Old Neptune in Canterbury

Meal was good but when we have been before, my reviews started as excellent and then moved to very good but now just good mainly due to a decline in the quality of the food and service. However, it is still very popular due to the location which is the best in Whitstable - so I suppose as long as it is still busy, unfortunately things will not change back to previous times.

Has to be one of the best places in the country to enjoy a beer as the sun sets. Great atmosphere sitting out on the beach - granted it was a beautiful evening with a hazy sunset. Have read some of the less complimentary reviews, but this is a pub where you come to chill out and watch the sun go down or to have lunchtime fish and chips. It is definitely not a gastropub - it is a proper old school pub and long may it be so. Almost forgot - had some good music last night.

Popped in for lunch, fabulous location great service. Good menu dressed crab was lovely, limited veggie options and the goats cheese tart was not great but all the food coming out looked good. Excellent kids menu. Limoncello spritz was lovely

We visited this pub yesterday after A gap of some two years. A pint of Spitfire lager, a 175ml glass of Sauvignon Blanc and one prawn sandwich cost £22.50.

1-min review Pros: - amazing food, especially the fish and chips - great seafood, in particular the pint on prawns are great for kids - pricing reasonable for the location - lots of seating outside and enough tables inside Cons: - needs a bit more aircon on hot days - it’s so busy that getting your order taken can take time! - food can take a bit longer than expected to arrive Overall: Food and location make this a must. Extra bonus points go to the fish and chips!

Very busy great fish & chips sit at bences on the beach edge

Prominent position Very busy Efficient pleasant staff Thanks

never been over this side of England before. fish and chips first night here were delicious and bar on the beach great idea. tried a few places over the weekend including the one you walk for ages to get to then queue and not so good so ended up back here last day as so good. staff young but do a great job. oysters, squid, and fish and chips excellent and a great view. will be back

Nice view of sea didn't eat here and found the drinks a bit expensive

Awful place. Expensive but with no service to justify it. Ordered a bottle of Prosecco and they didn’t bother to open it, or give us an ice bucket. Yes that may sound posh, but when you spend £35 for a bottle you expect that. We weren’t allowed a jug of water and we witnessed an argument over who was serving the ice between the staff. Dinner was served in boxes and we were told to get our own cutlery and sauces. My ‘dressed’ crab was pretty much brown crab with tiny sprinkles of white and it tasted like the dregs of a crab and made me feel sick. Do not read the good reviews. Do not go here. No service, crap and over priced food, no atmosphere. Avoid avoid avoid

Just popped in for a quick drink 15years after my last one there! Still great.

Great pub on the beach. Good selection of drinks. Good food menu. Would have been 5 stars, but we had a 45-minute wait for food, which we weren't advised about. After meeting the owner, he apologised and offered us a free drink and an invite back for a better experience.

Plastic glasses and lots of energetic kids makes for an interesting experience!

Lovely pub in an exquisite location.

One of my favourite places on Earth.

Lovely bar, very friendly staff,great atmosphere, and superb views of the coast. It's definitely worth a visit. Highly recommended.

Great place for some fish and chips on a warm summer eve! Really tasty. But disappointed to see so many single use plastics in use. Please just buy bottles of mayo/ketchup/vinegar rather than relying on sachets. Less reliance on plastic cups and containers would be great too, need seaside town staples to set an example!

Bad service, bad food, no options

Always enjoy a visit here, nice in summer or in winter. Can get really busy at certain times of year but all the staff are friendly, grabbed a burger on my last visit guy cooking it was sound

Nice place, too bad that beer is served in a plastic cup

Great location and lovely staff justva shame they don't have a vertical flue for the kitchen .The smell of cooking oil was so strong as it was fanned out. It's not nice at all, and such a fab location

Sadly we waited too long to get a drinks the barmaid ( who was so not happy working there) won't serve us because she wasn't serving that part of the bar. We left without a drink. It was busy place but there are other places in Whitstable with lovely service and same drink. Not worth visiting ☹️

Great place to eat and drink right on the beach

Lovely pub directly on seafront. Always a friendly welcome. Great service and reasonably priced. Nice having a pint of Whistable lager in Whitstable 😊. Have had fish and chips there in past which were very nice too. To get to the outside seating area it's over the sea wall with a few steep steps either side just to bare in mind if you have buggies etc. The inside area is cosy and warm. Like visiting when we are in the area really recommend if you have not tried

Great place to sit down on a nice sunny day and have a pint of the local brew... Great service from the well staffed bar and eating area.

A pub right on the beach! Fish and chips was good! Good taste, quick service and reasonable price. The Whitstable lager was also good!

Great atmosphere and location. Absolutely boiling under the summer sun, but thats what makes a cold pint taste even better. The calamari in the seafood box is mid so wouldn't recommend that.

Poor attitude from staff, when asked if the waterproof curtain could be pulled across. The waiter said he would have to ask the boss, he came back with "no its only a shower." I told him we were eating dinner and getting wet. He shrugged his shoulders and walked off. The goats chesse tart was so hard it could not be cut, maybe the rain would have softened it. Shame, as it a nice pub.

Really disappointed as such a great location, but the food was awful. Sandwich bread stale and chips so dry and over cooked.

Old style pub right on beach Food comes in disposable boxes Covered seating Area right on next to beach

Interesting and rustic pub, situated right on the beach 👍

Lovely day there with the family they came over from Australia and south Africa

Pleasant beach side pub with a good beer selection.

Right on the beach in Whitstable Kent. This pub has some great views out to sea and along the coast from it's partly covered outside area. Food is served inside and out and there is a good selection of locally produced beers available. I can't raye the food as I didn't eat but what I saw come out to others looked ok. I did glance at their menu and found prices were quite reasonable.

Great pub right on the beach. Very helpful staff.

What more can I say about a pub on the beach. Amazing view excellent service and excellent quality food and drink.

One of the staples of Whitstable and a bucket list pub if you're in the area. No parking so it's a walk the last quater mile.

A great pub, right on the beach.

Brilliant pub on the beach, food wasnt bad considering it's mainly a drinkers pub with lovely seating out on the beach. Beautiful on a sunny day

Visited on a wet and windy day.Heard so much about this place my enthusiasm was not dampened. This was a "reccee" trip see if my Wife would like it. Brilliant location on the beach.No parking and not easy parking nearby. Opened the door and the ambience was immediate. Like a Pub should be. Staff welcoming and a good selection of beers. Shame,I was driving so had a Coffee, Instant only. Served to my seat and was piping hot.£2.00.👍 The pub soon filled up as it was nearing Lunchtime. We will return and I must find a way to sample the beer and food. On a Sunny day where else would you want to be. Ain't too bad on a wet day either

Lovely lively seafront pub in whitstable.always popular in summer and hqve seen it packed in winter too.nice food superb views .good staff.indoor and outdoor options

Great beach location with numerous outdoor tables and benches to enjoy a relaxing drink and food on a sunny day. Friendly staff with good service too. Unfortunately marked down one star due the disgraceful condition of the Gentleman's toilet facilities.

Great fish and chips, great beer, great atmosphere whats not to like

Whitstable Black Oyster Stout and pint of prawns, half cider and prawn sandwich with salad and nachos! Yum...less than £30! Beach view thrown in for good measure.

Really nice pub atmosphere but terrible fish and chips and service took 1 hour. Fish and chips were 16 pounds—the chips were half frozen and the fish was tiny. Would not recommend.

One of the 'must visit' pubs in Whitstable, can get very busy in summer so arrive early. Didn't order food as were almost overrun. Quirky sums it up.

Dog friendly. Lovely sitting on the beach with a beer.

We had a great experience on our first visit and came back the following day during our short stay. Great food, generous portions at reasonable prices as well as friendly service, make it a perfect spot to get something to eat and drink. Location is fantastic with great views. We will definitely come back one day!

We didn't eat here but the food smells and looks really good , it's a very friendly pub with great outside seating directly on the beach , what's not to love 🥰

Lovely location - very busy and awkward access…

A really nice pub with excellent food. Outdoor and indoor eating. Gets very busy on warm days.

Lucky enough to grab a table right on the beach front, on a dry day. Scampi was delicious. Staff very friendly.

Had a lovely lunch today! Seating is a bit cosy to say the least. Loses a star because the chips were'nt very hot or fresh. For fish and chips that's 50% of the dish. Plenty of mackerel with the mackerel salad!

A lovely old pub, nice 'pub' atmosphere, not all chrome and pine. Friendly staff who were busy but still happy to chat, slick too, cleaning tables and keeping everything moving. Despite being busy, there was a fast and friendly service. We all chose the sandwiches; crab, tuna and prawn, great with the sea as a backdrop

Fantastic food and lovely outside seating. The staff was friendly and quick. Really can’t ask for more from a lunch on the shore!

The most historic location in Whitstable, very enjoyable with the best sunsets in town. Great to see they now do recycled cups too.

My son and 3 rathrt noisy 15 year old granddaughters had lunch while visiting the seaside. We were made most welcome, the food was delicious, if ever I am in the area again I will revisit.

Excellent pub in Withstable, enjoying an excellent view of the sea. Classic coastal pub setting, offering excellent Fish and Chips accompanied by a good salad. Selection of Shepherd Neame house beers. Good relationship between quality and price.

Always a 'Favourite' place for me.. Been going here since I was 16years old hasn't changed a bit..

Beautiful fish & chips and wonderful atmosphere… thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Would definitely recommend.

Nice terrace, but you have to carry drinks out yourself and food comes in fast food packaging. Compared to others the restaurant is expensive especially considering what has been said. Next time back to the Oyster Company

Lovely drink watching the sun go down

Lovely location but expensive didnt eat only drinks

The Old Neptune was a nice little pub located on the sea front. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Food looked good and the variety of alcohol was impressive. Definitely recommend for people visiting. Nice outside area and we were extremely lucky with the weather.

A perfect seafront location and with ample outside seating. The interior was small but a very traditional pub. We only stopped for a couple of drinks

Oldest pub in town right on sea front as this is on sea front very busy in summer popular small inside outside in hot weather best.

Had a great mackrel salad, outside, the weather was up for it and Whitstable Ale on draught, what more could you ask for? A good lunch in great surroundings

Pub in the beach. I was expecting more from the oysters. I had better. Fish and chips were good, fish was fresh and good beer.

Sun was out company was great can't beat it

Right on the beach front of Whitstable. Good staff and service. Highly recommended.

Great, at the entrance to the campsite which is also very pleasant, this restaurant offers you quite a few possibilities.

Rustic! Pub on a beach..Good location

Great selection of drinks. Very busy as usual, you just need to be patient and polite with the hard working bar staff!

A lovely bar! The weather was fantastic!

One of the best pub I have ever visited...

Good fun pub only had a quick stop for coke & coffee

Lovely pub with character. Must visit when in whitstable. Great location- right on the sea front. Huge outside seating area. Haven’t eaten here- but other customers food looked tasty. Very limited parking but well worth a stroll to.

Great place, warm welcome, pub really fitting for the area. Whitstable stout and the crab sandwich is a must try. 🙌🏻

A typical English seaside pub, pleasant atmosphere, good beers 🍺, quality pub-style English cuisine. a lovely welcome!

A very early lunch on a very sunny late April Monday, the cod and chip's were Indeed tiny and questionably worth the £16 paid and what a shame the quality and quantity of what is offered from the menu does not match the lovely situation of the pub.

Strolling along the Whitstable seafront we spotted the Old Neptune pub and stopped to enjoy a lovely midday meal on a cool day in late April. We sat inside but noted that the pub was quite compact in the bar and was already close to being full. Later customers chose to sit outside, although there was little alternative. We enjoyed the salt and pepper squid, which arrived fairly quickly, with some Kent cider. Service was prompt and friendly. Well worth a visit.

Best Guinness outside of Ireland 🥰

We had a drink here. A pub full of character. Really nice place will go again.

A good pub with a nice view of the seafront, can get extremely busy at times. The drinks are reasonably priced

Stunning location on Whitstable beach, perfect for sundowners at sunset. Friday evening pub was very busy. Quite chaotic to get a drink, but nice atmosphere. We hadn't booked, but were lucky to get a table. We shared Oysters which were the best we've ever had, fresh, and very reasonable priced. We had battered fish and chips, the fish was perfectly cooked and really tasty, chips sadly were not grest, they didn't look or taste fresh, however we seen others come out after that looked much better. Cheeseboard was lovely. Would go back.

The fish box was dry and way over cooked - but send it out anyway - very lazy and disrespectful- - I come from Whitstable and this was embarrassing

very busy as Easter weekend and a gorgeous sunset but a lovely vibe around the pub/ beach

Good outdoor space with a view of the beach, with decent oysters. Can be a bit of a wind trap in the beer garden though

The Old Neptune is a proper old school boozer with cheerful friendly staff, a good atmosphere and beautiful views when the weather allows. Not much space inside but doesn't matter, usually full of chatter and laughter, completely unpretentious and welcoming. Don't expect a wide-ranging menu or anything fancy, hot deep fried food served pretty quickly seems to be the specialty which is nothing to complain about of course, could be disappointing if you had high expectations but plenty of other posh eateries around. Pop in for a pint!

I was at The Old Neptune this week and decided to share my experience. It is one of those rare pubs that is actually on the beach. It is not big and modern with all the bells and whistles of a new pub. It is old and small with wooden floors that are uneven and the place is a bit wonky (in a good way). That being said, it is a lovely and genuine place, nothing pretentious and not trying to be something it is not. A warm day and the place is busy, with crowds of people filling the outdoor seating area and enjoying the spectacular views. The place is lively and has a real buzz when the sun is out. On another day, it is not so nice out, and everyone is inside filling the place with chatter and laughter. I have eaten here previously, but not this time as the lure of the chippy shop chips on the beach was too great, but i did spend a few hours savouring a few pints and reading a book outside. They have a pretty good menu and on my trips in and out of the bar, saw a few people eating with great enthusiasm. Remember, it is an old pub on the beach, not a high-end restaurant, so the menu is workable and appropriate, with fish and seafood a feature. There is a selection of beers and lagers (some local, of course), and all in all, a good choice of wine, spirits, snacks, and nibbles. I found the staff friendly and chatty, with a good sense of humour. So it is small, it can get really busy, the floors are uneven and you may have to queue for the loo, but it is a warm and comforting place, with the most amazing views. It is a place where I always spend more time that I plan to (it's too easy to get caught up in the atmosphere or the views) and feel welcome each time I go.

Lovely staff, and great beers by the sea, what else does one need?

Ladies loos being renovated. Shame they didn't get it done during the winter months. Hopefully it will be completed before Easter weekend!

As always a lovely place to visit, warm welcome and friendly regulars.

Didn't have food this time but smelled good. Good staff and service

Most incredible sunset view! Inside the pub is so cute and old, especially with a sloping bar! Staff are super friendly and it's iconic for a reason. I absolutely recommend visiting when in Whitstable.

Excellent service with friendly staff. I loved this place. The location cannot be beat! And the chips were lovely!

Nice pub with a good view and friendly staff. Reasonably well priced. A little disappointed with the bood, nice but could have been better (all food out of cardboard boxes and plastics glass kind of take away from it a little).

Fabulous place to go in wonderful Whitstable. The staff were so accommodating and the pub is welcoming to dogs . Food and drinks top notch x

Legendary historic pub on the beach. The local craft beer is pretty good. Like the Whitstable blond. Just make sure your pint doesn't fall over on the wonk bar.

We only ever stop here for drinks after a walk along the seafront. This pub has a fantastic selection of drinks. Real ales etc. If you can get a seat indoors which is rare great, but if you can't there are plenty of seats outside, some inside a covered marquee with lovely views out to see. Prices are comparable to other local ale houses. The staff are friendly. The only downside is that the bar area is small and with plenty of bar dwellers about supping their local brews it's a cramped place to get served. I've not rated the food as I haven't eaten here yet, but it does look good.