The Zetland Arms in Dover

Food choices were awful. Food was actually awful. What has happened to this 'go to place"? The original atmosphere has been lost. Not even allowed to have some grated cheese on the chips, as it was 'off menu' but there was nothing else in the menu to eat. Never again, it spoilt our day. Staff thought a vegetarian ate fish !!!

Friendly restaurant that used to be a pub, with good service but average food. The soused mackerel was flavourless and bland, the fish pie had next to no fish in it and the mussels were perfectly cooked but in the blandest of broths. Very disappointing food in a lovely location

Nice pub in a great spot by the sea with good food. With the amazing location, outdoor tables facing the sea, and a cosy vibe inside, this place has so much potential. It’s just a shame the customer service is so poor.

Hard to decide what was worse: the food or the service. I’ll have to go service, which was aggressive, sulky, absent (take your pick). £24 for 3 tiny slivers of roast beef. Disastrous potatoes. Gravy like oxo cube stock. Cauliflower cheese without the cauliflower. All slammed down on our table with rage. No Yorkshire pudding as advertised- then appeared upon request (no apology) and if it had included blueberries it would not have been a surprise- taste and texture of a muffin! A wretched, feeble lunch provided by an angry sad pub. Avoid.

Awful ! The lighting was to bright the Staff made you feel they were doing you a favour The food was poor and the portions were really bad 16 mussels in a tasteless watery broth as a main course was ridiculous Such a disappointment as the venue is wonderful

Comfortably the worst customer service I’ve had in a while. We were terrorised by a female member of staff with short blonde hair who made us apologise for coming. Roast beef £24 feeble. Meagre servings. Disastrous potatoes. And there was no Yorkshire pudding as advertised. When we pointed this out we were given a scowl by our blonde friend and then they finally arrived. You would not have been surprised had there been blueberries inside as they were the taste and texture of a muffin. Cringeworthy cooking of the lowest standard, the least generous portions, terrible value and bullying staff. Not my favourite place!!

Had a wonderful lunch here. The atmosphere was cracking, the pub was nice and full with the fire going too. The food was exceptional from starters all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed the prawn burger. We so enjoyed it that we stopped in for coffee the following morning. A great pub in a great setting.

I have been to this location many times and have always been very satisfied with the food and service. This time the food was was not up to the standard of the past and some of the portions (fish pie) were very small. I found the price to be exceedingly high for what was offered. I can get a better meal in the area for a lot less.

Wonderful meal, friendly staff. Great portions, I had whitebait followed by sirloin steak, marvellous. Can be a little noisy with kids, but that's to be expected.

Beautiful setting, inside and out. Staff did not make us feel particularly welcome. Food was lovely, mussels did not have much in the way of sauce but they didn’t need it either as they were very tasty and well cooked. Fish pie and chocolate mousse were delicious.

Do not under any circumstances try to enjoy an experience at the Zetland Arms. Customer service is clearly bottom of their list of priorities. Over priced food and appalling consideration of who is actually paying for their livelihood.

Dreadful customer awareness. Do not waste your money.

Excellent food in a cosy and welcoming space. Landlady could not have been more attentive and staff were very good. Lovely view of the shingle beach, and on the coast path, so a haven for walkers.

Well, had I believed earlier reviews I would never have gone here but I did wonder whether many related to unbooked folk turning up in high summer when the area is awash with tourists. Really? What do you expect. Well we did book and found everything about the place from staff to food to atmosphere to be 5 star. Highly recommended.

We were on a walk and called in for a drink. Felt comfortable and noticed the specials board, we were sorry that we weren't hungry.

Great evening, lovely attentive service from the incredible Louise… thoroughly recommend this pub.

Last summer 🌞 Watched liar 2 they filmed it here Recommend watch and this lovely place

The location is great. There is a good selection of nice beers but the food and service is OK at best. Nothing wrong with it but it's not what you would expect for the price. On the whole quite average but expensive.

Best whitebait I've tasted in ages and the mussels were great too. Shame the ray wings were off. Good food, good beer and friendly staff. Well worth a visit

The Zetland came recommended by the holiday accommodation where we were staying. In the event it was such a disappointment - Merlot on the drinks list but not available; fish looked grey rather than the fresh white expected; only three dessert options on the menu, one of which was not available and only two portions left of our second choice (we wanted three). Given that we had finished our meals soon after 8.00 pm this didn't bode well for anyone wanting to eat later. The one saving grace was that the serving staff were pleasant enough. Judging from other reviews it would appear that it has changed management fairly recently - there is competition locally which should serve as a warning!

Cozy, small, delicious food and selection of drinks. Located on the beach.

Lovely cosy friendly pub with chatty clientele and staff. They seated us 30mins early and our waitress was wonderful. Only gripe is no Roast Dinners until October!!! It’s cold and wet please bring this fwd 😊

So friendly here, very nice coffee & Swedish buns. No oat milk this time or last time. Hadn’t been delivered yet!

Nice place, food good unfortunately chips were undercooked just a little

Beautiful local pub by the beach. I am appalled by how many bad reviews I have been reading. Every time I visit with family or friends there is amazing service and all around a lovely atmosphere. I am in two minds about the reviews. Almost every bad review I read I am met with impatience, bad communication and a lack of understanding from the customers point of view. I have seen first hand how cruel people can be to servers when there’s a problem that is out of the staffs control and it feels as though everyone needs someone to blame. My heart goes out to the staff at the zetland arms who have been treated poorly. I will definitely be back to this amazing pub with an intimate menu and warm atmosphere to again meet the lovely staff who work there. Thank you the zetland staff!

Food was great, Stephan and the rest of the staff were very friendly

Decent food in a lovely setting. Service could be much improved. Unfortunately I had to interrupt a group of 4 staff chatting to ask about being seated for our booking, and I sent my child’s food back due to an issue which I won’t mention here. We had decided we wouldn’t be paying the “discretionary service charge” as nothing was taken off the bill for the issue which I would have expected. The staff member made it difficult to just pay the bill minus the service charge, stating it was just added for any group over 2. We decided to just pay instead of trying to discuss further. Disappointing. We’d return for a drink on the beach, but we’d choose elsewhere to eat

terrible pub since new owner took over, the most obnoxious bunch of staff I have ever experienced in a pub. It’s always empty but they say it’s full sorry you can’t have a table. Worst pub in kingsdown by a country mile

A very nice pub with friendly staff in a lovely location - well worth a visit

The Zetland Arms in Dunstone is truly a gem. We’ve stopped by several times for a pint, and it never disappoints. The interior is full of character, offering a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes it a great spot to relax. But what really sets this place apart is the outdoor seating. With numerous wooden tables set directly on the pebble beach, you can enjoy your drink while taking in the breathtaking views of the sea. It’s an experience that’s hard to beat. The service here is also exceptional, with friendly staff who make you feel right at home. This pub is a must-visit if you’re in the area, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Wonderful location and views, obnoxious bar staff, no food available outside despite the website advertising an outdoor beach menu…we’d walked over an hour from Deal so very disappointed!!

I advise people to phone before setting off to visit this pub. We drove for an hour to get there only to be told they weren't serving food to those seated outside because one of the chefs was on leave. All tables inside were reserved, so we had a completely wasted journey.

A little concerned that this pub that I have loved for many years is experiencing a change following its new management. In the morning a coffee and cake are spot on. Later in the day it seems to have a different atmosphere which now has plastic pint glasses and a rushed staff that have forgotten to give that personal touch that I always felt with the previous owners. Now it just feels like a chain which is just trying to grab more money and live on its position regardless of service..... I hope that my next visit I'm proved wrong I fear I will be dissapointed that it will have fallen from my top ten...... please prove me wrong 🤞

Just stopped for a couple of drinks and sat outside on the beach. Found good service at reasonable price for location. I would go back

Unfortunately, we visited this beautiful spot on a very rainy day. So pure coincidence. Very nicely decorated and the staff is very friendly.

I am glad the person below could give a perfect review but sadly there are a lot of negative reviews because that is how the majority if us were treated. Not made to feel welcome at all with food being very basic if you were lucky enough to have a table in the first place. If you wanted to sit outside that was definitely a no go for food. They need to take a course in customer service as the person I had the misfortune to come across was extremely rude.

Nice place to have a drink stopped of here after waking from dover to walmer nice friendly staff, and friendly customers.

It was lovely here. The location is incredible right by the sea side with a brilliant view. The food was incredible. The steak was delicious and I highly recommend ordering it. The service was quick. Overall I highly recommend coming.

Fantastic pub in a amazing location, nice beers , friendly staff, parking and directly on the beach. Food available,and a piano. Great spot .

Bit pricey, not as good as previous visits, service was friendly

Very happy we went in for dinner. Staff very polite. Food came fast, and at a very good price. Would highly recommend..

Very disappointed with the food. We've been here before and had the most wonderful meat pie. No longer on the menu. The food on offer was pretty mediocre. Service was a little perfunctory. Atmosphere was spoilt by being seated in a bit of a thoroughfare with a draft from the back door. Dogs allowed into the pub, which I'm sorry, but not everyone wants to have dogs in a place where they're eating.

The worst customer service ever in a pub! We were looking forward to returning to the ‘Zetland Arms’ at Kingsdown. They should get their website sorted out! At 10am their website appeared to take our booking, we tried calling them to confirm but it went straight to answerphone. No-one called us back. Having travelled two hours to get there with our young Grandsons, and having waited in the queue at the entrance, the older bar man instead of greeting us and asking if he could help us initially ignored us & then threw us a look as if to say “yes?” We should have walked out at that point but our Grandsons were thirsty and hungry. He took our drinks order but wouldn’t take our food order & told us to look for a table number, but he then completely ignored us and served the next customer who also didn’t have a table number but he took their food order! There was no table number on our table in their garden. Another bar assistant said it was table number 4. We queued again & when we told him the table number he then said they’re not accepting anymore food orders! This was at 1.30pm, their website says no food orders after 3pm. I asked politely if they could at least feed our hungry Grandchildren but they wouldn’t. Very poor that the chef couldn’t make the children some food! We’re extremely disappointed and disgusted by the older bar man’s bad service, contempt of customers, arrogance & rudeness! Actually he did us a favour as we went to the ‘Rising Sun’ just two minutes walk away and were greeted by warm, friendly & efficient staff, and their food was delicious! The Zealand Arms are definitely not customer friendly!

Lovely little pub at the sea front.

There are bench tables literally on the beach. We didn't eat here, just drinks and crisps from the bar. Very expensive. Becks Blue and pack of crisps £7.

Didn’t even get as far as booking. Very unhelpful and rude person on the phone. Wouldn’t accommodate a large booking. Said it only went up to 8 people and willing to turn down a good earner with a large party celebrating a special occasion. How they can’t put some tables together is beyond me. We will not be going when we visit Deal. Judging by other reviews on here they seem like a very rude and badly run business. What a shame for Kingsdown. Huge let down.

Great pub, good food, great location, nice atmosphere. Must be able to fit in a lovely somewhere. I love this pub, one of my all time favourites.

Planned a whole day around arriving early to ensure we had a table outside to order food, having checked the website to make sure it would be available. Got there, not serving food outside, absolutely ridiculous. Shame, having eaten here on a number of occasions we were really looking forward to it. I will not be returning.

Didn’t even get as far as the food. Unfriendly, unwelcoming (waitress was much more helpful that the lady behind the bar who ignored me). Took our business to the most delightful pub/restaurant a few metres away, The Rising Sun. Lovely people, great service and the food super. Also highly recommend The Kings Head, a little way up the hill in Upper Street

Lovely to grab coffee and buns here in the morning and have drinks on the beach of an evening.

I’ve been to The Zetland Arms around a dozen times and have always found the staff slightly abrupt, curt with a dash of its my pub attitude so you find yourself being extra polite and walking on egg shells. This and the last time I will be there, it was a hot day so they had more of the said curt and abruptness and everything was just a tad too difficult for them to keep up the facade of giving a damn about customers……It’s a shame as it’s lovely being by the sea with a pint but hey ho,The Rising Sun is 100m away and way more friendly!

Went here while on holiday a few times before covid and it was a lovely pub on the beach , called while on hiday for my birthday , very disappointing, menu not good beer very expensive. No aspmhere like its like one in one out , cost £78 for 2

Just called in for a drink after a long walk and it was nice to sit by the sea and enjoy the views

Friendly and efficient staff, lovely food and decent drink selection, in a nice seaside location. Well worth a visit!

Great location, took my dad for a pint last week. He loved it. Sat on the beach benches 🍻

Lovely meal from the Zealand. We were staying next door in victory cottage so asked if we could have our food delivered to eat in the cottage as they were fully booked and we had dogs so it was easier to stay in the house. The manager kindly squeezed us in and took our order then the team delivered it over the gate in the evening which was fab. Everything was tasty and the portions were generous. I recommend it for a nice pub meal.

Who wouldn't love a drink overlooking the sea.

Lovely place. We only visited for drinks but it was a beautiful time sitting beach side watching the world go by

As others have said - don't go here. Poor experience and very disappointing. Only seemed to allow you to order food if you had reserved a table inside. Fobbed off with so many excuses as to why we were unable to order food it was quite laughable. A real shame.

Apparently this place is under new management. I ordered shrimp in a pint and what I got was a pint glass filled with tiny unshelled and not deveined shrimp. Inedible. My partner ordered a burger that came with a hair in it. The nice server promptly removed it and brought back a fresh one in 6 minutes. The burger was not comped nor was any offer of a free dessert, starter or drink offered. My friend ordered mussels and over half of them were either closed (aka not fresh) or empty. Really bad food. 2 stars are for the view.

Don't go there if you want food. We were told food is served at 1pm and this was midday. You have to book a table in the restaurant and this is given priority over people sitting outside who they don't really want to cater for. Spoken to by a very snootish woman who needs to be trained in customer service.

We just had a drink but it was very busy therefore alot of tables reserved.

This is a pub in a beautiful setting. But unfortunately it’s been tarnished in our memories due to their awful approach to customer service. A group of six of us visited this pub on a weekend exploring Kent. It wasn’t my first time at the Zealand. My wife and I had first visited back in Feb 2023 and loved the atmosphere. We were eager to introduce our friends to the pub. However clearly a lot has changed in the past 18 months. When we arrived the waiting staff appeared stressed and overworked. They informed us that the kitchen was full with orders and said we should wait for 40 minutes to order our food. We ordered two rounds of drinks and patiently waited. 90 minutes later, we were informed that the kitchen was closed and they would not be taking any orders. We had spent more than £120 on drinks and were starving. The pub is in a remote part of Deal, without options nearby. It was a packed Saturday and other customers were affected. An easy remedy would have been to lay on a few portions of chips. It would have smoothed things over, but after our group complained to management they were unmoved. And so I’ve been compelled to write this review, rather than the team nipping these things in the bud. What a shame.

Lovely spot and friendly service. Hope to return to eat

This is our favourite spot after a nice long walk on the beaches of Deal and Walmer. Stunning views and great pub food. The whitebait was tasty and the portions were generous. We also really liked the cauliflower. Service was attentive and kind. The Zetland is always a good idea 🍺 🦐

Went for lunch there today, hot and long 1hr drive, just to find their kitchen closed , for maintenance!!! Nothing mentioned on the useless website they have. This us the 2nd time this year it has happened. And pubs wonder why they lose business and shut down. It ruined our whole day out. Thanks

We have been visitors for 40 years. Amazing location.

Magnificent view and perfect service.

Such a lovely place, great food and good service, this is one of my favorite bars

A delightful pub right on the beach. The food was delicious and the staff attentive and helpful. A must visit

What a cracking little spot. Fantastic beach side pub with excellent grub.

So disappointing, walked in spontaneously for lunch and ended up awkwardly stood in the entrance area for a few minutes whilst we were intentionally ignored by three members of staff. We stood waiting to be atleast acknowledged but kept being ignored and walked past, so I went to find someone and was very moodily told the food service had ended at 3, which is absolutely fine and fair enough, after all we just walked in spontaneously, the food service times wasn’t the issue, it was the blatant ignoring and attitude we got from the staff that made us want to walk out anyway. Even if you’ve stopped serving food; atleast acknowledge customers when they walk in. It seems like they just care about their regulars and rely on the nice location and the customers who happen to walk past. We were originally planning on going back later that evening for a drink but hastily decided not to due to the arrogance of the staff. Go along the coast to The Coastguard Pub instead, staff were so incredibly friendly and such a gorgeous spot.

Lovely staff, delicious food, by the sea.

So disappointing, walked in spontaneously for lunch and ended up awkwardly stood in the entrance area for a few minutes whilst we were intentionally ignored by three members of staff. We stood waiting to be atleast acknowledged but kept being ignored and walked past, so I went to find someone and was very moodily told the food service had ended at 3, which is absolutely fine and fair enough, after all we just walked in spontaneously, the food service times wasn’t the issue, it was the blatant ignoring and attitude we got from the staff that made us want to walk out anyway. Even if you’ve stopped serving food; atleast acknowledge customers when they walk in. It seems like they just care about their regulars and rely on the nice location and the customers who happen to walk past. We were originally planning on going back later that evening for a drink but hastily decided not to due to the arrogance of the staff. Go along the coast to The Coastguard Pub instead, staff were so incredibly friendly and such a gorgeous spot.

Lovely hearty food and service with a smile!

Was charged £7 for two small diet cokes from a pump. Complete overcharging. Very sad to see this once wonderful pub taking advantage of customers like this

Lovely pub on the beach with good food and a decent range of beers and wines. Staff are friendly and helpful. Great view from the bench tables outside the pub.

Only stopped for a drink and snack whilst walking along the clifftop between Deal and Dover. Shepherd Neame pub with usual selection of drinks. They had sold out of all snacks bar one sausage roll which was excellent. More of a restaurant/pub as they do mot sell sandwiches etc. That said, the food looked excellent and I would happily eat there although I would recommend booking first. Very friendly barman. We sat outside on a picnic bench on the shingle beach. Decent loo's, not much parking. Recommended.

Just stopped for a cuppa outside, lovely spot

Two drinks £18 I don't think so

Purchased a round of 4 pints, all good. Then purchased 3 soft drinks (fanta) for the children and charged £12.60! That’s £4.20 a soft drink? I know times have changed and cost living has now made it acceptable to over price almost everything.. but really. Nice location, shame to be taken advantage of…

A pleasant lunch. Two had burgers, 1 had chicken schnitzel, one of the specials and I had beetroot and halloumi burger. This was followed by. 3 x lemon posset and 1 chocolate mouse. Having not been to the Zetalnd for some time, based upon mixed reviews, we were all pleasantly surprised. The food was tasty and the portion sizes good. Staff were attentive and all our needs were met. Every table was occupied, so it looks as though a corner has been turned

Zetland Arms is the most beachside pub along the south coast of England. I would’ve thought if not Kent. it has seating outside for the warmer weather. It has a small area inside to eat but I think if you need to eat there during the cold months it will be worthwhile booking. The food is very good. The staff are very nice but the piece of resistance is obviously sitting out on tables on the pebble

What a shame to have received a ‘distasteful’ service from otherwise a very lovely atmosphered pub. It was obvious that I wasn’t a local customer and sadly I guess that prompted the staff to give me that “I’m really not bothered to serve you” look. Wouldn’t hurt to be more welcome instead of discriminating your customer based on their ethnicity.

Lovely pub in the shore, great food and guys range of beers

Just popped in for a pint of Spitfire after walking 2500 steps from Warmer car park - very happy 😊

Superb, absolutely wonderful little pub and the food was absolutely amazing, will definitely go back for more

Lovely venue but the service was cold and unwelcoming. I didn't feel like they wanted me there. The coffee was lovely but the pastry was stale in places. I was going to come back for proper food but just felt put off.

We booked (you definitely need to book) and sat inside and had an amazing 3 course lunch, great seafood dishes and lovely puddings (sticky toffee pudding was great, not too sweet) Later we had a drink on the beach, it's a lovely area but a popular pub so booking and queuing on hot sunny days is a thing

Stood waiting at the bar whilst the barman served the regulars and ignored me. Once ordered it wasn’t until a lady appeared to ask the three staff members there if my drink had been sorted, which it hadn’t. I was then asked to go and sit outside to wait for my drink to be made, I wanted to sit in. The one star goes to the woman trying to manage the place, the four missing stars are for the absence of any sense or decent service.

Only stopped for teas and coffees during a walk but no biscuits given!

Lovely atmosphere and warm welcome, but disappointing food. We booked Sunday lunch here and received excellent service on arrival. The menu is a bit lacking in choice and quite limited I had a beef burger and fries (something of a treat for me normally, but the portion was small and tasty, but with no so nice fries.

In all honestly, after reading the recent reviews, I didn’t really know what to expect… I was surprised to walk into a full, welcoming, and recently refurbished restaurant/pub. It was immaculate, cozy and very inviting… not at all what I had expected, given the negativity on here! It was a Friday night and we were offered a set menu or the standard menu by an attentive waitress who promptly took our drinks orders. We opted for the set menu which was simple but offered great value for money with 2 courses at £20 or 3 for £24. There would have been no issue if our group had wanted to mix and match between menus. To start I chose crispy whitebait which came with garlic aioli - the portion size was generous, a hearty and delicious start to the meal. Main course was breaded chicken served on crushed new potatoes with garlic and watercress. Again a really generous portion, the chicken was excellent. I regret not ordering a side of buttered greens to accompany… next time! The meal was completed with a lemon posset with raspberry sorbet and meringue. This was perfectly sharp and refreshing. Service - both attentive and discrete- I was even offered more cushions as I was uncomfortable and pregnant. This was a lovely gesture! Don’t be fooled by the negativity online, this is exactly what the Zetland needed. I understand people loved how it used to be, good pub grub, but in my opinion it had really gone down in the last few years and needed a complete revamp. I look forward to coming back and trying some of the other items - the fish stew looked amazing! Well done!

Really delicious food and lovely setting. We had the three course set menu. Good choice for vegetarians and meat eaters. Good value too!

The Zetland Arms has always been one of our 'go to' places. Loved the food and vibe, but unfortunately this place has changed and not for the better! The food was awful. My sister and I had the mussels which were served cold in a tastless gloopy leek sauce. My husband has the chicken which was overcooked and dry. My brother in law had the fish and chips which was tiny, and probably the most disappointing as this used to be massive! No specials board and the menu definitely lacking choice. We really wanted to enjoy the food but honestly, it was just not nice at all. The wine - French Sauvignon, what is that about..? It has to be Marlborough. The atmosphere - dead. The sun was out, so it should have been heaving but maybe people are spending their hard warned cash elsewhere. As I say, we have loved this place for many years, but will not return. Honestly, spend your money elsewhere.

When travelling down from London, the Zetland Arms has been a firm favourite for the past 10 years. We were looking forward to our visit following the refurbishment and sampling the new menu. We sat in the restaurant, and we all felt there was a lack of choice on the menu for both food and wine. Service in the restaurant was slow, we waited an hour for our first course. When it did arrive, the mussells were cold, and some shells were smaller than my fingernails! There was no obvious front of house, and the atmosphere was dull. From my observations, I think the focus is on the pub menu, which is served outside. Sadly, we have made the decision not to return. This is not the same place it used to be!

It's a beach what more can I say

Great Pub and eatery, set in a beautiful location looking out across the English Channel. Food is excellent and service is too. Highly recommend.

Fine items on the menu that go beyond standard pub food. The ambience and service are also very nice. Recommendation!

A fabulous lunch. Thank you! Would highly recommend the white bait and fish and chips. With a glass or two of Pecorino. X