The Parade Room in Canterbury

I was lucky and had a steak, which I really enjoyed. My companions has the sausage and mash which wasn’t anything special. But 2 of us had the cheeseboard, it was £12 each and it was shockingly bad. Don’t bother...was very expensive for the sort of quality that you would get in weatherspoons. Definitely won’t go again.

We had a fantastic Christmas meal on Saturday 7th December. Food and service was first class and a massive thank you to Dan who accommodated the extra numbers in our group. Highly recommended.

We as a group headed upstairs here after some good mental exercise in the Escape Rooms. The cocktail list (already fabulous) is apparently being further extended. I can recommend the Mai Tai, but others ordered were also very good.Food is good quality, I especially recommend the Pork Sausages & Mash in gravy.

I'd been interested in the conception of this fairly new restaurant for a while, but apart from a quick drink one evening, I hadn't had the opportunity to sample its menu, until this week when I arranged to meet my proof editor, (also my good friend) there for lunch.We had a lot of catching up to do and the staff behind the bar were great in giving us time to settle and review the menu. We didn't feel rushed or hassled in the way, the staff serving us, both men, were welcoming and professional. The background music in the main area was a tad loud for comfortable conversation, especially as I think I'm losing my hearing. (Probably a result of too much clubbing! Seriously, I'm still recovering from a torn meniscus in my knee after 5 hours clubbing in August)The menu looked tasty and I was surprised and delighted to see they had sparkling elderflower available. At last, I wouldn't have to drink the usual boring fat coke. My friend chose the sparkling rhubarb which I didn't know existed so I ordered a bottle of that too. Verdict delish.To eat, I had the crispy chicken burger on a brioche bun with slaw, lettuce and fries. It came with a chipotle and lime mayonnaise. I was a bit concerned it would be too spicy for me. They happily agreed to serve it in a separate pot. I needn't have worried the mayonniase spiciness was fine. The burger was breast meat and the fries were smashing. I woofed them both down without any difficulty. I did view the dessert which looked interesting, but frankly the burger had done enough and sated my appeitite.This resturant has been set up in the site of the former Canterbury jail and Police station. Its fascinating. I didn't have time to explore fully, only visiting the ladies room which used to be two of the holding cells. My friend advised me that there are other rooms to dine in and a lot more to see of the building's original features. I shall need to return to gather some research information for future novels. I lie of course! The food was very scrummy and I'm pretty sure I will be back to sample this delightful menu again.

We booked a valentines lunch here as my wife had been here before with her friend one evening and recommended it. I'm so glad we booked this as the food was amazing from the bread and nibbles right through to the desert. On top of that the staff there were brilliant and very polite and great with information and details My wife has an allergy to cream and they worked with the chef to ensure everything was OK and also he changed some of the dishes to suit her needs. The chicken and steak main courses were lovely and the chefs special marmite cream on home made cheese shortbreads was amazing. All in all a great lunch with great atmosphere amazing food and friendly staff. Will be going back.

great service great food great setting and excellent value. lovelytable . fabulous breads included free

Saturday evening, taking our son and daughter-in-law we dined at The parade room, when looking at the menu they were not sure if they liked what was on offer, we encouraged them not to be put off by the unusual stile of food offered, we all chose a starter, and without exception they all tasted amazing. And again we were over the moon with our choice of aim dish we all had something different everything tasting out of this world. Even the puddings were different. It’s nice to find a place that’s not run of the mill. We particularly liked the complementary plate of breads to start the meal off.Staff outstanding the surroundings unusual and fascinating as it’s set in Canterbury’s Victorian jails.A set menu with a choice of Two of Three courses. Very reasonable pricedI recommend it , I will certainly be going back.

Very good food, served by very friendly staff. A real atmosphere too - the old Police station - at one end of the main street.

When I initially booked a table at The Parade Room I mentioned that I had a Shellfish allergy. A prompt return email asked if I had any other dietary needs and when I explained that I had problems with many foods due to acid reflux digestive problems the chef prepared a menu for me that took into account all of my needs. I was so impressed that he took the time to research a perfect two course lunch just for me including low fat and no dairy. The mackerel and lentils dish followed by a perfectly smooth soya ice cream were both delicious and just what I needed to eat so that I didn’t feel unwell after eating any meal as I often do. My husband and son both really also enjoyed their roast dinners with the bread sauce being the best my son had ever eaten and the marmite hollandaise sauce with the beef for my husband another highlight. Shaun who served us was so knowledgeable about every dish and was clearly a genuine foodie and so enthusiastic about the menu. I would definitely recommend eating here. It’s shame that we don’t live in Canterbury but we would definitely make a return visit to The Parade Room the next time we visit this city.

This wondrously exquisite gem is located at the bottom of the highstreet. A little further down from the continuos chains on the highstreet, a three course meal that is rich in local Kent Produce, imagination and quality all for £27! Michelin quality without the pretentious snobbery, relaxed and very knowledgeable staff, Lauren & Dan made every effort to accomodate us and our cohorts. The atmosphere was a little lax but it was early on and im sure it would pick up, it was nice being able to hear eachother though. The decor is original and classy without being pretentious.Now down to the meal itself...Might i just say that Its wonderful to see a menu at christmas time that isnt overly festive! The duck was incredible, and rich, do not be decieved by the portion sizes. If you feel famished have some truffle chips.All in all we will be back.

We stumbled across this restaurant while looking round Canterbury over Christmas. The real surprise was the excellence of the food on offer. The treacle infused bread was just superb and the venison dish I had was perfectly cooked. We were looking for a premium restaurant and booked the Abode for the next night. The Parade Room was far better and is highly recommended.The busy (and noisy) bar downstairs is nothing to fear as you can't hear anything upstairs. It also has a museum and viewpoint in the Westgate Tower!

What a unknown gem! The place is full of history and fascinating. So much to look at whilst eating amazing food and being served by fab staff! From what I know you have to book but I believe so worth it!!

Visited with a group of 7 friends for dinner on a Friday night.We were seated in one of the old prison cells, which was a great experience and also meant we had our own private space, but still able to hear the atmosphere from outside the ‘cell’.Service was very friendly and knowledgable of the menu, happy to make suggestions.The food was delicious with a great range of local produce and some fantastic flavours. Reasonable value for a high-end dinner at around £21 for a 2 course meal.

Ate here this week and can honestly say I think it was the best meal I've had in Kent. We opted for local lamb and venison and both were sublime (starters were great too). Think the chef is more of a savoury expert and not a dessert chef - pudding was nice but not as sensational as the starters and mains. The flavours of the dishes were fantastic and I'd go back there for more in a heartbeat. It is also amazing value for money for the quality of the food. Cannot recommend highly enough. Added bonus is there's a pretty decent bar downstairs to have a drink before and/or after too.

The most wonderful tastes and service! Highly recommend. Amazing decor set in an old prison, whoever the chef is they take amazing care and attention to there food.

Met a friend here for supper and drinks. Well... what a hidden gem. Amazing, high quality food, and great value at 2 courses for under £20. It's a great venue with a lovely atmosphere. Service was perfect - attentive without being intrusive. We were even walked to our taxi. Such a pleasant evening. Will be revisiting and recommending to frirbds. Thanks for a fabulous evening.

Really interesting establishment and sitting in a police cell to have a glorious meal seemed kinda strange as the meal was nothing like what the prisoners would have been served yum yum We then did the escape room (Escape in the towers). Having done a few of these in other countries this one is on my list of recommendations when in Canterbury. Can’t give too much away so I’ll leave it at that.

We visited Canterbury last week, just across from our hotel is the Parade Room, where we dined last Wednesday 5th September. Dan and Lauren were on duty.what an absolute treat..dinner in the local cop shop! Brilliant, original menus, local produce, I ordered pork loin with gooseberry jam, my husband cod loin, my dessert a sort of deconstructed rum baba with bbq pineapple..oh my goodness, what a pud.To accompany our meal a proper English, Kent wine, Chapel Down Bacchus reserve white. I can thoroughly recommend this gem of a restaurant, for any occasion. I wish them every future success, they deserve to do well as a small independent.

What an incredible setting for a dining room,so atmospheric. The menu is good with one or two twists on the dishes and the staff are great.A lot of thought has gone in to the decor and menu and as a relatively new restaurant the owners deserve to succeed.The lunch time/day time menu is also very imaginative. Well worth a visit.

Initially found this restaurant on social media, and came to eat for dinner a few weeks ago. A small and intimate dinning environment which suited the experience and service really well. Front of House service and Food service excellent and not a long wait for anything. Food is outstanding (I had the Octopus to start, followed by the trout and laksa for main) Just wish more people knew about this place! definitely returning

Myself and 5 friends had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant last Friday. The whole experience could not have been better, from the young, friendly, professional helpful staff, to the beautifully interior designed surroundings to the top class food. Once our drinks had been ordered from a good wine menu and helpful advice from the waiter to point us in the right direction, we were served with homemade bread and butter and an amuse bouche. OMG! Delicious, and we all agreed that if that standard was continued we were in for a treat...and we were!My starter was chilled pea and mint soup with a yogurt sorbet and I can only describe it in one word...Superb! In fact I will go even further and say it was one of the best starters that I have ever been presented with.My main was confit loin of pork with a warm potato salad,gooseberry jam and black pudding and hazelnut. Again beautifully presented, quality ingredients and cooked to perfection, quite frankly it could NOT have been any better. And as a side order myself and my partner shared truffle chips, which melted in my mouth.As you would expect, food of this quality was very rich so none of us could manage a dessert, however what you would not expect was the price, as these two courses were £19.50! Quite unbelievable!The whole team deserve a mention, however, the final accolade must go to the young, innovative chef who clearly has a passion for food. One of the best meals (if not the best) that I have eaten this year and I have NEVER eaten food like this for that price. Frankly I am speechless!

and reasonably priced too!So, dinner with significant other and out of town friends (a couple) who are well travelled and considerable foodies. Everyone loved it.Rachel Phipps’s (food blogger) was not wrong! The food here is top notch - interesting menu and choice of ingredients. The flavours were superb. The sea trout is probably one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in a long time (possibly ever).Don’t expect piled high plates, this is all about quality. However, a starter and a main and I was full. The others had dessert.Service was good, the room itself is brilliantly styled and makes the best of historical references.Highly recommended. What are you waiting for?

Had a great evening at this restaurant with my wife, rang for a table on the day and they were kind enough to find us a table at 6pm on Saturday. The food was amazing and under priced for what was one of the best plates of food I have had. Service was great as was the wine menu can’t recommend it enough

This venue, housed within the ancient Westgate Towers in Canterbury and was a police station until 1965 has been open as a bar for some time but has recently opened its cell doors to diners and has labelled itself as a Gastropub. The question is, has the food improved from the porridge that they used to serve the prisoners that were housed there? We visited here on Father’s Day so there was a limited menu mainly consisting of Roasts with some starters and desserts also available. The Atmosphere: The restaurant is built from an old Police station and the owners have taken full advantage of this and have stuck with the theme. There are historic pictures around and there are also some small museum pieces scattered around displaying items like police truncheons, notepads and helmets. You can even eat in some of the old cells. It was about half full and seemed to have a nice feel about it. Rating: 9/10 The Service: Service was very polite and attentive. There was a bit of a mix up with the drinks order at the beginning - they forgot Dad’s beer, but when we reminded them, the waiter quickly resolved the issue and removed the cost of the drink from the bill, which was a very nice touch. Throughout the remainder of the meal, service was very good, there was a very relaxed pace and we were neither rushed nor neglected. When taking our orders, the waiters were knowledgeable about the food and explained how it was cooked and confirmed if we were happy with what we would receive. Rating: 9/10 The Food: I didn’t have a starter. Mum had Chicken Sausage, Chilli Honey Crispy Wing, Passion Fruit & Hazelnut and Dad had Leek, Onion & Gruyere Tart, Leek Crumble. They were presented beautifully and tasted great. Very well balanced with textures and with nice crumbs and things giving a great texture to add to the lovely flavours. Roast dinners seem to be hard to get right in a restaurant. Every person has their own idea of a perfect roast and I think their favourite is usually the one they make at home. I have certainly never had one quite as nice as Mum and Dad make. Well this one came very close. I had the Lamb and Mum and Dad both had the beef (which came with Marmite Hollandaise). As explained by the waiter, both the meats were cooked Sous Vide (in a water bath) and were amazing, so tender and full of flavour. All meals came with Roast Potatoes, shared portions of Buttered Cabbage, Red cabbage, Honey Glazed Carrots and a Cauliflower Gratin. All were great, although the roast Potatoes were not as good as they are at home, just a little soft and not as crunchy and fluffy as I like them. The most important part – Pudding. We all ordered and tried each other’s. I had the Chocolate Delice, Mum had the Almond Milk Junket and Dad had the Lemon Curd and Vanilla Mousse. Again, everything looked great on the plate and all of us enjoyed our Desserts and each other’s. I did not like the Almond Junket. It is a Panna Cotta type texture, which I do not like in any flavour, but Mum loved it. Rating 8.5/10 The Verdict: We were extremely pleased with our meal at the Pound and intend on visiting again when we can to try their main Gastropub menu. 3 courses for 3 people came in at just under £100 which included the 12.5% discretionary service charge and for food at that level is quite reasonable. We never felt the need to reach for the salt and pepper because everything was seasoned perfectly. We all agreed that this was one of the best roast dinners we have had outside of home. Rating: 8.8/10.

Came here to try before going to theatre. Staff were very attentive and friendly and the food was very well presented and delicious. We will definitely be returning.

Want something different? This is the place. Forget run-of-the-mill chain restaurants and treat someone you love with a delicious dinner, with locally sourced food in a unique, historical setting.

Open for just 7 weeks in this incarnation, the restaurant at The Pound has already found its feet and word is spreading. Superb food: fascinating and pleasing flavour combinations (duck liver mousse with rhubarb and honeycomb - trust me!) with exquisite presentation. Friends and family also enjoyed octopus, belly pork, chocolate delice and more. Excellent wine list including local Chapel Down wines. The three course menu is just £28 and well worth it. Congratulations to Head Chef Doug and his team. We ate in the main first floor Parade Room restaurant. Come here.

If you want something quirky then this is worth a visit, the restaurant is situated in the old parade room of the police station, complete with lockers and old police memorabilia. It was late Saturday afternoon so the place was not busy and there was only one other table taken, due to this there was a lack of atmosphere, however, I suspect at night it may fill up more. The only problem is that you cannot see how full it is in advance, as you are taken upstairs by the waitress. The old cells have been renovated into private booths on the ground floor, so if you are a small party this may suit you.We had the cod cheeks but could not taste any beer in the batter, the peas were nice but not very hot. The cocktails were lovely and service was good.One thing to note - It hadn't been open that long but already the tables were beginning to show signs of staining, it may be an idea for tablecloths to be used to cover this up.

We picked up a leaflet for The Pound Bar And Kitchen and decided to book for dinner. When we arrived we were escorted upstairs to The Parade Room (very interesting history which you can read about on The Pound website). The leaflet didn’t mention The Parade Room at all but then we found out it had only been open for 3 weeks! We had an excellent meal. Our waiter,Shaun, was very knowledgeable about the food,wine and the history of the building. My husband said the food was Michelin star quality. I am sure this will be sought after venue for fine dining very soon. It is also part of the Westgate Towers Museum and Viewpoint and if you heave a meal here you get free entry into the museum. We did it the wrong way around so we didn’t get chance to do this but it wasn’t expensive in any case. I only mention it in case you are a visitor and have the opportunity to plan ahead.

We dined on a Saturday evening, we found the restaurant was fairly quite for a Saturday evening in Canterbury.We all had starters which were all fairly good, I had the Duck mousse with rhubarb which was too sweet for me unfortunately. The mains were all very good but very much on the small side, a few of the party would have ordered sides if we had known they would be that small. The puddings were also all very good, the service was excellent.Would definitely return but would order sides to help bulk up the mains as they were too small for most of the party.

A brand new restaurant and in such wonderful historic surroundings. So much of the character has been retained of the old gaol and police station in this popular bar which now has both restaurant and bar food on offer.The menu has something to suit all tastes and the dishes are excellently prepared from locally sourced produce. Whatever you choose will not disappoint.Book a table soon, because once word gets around, this will be the sought after place to dine in and around Canterbury.