please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nice-looking pub in a beautiful location - the only disappointment was the Shepherd Neame sign. I avoided the Master Brew and opted for a pint of Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale from a font.
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We were staying in the area and found this pub by accident. As has been said what a view! Food was fine the fish and chips was some of the best "pub" fish and chips i have had. The desserts were lovely and in ample portions.
Draught beer was local and in excellent condition.
The staff could not have been more friendly. The cherry on the top is that its dog friendly but watch out for the pub cat.
dandj - 18 May 2014 17:50 |
This pub is in a stunning location always visit when i am in the area. Staff are always friendly but I think during busier times they could do with an extra bar person. Food is very nice and the changing menu is always a treat. Been here on a busy summers day and on a cold January day and the view across the English Channel is always stunning.
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Almost a year on from my last visit and not much change: The queuing at the bar is ridiculous, one queue to by drinks, one queue to pay for food. I overheard several complaints regarding slow food service and witnessed part of a group go and buy food from a kiosk along the beach and stand outside the property boundary to eat it then return to rejoin their friends.
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A very disappointing experience. We arrived at 1:15pm on a Sunday and asked for a table for 7 people. We were told to come back at 2pm and there would be a table for us. We went for a walk and came back at 2, then waited outside in the January cold for another 20 mins. We were told they were out of a few items and that there wasn't a huge choice for the kids. We were grateful for the heads up and said as long as there were chips, the kids would be fine. We were told - Yes, there were chips. We were allowed to take a table for 4 to get the kids out of the cold and whilst we waited for a big table to finish up. We ordered a round of drinks and moved to the larger table - a 6 seater, so we squeezed an extra chair on the end.
The waitress (and as we found out later, duty manager) came to take our order and when we tried to order chips for the kids, she said they couldn't have chips on their own, only with something from the starter menu (patatas bravas and chips, anyone?). She also told us that we couldn't have 7 seats at the table and that we'd have to split across the two tables... We pointed out that we'd requested a table for 7 right from the start and then she rather rudely said we should have booked! Enough was enough - we decided to leave at that point. The 3 kids (4, 8 & 11) were hungry so we decided to leave our 5 soft drinks and 2 pints of beer. We agreed amongst ourselves that we would be happy to pay for the 5 soft drinks, which had been mostly polished off, but the beers were virtually full pints and nobody was in the mood to neck them.
A big argument ensued whereupon said waitress denied saying we could have a table for 7 and that the kids could have chips. She was as rude as hell. No customer services skills at all, happy to have a slanging match in the middle of the restaurant area in front of other customers, some of whom followed us to the car park to tell us that she'd behaved outrageously. One of the least child-friendly places we've ever been to. They might as well have said: Children Not Welcome! At least that would have been more honest. NOT TO BE RECOMMENDED.
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Went to this pub on Friday 25/11/11 and found what a little gem this place is. We found the food excellent the service very good and a very relaxed atmosphere in the pub in general.
OK the place could do with a lick of paint but i am sure this will come in time.
As for the previous comment people like you TONYENGLAND make me want to vomit, next time take your kid to McDonald's then he can just have his chips cant he? instead of bothering hard working people in such a lovely little pub.
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the most disappointing family restaurant day out I have ever had, having made the effort to reach The Coastguard passing many fine restaurant on the way we were shown to our table by a less then happy waitress.
I was with my wife and 9 year old son who is both polite and well manned. The restaurant at the time only had 4 other persons in it and we proceeded to order drinks and view the menu, we was not asked or offered a child's menu which is quite strange for a restaurant of this type.
Both me and my wife proceeded to order our starters and main but when it came to ordering for our son who had decided he would be happy with just some plan chips as there was not a child menu I was told by the waitress ( who seamed to be in charge) that they would/ could not do a single portion of chips for him and that I would have to a smaller portion of a adult main for him if he wanted chips........
I explained that he only wanted a small portion of chips but was again told NO, By this time things were getting a bit strange ,so to end the matter I told the less then helpful waitress that I would order and pay for a full child's size meal. ( I was never told or shown a price list so wonder how the price would have been worked out) but I ONLY wanted the chips delivered to the table and that the restaurant could keep the fish I was about to pay for... in my mind I expected her say something along the lines of " I see what I can do " but instead to my shook she took the order and went off, at first me and my wife sat there a bit confused as to what had just happened.... I did think of getting my own back by not giving a tip at the end, but the more we thought about it, the more we felt unhappy, it was clear we was not going to enjoy the meal.
I called the same head waitress over and informed her that we wished to cancel our meal and just pay for our drinks, again I expected some kind of 'sorry we could not help more' but instead I get 'ok'
We had to wait for the drinks bills whist feeling less then welcome and left without so much of a sorry or good bye from any of the staff.
Being the first time ever I have had to cancel a meal I found the whole 15 mins quite strange...... however the good news is we went to the new restaurant which we had passed on the way down and was welcomed with smiles and good service and had a very pleasant lunch indeed.
I think the Coastguard needs to look at how it greets and treats it's customers in a time when business's need to bend a bit to stay in business, I will not be going there again and I will tell my friends not to also.
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Excellent location but as a local I rarely go there. Today I have reminded myself why. It was a nice sunny day which attracts customers in this location but today there was just one person on the bar and a constant queue of about 12 people. I waited 20 minutes to get a drink during which time I saw a poor lad do his best to keep up with the demand whilst a young lady also behind the bar would only take money for food. Given the way she spoke to some customers and had there been another bar further along the road I would have left and gone there instead. This place does not attract me as a local. They should concentrate on their efficiency and attitude!
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Very nice location but food was over priced and tasteless. We were at Dover for the weekend (16/07/2010) and decicied to have dinner from coast guard Inn since were satying local. They did not have the crab dish we orderd so we had to go for fish and chips and a chicken dish which cost us more than �12 each. it was nothing specil and not worth the money. I would never recommend the chiken dish as it had no taste and too dry, looked like it had been inside a fridge for years. the whole dish was a disaster. fish and chips looked like they came from a cheap chippy shop and with mushy peas were so overcooked that they had a brwon colour.
we had to change to chicken dish as it was not edible. The staff was nice and friendly. People at our B&B said that its not very famous amoung the locals.
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Agree about the excellent location...but found it not very kid friendly..food overpriced..drinks @ London prices...Wont be back even though Im localish
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Well, let's put paid to that particular food conversation: on my visit recently there was a thoughtful and impressive selection of meals, including several for the veggies: Kentish Cauliflower, Leek and Mushroom Crumble; or Middle Eastern Warm Vegetable Salad; or soup, or other salads. So, no problems there. Otherwise, whilst it's true that the pub doesn't score highly for appearance, both inside and out, the brilliant location more than makes up for that. The staff are extremely attentive and work really hard - some of them were even to be seen running around with orders! Pubs which can corner the market by virtue of being the only pub or venue at a particular resort don't need to try very hard, and indeed usually don't. But this one does and deserves credit for that, so a decent rating is deserved.
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Undeniably a winning location, and almost unrivalled for a pub in its close proximity to the sea. I have two regrets here; firstly, my first and last visit was in the depths of winter, and so am yet to appreciate how fine this would undoubtedly be in drier warmer months, and secondly, it being just after Christmas and a period of heavy snow, food availability was very limited, and our plan to take what looked to be a superb lunch here failed miserably. Shame. Still, it is heartening to see how popular the place is with a varied clientele, and the beers sampled were on perfect form. The Coastguard is not what you might call a "cosy" pub, and I do think its airy and modern piney interior is best-suited to hot summer nights, but in those circumstances I imagine competition for bar and seating would be pretty hot too. Not bad at all folks; I shall be back one day.
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Well there are some widely varying reviews of the Coastguard Inn here. Some are so extreme, I can't help wonder what on earth customers expect. As for bloomin' vegetarians, if would want to choose an unconventional eating habit, they could always make up a lunchbox of lentil sandwiches and celery.
My wife and I visited yesterday - the last time I was there was forty years ago - my first pint was a pint of excellent Gadds No5. The bar was light and airy although other diners seemed to think everybody else there wanted to hear their conversation. We had a small cheesey tart to start with followed by superb devilled crab. Really good. The staff were courteous and attentive and we were really made to feel welcome. A second pint of HRD Rapide was poor and was changed for a second pint of Gadds without quibble. The bill came to �40 for two starters, two mains, three pints and a coffee. Not unreasonable.
Set in a stunning location at the bottom of the cliffs and yards from the shingle beach, the white house 100yds away was once owned by Ian Fleming.
We liked it and will return.
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Called in here last week whilst staying in the area. It was a very pleasant experience. There were four real ales on tap and I selected the Hopdaemon Incubus. We all had fish and chips which were very good, followed by an English Cheeseboard. The staff were very attentive and the service was excellent. I would certainly call back again if in this area.
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Lovely setting, great selection of wine and beer, food very average.
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On recommendation I visited the Coastguard with my son and daughter on 6th September 2009. The setting is spectacular with the Calais cliffs lit up by the setting sun. The range of ales is extraordinary. The Winkle Picker bitter is excellent. The menu was slightly disappointing for a vegetarian in that there was only one suitable meal, Mediterranean veges and rice. I opted for that, thinking, how can that go wrong? A colourless grey mess arrived. The taste was just as exciting. I'm sure carrot and beetroot are grown around the Med but I wasn't expecting to see them in this dish, boiled to death and utterly without texture and flavour. Hungry as I was, I couldn't bring myself to eat this garbage. I was assured by a staff member that my complaint had been passed to the chef as though that would suffice. No reduction in the bill was offered. I will not return.
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I agree totally with the other damning comments on The Coastguard. Its very over rated pub/restaurant. I just wish I'd looked this place up before I decided to go! What a mistake!!
Food is very average and terrible value for money. Check your bill at the end like a hawk - they dont provide an itemised bill just 'the total'! BE AWARE and ask for a break down.
If you feel the need to go I suggest you just go for a drink otherwise you'll end up very dissappointed and releived of too much of your well earned cash!
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We had walked with 2 kids across the cliffs from Kingsdown and were all hungry when we arrived. I had a quick look at the menu and there appeared to be just the one vegetarian choice which was roasted veg, couscous and gost's cheese - lovely but the kids wouldn't have tried it. I asked if they could make egg and chips. "No," said the waitress and when asked why not, said "it's not on the menu." I explained we were veggies with kids and what could she suggest? Maybe we could just have chips? Or a cheese sandwich? It was a "computer says no" moment - she went to ask the Chef and HE also said no. Finally we got a bit stressed and pointed out that, as they had cheese on the menu (and made a big deal out of their cheese selection) and baguettes, surely the two items could somehow be put together? It took two further trips to the kitchen to get an agreement. Finally the cheese baguettes arrived - presumably the chef had gone on a lightening cheese-sandwich-making course - and they were great. So what was the problem? I would NOT recommend you try this pub unless you have very low standards for service.
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Maybe after reading past comments on here the owners have sorted out some previous issues. The staff are very friendly and the food really good - go for the battered cod and chips - seriously good. Service was fine at the bar and they have lots of guest ales to choose from. Really the best reason to go here is the view which is stunning. Also note that mobile phone coverage is poor here and as you are so close to France your phone defaults to french networks - it can be a costly mistake if you make a call to a friend to say what a good time your having.
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Where are some of these reviews coming from? Last time I was there (mid-2008) the food was brill (who orders steak in a place that specialises in fish?), beer perfectly OK and service fine.
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Absolutely dreadful! Overpriced, pretentious rubbish served as food together with rude, stuck-up staff make this a pub to avoid!
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Only the location raises the score. Poor service (nobody behind the bar for 5 minutes; could have poured a pint, drunk it and left & no-one the wiser. Then they had the cheek to ask if I was waiting! The beer was not worth waiting for. Will not be back
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This pub is what gives us such a poor reputation. Good location, but terrible beer .. tried 2 and it was nasty ... and exceptionally terrible food. I cannot remember the last time I had such an awful experience in a pub ... and I have been to a few pubs, so it quite impressive to be so rubbish. I would suggest you avoid this place util they sack the staff and get people in who know how to serve and deal with customers. Sack the Chef .. who puts Grapes, melon, check peas and onoins on a salad with Steak (that we well overdone).... It would be more preferable to burn your money in the street than spend it at the Coastguard.
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I am afraid customer care is not their strong point. I emailed them twice, kindly asking a little bit of information but they *never* replied. Either they did not bother to send even a short reply, or they never read their mailbox - in which case I would suggest them not to put a "contact us" email address in their website and/or not to advertise their website in their businnes card.
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Beautiful spot. Great selection of well kept beers. Good food. However, the service is apalling, abysmal even by British pub standards. The ordering system is insane and there is a shortage of staff - those that were on duty were slow and surly. I can't believe I went back there a second time wanting the service to have improved from the first but I swear its getting worse. Stay away at busy times (which is any time the sun shines).
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Paid a visit here in a minibus of 15 football fans on our way to Folkestone and the pub was more than happy to accomodate us after we contacted them. Excellent location at foot of cliffs, but inaccessible in anything bigger than a minibus. Good range of local beers in good condition and the food was some of the best pub grub some members of the party had tasted and believe me we've eaten a lot of pub grub. Only downside was the weather tha prevented us from sitting outside and take in the sea air. Would retrun if down that way again and it was better weather!
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Disappointing that they stop serving lunch at 2:30 - why?
Didn't bother to stay for a drink after this so no rating.
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God awfull, souless place with nothing to offer but stroppy staff and a complex system that makes you want to scream.
anonymous - 22 Apr 2007 19:32 |
The Coastguard Inn is a pub that would like you to think of it as a restaurant rather than a pub. It has many things to recommend it and you should certainlny consider visiting if you're in the area.
The good things:
Excellent food - It has a Les Routiers 2006 badge on the wall outside and everything we had was delicious. The prices weren't too expensive either given the quality. There are a couple of children's dishes too.
Excellent beer - There were 3 handpumps focussing on beers from micro-breweries (mainly local). All of the pints I had tasted good and once again, the prices were not outrageous.
Excellent location - the Coastguard is just above the beach at St Margarets Bay and on a clear day you can see France. In fact your mobile phone company may think you actually are in France - a problem with this bit of the coast. After descending the steep and twisty hill down the cliff you'll be pleased to find that there is a car park.
For all these things the Coastguard deserves a good 9 or 10 out of 10.
But there are some small niggles:
A pint should be a pint - Every pint I ordered was short and the efficient barstaff will give you a snotty look when you ask for them to be topped up. This seems to be a recurring problem with the pubs in this area.
The silly rules - There are lots of staff in this pub but you can only order food from one of them. And you can only order food from your table - not at the bar. But then when you want another drink you find that you can only order drinks from the bar - not at your table. Doh!
Having a young child I may be biased, but I think it's bad that any beachside pub or restaurant doesn't have any high-chairs. You feel that children are tolerated rather than welcomed.
But these small gripes and the slight air of pretension shouldn't dissuade you from visiting.
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