The Thomas Tallis Alehouse in Canterbury

Being a solo traveller and having lost a family member lately, I assumed I wouldn’t be judged for having a quick phone chat while I enjoyed a beer here. Turns out hip gentrifiers have reached ancient Canterbury and a rather rude chap working there, immediately approached me to tell me to get off the phone. Guess you can’t buy manners!

It's a really interesting pub, as it has not got a traditional bar. Just a list of beers on a board, all expertly served by the barman. Very knowledgeable as well. We will be back in the future.

A proper pub. No food (except for snacks - scotch egg and pork pie at £4 each), but top-notch beer. Delightful. And the place was empty!

Avoid. Very rude ownership. Poor Beer. Over priced.

Really good mix of cask, keg and ciders. Owner definitely knows his stuff.

We stopped in for a drink on our recent visit to Canterbury. Fantastic selection of unusual craft beers which were of the highest quality. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the June sunshine - just one word of caution for tall people like me - as you would expect for such an old building the entrance and ceilings are rather low - so watch your head!

Great pub with a fantastic selection of cask and keg ales. Definitely one to come back to on future visits to Canterbury. Very close to the cathedral.

This is the best pub I know. The beer is amazing and the servings of three thirds (thirds of a pint) allow you taste a wide range of drinks. It’s been an education in taste for me

A very unusual place, in that how it looks isn't what you get with the beer range! It's an old building with plenty of old beams and a historic feel, very much like you'd expect an old alehouse to look and feel, but the beer range is that of a modern craft beer bar! There's a few beers on cask, with a big range on keg including plenty of very modern beers including hazy IPAs and fruit sours, for example, and you can get them by the third too in order to taste more of them, if you like. Service is personal, there's no bar, so you ask the landlord for the beers you want and they are brought to you. Overall, it's an unusual place but in a good way and probably the most interesting range of beer in Canterbury; definitely one on the "essential" list when you're in town, and it's relatively close to "west" station (which is north, not west... )

Best and oldest pub I have ever been to

If you like a real ale then a visit here is a must if you're in Canterbury ... on the day we popped in there were 16 different cask ales to choose from and certainly something for everyone's taste 👍🏻

It's small place but having big potential. Very nice old building, arranged seating well inside as well as outside. Super cool variety of drinks specially craft beer from well known breweries. They're offering some bites to eat. What the most I like is the host. The bar guy was so friendly, having info about drinks and his service was great. He made our day. Been there for a drink and ended up with three. Weather was good and I enjoyed sit out and have some sun. Recommend this place and defo coming back again when around.

Great pub great service great people

amazing customer service, such friendly people! Would happily come again

Such wonderful staff, the drinks are great and reasonably priced!! Coming back her soon !!!!

Great selection of classic and funky beers and ciders, great staff and lovely owner

Can’t wait to spend all my money here

Great variety of beers and ales

Great bar in Canterbury. Can see for miles. Cocktails very nice. Atmosphere great. Would be a lovely place to go when the weather is nice if you like sitting outside. Inside was very chic too.

I strolled by here with some friends on the way to a meal and it instantly took my eye. I suggested to the group lets have a drink here since we were not due to meet the others for another hour and we were pleasantly suprised. Fantastic beers and a cosy interior. Staff were welcoming and attentive. An initial confusion as there is no bar, you wait at the entrance to order. However the beer selection is on the wall upon entering and there is a 'wait here' sign in view. Food choices are in the description should you feel peckish. I found their selection to be more ideal to a lunch setting, in which the pork pie i had was very nice. As it is not a restaurant, do not expect to come here for a meal. This is not an average consumers choice in venue, as there is no bar nor a large area. I believe however if you value great beer, great service and a traditional feel from an Alehouse, then this is it. I will return one day soon.

Best pub in Canterbury, amazing selection and great service.

Great pub, superb atmosphere, friendly staff.

Great place, found it while out wandering Canterbury. A pub with no bar, just a blackboard and at the time 14 beers of all types on it. You get served in a door way and your beer is brought to you by a friendly landlord. It is card payment only. Very worth a visit if you like good beer

Confusing for a new comer, no bar but you get served at the table. Server seemed to be having an off day and wasn't very friendly. Great beer selection but not sure it's worth the walk out from the city centre.

Great staff, great atmosphere and great beer. What more could you ask for!

My new favourite place for a pint in Canterbury Fantastic host, fantastic array of beers and ciders, lovely grub and tranquil/comfortable surroundings What's not to like?

Best pub in Canterbury. Things I love about the Thomas Tallis: 1. No mobile phone noise! You come to socialise and chat without disturbance. If your phone does make a noise, you are asked to make a small donation to local charity, which is fine. Simply put your phone on silent - simples. 2. Amazing landlord. Nothing more needs to be said. 3. Excellent staff who really know their ales. 🍻 4. Excellent ales! Great gins! 5. Great selection of board games. Come for a beer, stay for Scrabble! 6. No bar. Very traditional inn experience. Take a seat and wait to be served. Very nice 👍. 7. Great traditional bar snacks. Pork scratchings, scotch eggs or local cheeses 🧀. 8. Lovely atmosphere, in historical surroundings. The pub forms part of St John's Hospital gatehouse, founded by Archbishop Lanfranc in 1084. You can get better than that! The log burner in the main room is a real focal point - including a rather explicit health and safety notice 🤣😂🤣 Basically, as I said earlier, "...the best pub in Canterbury."

Exceptional pub. Friendly, quirky, unique idea of service, nice games to play, lovely patrons. Nice revolving cast of beers and cider too.

Been there several times. Always had some great beer and good conversation. Always read the blackboard menu carefully to the bottom and note that it has two sides. There is always a good selection of beers. Accepts cards only (I think).

Excellent pints, however, terrible service from a rude owner who is uninterested in customer service and devoted to arrogant complaining towards customers.

To find an alehouse serving real ales today is a rare treat. To find one that encourages people to engage in conversation with other customers is amazing. This establishment suggests turning off your mobile or at least turning it to silent. I love the fireplace and it's common sense over-the-top safety precautions

The drinks are great, and straight forward non sugar coated service, loved it!

A quirky quiet little place, no bar, table service only in a historic and cosy little spot in the city centre with the feeling of going back to simpler times. They have a good selection of craft beers on rotation. Visit here to enjoy a conversation, play cards or board game without music or mobile phones disturbing the peace.

Everything you want in a pub - cosy, cheap real ales, sociable, old, warm. Bonus: it's very sociable

Rude staff and not welcoming. Plenty of other nice bars. Please avoid.

Best ale house is Canterbury,lots too choose from and top quality

Gorgeous, quirky, little pub, with a fantastic range of local guest ales and ciders. The bearded barman was a very pleasant and knowledgeable chap, and a great host. The ales were lovely, rhubarb cider was delicious and went down a treat, and if you see the salted caramel cider, order several pints! Your taste buds will thank you.

Amazing old pub on the Kings Mile

Given my name (Thomas Tallis) and my ancestry connection to the ale house name sake. I was very excited to make a special trip to visit here. My friend was apprached by a member of staff, he explained my friends name is Thomas Tallis so wanted to see the place and share a drink. The man was so rude and in the most sarcastic Manor just said 'that's nice, bars there make sure you pay.....' we was so insulted we just turned around and left. I wasn't expecting a fan fair and party poppers. Maybe he was in a bad mood but for us to make a special trip to be treated with arragance and sarcasim is not customer service anyone should recieve.....

Decent selection of craft beer. Lots of draft options and lots of cans. Cool building.

My new favourite pub 🙂. Lovely beer, reasonable prices, comfortable atmosphere.

Great quirky pub. Very friendly.

A relaxed little spot with a great selection of craft beers!

Een pub zonder bar...natuurlijk wel met taps maar dan in de "keuken"...fijne service aan tafel

Great little pub, good range of beer, straight talking landlord who was happy to tell us a bit about the building’s former use, Canterbury life, the incredibly quaint alms houses next door and suggested some other good local pubs in the area that we could try. Wishing you every success in the future.

Don't have a conversation with your friends and mention how the Conservatives have damaged this country. The bellend, Tory pub owner will not be happy. Kicked us all put for 'talking politics'.

Genuinely the most rude pub landlord I have ever encountered. Strange bloke.

Never had food, beer was great so was the service

The best and most delicious choice of beers in the whole of Canterbury, and the Landlord's an absolute sweetheart. My favourite place to spend an evening! Ooh and the quiz is also brilliant!

Excellent beer, pleasant host, interesting building.

Incredibly rude landlord. Avoid!.

Great place for a few pints, great landlords - not to be misunderstood as rude! Come for the sarcasm, stay for the quality beers, ales and ciders. Drinks change often - gives you a chance to experience some different flavours.

Properly ace place, a pub without a bar, just a genuinely nice bloke asking what you'd like and then brings it to you! A nice quiet spot off the beaten track too which I like, nice outdoor spot to sit and drink and chat. Top place, you must visit

The perfect place for a perfect pint

Great pub with super selection of beers, even sours and gose! Tasty scotch egg and friendly welcoming atmosphere and service. Definitely will revisit.

Great selection of beer/cider, charming location, friendly staff. What more do you want?

I believe this place is what pubs are all about. Cozy, quiet, great range of beers, properly served casks, welcoming staff, chatty regulars.

Excellent selection of craft ales , comfortable surroundings and great atmosphere, making conversations with like minded people .

Ohhh wow, this place... What a great spot in Canterbury! Great beers, really cool vibes and decorations. It's worth visiting if you like craft beers. I wish there was something like this in London. It's definitely a unique place.

Great pub with character. Owner was very helpful. Cheap and reasonable prices. Will be coming back. Thank you.

Great pub, ever changing choice of beers, ales and cider. Great owner and staff. Good banter. Treat others like they are treated so if you are rude, you will get it back in spades.

Beer, cider and constant change and choice exemplary. Cost astronomical. Owner, the most immeasurably rude and insulting person I've ever met, Basil Fawlty times 10. Won't go there again

Nice selection of craft beers. Very welcoming hoast- nice- small- but nice. Worth a pint if in the area

Always a great selection of beers & very friendly & knowledgeable staff too

Quaint beer bar serving craft ales and ciders. Beautiful view of the hospital's private gardens (not accessible to the public) from the back room.

Amazing pub with a large selection of special beers and some nice local cheeses to go with. Cozy place and very good service. Loved it!

Excellent place to sit and socialise, with a great variety of well-kept beer.

This is an awesome beer pub with a large number of ales on tap. The chap that served me recommended a beer to me that was awesome. Allowed me to try a bit first too. There were boardgames available to play and comfy sofas as well as high tables. A really cool chill out pub in an old building. Really like this place for a quiet pint.

Zaskakujący lokal, sposób sprzedaży ale i też ogromny wybór piwa!

Great beers, ambience, and a publican that has no respect for australians😁

Really enjoyable experience. The staff member was friendly and attentive. The cider was great! I recommend the apple pie cider if it's available. They served drinks in 1/3, half pint, full pint. Loved the comfy seats at the back. There were bar snacks (scotch eggs, pork scratchings, crisps). We didn't play them but there were also some games available. If I were visiting Canterbury again then I'd definitely make a pilgrimage here.

Top place with top beers. Nice and friendly staff.

Great pub, great beer, great service

A cracker of a place. Great beer, great owners, real fire and great atmosphere. Enter, relax and enjoy.

Love this place! Great spot for a pint and a scotch egg.

Great craft beer pub with a good and changing selection of beers..

Lovely, warm, cosy pub with a very friendly landlord!

Such a great find. Good choice of beer and great service in a fantastic setting. We'll definitely be back again soon.

I visited this Hidden Gem today. Absolutely loved the service and cosiness. I would definitely recommend this place. I am definitely gonna be a regular here.👍

If you love beer, this place is for you.

Best variety of beers in Canterbury, nice cosy atmosphere. Ignore the moaning wazzocks giving bad reviews, the staff are great.

Very abusive owner. Regularly hits out at his customers and asks them to leave if he doesn't like the way they look / chew too loudly / talk about a subject that he disagrees with Can't speak much about the ales because I'm not a big fan, but I'm sure there are some decent ones....

Nice pub. Had very good cider and ale.

Friday 9th December 2022 I visited what is definitely one of the best 3 ale houses in Canterbury a busy bohemian pub which is like a mini bear festival in it The staff bee orientated and fririendlt locals real ale lovers pub was packed and friendly any real ale drinkers bonkers if not come here when in Canterbury for a great pint of ale

I'd normally review the location first but I'll start with the owner, they are a Scrabble Meister. Great ideas and well presented. In terms of the alehouse, superb selection of beers, much knowledge, cosy fire to warm oneself. Shame that they had run out of food, left munching crisps and nuts. Will frequent.

Great little alehouse, no bar the guys come round and take orders and bring it to your table. Great choice of ales which change almost daily. Comfortable and charming.

Top real ales and ciders with great atmosphere with fantastic staff worth a visit anyday.

The best alehouse in Canterbury! Welcoming staff, friendly atmosphere, charming interior and a fantastic selection of ales and ciders. The Thomas Tallis is a must visit.

A great selection of keg and cask beers in very cozy medieval building.

Supergemütlicher kleiner Pub mit einer großen Auswahl an Bier und Cider. Ich war aufgrund der großen Auswahl etwas überfordert, daher wurde ich sehr nett und kompetent beraten. Die beiden Inhaber sind lustig drauf. Man ist schnell mit ihnen und auch anderen Gästen ins Gespräch gekommen. Es war ein sehr unterhaltsamer und kurzweiliger Abend mit sehr leckerem Bier (für mich) und ebenso leckerem Cider (für meine Frau). Zum Schluss des Abends haben wir noch einige Flaschen Cider mitgenommen, welche wir nach unserer Rückreise genossen haben. Bei der nächsten Reise nach Canterbury werde ich auf jeden Fall wieder dort einkehren.

Incredibly friendly and charming old pub with a great selection of beers and ciders. Perfect for taking some time to taste the options on tap and find a new favourite.

Small but amazing. Always a great choice of ales and good staff.

Always a great place for a quiet beer, fantastic selection of beers on offer with new beverages every visit. Also offer locally produced snacks, highly recommend the scotch eggs and pork scratchings!

It’s very cosy place, delicious cider

At first one is thrown by a pub without a bar, but once you've had an excellent beer it all slots into place.

Rude owners. Wouldn't sell food at the pub, wouldn't allow food to be eaten outside on pub grounds (after purchasing drinks). Prepare for a sarcastic response from the owner... Not food.

Good selection, something for everyone.

It was ok but for alehouse read craft beer. There were only 2 real ales for sale when i I visited, both inexceptional pale ales Quite disappointing really

It doesn't get better than this... AMAZING pub! I can't fault it. A incredible amount of amazing ales and ciders. Just perfect! Plus, they sell pork scratching!!!

Great beers and gin. Great barman. Great venue.