please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Really attractive unspoilt place which looks unchanged for a century or more. It''s the nearest pub to the Shepherd Neame brewery and owned by them so you know what to expect beerwise. Food good, reasonable prices and very welcoming. Highly recommended.
|
A warm welcome was followed by an enjoyable drink surrounded by chirpy clientele in very nice surroundings. Only good things to say about The Bear. A commendable second place.
|
A good old fashioned pub on the market place, nothing fancy, just sells decent beer, a small front bar and a much larger back bar off a corridor, pleasant bar staff and a pleasant atmosphere on the Saturday night we visited.
Worth a visit if you are on a pub crawl of Faversham.
|
Smashing old pub. Quality of beer is good (but unfortunately Sheps) Not my favourite brew. But a nice place!
|
I called in today after a visit to the Anchor. I really should have stayed for another pint. Quite a narrow pub but which goes back a long way. I went into the far bar and found a bar filled with people silently munching away on their dinners, so returned to the tiny front bar. One other drinker, one barmaid, yesterday's 'Daily Express' and a pint of so-so Tonbrdige Green Hopped beer. Read the paper, drank the beer and left. No one else came in, no converstaion from the barmaid, all a bit drab. It may be a favourite with the CAMRA crowd, but not with me.
|
Pub number 2 of the day.
A good selection of ales as expected, the pint of Double Stout I had was very pleasant.
An old fashioned / style Shepherd and Neame pub in the centre of town by the market.
Beer hops above the bar and doors and also a large Shepherd & Neame mirror in the small front bar.
Selection of old jugs, beer bottles & casks from Sheps running along the shelves.
|
This looks a handsome pub from the outside. Unfortunately the assortment of dodgy looking drinkers outside have always put me off rather. One day I will give it a go.
|
I revisited this pub recently and it 's been gven a complete refurb which is in keeping with its age and character. A worthy and popular local venue with well kept Shep's beer
|
An interesting internal arrangement of bars, that one can only hope survives for many more years. The locals seemed friendly and chatty and the beer was perfectly good Shep's.
Worth a visit for a pint on any Faversham crawl.
|
My partner Karen and myself have visited The Bear on a number of occasions in the past and have always gone away pretty pleased with what be saw and drank.
Sadly, since our previous trip to Faversham, things don't look to have been going well for the pub. The kitchen is closed for the foreseeable future and the lease is up for grabs.
Being a Shepherd Neame pub the choice of ales was limited (Master Brew and Early Bird) and the atmosphere was spoilt by a group of middle aged people who seemed to be on some sort of mixed stag/hen do - and were much the worse for wear at only 1.30 in the afternoon. The barman wasn't too impressed with them and his mood remained surley when he served us.
Such a pity that things are not what the should be here as The Bear retains many original features and is worth a visit for this reason alone. The pub is a long, thin building, split into three small rooms, accessed off of a single long corridor and served by a single bar running parallel to it.
Hopefully, the next tennants will restore the pub to former glories.
|
I visited for lunch on 22 December 2010. It was a bit disappointing. There was no Spitfire on tap. The kitchen appeared disorganized. It took nearly 45 minutes to get a "special" and they weren't busy. I was sitting near the kitchen and could hear groans coming from the cook. I think he burnt my fishcakes at least twice and everything tasted burned when I finally got it. Maybe all of this was due to the fact they were either closing the next day or weren't going to have food anymore after the next day or something. The bar maid's explanation was confusing at best.
Whatever is The Bear's fate, it is too bad. This is charming, very cozy little establishment. If I hadn't been in a hurry to get to a brewery tour, I would have been very happy to linger longer.
|
What a fine GEM of a pub, it still has the three bars, lounge, snug and saloon bars. I received a warm welcome from the staff and one of the best pints of Sheps i've had in a long time. WELL DONE.
Date of visit Sunday 7th March 10
|
To elaborate slightly on the previous comment, which does capture the essence of the Bear, the pub is a Sheps' outlet that serves a good range of their ales (and sometimes a guest - how enlightened!), and trades on its multi-bar layout which appears to have only undergone minor alteration over the last century. It has cosy alcoves in which one can closet oneself away from the madding crowd with a well-kept pint, and also the front and rear rooms which afford greater seating and can accommodate larger groups. Music was quite prominent (seemingly Hits '78 was spinning on my last visit; not sure how appropriate punk is to the atmos, but the locals were fondly reminiscing over it and certainly for them it was a plus).
Service is friendly, and my experiences of the place suggest it is worthy of a visit by those seeking genuine character, and cask ale (albeit mostly Sheps at least it hasn't had to travel far).
Each time I visit Faversham, I would probably try to make sure I have a quick drinkie here, which is some measure of its quality.
|
Fine multi roomed bar and a good selection of beer
|
Fine, multi-roomed traditional Sheps pub in the market place opposite the Guildhall. It's an unusual layout with 3 rooms off a corridor running down the left hand side of the pub. The rooms get smarter and more salubrious the further down the corridor you go. It's wood pannelled throughout with a slightly old fashioned, but warm and friendly atmosphere. Notably, it opens at a civilised time in the morning - 10.30 am.
There's some seating outside on the pavement at the front from where I was able to see the Saturday market stalls trading busily.
I enjoyed an excellent pint of Late Red in here, but � 3.20p seems a bit steep for a beer brewed little more than a stone's throw away. The Bear is a CAMRA GBG regular.
You should try to make time to do this one when in Faversham
|
A proper traditional old pub. Good landlord, the beer is aways well kept and it does very good but simple pub grub during the daytime. My only criticism is that it could do with some sympathetic renovation beyond repainting now -. Shepherd Neame are renowned for being tight so there's not much chance of that. In spite of this it's well worth a visit and is good enough to be a local because of it's friendly atmosphere.
|
A proper pub, right in the town centre, but thankfully free of any fancy makeovers and sufficiently old-fashioned to keep most of the undesirable elements away. Top-notch pint of Whitstable Bay. Recommended.
|
Stunning unspoilt pub. 3 separate rooms - loads of nick nacks: brass horns, chamber pots, etc. Black beams, worn carpet, 3 Shepherd Neame beers available on cask. Civilised, mainly slightly bohemian, middle class clientele. I really like this place. Rating 8.
|
It was better when Chris and Marie ran it (now running The George at Newnham). If you like twee chamber pots hanging from every beam, and bits of fancy brass on every surface, with naff micro-light fronds glowing in the corners once you've run the gauntlet of smokers lounging outside - this is for you. A lovely late Tudor pub is now a junk shop with beer.
|
Intriguing little multi-roomer by the market place, beer good, front room tiny and cosy. If you are in Faversham you really should visit this one.
|
One of the best pubs in Faversham. A good selection of well kept beers including the offerings from Shep's micro brewery.
Very good food but only at lunch time, about the best value in town.
|
pity all the customer are sitting in street smoking.
|
Wonderful multi-roomed drinking pub (reminded me of Blue Bell in York a bit). Very relaxing, slightly let down by average Sheps Master Brew.
|
For my money, this is the best ale pub in Faversham, and that's really saying something. The guest ale was a delicious cask mild, and there's a regular keg mild on tap. And the usual Shepherd Neame ales, of course.
We popped in for lunch one Saturday after doing the Brewery Tour. The food is hearty, traditional and excellent. The decor and welcome were both relaxing and comforting. I could have stayed all day, except that we were doing a circuit of the good pubs in town.
I really can't find fault with The Bear Inn, except that it isn't right next door to where I live.
|
Absolutely amazing place! As mentioned the pub is still split up into very small bars, and the atmosphere is really special. I think every pub user should visit a place like this, and see how interesting this really is. Lovely pint of Late Red while I was there and really friendly staff and locals. Excellent stuff.
|
Traditional, old fashioned town centre pub. Can't have changed significantly in the last hundred years or more with internal partitions intact. Had a decent pint of Masterbrew.
|
Great Sheps boozer, great session pub, cosy victorian layout with the various rooms. One of my favorites if you must drink Sheps.
|
The Bear is a pub with character that has friendly staff and serves well kept real ale's. This is a good pub to visit for lunch if having a day out in Faversham the food is very good with adequate portions at a reasonable price.
The evening atmosphere is very friendly and cosy too with a good cross section of clientele.
|
Superb pub - probably the best in Faversham (and that's saying something!!). Beers very well kept (though no Bishops Finger available). The four bar format makes for an excellent atmosphere and superb character. Friendly bar staff too. Cannot understand why this pub is not in CAMRA's good pub guide!!
9/10
|
My current local. Recently under new management. The staff and patrons are friendly and you can usually find a seat (except Sunday lunchtime when it's worth booking to eat). Generally quiet, it attracts mostly middle-aged local customers. The food is a little less varied (mainly roasts)and not quite as good as before (not surprising, as the standard was very high), but still excellent value.
|
Excellent pub
Old layout with many small bars.
Book early for Sunday dinner
Keir Stanley - 10 Nov 2004 17:56 |
A traditional pub in the town centre, serving usually the entire range of Shepherd Neame beers. Irish music "sessions" held on some nights.
|
