The Playa in Swale

Absolutely superb service & food, could not fault them at all

All top notch Place beer people food Cannot fault

Booked a table for Saturday afternoon and had the couples valentine menu.. Food was everything you could hope for.. Seafood platter was fresh and presented well.. Steak surf & turf was cooked to perfection how we wanted & delicious.. Staff were lovely & friendly & can't wait to return for another exceptional meal out.. Thank you 😊

Absolutely disgusting prices, my friend ordered a bottle of Prosecco, charged £15, I took the empty bottle back asked for another one got charged £25! I thought it was a bit steep, so I asked my friend how much did they charge her…£15. I went back to the bar to question this, I was told I accepted it and that they had undercharged my friend, would not give me the difference, any decent landlord to save face would have given back the difference. The toilets only which 1 was working were awful and was the same 2 weeks ago. Tables were sticky, lack of staff, not the same as it was a few years back. I feel it’s being run into the ground!

Lovely welcome. Stayed overnight in our motorhome. Great food.

Very quiet and chill place with reasonable prices and a great view

Had the most wonderful sunday roast here. Best I have had in sheerness will defo go again .Staff were great & very good service .

Unfriendly and unwelcoming atmosphere. Staff were grim faced and unpleasant. The entire time felt as though we were unwelcome and unwanted there. Won't be going back. This bar used to be vibrant and full of life, it's sad to revisit my home town and find such a staple of the area to be a shadow of its former self.

Our experience in the playa last night, with out a dout the best we have had in a long time. Take my hat off too the Chef, that was the best Christmas dinner I have ever had, ( don't tell my mum) thank you Chef. The service was very good, with polite, light- hearted humoru. Thank you all on behalf of self, friends, and Bonnie, my dog. The Playa has changed so much with the new owners, I pleased to say. Anyone looking too go out for Sunday lunch, or Christmas dinner, you will not find better than the Playa. Kind regards Steve, and Bonnie

Lovely food, young waitresses so service is lacking a bit but I have a feeling that will be sorted as they gain more experience. Nice size carpark to the side and disabled access on the front of the building. Very good atmosphere.

Service from Nathan and Frankie was superb, very polite, professional, warm and friendly -excellent and the food was delicious and good size portions

We were lost and happened upon The Playa Freehouse and Restaurant. What an incredible find this was! We were welcomed warmly into a beautiful space with a crackling fire and lovely atmosphere. The portions of food were immense and the service was really great! I would definitely highly recommend for beautiful views, lovely vibe and awesome, friendly service

Turned up unbooked with my elderly mother. The food was excellent, inexpensive and we were made welcome by the staff. A great location. Recommended.

Great venue for a get together lovely helpful staff

During my recent visit to this charming pub I was thoroughly impressed by both the quality of the food and the warmth of the service. The culinary highlight was undoubtedly the chili con carne, served with a delightful blend of sour cream, guacamole, and jalapeños – a perfect harmony of flavors. Equally commendable was the burger, accompanied by a side of crisp, perfectly cooked chips. What set this pub apart, however, was not just its food. The staff's friendliness contributed significantly to the welcoming ambiance, a sentiment echoed by the geniality of the fellow patrons. This combination of great food and a congenial environment makes for a truly enjoyable dining experience. An additional practical advantage is the availability of a car park, ensuring convenience for those arriving by vehicle. Given the quality of the experience, I strongly recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. This pub is evidently a popular choice among discerning diners, and rightly so. It's a gem that promises both culinary delight and a pleasant atmosphere.

Excellent food and lovely atmosphere

Superb food every time we have gone, friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere. There meals are lovely size portions and food is a fantastic quality.

Had dinner on Sunday 18 September. Really nice vegetable lasagne and chips. All the staff were ever so friendly and accommodating. Would definitely eat there again.

On the huge sheppey coastline. On the whole it is a cheap,warm and friendly pub

Thought I would give the Playa another go as I didn’t enjoy my last visit and really shouldn’t of bothered. Went safe with nachos and some garlic bread and OMG they was both terrible. My child can make better also, massively over priced for what the chef produced. Would probably pop in for a drink but no chance I would pick up a menu.

Food was poor, prawn cocktails had 12 prawns in a small bowl, they managed to mess up my order completely, a beef salad turned into a Steak and chips, they did offer to change it but this would have meant my wife waiting for my meal to be sorted, they also stated my wifes meal was a MIXED mushroom linguine but only had chestnut mushrooms and very few of them. They did refund £4 but then added a charge for garlic bread which they never ordered, it was eventually taken off after arguing with them about it! Very poor disabled access, step at the main entrance is not highlighted and complete darkness in the entrance, we walked right round the pub before we found the restaurant. There was no atmosphere in here at all, won't be returning ever, has seriously gone downhill since the new management has taken over!!

For the price food was excellent service excellent very friendly. First visit will definitely return

Fantastic food and good location. 👍

Giving caravan clubhouse vibes. The staff were friendly and lovely, no complaints there but the establishment is run down and dirty looking (it may well be clean but looks filthy). Your served coffee in paper cups, drinks in plastic cups, the tables at the front smelt like urine. The decor is as basic as can be and just in general looking run down. There were boxes of sauce packets on the bar to help your self to. While we didn’t eat there were plastic laminated menus that looked like they had been through a washing machine. What’s wrong with a nice printed menu that can be recycled, much more hygienic. It used to be one of the best places on the island. I wouldn’t mind if they were charging normal prices. But they are still charging a premium. I have recently hear stories from other people of bar fights becoming more normal. It’s a shame. This place has so much potential

Went to this pub for an evening meal.Was not impressed with the bar service . The meal selection was poor and service no better . I have use this pub years ago but will never use it again. No atmosphere and at 8pm the pub was empty apart from one group,

Visited the player yesterday 1st of October, had booked a table, got there,our table had been given to someone else,so had to wait for another table to be available! Staff were just running round like headless chickens, food was ok, I had the nut roast as vegetarian was offered not veggie gravy so a very dry meal, whilst clearing out plates my drink was knocked over by waitress, she did apologize but was given a cloth to clear it up, no offer to get me another drink. Was never offered the desserts menu,but to be honest was just glad to leave the chaos and get out,such a shame as went there a few years ago and it was such a lovely place to eat, think they must of changed management since.

Sharing nachos. Avoid not worth the high price Chilli con carne. Avoid. Tastless. Seafood linguine. Very good. Nice selection of spirits. I would vist again. I feel the food was hit and miss from what we had today. But I like the area and will likley be back.

This is a delightful pub. A lovely atmosphere here.we had a nice evening with family. Food was brilliant.

A friends dads’ wake held here. Lovely views from inside as well as outside. Big big beer garden. Friendly staff. Good food and beer.

Absolutely delicious food. Big portions. Really enjoyed this one.

There was a little mix up with our main meals being served 30 seconds after our starters arrived, but that was quickly rectified. All in all a nice lunch in the beer garden. As a side note I do wish that the management insisted that guests keep their dogs on a lead as I do not appreciate other people's dogs begging for food at my table.

Great location overlooking the sea. Very busy. Long wait for food, but it was very nice and lots of it.

Love this place, been coming for years through several landlords, but still retains a stylish chill with friendly family vibes. Great idea to do coffee and cake for drivers!

Lovely clean pub. Good parking. Across the road from Pebble Beach. Lovely friendly staff. Food excellent

Great place, nice staff, fab views and lovely food. Fishcakes were banging

You couldn't make this up. Visited the Playa this lunchtime for our 12,30pm booking, whch incidentally was exactly 24 hours after I phoned to make the booking. Ordered a couple of drinks for my wife and I then looked at the menu. The second sheet, the Mains menu, had ben torn out. My wife's menu was exactly the same. All that was there were the starters, meals in a basket, or desserts. No mains. We didn't want meals in a basket. I asked the waitress what was going on and she said the kitchen was not open for main meals. Other staff I spoke to claimed they only knew about this reduced menu when they arrived for work that morning, which was why it hadn't been mentioned when I booked. They had my phone number, but no one had the wit to call me in the morning to let me know the menu choices were severely resricted. If they had, of course, we wouldn't have turned up at all. I was then told something coud be cooked for us if we really wanted a main course, but we didn't want to pluck a meal out of the air. We wanted a full menu to study. The whole thing was farcical. We paid for our drinks and walked out to be followed shortly by a disgruntled group of five, equally as unhappy as we were. We all ended up, by chance, at the nearby Harps Inn, a proper pub with a full menu and good service. Memo to the management: You've managed to irritate seven customers, who will in all probablity never vist the Playa again.

Great service, great drink selection and decent prices.

Dirty place.. not clean. Not recommended.

First visit to the playa.Lovely pub at minster leas.Very enjoyable evening,having dinner and watching the boats and the sea.Relaxing night.

Excellent service, nice atmosphere and good food. Has come a long way since changing hands last year.

Really welcoming family friendly pub, dog friendly too. Lovely friendly staff who really came across as enjoying their job. Fantastic food, great service all round, will definitely go back again. Lovely garden as well and fantastic location opposite the beach.

Great staff, happy, polite, efficient and friendly. Food tasty, great chips generous portions. Seating outside, great views of sea, while eating, pleasant wsy to depend a Saturday lunchtime with family. Our group was 4 adults.

Cracking welcome, service and food, totally recommend the fish and chips and the chicken kebab. Lovely views of the sea front, easy access to the promenade and generous customer parking too

First visit to the Playa will definitely be making a return visit soon 💯

Love it here, great pub & restaurant, over looking the sea , serving gorgeous food, & brilliant service thank you all & to Renee our waitress of the day 😀

Lovely beer! Not very wheelchair-friendly: misleading signs, step at the door, ramped door locked. Kindly unlocked, but locked again - are exits allowed to be locked and bolted when the public are inside? "It's to stop the draught" commented one regular.

Went for Sunday lunch but found they no longer do roasts on Sundays! Were kept waiting 45 minutes before they took our order which was from the standard menu. Very disappointed with service and attitude of staff. Will not be going there again.

what a place and fantastic location with amazing sea views.

Good food nice people and a lovely atmosphere. Loved it.

We have visited multiple times in the last few months. Food has been amazing every time, great value for money and generous portions. Good dog friendly area, clean water bowls and a mini dog menu, mine loves the sausage and treat biscuits you can buy! We found Lisa amazing, friendly, attentive, however the rest of the staff could do with some additional training. They were fine, did their job, but when Lisa wasn't there we had to keep getting up to ask for drinks, cutlery, no check backs are done once you receive food, and starter plates were not cleared before mains brought out. I feel it was inexperienced new staff rather than rudeness. It won't stop us visiting again and I would still recommend The Playa.

We called in today, on the off chance, for a late lunch. Although it was very busy, the staff found us a table. 2 of our party had the Mussels and thought they were absolutely delicious. I had Ham, Eggs and Chips - very nice it was too. Best chips we've had in ages. All in all, a lovely lunch. We will return, if only to see if the Mussels are as good as this time!

Staff super friendly, great food reasonably priced. Good parking facilities, super sweet private garden at the back. Perfectly positioned right on the coast

Garden and pool table with friendly staff

Given a menu sat in the garden as instructed by staff went to place an order told they was no longer serving food as too busy wont return here

Three of us went here for a birthday, we're informed of the two products they had run out of . I had chicken skewers on flat bread with fries , salad , houmous and tzakziki it was lovely . Staff were very good 👍

Went to the pub on the 23/6/22in the evening to have a drink and some food. Order our drinks and ask still serving food yes the barmaid reply so she said find a table outside then come back to order your food so 30 mins later I did so then Was ask did you book a table no as we where outside in the garden ask I explain to her then she replyed no food as we we're fully booked but we was outside already not in the pub restaurant this was not good service her attitude was very rude it's was buss and she told me that all tablets were booked and a 20 people would be coming later on one table thats not fault as I explained we just wanted to eat outside as first told by one of the staff so this pub does not my good guide in fact the staff are very rude in not for filling my request to eat outside where a table was available and not booked and I was told we could order after we found the table sorry to say we left to go somewhere else to eat will not be going back this. Pub is a let done especially as under new ownship

Great little pub restaurant, lots of seating inside and out. Great food and good service. Order at the bar. 30 seconds from the sea front!

Gobsmacked young barman gave us menus for food when we went to order was told they are not doing food I should seen the alarm bells when the locals say the Staff are disorganised to the point no one was serving drink and people getting frustrated and walking out honestly shocking service.

Very good food at a very good price. They allow dogs and there is also a large garden to the rear. Plenty of parking and right on the sea front. Advise to book at peak times, as it can get very busy.

Popped in with a friend for lunch and a few beers, atmosphere was lovely, not too crowded inside despite the hot weather. Easy to order food and beverages up at the bar to my knowledge ordering is not done at the table you are seated at. Food is a tad pricey for what it is. I had a Halloumi burger with chips that was just over £13 and Fiery Prawns just over £7. However the food is presented quite nicely and you do get more than enough on the plate and given the fact the pub is a family owned business and not a chain and given the cost of living currently at high peaks you could forgive the costs. All in all a good visit.

We really liked the Playa and the food. The service was great however the four stars are because of the long wait. Many customers also mentioned it in the garden. The atmosphere is therefore affected. There is a nice spacious garden in the back and plenty of seats inside. Staff as before mentioned were great and I should add helpful. I am sure that I will edit the ratings when I return as I assume that on a busy sunny Sunday the Playa will sort the long wait. I would just advise that it is a bit windy which is of course nothing to do with Playa.

Visited solo for Sunday roast on 21 May on the pretext that I would invite my friends the following Sunday. My meal was well presented and tasty, Service was good and I felt comfortable inviting my friends for the following Sunday as a party of four. What a disaster! We waited ages to be served. A sweet elderly lady who took our order apologised saying it was "chaos in the kitchen" despite it only being 12.30 mid day. We ordered four roast dinners with cauliflower cheese. After almost 30 minutes two dinners eventually appeared. As we waited for the rest of the order two cauliflower cheese followed separately. Then 5 mins later two more dinners without cauliflower cheese, which never did arrive. The presentation was sloppy and drowned in watery gravy. The Yorkshire was cold and leathery. The meat was clearly 100% pre-cooked thinly sliced meat from a package like the sort you get in a supermarket and no reply to this post will convince me or my other guests any different. The packaged thinly sliced meat had been re-heated to the point of it being cardboard. The veg came separately on one dish for the four of us and was a tasteless disaster. Rock hard carrots and cold sloppy cabbage. This was prison food! I asked for mustard and two small packets like you get in a fast food burger bar were dropped on the table without a word. The staff were disorganised running around in all directions yet the place was not busy. Dessert arrived with no utensils to eat with. I had to call over the sweet elderly lady to ask for utensils. The lady again apologised saying her "grand daughter was working that day". Not sure what that meant. At no time did anyone ask how our meal was or if we needed anything. I felt highly embarrassed inviting guests to the Playa. It was shockingly bad on every level. Poor service, cheaply prepared supermarket food and being charged over £100 for a party of 4 with only one drink was the final straw. Organised chaos from beginning to end. What a disaster compared with the week before! Consistency is clearly not on the menu.

Made a booking for my place of work, really friendly staff, so accommodating and the food was beautiful!

Fantastic food and drink. Service pretty good atmosphere excellent

Came on this pub by accident, good beers, great lunchtime food deals and very friendly staff

Waiting time was long and bar staff not so helpful..

Food was OK, service was slack and our dog was attacked by the pub dog which had escaped from the living quarters, not dog friendly

Staff was lovely and friendly and the fish and chips was great

Lovely place felt welcomed food not pricey, freshly cooked. recommended

Cool friendly plenty of choice for drinks and the food beautiful great views looking out to the sea.

We came this evening for my sons birthday meal. Food was lovely. Staff were absolutely brilliant. They couldn't have been any more welcoming to us. We also has 2 dogs with us, they made a fuss of the dogs, gave them water and treats. They also gave my son a free homemade brownie with a candel in and all sang happy birthday to him which made his day. They made so much effort to make our meal lovely. Makes such a difference when you go somewhere with lovely staff. Thank you all for being so kind and lovely. We'll definitely be back soon 😁

Wonderful staff beautiful ambience great views

The food was great, fresh and hot, we had fish and chip 🍟! Dog friendly, but in reserved area, have dog menu, that’s great and the proceeds goes to the Stray dog Service! Had water available for the dog x

Food was very quick and cooked very well, salad was lovely and fresh and would definitely recommend to anyone

Friendly staff lovely food and quick service even though they were busy! Good price too! Easy to park for my disabled client, clean toilets also!

We enjoyed ourselves and food was good but because its so popular we got rather squashed with other tables.

We went for Sunday roast and we were not disappointed, but first the other bits, staff were friendly and polite, good range of beers on offer and a few nice cocktails. The pub itself is well laid out and there is a feeling of openness and you do not feel claustrophobic or cramped. A very relaxed atmosphere and welcoming staff. We ordered the lamb roast and it was delicious, just like you would get at home, well cooked, generous portions and all the trimmings. We thoroughly enjoyed it. A good selection of desserts followed and we chose the cheesecake which was a choice of biscoff or brownie so we had one of each, and very nice they were too. Our waitress was polite and very helpful and our food came out in good time. Overall a very good experience and one which I would highly recommended to others. Well worth a visit if you don't fancy cooking on a Sunday. We have now decided to visit through the week and try their lunch and evening menu out. Price was around average for the area but well worth it.

Table was booked for a party of eight for my partners birthday with her family. The main bar area was busy with there being a table of eight people and various other small tables occupied. After we sat down at our allocated table about a dozen other people came in to join the table of eight. To accommodate them they moved various people off their tables so that the large party could all sit together. We were asked THREE times whether we were ready to order our food and each time said "yes". However nobody came to take our order as they were fussing over the party of twenty who appeared to have pre-ordered their food. They appeared to be short staffed as when bringing the food out the bar was left empty. After an hour we left without having any food and it looked like others took the same action

Decent meal, good size portions. They just forgot our coffee that we ordered but took it off the bill. No complaints would return.

Booked a table in the restaurant for 5 people about 2 weeks ago. For Saturday 9th April. We go out a few times a year as a group of friends and thought we would give the Playa a try as one of our group had eaten there before. We arrived at 6:45 for our 7pm booking, and after ordering a round of drinks I told the landlady that we had a booking but due to a friends illness there was only 3 of us. She viewed the book and said "oh". I replied "Ah don't you have a record of the booking " ?. She said "No it's not that but someone has taken the table we had reserved for you". To which we were taken aback as there was no attempt to say that the people would be asked to vacate. She then asked whether we minded sitting in the main busy bar area ? To which we all said No. We saw a small table beyond the bar area ( Dog area) and asked could we sit there ? The table was cleaned and made up for us. The menu was quite basic, maybe not the full restaurant menu ? We all ordered the Playa burger, which when it was served by the friendly staff was very well presented and very tasty. We also ordered another Moretti and a brandy and coke....... It is a shame as first impressions count a lot....... When parking I noted a lot of empty garden tables were packed with empty plates and glasses. This came to mind when asking for a pint of Moretti with a Moretti glass not being available. Along with the reluctance to not make our table available to us we all said we would not be rushing back. One good gesture was the fact that when paying our bill I noted that the second two drinks were not charged. Thank you to the land lady for that.

Superb lunch and service in the player despite being very busy today. Very enjoyable meal and venue

Tested our luck with a very mixed family group 5- 84, some complex dietary needs. No problem at all! Lovely welcome and service, delicious whitebait and scampi basket meals, vegan mushroom linguine with walnut pesto, multiple vegan options including several on the children's menu. This...

After an unpleasant visit 7 months ago re visited last night with my dad and his partner. I was super impressed. Fantastic food, attentive and lovely staff, very impressed. Thank you 😊

After work friends dinner Myself, my partner and a friend met for dinner after work after hearing about the playa being a good place now. We wasn't disappointed! I ordered lasagne with chips and garlic bread and every part of it was amazing! The presentation...

Food amazing x staff very helpful And nice and friendly xxx Dog friendly too Great place to eat and great service

Lovely lunch. Basket meal was lovely. Very friendly x

Poor service, food not the best, overall sad turn out. Nearly 3 hours for 3 courses would not recommend. Thank God for the people who stepped up and werent even staff

Nice friendly staff, good food and reasonable prices

Lovely food and staff all in a fantastic location, with free parking on tap

Lovely setting and tasty food. What's not to like.

Food was good with some nice views of the sea. Large beer garden which is well kept and staff are very polite.

Staff are very poite and very helpful and accommodating if they can, especially if they are very busy

Really disappointed with the restaurant following the new takeover. Went for a meal on a Sunday, tables not prepared, no cutlery or salt n pepper laid out. Old bowl of soup left lying around on next table. Starters were mediocre, pate ok, soup over laced with herbs and calamari was like fried batter, no real texture or taste. Mains we had were roasts. Presentation left a lot to be desired, parsnip and stuffing hidden under the meat, along with soft roasties, cold soft Yorkshire pud and plastered all over with gravy! Seperately served Cauliflower cheese, where sauce was runny and the veg tasted, if that's the right term, like water. Maybe frozen??? Surroundings in bar area nice and clean and presentable though. So overall, I'm sad to say, we won't be back.

Great food and drink, friendly staff, cosy atmosphere. This pub has it all. We will definitely be returning next time we're down south. Thanks for the hospitality.

We were going to eat but decided not to because we found the tables were too close to each other

Spent Valentines evening here, staff were lovely and food was very good.

lovely warm friendly pub great food

I come here all the time with my grandparents after a dog walk. We had the lunch time menu which was great value and really tasty. The staff in there are great and very accommodating. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an affordable...

Great little restaurant by the sea. We recommend. Had mussels in white wine. Delicious. And very nice service. Parking lot right next to it. Ideal now in February after a walk on the beach. Definitely in demand in the summer.

We love this place. We travel from London to spend day here at the beach and every time we have a meal at this restaurant. The food is delicious. Freshly cooked and beautifully presented. My yesterday experience was that instead of lamb we have received...