The Rum Puncheon in Gravesham

Sometimes you can walk into a pub or club for the first time, or even as a regular, and be met with miserable or even rude staff and those that are wrapped up in their own self-importance - but not here in The Rum Puncheon. I came in here today on recommendation from a friend called Simon who is a fire chief at Eltham. Sat for almost an hour talking with a lovely young lady behind the bar called Tess. What a credit to The Rum Puncheon she is, though she is leaving this Sunday. I'm sure she will be missed. There were two Ales on tap from Horsham's Dark Star, those being Hophead and Orbiter. I only had the hophead which was nice. With the explosion of Micro Pubs and tap Rooms though, I would like to see perhaps one or two locally produced Ales such as from Iron Pier who even brew a Pale Ale called West Street - ironic as that is where The Rum Puncheon is. That said, the two ales available here are two more than some places have that stick to their same ol same ol monotonous regular ale. I'll definitely be back base don conversation alone.

Fabulous pub, brilliant staff and owners. Spend mother's day here with the family, 3 generations , and had a lovely meal. Grest selection of beers and spirits.Value for money. Must visit pub if your in the area.

Post lockdown perfection Sunday lunchtime pre-dinner pint (or two). v civilised. Beers were spot on, friendly bar staff and a decent view of ol’ father Thames if you use the beer garden. Worth a visit.

I’ve visited the Rum Puncheon twice over the last few days and after also visiting other pubs in central Gravesend, this one was a refreshing change. The staff on both occasions were fantastic, in particular my visit today made me feel like I was a “regular” even though I’m not (although I intend to be moving forward) great staff, great beer and a great location. I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you’re trying to escape the Wetherspoons, etc chain pubs in town.

We dropped into this lovely establishment today to try out their highly recommended Sunday roast dinner. We’d booked a table ( recommend that you do as very popular) for 14.30 hrs & were warmly welcomed by the bar staff & shown to our table. The place was full of customers all enjoying food :) My other half chose the steak & ale pie & I chose the roast pork. Our food was served promptly & was totally yummy! I even managed the homemade blackberry & apple crumble with custard, for dessert :) Will definitely be returning to this warm & friendly bar.

Stopped in for lunch staff friendly and helpful. Did not seem to be busy only saw two gentleman at the bar. Ordered two roast beef meals drinks 1 beer & 1 large lime & soda. It arrived quite promptly and looked appertising, beef roast potatoes yorkshire pudding carrots beans and cauliflower cheese. Frankly both of us would have preferred just plain cauliflower but thats our preference. The meat was tender and well cooked, not so sure about the potatoes rather strange not sure if they had been reheated. Overall not a bad lunch but could be improved.

We had a lovely lunch here. The service was good and the staff were friendly.. The balcony is a great sun trap with a good view of the Thames.

By chance we came across this pub after we had finished at the “panic room” . we were heading for the next pub along as we wished to sit outside but after seeing a lot of males of all ages enter the pub we thought that had to say something about it and they had an outside area. As we entered it was clean with nice decor. We sat out up on the terrace and had a lovely view of the river. Our overall experience was great which was contributed by Friendly and polite staff,Food being well presented and tasting great Along with reasonable pricing. I will be Returning to sample the Sunday roast in the near future.

This Pub has really been turned around under the new management team.The interior is clean, bright and fitting for the age of the building now.We received fantastic service and The Sunday Roast was amazing and at an excellent price.We would definitely recommend and return.

We used to visit this pub whenever in this area of town as it used to have plenty of tables, a good range of ales and a lively pub ambience. However, we visited last October and it was dismal - really gone downhill with only one beer and no customers. All the reviews around that time tell the same story. Unsurprisingly we haven't been since. However, I heard it had changed hands so popped in to give it another go. It has certainly been reformed, with a new landlord taking over about Christmas time. There are two ales on tap (not as many as when it was good, but enough) and a number of customers that revitalised the pub atmosphere. It has had something of a makeover, with a large settee and arm chairs in one corner where formerly there were tables. OK for any who want to lounge comfortably or fall asleep, but my wife and I are at the age where if we sat in these seats we would never be able to get out again, so we avoided them. However, although this slightly lessens the table space we did get a table, enjoyed a few drinks and was pleased to see that it has changed for the better. As such we will certainly re-instate it as a pub to visit when in the area. I have some difficulty with rating places like this which are good - but are they 'very good'? The prices were about average, and the service was no better or worse than you would expect in a decent pub (so about average). The range of ales (2) were what I would hope for (so about average), as was the ambience, although no better than a good pub. Therefore as TA for some reason does not allow for a rating of 'good' I have rated it as average on the basis that this means 'good but fairly typical and nothing special' rather than anything negative.

Real turn around, feels a lot fresher and warmer, will definitely be back, the new owners have improved the place 100%, looks clean and range of beverages, friendly staff.

Went here for a few drinks before doing The Panic Room. A little odd. Sort of feels empty and furniture doesn’t match but felt very welcomed and good lager selection

We have been on a few occasions in the past as I thought it a good drinker’s pub with a wide variety of real ales and a lively clientele. We hadn’t been for about 6 months so while in the vicinity for a meal we dropped in. On this occasion the large front doors were closed despite it being a warm evening (they, or one of them, always used to be open during opening hours) and it seemed quiet, so we wondered if it had closed down. However, the doors were not locked so in we went – to an absolutely empty bar. Instead of the former wide array of real ale choices there were two, both of which I’d never heard. My wife had a Coke, which was poured from a large bottle in a virtually empty cool cabinet behind the bar. Usually this cool cabinet is stocked with mixer bottles and the like. We sat in a funereal atmosphere, the barmaid (who seemed to speak little English) looked totally disinterested in her job and spent most of the time at the back of the bar fiddling with her hair in the mirror. One other customer came in while we were there and was served sullenly and silently before she returned to the back of the bar, almost as though she didn’t want to be seen there. I assumed that the almost empty drinks cabinet and lack of beer options meant that it had run down stock in preparation for closing down, or changing ownership, so after one drink we left for somewhere more agreeable. However, it’s now about 6 weeks since our visit, and as there is a review only a couple of weeks ago it has clearly not closed. I assume therefore it changed hands a while ago and has gone rapidly downhill as a result, as the reviews have worsened and reviews that mention the selection of ales seem to have stopped. We will not be going back until I hear it has returned to its former well stocked and well patronised pub atmosphere.

Visited late Friday evening, Hardly Any lager on Tap, ended up asking What they did have instead of what we wanted, the staff were Miserable, the toilets were dirty. The only good thing was the Live Singer but unfortunately he wasn't good enough to make us stay any longer than we needed too, one drink was more than enough in this establishment.. Shame as the Pub would have a lot going for it in the right hands..

Ok so once or twice you can excuse the fact that drinks have run out but this is now everytime we pop in, the staff in recent months do nothing for the pub's charm, they look so grim, no people skills, miserable!! One girl looked so fed up to be serving us we had our drink and left!! My partner has said on 2 separate visits that the Gent's toilets are so unclean and the smell is awful!!! Enough is enough you have now lost our custom, maybe have a little look at the place and see it from a customer's view, it wld be sad to think the little few changes you could make can't be done because you feel it's acceptable to run out of supplies and can't clean the loo's!!

Beautiful place, very friendly staff and the Sunday Roast I just had was exceptional. Landlord is very friendly. I would totally recommend this place, I went for the lamb 👌🏽 The house merlot was also delicious. Will be visiting again very soon.

Este pub podría ser fantástico con un poco más de consideración a la satisfacción de las necesidades de los clientes. Al visitar, es más fácil preguntar qué cervezas ale y lager son "en" en vez de por el bar que lo que desea es "off". Lo mismo se aplica a los pantalones cortos y vinos, como también aquí existe una variedad muy limitada. No puedo entender cómo este pub todavía está en los negocios.

I try hard to like this pub, it has a proper pub feel to it, generally a good selection of ales and the food can be good, but today was sheer frustration ......

Ale el cielo. Siempre puedo encontrar una pinta oscuro aquí. El personal es amable. Las cervezas se venden a un precio razonable y el pub está bien colocada por thd rivenr en Gravesend. La comida es buena, muy buena. Imprescindible para los bebedores de cerveza en serio cuando me Gravesend.

Hemos tenido muy buena comida en el Rum Puncheon y hemos estado yendo allí y bajar desde que abrieron. El servicio nunca ha sido genial, pero un domingo cuando aparecimos por un trago, estaba tan ocupado que nos sentamos con un tío que estaba sentado en una mesa para cuatro en su cuenta, le pedimos que si los asientos estaban tomadas, dijo no. Parecía que iba a comer, así que nuestra intención era estar en el bar cuando su comida llegó. Sin embargo, después de unos minutos la casera muy groseramente hablábamos por llevó el tío "usted no conozco a estas personas? ', como si estuviéramos de basura. No hace falta decir que la izquierda y nunca he vuelto.

Me encontré con esta joya poco después de bajar del Ferry de Gravesend. Precioso edificio, parece bastante antiguo.

We've been eating Sunday Lunch ever since we moved here.It is truly the best we've ever tasted. Mel the Chef/Patron is personable, attentive and never minds if we make requests. Truly a great find.

We are in the only in the area during winter months but we often lunch here and it's always a good meal with a good selection of real / craft ales.M

Great position, just a short distance from the high street but worth the 5 minute stroll. Lovely ales and food choice is fairly good. Staff pleasant and friendly and willing to chat.

This pub needs new owners. Someone who can run a pub properly with barstaff who are friendly and beer which is drinkable. We had to tell the staff all but one of there real ales were off but they didn't seem to care. Beware if your a real ale drinker and try before you buy. Also no bottles of sparkling water available. Three daws a lot better.

Outstanding public House, good for meetings, big garden, quality of service, good beer, good food. Polished floors.

Visited on many occasions in the past, however this visit was very disappointing, only two other people in the pub! I had a pint and ordered lunch, scampi, meal arrived, obviously frozen scampi, which I expected, however, the chips were so covered in salt I could not finish them, it is a shame as I really like this pub and my friend's and I often "used" to meet up here for lunch & a pint. Will try again with my friends, but who knows what they will think!!! Let's hope it improves or at least goes back to the way it was

A real English pub with real English beer. Excellent destination for those who know their beer and a chance to see Gravesend riverside.

Poshest pub in Gravesend, no football shirts or swearing, suits me fine! Nice outdoor seating area by the river in the summer.

Had lunch with friends here this week. There was a fair amount of choice on the menu. We could see the kitchen from our table, the food was hot and enjoyable.Not many people in the pub, but the young lady behind the bar, who also served our food , was very attentive to us.Would recommend, but be aware food is normally only served at lunch time.

We normally enjoy our visits to this pub - it's usually well run and has a great crowd of people in there.We went in today with the intention of having lunch but decided to have a drink first in the unexpected February sunshine outside. However after choosing our ales we told the barman we were going outside but we got out there we couldn't see one chair to sit on! Barman didn't tell us or come out with some chairs so a missed opportunity. We went back inside but decided against eating as the only remaining people in there were noisy and and the bar staff disinterested. The thing that finished us off was a very loud young lady with pushchair and baby who seemed to know the bar staff and the crowd and had the baby out at the bar. Not a very relaxing lunch-time drink - although the ale was excellent - and feeling increasingly annoyed we quickly went to The Three Daws.

They didn't have our first choice of lamb cutlets so my wife chose ham egg and chips & I had the burger. Ham egg and chips, plenty of ham which was quite tasty but with two crispy fried eggs and rancid soft chips it was disappointing.Burger, the burger was very small on a bap that was twice the size of the burger, salad on the side and the same soft rancid chips. The portions were very small for the price £8 each meal. When we mentioned our disappointment the barmaid offered us a free drink but we declined the offer.

I wasn't planning to eat at The Rum Puncheon, but it was worth a visit. Trouble was, there was no menu to look at and none was offered, the bar maid was ready to shut up shop though the handful of locals drinking in there seemed perfectly happy. My friend and I had a drink - and then in the best traditions of the sleaze media, made our apologies and left.

Staff are rude and gave as a look which told us we were not welcome. Lack of choice of drinks . Mens loo needed a clean. Went to three daws Inn along the road afterwards for a better night out..

Never any alcohol stocked. Food normally comes out frozen/cold, seen microwave meals used to give to customers. Managers are rude and unapologetic over the fact they can't run a business and let down everyone that unfortunately comes into this pub . What a shame

Have been on several occasions which we have enjoyed. We went on Sunday 27th September. They had a good selection of beers and the girl behind the bar was very helpful. We decided to stay for lunch, and was told that there were only three chicken and beef meals available and plenty of pork with crackling. We ordered the pork and a bottle of wine. The wine was the third choice, the wine fridge was poorly stocked. We placed a credit card behind the bar. We said there was no rush for the food as we were enjoying our beer, 20-30 minutes would be fine. The food arrived and did not look good. Firstly the amount was extremely small and looked more like a children's meal. The meals cost £8.50 each. The meal consisted of two pieces of pork, (without crackling) one tiny new potato, two small pieces of roast potato, some carrot, one slice of parsnip, less than half a spoonful or runner beans and cabbage. It was topped with a Yorkshire pudding and a very tiny amount of gravy. The worst was yet to come in that one of the meals was cold and the other one was warm. This struck us as being very odd. When they came to set the table we were asked what condiments we would like. We said salt and pepper, which they said they would bring but did not. We also asked for French mustard and when the meals were presented we were told that they did not have any French mustard. We said OK, can we have English Mustard and Apple sauce which they had. We called over the girl from behind the bar who had told me when I ordered the food that she had only been there for 4 days. We told her that one meal was cold and the other warm, but were so disappointed that we no longer wanted the meals, which she took away. We then took the wine back to the bar and asked for our credit card back. Some of the wine had been drunk, but it had been ordered to have with the food, so we did not pay for either the food or the wine. Soon after the landlady appeared behind the bar and spoke to the two barmaids. She neither looked over towards us, or even came around to speak to us or apologise. This really spoilt our Sunday, and when we left, nobody said anything. We had to go to find an alterative place to eat. One of the major things we noticed was that one of the large windows on the side of the pub appeared to have been damaged and boarded up. It was an eyesore. In addition the atmosphere had totally changed, where before that had Classis FM playing in the background, this was now replaced with noisy popular music. We will never return even for a beer whilst the current landlord/landlady are present.

This has to be the best position in gravesend with lively views over the river but on more than one occasion in here we were greeted by a look of "what are these doing in my pub " having a public house you should welcome all patrons willing to spend money as long as there not inebriated or abusive but we certainly weren't either ordered a round of drinks at very high prices and were asked make sure you keep the noise down as I looked round the bar there were 4 people in and we were looking forward to a few hours there probably spending around £200 between us but instead we left and went to the 3 daws for a great night instead please take some happy pills before it's too late everyone wants perfect customers but without any you will struggle to survive there is always a happy medium

Very good pub with good food and views of the Thames at Gravesend. Prices are very reasonable and the service is friendly and good.

A delightful warm friendly pub on the banks of the Thames. Have been here a few times but as of yet not to eat. Great selection of drink and delicious coffee.Decor is one of the best in town and they also have the nicest cleanest bathrooms. Great outdoors area.

We haven't visited for a few months and decided 2 go 4 lunch. We waited at the bar 4 ages and was ignored by the bar lady even tho she could see us from the kitchen. When we were served she was very rude and we felt like an inconvenience. We ordered sandwiches which were ok (no butter) but i could taste my sisters horseradish on my tuna sandwich. The worst bit was when a young man bout a meal out from the kitchen and his chefs whites were caked in dirt and food and had obviuosly been worn for a few days or longer. This is a real shame because we have always had good experiences here and i hope that this comment is used constructively so that things will improve.

Having been here a fair few times over the past 2-3 years we have always enjoyed really good food at good prices. We thought it so good we took friends and family back.Sadly, the last couple of time we have eaten there it hasn't been up to it's previous high standards.We went there for a Fathers Day lunch in June and the 6 of us ordered 4 different things. The beef was dry and a little tough and all were a bit cool except for the lamb cutlets that came out last. The veg was ok but a bit over cooked.I appreciate the price of £8-£8.50 is very good, however that's a bit pointless if the food is a let down.On our most recent visit the two of us went for chicken kebab and burger as a lunchtime meal. The kebab wasin some kind of white sauce thing, that although not horrible tasting didn't look nice.The burger was a bit dry. No more good ol' chunky chips - now it's skinny fries.If you go now and have the food you may not be disappointed. However, having been many times before and knowing how lovely it was and can be we were left just that.Another couple of things that i should mention too. The bar staff used to be spot on, attentive and quick. There used to be a couple behind the bar. Recent visits have seen just a lone barman who isn't the quickest.The food used to be cooked by the older chap with glasses but i didn't see him the last two times, and instead had an Eastern European guy bring the food out from the kitchen. Lastly there is a broken window that's been boarded since around May (may have been sorted by now) - 2-3 months to replace is too long. The place as a whole needs a re-paint and tidy up.On a positive note they do still serve a wide rage of lagers and ales and wines. All very good and well priced.I think we'll stick to drinks only for a while.

The best Pub in town, Great variety of Food, Great Real Ales at the correct temperature and some nice unusual Lagers. Has a good old-fashioned local feel about the place

Last time I visited this lovely pub it ran out of Jack Daniels and Baileys. This time it ran out of Vodka! In all of my (not inconsiderable) drinking experience I have never found a pub that runs out of alcohol. This happened on a Friday night, they sent a staff member out for a bottle but didn't bother to tell me when it was in, it would have been nice to have been offered a free drink whilst I waited but they didn't. It's such a shame, it's a lovely pub but it needs managing properly.

Spent the evening with a friend. The pub had a great atmosphere and a local feel. Food was delicious and reasonably priced as was the wine. There's also a great outside space. Will definitely be back!

I visited the Rum Puncheon last night with a group of ladies for a catch up. It's a lovely Pub with nice ambience, so good for a chat. But by 10 pm it had run out of Jack Daniels, had no Bailey's or Tia Maria. It was a Friday night and you would expect your average Pub to stock all those drinks so it was rather disapointing. I felt rather sorry for the apologetic bar staff!

I love this pub! The setting is great, right on the river, lovely interior and building and very friendly staff. It serves local beers and is a lovely place to enjoy a drink and a chat. The pub will not allow any swearing etc and you know when you walk in that all the customers are there to enjoy a friendly drink. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, I rarely go anywhere else.

I've had the pleasure of eating and drinking here a number of times at different times of the day and love the fact that, quiet or busy, eating or just out for a drink, there is a warm welcome, good food and well kept beers that are regularly changed. Most recently attended a gig upstairs and it was warm enough to sit on the upstairs outside terrace - the decking was decidedly slippery though, look out for that one

Old riverside pub serving very good freshly prepared and cooked food. A great range of drinks and friendly staff.

The Rum Puncheon is an unspoiled pub overlooking the Thames Estuary at Gravesend.The range of food offered at lunchtime was typical 'pub grub'. However, the quality of the food was very high and the price reasonable. (Two soft drinks, two main courses and two coffees came to less than £25.) There was a short wait before the food arrived, but service was efficient and friendly. I would certainly eat there again if I was in Gravesend.

The Rum Puncheon (correct spelling) This beautiful listed building is situated on the banks of the river Thames at Gravesend Kent! The pub/restaurant selling local beers and home cooked food!The Menu is fantastic with all the fresh food produced locally! I love the new wine list with a much better selection of not so dry wines! On a hot day one can sit in the garden overlooking the Thames and just relax.

We have eaten here a handful of times over the past couple of years and on our last visit the food was still very good.We went on a Sunday and the menu had changed since our previous Sunday visit (no lamb option and just 2 deserts or cheese to finish) but what we had was enjoyable. I went for the beef which was cooked to perfection and came with a good selection of veg, roast and new potatoes and a Yorkie pud. The better half opted for the pork that although a little fatty around the edge was tasty and came with lovely crackling' and veg.We both said that there could have been a bit more meat - just one more slice would be good - but the dinner was filling nonetheless.We had apple crumble with ice cream and the cheese & biscuits to finish and both were good and well priced at £4.20.For those who haven't been here before the pub itself is very well decorated with lovely old furniture and chandeliers and lamps. Other customers are all great and the staff are very good. There is also a nice seating area out the back which is great in the good weather.The Rum has a great real ale selection that changes regularly and also a good selection of tap and bottle lagers. They also offer a good selection of wines by the glass and bottle, most under £15-16 a bottle.All round this offers very good value for a Sunday lunch in a lovely relaxed pub.

In October 2012 we got married and had our Wedding reception at the Rum Puncheon. We will be celebrating our first Wedding anniversary this weekend and will have Sunday lunch with our teenage sons at the Rum Puncheon to reminisce. The Puncheon is a gem among many other pubs in the town.It is by far the best place in the town, Mel and Sue did a fantastic job for us last year, they and the team looked after us and over 100 guests at our wedding. It was an amazing day and perfect for us.Many of our friends and family said it was the best Wedding they had been too and the location for the reception was absolutely perfect.Thank you Mel and Sue!

The food here is excellent though a bit pricy for a pub and not much choice for us pescatarians. What spoilt our meal was the service. We didn't see our server smile once! Not much to ask but it would have made all the difference.

The pub is set out with a warming fire, old mahogany bar and brass pumps. The food is excellent the balcony and seating area to the rear is very pleasant. A little treasure!