please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
My 2nd pub of a busy Saturday afternoon had me at the bottom end of town visiting The Pilot.
A Harvey's of Lewes tied pub with a range of 5 of their beers on tap. Best Bitter, Armada Ale (my choice), Old Ale, Dark Mild and Porter.
2 other punters in the pub during my early afternoon visit.
Friendly enough landlord who didn't engage in too much conversation.
Very old style pub with a wooden floor. Piano against the wall that I'm sure gets a fair amount of usage considering the amount of live music that is offered.
Small seating area to the right of the bar which is accessed just up the small steps as you enter.
A few old photo's of the area hang on the walls including a cracking old pub sign.
Decent pub that's worth the short walk from the High St.
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Revisited yesterday evening and things seem to have gone downhill. Judging from conversation between landlord and the one customer other than me, looks like previous landlord has left. The current guy is looking after it short term.
The food was disappointing and the beer was under par.
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Looks can be deceiving! Looking for a somewhere for lunch, we almost walked past The Pilot. It looked a bit dark and lifeless and no mention of food outside the pub. Glad we went in as the food offering is well-considered and good value.
Decent range of ales though I had a cup of tea (nicely served with a decent biscuit) as I was driving back to B'ham and didn't want to fall asleep!
Service was pleasant enough.
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Okay kind of pub with a few ales on which were drinkable - nothing exceptional.
anonymous - 11 May 2013 09:05 |
fantastic pub, booked in for a sunday roast and was not dissapointed, great beer and was advised by the friendly landlord what i was drinking, live music was unobtrusive and well received, all in all 10 out of 10. keep it up.
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Lovely old pub with a great atmosphere. Had a slice of wild mushroom and goats cheese quiche that was to die for and my partner had a home-made scotch egg that was the size of a cricket ball for just �2.20! Nice, chatty staff, dog friendly. Good range of ales with a wonderful ruby one called Georgian Dragon. Definitely going back for Sunday lunch because the menu is to tie for, roast gammon with cider jus caught my eye and beyond reasonable at just 8 quid. My new fave boozer by a country mile. :)
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Very busy traditional local just outside centre, very good Harveys Porter from a full range. Cosy and friendly.
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So far, my second favourite in Maidstone after the Flower Pot.
A nice vibe, decent ales and live music on occasion are all popular with me.
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First and foremost, I must say that the ale here was excellent!! I had a few pints of Harvey's Best and it was very well kept.
It has been many years since I have venured into the Pilot, and there have been some changes. The pool table has now gone, probably so they can concentrate more on the caterng side of the pub. They have also knocked one of the walls by the entrance to the beer garden through. Not a bad idea all in all.
I must say I really enjoyed my trip to the Pilot, they had a two piece band playing and as a whole I thought it had a nice frendly atmosphere. I will be returning!
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Good beer here. However the landlord was serving pints with big heads and argued when my friend asked to top up his beer. Eventually he managed to put an extra mm of beer in when I insisted it was topped up. He gave short pints the next two rounds we ordered and only topped up slightly when we complained. I will try to avoid this pub in future despite the good beer. He mouthed swear words at me and is one of the most miserable landlords I have ever seen. Probably because Harveys want him to get 80 pints out of a 72 pint cask. A friend of mine remarked that his beer was watery. He over heard and tried to teach her what flavour was. Another friend was telling others where they were going to hear a band the following week at aq different venue. The landlord overheard and told him he would have to leave if he advertised other pubs in his pub!!
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I do really enjoy this pub, it is similar to other pubs such as The Walnout Treea nd The Rifle Volunteers in that it has very much kept itself to itself. A quality selection of Ale and a very palletable Cider as well as a very pleasant land lord make this a nice pub for a quiet drink. I would very much recommend the Sunday night quiz.
OhMyE - 29 May 2010 15:45 |
Have been had a few great evenings here recently and the real ale has been well kept and they have recently had the fullers london porter on as a guest and Harveys kiss as the seasonal. One of my favorite pubs in Maidstone.
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3rd time lucky???
No not really, the Landlord is still a miserable sod and the pub is still empty, i wonder why??
I have 1/2 of Harvey's Best its adequate, tastes fine but its just lifeless.
There are a few noticeable changes to the pub I did not see before mainly a new Jukebox and a fruit machine why? what next a pool table? a quiz machine? Karaoke?
I understand the pub is no longer in the good beer guide, that is because it is change of lease but, I cant ever see it getting in there again whilst its current tenants are running it or should that be ruining it???
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In Maidstone again and thought id give The Pilot another chance seeing as it was always one of my favorite pubs in Maidstone!
But I am afraid to say that things have not improved since my last visit.
I was hoping that my last visit in this once splendid pub where i was so disappointed was a one off but, it was not to be, it was the same if not worse than before.
Again a Friday lunchtime visit with 1 other customer and he was drinking Lager which is not a good sign when you are in a Real Ale pub!
5 ales to choose from so i ordered Mild, i wished I hadn't it was sour and flat so I opted for the Harvey's Best as a sure fire bet, but it was also flat and very hard on the palate, very unpleasant with no hint of the usual sweet after taste I so love from Harvey's Best.
I asked if food was available but the landlord replied "No" and that was it, no explanation as to why there was not, very unfriendly!!
it saddens me how a once busy quality pub with excellent beer, great food and a lovely friendly atmosphere can change so drastically to what it has become now!
could this really be the same pub I discovered only 2 years ago???
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I also feel the need to comment with regards to the nosedive in standards at The Pilot. Previously this was one of my favourite pubs in the country but now, I cannot see me revisting in a hurry. The new landlord is particularly unfriendly and the beer on my last visit was extremely average, and for sky high prices. This might have been in the GBG for years, but I honestly expect it will drop out sooner rather than later. Go to the other end of town instead, as there is now no reason to drink on this side of Maidstone.
Sharp - 24 Aug 2009 18:51 |
What has happened here??
I think the pub has new tenants as the pub was dead and this was a Friday lunchtime. I last came in here in winter, again a Friday and the pub was heaving! the beer was great, friendly staff, good food and a fantastic atmosphere!
today i was greeted by, I presume the landlord, with not even a hello! the beer was not good and the pub was empty!
Such a shame!
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This is a terrific pub, the best I visited in Maidstone during a short visit. It reminded me alot of the Harveys pub in London, the Royal Oak, in both furniture and decoration. There's lots of artwork and niknaks dotted around that give it a pleasing, homely feel. The staff were more than happy to have a chat and my pint of mild was in solid condition. A lovely place to round off an evening's drinking.
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�2.90 a pint :(
Sharp - 17 Dec 2008 11:34 |
This has got to be one of the best pubs in Maidstone. Despite its location on a busy main through route this is how a pub should be. Congenial atmosphere complete with real fire, friendly staff who know their stuff and a perfect pint of Harveys. Very hard to leave.
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One of the best 'local' pubs in Maidstone, with excellent Harveys beer. Well worth the walk southwards out of the town centre.
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Nice atmosphere Landlord doing an excellent job with Harveys beers-all of them.Particularly good on Sun.p.m.when live music washes the Harveys down a treat.Others say the food is really good too at a reasonable price.V.pleasant place to spend the odd pint or 6 !!!!
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The new Landlord's are doing a great job here. The Harvey's is always on top form here.
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visited pub recently on a saturday eve.and was treated to a great live band and excellent beer, well done.
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Very good welcoming pub serving range of Harveys Beers.
Floyd - 12 Sep 2007 19:37 |
Can someone please confirm/dismiss whether or not the Connect 4 and other board games have been in fact removed?!
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I'll be moving out of Maidstone on Saturday, and I think the thing I'll miss most about the town is living about 100 yards away from the Pilot. Its a great pub with excellent beer (its also dog-friendly). On my last trip I forgot to check if the new landlords have removed the Connect 4 and Downfall games, but it will be sorely missed regardless. Sniff.
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Since my last message, Joe has moved on (to the Brecknock Arms on Bells Yew Green near Tunbridge Wells). The new management are a lovely couple called Matt and Gina and have carried on from where Joe left off. Still great atmosphere!
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Great pub - great beer (Harveys). If you want to rile Joe the landlord then ask for London Pride - hysterical!!!
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Best boozer in Maidstone. TWG has said it all and over-consumption did not skew his review. Harveys Best, Old and Armada are available and seasonal draft ales are also present.
Note: NOT open all day. Closes at 3 and reopens at 6, during the week.
Sharp - 25 Jan 2007 20:09 |
Now one of my favourite pubs in Maidstone. Due to its isolated location outside of the main hub area it sees very few "chavs" and because of this is a great place to relax. On my last visit the area we sat had an array of board games and in particular the dominoes took out fancy as we spent a good amount of time (a group of 19 year olds) enjoying many games.
Leebs - 10 Dec 2006 15:28 |
Favoured by ale enthusiasts for good reason - the Harvey's is superb and it is a godsend to lovers of traditional local boozers with an unpretentious environment.
I must say that I have only ever been here after the Maidstone beer festival so my review may be somewhat skewed thanks to over-consumption, but I'm confident that the Pilot will please those punters who look for the above characteristics and eschew town-centre bars with lots of tacky minimalist chrome and coloured lighting.
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Quality pub just outside Maidstone town centre that's well worth braving the deafening traffic on Upper Stone Street for. Its in an interesting old building with a surprisingly large and quiet beer garden out the back.
The major plus is that they always have a good range of Harvey's beer on tap, including Mild and Old, which are always top rate. There's also live music on occasion and a total absence of TVs anywhere. Definitely the best pub in the area by a long shot.
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Only been here once, on a friday night but not at all busy. The beer was very nice but we wern't made to feel fantastically welcome. Will try it again some day.
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Traditional boozer just outside the town centre favoured by CAMRA members for its Harvey's beers. Good food.
Ian Owers - 31 Oct 2003 12:51 |
