Lifeboat, Margateback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Popped in for a couple one lunchtime, the place was quite busy but then it is small. Most beers from Brewdog, well kept and served by friendly staff.
£4.40 is the average price.. Wife tells me that the toilets need some attention.
Interesting range of food which we didn't try.
dandj - 22 Apr 2018 22:07 |
Always enjoy visiting this pub when in Margate. Unfortunately on this occasion there were a couple of drunks up at the bar who were either friends of the barmaid or were hoping to be further acquainted. Either way they monopolised the bar and made getting served difficult.
That apart the beer from Wantsum was excellent and the vibe was laidback. The toilets are still minimal by any standards!
However I would still recommend this pub to any real ale lover who is after a decent pint in Margate.
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I think this was one of the first micropubs in Thanet, still selling real ales and cider from stillages. Now serve local food, which upsets some traditionalists.
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Well, we didn't meet the landlord, so maybe that was a good thing!
Instead we were attended to by a very pleasant young lady who made us welcome and advised on the food they had on offer.
There was a range of about 5 real ales of which we tried 4 between us - all excellent.
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A nice, informal little pub. I visited on a cold winter evening when the fire was roaring and filling the place with the lovely aroma of woodsmoke. I tried only two of the ales from the stillage in the middle of the pub; a Westerham Double Stout and another which I've forgotten, but they were both in tip-top condition. The other punters were mostly 20s-30s and the atmosphere was easy-going and moderately lively. Service was prompt and friendly and I found nothing to mither about. I didn't try the food on this occasion but have had mackerel here on a previous visit and it was fresh and tasty and perfectly cooked. I come here every time I visit Margate and will definitely continue to do so. I wish there was a pub like this near me.
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Never had any problem with the Lifeboat. After speaking to Julian he says he has no intention of selling up, and I am pleased with that.. Gadds Festivale on 12/07/14 in great form.
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The strange landlord has a justifiable reputation for his rudeness to customers and in converstaion with some locals in a Ramsgate pub on Saturday, it seems his Broadstairs pub is no better. On our visit we bought 'home made' meat pies which were clearly none of the sort, and we believed microwaved. When my wife asked if the pie came with chips, he responded with "Does the menu say it comes with chips?" We hear that he is planning to sell up as the place deserves somebody who CARES.
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One of my favourite pubs in Thanet although as far as Margates concerned that doesn't say a lot.
Very much a real ale pub with beers served from stillages. As there was a cider festival on only three beers were available when I visited the other day, Gadds 7, Goachers Best and Old Dairy American IPA, a decent spread of strengths. I tried all three and the Gadds and IPA were especially good.
The place has a boho feel, very spit and (literally) sawdust.
I had a friendly chat with a local and another visitor to the area.
This area of Old Margate seems to becoming more popular and the Lifeboat is well worth a visit after a trip to the Turner gallery.
Have to say I didn't try the food at all.
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Paid a visit yesterday on a trip down from London. Was pleasantly surprised to see stillaging for 9 beers, 3 of which were on, the Goachers Mild was excellent. Also available were 12 bag-in-box ciders! Would highly recommend this pub.
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I really enjoyed this pub. I was briefly introduced to the notorious Julian, who seemed to be on his best behaviour, and the two barmaids couldn't have been nicer or more helpful (although tried and failed to get the fire going). The beer didn't seem overpriced to me (but then I live in London), and I thought it was a good, interesting and well-kept selection of local brews. Customers included some lively and amusing Margate fans (pleased to see that they won) and the supremo of a punk record label, so the conversation was really good. I'll definitely come back here if I'm in town.
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The landlord (Nigel) is a very odd sort. Made us feel very unwelcome until he thought that he could get something from us, at which point he warmed up considerably. Beer very poorly kept and ludicrously priced in comparison to all the other ale purveyors in this part of Kent.
He's opened a second ale spot in Broadstairs in an old bookshop - I wonder if he will try and get that beer to cellar temperature?
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One day, an entrepreneurial cove bearing a remarkable resemblance to Nosferatu the Vampyre, who is named Julian and whose age ranges ( according to the local press ) from mid-thirties to late-eighties, decided to visit the doyen of East Kent micropubs with a view to opening one of his own.
Having been advised to do "This, This & This", our Julian promptly did "That, That & That", which resulted in the genesis of The Lifeboat, causing his erstwhile mentor to exclaim in rage "that man wasted three hours of my life!"
A broad cross section of clint�le imbibe here, and the one thing they seen to have in common is Julian-baiting. See how quick he moves when you inform him that he's given you too much change!
Whilst it is a free house, it is not a micropub by any stretch of the imagination. He has gained a reputation for the range of ales and ciders on offer, and gained 3rd place as the local Camra Branch Pub of the Year 2011, and winner of Kent Camra Cider Pub of the Year. A micropub may offer a limited selection of cheese, nuts & crisps, but not The Lifeboat. Julian makes a great deal about the provenance of his local food.
Ashmore Cheese - from the Dargate Creamery, which is 20 miles away - but it sounds like Margate. The cheese used to be served with its wrapping, so you could open it yourself AND see the price. It is now served without the wrapper and that's when you get charged "market price".
Ramsgate Sausages - sourced from a butcher which has branches throughout Kent, so being locally sourced, they should really be called either a Margate sausage, or,�if sourced at the "posh" end of town, a�Cliftonville sausage. These are lovingly cooked on Julian's Thanet-famous "George Formby Lean, Green, Grill Machine".
Then there's Mrs Moxham and her home-made produce which includes her Ripe Fig, assorted chutneys and pickles and Medlar Jelly - that's the Medlar Jelly made with a fruit that smells of rancid wine and resembles a cat's bottom.
Margate Bread from an Italian baker in Margate, Birchington Pies from Broadstairs - Julian is rumoured to have a very tenuous grasp regarding sense of direction. Still, both places are local and begin with a "B". Also on offer are "Duck Egg Dave"'s Duck Eggs - all proceeds to the R.N.L.I.,, Micky's Pickled Walnuts, Kent Crisps, produced in Kent by Quex Foods, available in four flavours, Pistachio Nuts, Cashew Nuts, AND a Partridge in a sodding Pear Tree, I shouldn't wonder!!
So with all the above on the menu, It's definitely NOT a micropub. I will not mark it on its "food". Service can be particularly lackadaisical, especially when Julian has the phone clamped to his ear - which is 95% of the time. The ales and ciders are definitely not in the "Spoons" price bracket, but the ale is generally on form. Overall, I can only give it 5/10.
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The cooked food's nothing special, the soft drinks can be flat, and the service varies: Julian can get stroppy when tired, quite surprising for a young lad of 36. Nevertheless, for drinkers seeking a watering hole in Margate, there's nowhere to match it for the variety of (strictly local) cider and beer, generally well kept, and the unpretentious atmosphere. The location, in Margate's rejuvenating Old Town near the beach, is also second to none. Fairly convenient for bus routes too.
ozaru - 21 Aug 2012 15:52 |
Great pub for ales and my companion and I nearly missed the train back home because of it. Well worth a visit. Didn't sample the food.
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Great beer, but I have agree with the other comments about the food service.
I asked if there was a menu. The barman pointed to a chalked list. It didn�t have any prices. I was told �market prices� (what does that mean?). So I had to ask how much each item was. It was as if talking about the cost of something was taboo. It might be OK for the wealthy regulars, but some of us have to watch the pennies.
I ordered fish and whelks in the end. I gave the money (quite a lot), but didn�t get any change so I had to ask for it!
So go to the Lifeboat for the great selection of local ales, but for a meal go to the Hoy Bar and Kitchen.
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I shan't bang on as I sometimes feel obliged to in these reviews about interior and exterior character and decor, as the Lifeboat's is plainly described in accurate detail by previous commentators. Suffice to say it oozes character for a 2-year-old pub (though in a much older building) without being obviously faux, and its raw yet somehow stylish design does much to beguile a quaffer such as myself. I was immediately impressed.
The 'Boat isn't quite a qualifier in the all-the-rage-in-east-Kent 'micropub' revolution, for it does harbour a small bar area to the left (usually no bar), which hosts a range of bottled spirits etc (usually no spirits), and the casks are racked on stillages in the same room (not an ante-room as seems to be the drill with the true micro blueprint). However this is nit-picking, as it is not far off in size and scope, with very limited room, benches for seating inside and out and a keen focus on predominantly local cask beers, ciders and other delights. It inevitably ecnourages conviviality and it seems only those who don't feel awkward about conversing with fellow punters at close quarters bother with pubs like this - which suits me.
My partner-in-booze for the weekend, Dr C Griffin and I were doing the rounds of the Kent coastal area and popped-in on a hot Saturday morning only just in time for doors to be opening (12 noon). Also, owing to silliness with car parking charges we couldn't stay long, but what we gleaned in that brief window suggested this is an absolute bloody corker!! Hell if I lived in Margate I don't think my shagpile at home would be troubled much (I mean my carpet of course...) as I'd effectively be living it up (and down) here with the undoubtedly like-minded caskophiles, enjoying both beer and cheer in equally-generous measure.
We were welcomed by a couple of charming bar staff who served efficiently and pleasantly - sorry; can't agree about them not being friendly. One had had dreadful difficulty in opening the front door so thanks for the perseverence - and the other was jauntily jolly and regaled us with tales of her forthcoming holiday in Cuba. Cultural cornucopia though Havana and Holguin are, I'd rather be here ta very much! Landlord Julian was present and correct and seemed to be a solid, business-like sort of chap who was keeping a close eye without being oppressive.
Ale-wise, Farriers 1606 was enjoyed - despite what I now don't deny was a mini-hangover from Friday night - and my friend boldly went where few men should go that early - the 6% Westerham Audit Ale. Both in terrific nick, and we emerged all the better for it too. Other beers featured of course but go see for yourself if you want to know more!
More like this please, preferably in towns nearer to where I reside!
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I was in the Liefboat the othe evening for the Namibia v Peru friendly and while watching my nipples, unfortunately, exploded with pleasure once again.
Thankfully landlord Julian Newark, 78, was on hand with a Kleenex.
SORTED!
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Can I just add that while drinking here a few weeks back that my nipples exploded with pleasure?
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The Lifeboat is chaotic and bohemian and quite small. They are all parts of its charm. The landlord, Julian, 67-years-old, is the living embodiment of a charicter from a Jilly Cooper bonkbuster. Watch your wives lads!
But it's the ale and cider that are the real stars here, a baffling selection of both always available and always sourced from Kent outlets.
The customers, meanwhile, are certainly a colourful lot. A bigger bunch of eccentrics and ale quaffers you'll not stumble across in Margate.
However I've never bothered with the food. The grill they use to cook bangers on scares me quite frankly (is it ever cleaned?) and the cheese strikes me as on the expensive side.
But all in all this is my favourite place for a drink in Margate and I must recommend it to one and all.
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Ive given this an 8. We have visited this pub many times in the evening and love the old fashioned atmosphere. its quite dark and dingy with sawdust on the floor. Some tables out the back past the wall divider of ale are in front of the real fire and near the toilets and kitchen. Tables and bar at the front overlook the town square. Personally I think they should rearrange the back so its slightly less 'communal' but thats my personal taste
They serve changing local ciders and Ales, a really good selection and will suggest something if you say 'oh I like this sort of flavour'.
However, I agree with one of the reviews on here, the service is dreadful. I suppose its part of the charm in that its slightly eccentric and chaotic but it doesnt make you feel welcome, especially when you get the impression that everyone else knows everyone in there and you're standing there like a lemon waiting to be served or waiting to pay.
The food looks really good but as I overheard someone say one night in there, it seems to take ages to come out, so again chaos seems to reign.
We will continue to visit as for us the selection of ale and cider and the ambiance out do the small gripes about service.
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Bijou, welcoming pub with excellent choice of local ales (the Goacher's Dark was very fine, and the Abigale Bramling held its own well too), ciders and perries - amazingly, it can be a challenge to find Kentish Cider and Perry in Kent pubs. Interesting selections are a theme throughout - be it cheeses or craft gins. Friendly, chatty staff, and slightly Boho customers. The simple bar food seemed locally sourced - not that we tried it. If every town had a pub like this, challenging the tepid mainstream, the world would be a slightly better place.
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Finally get to put a quick review on here. Visited this pub twice last year while working in Margate and found it by accident whilst wandering around looking for a reasonable pint as every other pub I went in was a dump. What an oasis! Good beer, good cider and very basic but it works. If this place had any decent competition they'd probably have to make a little more room to maneovre inside but at the moment, if you're after a good pint of ale or cider this is defo the place to go.
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I didn't eat here so can't comment about the food. It's the kind of pub I like, lots of real ale available, some at the bar on pumps others poured directly from barrels on stillages. All the ale appears to be from local breweries.
The staff were chatty as were some of the locals. It's a small place with an arty Bohemian feel to it and fits in well with the Turner Gallery close by.
There are plenty of leaflets and magazines to hand advertising other attractions in the area.
In my opinion the best pub in Margate, although that's not saying a lot. However I feel this place would prove to be popular in most towns.
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I really HATE to say anything bad about a pub and perhaps my wife and I visited on a bad day. I had passed by weeks before (I don't live in or near Margate) and promised myself I'd returned to the Lifeboat as it seemed 'our sort of pub'. After visiting the Turner Contemporary we called in. It's a small, slight chaotic place with a bar no bigger than a dining room table and numerous real ales on gravity across the room as a sort of 'room divider'. I waited and waited for about five minutes and a man at the back of the pub, busy on his laptop, agreed to serve us. No problem with the beer, it was superb. Seeing the signs for homemade food we plumped for a couple of meat pies. "Does it come with chips?" I asked, and he looked at me like I'd trodden in something. Minutes later these floppy microwaved 'pies' arrived with the smallest piece of French bread. At �4 a throw, we thought it looked and tasted a rip off. Only yards away we'd seen signs for fish & chips at a mere �2.99. When we got up to go, the chap was busy either on the phone or chatting to someone else even though he clearly saw us waiting. We finally paid up and left.
Now I know this pub is popular and I hate to criticise when the place is trying in these difficult times to make a go of it but the 'service' was just rubbish. Yet the beer was great. I will go back as this might have been a one off.
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