The Phoenix in Canterbury

This is an old fashioned city pub. The ales change weekly. Live music on a Friday. Quiz nights and more. The food is brilliant. Fantastic pizzas at the weekend. Honestly the pizzas are fantastic. The Sunday lunch is amazing. Friendly staff make you feel welcome. What’s not to like!

Lovely pub with friendly management. The proprietor is a great conversationalist with extensive knowledge of culture and history. He made me feel welcome as a guest.

We had an excellent pizza which I would highly recommend. The live music which occurs on certain Friday nights, is also great fun.

Best real ale pub in Canterbury.

Wir sind sehr nett empfangen worden und haben eine hervorragende Cottage Pie gegessen. Uriges Ambiente und sehr gemütlich.

The Phoenix is an "old school" pub at its best. It feels quaint and quiet but there's evidence in the photos and posters around and about which suggests this could be a 'secret' venue for some good live music. There's comfortable seating and a decent garden area alongside the small parking area. Very enjoyable in contrast to more noisy pubs inside the city walls. I've not tried the meals here yet but those that have are more than satisfied, which speaks volumes.

Nice little pub but there was recently an incident

The Phoenix is one of the last of Canterbury's proper "hidden gem" pubs. This is a traditional, family-run pub where you can sit and relax with a lovely Sunday roast, pop down for great live music on a Friday or even take part in the fun but challenging pub quiz. It has plenty on offer (including a dart board) but the very best bit is the cosy atmosphere. The landlord and landlady are lovely people and certainly take good care of their patrons. Thoroughly recommended!

What a nice little pub landlord has years of experience had a good old chat with him one of the good guy's.

Old school pub. If that's what ur into, then what's the worst that could happen? Had a dodgy pint, so withholding the fifth star. But it's a lovely old school boozer

Proper local pub, service was friendly and the beer was decent. Extra points for the pub cat!

Thank you for a warm welcome, delicious food and drink. Moreover, I enjoyed the live performance by 'Sam Brothers' There was even a pub cat and I was befriended by Max the dog :-)

Found this by accident. Good cosy atmosphere and decent beers. Friendly service and althogh not advertised frshly made sandwiches at a very reasonable price. All in all a nice afternoon.

We came for Sunday lunch and it was amazing!

After a route march from town heading to the cricket, this pub quite literally rose like a phoenix from the flames. Oasis. Without exaggeration this boozer was a life saver.

Always a nice pub. BOB and Nilla

Real Ales. Friendly landlord. Great quiz on Wednesdays. Lovely atmosphere.

Lovely little pub, lovely owners and a lovely pint

Good bar for have a couple of beers. I recommend you guys.

Well served ales in clean pleasant pub. Very reasonably priced selection of pub fare. Not large helpings and not presented in a fancy way but very tasty. Excellent as a in pub lunch

Excellent night of music and great beer. A copy of private eye to read as well who could ask for more

Excellent real ales, great pub food, live music regularly - yes, when was the last time you found a pub that, every week, had decent live music for free? There are no pretences here; it is a decent, 'old fashioned pub' as some should be. There is a weekly quiz, outside seating area and a real fire for the colder days. And even better; it's a free house run by the people that own the license, not a chain like almost every other pub in Canterbury. A great find.

Great local pub, really good priced drinks. Friendly owners

Unusual pub, quiet, but in fairness it was a Monday Evening. Seemed to be family run and mainly regular clientele. A little outdated but clean and friendly.

Great selection of real ales Good old fashioned great pub

Visited this lovely little pub for a quick beer many times, but today was the first time I had the Sunday Roast. Excellent food excellent service, choice of 3 or 4 meats….and at 13 quid great VFM Highly recommend 😎

Superb freehouse with a good range of quality ales. Worth the walk from the centre. Nice outside area. Prices still reasonable

Recently updated and very much nicer for it. Great cask ales and one of the few places you can also get Gadd's #11, albeit in cans. It's firmly back in the shortlist of "where shall we go tonight, chaps?"

Lovely cozy old fashioned pub near the Cricket ground in Canterbury

This is the best place to go for a drink and the entertainment was great we had a great time the entertainment was great.

It isn't the most elegant venue but it provides a warm welcome with a friendly landlord and locals, and a prodigious Sunday roast. Meat and two veg? Pah! At the Phoenix, they serve 9 vegetables; count them! And they are nicely cooked, not reduced to a pulp. Highly recommended.

This small pub is the last one on the walk to the cricket club. They don't serve any food either.

We had the loveliest curry . The garden is lovely in the summer . Wonderful for barbecues . Pub owners are very hospitable

A proper pub with a selection of real ales, a landlord and landlady..not a manager of a sterile pub chain serving Tetley's etc. Other than a Friday night when they have local musicians, it's a fairly quiet pub with no one in your way when you feel like scoring 180 on the dart board. Edit..09/02/22. Went again on 'quiz night' and was asked to vacate another table which we did. Half way through second pint we were asked ' how much longer will you be staying as people need to sit. Seems if you're just a regular punter spending dosh and you're not in the quiz, you're not welcome! Hence the two stars from 5 stars.

Nice pub. Good place to relax. Service quick and efficient. Nice cat (v.friendly). Only purchased a lager.

Definitely a locals pub. Friendly, helpful & welcoming but got the feeling that regulars were the priority

Very nice pub and friendly staff

Great old skool pub with good real ales

Being away from the city centre it tends to be quieter than the busy ones in town and hence a bit of a locals atmosphere - bar flies who could probably tell you all about the place and even an approachable pub cat! Could seem a bit stand offish but if you're up for a laugh they'll keep you entertain, as well as the music acts at weekends. Down stared as twice been given off beer.

Pleasant company. Excellent ale. What more can you ask for?

Not a friendly atmosphere, I was served by a man that went on his lap top as soon as he had finished serving me. I was the only customer in the place and felt like I was an alien.

Great selection of of beers, good food and there's always a warm welcome from the genial hosts.

Excellent pint of Betty Stogs + company of affectionate pub cat. Next time I'm trying the menu. More people need to use this hidden gem of pub. If we don't use 'em we lose 'em!!!

We came to Canterbury for a week from Nottingham and the Phoenix was 50 yards from the house. What a fantastic old school boozer with a brilliant real ale selection and four different lagers. Bob is a true gentleman and his wife is just as welcoming. Loads of characters in there and made us feel super welcome. This place really made the holiday and is a true British pub that sadly are becoming few and far between.

Great evening, listening to live music!

Great roast dinner, so much of it! very warm welcome from the landlords , made us and our dog super welcome 😃

Blacksmiths was alright, other bitters didn't clear and had sediment in them. It isn't my job to bring the beer back, it's yours to serve beer that's actually drinkable. It's a shame because your website makes it sound like you're a nice real ale pub and I convinced my partner to try it but I won't be returning. Didn't feel able to bring the beer back because the staff were standing behind the bar drinking stout from a jug and vaping while chatting to a couple of locals on the sofa. Not really a welcoming atmosphere unfortunately.

The beer had floaters, the cider was good. I can expect you to check when there are literally 5 people in the entire pub! It's your only job to serve good beer! And I've worked in hospitality on and off for the last 20 years!

What a brilliant pub proper spit and sawdust type of establishment but very clean and run by fantastic people, haven't tried the food but going by the way everything is run should be good.

How landlords should be, friendly and informative,real ales in good condition

Proper pub with great real ale selections

Couldn't believe we could get service at the bar completely against government advice. Quite expensive for a bar out of the city centre

One of the last real pubs left standing in canterbury. Fantastic pub atmosphere.

Lovely owners, great customer service and good beer!

Old school nice pub. Bar staff are great and it's got a real homely feel. The last of a dying breed.

Felt right at home upon entering this lovely local pub. A warm welcome from friendly Landlord and a good selection of real ales. I am glad I found this pub and covid permitting hope I can make it my local. Come and patronise this lovely family pub. You won't be disappointed.

Friendly and welcoming patrons and staff

Bob and his staff are great . Unlike most, Canterbury pubs, you can have a good chat, whilst enjoying a nice drinks. Only pub in Canterbury that csters for the grown ups

Great selection of local Kent beers. Friendly owners that make sure you're comfortable. Their mid week pub quiz is back up and running. Why not have a quick stop in and try it for yourself?

Great pub. Good selection of real ales, and friendly staff.

We popped by for a quick, quiet drink on Saturday. The lady who served us was so lovely and there were only a couple of the regulars there and they were chatty and friendly, which speaks volumes for us because if people just wandered in to our village local we would treat people exactly the same. The house double vodka and diet coke was a proper measure too, which makes a change, and I can't remember that beautiful cat's name. We didn't say goodbye, sorry, only because you were eating when we left and we didn't want to disturb you. Keep your grit and determination face on - I am sure you will survive and ride this storm out - you deserve to because great pubs like this are very hard to find these days :)

Its has an amazing community and tbe bar tenders are welcoming and you can have good conversation with them aswell as the locals

Nice pub for a drink and chat! Friendly owner and a lovely cat. Not tried the food yet... next time!

This was my first visit to The Phoenix. I went with my father and sister. I'm not normally a fan of pubs, however, it was very relaxing and chilled. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. We decided to stay for lunch. I ordered the vegan curry and rice and was pleasantly surprised at the excellent quality and taste of the food. A very enjoyable afternoon. Thank you, very much

Nous sommes allés dans ce pub pour voire une bière et regarder la 2eme mi temps d'un match de rugby, nous y avons été très bien accueillis et les bières sont... Des bières anglaises 😂 Accueil très sympa, peu de monde mais des personnes amicales. Nous reviendrons !

Great place! The owner was about to close and go home for Christmas, but let us in to have an unplanned, last-minute Christmas lunch! Thank you!!

This place needs to stop serving beer that is clearly off.

The closest pub to the Canterbury cricket ground, The Phoenix is popular with regulars and tourists alike. Well kept beer, interesting menu. Warm welcome for all. I will return.

Great pub for real ale. Usually has a choice of 4 or 5 guest ales and offers a discount to CAMRA members. This is a great option for cricket fans and the friendly pub cat is an added bonus.

What a lovely place to send the afternoon - catching up on emails whilst enjoying the environment. Thank you.

In years gone by used to be one of my favourite pubs in the area with great beer. No longer. Visited with my wife who advised me there was no running water from taps in the ‘ladies’ & no toilet roll. Facilities were very smelly. Sofa in bar had an unpleasant aroma & had dead wasps on it. Worst crime of all, the beer was cloudy with bits in it. Drank about a third of it but could manage no more. Raised it with the bar man & was reliably informed “that’s how it’s meant to be!” So ordered a half of something else just to try and as a replacement. Barman tried to charge me for that! We walked out & won’t be returning anytime soon.

Feels really welcoming and home-y. Plus a good selection on tap

This is a very good traditional pub with a range of wines and lagers, but their specialism is their real ales. They also do some good value food, scampi and chips etc, and a great Sunday roast which is excellent value and comes with an abundance of vegetables.

Great place to visit nice friendly staff served with a smile.

Old fashioned, blokey pub but ok

The pub looks nice inside, clean and tidy, the barman was helpful. Unfortunately the toilets were not too good, they do smell.

In the homogeneity of Canterbury a welcome relief.

a great place and very clean and friendly..

Classic pub and very friendly. Sorry I got the wrong star rating first time!

Proper town pub. Friendly staff and customers. Would recommend !

Still a proper old pub. Good beer and a warm welcome.

It was ok. They only serve drinks, no food or appetizers. Don't go if you hate cats or have a cat allergy because they have a cat in there. Overall a good place to go if you just want a drink.

Super friendly, no thrills pub. Good beer....

Nice pub, good staff and great beer. What else could one ask for?

Good post-cricket drinking pub.

A relaxed and friendly pub on the outskirts of Canterbury. Has a little terrace out back which is nice in the summer.

27-7-18 Walked in around 2 hours before the T20 cricket started up the road Kent vs Sussex. Plastic glasses provided as ‘dishwasher broken’ no mention of this issue in advance of pouring the drinks. Asked about ordering food ‘Don’t do food’ Total disaster of an excuse for a pub. Moving on to a new pub shortly. One with beer glasses, food and staff that have a grey cell or two hopefully mixed with some social skills.

Good beer no fuss (enough said)

Their Sunday roasts are massive and very tasty. Best roast in Canterbury.

As other people have said, this is a real pub with no airs and graces but some good beer. We (8 of us) called in after a bike ride and mixed with the cricket fans from the Kent ground up the road. Good place to meet locals and have a chat.

Good for real ale drinkers. Students, NHS staff and CAMRA members get 10% discount

Excellent real ales, great pub food, live music regularly - yes, when was the last time you found a pub that, every week, had decent live music for free? There are no pretences here; it is a decent, old fashioned pub as they should be. There is a weekly quiz, outside seating area and a real fire for the colder days. And even better; it's a free house run by the people that own the license, not a chain like almost every other pub in Canterbury. A great find.

A traditional pub in the city !!

Nice place. Very popular for breakfast.

Found this pub by mistake glad we did..great l boozer friendly staff great sunday roast very filling go most sundays now reccomend for people who like there grub .

Proper pub with real Ale. Not much of an up to date, shiny and modern place but the beer is excellent

Great pub, great atmosphere and great beer! 🍺

Wow! Stumbled, completely by accident, upon this endearing traditional pub. The Sunday Lunch was very very reasonable and absolutely phenomenal. No doubt about it, we will return! Free parking. No pretensions a sweet little pub cat and delicious lunch...in Canterbury!!!

Could of done with more bar staff knowing people going to the concert 3rd june would stop for a drink here, we had to wait half an hour to get served

Nice quiet little pub. Large portions, honest English grub, excellent value for money. Friendly, welcoming staff.