The Griffin's Head in Dover

Visited for our daughters birthday very very disappointed food poor quality. 3/4 had chips which were just basic skin on frozen fries . Eggs were cheap ones . I had the lamb rump which was tough as old boots not given a steak knife had too ask for 1 even then couldn’t really eat the meat it was such poor quality and fatty. The gravy watery the bubble and squeak burnt and cold carrots and “buttered “ cabbage cold boiled cabbage avoid so so disappointing the whole meal was and definitely overpriced

Just want to say what a wonderful bright team. The general manager Maggie is an absolute delight! i used to come to the griffins head and I didn’t like the previous manager but the new one is brilliant. Very attentive without being annoying. Interacts with everyone at the table. Notices when the glasses are getting low And offers refills. The food was lovely. Shame it’s the same menu. The pub could do with a proper hearty smaller menu. I honestly loved my return experience and I will be back with family and friends again. Well done to the griff and thank you to Maggie for being fantastic.

This is a beautiful old Pub Restaurant in a village setting and its ideal for lunch or dinner. The Olde Gits Society visit enjoyed our lunch meal after checking the menu and phoned in our booking. There was only one chef and one reception staff member on duty that day and there were eight of us diners. The excellent waitress sorted our Beers and took our orders in quick time while serving other tables who were ahead of us. The most popular dish was the Full Lamb Rump. It was a full rump too. Four large fat Steaks along with Crunchy Bubble and Squeak plus other vegetables and gravy. The lamb was tender and tasty along with the Veg. Excellent food all round, plus excellent service both from reception and kitchen. Great ambiance. Highly recommended.

Lovely meal in the garden with friends and family. The food was great and the staff were very friendly and professional.

Sat in front of an open fire. We ordered pie of the day which was a good quality steak pie, some decent veg and attentive staff. Lovely relaxing atmosphere.

Lovely three course Sunday lunch menu to celebrate a 50th birthday. Great food and fabulous service in a nice country pub.

Having pre ordered as requested for 8 people we expected to find a table ready for us. There was none. The room `s acoustics ( tiled floor, no curtians, bare walls, low ceiling ) were appalling. The food was modern European but cooked in an amateur uncaring way by a chef who just cannot have ever been properly trained and had no understanding of good food. Overcooked fish. Muddled flavour combinations. Overcooked uninspiring vegetables. Tinned asparagus in asparagus season. Daunting chunks of duck, far too big and crude. Of 16 meals ordered only 2 bowls of clam chunder were in any way enjoyable. An unforgettably bad experience.

Ive been to this pub many times over the years and have enjoyed the setting and the gardens so booked for Sunday lunch. The staff were pleasant and helpful even though the venue was fully booked however the food was mixed at best. The Bruschetta with asparagus, broad beans and feta looked fresh and inviting but the bread was neither grilled with olive oil or toasted and there was no dressing to add flavour. The calamari dressing was ok but the the calamari was barely coated and tough. The pork belly was delicious, and the crackling was superb however the roast potatoes had a think hard layer and tasted of old oil, the veg was ok but the broccoli was very much over done. The fish of the day was halibut which was a little overcooked and the mash was overworked and unseasoned. It was served with samphire which wasn't mentioned so it was a nice surprise and was very tasty with buttery soft leeks. The menu sounds really nice but the execution was just poor which was a real shame. It looks recently refurbished, it's a nice job, however the chairs are too low for the tables leaving the plates at chest height which made eating really strange. I'll visit again as I like the venue but I'm not sure I'll eat there until I see some better reviews...and just to reiterate the staff were very helpful.

Excellent food and drink. Staff friendly. Beautiful pub. Only downside is you will find yourself amongst a lot of very entitled customers. Corporate managers. That sort of thing, particularly at the bar. But then money speaks I guess.

Not vegetarian friendly at all.!!! The two options without meat or fish were vegan. And no vegetarians would like something vegetarian with real cheese! Thought I’d try the ploughman’s but no idea if the cheese is vegetarian as it’s listing was odd. Even then it was the only sandwich available to non meat eaters. Quite disgusted actually. This is 2024! We didn’t bother staying.

What a lovely old pub. Went there for the first time today. Not that easy to get to but well worth the effort. During the week they are offering a brilliant 2 main meals for £22. The food is absolutely amazing and wonderfully presented and the staff are excellent too. A 'real' restaurant with amazing deals on offer. Will certainly be a regular haunt.

We happened upon the pub last week and they mentioned they were expecting some Vintage cars on the Sunday so we booked in for a roast. The meal was great - huge portions with lots of veg and delicious dessert. We both had the chocolate fondant which was brilliant; the brittle was divine!

Following a rural dog walk along The Serpentine we stopped here for a delightful lunch. There were 6 of us, having a variety from the menu from French Onion Soup to Pork Belly, Chicken Burger and Mushroom Bourguignon and Steak. The consensus was it was all very delicious! My Mushroom Bourguignon was fantastic - just what I wanted to warm up after being out in the blustery weather. The woman serving our table was very conscientious and friendly, and even gave the dogs some treats to keep them occupied too! (She was telling us about her own dog Winston who sounded adorable so I think she was certainly a dog person!) All in all a great experience and we’ll be returning again soon.

Beautiful old building, sat by open fire. Meal was lovely and the staff were very friendly. Simple but satisfactory selection of beers and the menu had a lovely variety. Will be returning.

Waited an age for food to arrive ,food was so bad !! both plates went back to the kitchen , we only paid for drinks . The place has gone downhill severely unfortunately . Lunch time ruined !!! Shame it’s a nice pub .

Very poor quality food served in a cold restaurant. The staff were disinterested. We had read good reviews, but they were for food served by the previous landlord who left in 2023.

Severely gone down hill. the building is beautiful and the food is OK, but the service is appalling in here. The bar & waiting staff are gormless youngsters who just don't have a clue. Some simple tips - 1. Make eye contact with your customers when they enter and acknowledge them. 2. Ask them what they would like to drink. 3. Pay attention to them when they are dining, etc. It's not rocket science

Really disappointed as had read previous reviews and seemed to be a great place to try. Menu ok but portions and presentation very poor especially as prices high as well. Very average food I’m afraid.

Unfortunately the food was poor, very disappointed, we had not been for a couple of years but it has gone downhill or the chef had a bad night. Starters were tasty but tiny, three thin slides of aubergine and a teaspoon of chopped tomato is not a starter and it was expensive. Mushroom bourguingon was my choice of main, it was just fried mushrooms with no sauce at all and the triple fried chips were soggy potato wedges. Deserts was ok but the hand print on the top of the crumble was off putting. Sorry but it was not great. I did not complain on the night as a group of us were catching up and we did not want to bring a sour taste to the evening.

We have eaten here a number of times before but the Griffons Head has severely deteriorated in standard. For a start the menu on their web site bares little resemblance to the one on offer. Secondly the menu they do present you with us substantially not available. At least three items were off even though we visited at the start of the evening serving. Mostly the food was well cooked but the fish and chips were inferior to the local chippy, in particular the triple cooked chips were hard and/or undercooked. Lastly when the only desert my partner wanted was not available. (two deserts were off of a limited selection) we decided to not bother with desert. They still tried charging us for them including the non-existent jam roly poly. I asked that the license holder be informed of my complaints which the pleasant young lady serving said she had done. Considering the litany of complaints made clearly to the staff in advance of our departure, I would have expected the license holder to come and apologise themselves but instead they left it to their two young servers to bare the brunt of my polite but detailed comments.

A beautiful, warm, welcoming, charming rustic pub. With all the original features, fire burning, great selection of music playing. The staff made us feel so welcome, the locals were chatting and welcoming too. The food was tasty and top quality. Me and my partner had such a relaxing evening. We will be making this one of our regular spots for sure. I had the lamb and it melted in my mouth.

The pub used to serve excellent food, but seems to have hit a rocky patch recently, so we originally only went for a drink. I got the drinks myself from the bar because we were out in the garden, and it was just going to be a drink and no more: we were given some menus, and we had a look. The tapas looked interesting, and someone came out fairly promptly to see if we wanted to eat. We ordered 3 tapas, and were served within 5 minutes: mussels and chorizo, spiced figs, and pakora. All were good, especially the sauce the mussels were served in. I was a little surprised that no bread came with the mussels for that sauce, but the staff soon rectified that. Overall, we were pretty satisfied: we will return when the winter menu comes out, and try again. So, for us, a good light lunch.

Reading the reviews makes me think people expect different things as they are complete opposites. I've been before and think the location and building is ideal. I don't sit and wait for service, knowing staff are usually under pressure so go into the bar order drinks and say we are here for lunch and proceed from there. The burger has gone up £2 in two months, but was good. I had the pie which had a thick crust and chunks of chicken and mushroom inside. Measly seasonal veg: half a carrot, half a courgette and a few beans! Has the management changed - not as good as before. Staff friendly as I've always found - depends how one talks to them.

We looked at the menu on the website before we went and it stated fine dining with lots of pictures of really good food. FAKE not fine. The menu was an A4 piece of paper that certainly did not offer what was on the website. Pizza, tapas and the usual pub grub. Not fine dining at all. I ordered the grilled cod which I expected to be a chunky FRESH piece of cod from a fish monger. What I got was an over cooked thin end which quite frankly tasted and looked like it came out of a freezer. The potatoes were a dark brown stodgy mess which tasted and looked like someone else’s leftovers re-heated. My husband ordered the burger which again had the expectation of being made on site from quality beef. Oh the disappointment when it arrived. Again this looked and tasted awful and you can definitely buy a better one in value pack from any supermarket! The staff we met were polite and attentive and just doing their job. No complaints with them whatsoever, however, management should employ a chef for starters, remove the false pictures and claim on their website and consult a dictionary next time they want to write the menu/website. Fine dining is clearly something they get mixed up with chuck a pack in the oven and hope for the best. Do not waste your money at this establishment.

Appalling. Short-staffed. Scruffily dressed staff who had no clue about waiting on tables or customer service. Dreadful service, more like self-service as no one bothered to take our drinks order or bring menus.; we had to go to the bar and get our own menus. The menus were scruffy sheets of A4 obviously manhandled time and again. A clean new sheet should be given to every customer. 35 minutes from sitting down to getting drinks. Eventually ordered food. Sent back the soup as it was awful; tasteless as unseasoned and made by someone with no idea. Butter was some yellowish hard lump of revolting stuff, but definitely not butter even though staff insisted it was. Probably a vegan alternative. Seafood cocktail was poor with big lumps of uncut lettuce because someone either couldn’t be bothered to shred it or didn’t know it should be shredded. Mashed potato tasted as if it was made with said vegan butter and made days before. Hake was supposed to be served with a herb crust. It was served with a green gloopy mess on the skin side instead of a crust on the flesh side, Purée and sauce were tasteless. Potatoes didn’t resemble Lyonnaise; they were just roast new potatoes. The only things cooked properly were the green beans. For a bottle of wine at £34, we weren’t asked to try first - big mistake and then overcharged for it on the bill. Water glasses were half pint Coca-cola glasses - seriously?! We couldn’t bring ourselves to use them. Didn’t bother with pudding..,most were unavailable anyway. A huge waste of hard/earned money!

Unfriendly, poorly trained and inflexible staff. Small portions. No response to emailed complaint to management. Very poor would not recommend.

Dear oh dear - I guess it must be really hard to get staff for rural pubs in small villages - but 35 minutes waiting to even be acknowledged by anyone, and even then we had to go up to the bar, where staff were prioritising pulling pints for the regulars over people sitting at tables.... After we asked at the bar, there was a further 10 minute wait (while they printed some more menus) till anyone came to take our drinks order and brought us one menu to read between the seven of us.... Then a further 20 minutes till those drinks arrived...at which point we ordered, then a further 40 minute wait for fairly average pub grub. Any further drinks had to be ordered by going up to the bar. Certainly not worth the wait! When asked whether we wanted desserts, we politely declined, dreading how long that would take! To be fair the staff were very pleasant and polite, I think it is a management issue around lack of training and organisation.

The Griffin's Head is in such a pretty location down the lanes maybe 25 mins from Canterbury. Grassy area at the front gets the sun until at least 8pm and the beer garden at the rear loses the sun in the eating area a little earlier. Staff are attentive and helpful and food can't be faulted. We had crayfish and prawn cocktail to start and then one of us had the hake and the other the short rib of beef. Recommend each dish.

Booked for lunch and on arrival the place looked lovely x the chairs were comfy and nice size table. The pub was very cold needed the heating on x nice friendly staff x unfortunately the food was terrible the worst fish and chips and burger are party had eaten, and had to wait a bit longer then wanted to x I’m sorry but won’t be returning x

Called at 12 noon on the off chance of having lunch - many moons since our last visit - and were very glad we did. Very friendly and efficient service in this lovely old building. Food of burgers (my wife a regular burger fan) said one of the best ever and my fish and chips were just right. Very reasonable prices for these difficult times. Can't wait to go again from Thanet.

Absolutely superb lunch and beer. Burger was perfect and fish n chips spot on. Superb service from Claire. She's a star.

Excellent garden barbecue with big choice of help yourself salads. Very pleasant staff cooking on the barbie helpful and polite. You order at the bar and take your ticket anytime so the food is cooked for you. Bar staff where quick an efficient on a very busy Sunday.

We recently discovered the Griffin’s Head and had one of the best Sunday lunches around here. Would highly recommend it and will definitely be back

Came in on Sunday, was really busy but the atmosphere was brilliant. Was greeted by several staff members and the lady who looked front of house was very welcoming making sure we had everything we needed. Food was delicious. Would highly recommend going!

I looked at the menu online before and the prices were around £12 for a main course. There were some really nice dishes and they had me at venison sausage casserole. However, when I got there, the menu was entirely different and the mains were now £15 each on average. I looked at the website on Wednesday beforehand. I would expect the website to reflect what is on offer and the current prices. It’s not a massive dealbreaker, but I felt slightly cheated as it had been a long drive to get there and once there it would have been a further drive to go somehow else. The food was good, but the atmosphere was decidedly lacking. I was expecting a cosy country pub, but it was very brightly lit. I wanted a quiet meal so opted for the side without the TV, though repeatedly loud music was playing and was irritating because I’d come out for a quiet intimate meal. . As I booked for two I expected to have a small table, but was put on an enormously long table.. i was slightly surprised given I had booked a table. When I politely asked if I could move to a smaller table when the leople on a table for four had left, the waitress brusquely announced that another party was arriving.. end if conversation. It was clear I wasn’t going to get anywhere. Perhaps a bit of politeness would have been better? The service was OK overall. Would I go back there?There are other country pubs that are better at creating an atmosphere. I thought I’d give the Griffin’s Head a whirl. But probably not again.

The sausages were chemical, the place was cold. It has lost its vibe for a great place. We are not coming back.

Called in for lunch today with friends. Whilst the food was ok the service was extremely slow we had to wait an hour for our mains and one of our party's meal was forgotten. Had a better experience on our previous visit.

Visited today for Lunch, very polite and attentive lady shower us to the table and explained the specials ,soup etc. Food is exceptional, service I cannot fault, five stars from us , all this in front of a log fire ,what is there not to...

My chums and I were on a walk and decided to drop into the pub for a beer, we weren't interested in food as we'd eaten our sandwiches on a bench in the village. I'd read some of the reviews before the walk but, for...

This is the third time we have visited the Griffin this year, first visit was great, second visit was so, so and this last visit was poor, what a great looking pub in a great location, but spoilt on this occasion by the quality of...

This was a quick meal in a local (mostly) decent pub on a random Tuesday, but most of the dining room was full. Staff were perfectly nice. They had run out of the main course I wanted, and didn't have the dessert my wife wanted....

We live locally and tend to use the venue quite a lot. In my opinion it is under rated, the new owners have worked hard to bring this place back to it's best, and whilst Jerry & Karen are irreplaceable, they are doing an excellent...

How far this once fantastic restaurant has fallen, Fish and something from a potato was so bad, no atmosphere as not surprisingly very few customers

We arrived on time (Sat 27th) and were shown to our table. Our table was in a side room with just a few tables in, decor a bit out of kilter with the rest of the pub but more importantly the room was very dirty....

Disappointed to say the least !! Ask for 2 cups of tea as we were a bit chilly as the party was outside , to be told no she had turned the coffee machine off and would take an hour to heat the water !!...

Visited on a quiet Tuesday evening where after one table left we were the only diners. Service throughout was really slow, not a huge problem as we were talking and at the end without me asking our server offered to remove a round of drinks...

The food was terrible. Over cooked, over salted and really basic kids food. So disappointed. The sardines were off and the peas were dry and cold. They even bought out scolding hot kids plates. Never going back.

Wow! This place is a treasure. New to the area having moved from the North and had the most amazing meal here tonight... staff are great, customers are friendly, all in all we'd highly recommend.

This pub was recommended to us by friends & read the online reviews which seemed pretty positive. On arrival the outside is lovely with plenty of parking and outside eating areas Internally, first impressions of the 3 dining areas-a bit tired looking. Some of the...

14 of us had a meal out on the decking in the garden area. Food and drink were great and the service excellent. It was a perfect lunchtime visit with our families.

Beautiful old building with great character. Great meal provided right at the end of service. Lovely ambience.

Really good food but service not great. Needed another waiter ,/ waitress Will probably give another go

What a huge disappointment. I first started coming here 30 years ago as it’s a great old traditional pub and the food was always amazing. The Sunday lunch was definitely below par . The range of choice for starters and puddings were extremely average for...

Friendly and efficient service. Lovely traditional old pub. New winter menu is reasonably priced and seasonal with good choice. Had a lovely homemade pie with mash, decent selection of veg, properly cooked and proper gravy. Can’t fault it. Thank you.

What a great old pub goes back to the 12 th century went over for lunch the sausages are the best also the ham egg and chip are very good would highly recommend will go back again the only draw back is it’s a Shepard...

We have been eating at The Griffins Head for a number of years and am pleased to say we have always had a great experience with great food. On this occasion we choose to visit for Sunday lunch. Whilst the service was very good the...

Visited in a large group for late Sunday lunch. General consensus of our group was that the roast dinner was excellent……super gravy…….and a word for the waitresses who were polite, cheerful and pleasant.

Very disappointed. Sunday lunch back in the summer was marvellous. This was not. The prawn cocktail was a spoonful of iceberg lettuce with a couple of watery presents in unseasoned dressing., served with a rock hard bread roll and no butter. The ham hock terrine...

We went for a Sunday roast and it did not disappoint. Nice pub with great staff, who could not have been more helpful. Well worth a visit.

Had to leave our meal uneaten because there was hundreds of mosquitos flying round us at the table. We had our 4 month old baby with us and was constantly trying to get the mosquitoes off us. Couldn’t of eaten in that environment they clearly...

First visit made following a friends recommendation. We went for a midweek lunch and were certainly not disappointed. The buildings age was very impressive and the food which followed was delicious - well presented and very tasty. Will certainly go back for more!

Characterful establishment, with indoor and outdoor seating. Good range of drinks. Early week menu not extensive, but enough choice. Very good food and pretty reasonably priced. Friendly staff

Arranged for lunch after a strenuous walk, received a friendly welcome and felt very ‘covid’ safe. Good choice on menu as well as traditional sandwiches etc. We both had burgers, one meat, one vegetarian, both were excellent. Service was very efficient and quick and we...

I was on a ramble with 7 other people and we stopped at The Griffins Head for lunch. The pub was very accommodating and put us on a large table. The menu for Monday & Tuesday is limited to a few starters, pizzas, and some...

From the moment we arrived the service was warm, friendly and accommodating to our very touristic approach at country life. The outside seating is lovely, despite the rain and the food was delicious. From the truest local-made butter and garlic-infused calamari, the starters were delicious!...

The food was very tasty and fairly priced. Although the menu was a little limited, there was no doubting the high quality of what was on offer. I was disappointed to find that the starter of sticky Asian riblets was out of stock, but the...

Visited twice recently taking advantage of the good weather to sit outside for the afternoon in the 'easy chair unit' under the huge umbrella. Thoroughly enjoyed the bar food on both occasions along with the drinks served by the delightful staff. A lovely old pub...

We've been going for cycle rides in the evenings to various pubs for either a drink or food and drink. This one was a little further than usual (7.5 miles), but we thought that we've give it a go as the menu looked much more...

Always good for both food and drinks. One very minor point if you book for the later lunch sitting you may find your roast potatoes a little too tough and crispy. Can’t fault the taste and there is a lovely decked area to the rear....

Not a pub you would find without a sat Nov! Food was exceptionally good for it's reasonable pricing. Not a huge choice on the menu but obviously prepared to order. Wish it was near my home. Worth going out of your way to find

I booked a table for father's day (4 adults and 2 children) back in April and we arrived promptly for our 1pm booking. If this review was just about the quality of the food, location, ambiance and friendliness of the staff at the Griffin's Head,...

Nice food with a Medertranian influence - nice old pub with beams ect and friendly staff - please note that Monday/Tuesday food is Italian only like pasta/pizza

We visited the The Griffin’s Head today, I would give them a big minus, don’t go there, service was very poor, burgers had no imagination it was a burger slapped in a bun, shandy was awful, coffee was cold, the condiments arrived after we had...

If there was a 4.5 star rating, I would use that, but one has to decide between 4 and 5. The strong positives.....excellent food, well cooked, presented, and an imaginative menu. We had dressed crab (and as we saw Deal's best fishmonger delivering, we were...

Old country pub with two huge gardens (front and back). The back garden has had a face lift with new decking area and seating....looks lovely! Large car park...so easy to park, but I am sure this will get busy on a hot summers day. The...

Six friends descended on this out-of-the-way pub after a long and cold motorcycle ride, and we were greeted like long-lost friends. Obviously we had to eat outdoors but there was a covered area which was just as well because it began to rain and there...

Excited to visit here -first post lockdown pub trip. However we were disappointed by the very slow service (it wasn’t really busy) and lack of attention to detail and organisation Waited twenty minutes to order drinks and another 20 to order food. Had to ask...

The Griffins Head has always been the best pub in Kent. Now it's even better 😍. Despite lockdown they have continued to improve facilities and there is currently an outdoor bar and the kitchen is operating on the Italian menu. The staff are as welcoming...

Had a pit stop whilst on a group bike ride. Excellent coffee and cake, friendly service. Good Covid protocols. Large sunny garden. Will be back for beers and proper grub.

Ok basis pub food although my paella was almost cold and very congealed. No children’s menu and not totally accurate with what they advised was gluten free. but the wait for any service was diabolical Arrived 12:15 for 12:30 booking and very few guests after...

We have been before but not eaten since it changed hands. I went with my family for an evening meal, we were all really impressed by the food, very good quality, beautifully presented and good portions. Most mains, including sea bass, were around £10, such good value compared to high street chain restaurants. Such a lovely setting and really good staff as well.We sat by the open fire and had a lovely evening, they accomodated our gluten free diner with no prior notice as well. Well done GH ... you are still our favourite local !

We had such a lovely meal at The Griffin's Head on Saturday evening. Pie of the day and chickpea & coriander burger were both delicious. I then had the lemon tart with raspberry sorbet, which was to die for, so hubby was lucky I let him have a taste!! Ellie and Ray did a good job looking after us. We will certainly be back to try some more of their great food - compliments to the chef!!

We have used this pub for lunches many times over the years and like most establishments it has good times and bad times.Visited again today to be welcomed by friendly helpful staff,clearly enjoying their work and an extremely fine pint of masterbrew(my favourite tipple)served to perfection.The new menu is exciting (without being pretentious)and to my surprise very reasonably priced.We had traditional fish and chips(home prepared and cooked)which was lovely and had real chips too!Had a look at the wider menu and look forward to returning soon to try other dishes.Well done to the staff at the Griff to weathering a storm and coming out the other side stronger.Take a trip to see for yourself....im sure you won't be disappointed.

Well what can I say booked a table for 1.30 waited an hour for this to arrive what a shame in this current climate that struggling pubs do not entice you to return

Dropped by for an ad hoc lunch and very pleased we did. Really good pizza, swordfish, cheese fondue. Exceptionally good.

Pub was being cleaned as we arrived, so no problem with hygiene whatsoever. Top marks!But, the price of the coffee was steep considering the size of the serving. £2.75 for about four mouthfuls of ok coffee. There are plans to open a cafe which we see was well underway, another trip will be fair to see if the prices are better value next time. Good Size beer garden where we could pop our bikes while relaxing.

A warm Kentish summer lunch in the pub garden. Friendly welcome and helpful staff. A very pleasant couple of hours in the Kent countryside. Food was delicious and reasonably priced. Quiet pub garden with lots of shade available.

Exceptional - the food, the setting and the service Cater for vegans and the staff had good knowledge of the menu The food was delicious and well priced The waitress was extremely polite and tended to our every need A lovely garden setting All i all it was a lovely experience Well done We shall return

As it was our anniversary we thought we would come to this pub as it looked so nice on the website. We had made our minds up to have the Sunday roasts, was seated by a very pleasant man and asked what drinks we wanted. The menu was given to us and we said didn’t need it as we were having the roasts, problem was they are not doing roasts at moment. Looked at menu, saw they done a Ploughman’s but didn’t read it properly because when it came it was a sandwich!! (We should have looked at price as well)Not quite the anniversary meal we were expecting............but our sandwiches were tasty and good value. Maybe when I rung and booked table I should have been told it was a limited menu and no Sunday roasts! Or put something on website as it does look like they are still serving Roasts on a Sunday.

The Griffins Pub is a fantastic pub, not only for a drink but all round. During lockdown the landlord has worked really hard in improving the pub and has done a brilliant job. Thankfully for us, they opened again once permitted and did food straight away. It was a menu that had been understandably tweaked as the kitchen was still being worked on. In addition to this it must have been very difficult to know how the new health and safety measures would work out both staff wise and for the customers. The menu is a refreshing change which we have thoroughly enjoyed. Everyone at the Griffins Head deserves a big pat on the back. Thank you for making us feel so welcome and hospitable. We hope to see you again very soon

So glad to see the griffin open again! Great social distancing policy in place so feel really safe to visit. Ray and Hannah are amazing, they are the key bar staff, Keeping the customers safe and feeling welcome.I assume due to Covid limited menu but great pizza / paninis and specials of the day like sword fish and scallops! Highly recommend and can’t wait to return!

Without doubt this was the worst experience I have had in over 50 years visiting pubs, restaurants and hotels all around the world.We were staying in Nonington in the first week of July, just after the release from lock down for tourism. Without sounding pious or self righteous we wanted to have a meal at a local pub and put some money into the local economy. We chose this pub from our accommodation literature, looked at their website and sample menus and booked a meal for the tuesday evening via phone directly with them.On arrival we were given a photocopy A4 sheet of paper with the menu that was nothing like that on the website and the food on offer was only slightly better than that offered by a burger van in an A road lay by. I politely pointed out to our server Hannah that this menu was nothing like that on the website and really they should have mentioned the radically different menu when we booked and we simply would have gone elsewhere.Hannah said the website was still under the control of the previous landlord! and that the kitchens were being redone. I clearly said to Hannah three times that I wasn't blaming her personally for the situation. Against my better judgment we stayed and had a glass of unchilled white wine. Whilst eating my burger & chips we were berated by a very hostile and aggressive local with dog for upsetting Hannah.The landlord arrived shortly thereafter and without asking about the problem simply told us to leave as he wasn't having his staff upset. Sorry Hannah we can't be held responsible if you get upset when we make a perfectly valid and reasonable comment. I was able to put our view and he backtracked and even offered us a free meal at his Italian in Deal - quite a change in attitude.We had an amicable chat with a few locals and even gave them £20 towards a round of drinks only to find later that they had given it to (in their view) the slighted Hannah - not impressed. On leaving, the landlady who had now appeared also asked us to leave as she would not have her staff upset and added that while she may have expected some possible problems on opening Saturday she din't expect them on a Tuesday - I found this comment insulting and offensive.In summary what we had hoped would be a nice and relaxing evening turned out to be the most unpleasant experience I have ever had in over 50 years of visiting pubs. What truly staggers me is that in these difficult times when rural pubs need business, tourists are met with such a vitriolic, hostile and aggressive attitude from landlord, landlady and locals, when we were simply trying to put money into their economy.Personally if you are a visitor to the area I would avoid the Griffin's Head at all costs - it may be ok for locals. Because of this experience we won't be returning to Kent.

Bon choix de ma compagne pour un week-end surprise dans le Kent.Vu l'endroit retiré où se trouve le restaurant, on n'y vient pas par hasard ! Un moment, nous avons même craint de devoir attendre dans le lounge pour avoir une table mais il n'en fut rien; nous avons même pu être mis à une table de 4 sans souci.Pour son entrée, ma compagne a choisi une "Game terrine" servie avec une marmelade d'oignons rouges et du pain (6,95 £).Quant à moi, j'ai opté pour une originale salade d'endive (chicory) fromage bleu, noix et poire... chaude ! (7,50 £)Pas de pain, heureusement que ma compagne en avait avec son plat. En plat, bonne lasage pour ma compagne, servie avec une tranche de "garlic bread" (10,95 £).Pour moi, linguine aux champignons avec une sauce chili (piment) et ail (10,95 £).Un poil décevant : si les champignons étaient bien relevés, les pâtes étaient fades (hypothèse : l'eau de cuisson n'était pas salée ?). Même si cela est mieux que trop salé, les linguine auraient mérité une meilleure cuisson.Les verres de lait nous ont été facturés à 1 £ pièce.Très beau restaurant à colombages (extérieur) et poutres apparentes (intérieur).

Haven’t eaten here for a few years. Went there with some friends recently for Sunday lunch . Food was amazing . Service fantastic . Give yourself a treat . Very cozy old fashioned pub .

We went there for a Valentine's evening meal and it was a tough choice between the Chateaubriand and the fish platter, but we picked the fish platter as it seemed more interesting.To start, I had the chorizo scotch egg and my wife had the crab bisque, which I did taste.Then came the fish platter containing a prawn mac & cheese, oysters, scallops and tuna. The oysters weren't shucked and the tuna was way over ie grey but it all tasted ok.Shared desserts were next - a chocolate torte which was way too big seeing as it was so rich and heavy, a slice of cheesecake, a weird tart tatin splodged on the place and a creme brulee.Unfortunately, later the next day we both came down with food poisoning. Obviously it's not conclusive but all we'd had since was beans on toast so draw your own conclusions.The staff were really friendly and helpful though.Needless to say, we will not be going back and I will be calling the food standards people.Should've had the steak.

We have been visiting friends who live nearby and have used this pub extensively over the years. The original landlord, Gerry, retired sometime ago and the pub was taken over by a couple who, we felt, never put their heart and soul into the running of this gem of a Kentish pub. Subsequently, custom dropped off along with quality of the food, something which the pub was always known for. However, the good news is, that couple have moved out and a new couple have taken over. When we went over this weekend, it was obvious that things are getting back on track. The food was fantastic and the menu extensive but not too fussy. The new landlord was great, really friendly and welcoming and the staff were also keen to please. I'm glad to see this pub is finally getting its heart and soul back. Just shows, a little hard work plays dividends. We shall be going back again very soon and I thoroughly recommend you pay them a visit.

We have been coming here for years and have never had a bad meal and lunch today was no exception, my roast pheasant was perfectly cooked and, although I was full, I had to make room for the ginger Parkin dessert which was heaven 😊

Decided to go to this well respected country pub and we were not disappointed! Delicious Sunday roast; we had the beef which was very tasty, roast potatoes cooked to perfection with a seasonal accompaniment of veg, a well risen yorkshire pud and superb gravy! The ambiance was cozy and welcoming, with delightful waitresses and bar staff - would definitely visit again!

The location is superb, it was our first visit but we'll be back to enjoy the surrounding area as well as this charming old fashioned pub. The welcome was really friendly, our waitress had the sunniest smile and was attentive despite being very busy with a large group in another room. I can't praise her enough, and might even adopt her as my daughter! The food was excellent, well presented and the portions very generous. The apple and blackberry crumble (with custard!) was absolutely divine. We all struggled to finish it but couldn't bear to leave a morsel! Our friend had a slight problem with the pheasant, this was swiftly resolved by our lovely waitress. Excellent atmosphere, we also enjoyed the well behaved dogs and their humans. Altogether a lovely lazy afternoon in a delightful place.

Having read very good reviews previously we were disappointed by our roast beef Sunday lunch. Service was excellent, atmosphere was good but £15.95 for one course of this quality is very poor value. Vegetables and gravy were excellent, roast potatoes were not crispy, Yorkshire pud was brittle and tasteless and the beef lacked flavour and was chewy in parts. Small cafes do better for much less.