Ship & Trades in Medway

Dirty pub with unnecessary parking charges. Won't be going again.

Lovely location. Bar staff friendly. However, the whole pub needs a bloody good clean, the toilets were disgusting. For what you pay for a drink you could certainly afford more cleaning staff.

Great place to stay and enjoy a meal and drink

Stayed 2 nights and everything was perfect apart from waiting for 5-10 mins to check in, need to man the desk in the afternoon

Always eat here. Be it a snack lunch or dinner. Cocktails nice. Price decent. My autistic daughters also loves it here. By the fire.

It is an excellent place to stay and eat. The room was spotlessly clean and well appointed. Food in the restaurant is outstanding. Their stake is the best I've had in years. They also do a fantastic breakfast. All the staff we met were friendly and polite. Most definitely will be returning for another stay.

Food was just amazing and the staff were lovely. It's based in a nice setting and although it was busy we still managed to find a table.. Food was piping hot when it came out

Lovely big rooms well equipped a little noisy - you could hear people in the corridor. Pub/ restaurant is cool.food was very good. Good location for visiting the area lots of parking. Will stay again.

The place is lovely,not too else around to compare. Service is hit and miss depending on the staff that are on shift. But on the whole it is nice.

Nice location, with good parking available on site. Food is good, with core menu and specials to choose from. Service could do with more attention, lots of staff but limited interaction when and where required. Recommend but could improve!

What Lovely Friendly & Welcoming People being " The Team / Staff " I have now popped in twice for a takeaway Latte & Hot Chocolate & WoW is not even close, I have had the pleasure of chatting with a few of The Team two being Hannah & Willow who's served me both times. I can't wait to take My Very Best Friend to go for a nice sit down meal. It's a stunning rustic style restaurant sitting by a harbour soooo cool 😎 A Very Big Thank you From Rob Sweeney Ref there to charge My Friends electric car hence the takeaway hot drinks. Looking forward to my next visit ......

Pop in with friends for a bite to eat and a drink and all was very nice Service with a smile what a great start

We stayed in the hotel and also had drinks in the pub and breakfast in the restaurant. Such nice, helpful people! The room was good (a minor niggle about the shower, but that may just have been me not figuring out how to operate it and it was better than lots of other hotels). Good location by the marina. We stayed at the start of February and I'm sure it's wonderful in summer.

Great place to sit and have a coffee Food looks great too Will be back to have food for sure Great atmosphere and lovely dog friendly place

The food was ok but got cold very quickly. I would recommend heating the plates as food leaves the kitchen. The conservatory was rather chilly.

It is a pub with rooms, we were in room 14 which was lovely, well appointed with Nespresso coffee machine and plenty of tea bags and Border Biscuits and bespoke decoration. It looks over the main basin of the old dockyard, now a marina. That room is over the bar so a bit noisy, not awful but I would think the others are quieter. Breakfast was great both days and food was decent pub food. Need to book the restaurant in advance, certainly on Saturday night. Bar area was lively, good range of beer etc.

Poor service my steak was so rubbery I couldn't eat it I had to keep spitting it in my hand and putting back on my plate and the waiter offered me a free drink. £ 25 steak a free drink worth £5 I refused the free drink they know you can't have another drink because your driving they watched you put your car number plate in the computer car park thing. I won't be going back ended up getting a kebab on the way home .

Went for Sunday lunch sat in the bar area, ordered drinks but couldn’t hear what the lady asked as she said it walking away so I politely asked again to which she rolled her eyes and repeated herself. The roast beef had too much pepper on, should be left to the guests to season their food. It’s a shame because the venue itself is nice but the customer service is letting it down.

Had lunch here with brother and sister in law. Lovely food and beer whilst looking over the Medway.

As usual the food was good - when it came. However, service was abysmal. After a longish wait the waiter brought the wrong dish. Another wait for correct order. When I tried to order dessert I was told the kitchen was closed. I ordered at 19:05.

Nice looking pub we booked in for a Sunday roast to be told none available and nothing else on the menus other than a burger or a steak so if you want something off the menu don’t book here

£40 Christmas meal with work team Shockingly miserable staff during the festive season, was not particularly busy but food took a long time for each course to be served. Underwhelming experience

Myself and a group of friends with small children attended the Ship&Trades venue based in Chatham today, a party of 5 adults and 5 toddlers as we do frequently following an activity class nearby. Having finished our meals at an approximate combined cost of £150 and preparing to make an exit from the pub we were greeted by the manager for the establishment, Becky. Becky was keen to tell us how noisy our children were and a nuisance for other patrons and spoke to us in an unacceptable tone, something I will truly never forget. Her demeanour was aggressive and completely unforgivable given the fact that we were dining at 1pm on a Friday afternoon and your business promotes itself as family-friendly and inclusive. Her behaviour was so aggressively misplaced that one of her colleagues even apologised to our table for her outburst! We as a collective have been made to feel embarrassed and disappointed in the service we received and I think this demonstrates a severe training need for the individual mentioned. If this were not bad enough, Becky then thought it intelligent and polite to discuss our table with other patrons, something I take exception to, especially whilst in plain sight of our party. Whilst I will absolutely not be returning, I am keen for other individuals to not suffer the experience that I have and implore Shepherd Neame to take Becky to task over her appalling behaviour.

This review is about the food, very disappointing, the pie was just lumped on the side of the mash, not on top of it or fully to the side, looked like it had just been chucked on the plate and the presentation was what it was…. ok not a problem really, but the portion size of the veg was pathetic, and not anywhere what I’m sure any reasonable person would expect. I did raise this and was told that the portions are all measured out by the chef and that was it. Would I recommend here, no, eaten here on several occasions and it has always been 50/50 as to whether the food is good or not. On this occasion my partner chose a burger and loved it, bang on 50/50, take those odds and good luck 😬😂

I was their regular visitor, but after the last few planned visits I felt like an unwanted guest. So, my verdict - if you came spontaneously, then maybe you will be pleasantly surprised, but if you have a reservation or are a regular visitor.... welcome to typical their service (which means no service at all)

Very friendly service and excellent staffing lovely food great atmosphere 😀

Excellent location. All staff from the cleaning staff to the lady at reception, all the waiters and bar staff were hard working, professional and very friendly.

Had a lovely family Sunday lunch at the Ship & Trades today. Great service, very professional and attentive. The meals were excellent. The beef was tender and tasty. Feedback from the others were that the fish & chips, pie & mash and pizza's for the kids were very good. Ours thank to Rebecca and her staff for making us all very welcome. I would certainly recommend this venue, and we will be returning. P.s Don't forget to register your vehicle reg for parking when you walk in. Tablets to do so are available at the bar, and at the entrance to the restaurant.

Great coffee friendly staff an nice atmosphere 👌

Great venue, with lovely decoration, good food but waiting staff need a bit more training to be attentive to customers. Puting a warm bottle of wine in an ice bucket won't make it cold, be aware if customers are still eating before you rush to clear plates, And then chasing customers to drink up and pay bill because your 'closing in five minutes.'... They were very polite but this is not quite the service I would expect from a good restaurant, so invest in your people to improve customer experience.

Can get crowded ,but that,s a good thing.

Really lovely, nicely situated, lovely staff, gorgeous food.

Only used the restaurant and the food was fantastic with great service too, wonderful location

Had a Sunday lunch here last Sunday. Mixed bag, I'll start with the good My food I thought was very decent. The portion size I'd describe as "just about enough" and was fine for me, the quality of the strip loin roast beef was surprisingly good, tender and plenty of flavour, there was not a lot of gravy, gravy is a personal choice and I'd have liked to decide how much is enough rather than the kitchen. The crumble and custard for afters was also very nice, if I'm being slightly picky and I find this with a lot of places and their desserts in that it was overly sweet. Let the apples and blackberries or whatever fruit do their thing is my advice and for the crumble it doesn't need to taste of brown sugar, a tiny bit of that stuff goes a long way, the custard was delicious. All of this criticism is constructive and I'll say again, the food was good. The less good points Some of the meals were served cold, like stone-cold. Being British nobody said anything, just ate it and paid. Being totally objective my food was served at a reasonable temperature but I would say something, if asked how my meal was. The rest, well I can't make them We were there at a peak time, half one on a Sunday is going to be busy, I get it. That shouldn't be a surprise to the venue however, the people serving were perfectly nice and polite however the service was sporadic and the opposite of attentive. The waiting staff had to be chased up for everything, drinks orders, to take the empty glasses from table, for the right and fresh cutlery for dessert. I can see a manager reading this and rolling their eyes "we were busy" "we were short-staffed" I will hear. Yep, its Sunday lunchtime at a place that regularly is rammed for food, over-resource it, dont roll the dice. It isn't cheap to eat here and I don't think its unrealistic or diva-behaviour to expect a table to be waited especially when the service charge is added regardless giving the customer the incredibly awkward situation of having to explain why they want the service charge taken off (that's not what we did, just got the hump about the poor service and how much of a surcharge was added for it). Before the management reply and say "you should have mentioned it". Me getting up a handful of times to ask for a drinks order, to ask for cutlery for the desserts, to ask for the table to be cleared and then ask for the bill tells its own tale. The question wasn't asked when we were paying the bill either and that was done in a rush. I've been using the pub since the very first day it opened and have always liked the place for drinking, this is the first time I've eaten there and I'm prepared to give it a second chance but its then the Sunday food dilemma, get there too early its packed and service drops, get there too late and half the menu is unavailable. There are a lot of good places to eat in Medway and Maidstone now and I'm of the mind to try them before coming back for round 2. Maybe a smaller group would find the service better, we were a group of 11 and I do get that tables that size can be a bigger task to get the timing right for the food to all be hot but we booked and selected food in advance so... I dont know, lots of people I know like the food here and so did I, the food gets a 5 sadly the service let the side down

Absolutely lovely venue with great menu, Tia is a star.

The beer is never properly conditioned.

Really nice pub/bar/restaurant. Very modern and nice surroundings.

You cannot go wrong at the S&T - IMO the best fish & chip shop around. Great food, particularly nice chips, great service and competitive proces. Love it!

The review is for restraunt and bar. Good service, has improved in the restraunt since what appears to be a new manager. I have only been for Sunday roasts, which are good value and tasty.

Food was nice, but a very limited vegetarian menu. The onion tart was tasty.

Nice lunch. Few hiccups with the menus “that’s an old menu we don’t have that anymore “ and “the menu is wrong that’s not vegan” and the 1st wine we had was horrible, but handled well and we enjoyed the meal.

Fantastic breakfast here. Good friendly service too

Love the location and the outdoor seating offers excellent views on a sunny day but food prices are astronomical for Medway. Main meals are apparently £15 - £18 for a plate that's veeeery average.

Steak and ale pie was so crusty and not much in it small portion .

We had an evening meal here, due to ease of staying in the hotel rooms above. The bar and restaurant were busy. We didn't book, but we were shown a table straight away. I had the chicken, ham, and leek pie, and my friend had the vegan sausages. Absolutely delicious! The service and attention by staff were spot on! Good value, good portions, and very tasty.

Just stopped by for our usual mezze of starters to find “New menu today”. Apparently very popular. Sadly we got used to the old menu so the new Moroccan humus recipe didn’t go down well, nor did the lightly-dusted calamari. Don’t get me wrong - I love calamari but it has to be relatively recently deep fried, not gently re warmed. And why sourdough? Why not pitta bread with humous surely? Google it!

Loved this place and have been coming for over a decade, but new parking enforcement have made it impossible to visit. Got hit with a fine a couple of months ago because the team never told us we had to put our registration number in, despite going to the bar three times and ordering food. Subsequently got another fine as the parking company changed the maximum parking term from 5 hours to 1, without any notice. The parking company expressed that the changes were made after local running groups and other visitors took up parking spaces the pub wanted for their own customers. I can totally appreciate this, but the knock on effect to those of us who visit the other retailers is going to have adverse consequences - narrow minded.

Food and service both good but be warned. The private parking company has just changed the signs without telling anyone so you now need to put in your reg number or get a fine. The Ship and Trades didn’t tell us this when we last went so got a fine. Has put me off going back if that’s how it is.

What a great place to go for lunch, brunch or even a quick Coffee. Always met with happy staff, and fantastic service.

Always great to come back to the restaurant. And they never disappoint👍

Lovely place on the waterside. Rooms are nice and clean. Staff are friendly and polite. Ample parking, shops close by

Fast efficient service. Lovely setting eating inside or out. Reasonable prices. Good service. Easy parking. Eating only, didn't stay in rooms.

Good value food , drinks seem expensive Good service, friendly staff Thanks for a lovely evening, Family enjoyed the Food

The food is amazing, and their roast dinners are an absolute stand out. The drinks selection is also great. The only downsides are that it's expensive for what it is, and the service can often leave a little to be desired. The bathrooms aren't clean, the bar staff sometimes take a little time to notice you, and you can be turned away from the restaurant for not having a booking when the restaurant itself is empty, and stays that way. As a heads up for anyone visiting, make sure you register your car or you will be fined.

Restaurant! Very little on the menu, we left without ordering, but seemed a nice please

A lovely location situated by the marina. Don't be put off by the first sight of the building - we thought it looked like an old run down warehouse but then perhaps that was the idea! Reception was dark and gloomy (and unmanned - we waited ages before someone turned up) also the corridors are a bit dismal but again maybe because keeping the authentication of the building? Food was excellent with a good choice and sensible prices. Very popular with the locals. We found our room to be a bit small but it was well stocked, clean and had a lovely view of the marina.

Went in for a meal and drinks, came out to a parking ticket. Food was good, drinks not too expensive but the lack of parking or parking charges for a half decent stay to eat a meal makes it a bitter lemon.

Had the very nice room 15 with a view of the marina. Dinner and breakfast excellent. Service quick and friendly

Grateful to use the toilets will pop back for a Gin and tonic soon x

Beautiful location. Plenty of outdoor seating. Limited drinks choice (lager and cider)

Had Fish and chips there on Friday evening. Good vibes and decent place

Stayed for one night, we were above a Co-op store which was very noisy and opened at 6am. Room looked tired and really needs a refresh as does the bathroom. Restaurant food was average but breakfast was good. Staff were excellent throughout our brief stay. Useful place to stay for Chatham Maritime Museum.

The breakfast was not as good as it once was, many of the ingredients have definitely been of a much lower standard and we felt disappointed. The bread was thin and not like the previous times lovely granary toast, sausage plain pork not tasty old English and I understand many people may prefer these but it was somewhere we looked forward to visiting regularly because of the quality of the food. Will not be returning for the breakfast.

Was in the area visiting friends, went for a walk down the docks, and nipped in for a Beer, not a great choice of beer on offer, lots of the same. For me, I am not a fan of fish or the smell, and the restaurant smelt of fish!! Sat outside with our drinks and watched the world go by!

For clarity, we did not stay in the hotel and ate at the restaurant as a couple. I ordered a steak priced at £28 and requested it to be medium rare. Half of the steak was well done and the other half was rare - my plate was covered in oil as well. The chips were also very cold. My partners chicken burger was also overcooked and dry. If we are paying that much for a steak and burger at a pub, we at the very least expect it to be cooked correctly, we're incredibly disappointed. Additionally, being told to collect our own cutterly and napkins from under the gazebo seem like a kick in the teeth considering the quality of the food. We will not be eating here again.

Four friends came here for a meal. Myself a vegan and wheat free diet, but as there was no food on the menu for me i had to put up with a very dry root burger and a very small portion of chips. I could not have the roll but even though it comes in the price of £14 and made for a empty lookin plate i was not offered a exchange. Another had a Steak and Ale pie which contained only onions, she did complain but no action taken. The other two had burgers which where dry and like shoe leather. The couple opposite had fish and a chip and sent it back three times. The resturant has a great view over the river, but does not excuss the poor pricey food and the lack of customer service.

Food was absolutely amazing and really reasonably priced

Decent pub with a good selection of drinks

Only had drinks here. Lovely place, tasty no alcohol coolers and good selection of real ale on offer. A criticism is that the drinks available could be easier to see - like a drinks menu on the tables as we wanted 2 no alcohol drinks but not fizzy. What we were offered were great but at the suggestion of bar staff. Food looked very nice but we only had drinks. We will return for dinner another time

We did not stay at the hotel, just visited the restaurant. Service and staff i could not fault at all, very friendly and efficient. Unfortunately for me the food was poor. I had the steak pie and mash, it had a fancy name but cant remember. The pie was lovely, then it went down ill fast. The mash was watery but i could of put up with that, the veg was terrible. The veg was as if kept under a heat lamp for to long, very dry, peas where hard and the green beans very soggy and no spinach. I asked for fresh veg to replace but the replacement veg was the same which was very disappointing. The pudding was very nice, i had the gypsy tart. Then we went outside for a couple of drinks and the outside bar was very efficient. Just a shame the food let them down. I dont think i will return to give them another chance, such a shame.

Disappointed with our stay.. room had a view over the marina but nothing special. Bed pillows were uncomfortable & didn't get a good vibe from staff in the bar.. food was ok but sunday lunch was better.. would be ok for one night but booked for two & left early

Went here for dinner last night, lovely pub and restaurants area, great views over the harbour. We ate in the restaurant and Service was spot on, food came out at the right times for us, not too fast and not too slow. Food was delicious and they kept the drinking flowing. Thank you

Great views, great atmosphere, great food. What more could you ask for. Oh and booze. Definitely recommend

Lovely place to eat on a summer evening.

Absolutely stunning! This is one of my favourite places to come and eat! I'm obsessed with the view and the food is always fab!!

Foods are not good at all! They said if you take the burnt meat and tell the chef on your next visit, they would fix it accordingly, but they did not compensate. Never ever again!

A nice atmosphere and good food. The decor is nice and you can sit outside by the marina. Gets very busy at times. (3 stars for service is not intended as a criticism of the pub, it's just average pub service)

Solid pub and hotel - was clean, but exceptionally hot in the room. Made sleeping very tough, the fan provided didn't really touch the sides! Shower was nice but very low, at 6ft I had to duck to get under it

Popped in to Chatham view the Nao Victoria And had a cider to enable me to use the car park for 20 minutes.. Nice bar nice service freindly staff

We visit the Ship & Trades each year when travelling home from France. The food has been a bit hit and miss at times, but this year the food at dinner was really nicely prepared and presented. The Fish and Chips was very good. Breakfast each year had always been decent, and this year the cooked breakfast offerings were very good. Full English on offer or Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale or an Omelette etc. All well cooked and presented. The only thing that holds it back a little bit is it is very much decent pub food and not gastro pub level. However you get what you pay for and it is decent value.

As far as location goes, this was very scenic but we weren't here for the view. the bread to share was not served with plates and when you are dipping the bread in Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar and there is a large number of people at the table it is very awkward. We had a variety of mains, three of us had the Sunday Roast, the meat was dry, the gravy was thin, the Yorkshire pudding was hard and the Roast vegetables (potatoes only) may have been cooked a few days earlier and warmed up on the day, steamed vegetables were available and purchased and they were over cooked. No condiments were provided other than salt and pepper but we did after asking get a mint concoction for those with the Lamb Roast. If we were looking for pub grub then this would be middle of the road. The wine list was adequate. We opted not to order coffee or desserts, choosing to walk to nearby chain establishments for those.

Just had dinner and drinks here, both the food and service was brilliant, would definitely recommend.

Had a great dinner, friendly staff

The room was really hot and you can't open the windows enough. A fan is provided, but although it was efficient it was noisy. We sat outside, very nice, and ordered 2 steak pies. Disappointed to say the least! Rock hard, minimal filling, just awful. I sent mine back and got a burger instead. My daughters pasta looked dry and bland. The manager was great and did what he could to resolve our issues. We rarely complain, but I wouldn't recommend eating here. Good location for a few drinks, but eat elsewhere...

Didn't stay at the hotel but stopped for a meal and some very nice ales. Food, beer and service was pretty much faultless on a sunny Saturday evening, in great surroundings.

Breakfast was delicious. Staff are not so friendly but that's ok. Restaurant has great atmosphere and clean.

Lovely beautifully decorated room overlooking the marina.

It's a bang average pub/ dinner. Staff can't wait to close the bar at 10! Real shame as location is excellent but food and service average if I am being kind

Nice venue and free parking up to 3 hours, which is nice if your driving, but never fear the fun doesn’t stop there, a pint of Diet Coke for the bargain price for £4.85 so you don’t feel left out from those who are drinking alcohol, if I’m not mistaken you can get a pint of beer for cheaper. JOKE

Had a good walk around St Mary's island, then a nice lunch in the Ship & Trades.

Quite a large pub with decent service. We wanted a Sunday pint after a sunny walk around St Mary's Island. There's plenty of outdoor seating, so we grabbed a table with plenty of room for four. Food is brought to you, but drinks are poured at the bar. Spicy chicken wings and cold drinks in the sunshine? It added something to a decent day with the family. The location is pleasant too because the Ship and Trades overlooks the marina. We'll be back when the sun makes another appearance.

Staying here second night tonight. Coming back next week for 2 nights. Can't fault anything. Highly recommend

Great place for a coffee stop when out cycling round the lovely dockside.

Nice pub far better inside than it looks from the outside, good beers,service and food .

Was a greate vibe. Beautiful location. Very modern. Great selection of drinks. The only thing that let's it down a bit is the wait for food.

Celebrating a friends birthday. The food was nice and arrived in good time. The waitress(tall with tattoos.) was polite and efficient. Over all positive experience!

Wouldn’t bother,meat wasn’t great, roast pototes where black, veg looked like it had been sat for days, and for the price wouldn’t go back again

I am righting this review 9-45 pm after trying to sleep. But they are carrying out maintenance very loud banging. So have been and asked them to be quiet. The response is that the kitchen is open all day so they cant do it during the day. If this is the case then I should have been informed before paying £130 a night. Who in their right mind thinks that starting work at 9-30 pm in a hotel next to bedrooms is this best policy needs to revaluate there position.

Great venue over looking docks quite pricey would come for meal on special occasion , having a drinks app would be nice to avoid cueing

Had a great evening visiting S&T great staff and lovely outside area.