The Shipwrights Arms in the current issue of Swale Ale and quote as follows: "Gone are the days of 'take it or leave it', in a highly competitive market sales are driven by customer demand and it would be folly not to listen to those who keep us in business". Ring any bells? Well said Derek. Grumpy you may be but downright foolish you certainly are not!
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With reference to the foul mouthed invective posted by the landlord of the Elephant I can only say that I am not surprised as that's often the language one hears coming from behind the bar. It's a very sad day if that is his reaction to what I read as constructive criticism. I must agree that the beers in this pub are always in superb condition. The landlord could indeed teach other landlords how to do it. No complaints there but I must agree about the lack of choice. There are several hand pumps (six I think) which always include one cider. Why not always include one bitter? The other free houses in Faversham do. It can be done. It is not rocket science. It is CHOICE. Get it? I have managed a pub and worked in several so have plenty of experience in listening to what customers have to say but he seems content (?) to behave in a reactionary manner to any suggestions. Why am I not surprised. Perhaps a course in anger management is advisable or he could always go back to his former job as Insulter-in-chief to M&J supplies customers. They didn't seem to mind.
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Madcat absolutely lovely. Landlord on top form . That is how to do it. Nice one Jim! :)
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Wonderful pub, yes the landlord is a strange chap(me) but so are the varied customers, I try to please some, some of the time, not all, all of the time.
Yes, some rude customers who swear and are aggresive becouse they do not like the choice of ales offered are told to spend their penny's elsewhere, some who say "Your f"*k#.g beer is s"*t" so I am drinking lager" are told to f"*k off and spend their couple of quid elswhere, if I can't please them who can?,
Jog on to Weat^*sp++ns and drink with the dross.
Jim, The happy landlord. and purveyor of wonderful ales.
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I totally agree with the last reviewer. Well kept beer but a lamentable choice. I would reccomend a phone call (01795 590157) before visiting to check if they have anything drinkable also to see whether or not they are actually open as they keep strange hours. I have friends who have made "pilrimages" to this pub only to be dissapointed when they get there. Whatever happened to a decent pint of bitter. Come on CAMRA. Wakey Wakey.
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I have visited on many occasions and cannot complain about the quality of the beer. The choice however leaves a lot to be desired. For the third time I have made a special journey to the Elephant and the choice was dismal-5 dark caramel flavoured beers and one syrupy Goachers (about 6%) which was to a bitter lover like me undrinkable. I have been told in the past to take it or leave it which is exactly what I did. Can it be that difficult to stock one bitter beer? Get your act together landlord and try to cater for all not just yourself.
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Not pub of the year this year. Well, times change. Beer always good quality. But a pub is not just about beer.
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My first visit to the "famous" Elephant. This was the 5th and final pub of my day in Faversham.
5 beers on tap, I had 2 pints of german smoked, Rauchbier at 4.8%...a very nice beer and that was served perfectly
An open pub with seating areas and a stools at the bar. There is a large garden to the rear with a collection of old signs dotted about.
Now onto the landlord who is a strange chap. Was polite enough but there obviously is a story with him as there seemed to be some pent up anger boiling inside!
Still he didn't spoil my visit and I will return.
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landlord aggresive,rude,unfriendly,still has few months left of suspended sentence for beating his wife,and openly talks in bar about dovorcing her!! most unpleasant atmosphere.
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Visit the place when they had their beerfestival. Landlord was chatty, beer was fine. Prices were ok.
My mate remembered me I visited the place 30 years ago, could't remember it all.
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Visited on Friday afternoon after a trip around the brewery and a couple of other pubs. Abigale Ridgeway Pale Ale, Hopdaemon Incubus, Whitstable Ruby Mild, Ramsgate Gadd No 5 and Franklins (Edge) Dry Hop. Discount for CAMRA members but not mentioned when we paid for the beers. Landlord seemed friendly enough. Would return.
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Re opening hours at the Elephant...
I intend to visit Faversham on bank holiday Monday, August 29 for the Faversham v Croydon Athletic game.
Will the Elephant be open on this momentous occasion ?
I know it's a Monday, but it's a bank holiday Monday..innit?
And another thing, on my last visit they had a small bowl of olives on the bar and a man with one eye playing an accordian while balancing a monkey on his head.
Whatever next, pole dancing by the Elephant Man?
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The Elephant is a pub with a nice garden and open fire burning, a selection of real ales always available, but i feel it is let down by the current landlord's reluctance to welcome you to the pub,ie' good evening', 'good night,' yes please sir' thankyou sir'.Simple manners!The recent price hikes at the Ele'have also made it one of the most expensive pubs in town, a pint of bitter costing you �2.90. That said , the pub is ok (if you can afford to drink there), a good juke box too. The Elephant is an average pub that could be a good pub, let down by simple things. An average experience.
March 2008
Re-visited the Elephant after a three year gap since the last.
An excellent choice of beers and lagers plus two ciders.
The beer prices have actually stayed quite stable since my last visit and unlike last time, i can say that the Ales are now probably the cheapest in town. An offer of 20p off a pint of ale to CAMRA members is also a nice touch.
The landlord seems to have mellowed a little and was actually quite chatty...and polite. Unfortunately this could not be said for the landlady...who appeared to be 'out of it' [drunk] and was actually quite rude. Reminded me a bit of 'the poison dwarf '..Charlene...from Dallas.
However i will be returning (when work permits)....it was a pleasant experience overall....and some nice conversation with the 'locals' too.
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Visited this pub on Saturday, having been tipped off about the presence of Goacher's Real Mild. The Goacher's did not disappoint and the rest of the roster of 5 real ales (mostly local) looked impressive.
Just to balance the comments about friendliness/helpfulness of staff, I might note that the barman took a little time to help me deliver the four glasses to my colleagues.
Would happily visit here again.
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Vistited the Elephant in Faverhsam for the first time yesterday with my partner Karen at the start of a pub crawl around the old market town.
As soon as we entered, we knew that we loved the place. Clean, interesting and a good choice of beers on hand pump - Wantsum Miller's Mirth, Goacher's Real Mild, Hereford Brewery Knight's Templar, and finally Hopdaemon Dominator. Great to see three out of the four ales of offer being local Kentish brews.
The landlady was pleasant, but not overly chatty, and the other people in the bar were friendly withouth being intrusive.
The decorative colour scheme of dark green and cream works very well with the stripped floors and there was plenty of interesting items on the wall (mainly naval themed) to look at.
The beers we tried (Knight's Templar and Goacher's) were so impressive we decided to call back at the Elephant after the rest of our crawl. Luckily enough, by the time of our second visit in the late afternoon, they'd added a fouth beer (Hopdaemon Golden Braid) which was as good as the others.
All in all, a very nice couple of visits to the Camra Swale Pub of the Year 2007-2010. We look forward to returning in the summer to take advantage of the inviting looking sun-trap garden.
Oh yes, they've also got a friendly pub cat called 'P', she like strokes and will sit on your lap for ages if you let her!
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Great beer selection (which is the only reason I've given it a 1 rating....., but....., shame about the frosty welcome, shame about the rude landlord, shame about the violence witnessed firsthand. Shame shame shame. Thank goodness for other, better pubs in the area!
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First things first. The beer here is fab. They have an interesting and constantly changing range of ales, although these can be a little pricey.
However I have to agree with those posters who have found the welcome less than warm. The landlady has a really superior air about her, while the old man always looks as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. The younger lady, their daughter I have subsequently discovered, is friendlier.
As for opening hours...well the people running the pub seem to make them up as they go along. Not opening on Monday is fair enough, but what about Bank Holiday Mondays. I went to watch the Lillywhites against the Oystermen on Monday just gone and the pub was shut and dark.
In the end I went to the Railway for a drink. The beer was shit of course (this is a Sheps pub after all) but the girl behind the bar was friendly, which makaes a real difference. For the record, I had a pint of the black stuff and a Martini chaser.
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A great place to stop if you're visiting the Isle of Thanet. The beer choice and quality last saturday afternoon was spot on, a friendly cat and the atmosphere was great - what more do you need? Favourite beer? Probably the Adnams Spiced although the Red Squirrel London Porter and Dark Star Espresso didn't disappoint either!
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I use this pub as my local and enjoy the ever changing range of beer. They have also started keeping a draught cider which will change the same as the beer. The pub has just won the CAMRA East Kent Pub of the Year award.
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The beer here is fab, of course, but I have to agree with some of the other posters regarding opening hours and a sometimes rather frosty reception.
On my last visit I had an excellent pint of Old Dullard's Scratching Fanny. But I was too scared to buy a second pint because a man sitting at the bar had his shotgun pointed my way.
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The Elephant was once allied to the Nelson brewery in its former incarnation, and my last visit was during that era. Following said brewery's change of ownership the pub's ties have been severed, and by my estimation this was no bad thing, for th'Elephant has a more abundant ale selection - I tried the Whitstable Ruby Mild which was superb - and seems to have a more mature, broader appeal to the place. The same couple are running it; the landlady was very friendly and was happy to fill us in on developments with the pub. The regulars were not unfriendly either. Those fans of the Nelson days need not be disappointed either, as their beers do apparently still feature from time to time. All in all, a splendid little town pub that retains good cheer and character. Keep doing what you're doing folks.
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We thought on our second visit to this pub that it was much better than we'd remembered. There were 4 Kentish micro brewery beers on, all in excellent condition. Yes a welcome change from Master Brew. If you're in Faversham give it a try; you'll stay longer than you intended.
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The 'other side of the tracks' from town and currently more awkward to get to as the subway under the railway is closed. Was busy and lively with conversation on this visit but the ale (Gadds No.7) wasn't anything special. Would tend to echo the last posters comments to some extent. It looks the part but something doesn't make you want to stay there.
anonymous - 9 May 2010 10:28 |
I had high hopes of this pub, sadly whilst the welcome and the atmopshere were fine, the beer was poor - perhaps we visited on an off day?
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I do agree on the poor opening hours - they close Sunday at 7pm, don�t do Mondays at all and it�s 3pm before they open Tues through to Fri. Indeed the managers can be rude, there is a risk of receiving a mixed reception on rare occasions - I have found this is very much dependent on how their day�s events have gone. Mr and Mrs Hyde welcome you.... or is it the Jekyll�s turn tonight?
The range of excellently kept (but pricey @ �3.00+) ales can be sometimes stunning but occasionally it can be daunting. Unfortunately popular brands tend to disappear really fast, sometimes leaving behind a slighly lack lustre collection of 'speciality' beers .............not a normal quaffing beer in sight!
This should never occur in a real ale pub and although it is not very often I find it hugely disappointing when end up drinking lager (also pricy @ �3.50+).
Top notch real ale choices mentioned in previous posts (Hopdaemon, Goachers etc) do not appear too often for this reason, but when they do, they will all arrive together so that they don�t overshadow the rest.
Having said this, I still like the pub and am a fairly regular customer because it is well worthy of a visit in spite of it�s flaws. There are much worse choices around, believe me, and their beer quality is surpassed by none. CAMRA members also get a discount on production of a current membership card so it's no wonder they chose it as their pub of the year.
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"I see no Sheps" as it says on the publicity, and it certainly makes a change from the offerings in most other Faversham pubs. Being a bit "on the wrong side of the tracks", you have to make an effort to find the place if visiting, but it is certainly worth it. Five real ales on, including an excellent Old Chestnut from Dark Star and several other interesting beers. Recommended.
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not been in the Elephant for a while, same smiling faces, better to walk a few more yards to the crown and anchor for some good beer and service
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Having been ignored while waiting to be served at most of the pubs in Faversham, I can almost sympathise with firebrand - but you must have been there on 'off' nights, because I've not had any trouble at the Elephant since the new landlord and landlady took over and shook it up. The only pub in Faversham I'd choose to drink at, really. Great garden, nice decor, music is in the background. OK, I'd get rid of the games machine and get less salty peanuts in, but overall, a good pub.
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This has long been the best place in Faversham for getting a range of cask ales. There's a small space out front for tables which is quite popular on sunny days and during festivals. The Elephant attracts Morris Dancers on festival days!
There's a wonderful beer garden out the back, which is reached via a narrow passage at the back of the room to the right of the bar.
This is a good traditional pub with loads of character and great quality beer. On my last visit during the Hop Festival, Phil Goacher was in - and buying a pint of his own Goacher's Gold Star!
Great place - highly recommended
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Wonderfull, a real pub,just a little way out of town.
Five beers to try all kept very well,Goachers of Maidstone,Hopdeamon,Whitstable and Dark star to name a few,visited on Friday(22)very busy but was greeted by a 'hello will be with you in a moment' tried Green Deamon first and enquired about mild? was told next barrel on is Highgate dark, and mild is normally available at all times.
Great little pub,worth the trouble of crossing the tracks from town.
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went to this pub back in march 08.On my recent visit i found that it had won swale camra pub of the year.
i found the landlord and landlady most rude, with no welcome whatsoever and not much knowledge of the ales on offer. The landlord gave the feeling that he did not want you there, the landlady more interested in reading a magazine. Also a couple of customers that were obviously very drunk, and very loud did not make things any better. The pub in my opinion is no different than any other backstreet dive, reminisent of the local Wetherspoons in the town on a friday night.Also the pub seems not to open most of the time, probably to much of a chore. Pub of the year!! Were there not any other contenders?
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The Elephant is a pub with a nice garden and open fire burning, a selection of real ales always available, but i feel it is let down by the current landlord's reluctance to welcome you to the pub,ie' good evening', 'good night,' yes please sir' thankyou sir'.Simple manners!The recent price hikes at the Ele'have also made it one of the most expensive pubs in town, a pint of bitter costing you �2.90. That said , the pub is ok (if you can afford to drink there), a good juke box too. The Elephant is an average pub that could be a good pub, let down by simple things. An average experience.
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a pub to find a plumber, not a place for a night out
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Great looking little beerb house in the Kent style (Man of Kent etc); good beer range although average quality and welcome. Worth a trip though.
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Great looking little beerb house in the Kent style (Man of Kent etc); good beer range although average quality and welcome. Worth a trip though.
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Great selection of well kept beers.
Not open during the day weekdays. This pub and the Crown just up the road make venturing this side of the tracks well worth it.
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Lovely little pub a stone's throw from Faversham station. Old-fashioned, spartan, smart interior. five handpumps serving ales from smaller Kent and Sussex brewers. I sampled Hopdaemon golden Braid, Dark Star Smoke and a Rother Valley brew. All beers were served in exceptionally good quality.
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not realy freindly pub new owners avent realy brought the best out the elephant time for a change asp
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Best pub in Faversham by a country mile. Always good beer on - and you can't ask for much more than that!
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This is the only no smoking pub in Faversham, well presented inside and out, serving mainly local microbrews including, Goachers of maidstone,Hopdeomon at Newnham,Rother valley and Whitstable Brewery
New landlord and landlady have transformed "sid's vinegar house" into a lovely little pub with a wonderfull choice for the real ale drinker, give it a try and you will be surprised!
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This pub was known colloquially as "Sid's Vinegar Works" until "Sid" left about eight years ago to run another pub. It is still a freehouse, with mainly small regionals plus the odd microbrewery beer. Worth a visit.
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