Old Neptune Reviews Summary

Location & Setting

Pros:

• "Right on the beach & they have lots of picnic benches outside."
• "If you're in Whitstable and the weather is good and you've enjoyed a nice stroll along the beach there's a good chance that you will arrive at this pub where you can stop and take in the surroundings sit right on the beach on one of the numerous tables and benches and enjoy a beverage of your choosing..... absolute bliss."
• "Stunning pub right on the beach. Friendly welcome when we arrived and luckily a free table for all the family and the dog as well."
• "The location is absolutely perfect for some sunset drinks if you manage to grab a sit outside."
• "Lovely pub on the beach! ... The service was great and food was delicious!"
• "Large space on the beach with plenty of picnic tables for seating."
• "The pub is situated on Whitstable beach, a short stroll from the harbour."

Cons:

• "It's really small inside, a pain if you need to go to the loo, the floor is a bit unsteady."
• "View Amazing, very cute historical pub. Trying to find a table outside was a frustrating experience to say the least."
• "Not wheel chair or buggy friendly due to the beach wall and defences."
• "Downside no accessible access to the beach side seating area so no good for people with disabilities or pushchair."
• "Parking is hard to find but is available up and down the streets."
• "Outside was a small awning area that wasn't enough to stop customers getting soaked to the skin."
• "Not the easiest place with a pushchair though because of sea wall defence."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Friendly, prompt service."
• "The staff were SO friendly and helpful (finding us a table for a meal on a busy Sunday afternoon)."
• "Stopped off for a well deserved beer after a long coastal walk and was glad of somewhere warm to sit and sample a hand pulled pint of Whitstable Pale Ale and very nice it was too."
• "The staff are friendly and helpful and if you stay until early evening you'll see some of the greatest sunsets."
• "Always busy in the summer, but the staff always seem to get to you quite quickly."
• "Service is very friendly and efficient, a place to visit on a guaranteed sunny day."
• "Fantastic, friendly staff."

Cons:

• "Two sandwiches took over an hour to arrive and one was on the wrong bread."
• "During busy hours it might take you quite a while to be able to order a drink from the bar."
• "Customer service slow and the food was mainly frozen."
• "The main negative from me was the staff. There was one staff member who wouldn't leave our dogs alone and kept interrupting our meal to pet them."
• "Should have been a red flag when the server was totally uninterested in serving us with drinks or getting us a food menu."
• "Lovely old pub but found the staff unwelcoming."
• "Some very rude staff members and not very welcoming."

Food & Drinks

Pros:

• "I was particularly impressed with the attention to using paper and biodegradable containers and utensils - doing their bit to help the planet."
• "Great selection of local beers from Whitstable bay ranging from ales to stouts."
• "Had a delicious chicken curry round the wood fire very reasonably priced!"
• "Food was good I had salt and pepper squid very nice and good value for money."
• "Had a gorgeous lunch here. Really fresh seafood and nice atmosphere."
• "Never fails to impress me with delicious choice of food (seafood platter the best ever) and ciders..."
• "Lovely relaxed atmosphere and very good food - our party all really enjoyed our meals - the steak pudding was particularly spectacular!"

Cons:

• "And the fish served is not on the list of sustainable fish to eat (cod & plaice)."
• "Unbeatable location let down by cling film wrapped sandwiches filled with ordinary ingredients."
• "Nice location for a drink and friendly staff but the Nachos were absolutely shocking."
• "The food was massively disappointing. Anything other than fish & chips was really bad."
• "This is pub food at its worst. Very little choice, everything is so deep fried as to taste only the fried batter."
• "The Fishbox was likened to cheap catering freezer style food."
• "The food is half decent but it comes in a cardboard box and your plastic cutlery comes in a plastic bag, with sauces in little plastic sachets!"

Atmosphere & Entertainment

Pros:

• "The Neptune is the place in Whitstable to sit outside on a picnic table in the summer, enjoying a drink and great fish and chips."
• "What a gem of a pub! ... Warm and cozy interior with great live music. And a casual yet inviting exterior to enjoy the sunset with your bevy right on the beach."
• "Old Neptune is a suitably old and traditional boozer but its position practically on the beach is what elevates it to iconic status."
• "The atmosphere was soul-soothingly peaceful and friendly."
• "Very well kept ales, had a spot on pint of Whitstable bay."
• "Saw an awesome blues band here last Sunday had a great time!"
• "Great for live music at the weekends.. even better during the winter when it's cosy inside and freezing outside."

Cons:

• "It's a bit snug inside in these Covid times, but they've invested in tables and canopies for the beach."
• "Enjoyed it in the past, Sunday it was full of glaring, drunken, hostile, BLOKES wanting to fight."
• "Extremely busy when we went unfortunately absolutely packed with people shouting and screaming."
• "Obviously we weren't welcome as we weren't locals."
• "Some customers were bad at queuing. Several examples of poor bar etiquette."
• "The all female staff were complaining about shifts and hours when we bought our drinks."
• "Curious but pleasant pub literally on the beach. Nothing wrong with it but I just felt something was missing."

Accessibility & Family-Friendliness

Pros:

• "Also Dog friendly, so our 5 month old could relax with us."
• "Brilliant for the kids."
• "They are child friendly until 6pm which is great as my husband and I love going out in the evening without the kids."
• "They are family & dog friendly."
• "Nice sitting outside which allows the kids some space to breathe and expel energy."
• "Food is excellent and reasonably priced and a very simple children's menu which suited my fussy children perfectly."
• "When we sat down straight away a young boy bring us a big bowl with cold water for my dogs."

Cons:

• "Lots of the reviews for this pub said it was dog friendly, but when we arrived at 11.45am on a windy Saturday we were told the only option for us with our two dogs was to sit in a windy gazebo."
• "Not wheel chair or buggy friendly due to the beach wall and defences."
• "Downside no accessible access to the beach side seating area so no good for people with disabilities or pushchair."
• "Not the easiest place with a pushchair though because of sea wall defence."
• "Would choose somewhere else if had a pushchair again."
• "Also no baby changing facilities so knocked off a few stars for that."
• "No cons mentioned regarding entertainment and events."