The Ship Inn in Shepway

Great meal at the Ship, WOW had the short rib from the specials board, bloody fantastic, excellent service in both the Bat and Restaurant, can’t wait to go back, keep the short rib on the menu please

Recent refurbished and a good place for a pint after a walk. Dogs and children allowed. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Enjoyed a very nice relaxed lunch here with family. The outside of the building could do with some TLC and so creates a first impression that isn’t entirely positive however once inside I was largely reassured. We sat in the side room of the bar as we had the dog with us, but this area has a nice nautical ambience about it so was in no way disappointing. Food had to be ordered at the bar but the service was pleasingly polite and efficient. A request for a bit of chicken in a bowl for the dog (very fussy eater and doesn’t do dog food!) initially raised some eyebrows but was accommodated at minimal extra cost. The food itself (steak and ale pie and fish and chips) was nicely presented, of good quality, and reasonably priced, All in all pretty good and certainly somewhere we will revisit.

Lovely pint and a spot of lunch after a walk across the beachside. Staff were lovely and despite being very happy with my sharing board (that my pup got jealous of!) I couldn't help but spy how good the roasts look here, so will be back.

Grabbed food here the other day. It was a quiet weekday, I had steak - really good. My partner had fish and chips, equally decent. Nice decor and chilled atmosphere.

Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch after arriving in Sandgate for the first time for an overnight visit. Welcoming staff with heating on full to keep us warm on a cold windy day. View of the sea was lovely abd the food was very nice. Fish and chips and seafood chowder to keep us warm. Traditional pub at the front, which we came back into in the evening. Great option for food and drinks whilst in Sandgate!

We were excited to see The Ship in famous new hands, especially as the renovations feel sensible and if good quality. Unfortunately we were a little disappointed with what was served up on our plates. Pork belly was hard work, yorkies a lifeless powdery crust, roast potatoes dry and overdone. Altogether felt overcooked and warmed over. Not v good value for £22 I’m afraid.

Popped in for lunch as a family with friends on the off chance there was a table available and I was greeted with incredibly friendly staff. Shown to a large area where (with two buggies and three under threes) we were made to feel welcome and not in the way at all. More friendly service while ordering at the bar and delicious, fresh and very generously portioned food came out promptly after. I have been before in summer for a drink on the lovely roof terrace which was also very nice. This is a lovely, "proper" pub with a great atmosphere and good food. Thanks for a really enjoyable visit, we will be back.

Absolutely brilliant service and food. Second time going since changing hands and will be back! Great atmosphere

Popped in by chance. So glad that we did. It’s under new management and the staff are extremely friendly and efficient, especially Sharon. The wife had the chowder and I had the whale and chips. Both were amazing. We will be back.

This was our first visit. The food was excellent and despite the restaurant being short staffed everything was dealt with in a professional, friendly way. We will certainly return.

Had a celebration meal with family. We ate in the 'Green' room which is comfortable and relaxed. The food was superb and reasonably priced. I also had a look at the newly refurbished restaurant which looks fantastic. The Pub has a comfortable atmosphere. The waiting staff were friendly. Highly recommend you try this place which is now called The 'Famous' Ship Inn.

Popped in for a drink and lunch on a Saturday. Hoped to have a warming glass of Malbec. Unfortunately that on tap was ice cold and even the bottles were no where near the correct room temperature. I made a poor choice of food, Fritto Misto. Far too much batter/bread crumbs on cod bites, squid and whitebait. Really disappointing and not up to owners usual food quality compared to other venues. Also hoping that by the summer the small individual, 2 glass bottles of Prosecco are again available. Like the new layout.

I have known and used the Ship for 30 years on and off. Visited recently and was ‘shocked’ at the recent refurbishment . The changes were inevitable I suppose, as the previous landlord had been talking about them for years, but in my view the character of the pub has changed. I hasten to add anyone new there will be pleased (it’s still a great pub), but for us longstanding regulars it’s no longer ‘our’ Ship . Thankfully Caroline, one of long standing barmaids was there and coincidently another one was drinking there so that brought the old atmos back. Whilst I’m sure the new owners have done the right thing, I hope they do all they can to retain links to the past, especially for the winter local trade, for example opening the door to the ‘back bar’, and holding onto the many loyal staff. Still a great pub!!

Lovely refurbishment of the bar and dining areas. Well staffed. Lovely views of the sea from the rear restaurant. However, the Sunday lunch was over cooked. The starters were very good but the main dishes were poor. It took 90 minutes to be served our main courses. We had to ask for drinks to be served. There was a delay in everyone getting their food once service started. I’ve definitely had better elsewhere. Such a shame. Really hoped it would be on par with others in the chain.

Have always liked this pub for its superb terrace overlooking the sea but it had gone badly downhill the new owners are a very successful couple in hospitality and I think this is going to be there best venue only piped in for a drink the menus looked tempting

The Ship Inn was recently completely renovated after an ownership change and it is a lovely spot with a full bar and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a bar and a dinner menu and sandwiches are also offered until 5. Afull English breakfast is served 10-12. I have visited several time and also presented the first performance there on 10.29. My son in law and myself entertained for 3 1/2 hours and received a wonderful reception. One of the dining rooms faces the sea and the staff is both friendly and efficient. .

The Ship Inn has now been taken over by the wonderful L&B group and I can confirm it is yet another success!! The renovation has been done beautifully and the pub has multiple lovely, cosy seating areas. We stopped here at lunchtime on a beautiful sunny Sunday and sat on the roof terrace over looking the sea. The food was (as per usual) absolutely DELICIOUS! Service was (as per usual) fantastic and friendly! And the price (as per usual) was really respectable for great quality food. Well done yet again, what a lovely place to be!

Dull and uninteresting food. I eventually had ham egg and chips ! Coked ok but you can’t go wrong with that !

greasy fish chips normally good this day not perhaps they had shot the chef. other couple opposite sent theirs back

After reading an earlier negative view that was concerning, our experience today was totally opposite. We booked a table for 12:30 in the hope we could sit in the bay window area overlooking the fabulous Sea-scape. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and continued...

We live locally and eat out two/three time each week. As we have lots of visitors coming to the area in 2023, we wanted to try out a few more restaurants rather than just going to our usual ones., so we booked a table in...

Thoroughly enjoyable night. The four of us went to a preselected Xmas menu which had various options, including of course turkey but also sea bass. I think it is probably the best Xmas meal I have had in a restaurant and I am not a...

First visit but certainly won't be the last. Friendly bar staff. Was only going to have a quick drink but decided to have lunch as well. Food was well presented and cooked beautifully. We sat on the terrace overlooking the sea.

Fish and chips, easy enough lunch? Batter soggy, fries only warm, peas OK, but you can hardly mess up boiling a frozen pea. Would we like sauces? Yes please. A handful of packets and sachets were brought to the table and left in a pile....

Really enjoyed our meal here. My vegetarian cashew and beetroot burger with some extra cheddar was delicious as was the chocolate brownie I had to follow. Everyone enjoyed their meals all round. Service was excellent and we wanted for nothing during our evening that wasn't...

After a day on the beach we popped in just for a drink before heading home however we ended up stopping for an evening meal. We sat on the top deck which overlooked the beach. Menu is small, which is what I like as you...

On a lovely sunny day, decided to visit Sandgate for the first time. I asked my daughter to look for a restaurant there and she found the famous Ship Inn. She chose it because of the varied menu and because she wanted somewhere with a...

Went for a meal here last weekend as a weekend treat and wow what a treat!!! As somewhere I'd only previously visited for a drink (lovely ciders!) I booked dinner here just to see how it was and I was so glad I did! Wonderful...

Went for a meal with our sons and we had the most wonderful time. We ordered the small plates, (they are called Tapas in spain) they arrived very promptly, looked delicious and tasted even better. The staff members were very friendly and one of the...

This is an honest account of a visit to a pub and restaurant that we loved many years ago. The pub itself hasn’t changed in years- and that’s great. It’s a shame though that the back bar has a massive table right near the bar...

I loved this old style pub. The first time I visited we sat in the bar as a cool day. Good cider and lots of interesting memorabilia. The second time we visited it was warm and we enjoyed sitting outside. Good service.

Smashing lunch, Amy was a fantastic hostess, we had the small plates opted for cheese, meats and breads delicious! We will return!

Visited the Ship Inn for the first time today since covid began and was very much looking forward to it. Was profoundly disappointed. We ordered the Sunday roasts (which we have had many times before in the past at the The Ship) but sadly the meat was cold and the vegetables had distinctly been lying around for a long while before coming to table. My husbands fish and chips were not entirely fresh and the chips were rubbery and tasted re-heated. Finally the deserts that were ordered were dreadful. A crème brûlée with a sugar crust that was so thick it would break teeth and a centre that was curdled. The other strawberry desert was inedible. We were just so disappointed. The waitresses however were absolutely lovely and did their best to look after us but overall we would not return. Very sad as it was always such a favourite.

We arrived for our table at 8:30pm and by 9:44pm we had only had our starters our mains arrived at about 10:00pm. The food was delicious and the waitresses were excellent and so friendly and accommodating even though some items had ran out they liaised with the chefs to see what alternatives they could do. The chef forgot our chips and we did want dessert but as the main course took so long we decided against the idea - paid the bill and left. We will return as the food was lovely and the service from the waitress was really good & friendly despite her challenges with the chefs.

What a wonderful place to go and have a fabulous dinner.I came here with other work colleagues and we all commented on how good the food and service was.We had an extra treat of a starter and prosecco too! Thank you all , i have already told people about this place

This pub seems to have reinvented itself recently as an eating venue, and it's quite attractive, though it doesn't present especially well to the outside world (no menu outside, for example). There's a very nice seafront roof terrace, which is great for better weather, but the indoor restaurant, towards the back of the pub is also light and airy and has very good sea views. The menu is a mixture of 'pub specials' and slightly more adventurous and modern options, and the execution ranges between decent and excellent (we've noticed some degree of variation on three visits). Service is good—polite and attentive at worst, and positively warm and engaged at best.

The rooftop dining area is great for an experience that makes you believe you are on the costa del sol rather the the south coast. Food was excellent and we have also eaten in the main restaurant as well previously which has always been excellent. Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone.

Went with a friend for lunch. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and we sat on the open top terrace . Staff were all friendly and food was good with good size portions.We would have liked to have visited the restaurant for evening meal but unfortunately they only serve food until 3pm.

Barman refuse to service saying they weren't allowed to have children sitting outside, even though the seats are on a public pavement

Helpful staff advised the outdoor terrace bar did not take bookings when we phoned , so we turned up for 12 and got a table up top. Great view over the sea ! The crab and prawn salad and the bacon and scallop salads were fantastic . Would definitely order those again ! The only slight drawback was that the terrace is all self service so we had to go back downstairs to get more drinks . This put some other guests off and so they left . The restaurant below looked very nice indeed

When the weather is looking lovely there is no better location .Busy lunchtime but managed to get a table for four. Took a while to order and receive drinks and snacks but the staff were lovely and efficient in the face of the busy day

We dined here on a Sunday and had a lovely experience. We had drink on the rooftop terrace, overlooking the Kent coastline and then ate in the restaurant downstairs. Being a Sunday the roast was an option and it was delicious. It even came with cauliflower cheese without asking. My sister had the wing of skate and it was huge and fell off the bones. A nice upgrade to the traditional Cod & Chips. All Covid-19 precautions were taken and we all felt very safe.

We were accimmodated in the restaurant at short notice. Friendly staff. We alll ordered scallop and bacon salad that was very tasty but I would like whole scallops not slices Nice selection of drinks. Good quick service. Great seaviews. Covid details taken.

Just had a lovely lunchtime meal and the fish and chips was one of the best I've had , the service was excellent, would highly recommend this place .

Four of us staying in Folkestone overnight before France. Fantastic food and service Can’t recommend highly enough

One of the oldest pubs in village. Drinking haunt of Sharpes 95th Green Jackets and bawdy house. It was featured in Time Teams episode on Shorncliffe Redoubt.

Lovely Sunday Roast overlooking the sea. Great food, good service, and perfect ale (summer lightning) !!! Wonderful treat !

We stayed here for one night while visiting Folkestone. The room we had was on the ground floor and was really cosy and lovely. The website photos didn't really do it justice. You're right on the sea front and we could see the sea crashing onto the shore. Very atmospheric. Because it was a cold November night we didn't use the room's deck area outside, with table and chairs, but that would have been a lovely thing to do in the summer. The room was incredible cosy considering what a horrible night it was. We went round to the restaurant and had one of the most delicious, perfectly cooked rump steaks I've ever had. The whole meal was delicious. The bar staff and regulars in the pub were friendly. Breakfast the next morning was cooked by the landlady (Wendy I think?) and that too was delicious. She was a lovely lady, very friendly and chatty. All in all a great overnight stay, and lovely food. Would definitely recommend this place.

Had a stroll into Sandgate and found this gem. Very cosy atmosphere excellent food and great service.Made to feel welcome relaxed and nothing was to much trouble.The pork belly was excellent and the Christmas crumble delicious.The telling sign of an excellent evening was the Guinness was lovely well kept pipes topping off a lovely evening

Their slogan is ‘a nice place for nice people’ and it is a lovely airy restaurant at the back of the inn which overlooks the beach and had a sun terrace open in the summer. We’ve been going here for years and it’s always a good experience. Family run and The standard of food and service is consistent, reliable -not to mention served with a smile. There’s also the original cosy bar leading off the High Street serving pub food meals.

Super variety of home cooked steaks. Great wine list. Good mixture of home made and bought in food. But no children in the bars!

Decided to go in for dinner one evening the restaurant was empty only a few people scattered around. No staff to be seen I approached the waitress who I found in the kitchen and asked if we could have a menu. Rudely she replied she had to check her booking to see if there was space and to give her 5 minutes. There was only two of us!! So we sat in the bar got a drink then outside then back in the bar after 30 minutes of avoiding us, even though I had informed the barman exactly where I was nothing ... the tables were sticky and lots of un collected glasses on nearly all the tables outside and in small back bar. Didn’t bother attempting going in again even though I was on holiday for a week.

3 of us went last night wed 17/17/19. Steak night free bottle of wine with two steaks. reasonably priced steak couldn't fault chips ok wine, well it was practically free. starters were limited but good all in all pretty good.

We waited over an hour for our food, the waitress explained there was a problem with a fan in the kitchen! Then 1 of the mussels ordered was fine the other they were all closed and dried out! Makes me wonder whether they kept the dish warm and it dried out! I mentioned it and they did take it off the menu! But a quick lunch out turned out a disaster, really disappointing

Visited yesterday for Sunday lunch with family, service quick, portions very good, crispy roast potatoes, homemade yorkshire pudding and vegetables to share, plenty of gravy which pleased my father in law! Very reasonably priced too worked out a little £27 per head for main, dessert and two-three drinks each. Will be back again to eat here.

Booked a room for Saturday night, which was lovely, fantastic views. Had really good lunch , pan fried skate with capers potatoes. Highly recommend. IPA was very good. Had dinner at a different restaurant which i had pre booked , near the harbour.

Had a really nice meal here as a family, food was great and so was the service, will be bavk gain very soon

Have eaten here on a couple of occasions and can recoomed it as fantastic sea food resturant. The Resturant side is very contempary, with sea views over the beach, whilst the pub which is reached from the high street, is very tradtional in appearace but does some excelelnt beer. Well worth a visit!

The Ship in was by far the best stay i have had in this area:

Have had 2 New year eve celebration here. Our French friends have visited too with us and love it. Despite their trepidation about eating in the UK well done to the Ship we love you

We often lunch there because of the sea view from the dining room and the good food. Interesting menu, fresh ingredients, well chosen wines or proper beer!

Haven't been here for a while and have no idea why. We've definitely been missing out. Came today for a roast and it was the best we've had since living here. Lovely staff, especially Anita, and a sea view to top it all off. Will be back very soon

It's known locally that the landlord can be a bit snippy at times, buy today he said hello and smiled! Great stuff. Saturday lunch in the restaurant, the two staff were busy but dealt with things professionally and were friendly. Food was enjoyable, menu restricted for lunchtime, but some good choices. Scallops were great and the local fish, and chips were excellent. Don't be put off by some reviewers - it's a pub restaurant worth visiting.

Service good and good menu, but expensive. Had a 2 course lunch for c.£15.excluding drinks. Good view of the sea from the restaurant. In Spring and Summer there is an open upper deck above the restaurant, which is potentially good for eating al fresco when the weather is fine.

Went in for dinner 20 minutes before they opened for dinner. I know awful. Told kids not allowed. And really sarcastically told ‘they are my rules’ kid was asleep in buggy not exactly running around and he had no other customers in the bar to disturb!!!

The landlady and the stair carpet should be changed! The stairs smelled of urine and were filthy and the landlady suggested I go elsewhere. We were shown up narrow stairs to our double room with a view which hadn’t got one. ‘This was not what we booked’ I complained. There was a small room with a single bed across the landing with a skylight view of the sea for our use. A bit of a stretch in the description for a room with a view! Pleased to say we were just passing through. Old is fine, but smells and stains unforgivable.

We had a pleasant time there, they serve an excellent roast dinner and a yummy desert. I had roasted lamp and a chocolate tart. They also make their own bear, the price is also very reasonable. My only criticism is that there are not many options in their menu besides the fact that they don't have an online menu.

Looks a little tatty from outside but I guess that down to its proximity to the sea. But inside, the owners and staff were really friendly and helpful. The food was great, the selection of real ales and local ciders would satisfy most. The room was clean, comfortable and overlooked the sea. Really enjoyed it.

We popped in on a very sunny sunday afternoon, the outside terrace looked very inviting and we were desperately hungry. Having eaten here before we thought it would be lovely. We walked into an empty bar with a man behind the till. He totally ignored us for several minutes, not even acknowledging our presence, we asked if we could eat up on the terrace but were told we could not because we had our (very well behaved and quiet) 10 year old with us. Now, I can understand it if it were busy but there were only two people up there. I could also understand it of an evening and on a Friday and Saturday...but on a sunday afternoon? The man was very rude and for that reason, sadly, we will probably never return.

Had dinner with friends last night at the ship inn ,

Just a bit Meh! People and friends rate this place but it seemed just a bit too average to shout about the food or service.

Had an explore while staying in Sandgate and stumbled across the Ship inn.

I walked into Sandgate this week whilst staying nearby hoping to find some good food and drink. I ordered a drink and was served by a rude man who did not even say hi or thankyou, just told me the price when he plonked the pint on the bar. Manners cost nothing so I decided to eat elsewhere. Shame really as the rooftop seating and the restaurant area looked nice but I won’t return.

We had never been to Sandgate before and were looking around for somewhere to have lunch and watch football. We walked in an ordered a drink while we asked the barman if they were showing the world cup. We got chatting with him and he said that although they normally show it without volume as they are a rugby place because our country was playing they’d make and exception which was very kind. We had a big and delicious Sunday roast in the terrace overlooking the see and then stayed for the game. Both, customers and stuff were very nice and friendly and joined in to watch the game. There was a very nice atmosphere, we really enjoyed the time we spent there

Walked from Sandgate along beach then up Folkestone zig zag path and back down in scorching heat. Visited pub which has a wonderful balcony, complete with umbrellas. Had a pint of Cotter VC, brewed on premises. Excellent. Great ambience.

Personeel was prima en kindvriendelijk. Eten was prima, goede fish and chips. Cappuccino helaas aangebrand, maar werd direct van de rekening gehaald.

Unfortunately cannot comment on the food or drinks as we were all made to feel so unwelcome that we decided to leave about 2 minutes after sitting in the restaurant.

Supporting a young man with autism though the bar was empty he does unfortunately have repetitive behaviours after eating food the landlord approached and said "do you know that's really going to start annoying us" and pointed at the young man wearing obvious ear protectors and had profound learning difficulties. I explained he had autism and he walked off. I immediately took the young man out who was supported by another member of staff, I went back in and explained I though it was rude and he simple said "well I didn't know" and walked off again. Please note the female barmaids were great as we took him in they supported us to sit in a very quiet place and were very good with the young man just the landlord who's behaviour was unacceptable.

I have eaten here in the past and the girls who serve are lovely.

4 of us had lunch overlooking the sea and we will definitely return. The menu is quite short but it wasn't a problem as we all found something we liked and the trade off for a restricted choice was that it was all delicious, very fresh tasting and generous portions.

Stayed overnight at The Ship Inn's B&B; cottage and had an excellent meal in their restaurant. The Belgian Chef prepared wonderful Shetland moules mariniere followed by a skate wing with butter and caper sauce. Superb and so fresh it was lip smackingly good. The modern restaurant with fine sea views, is attached to the old pub which has a great range of lagers and beers plus the landlord has his own micro brewery to add to the offerings! If you buy a drink in the side bar check out the excellent choice of wines on the shelf behind the bar. Amazing. There is also a roof terrace where you can take your drinks and relax taking in the sea views just across the road. I,m not sure if there is a separate place to review the B & B but the Sea View cottage on the top floor comes with 2 rooms and a very comfy bed! Recommended.

We had three courses - delicious fresh seafood starters : scallops and mussels, with excellent steaks, lamb rump, ox cheeks, and a beautifully cooked chunk of crusted hake on a chorizo and bean ragout that was as satisfying as anything I’ve eaten in a restaurant. Nice selection of traditional and retro puds. All washed down (by me) with Amazing Cotter VC - a delicious smooth ale brewed on the premises. Not the cheapest pub restaurant - but worth it.

The food, service and views in the glazed ground floor extension to this old pub / hotel are just great. There is an open air terrace as well which we have not tried yet due to the weather but I am sure like the restaurant, is very popular.

Always have a selection of good ales on tap & sometimes the wonderful "Cotter VC". Eaten at the restaurant many timesd & always first class. Particularly like the Skate wings!

We always eat here when we visit our family for a meal and have always had good service and food. This time although the meal was lovely I wasn’t impressed with the current menu options- somewhat limited. The service was poor, only 2 tables occupied and we had to wait ages for our wine and choose 3 wines before we got to one that was available from the list. There also seemed to be an atmosphere amongst the staff and owner.

My friend and I ate here on Friday night after just calling in for a pint.

I dined there yesterday in the light airy restaurant with views across the English Channel. It was a sparkling sunny...

Très frais. Bonne table. Dommage que personne ne parle français. Burger extra et frites fraîches maison.

Met a friend for lunch, no longer live in the area so had driven over from Hastings and well worth...

First visit, walked inside expecting a small pub which just went room to room and ended up on the seafront....

Quaint pub with attractive dining room furnished with a wonderful view across the Channel. Fish and chips and salad was...

Easily the best fish and chips we've had this year, the batter was perfect (even my wife who is keen...

You can't complain about location or indeed the patchy service , perhaps a little overpriced for menu delivered but overall it's a pub in a good location doing their best , not fine dining but acceptable:-)

We had booked this restaurant several days earlier but the lady we spoke to had, we found out on the night, taken our name down wrong and transposed the last two digits of our phone number! Unfortunately when we turned up on the Saturday evening the staff and manager we're very dismissive and did not believe it was our booking, even though we had phoned twice, the second time of phoning we had been told exactly which table we would be seated at (which was unsurprisingly empty). It was obviously a mix up on their part and we felt the situation could have been handled much better. We were made to feel like we (4 reserved 50-somethings) were lying and trying to trick our way in. No one else had arrived for our booking but the manager insisted that they might turn up and would not let us in. Very poor. We will not re-book.

Restaurant is in a sea facing conservatory accessed through the very old fashioned bar - at first I wasn't even sure if they did food.

Horrified by our unacceptable and substandard accommodation at Stunning Views, Sandgate, we went out to drown our sorrows!!We were made very welcome at the Ship Restaurant, by charming staff, and enjoyed a very good meal, and booked again for the following night, when Danielle and her lovely team looked after us very well, and we enjoyed the most delicious lemon sole.We returned for our last evening, and were welcomed like old friends!There was a problem with the wine list, and stocks of certain reds had run out, however, we were always charged the price of our original order despite the substitute being more expensive, so no complaints there!!.

The ale was so bad, I happily drank the lager- Hopdaemon should send a representative over for a taste- I'm sure they'd pull it from service as it must be giving them a thoroughly underserved reputation for brewing bad beer.

Nicely located right by the promenade and serves food all day & evening but thought the food was a bit over-priced and at the same time a little pretentiously served / described for the quality. Staff were friendly in the restaurant but a bit cliquey in the pub despite nice traditional decor. A mixed bag. Could easily be better.

We didn't eat here but dropped in for a proper pint of local brew.Unfortunately it was all off so we couldn't get to sample it and ended up missing out.The place seemed quite run down and in need of some work.Will check back to see when there is some local ale taste though.