please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
What a great find! Stayed nearby over xmas and nipped in the Swan every day for a couple of scoops....Advent and Holly daze were the beers of choice and excellent they were too.
Friendl staff and regulars made us feel welcome....
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We arranged to meet my in-laws here on a Monday lunchtime as a mid way watering hole; it looked good on the web and also welcomed pets. On entry we were greeted by a young barman who made us all feel very welcome. We sampled a few beers before we ordered and this was just great as we could all enjoy the right beer for our diverse tastes. The food was great as was the service; the waitress was very attentive and also very efficient. The barman continued to look after our needs until we left; he definitely made the difference!
Our experience was extremely positive and we'll definitely be returning!
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I have recently enjoyed an excellent evening in the Swan. As well as the good beer and food (which we consumed plently of!) there was very entertaining live music. The atmosphere can only be described as friendly and fun! with the majority of the other customers (and some stuff!) joining in with the singing and dancing that was taking place. I would strongly suggest giving this pub a chance, the large range of excellent beer/cider/wine avaliable, good food, and welcoming feel is only part of its charm.
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We came across this pub while doing some rambling in East Sussex. We only stopped for a pint but being a group of six, some of us decided to enjoy some of the local fare. We were pleasantly surprised at the variety of the food on the menu. The ambiance was nice and very welcoming. The service was excellent and promt and the waitress did her best to make us feel welcome. The food was extremely good and in abundance. We went for starters followed by the traditional fish & chips. The choice of desserts was very good and all six of us were extremely satisfied. Would give a 9 out of 10. Worth visiting again.
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All went wrong here some weeks ago... once an oasis of good real ale served from the barrel ..... Ray is now to be found at his new acquisition .. the Bells at Woodchurch..... I wish both pubs success.
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Ostensibly a rather by-numbers, vastly-extended family-orientated pub, it pays to stop off and investigate further. For there are a range of decent cask ales to be had - my Goachers Fine Light was excellent - and what seems to be good food. Only had snacks in the form of cheesy chips and cheese board, but it was hearty fare and served up at the usually-food-unfriendly hour of 5PM. The landlady was convivial, although I've got to say the girl who brought the grub over seemed somewhat charmless and altogether detached. Still, overall, a worthy stop off and a nice end to an afternoon in the summer sun.
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Great pub, the beers always top class and theres a great choice from local suppliers. After recently hearing about them having a new menu I took the missus down there to give it a go and we were dead impressed. I had the homemade broccoli and stilton soup and the wife had garlic mushrooms, both were pretty good. For main course I had the seabass, perfectly cooked n packed wih flavour, the wife had lamb cutlets and loved the garlic mash. Would definitly recommend trying the food and i'll certainly be back for more.
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A superb pub. The beer range and quality demonstrates the care the landlord takes to make the pub worth seeking out. Very reasonable prices too. The freshness of my pint(s) of DarkStar Hophead served on gravity from behind the bar made it taste like no previous pint of Hophead that I have found. Shall definitely be going back - regularly!
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I can understand aspects of some of the previous reviews, but the bar staff were friendly and efficient. Yes, there were a large group of locals at and around the main bar, but it was hardly like walking into whatever the Royston Vasey pub is called. There is also a more basic bar at the front if you want something a bit more old-fashioned. Anyway, an interesting selection of real beer - four from handpumps and another four straight from the cask (plus a good choice of cider) - mostly from local and/or small producers. My pint of Rother Valley Smild (a dark mild) was just right.
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Agree with Manky Badger that the place seems a little clinical, though not having visited it before the refurbishment I can't compare. It is still a pleasure to visit a pub that obviously takes pride in the selection and quality of ales on offer - on my visit 6 ales and 6 real ciders available.
Floyd - 20 Aug 2008 19:47 |
Having been told how wrong I was, I felt it only fair to re-visit the place.
I don't doubt the locals are a great bunch of guys, but they still look scary.
The place has had a full refurbishment - yes. And perhaps this is where me and my critic disagree on the place. To my mind, with this refurbishment it's turning away from being a pub and moving towards being a restaurant. Which is fine if that's what the place wants to be and that's what it's public wants. Reviewed as a restaurant this place scores 10/10.
But it's not what *I* am looking for in a pub. Nor is this website about reviewing resturants.
I'm afraid I stand by my previous review with the observation that the place is a wonderful restaurant with a very well supplied bar for the ale drinker. But it's not the *pub* it used to be.
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Has anyone ever thought that the world is evolving all the time, trends change and more commercial risks are being taken to ensure the viability of the village local? This publican has by way of a full refurbishment to accommodate the many drinkers and diners that frequent it. The Swan is evolving all the time and ticks all the boxes. Pubs are about people, beer and now food has become a major part. The locals are great and the food is excellent. Sorry Manky Badger but your just plain wrong!!
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I last visited this place during their 2005 winter ales festival when it was a charming, quaint village pub which served good food. Went back today to find the place has been refurbished and is now loads bigger than it was, complete with restaurant wing. As part of the refurbishment, they seem to have removed all the character this place had. I can best describe it as �coldly clinical�. It�s just it�s not what it was. Why do people destroy these �olde worlde� pubs in this way?
The bar is now too spacious, and was deserted apart from the half dozen locals all crowded at the bar, all cooing over the barmaid�s pet guinea pig, making it very difficult to get served. And as other reviewers of this place have pointed out, the locals do look scary. (I expect they are decent folk � they just look scary)
It�s a strange pub. Today they had three ales on hand pump, four ales straight from the barrel (including �Level Best�) and two real ciders. For me � that should be heaven on earth.
It�s been voted CAMRA pub of the year four times in the last six years, but I don�t like the place. It�s got all the ambience of a cold church hall, or the doctor�s waiting room. It speaks volumes that when I�m next in the area I�ll be going to the Shepherd Neame place up the road.
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I guess it was voted local Camra pub of the year because of the wide range of ales. The Titanic Iceberg I had was cloudy but tasted OK; I suspect, though, that the turnover's not as quick as it might be - everybody else in the pub appeared to be drinking lager.
The welcome at the bar was friendly enough, but both the interior and the outside drinking area seemed rather bleak and cheerless, and as for the clientele, I have rarely encountered a more weird and scary bunch. I was quite grateful to drink up and make a safe getaway.
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Welcoming village local:never been in it before, though we used to use the late lamented Ewe and Lamb years ago.I didn't try the foood, though it looked good.An interesting range of ales direct from the barrel at the back of the bat:I liked Rother Valley's Boadeacea, which kept the beer miles very low!
The pub well deserves its accolade as Kent Camra's pub of the year
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Nice place, good beer and good choice. Sleepy little village a bit of the beaten track but definitely worth a visit.
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OK pub, both ales I tried were cloudy, didnt try the food because of this.
anonymous - 12 Nov 2006 07:30 |
Hits all the right buttons: Great range of real beers and ciders in the best of nick, good food, welcoming staff. Came on it by chance and made a vow to return. Highly recommended!
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2 bar pub near centre of village, with regular beers on handpump and 4 guest ale barrels on bar. Local pub of the year. Recommended
lout_from_the_lane - 28 Nov 2003 14:07 |
