Gate Inn in Canterbury

A long time since I visited this pub, once a favourite many years ago. I came for lunch as I had seen the postings on Facebook about a new menu. Came early so not at all busy. Excellent 'pub grub' menu choices, expertly and quickly cooked and served. Very reasonable prices. The usual Shepherd Neame drink choices. Looking forward to visiting when the fire is lit.

Popped in to enquire about lunch for 4 while camped at nethergong and returned a couple of days later with my family and was not disappointed, the atmosphere,service and surroundings were second to none , wonderful food at a very reasonable price this place is a gem 👌 will definitely be returning 👍

The owner informed us on arrival that they had closed the kitchen early as they ran an hour earlier today. We were then told that they would serve us food. The staff were so friendly and the food was incredible. Highly recommend.

This pub has so much heart and charm, it's hard to imagine another place that can match it. The staff were so friendly and competent, the location had a homely feel to it and the food... this deserves a paragraph all on its own. However I'm not great at spacing so I'll try to give the best impression I can. I ordered a burger and I was not prepared for the scale of quality that I got. You literally have to try it to see what I mean. It was a burger that outranks the sad mess of mainstream restaurants that most settle for. Not naming any culprits in particular, but the food at this pub made me realise I had become conditioned to settle for less all these years. Anyway. The people who run this place should hold their heads high as they made my evening memorable. There is a genuine sense of community there. Not the kind that involves silence and head turning when you first walk in. There is real heart and a family feel that you just can't buy. Nuff said. Go find out yourself.

Excellent - early afternoon band, very good. Food and drinks all great.

Great place. Been coming here for over 40 years. Highly recommend.

Really good value for money nutritious tasty food served by friendly staff.

Lovely little pub. Food & service spot on!

Visited for Sunday lunch. Very disappointed with the food. Roast Beef was on the menu which is what we ordered. The beef, although tender enough was more like casseroled beef the vegetables reminded us of school dinners, carrots, peas, cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes. You have to have 2 courses, either starter or sweet with the main. Costing £24.95. The crumble on my sweet was soft and floury. It's a great pity as staying nearby we would have visited for meals each day when open The staff are friendly. Drink prices reasonable.

Went for lunch, food not as good as it used to be, under new management?

The pub is lovely with a friendly family running it ,the food was a bit disappointing prawn cocktail was good ,but the roast beef dinner was a bit of a let down the peas were over cooked and had started to lose colour Carrots wasn't very hot ,2 bits of beef were great one was full of gristle/fat ,the Yorkshire pudding was shop bought and the cauliflower cheese look hot but 2 outta 4 of use don't like it so yes a bit disappointing, but on a high not cheesecake was very tasty

Looked forward to a nice Sunday Lunch at the Gate Inn this February. Sad to say we had the worst lunch ever, the lamb chops were OK the vegetables were appalling in fact we,ve put better veggies in the trash bin, we were also served by young children. I’m sorry but I would never recommend this place to anyone.

Excellent pub 🍻 friendly staff great service

No need for words except, 'fabulous'. Visit it, you will find everything you ever wanted in an English country pub. Hugely recommended.

Lovely time spend in Gate Inn on Saturday lunch time with friends

We enjoyed our visit very much. Very friendly landlord, wasn't rushed, will definitely be back thank you.

Amazing food and service received today from the pub. Highly recommended

Great little pub in the back roads of chiller with a lovely beer garden. Staff are always friendly.

Needs a dartboard... other than that..can't fault it!

Very nice but not a lot of choice

This is a lovely pub to visit, it is full of character with a lovely beer garden.. The food is really lovely and the owners and their children are great. I had my birthday meal there on Friday and there was even a birthday balloon. I'd highly recommend this place. I hear they are having a refurb... please don't lose the character. Personally, I think it's perfect as it is.

Great place, amazing atmosphere

Haven't been here for a while and won't rush to return,the glory days are long gone,Chris the former landlord would be disappointed at what has become of this once busy popular pub..

Fantastic family pub. Accommodated our party of 19 (order food in advance). Pie was absolutely faultless and prices very reasonable. Thanks Spencer x

Meal was excellent and staff very friendly .

Great food & good service & friendly staff

Lovely country pub with great atmosphere

Lovely pub with good priced food and nice beer. Small menu but it changes weekly. It’s recently changed hands .

Called in with 5 cycling friends for lunch in the garden by the river. Great value for money and a friendly welcome. Pity we don’t live in the area as we are on holiday.

Had a fantastic afternoon here today! The new owners are fantastic and can’t wait to go back again soon! Thank you all for a lovely afternoon!

I can't really comment on the food as we didn't eat, but the menu was plain and boring. It is obviously a family run business now but to see children running through the kitchen does kind of put people off. We waited at the bar for a few minutes for the bar man to basically find himself. The changes to the bar area are significant, personally they have taken some of the changes too far. Far too many tables and chairs cramped into the beer garden. It would be nice if someone was in a position to clear the river by the pub. I understand it will be an ongoing issue, and look forward to further improvements.

Real Country pub, with great food and beautiful setting

Under new management. Friendly staff. I do feel the food is not as good as it was with the bought-in burgers rather than home-made ones that the previous chef made each morning.

Nice country pub. Only had ploughman's but was nice and staff friendly

A lovely relaxed friendly family run pub with homemade food. We were welcomed from the moment we entered. It seems to have been recently renovated beautifully and when the weather improves I'll definately be back for the garden with it's stream and outside bar. A real gem of a place.

Very disappointed. Certainly not like it used to be.

What a lovely find on our walk! We received a warm welcome by the new owner. We fancied a pot of tea and light lunch snack and that’s exactly what we got! I was especially thrilled to see sourdough bread offered with our tuna melt toastie which agrees with my tummy better. Sitting in quiet countryside beside a stream made us feel we must drive out this way again! Thank you.

First time visit to the Gate Inn. Well worth it. Great setting, delicious pub grub and great value. We'll be back.

Proper home cooked food reasonable price friendly family run pub With decent GF & DF Options

Good food, reasonable prices and very friendly and attentive staff. Recommended

Friendly,clean,good menu and fab Whitstable bay ales are served!The food was yummy and the service was excellent.

I understand The gate inn is now under new management. Friendly, family country pub clean fresh look with large garden area. Dogs are allowed. Went for the coronation, pie and mash was very nice. The staff are friendly.

Such a lovely welcoming pub, the new owners are doing an amazing job. Lots going on today bank holiday Monday so get down there and have fun. Really kid friendly

Lovely people running it. Great selection of drinks and tasty food. Wonderful family atmosphere and an ideal place to take children and dogs. Well worth the visit. Definitely recommend!

Emma and Spencer have made this pub feel warm and welcoming. The food is delicious, especially the salted caramel and pecan millionaires shortcake!! We look forward to seeing you again very soon. Thank you

Came here in a party of 20 from Nethergong campsite. Great food and service, lovely old pub and beer garden - perfect for hungry campers.

This is an amazing friendly pub offering good service, home cooked food and a lovely garden

Lovely pub with super friendly owners. Great outdoor space in the sun.

Great welcome and beer, thank you.

Friendly staff & locals. Good, hearty pub grub.

Proper old countryside pub. Lovely garden with their own ducks.

Nice country pub. Rustic but cozy with a decent pub menu and beer selection. Friendly staff. Nice garden if the sun has his hat on.

Went for Sunday lunch and sat outside. Food was very good and enjoyed by everyone. The only disappointment was a couple who were playing guitar and singing in the garden, although this sounds miserable of me the volume was so loud we could not talk to each other. It felt as if they were there and we were be made to listen, if the volume was a little lower it would of made nice background music rather than a overbearing nuisance.

Nice little pub with seating put side by the river and ducks

We stopped here on a bike ride round the lanes. Very pleasant sitting outside in the sun in a dog friendly area with ducks and chickens clucking around. However we had a group of six people and only three meals arrived. We asked the waiter a number of times when the other dishes were going to arrive and he kept assuring us they were coming. After the others finished their food we queries with the kitchen where the food was and they apologised saying they didn't have the order. Quite a basic mess up. The food we had was quite nice hence three stars.

What an amazing ploughman's lunch one of the best I've ever had

Nice food, nice people, great location

Excellent old style, low key and friendly pub. Food was good and a lovely rural location.

Friendly atmosphere and nice garden. Pizza's were amazing!

It's such a nice pub in a fantastically tranquil location that I'm almost reluctant to talk about how good it is! Great interiors and beautiful riverside garden where you can enjoy drinks and food from a varied and inexpensive menu. We chose to enjoy our drinks in the large and pleasant beer garden directly adjacent to an impressive Weeping Willow tree and the slow moving waters of a small stream complete with a resident family of 'well-behaved' ducks.

Lovely pub, next to a small river, in the countryside well worth a visit

How the mighty have fallen, this once magnificent little pub/restaurant was once a beautiful retreat, where one could enjoy the quiet of nature with one of many magnificently crafted meals. Now, not so much, service seems to have gone downhill aswell as the quality and care with which food is prepared. My family and I have loved visiting the Gate Inn since I myself was in nursery, it is a great shame to witness its decline, not to mentioned the abrupt disappearance of its star side dish, Noggins. The Burger: The once unique house burger, namely the 'Gate Burger', is now a fraction the size they once were, the bun has gone from almost bakery fresh with a unique and memorable swirl design, to the same plain glazed bun you'll find anywhere else. Contents are about as standard as it gets, a single piece of lettuce, one remarkabley thin slice of tomato, one satisfactory beef patty, topped with a slice of chedder and a single small strip of caramelised bacon. Nothing to write home about, a wonder it's still considered the house burger. Service: I received a warm enough welcome, however a couple of mistakes where made during my visit, my drink order was incorrect, the dietary request in my order was neglected, which could have potentially lead to a serious allergic reaction. Little effort was made to rectify these wrongs, I did however recieve my requested drink after a brief interaction. Service was very slow, I was informed that this was due to the kitchen having undergone a recent deep clean. Why you would give the kitchen a deep clean mid afternoon one can only wonder, it is, for many establishments, one of the busiest times of day, more-so when the sun is shining. This said, the atmosphere is pleasant, the recent felling of trees is very unfortunate as they not only sheltered the garden from much of the wind but helped the garden feel enclosed and safe. The animals that wander about the grounds are a delight, lovely rabbits that children love to watch hop about in their enclosure, and ducks that have been a joy to see for many years of patronage. I was also glad to see the return of chickens as I was informed by previous ownership that the previous flock had been assaulted by a fox. I ofcourse recommend a visit to form your own opinions, afterall, I'm just a person on the Internet.

Great place, very friendly staff and good food 👌

Bar area unchanged since our first visit forty five years ago. Excellent food and beer. Attentive service.

Very good food,service and very helpful staff.

Brilliant place. Came from Bham to this place

Always super friendly, warm welcome and homely. We don't go here often, but they not only remember us,and our order. But type of glass we like them in! Excellent.

My family and I visited back in 2017. I had a brie and pear sandwich that I remember fondly to this day.

Friendly country pub with great food and good service.. we shall return.

Always a great spot for a pint :-)

Nice ambience, friendly staff, good food although the roast potatoes where under cooked. I will return

What a lovely friendly pub! We had our dinner here this evening and it was great. Nice food, cosy pub and very friendly human staff. Highly recommended

Had lunch on the sunny back patio with a pint of Master Brew dropped straight out of the barrel - so far so good. Ordered a Gate burger which tasted good and was clearly home made - so far so gooder. However the burger reminded me of that old joke where the waiter asks "how did you find the burger sir" and the response is "I just moved a lettuce leaf and there it was". Smallest burger in the world - and they forgot the cheese! Gets one star for the beer and one star because it was a sunny day - I'm feeling generous with the weather award!

Lovely place set on the side of a natural pond. Very friendly, and the food looks good - I intend on going again to try it out!

Nice friendly old pub, with nice outside seating area, nice inside too, good beer, nice food, nice staff, with ducks walking around outside with river flowing past, dog friendly too

Have always had a nice meal here. Beautiful outside area next to the river with ducks and rabbits.

Beautiful pub with a beautiful garden, and THE best burger in the area! You won't regret spending an afternoon here, thank you again!

Beautiful food (we both had the Belly Pork) fantastic friendly helpful and efficient service. Also welcomed our 2 Cocker Spaniels with open arms. Sooooo good we have booked a table for another night

We decided to visit having been told this pub was renown for its fantastic pies. Having booked and arrived at 6pm, we were told the pies had ‘sold out’. Not a great start! Even the scotch egg starter was not available! The alternatives on offer were good (nice chicken wings starter) but the initial disappointment takes the shine off the visit. The staff were friendly and very attentive which is always the benchmark for any decent establishment. I would visit again in the hope of sampling the food I had wanted to select. Nice, spacious garden for the kids to play, good seating area. ** Update ** a pleasant response & explanation from the manager - thanks for taking the time to respond - I’ve upgraded your score purely on your customer care - I hope to sample the pies and other delicacies in the near future!

Went for a roast dinner lunch today, it was late at 2.30 but we were assured that there would be plenty of hot food before arrival. Unfortunately the food arrived cold, once we complained the manager offered a fresh replacement which we accepted. When the food returned we were asked ‘which one was ours’, they had reheated in the oven and now was half eaten and burnt. Very disappointing. Won’t return.

Only had coffee and dessert which were very nice. Nice staff. No pressure to leave when we'd finished.

The staff where very friendly and the pub has a nice location. The menu in the pub is far more limited than the one shown here, with a very basic pasta dish being the only vegetarian meal available, this is in contrast to the three options listed on the menu here on Google. It would be worth either considering having vegetarian choices available or removing the old menu.

Slow to serve once you had placed an order.

Lovely pub. But the Sunday roast was poor. Took 30 mins to arrive. Pork belly was rubbery 75% fat inedible wedge with no crisp. Had to ask why there were no Yorkshire puddings as advertised; they brought them out 5 mins later and they were flat like biscuits. Food arrived cold. Veg was almost raw. Chicken dry and over cooked. I would have been embarrassed to serve… hopefully a one off as I really want this pub to do well.

Lovely pub, great burgers, charming staff.

Hands down had the best scotch egg of my life there. Will remember that meal for a while!

Friendly helpful staff, who made the evening a fun time. Not knowing the local brews, the manager gave my brother a couple of glasses to try. The food was hot and very tasty, cooked by the new chef, who started that night. We will be going back when back in the area.

This was a long overdue family get together. First time in 18 months. The staff were excellent, coping both with my 93 year old Dad and two border collies. The food and beer was top quality. Had a really good experience.

Went for lunch today the beer and food were fabulous. The cheeseboard was one of the best I have had for a very long time. Will be back and will bring friends such a lovley place.

Nice friendly Kentish pub, food very good

Lovely staff, really nice bet garden. A hidden gem this one!

It was so good to enjoy the Gate again, we stayed away for several years as it was nt enjoyable. New people have really bought it back again.

Returned after 2yrs. Never been better. Excellent value for money. Well recommended.

Good food at a reasonable price. Eton mess to die for!!

Fantastic food and fair prices. We had a really enjoyable meal today. Good variety of food and friendly staff. Another highlight was the rabbits and ducks in the garden.

Good food, good beer and the very best entertainment with #Mattbrooksmusic

First visit here, it is a very welcoming place and nice atmosphere. Food and drink available too

Not enough vegetarian options. Otherwise food was ok. Staff very friendly

Nice to support our local after the lock down

Fantastic service, outdoor fire pits to keep you warm, loved it.