The Privy in Canterbury

Angela (owner) is not only incapable of running a bar and takes any opportunity to cut corners putting customers and sometimes staff in genuine risk. But also is a horrible human being who emotionally abuses her staff, refuses to accept any blame for her mistakes and takes all her frustrations out on the people around her. Angela requires professional help and needs to have any business associated with her closed. The following is a list of multiple instances of Angelas poor management, abuse and terrible standards: - [ ] Hires teenagers with no experience and then complains they have no experience - [ ] Replaced belvadire with some cheap off brand - [ ] E+J apple is courvisier and cactus Jack apple - [ ] Bombay sapphire is Gordon’s - [ ] Up charged a table that ordered old fashioneds their tab was £100 Angela added over £50 - [ ] Claimed I stole her keys to try and get me to come back and “pat me down” and when I told them where they are she said I had to get them. I told her to do it herself so she said she’s docking all my pay to cover it (£200+) - [ ] Re uses straws, cocktail sticks, uneaten fruit - [ ] Had a go at me for throwing out purée that was so bad I almost threw up when tasting it - [ ] A lot of products are out of date - [ ] Once tasted a drink that had been drank by a customer to test it it was made right, it tasted “off” to her so she shouted at all of us for it. It had ice in it which had melted - [ ] Rarely replaces stock even when I write it down multiple times via text, and on our diary - [ ] Takes credit for all work done and gives no praise or recognition, once myself and a coworker cleaned the whole place top to bottom making it look 10x better than it usually does and she proceeded to tell everyone she did it all - [ ] Ridiculed privy workers including myself because loft made more money and we weren’t getting customers. As if we were the reason - [ ] Takes half the pay off of your first shift for “training” however in my (and most people’s) first shift I did not see her until the last minute. At no point did she ever teach me anything. - [ ] On my last day I told her there was a table coming in at 8:30pm that had specifically requested me to work. So she moved me to loft that day to do pointless busy work - [ ] Tried to fire me after I asked for a pay rise to meet the wage of the new hire with less experience than me, backtracked and said we would discuss it. Avoided me for a whole week and then cut his pay to mine - [ ] Talks with food in her mouth which is just gross - [ ] Multiple customers have expressed to me how much they dislike her and even just her presence made them uncomfortable, many customers have walked out on her arrival I also have many photos showing some of the disgusting things she deems to be okay, but I am not sure of the legality of posting these so I have not attached them

4 of us ordered 1 drink each, 2 of us ordered a simple rum and coke and the other 2 ordered a cocktail. It took close to half an hour for the 2 rum and Cokes to come out along with one of the cocktails. Then the other cocktail came out another 10 mins later. 40 minutes over all waiting for drinks. it's just an unacceptable waiting time. That being said, the drinks were nice. But I can't say I will be going back purely because of the wait time.

The bar tender gives good head…. For my drinks of course

We went to privy last Friday night to have a drink before starting our night off properly in the town but ended up staying for 5! We were served by Aiden and Jen and they offered brilliant service, fast and delicious cocktails and an all round brilliant experience. Aiden in particular gave many recommendations and was very attentive and entertaining. Will definitely be returning, very friendly staff!!

We went tonight, it was empty, not sure why, because the atmosphere is great, I loved the music. The cocktails were delicious, well mixed, and very well presented. I can't say too much about the service as we were the only clients, so of course they've been super attentive. But friendly and professional. It's worth a visit.

Great service and atmosphere espessially if you like electro swing. The staff is friendly.

Literally such a cool place, amazing atmosphere, lovely staff and the drinks are delicious. Something a bit fancier than usual

The Manager treats the employees horribly. Instead of being trained i was shouted at when asking for help and then shouted at more after trying to work it out myself. I was scolded over the phone for calling the manager on a sunday and had to call and go in physically far too many times to get paid at all and even then it was cut. Dreadful place, try to avoid any jobs there

Lovely Atmosphere with nice music, unusual cocktails and friendly staff.

Pre Cocktails before going into town. Great little place to start the evening. Recommend

Alex was our host of the evening and he was absolutely fabulous! I would 100% recommend the cocktails and the service.... I have previously ordered a long island tea elsewhere, however, the cocktails at the Privy were exceptional and I would definitely go back there!

Leaking ceiling with no safety signs up, smells like damp so seems like a lengthy issue. A staff member was all over the place and quite unprofessional.

Hi people, FYI when I have visited this place, I came to see the "Worst bar ever! The drinks were watered down, and the bartenders were rude and unprofessional. The atmosphere was terrible - it was dark, smelly, and just overall unpleasant. I would not recommend this place to anyone. The staff seemed more interested in chatting with each other than serving customers. I won't be coming back here." moreover the owner is a racist

Worst experience ever; I'll never return to this trash again and I'll never suggest it to others. The employee exhibits extremely disrespectful and racist conduct.

If there was negative rating, i would have given that. Worst experience ever, never gonna visit to this dump yard again and I'll never suggest it to others also. Even the way lady manager(seems owner) treats employees is extremely disrespectful. Their menu as well as the place stinkssss!!! PLEASE DONT VISIT THAT PLACE!!!

Really cool cocktails that unfortunately take quite a long time to prepare. Not badly priced at all and as long as you're prepared to wait a little for your drinks, it's definitely worth a visit.

Very very expensive and only 6 people in there 9 if you include staff. Worth 1 visit but will not return

Don’t go here the manger is rude and unprofessional, very rude and unwelcoming. She overworks you don’t pay you would not recommend going here!!!

Sitting here after 15 minutes waiting for any of our drinks to arrive. Mine was a beer. It's not even busy. Update - £5.25 for a small can of beer!! Central London prices in a toilet in Canterbury.

Hired The Privy for a 60th birthday and everything from start to finish was just fantastic. Someone was always available to answer any questions when making the arrangements and on the night the friendly welcoming staff worked there butts off to make sure everyone had a great night. I would highly recommend this venue for its central location, fantastic cocktails and fabulous staff, thanks again 😊

Lovely place! went with my boyfriend and we had such a good time! lively music, stunning artwork (one looked like madonna!) and the drinks were insanely good! you have to come by here!!

Rude staff definitely do not recommend going here. Will judge you because of how you look and claimed we couldn’t afford the drinks in there, me and my friends will never return here. Don’t even bother going here anywhere else in Canterbury will give better service. The manager really needs to rethink his staff choices.

Really rude staff judged based off our appearance and claimed we couldn’t afford the drinks. Disgusting service. Certain staff members need firing

Horrible staff. Me and a group of friends had decided to come here to celebrate my friends 18th birthday, we sat down and were asked by who I’m guessing was the owner if “we was sure we could afford the drinks in here”. Then she went on to say that my friends id was fake which it weren’t and made out that because there was no security there that night, they had no id scanner so we would all have to leave, which I can see now was just an excuse to get us out of the bar. I will not be coming here again and I’ll be letting anyone else of my age to not either because i won’t have anyone else be discriminated against like that just because of our age.

Disgusting place wouldn’t recommend staff was rude

still trying to get the traumatic experience out of my head. Was spoken to on the door like I was worthless and this continued to happen all night. Pretty sure I took more alcohol home on the soles of the shoes than I did in my stomach, I believe the place only gets cleaned when the rain leaks through the ceiling. If I happen to lose the will to live and go there again I will be taking a mortgage out for the drinks. Would highly suggest Tokyo or chem. Avoid this place like the plague!

not a very nice place at all, the owner is rude and the place is sticky and small. Cocktails are overpriced and terribly made, please save your money and visit somewhere else like Tokyo, chem or Cuban - cheaper drinks and better vibes there

Great place with amazing cocktails great value for money. Oscar informed us about all the fresh quality ingredients used in amazing cocktails. Best cocktails in Canterbury.

We stumbled across this little bar, and were so glad we did! It’s such a cute, hidden little place with amazing cocktails.

Me and my friend just stumbled on this bar by accident, and I am so glad we did !!!!!! The vibe is cosy and trendy, the cocktails are delicious and the staff are so friendly ! It’s a must try x

We love the atmosphere and cool decor! A gem in Canterbury;

Extorsionate prices for cocktails, our group noticed the prices on the menus don’t even match and when confronted to the bar there was no clear answer. Best going elsewhere as it seems money-driven business

This bar is amazing, went in for a couple cocktails on the weekend and will definitely be going again! Staff are friendly, cocktails are tasty and music is great! See you again soon!!!

Went with my girls and had such a great time with cocktails to die for! They were such high quality and the Smoked Mexican came out in a really cool/funky dome filled with smoke inside it. Waitress was really helpful recommending cocktails and the bartender made it to perfection. Definitely will be returning another night!

Service a little slow and one of the bar staff wad quite rude. My friend then accidentally knocked a glass over whilst tidying them up before we left. The bartender who was rude to us earlier in the evening, ran over saying we had to pay for the broken glass. She told us it came out of her wages if not. £10 for a standard glass!!! I've never known a place to do this in nearly 20 years of going out in bars/pubs. We won't go back

The staff here is so nice! They deserve a raise!!!

Great Art Deco style and delicious cocktails - would definitely go again if in Canterbury!

Went here with my partner two cocktails cost £26wasnt my biggest issues but when my partner picked her drink up but slipped our her hand and smashed not only did it go all over myself and cut both me and her manger was more concerned about how much the class cost and then tried telling the drinks we paid for didn't go threw I wanted to see a declined receipt she could not show one and also I new it didn't get declined she was trying to take another £26 from me for a glass cleary dishonest and self centered woman! Not a place to go

Great location and cocktails 🙌🏼

I had a brilliant time at the privy bar. The drinks me and my friends had were all amazing and the employees are all so lovely. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a nice quality drink and good service

The best night of my life. Great cockstails and vibes. Wish I had found it sooner.

Really disappointed with this bar.

Single shot cocktails served in plant pots. None of our drinks tasted like they had any alcohol in them and when we enquired with the bartender she told us they only came with one shot. £9.50 for a single shot cocktail. Avoid, absolute rip off

Phone call to make sure booking was secured, really warm welcome, menus provided straight away. It was a large party of girls and a lot of bars can be rather hesitant due to bad experiences, we was treated so well at the Privy. Fast service and made the birthday girl feel very special. Would Come again and would recommend to anyone on Canterbury looking for a bar to drink in. !!! 5 stars !!

Amazing service and drinks! Such an unique venue, clean and so welcoming :)

Ceiling literally dripping. I thought this was a converted toilet...

Not a welcoming or nice atmosphere. Rude and disorganized staff. Ceiling was literally dripping. Booking to go here nearly ruined a great night- luckily we went to Ballroom after which saved the night! Tbh, I'd honestly like to see their fire regulations as one of the, I assume new, waitresses nearly got set alight by someone waving a small blow torch around, only one exit as the other was blocked with furniture, and there was smoke (from cocktails) but seemingly no smoke alarms.

Cocktails were amazing so was the music.

I went to Privy on Saturday 26th Feb with the cast of Bat out of Hell and had a great time! All the staff were really welcoming and the DJ supplied us with an incredible playlist. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is in Canterbury.

This place is a hidden treasure!! Went for some drinks on Thursday night, we expected it to be quiet but we was met with a very warm atmosphere with some brilliant music. My wife’s drink came in a wooden chest and staff presented the drinks brilliantly. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for somewhere hidden yet lively in Canterbury - everything from the decor to the drinks makes it feel very exclusive!!

This bar is the most well kept secret in Canterbury. A lovely hidden bar, with an amazing atmosphere. The staff where so welcoming and lovely, the owner was one of the kindest people you could meet. We will definitely be going again, without question. I will be booking for my 24th as well!!! The drinks where on another level, served in very unique ways with loads of choices. This is definitely the best bar in Canterbury, and always worth popping in!!

I've been meaning to give the Privy Bar a visit for quite a while. Did this evening and I wasn't disappointed! Great music, attentive staff and my cocktail came in a chest full of smoke. Ambience is awesome. I'll be returning.

Great music just extremely loud, I couldn’t hear my friends when we spoke. Amazing staff, thumbs up to the pregnant manager she was lovely, and the male waiter! Drinks are veryyyy small for their price

Such a cute quirky place with a gatsby vibe. Highly recommend

Great little place cocktails a bit pricey though

Went last night, we were served by a really friendly and humorous Scottish waitress. It was her first shift that evening (we were her first order) and considering so; she excellent! She promptly took/served our orders and helped us sort out the outdoor heating system. Drinks were great too

Nice bare staff ar Nice bit small live music Dj

Went for a trial shift here, can confirm the experiences of others when I say that the lady that owns it is rude and abusive to her staff, besides that the drinks are overpriced and the service is terrible (on my one and only trial shift she had me cleaning the gates rather than serving customers that had been waiting ages, moreover she was more interested in collecting peoples money than serving them their drinks).

Service was terrible. Had to wait 1. 10 mins for the frist drink to arrive. I wouldn't of minded if it was really busy but it was not.The delay was for running out of type of glass. But yet again I wouldn't of minded. But there was no communication

So incredible I can't make words right

Weird list of cocktails 😁 but overall nice experience. Will recommend for these who like to try something new

As a social sec for a university society I organise a lot of events for large groups and I have to say that our society's and my personal experience with Privy Bar was outstanding. The lady at the bar was so welcoming and helpful, and the correspondence was dealt with quickly and without hassle. The drinks are genuinely some of the best in Canterbury and are made with such care and talent. Also just a really brilliant venue with a lovely atmosphere. Would highly recommend.

Great bar, great staff and cocktails!

The bar which is a cocktail bar predominantly ihas a sophisticated look and feel to it. The lady behind the bar was really good and friendly and gave us a lot of information about the bar. We will go back as we were the only people there. Saturday night there is a DJ and there's dancing. Worth a visit

A great speakeasy bar, cocktails are delicious and it seemed like a good crowd in there.

Such an amazing venue and great for private functions, would recommend to anyone! Can’t thank Angela and the team enough for the amazing service and experience that we all got 10/10!

Good atmosphere, amazing stuff, nice music... Strongly recommend

Expensive but a good experience.

Very classy, trendy bar with the best drinks!

Appalling owner. Rudest creature

Amazing place! Lovely cocktails at reasonable prices. Definitely visit again.

Great cocktails, friendly staff

Lovely place. They hosted a hen do for my friends & were very accommodating

To drunk to remember,everyone else said it was good though

As a converted public toilet , an interesting venue for a late night bar but good fun, variaty if music played, a real mix of people and ages

Wonderful service from Emily and Sophie. Was given discount vouchers by Any the owner. Amazing place to relax and have a few high end cocktails. Just brilliant.

I worked here for a few shifts. The owner was extremely rude and still after 6 months hasn't paid me what I was owed for the shifts. This bar had deleted all of its negative reviews as just a month ago they had many bad reviews on here. Never go here, rude inexperienced and ILLEGAL BECAUSE THEY DONT PAY THEIR STAFF

A very nice place to take someone special

It was supposed to be an underground speakeasy, in reality its a smaller version of club chemistry. Terrible music, poorly made overpriced cocktails and amateur bar staff. So much potential, just horrendously executed. Save yourself the hassle and go to the falstaff or bramleys for a classier cocktail experience.

Cool little venue doing a range of drinks including speciality cocktails. I really liked the decor and the jazz music which made for a sophisticated ambiance. My cocktail came in a cute apple glass. I was impressed, and staff were able to advise on vegan drinks. Great stuff! It was a bit quiet when I went, but I'd recommend this as a place to check out in Canterbury.

Canterbury's best kept secret bar. Based in an old converted underground public toilets. In the style of a 'Speak Easy'. It is a surprising upper class cocktail bar. With plush interior. Along the back wall are a number of booths. One of which can be totally private, so great for any visiting celebrities. There is a surprisingly large dance floor with DJ area. You enter by the old Ladies entrance, which still retains it's original sign. The interior is anything but drab. With amazing lighting adding very much to the atmosphere. The range of cocktails and other spirits seems to be growing all the time. They also offer fresh coffee with an incredible amount of additions. Better than any Starbucks! I find the place a very intimate relaxing place. With lots of atmosphere. A real must visit place.