Black Dog, Whitstableback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Black Dog was my final stop in Kent and was a very good way to finish. The interior is quite dark and as the previous reviewer states, there are some strange things on the walls. I sat next to a poster depicting how various organs of the body look for a normal person and for an alcoholic! With 24 real ciders in here, I can imagine most visitors' organs would look more like the latter. Ales were Kent Session Pale, Burning Sky Plateau, Tonbridge Rustic, Thornbridge Tonttu & Goachers Mild. Ciders are listed on a small chalkboard on the bar. Most are fruit ciders and it's just their flavour that is listed. The owner/barman was very knowledgeable though and I established that there was Garden Cider Company Vintage, Dudda's Tun Bone Dry & Cheery Old Dudda, Biddenden Red Love & Sweet Cider, Turner's Apple Pie, Kent Cider Company Pear Cider,Mango Cider & Cloudy Rocket, Purbeck Devil's Leaf, Seacider White Peach & Snail's Bank Pineapple & Grapefruit Cider. Other varieties were Spiced Cider, Strawberry Cider, Apricot Cider (probably Dudda's Tun), 2 varieties of Rhubarb Cider, Elderflower Cider, Salted Caramel Cider, Toffee Apple Cider, Blackcurrant Cider, Passion Fruit Cider, Strawberry & Lime Cider, Ginger Cider & Medium Cider. This is easily the best pub in Whitstable. I could have quite happily had a session here. But alas, all good things have to come to an end. Maybe the next time I'm in town......
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Decent micropub with unusual and often disturbing décor with photos of Victorian freaks and diseased organs along with very weird modern art. OK choice of ales but no dark or strong ones - I have come to expect micropubs to cover all bases with minimum choice of one best bitter, one light hoppy, one dark and one strong.
Notice they charge 25p for tasters.
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A smashing micropub. Well served with good ales and a great lively bunch of locals.
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Small shop now micropub. Layout is all one single line of table against the wall (a bit like your average tube train layout as in all longitudinal no transverse).
Ale was drinkable (there was a choice of 4 on). it was okay but one of those places you stop for a pint then move on (as in nothing to keep you there)
anonymous - 8 Mar 2017 19:12 |
As a post-script, if you should need a haircut, and it should also happen to be a Monday, then the barman would be more-than-willing to swirl a black cape around your neck, as he guided you into a chair before a mirror, and then plugged in his clippers to administer a highly professional job to your locks. You could enjoy a pint during the process too, and also savour being a talking-point, among the customers to whom this might be something out-of-the-ordinary.
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Winston Churchill suffered from extreme fits of melancholy, and he named his particular demon the Black Dog. This compact establishment would probably have remedied his distress, had it been available to him at the time however. It's not really that far from Chartwell either.
Well done to all concerned, a rare ten-out-of-ten from me.
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A mate organised a pub crawl in Whitstable last Saturday and I went along in the hope of visiting a few good boozers but ended up in this pub for the first 4 pints. The pictures are weird, the stuff around the bar is crazy and as for the picture of Slash (from Guns and Roses) pointing the way to the loo (which is dedicated to Jimmy Page) just great. There were 5 beers on, all local I think, all in good condition and all on gravity. The locals couldn't have been friendlier. As I live an hour away in Croydon I can't make this my local which is a crying shame. I guess I'll have to get another minibus arranged. Hooray for this micro-pub.
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What a great micro-pub. The beer was well kept and a good range was available from a mild to some very pleasant IPA's. Even if you are not a confirmed real ale fan you should visit this place for the decor. So much to see with a wicked sense of humour on the Gothic side of things. Every time I have been there with the wife or friends somebody always starts a conversation. It couldn't be more welcoming and.... again.... the beer is terrific. Given the many other brilliant pubs in Whitstable this one is my favourite. Can't wait for the winter and the real fire. Led Zeppelin fans will particularly like it here.
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What a disgusting little place!
The two staff (one the owner?) were rude and insulting, and would rather have a smoke outside than to serve customers.
When it finally arrived, the pint was virtually undrinkable, but the barman had gone back outside to smoke again. My wife and I were further insulted on our way out.
This place must have changed massively since the previous two reviews!
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Excellent little single-room pub with a good choice of ales, mostly local, all in excellent condition. Quirky and characterful decor with more than a hint of the gothic and a good smattering of humour. High tables, banquettes and stools, friendly and efficient service from the tiny bar. Ales on gravity in a little ante-room. This is a proper pub, a pleasure to visit and I shall look forward to doing so next time I'm in town.
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Bigger than your average Micropub but maintaining micropub philosophy with an emphasis on little known real ales served directly from casks in a room behind the bar. The handpumps at the back of the bar are non operational and are used to display the pumpclips of what beers are currently available. There is also the usual micropub blackboard on a sidewall.
The choice of beer (assuming you're not a lager drinker!) is excellent as is the quirky way the pub has been decorated. The toilet is a veritable art gallery of the weird and wonderful as well as being a shrine to Jimmy Page - his mum will be so proud.
All in all a top pub in Whitstable's High Street, excellent ale and a larger than average micropub.
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