Based on 611 opinions finded in 1 websites
Based on 611 opinions finded in 1 websites
Nº 154 in 495 in Maidstone
Opinions
We took a Sunday stroll by the river, from the Malta into Maidstone. Drakes offered us a perfect pitstop and a trip down memory lane. It's where I met my wife for the first time almost 40 years ago! Drakes has a cozy feeling about it and Sam, the barman, was good company. The rear courtyard boasts plenty of under cover seating and appears to be larger than it once was. There's a pool table inside for those who like to play. Would we go back? Absolutely.
S Haddow . 2024-10-07
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Went for a stag do, was good. It could defo use more staff behind the bar as waiting 20+mins to be served was not great
Neil Bryant . 2024-09-29
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Came here for a wedding reception didn't eat anything from bbq but I heard was lovely
Pippa Naylor . 2024-08-16
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Pets friendly and the staff is really nice 🙂
Adan Cazas . 2024-07-28
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Very nice pub has everything you want in a pub
Troy Cooper . 2024-07-24
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Really sad to see that the food has gone so down hill at Drakes!! Usually love going to this pub, there’s loads of choice for drinks and staff are great. We visited recently though and the mains menu is now literally a choice of 2 burgers. There’s not even a veggie burger option and when they came out the quality was appalling. At least if there’s so few options you would hope they were good quality. I had the beef burger and it tasted so cheap and just had a cheese slice and really wilted lettuce in it. My husband had the chicken burger and that was no better put together. They both came with a tiny handful of chips, so we ended up ordering some of the loaded fries after, as we were still hungry. These were even worse. It was a soup bowl full of salad dressing with chips and a cut up chicken burger soaking in there. The cheese was just the cheese slices from the burgers and hot sauce on top. It felt like food for a hungover teenager, it was just awful! Such a shame as it’s a lovely pub and they used to do great food! Probably won’t return now unless there’s a menu change.
Hettie . 2024-07-21
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Didn't eat here. We enjoyed ourselves. Good value for money. Lovely atmosphere. Would definitely recommend it to family and friends.
Michelle Beattie . 2024-07-06
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We went there for a community meeting. Pleasently surprised. A 200 year old stable converted to drink places out the back and a lovely old world pub inside the main building. Nice staff and happened to have a live band. "i'm just a teenage dirt bag baby" Great find. Aspall cider too. My fav. Didnt eat so cannot comment on food. Pool table and darts. 😃
Paul Hillman . 2024-06-13
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This pub is the best in Maidstone in my opinion. Good beer, friendly staff, random bands, good atmosphere, and the building is old but homely. Worth a visit
Diane White . 2024-06-02
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Update May 2024 Had a pleasant couple of hours drinking a few pints of Harvey's. Nice bar staff. Update December 2023 Had to remove 1 star as there was no draught real ale available. Had a couple of beers with friends. Close to the river Medway.
Fred Gogle . 2024-05-23
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Love this place, they have a great selection of food and drinks. Also they embrace live music. We need more venues like this.
Tim Grant . 2024-05-19
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Thank you to all at Drakes, especially Jenna, for making my 30th birthday party so amazingly memorable!! Great drinks, great food, great service - definitely recommending and definitely returning!!
MaidenKacey . 2024-05-14
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Nice old pub with a 600 year old cobblestone outdoor area at the back, along with the old stables. Pleasant atmosphere and quite busy when i went as there was the Maidstone fringe festival on. Definitely worth a visit.
Mad Pixie . 2024-04-13
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Great local place with great music
Charlie Swindells . 2024-03-26
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Happened upon another open mic night with some familiar performers from the mic night circuit. Great atmosphere and the pub has a good layout too.
Billad Robbinson . 2024-03-09
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the soul hextech needs to do this buff she is useless ptn
Esteba Hance . 2024-02-24
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Just gets better and better. Excellent Ales, wide range of drinks, friendly staff, great bands, popular with all ages, well done Ollie the landlord. Due to its popularity it can sometimes be a bit of a wait at the bar. Well worth it as ales served in tip top condition. Band of Rogues inside this evening. What a jolly mix of music enjoyed by a jolly mix enjoying it.
Robby N . 2024-02-10
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Good size pub with a large outdoor area and covered section for a live band to play. Great atmosphere and large selection of drinks.
Glenn McCain . 2024-01-24
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Friendly staff and great atmosphere. Also we went on a Tuesday night and they had live music 👍🏻
Stephen Cunningham . 2024-01-20
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Only popped in for 1, didn't eat. Nice place. Good bands I hear.
Ian T . 2024-01-18
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What a beautiful little gem of a pub I've driven past many times and never knew it was there. Well worth a visit and the Guinness is just perfect. Staff, service and atmosphere is second to none👍
chris flint . 2024-01-12
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We went New Years Eve, staff were great, good variety of beers and lively place to watch bands
Christopher James . 2024-01-06
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Small pub, nice for drinking beers
Jean Claude Maichy . 2024-01-02
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I visited this pub in summer of this year, the staff were all very polite and attentive when someone walked in. The food was very nice and filled me up I would definitely come here again, the atmosphere of the place is good but it would be nice to have more seating area inside although there is more seating outside, for winter time I can image it gets very full inside. Overall, a good time would recommend to anyone local or not!
Ben Brownlee . 2023-11-19
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Cracking pub, happy, friendly staff, a great atmosphere and a top notch service right across the board. Would highly recommend to anyone👌💯👍✌👊😁
Steve Toombs (RASCALS MRG) . 2023-11-16
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Lovely traditional pub with a great atmosphere
Pete Dearden . 2023-11-03
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Great atmosphere, great live band, our food was great, our friends meal however was cold ,but they did resolve the issue quickly which is fab..
Ian Bookless . 2023-10-23
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Bike nights always a good night 👍
Ronald Quevedo . 2023-10-08
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Good sized beer garden, frequent live music and good range of drinks
Applecore666 \m/ . 2023-10-06
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Great, Ambience, l haven't tried their food yet, but my daughter has, and it looked delicious. Will probably change my rating of the food to 5 stars 🌟 after l lunch there.
Gbenga Laniyan . 2023-09-26
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Went for their new menu food tasting, the food was incredible! Bill, the chef was on fire as usual and Mia, our waitress for the evening was incredibly attentive and nothing was too much for her even when dealing with a fair few customers at once. Aside from tonight I've been a few times to their events and BBQs and they are always top notch with a great friendly crowd - get yourself down.
Tom Richmond . 2023-09-17
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Best pub in Maidstone by far - amazing staff, incredible food and an even better atmosphere - the new menu is a must to try!!
Gemma Hurley . 2023-09-15
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Regularly visit Drakes as it is the finest pub in Maidstone by a mile. The atmosphere is great, and the food, by Bill, even better. Fantastic kind service from Mia. If you want a lovely dinner, a few drinks, and live bands, this IS the place to be.
Scarlett Smith . 2023-09-14
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Really friendly crowd and decent pub grub all topped off with brilliant live music set in one of Maidstone's oldest pubs. New menu started this week, hence additional pics. The chef deserves a medal, top notch grub got even more yummy 😋
Lee Garrett . 2023-09-13
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Sought out this pub after it being my local 45 years ago when it was called a different name. Spoke about it to the barman. If the barman had a bit more personality the pub might be busier…..
Jeremy “Jem” Gilbert . 2023-09-11
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I only had one beer there so my comments a bit limited
Ross Fraser . 2023-09-10
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Drakes is great! Atmosphere is wonderful, especially during music nights. The staff are all lovely and helpful, and the pool table always adds some fun to a great night out!
Grace Mc Music . 2023-09-05
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Lovely atmosphere! Usually very good live music! Staff are great! Currently I’ve only been here an hour, the group I’m with have had three drinks spill because of your incredibly uneven tables outside! Waste of money, sort it out!
Callum Lawrence . 2023-09-02
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A good night live music on Thursday night's.
Michael Chatfield . 2023-08-30
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Great pub. We had a works party here with a BBQ. Great service all round
David Joyce . 2023-08-07
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Really like this traditional pub and a fantastic choice of drinks
Phil Morley . 2023-08-05
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Nice pub, lots of seating inside and out. There was a band playing, not my cup of tea but others seemed to enjoy. I would not recommend the Pink Apricot gin. It was horrid, all other drinks are fine
Paul . 2023-08-01
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Such a nice, cosy and climatic pub in the heart of Maidstone
Adam Wieczorek . 2023-07-16
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Went in to watch a friend have their first time on stage at the jam night. Nice pub, plenty of beers I hadn't seen in a pub before. Looks like a good place for live music as the events board was full. Looks like they do motorcycle shows sometimes, too, so that's a bonus.
Baz Weller . 2023-06-25
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I love this old pub, it's been around literally hundreds of years and survived many floodings but it's still one of the nicest places to get a drink, some food and entertainment with friends. There's outdoor seating, plenty of space and nooks inside. You can watch live music, play pool and other bar games too.
Rob Cursons . 2023-06-23
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Had a nice pint of Guinness in there oldy type pub with dart board and music
Kevin Frail . 2023-05-20
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Great pub. Good selection of drinks. Lovely cobbled courtyard area out back and plenty of live music. Definitely recommended.
Simon Watts . 2023-04-27
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A lovely quirky pub with a decent sized beer garden. Nothing plush here, just good beer and service in a clean and tidy pub with beamed ceiling - butbewarethe"Naughty Corner'. Pool table more or less separate from the rest of the pub.They have regular live music on various evenings.The Guinness was excellent as was the Sussex Best Bitter.
The Whisperer . 2023-04-22
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Brilliant bar, relaxed atmosphere; friendly people out for a drink and great music. The venue is fantastic. Great building, loads of space inside and out. Live music was great. Looking forward to going back.
Chloë Whelan . 2023-04-10
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Stables drinking area 600 years old & they have Harvey’s bitter on draft
sbrown900 Brown . 2023-04-10
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Drinks and service great Did not eat but will do next time
Paul Henley . 2023-04-06
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One of my favourite places to gig, great food, excellent choice of drinks, clean facilities. All in all a great night out x
Becky Saward . 2023-04-05
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Fantastic customer service, friendly staff and great atmosphere.
Chris Jones . 2023-03-20
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Great old school pub, good beer, good atmosphere, good back garden and teh food is really good too. Bar staff knowledgeable and friendly
Lewis Howel . 2023-03-17
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Drakes has always been one of the more popular places to drink in Maidstone. Back in the 90's after a couple in the Muggleton we would often go and check out Drakes before moving onto one Maidstone's many clubs. With a pool table, dart board and many board games (my brother turned down a game of Kaplunk) there's plenty inside to entertain - but out in the courtyard there's also a large marque now and also for a more intimate time they've opened some 'stables' that have a nice cosy feel. Those that move with the times - stay with the times I believe and its well worth checking out this above average, long established piece of Maidstones pub culture !
glenn massey . 2023-03-13
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Attended a family birthday here. Everyone was great, venue was busy and live entertainment was spot on. Even my 82 year old mum enjoyed her time. Recommend!
Glenn Carberry . 2023-02-20
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It's a nice old pub by the river.
Phil Bagulay . 2023-02-17
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Great place bar staff very nice ,I would go there again
Susan Dann . 2023-02-14
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Brilliant brilliant brilliant!! Choose this venue for a recent 50th birthday party for the old crew and just fantastic, is a great space, great food and the Drakes staff were just amazing, especially Jenna, thanks Jenna, sorted it all out for us, fantastic at talking me through stuff, putting my mind at rest and just worked so hard to make sure the evening went brilliantly! Oh and do try the rum punch....!!
kel b . 2023-02-09
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A wonderful old pub with great history.
Marcus Judge . 2023-02-04
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Nice place! Good food and a nice atmosphere. But if you want to play Justin Bieber on the Jukebox 15 times in a row, they turn down the music even though you paid for it 🥲 we had a great time here.
Björn Brandt . 2023-01-21
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Great music venue and the Sambuca deal is the nuts.
Pokemon Pokemon . 2023-01-14
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Best pub in Maidstone. Very friendly staff that make you feel welcome as soon as you come in. Bonus points they have a pool table.
Jacob G . 2023-01-05
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Maidstone's Finest. Just the same as it's been for 35 years (probably time to renew the dart board and pool table cloth) They also serve beer!
Olly Gark Filmer . 2023-01-02
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I love this place best warm wine every
Matovu Colline . 2022-12-26
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We were in the covered courtyard for a band.loads of space there . Popular pub can be crowded inside
matt hooper . 2022-12-14
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We were let down at the last minute for a work Christmas Meal. I called Drakes having been there a few years ago and Will the Chef could not have been more helpful. Not only did he fit us in, he catered for our needs based on the food choices we had already made elsewhere. This was all done with 3 days notice, along with a nicely decorated table, Christmas crackers and fantastic table service. The food was amazing. We will definitely visit again! Thank you.
Kerry Poole . 2022-12-10
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Excellent olde world pub close to The High Street.
Nicholas . 2022-12-04
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Everything is just right at Drakes. The atmosphere is perfect for drinking nights or morning chats, the drinks selection is great and prices are fair, the food that Will puts out is perfect and better than some restaurants round here, and the staff are some of the best, most warming people around. If you don't leave with at least one new friend or acquaintance, I'll be surprised. Drakes is easily my favourite pub.
FERNOtheLUCODE . 2022-12-03
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Food and bar service were great, and the manager was attentive. Just worth saying that the open Mike night was anything but open! Arrived just after 9, spoke to the staff member who was playing guitar… it was obviously a place for his mates who take their music very seriously. Go there for the food and the bar, but defo don’t expect to get involved in ‘open’ Mike night 😂
Stuart Lee . 2022-10-26
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Great band last night 'Brothers from another cover '. Nice atmosphere and a unique space to hang out in.
Ayisha Purton . 2022-10-22
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Can't fault this place, it's a lovely pub with friendly staff, great live music and a fantastic jam night every tuesday. The new stable conversion is lovely to sit in and great for groups. The board game selection is pretty good too!
Say Judds . 2022-10-21
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Nice pub at the bottom of Maidstone, friendly staff clean and good beer.
ian davies . 2022-10-12
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Elusive Festival should be happening here monthly, really refreshing!
Erada Oguntoye . 2022-10-09
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Great pub, cosy inside and a very large covered outdoor area with plenty of benches and room for bands to play, not sure how effective the wall heaters would be in the winter months..... the food served seems very popular and from what I saw very appealing, parking is problematic but not impossible, the pub is but a short walk from the town centre and if you're in the vicinity you should definitely check it out.
Brian Hughes . 2022-10-04
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Fantastic staff, great live music, brilliant atmosphere
Smart_maintenance S . 2022-09-27
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Great pub with brilliant atmosphere and superb music and friendly staff
pauline gardner . 2022-09-12
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Pleasant pub. Good for drink or two. Dog friendly which is always a plus. 👍🏼
Iwona Lee . 2022-09-09
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A nice quaint pub located near Maidstone Central. The pub team is very friendly, and there are many pints on tap and events held in abundance.
Sydney J. Peters . 2022-09-09
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Good selection of beers and ales. Food nice at decent prices friendly staff.
Robert . 2022-09-03
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Can't fault the place or the staff. Always friendly and approachable! Amazing team, amazing pub
Thomas Kirby . 2022-09-03
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Great place, very friendly staff and maybe small but delicious food there's. Good life music brand and highly recommended this place. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ziepek . 2022-08-31
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Great atmosphere, with great live music, a rarity nowadays
Jonathan Seggie . 2022-08-21
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Best pub in Maidstone by a mile
Mike Jay . 2022-08-18
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Great boozer with live bands and friendly staff
Alun Dawson . 2022-08-12
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Went to bike meeting... great atmosphere and we'll run food and drink a bit expensive but all good and great band playing to ....what's not to like.
Gary Moore . 2022-08-10
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Had a tasty lunch at Drakes today. I understand it’s a new menu, and everything on it looked good, but we opted for the spicy mac and cheese burger with fries, and the rib roll which came with slaw and seasoned fries. Friendly staff, good beer, and good service, I can recommend Drakes if you’re looking for something a little different
Sue . 2022-07-31
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Lovely old public house with large courtyard out back
Geoff Murray . 2022-07-31
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I went on sunday to c nephew play it was good couple of hours,it was very warm could have done with more table parasols for shade.
Michael Clark . 2022-07-12
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A really fantastic pub, have been here for a works do, an open mic, and the recent Bike Night - Really friendly and helpful staff, the owner, Ollie, is often around and always very friendly, the food is delicious, and the Bike Night was a brilliant event with a really good turnout and a fantastic live band. Cannot recommend Drake's enough!
Pepe Dorito . 2022-07-10
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An ancient and lovely pub at the bottom of the High Street. Full of younger folk and loud music.
alwyn whitlock . 2022-07-03
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Best pub in Maidstone, live music great food and good selection of beers
barry barryhebben@sky.com . 2022-06-25
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Great bar, happy and friendly staff and fantastic choice of beers etx. really enjoyed the atmosphere. we will be back!
The Spuds . 2022-06-11
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Nice old building never been in there before lived here most of my life remember it being the lamb
Lin Smith . 2022-06-10
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Welcoming and vibrant. One drawback were the collection of young lads noisy and over powering around the pool table. Could and would maybe dissuade us older potential customers, from making a decision to come to Drakes over other similar pubs around...
Gary Kitney . 2022-06-07
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Drakes pub is great place and the staff are good too. The atmosphere is banging, friendly. Highly recomend this place. The live music is great too
Dave Lavelle . 2022-06-03
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Nice pub to have a quiet lunch time drink. Good selection of beers and very pleasant service and environment.
David Prescott . 2022-06-01
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Nice pub, nice pint of Harvey's Best Bitter too
vikingraider1 . 2022-05-31
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Damn good pub this one. Not the cheapest pint in town, but it's an excellent spot to enjoy decent beer, and soak up the rays in the beer garden which is expansive. The front bar is very traditional and cosy and they have a pool table which is an absolute bonus if you like shooting stick. Live music in the beer garden regularly so it gets lively. And that's a good thing. Definitely worth a stop in here on your local crawl. Staff are friendly and attentive too. And you can get a nice and lively Proper Job off the draw.
cm-bsr . 2022-05-28
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Great location. Traditional English pub feel with a great beer garden and live music too. Decent selection of draught beers too. What more could you ask for?
Jack Buckley . 2022-05-27
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514 Opinions
We visited midweek for dinner. We ordered the steak suet pudding which was very nice and contained plenty of meat and fish and chips which was ok but not memorable. For desserts we ordered lemon drizzle cake which was excellent and ginger loaf cake which tasted a bit bland. The service was friendly enough although came across as a little apprehensive. We really liked the signs on the walls including the toilets which were very clean. Overall we had a very enjoyable evening and would return.
1582 Opinions
Had our team Christmas party here in a Tuesday afternoon and felt as if we've hired the whole place and it felt serene and quiet just for our team. Food was good but a bit pricey but I guess the quality was great so deserves the price tag. First time in there although been in Maidstone just over 8 years now
827 Opinions
We've visited so many times over the past few years, and it never disappoints. My wife, daughter, and I enjoyed an incredible roast dinner. The staff here are always welcoming and go above and beyond to ensure a great experience. The warm atmosphere and consistently excellent food keep us coming back. A big thank you to the wonderful team.