The Shakespeare in Canterbury

Fun night out, great live music

Very nice little pub - gave it 5 starts since the bartender is nice and vibe is great. Sadly my mulled wine tastes like drinking balsamic vinegar though!

Came in for a drink and to take the weight off our feet whilst exploring Canterbury. We were warmly greeted and directed to the main bar through the courtyard. The lady behind the bar was very helpful in recommending me a Strawberry Mojito. We found a cute two-seater table in the courtyard to enjoy our drinks. Highly recommend!

The service was truly lovely. My parents and I went here for drinks one night and returned for dinner the next. When we ordered the waitress asked if there were any allergies to consider and I mentioned a cinnamon allergy. While we were still waiting for the food she came to our table to advise my mom and I not to share as her dish contained cinnamon. The overall atmosphere was very comfortable. All three of us can only recommend to check out the place!! Truly a wonderful little gem to return to!!

Super friendly place to visit for a quick drink on a Tuesday afternoon 😀

We visited “Shakespeare” in the fall and really enjoyed it. The pub is comfortably furnished and has a small courtyard that serves as a beer garden. The selection of drinks leaves nothing to be desired. Shakespeare also has a wine bar, which can be reached either via the courtyard or via the entrance from the Butter Market. So there should be something for everyone. We also ate there. The food was very good, value for money is good. I can fully recommend the visit. We will definitely come back on our next trip.

This wine bar/pub is part of Canterbury historic center. The place now tranformed in to a bar has outstanding food and an incredible wine list. We enjoyed our visit on a rainy day, and it was memorable!

The food was tasty and atmosphere cozy. But they only had one steak and none of the chicken when we arrived at the lunch opening so two in our party had to make alternative choices. Seems odd to be low on options right at opening. Slow and leisurely—don’t expect a quick bite.

Popped in for a snack and a drink. Busy but quick service , highly reccomend 👍

The food is great. Staff are friendly. Lovely atmosphere

Absolutely fabulous! Do yourself a favor and pop in for a gorgeous glass of wine!

We felt welcomed as soon as we stepped in. The staff were incredibly friendly and are dog lovers too! We ordered the butcher’s plate, which you can see in the picture—it was not only beautifully presented but also delicious and a perfect portion for sharing between two of us. It was a fantastic start to my day trip, my first time in Canterbury. I loved it!

Lamb kofta freshly made, tasty and fish and chips also excellent! Staff helpful, well Informed and considerate of our elderly guests needs.

Great food and friendly staff and service will come back next time we are in the area

Always good pub grub, nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Would recommend

I was in on Saturday by chance and they had live music on (Phat Gandalf). The music was great, the atmosphere was v.lively and the staff were particularly welcoming - a very good find.

Great location for sitting out on the cobbles in Buttermarket square enjoying view of the cathedral gate house

Great pub, welcoming and calm. Lovely seafood pasta and fish and chips.

Poor vegetarian options, chips were bland, and WiFi was slow.

Great pub and nice food as well because we took our family from USA love it

Toilet facilities for disabled not available I THOUGHT ALL EATING ESTABLISHMENTS SHOULD HAVE THIS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO USE THIS PLACE OUTSIIDE EATING IS GOOD INSIDE TERRIBLE THIS IS AN OLD BUILDING BUILT BEFORE TOILETS I GUESS BUT PLEASE USE SOME DISCRETIONIRY SIGNAGE

Blasted hip-hop trash all the time.

Great pup off a little st near Canterbury Cathedral, across from the Roman museum. Service was great as was the food.

Normally a regular customer here, couldn’t fault in the past. The last couple of times I’ve been, server behind the bar is rude, corrective and full of attitude. Not sure what their name is but clearly can’t be bothered to be here. Tall slim Lady with dark/black hair clearly of higher management as correcting her staff members in the light of present customers is not very nice and can only sympathise for the employees working with her. Ordered wine and beer and food and spending a good £50+ I’d appreciate higher level of service and customer empathy. This lady clearly needs more training or a different establishment as the Shakespeare seems to be a lovely pub/bar to come in to. Really gone downhill.

wonderful places outside. We didn't eat ourselves, but what was served around us looked very good. What's interesting is that there is "Hürlimann beer", a Swiss light beer.

Lovely place. Shame that we waited for an hour and a half for a pork pie and a sándwich. Come for the beer, but don’t you dare order food if you’re starving !

I was absolutely appalled by the service I received. Staff were just on their phones and they didn't seem to care about anyone waiting at the bar and anyone in the pub. They were all too busy standing around gossiping and weren't observant to any guests. This is quite frankly one of the worst pubs I've been to in Canterbury. Their wine bar seems like a waste of space, staff look almost as bored and miserable as I was to be standing there drinking expensive and badly tasting wine. I won't be returning ever again unless they can all start acting like they want a job instead of being at a social club

Really welcoming pub. Easy, informality yet professional approach by staff. Food and drink selection good. Located close to Canterbury centre. Well behaved dogs welcome. Well worth a visit .

This place was recommended to us, so we thought we'd try it out. For starters, I had their humus and flat bread, while my partner had the scotch egg, both amazing. For mains we both had the hanging skewers (one halloumi, one chicken) on dirty fries, they were beautifully presented and tasted even better. The food was incredible (Thank you Harry).The service from Meg was perfect, she was friendly and extremely helpful especially when the menu choice I'd asked for (the halloumi) was sold out (I'm sure she sent someone out to buy the missing ingredient) so I got the meal I'd hoped for. The other members of staff were great too. We'd both highly recommend this place, both agreeing that it was the best food we'd eaten in Canterbury in years. Well worth a visit. Thank you.

Meg and her colleague were fantastic in offering suggestions. We had a delicious velvetized humous which i highly recommend and also breaded humous - delicious too. Will definitely come back. Also a good choice of wines. Thank you!

Very good time for lunch on a Sunday noon. There were 2 of us and we ordered drinks and dishes. The waitress was adorable and very attentive to any specific cooking request. The place was quiet and clean. Good food (burger and rump steak) and impeccable service! In addition, the geographical location is ideal. A good address to remember :)

Very good food, proper pub food

My favourite bar in Canterbury, great food, location and drinks

Pleasant place to go for a drink, my mate had food which he very much enjoyed. The staff were nice. The only thing I wasn't keen on, we're no lock on toilet door, no soap in dispensers, no signal on both my phones, no WiFi. But I guess it's an old building and this is Britain in the 21st century.

Stumbled upon The Shakespeare while visiting Canterbury over the weekend. The food was great, the staff were friendly, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. The loaded fries are absolutely delicious and definitely worth a try, as are the buttermilk wings. Such a great place! Will definitely visit again when back in Canterbury.

Always a delight when coming in, Chloe and the team are always so welcoming.

A nice pub, shame they stopped selling food at 8pm.

Lovely restaurant, great service from Donna, would definitely recommend and be back again.

Had a super meal in The Shakespeare, Canterbury today. Steaks were perfect and service from the young lady was fab. Made our afternoon extremely enjoyable. See you next time we're in Canterbury. We highly recommend.

Good steak and triple chocolate brownie.

Great little pub, the bar staff were all very friendly

Excellent burger, friendly staff, will be returning soon.

A cosy traditional pub with friendly staff & good selection of beers

Quaint little pub with a great atmosphere, friendly staff and lovely food and drinks. We visited for lunch while in canterbury with my family and will definitely return when we are back in the area. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the fish & chips and I had the sausage sandwich 10/10 from us. Hopefully we will be able to incorporate our next visit with a live music evening to truly enjoy everything this little pub has to offer

Ottima esperienza, cibo buono ed a buon prezzo! Servizio confusionario dato che c'era una sola cameriera a servire l intero pub.

Very cool vibe for the evening. Not noisy. Good for conversations & dates. Good beer, cocktails, wine. Classy look. Outdoor seating aswell.

Toilets were disgusting and charged for a full pint of cider when had half a pint of cider mixed with half a pint of soda water. Total rip off. Avoid.

The food was a bit to sweet for my toungue, but loved the place.

What a cracking pub lovely atmosphere 👌

Great place for a beer and lunch

The ambience and building are quaint and inviting. However, the service left a lot to be desired. The waiter spilt a pint of beer all over my wife, and whilst mistakes happen, my wife's coat still has to be dry cleaned. There was no offer of amends, nor even a free drink for my wife, which is bad form and poor customer service. The food took an age to arrive, and was inadequate in quality and volume for the price. I had the chicken and vegetable skewer, which consisted of 3 or 4 small chunks of chicken, a slice of pepper and a couple of cubes of pineapple. To finish it off, a handful of chips. Not a lot for £12. Ketchup came in small metal containers and I had to repeatedly ask for this. We had to get our own salt and vinegar. My friend had the pie, an individual serving that looked like it was purchased in a supermarket and plonked straight in the oven. In all, an experience I do not wish to repeat, and I will never go there again. I would not recommend this pub to anyone I know.

I was here for an Xmas do but was really surprised by the quality of the food and the friendly efficient service. I had the pie, red cabbage and mash, which came with a really tasty gravy and the mash was smooth and buttery. Perhaps a lack of real ales as was mostly Shepherd Name, but would eat here again and there's also an attached wine bar to try in the future.

Pleasant pub with different areas

One of the best burgers I have ever had in my life. I tried two of them on different weekdays to make sure they are really good. French fries (chips) are included with your meal and you can top it off with a lager. Satisfaction Guaranteed! If you try burgers in a British bar like this, you will never go to American chain restaurants again.

One of the best pubs in Canterbury. Great staff, lovely beer garden with heaters and lights, good pub food menu, WiFi, and live music

I liked this pub restaurant. It's an old building, Full of dark oak beams there's a good old atmosphere in it. Service very good food was excellent. I recommend the meat pie! And the price was reasonable.

I had to leave a review after a comment from my daughter this morning.. who last night went to a high end restaurant in London, and compared her Caesar Salad to the one she had here at The Shakespeare because that is the best one she’s ever had… It’s still the best apparently! Our go to pub every time we are in Canterbury, so cosy and quirky. Staff are always lovely.

The ambience of the restaurant is really cute. However the food was mediocre at best. I had a veggie burger which clearly was brought out of the freezer and heated up. The bun was dry and they did nothing to make it a juicy, delectable meal. I was informed they were out of fries, so I got potatoes on the side instead. Again, boring and dry. The sticky toffee pudding was the worst I had tried in England sorry to say. Just a heads up for anyone looking for a great meal, this isn’t the place to go.

Popped in for lunch on one of the hottest days of the year. Sat in a lovely shady courtyard and enjoyed really tasty food. The menu was varied and my fish and chips (not very adventurous, I know, but I have dietary limitations at the moment) was very good - excellent chips,lovely crispy batter and flaky fish, and the peas tasted fresh and not over-cooked.

Very nice pub.Staff did table service when you normally have to visit the bar.Second meal as I think a local pub company. Although I had to go pay I had no issue with this

Small but plenty of character. Staff are friendly and helpful. Menu isn't extensive but is good quality and has all the favourites. Small courtyard garden with heaters to the side.

Très déçus après des années à se régaler, l’équipe ou manager a changé, la viande du Burger servi est cuite depuis plusieurs jours..??..

Fuyez à toutes jambes. A éviter impérativement. Changement de propriétaires : la carte, auparavant variée et proposant des plats traditionnels savoureux, se réduit à quelques burgers immangeables : pain de plusieurs jours, steak dur comme de la semelle, garniture incomplète par rapport à la carte. Cela fait cher : 18,50 £, le burger !! La salle remplie de clientèle anglaise avant le COVID, est maintenant totalement vide… Au secours !!!

Great beers and drink selection. Very friendly, right in the heart of Canterbury.

Great location, nice food. The ploughman's was excellent.

Love the historic, unique pub interior and outside yard. Unspoilt and just as it would have been hundreds of years ago. The food is always good as are the drinks and the beer. The landlady is courteous, welcoming and friendly and just as a good publican should be, 👍

Pricey and crowded (but it was late Saturday afternoon)

Weird choice of music in a traditional British pub.

Incredibly underwhelming. We wanted to grab a quick bite, which turned into 60 minutes of waiting for a chicken sandwich, where the only good part was the fries. Waitress told us after 30 minutes that our original order wasn't available, so we ordered the sandwich and it took another 30 minutes and it was really not great at all. Draft beers were good, but I'd never come back here.

The service was super slow, had to wait 1h to get simple sandwiches which came cold, I do not recommend this place.

Dégustation de bières à notre arrivée à Canterbury dans ce pub. Très bien décoré et très bonne ambiance. Grand choix de bière 🍻

Good vibes for a drink. Decent food but unfortunately their kitchen is always closed super early. For a big chain like shepherds neame you would think they could have a cool past 7:30 on a Saturday. Especially since theyre open till 1am

We had lovely food, served by cheerful, experienced staff in a great atmosphere. We're going back tonight!

Hot, noisy and very populated. Alright for some but at the low end of the scale unfortunately.

Muy buena comida y ambiente. El servicio es ágil y hay buena variedad de cervezas.

Nice place to sit and have a drink while getting your bearings.

Great atmosphere and great staff! all very bubbly and friendly! Well done, the owners should be proud to have you all working for them! You are all assets!

Wonderful pub, great service and lovely open sandwiches, unusual but really tasty and excellent variety. Menu is really good and atmosphere brilliant.

Nice place, very good live music!

Staff were friendly and efficient despite me needing changes to the menu. The food was great. Thoroughly recommended

Visited for Saturday lunch - and all four of us really enjoyed our meals (the 5 small plates for £28 was excellent value). What really made it stand out for me was the service - the staff were SO friendly and welcoming. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that two of us were only too happy to abandon the shopping trip and head back there for the afternoon. Really excellent beer too, which always helps - I was particularly taken with the Whitstable Bay Pale Ale. Huge thanks to the team for making our visit to Canterbury so enjoyable.

Love the Shakespeare, but please train the wine bar staff, they know nothing about wine

Nice friendly pub with low ceilings, wooden features and a good selection of drinks. This was my favourite of the pubs we went to in Canterbury as it felt more chilled out.

Found this great pub last year and just had a drink but remembered the food menu looked good. We visited today for lunch and the food was fantastic, the staff very friendly again, we will be back.

The food was SO good & the bar staff were polite and attentive. Good selection of drinks. Nowt negative to say.

really nice pub and kept my hat for me

I liked the courtyard, very busy at points but the beers were well maintained, a good pint of masterbrew

Pub dall'aspetto tipico inglese, scarsità di birre alla spina, cibo buono

We were treated very well there! Cosy pub in Canterbury, reasonably priced food and drinks (food is delicious there, btw). Can get very busy at peak hours.

Good welcoming pub. Can’t fault food and drink and staff especially are so pleasant and helpful. the only thing I’ve marked it down on is that it was uncomfortably cold in there at lunchtime when we visited.

Service little slow but fish and chips lovely! Worth the wait!! Friendly staff too!!

The wife and I had a very enjoyable pit stop in their lovely wine bar, had a great view of the Cathedral but was too cold to enjoy the prolific outdoor seating. The food was excellent with a pie and drink deal offering a good range of tasty pies. Mrs P opted for the Sweet Potato and Goats Cheese pie while I chomped through The Classic Steak and Ale. What I found very refreshing was the choice of Ales available, seldom have I seen a "Sheps" establishment diverge from the usual Masterbrew / Spitfire format. I had a delicious Plum Porter, while Madame enjoyed a large Oyster Bay Sauvignon. Would rate the experience higher but for the long trek to the ablutions, finding the many steps and twists and turns most uncomfortable on the old peg leg.

Excellent service and friendly staff, amazing atmosphere and great food and a good selection of drinks

Leuke en gezellige sfeer. De bediening is vriendelijk. Het café is leuk ingericht. Men kan er warme chocomelkskes drinken.

Nice pub, good menu and great location but they loose a star for lack of heating brrrrr!!!

Small and crowded, dog friendly, food was decent but on the bland side

Popped in for lunch and the food was lovely and hot, however the pub was really cold and at least 70% of the clientele were wearing their coats!! One lady never even took off her hat. I thought Shepherd Neame were all for cosy warm inviting venues?! This was none of the above.

nice little pub to grab a pint before a wedding in the cathedral which is next door. the menu is interesting but tasty, apart from the veggie taco option which was incinerated

Best thing about The Shakespeare was that it was the only place in Canterbury with a live band on a Saturday. Not a lot of space where the band plays so not as good an experience as it could have been. Got a bit rowdy but no idea if that's the norm.

Typical English pub, good service, good prices, nice food.