The Royal in Canterbury - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Had an early evening meal, their bar staff were very friendly, polite and helpful with our selections, of drinks. A little disappointed with the selection on the menu, as it was almost exactly the same a menu at the hotel Marine, down the road, we were getting away from. We could have gone further around but it was raining hard at the time. However the food was quickly presented and we enjoyed our food. Turns out same owners of the hotel owned the Royal. Ps found out later we were charged for the drinks purchase and paid for at the bar, again on settling the bill at the table for the meals, didn’t notice until later, like to think this was in error.

Great little pub with a fantastic view

Fantastic food choice and excellent service

Very clean. Excellent waitress service. Very friendly. Food very good.

Not a very extensive menu..quite expensive for what's on offer and a very rare steak that just couldn't be eaten even after sending it back ..but polite friendly staff that tried to please us with a reduction in our bill ..grateful received..

Sadly the food on this occasion was poor. The haddock was overcooked, dark brown batter with a small amount of fish in. The lamb shoulder was overcooked small pieces which gave the impression they were left overs. The salad felt like it had just been chucked together. The salmon fishcakes were small and tasted funny. Lastly charged £9 for a glass of red wine! Disappointed on this visit as the menu was also lacking choice. We will try again at the end of summer.

Good place for drinks and food location great for the beach. Michael

Always love it here, great view overlooking the coast when sitting outside. Usual Shepherd Neame range, and their standard food menu.

Sophie the waitress was lovely food was excellent couldn't fault would definitely recommend

Really good.. Quick lunch, plenty of choice and great service.

Food was great this afternoon! Had the Hake with Chorizo Basque and fish and chips. Very chilled, lovely afternoon with great views.

Fantastic food, wonderful atmosphere looking out to sea. Friendly helpful staff serving with a smile. Very dog friendly.

Visited during the week so was very quiet but food was good

The food delightful, I got the special chicken salad burger an was a delicious. Staff i rate 10 out of 10. Friendly and helpful all the time

A very expensive visit. £15 for a large glass of wine and a very bland lager. I even think I was given Singha lager when I asked for Shepherds Neame Spitfire lager.

What a lovely pub, great food and really nice friendly staff. Crystal was such a lovely young lady who went above and beyond for us, nothing was too much trouble.

I went there today with a friend who had just had a hip operation. She wasn’t able to walk very well but fancied getting out. The bar was full with no free tables so we asked if we could sit in the restaurant. Some of the tables were reserved but not all, we explained the situation and asked if we could sit for a coffee in the restaurant. The answer was a firm no. I explained my friend couldn’t stand and there was nowhere to sit but they still refused. This isn’t the first time they have been unhelpful here. I think because they have a prime location in the seafront they feel like they don’t have to bother to be nice.

Excellent pub, good food and drink.

Our first visit for a long time but well worth it a three g place 👍

A scrumptious, delicious roast dinner. The service was excellent. I would definitely go back there for their roast dinner.

The Royal, located at 64 Marine Parade, Whitstable is a historic pub known for its picturesque seaside location and traditional British pub experience. Situated on the Tankerton Slopes, the pub offers stunning coastal views, making it a popular spot for both locals and tourists. The Royal is operated by Shepherd Neame, one of Britain's oldest brewers. It has retained much of its traditional charm while offering modern amenities and a contemporary menu. The pub features distinct areas for dining and drinking, with a spacious garden that provides an excellent vantage point for watching the boats and enjoying the sea breeze. The building itself is primarily single-storey, with a focus on comfort and hospitality. The pub's interior includes a separate bar and dining room, both of which are well-furnished and cosy. The outdoor seating areas, particularly the front and side beer gardens, are highlights, offering almost unobstructed views of the sea. The Royal is not just known for its location and views but also its food and drink offerings. The menu features British-inspired dishes, including pub classics, gourmet burgers, fresh fish dishes, and a popular Sunday lunch & a good selection of cask ales, cocktails, and world wines. Overall, The Royal in Whitstable combines historical charm with modern dining, making it a must-visit location in the area. Dog-friendly... 🐕

We all enjoyed our experience with Glynis and would recommend to family and friends . She was both friendly and helpful .

Small menu however food cooked perfectly staff attentive and friendly enjoyable experience lovely position in the sea front

Went along yesterday with 3 friends. The young woman serving us was luvly. We all had roast dinners. Pork crackling was no bigger than the size of my thumb nail. Very small portions, gravy was luvly tho food average. Seemed to be busy outside. Personally I would not go to eat there again didn't find it value for money. Great location over looking the sea tho.

Visited Sunday lunchtime without a booking but still managed to get the remaining table for four - two adults two kids. Ordered drinks and mains at the bar - arrived quickly - Orchard View dry cider on tap highly recommended. Food portions were generous - haddock and chips, roast beef and roast chicken. Churros and ice cream desserts highly recommended. Crayons and colouring paper for our two year old. Rowing on the television and Great views!

Been here before and was ok, however customer service is rubbish. This time we arrived at 8:04pm for some grub and was told they stop serving at 9:00pm. When we informed the guy it was only 8, he looked at us as if we were stupid. There should be a better premises in such an idyllic location.

Interesting range of global menu options. We all went with Cumberland sausage which was really good. The churros were also yum. Excellent friendly and helpful service. Would definitely recommend.

What a refreshing experience. Visited today around 4pm. Sunny Saturday afternoon expected there to be no tables, a long wait for food and miserable staff as it seems to be the norm in any pub on a good weather day. Couldn't be more wrong. Quick and tasty food. Really smiley friendly staff two men and two ladies who seemed like they actually enjoyed there job. Right by the beach. Oh and amazing cocktails and wine. Id highly recommend. Thanks for a great afternoon!

Nice relaxed feel. That club sandwich is a 10/10 for me.

Lovely place. Very quiet evening but staff amazing. Sophie an asset to the organisation as was Tom. Both knew the menu & could chat about recommendations. Keep looking after your staff

Great food and Service and good they allow Dogs

Busy lively family pub. Nice view to sea.

Really great vegetarian food - had their special mock duck, falafel, miso aubergine - tasty, fresh and filling. Great spot just by the beach.

Only had one drink very well coming nice place

The restaurant is expensive and service very poor. We had been before, approx 5 years ago. Will not be coming back again.

A lovely atmosphere and friendly staff.

The fish was great! Go and try. You will not regret

Visited The Royal today for the 1st time, all was ok, had a nice fish n chips x2, reasonably priced, attentive staff, pleasant atmosphere 😆 Would deffo visit again 👍

Excellent Service, Food & Atmosphere

Fantastic pub great atmosphere.

A welcome reception by all staff. Great service. Food was excellent. Thoroughly recommend.

Best Salt n pepper squid 🐙 great food overall.

Good pub located overlooking The Lees and Thames Estuary, at Tankerton. Friendly staff, and well cooked food. Dog friendly and alo had TV for the 6 Nations Rugby. On road parking or local pay car park very near

Myself and my wife went for a meal, on arrival 2 of the fish meals weren't available, ordered 2 linguine then was told only enough for 1 person, this was 7pm on a Friday night so dont know why the food had run out? Left around 8.30, only 3 couples were there for a meal so was very quiet and no atmosphere, bit disappointed.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch overlooking the sea. Good food, friendly staff, highly recommended

Valentine dinner was advertised widely by Shepherd Neame. Fizz on arrival.. Valentines specials - no sorry you were meant to pre book a Valentines meal. No specials, no candles, no fire on, chilly restaurant with no atmosphere at all, no music, all of our food had no taste and very poor ingredients, no wonder the place was empty, very disappointed and will not be returning. Don’t waste your money.

We had smoked duck salad and Beer battered fish with chips. Excellent....not a morsel left on the plate.

All the food we had was very good. Went there for a group of 6 and everyone’s meal looked delicious. I got the Fish and Chips which I think was the winner (I would say that though) and the chicken wings to start. But the pie looked good, pasta was awesome, tacos looked delicious - so many good options

Good food, speedy,friendly service.

Booked a table before going on a promenade walk. Very nice food, no need for starters or desserts, lunch was sufficient.

Awful - they forgot our parties food for over 30mins. Then the food that came had clearly been sitting around for ages and was Vile. Upon telling them, they literally did nothing. The manager eventually came over when we were going to leave, and quite simply he was just frustrated that he had to get out of his office - he was shocking! Avoid this place at all costs, it is terrible!

A huge disappointmen. One can excuse the lack of customer generated atmosphere in the winter but this place had nothing to want me to come back. You cannot run a tab or leave your card behind the bar so it was pay as you go. Lunch was cold, bland and not worth half of what it cost. A typical case of "let's open the doors and see who wants to come in". It won't be me which is a pity because when I last visited 10 years or so ago it was warm and vibrant.

A very pleasant place, dog friendly, very accommodating. Interesting food rather than the standard pub fare. Obviously very popular with locals after work and Grandparents looking after children. Plenty of parking on the seafront road. Probably different I'm the summer. We would definitely go again if in the area. They have special nights which sounded interesting, but we were there for a very late lunch while touring seaside towns I Kent. Thoroughly recommend

Not been here for a long time. Food was just average, staff were great, inside hasn't changed much from what I remember.

Initial young server was friendly, but the more senior FoH staff was rather abrupt and curt. Unnecessary as the pub was 80% empty. Food was fab though

Always great staff, service, food and ale.

Great food great service . Highly recommended

Excellent customer service food is amazing Victor and taila do welcoming and kind deserves to be full every night 🙏

Walked in without reservation today. Sat in the bar area so ordered at the bar. They had Sunday roast, but we went for something lighter. I enjoyed the Crab Linguini and local pint while my mate enjoyed her Hake main. The Fish plate was not liked described in the menu but still tasty.

Didn't eat here but would love to come back. Great place on the seafront.

Interesting site. Not much to be seen but worth a visit.

I have been coming to The Royal for over 20 years , for many family / Christmas celebrations . We always had lovely meals with no complaints at all However ,today's visit was so disappointing. The roasts were cold , had to request more veg as there was not enough for 6 people. The service was slow. The puddings took forever, and considering the booking was for 1.30 and we only had 2 courses ...we left 3 hours later !! After today's experience I doubt if I shall visit again , such a shame .

Polite and friendly staff,Lovely fish and chips

On holiday, went for a stroll, found this gem, amazing food, lovely pub, right by the sea, can't wait to go again next time

Another great place to sit outside people watching. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere.

Excellent Friday lunch with my grandparents, good service from the waitress and waiter on duty. Hope to visit when I’m in the area again soon!

The wait was 35 minutes and i was extremely disappointed when the food arrived as it was mediocre

VERY pleasant and helpful staff. Food delicuous. See you all again soon

Visited here for a family lunch, which included a wheelchair user. Booked a day in advance by phone (as the website didn't offer lunchtime bookings) and wanted to make sure we had a table which could accommodate the wheelchair. Pub was clean, no sticky tables/ carpets, waitress was very attentive and treated all around the table as equals. Ordered different things off the menu all of which was lovely and all eaten. Thank you.

Finest Kind. Recommended and will visit again and again!

An absolutely shocking place, rude staff, cold food, served on unwashed tables. The dirtiest restaurant I’ve ever been in. Walked out in disgust leaving our meals on the table (now I know why they take your money in advance)

Overall ok, burger and chips above average.

An absolutely shocking place, rude staff, cold food, served on unwashed tables. The dirtiest restaurant I’ve ever been in. Walked out in disgust leaving our meals on the table (now I know why they take your money in advance)

A summers night, lots of people sitting outside. Quite noisy inside though. Big party of us. You can tell we didn't like the food. Ha ha. All plates cleared.

A popular pub above the beach, providing great views of the sunset, weather permitting. Beer : Masterbrew on good form. Food : Hake with patatas bravas and ham, egg & chips were both very good & not overpriced. Service good (both bar and table). No downsides to our visit, so pleased to recommend.

Great pub with a good range of beers and food. Curry night on the first Tuesday of the month. Top curries 👍🤤

We dropped in for a drink and after seeing the food we decided to stay for lunch. We opted for fish and was not disappointed. Great food, friendly staff and excellent service

Visited over the weekend with friends and a couple of dogs . Whilst professing to be dog friendly the male duty manager made it very clear that they didn’t really like them !!

Lovely pub great food children and pet friendly, great outside area over looking the sea...

Best fish and chips ever! Unmissable

Excellent location, great service, good quality food at reasonable prices. Cheerful polite hardworking staff. Flexibility over party size. Thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you.

Food was decent, quite expensive for what we ordered, fish and chips in my opinion. But it was good. Mushy peas were more like pea soup in my eyes, very liquid. Puddings were delicious. Didn't have a children's menu. Either so ended up with a fish finger sandwich which my daughter didn't like very much. Was very squishy and agree hers was nothing like my fish.

My local now serving good selection of beers and good quality food staff polite A brilliant place to watch amazing sunsets along tankerton slopes

The Guiness and red wine were excellent. The mussels were tiny (some the size of my little finger-nail) and full of grit - inedible. When I complained I was disappointed that (a) I was offered no compensation and (b) a member of staff blamed the suppliers. I won't be eating there again.

I found the food nice, but expensive! £17.50 for fish and chips for example? This is Whitstable, not London.

Food was lovely, was very busy , staff friendly as ever, lovely sunny day , atmosphere perfect for Sunday afternoon chill out .

Visited with friends for lunch after a coastal walk. Very disappointed with the mussels & chips. Smallest mussels I have ever eaten more the size of cockles! At £18 very poor value. Raised issue with server but just informed that chef would be told!

Walked in at 10.40 on a Saturday night to be told by the bar man "sorry mate, we're closed " when on the website it says closes at 11.00 o'clock. Get your act together shepherd neame . Whitstable is supposed to be a holiday destination.

Good roast dinner. Not Toby portions, however, neatly presented with a sharing platter of veg made for a good lunch. Had the Cherry Bakewell Cheesecake too, which was awesome! Good beer and wine list and very attentive staff. Team had smiles and happy personas, so makes for a good lunch venue. Lucky enough to have the table in the window that overlooks the sea, so another plus.

Lovely place great terrace . Right across from the slopes, excellent

Called on for Sunday lunch as had not been for a while. Two roast lunch dishes available which was served with a separate dish of 4 vegetables. Good selection of beers and when asked what wine they had was afforded a selection of 6. Prices were competitive, service attentive and atmosphere good. Will we come again - definitely.

We visited here with 4 adults, 5 kids and a dog. We had to sit in the bar because of the dog but that was fine. The staff were helpful and the venue itself is pleasant. The food was great although not cheap. We loved the crab & crayfish linguine and the fish and chips. The kids fish fingers were a little overcooked. But generally, it was a good place to eat.

Traditional pub with a good range of beers to choose from well worth a visit.

Best fish and chips you can ever have! Delicious, crispy and super fresh

Great location, clean and lovely outdoor seating.

I visited on Sunday on the bank holiday weekend with a friend for lunch. The pub has a nice outside seating area and we ordered lunch. I had a plant burger which came with chips and my friend had a pea ravioli. I was flabbergasted at the tiny portion size ( I wish I’d taken a photo) it was more like a starter. And at around £14 I thought it was an absolute rip off. Especially when we have a cost of living crisis! I think that the food was ok it was just the minute portion size that was a joke.

Been going to this pub for a few years now and up until today really enjoyed it but all good things must come to an end my girlfriend went in to buy a round and the bar she was at was not busy the barmaid gave her eye contact thinking she was next but then two blokes walked in and she walked off to the other bar to serve them so my girlfriend said excuse me and called her back to which she replied I thought you were being served with no other barman there also the lager was like water this made shandy taste like a shot it had no body looked weak awful

Lovely lunch recommend the fish finger sandwich, good service very welcoming and ftiendly

Enjoyed our tipple but unfortunately not doing food on the night we wanted as they were having a regular quiz night

A good dog friendly pub, friendly staff and good food.