The Smugglers Bar and Restaurant in Dover

Lovely food and fabulous atmosphere, couldn't have asked for a better place to grab a bite for lunch - we'd love to return if we're back in the area again

Just popped in for guinness and black and what a warm welcome we had. Ended up staying for Sunday lunch which was very well cooked and they certainly did not scrimp on the portions and very reasonably priced at £14.95. Keep up the good service and thank you we really enjoyed our dinner.

Loved the food and wine. Service was also great. Dog friendly too, so all of our family were well looked after. What's not to love?

This is a proper traditional English pub with fantastic staff, amazing food and a brilliant atmosphere. Great to hear about the story behind the pubs name with it being one of the last smuggler trading posts and being part of a secret tunnel network under the village. The Sunday roasts are traditionally cooked, decent quantity and full of flavour. The pizzas are clearly home made and again with fresh good quality ingredients. My wife and I are very particular about our steaks and have to say the fillet steak we had here was one of the best we have ever had and were both perfectly cooked. We normally try a few different pubs when on holiday, but tried this one on our first night and instantly booked to come back for other nights on our holiday. My wife, our two boys and myself would not hesitate to recommend this pub to anyone and will definitely be back the next time we visit this part of the country.

My family & I booked in last minute for my daughters birthday on Tuesday, The girls working that night ( forgot names , sorry) we’re extremely accommodating considering I added 2 more guests on arrival! The food was outstanding, highly recommend the pork belly , we all had different starters & mains , but each dish was equally delicious.. presentation is also great ! The lovely ladies were funny, welcoming & a pleasure to be served by. Even singing happy birthday to my 29 year old !!.. highly recommend this little gem for anyone seeking excellent quality food . Total amount, including bottle of wine & alcohol was extremely reasonable too .. well certainly be back , if you’ll have us 😂Thank you girls & thank the chefs too .. x

Arrived at 5pm on a Sunday evening to say that they are not serving food. Very disappointing so avoid. Thanks for your reply. Before you contact Google maybe check your hours on your website where it says you are open until 5:30 for food. I don’t know what interpretation you put on that but that means to me that you are open until 5:30 for food orders and your premises then closes at 7 as per your website. Your reply is what I would expect. And yes I would still say avoid as I wouldn’t say the customer is ever right with you. AVOID

Ate here Saturday 3rd October night and Sunday 4th October lunchtime. Where do I start? What can I say? Saturday night, two of us and we had 2 dogs the Smugglers make you feel welcome and so professional and personal touches and staff that enjoy what they do. Had Prwans as a starter and Sirloin Steak as a main. The starter was scrumptious and did not want it to end. My steak was tender juicy and cooked to perfection. Little touches like I dropped my serviette within seconds, a new one given to me. Sunday lunch had three roast meats cauliflower mornay roast potatoes, creamed cabbage amazing. Had homemade crumble to finish WOW. The chef, the bar/restaurant staff so courteous and professional. After Sunday lunch I left my keys on table within minutes had a call left message about this. THANK YOU SMUGGLERS THE BEST PUB IN KENT

Great place food and staff lovely

Warm, snug and an an absolutely delicious Sunday lunch!

Local village Pub with unpreposessing exterior that belies it's charm and comfort. Excellent food and lovely staff providing very good service. Great atmosphere, well supported by local residents.

We went for a big family meal ,our second visit here and the food was lovely. The staff were very nice and helpful with food allergies and dietary requirements

Had a lovely meal here last weekend with my husband. Staff were attentive & friendly. Food was amazing. We both had the short rib of beef & it was delicious. Credit to the chef, food was incredible.! Dont let the outside put you off, its a lovely pub inside! Would definitely visit again if we are ever down the coast again.

The team did well to fit us in on a busy Sunday afternoon, as we had no booking! The food was great, nice atmosphere in the pub and nice drinks. Reasonably priced for the quality of food.

The food and service were perfection. Such lovely staff who made you feel so welcome.

This is a great pub and Restaurant, the staff were really nice and the service was first class, we had a roast dinner, that was superb and really tasty, my only criticism was that there wasn't enough Veg for four people, a few more roast potatoes wouldn't go a miss, they were supplied after we asked the waitress. A lovely pub, Restaurant, and we will return for our fourth visit soon, highly recommended .

We popped into The Smugglers today to get out of the rain. First time visiting the area and to be honest the outside of the pub wasn't that appealing. Completely different story inside! A lovely old bar and the helpful staff managed to find us a table for lunch. Food was excellent with plenty of choice, not just Sunday roasts. We had to abandon our planned walk but that's ok because it gives us an excuse to revisit and we'll definitely plan ahead to make sure we can get in at The Smugglers too!

Loved it great for gluten free, service was exceptional good pub and grub 😁

The food here is amazing and the staff are really nice. The dining area is bright and airy.

Visited here last year while staying at Park Dean holiday park up the road. It was amazing. Had to cancel the weekend away to caravan but still drove 52 miles for dinner Saturday night. Three of us service amazing staff amazing food fantastic we had the three of us,Prawn Cocktail, Sqid, starters. Chicken Roularde and Sorloin Steaks main courses. Carrot cake cheesecake and cheeseboards it was all just perfect best gastro put in Kent if not South East. Took my little dog as well. I'm going to the holiday park in October booked Saturday night and Sunday lunch and can't wait. Thank you, Smuhhlers, and see you soon.

Lovely roast dinner A must try Great quiet location Great food

Lovely, spacious, friendly pub, excellent food and good service. There were 7 of us and everyone enjoyed their meals. Prices were reasonable. We would go there again!

Great food, great service (Lyndsay was the best!) can't recommend it highly enough!

Diner excellent, des ingrédients frais, des plats originaux et parfaitement cuisinés, service cordial, décor agréable!

Amazing food, lovely helpful and friendly staff and a great atmosphere.

Truly delicious food, great service and everything very affordable!

I cant believe i hadnt been there sooner, what a beautiful pub, really calming atmosphere, the staff where fantastic and the food is amazing i can't believe the quality or quantity, great prices for such tasty food, will be going here as many times as possible for as long as possible

Our first visit to the Smugglers, the food was excellent,the atmosphere was really good. We all really enjoyed the meal and evening.

Don't drive past this. But stop and enjoy the delicious tournedos. That is a mouth-watering sensation. With friendly service in an attractive atmosphere

Steph the landlady was so accommodating and had such a warm and caring presence, you can tell she puts her all into the place! All the staff were so lovely and the food was AMAZING! 🙌 We will definitely be back again!

Beautifully cooked and presented food and service to match

This is most probably the best pub I've ever been to in the UK. Being an Anglophile from Austria and having crossed the channel nearly 100 times in the past three decades I honestly have never felt more "at home" in a pub as here - just a second after walking through the door the first time last autumn (The Smugglers even was partly responsible for our decision to come back to St Margarets for this summer). Our reasons seem, well, reasonable: First of all, this is not in any way one of those awful chain pubs that slowly destroy British pub culture. This is a proper country pub with all the trimmings 😉. Private owned, with the most lovely and friendly staff one can imagine - even we (despite being tourists and not local - which is usually a sure-shot-guarantee to being treated "a bit differently") are warmly welcomed every day with a genuine (!) smile and a little chat. The outside garden in the back: simply beautiful and very quiet - only "disturbed" a few times per day by the beautiful sound of vintage Spitfire planes roaring over the Kent coast. The menu? I've honestly never had better food in any of the +300 pubs I've been to in my lifetime. Literally everything from the menu tastes like directly from grandma's kitchen (in a good way, as my grandma was the best chef ever). All ingredients are locally sourced (and you can really taste this). Recommendations: THE perfect Sunday roast, of course - and on weekdays: Beef short rib, chicken roulade and (if travelling with a teenager like ourselves) an excellent pizza. Pub interior: beautifully decorated with lots of love to little details (this is NOT your typical boozer down the road with sticky floors and that one drunk guy falling asleep at the bar). I especially love the low beamed ceiling in the main room where the bar is. To the landlord/landlady: Please don't ever change anything (apart from the weekly menu 😉).

Like this place very much, pay a bit more than your local pub/restaurant, but you get what you pay for. Food is very good and the staff are helpful

Booking is essential here and once you arrive you'll soon realise why. The welcome is warm, the service is friendly, the food is delicious and dogs are welcome too. We were staying in the village for a weeks holiday and went to the pub on our first night, it was so good we ended up having a meal there most other days too. Thank you for making our holiday a real treat.

Went with the family lovely place excellent food and service

This is an amazing pub. You walk in and you feel welcome. The decor is traditional English pub with the modern aspects that you want. It was very busy when we arrived but the lovely landlady seated us at the bar and prepared a table for us. There's enough to choose from on the menu. I had the linguine which was delicious! My partner had the beef and he tol thought it was excellent. The creme brulee I had for pudding was fabulous too. Can't fault this pub and would happily recommend and visit again!

Visited this pub for the first time this week, and was not disappointed. Charming service, very good food, including a good vegan selection - the mushroom wellington was excellent. Drinks selection good, too.

Fantastic food and pleasent host's, and now a revamp on the decor....very tastefully done and so was the food

Turned up at 8.30pm on a Tuesday evening without a reservation and received a very warm welcome - although the daily special, which sounded delicious, had sold out! Beef short rib and pork belly were both excellent and very generous portions. Lovely dessert menu, very disappointed we didn’t have room, will have to return!

Dropped in to the Smugglers after a visit to St. Margaret’s bay just on the off chance. The staff were very friendly, helpful and accommodating. The food was excellent, in fact one of the best Sunday lunches we have had out for a very long time. The atmosphere was great too with a nice open dining area and a traditional cosy bar. Would love to visit again.

Very pleasant welcome in a typical pub in a beautiful countryside. We tried the Sunday roast. It was succulent and plentiful. I recommend this superb address.

Een heerlijk authentiek adres voor diner of lunch, zeer vriendelijk personeel en uitgebreid menu. Aangename bediening en gevestigd in het dichtst bij Frankrijk gelegen plaatsje. Een aanrader, volgens mij ook een tuin terras

Lovely staff, Guinness and food. Haddock fish-of-the-day was a delight! Others enjoyed their dinner immensely and made my mother's birthday a great occasion. Many thanks.

Cauliflower bad fried, bad taste. Seemed, like the kitchen had a Bad day.

Great food , excellent service , could not wish for a better evening. Most definitely one to visit again . Lived in the village for over a year and first time i have been in there will most definitely be my go to place . Absolutely first class

Best pub we visited on the entire trip. The staff was very friendly and attentive. There was beautiful music playing and the food was to die for. Best ribs I've ever had and the side dishes were great too 🤩 My husband had the fish of the day and was also very satisfied

Good little English pub, welcome and pleasant service thank you 🙏

Fantastic place, a real old pub feel, with beams and a proper bar. A good selection of beera on tap. I had Greene King IPA and cheesy chips, which were perfect. Will definitely visit again to sample the main menu.

Lovely steak n chips, very busy, we sat in the garden

Lovely village pub good atmosphere value for money

Great can't fault them on anything.

Great pub menu and excellent service. Highly recommended!

Nice local pub in St Margaret's. Nice beer selection and good food

Had a fantastic afternoon enjoying great food, beer and atmosphere. It's a must place to go and eat.

Great food , nice people , made us welcome.

The food was excellent, very generous portions

Great food lovely staff lovely pub/restaurant

An excellent early evening dinner (as always). Booked a couple of nights in advance and given a table in the bar area next to the window. It was busy but we were acknowledged as soon as we approached the bar, and directed to our table. The waitress recognised us from before and the service throughout the evening was fast, friendly and real. We all had the fresh fish of the day (sea bass) and everything was beautifully cooked, hot and well seasoned. Just the right portion size too, and we were able to indulge in desserts. We even found ourselves chatting to other guests too. When the bill arrived it was without a service charge (how refreshing is that!). Unfortunately I paid without realising I needed to inform the waitress to add it on; I'll definitely do that next time. All in all a lovely night out and I hope to experience this many times in the future.

First time here and loved it cosy pub

The last few times I’ve been in, this gem of a pub has been super busy, and there’s me and friends with no reservation but super hungry. Each time, even though they are at capacity, they’ve squeezed us in. Occasionally a little wait, but it’s explained initially and it’s totally worth waiting for. Catering for gluten free, and vegetarians the food is delicious My only disappointment is that I’m filled up by the mains and can’t fit in a dessert. Just wish it was in walking distance so I could stay and have more drinks. Absolutely worth a visit - booking is a better idea so you don’t miss out!

Nice little pub in a beautiful location.

Excellent, nice pub. Worth a visit.

I cannot praise the staff at this restaurant highly enough-and the food is great as well. We had planned a family meal but half our group were delayed due to dreadful traffic conditions so were 2 hours late !The staff were so thoughtful and helpful making sure that the exhausted travellers did not miss out on a meal-they had been travelling for 9 hours by the time they got to the restaurant. There had been several conversations with the staff about the best food choices in an unpredictable situation but in the end the rest of the group arrived and the restaurant were able to serve their food choices really quickly-the choices had been made while they were all sitting in a stationery traffic queue many miles away. The caring attitude was so welcomed and helped salvage what could easily have been a disastrous evening.Thank you so much.

Cozy place, great food & service

Food was unreal! thanks for the recommendation from the lady who served us! The sticky cauliflower was amazing - as a veggie you always have the same veggie burger/halloumi on offer in pubs and this one the options are something different and they cook it perfectly/flavours are lush, my partner really enjoyed his lamb, staff are soo lovely and had a great time this evening so thank you! 🥰

A lovely oasis on a messy Winter's day.

Amazing night out Can’t recommend highly enough A group of ten of us enjoyed the Christmas set menu Exceptional value delicious food and generous portions There was a tiny mix up on the night but was sorted in an instant very professional staff You won’t be disappointed fantastic

Nice little village pub. Was a quiet night when we visited but was made to feel at home by the landlady.

Very pleasant experience altogether. Tasty menu, happy staff and cosy ambience!

What a fantastic pub. Went for my wifes 60 birthday for Sunday lunch, we messed them about with numbers and changed a few things. They could not have been more helpful and accomodating, the young staff were fantastic, polite, efficient and lovely, nothing was to much trouble for them, and to be fair, dealing with a lot of oldies must have been hard. The food was superb, probably the best Sunday lunch I have had in a pub, I never knew cauliflower cheese could taste so good, and the meat was cooked to perfection. If you are ever down that way, definitely not a pub to be missed.

Amazing food and fantastic service

Sunday lunch with friends was lovely in The Smugglers. Three roast dinners and two fajitas, all absolutely beautiful and good value for money. Service was faultless.

Excellent Sunday roast, cauliflower and broccoli cheese was really cheesy unlike other places that do it with a roast.Sizzling fajitas was really tasty and plenty of it.All big portions, plenty of meat.

Very warm welcome, excellent service, first class Sunday roast, at a busy time. Well managed by all concerned.

Service was excellent, both waitresses were attentive and so polite, food superb and reasonably priced, Fajitas are the best I’ve had. Highly recommended. A++++

Booked this Inn as it looked as if it had a very interesting menu and location. It did. Lovely food, lovely atmosphere, lovely staff.

A gorgeous pub and restaurant. Went there whilst out driving. It’s a great find. The land lady was so friendly and nothing too much trouble. She was engaging and chatty and made us so welcome. We both had chicken roulade which was amazing. We loved it. Cooked beautifully and so tasty. Nice atmosphere and so clean and cosy. We will 100% return.

what a gem! a ver nice pub/restaurant food portions were huge and friendly staff. Variety of food on offer with fresh fish of the day too. highly recommended.

Was very surprised by excellent food. After opening one of Germany. S first Mexican restaurant in 1984 this small pub did an authentic chicken fajitas plate. My daughter had baby beef ribs that was also excellent. Bravo😀😋😀😋

What a lovely friendly place. In the process of moving down to the area and being our wedding anniversary we decided to give this place a try. Very friendly staff - led by the charming Stephanie. Great cocktail options and wine list. Starters, mains and dessert were all nicely cooked and tasty. Will certainly be a regular from now on. (We also had a pre drink at the bar further up on the corner which was also friendly and quite different).

A lovely village pub with friendly helpful staff that are genuinely interested in our visit food is excellent value and quality

Had a lovely meal great service and food was delicious

Visited Sunday after a day at Dover castle. Emily the waitress was super helpful and nice, credit to the team. Roast dinner was great value and really big, big enough to share with a couple of starters, nice range of ales.

Wow - I just had the Salmon special dish which was amazing. Coated in a a crumb mix, incredible creamy sauce with Mussels - every meal was great including Ribs and a Ceasar Salad! What a mix and expertly looked after of course x Thank you Angie, Holly & Chris

Met family here for a midweek meal. Excellent food freshly cooked and great value. Couldn't have been made more welcome and even the dog got a treat. Would definitely recommend and come back again.

Having dined at the Smugglers many times in the past, there was no were else better to chose to celebrate my birthday, the fish cakes were amazing, the filet steak cooked to perfection and the salmon filet dish was to die for! Steph and the team offered the usual first class and attentive service and made for a memorable birthday celebration - Thank you! We will be back and very soon!

Better than average carvery! Been there couple of times recently. Lovely authentic British Pub, well worth a visit, but book, as it's not a huge place! Update: Oct '23. Had a family meal there tonight. I tried the signature filet steak, which turned out to be raw in the middle. Shame, as the outside was lovely. First time I've tried the Madeira sauce. Reminds me of watered down marmite. It wasn't unpleasant, but I'll not be rushing to try it again. The "croutons" on the Ceasar salad were literally stale bread. The bill was adjusted for the steak, which was fair. EDIT: (Next day) I researched into Madeira with a view to making one. Not sure what I had last night, but all records indicate it wasn't a Madeira sauce. It should have been considerably lighter and not like pourable Marmite. Apparently, it should have been a dark nutty colour, not jet black. There was also way too much of it. All-in-all, I think it ruined what was potentially a great cut of meat, but that wasn't cooked right either, so there we are.

Visited last night to celebrate my daughters Birthday. Haven't visited in years and was struggling to find somewhere open on a Monday. Party of 7 all foodies and very fussy about quality of ingredients presentation and most importantly the food being served nice and hot. We ordered a variety of food, king prawn starters, ribs (huge) very meaty and succulent. Tuna steak cooked perfectly, lamb chops again very meaty on bulgar wheat, beautifully cooked, rare for me and well done for my mum. Belly pork again very meaty and cooked to perfection. A pizza for my son which was very flavoursome. Deserts were lovely, a perfect crepe brûlée, beautifully presented individual banoffee pie with hand piped cream on top served in a pretty crystal dish. I had the best salted caramel popcorn cheesecake I've ever had, lovely and light it really was perfect. A few ordered coffees which were piping hot. All drinks were spot on. The pub was lovely and warm, wonderful atmosphere and busy for a Monday night. Staff were lovely and accommodating. It really was a lovely evening. We will definitely be back.

Was staying in a nearby caravan and meeting friends. This was the closest pub what a great find food was excellent and the staff were extremely welcoming and very friendly would recommend it. Consider yourself fortunate if you live nearby.

Visit here often for dinner with my mum. We both love it! Food & service is always amazing. Look forward to visiting again soon!

Our go to pub whenever we are at St margatets. Good pub grub.

Excellent place! Beautiful interior. Nice staff and delicious food.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch...will be back.

Ein von außen unscheinbarer Pub, dafür innen sehr gemütlich, tolles Personal mit vorbildlichem Service, stets aufmerksam, sehr hilfsbereit aber nie aufdringlich. Das Essen ist einfach Klasse! Von der Vorspeise bis zum Nachtisch sehr lecker, frisch zubereitet, alle Zutaten von guter bis bester Qualität. Der Smuggler's Inn ist mehr als einen Besuch wert!

Lovely pub meal out with friends. Been here several times now and always a pleasure. Good food and wine, attentive, friendly service, all in comfortable pub surroundings. Will be back.

Our second time to this charming village pub. Lovely table in the conservatory area, with plenty of space between the tables, which does make a change from some places. Staff were great. Our starters of nachos were delicious, but our main courses of the roast were not hot. The side dishes of cauliflower cheese and red cabbage were hot, but main meals not. This is the second time we have had warm rather than hot food and this is a real shame as we would like to visit more often.

We kregen het advies hier te gaan eten. We hadden niet gereserveerd omdat we net in Saint Margaret's aangekomen waren, maar werden uiterst vriendelijk ontvangen en na kort wachten in de tuin onder het genot van een drankje heerlijk gegeten. Meteen voor de volgende avond gereserveerd en ook weer weer fantastisch bedient met humor en heerlijk gegeten.

Hier stimmt einfach alles. Exzellenter aufmerksamer zuvorkommender Service. Urigen pub man fühlt sich direkt wohl. Das Essen hat alles übertroffen. Wir kommen gerne wieder

Lovely food reasonably priced. Kids meal was large enough for 2 and they loved it

An end of holiday treat! The food was superb and, in my opinion, good value for money. I also enjoyed an excellent few pints of Adnams Broadside. The pub was a very pleasant place to be, a very inviting, relaxed atmosphere. A major plus point...

Food is a very good , friendly staff and good atmosphere recommend