please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Still just as prominent as ever.
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I'll be back in Whitstable soon, so a more detailed review is to follow.
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This enjoys a very prominent position in the town. Far too prominent for my liking. I gave it a miss.
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Rumours that the Mechanics without Mike were doing a secret gig here on Monday led me to the Duke. No sign of the Mechancis or material off their new EP rumoured to have a grime flavour.
However, the Duke's beer garden was a pleasant place to be and a lager from the Whistable brewery went down very well. Smartened up since I last went in. And it wasn't raining this time either and that has to be down to Michael Fish.
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Tries hard to be Scruffy Chic pub. But only achieves to be filthy S*** pub. While it does still manage to book some very good bands the place is filthy for a food venue. The beer is close to vinegar and the staff and management couldn't give a fig.
Fine if you are there to watch the band but if you want a decent pint walk across the road the Navel Reserve or up the street to the Ship Centurion.
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There's a lovely vibe in this place now, it's just a shame it's still a Sheps pub. I tend to stick to Guinness.
The large back room, where they often have live music, is very funky and often smells of cheese.
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I CAN SURE AS HELL SMELL CHEESE!
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Any truth in the rumour that Radiohead will be playing a 'secret' show here next week to try-out their new SWEATFINCH LP?
I think we should be told
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Worth revisiting people. the DUke of Cumurbund has in many ways changed radically, and for the better too.
Alas it is still a Sheps pub. Well, I suppose we can;t have everyhting.
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I try to visit Whitstable about once a year. A friend took me to the Duke on a Friday lunchtime in January. There was a really good trad jazz band playing to an appreciative audience, mainly on the elderly side. We stayed to hear a few tunes and sink a couple of pints before moving on to the Royal Naval Reserve which is close by. I didn't think the beer prices were too out of line, unlike some other reviewers -- but certainly not 'cheap'. A pleasant enough Victorian-style pub but not exactly 'cozy'.
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The Duke seems to be empty more than it should be for a town centre pub which may suggest it's not getting everything right.
It's not particularly friendly which is not uncommon with pubs with good locations as they can get presumptious.
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I don't know what this place is like in the evenings but I went in around 5pm and it was pretty quiet.
A large place with comfy chairs it reminded me of some of the London pubs I've visited over the years. This image was enhanced by the prices of the beer which were comparable to certain areas of the capital!
Never been a great Sheps fan at any price. There are better places to go in Whitstable.
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I visited this pub and was outraged to be charged �3.45 for a pint of bog-standard Sheps bitter. However when I mentioned this to the young man behind the bar he fixed with a steely glare and said:
And you too will learn to live the lie
Aggression
Competition
Ambition
Consumer fascism
Capitalism is the most barbaric of all religions
Department stores are our new cathedrals
Our cars are martyrs to the cause
We are all prostitutes
Our children shall rise up against us
Because we are the ones to blame
We are the ones to blame
They will give us a new name
We shall be
Hypocrites hypocrites hypocrites
WHAT CAN IT ALL POSSIBLY MEAN?
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Not much atmosphere when we visited, a few rather odd characters dotted here and there. Glass of cava for the Mrs was reasonable-ish at �3, but �3.45 for a pint of Shep? Christ on a bike. I'm always sympathetic with small backstreet boozers having to up the stakes, but this is a big pub/hotel in the centre of town that should really know better.
It was a nice pint (Whitstable Bay), but I shant be going back in a hurry.
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This place is full of disease, anger, loud dimwitted tourists and mangy old man dogs. It will not do.
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What a great boozer this is. Scruffy and essential and frequented almost entirely by Whitstable residents who don't mind taking out a second mortage to buy a pint of beer.
I particularly like the way that the young barstaff are so dismissive of anybody who appears to be older than 35-years-old.
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A pint of bitter in this place is now �3.45. I will not be going back.
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My uncle just called. He said to say a big hello to you all.
HELLO!
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Popular with the day trippers, the beer is fine and the food OK
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This is an OK boozer, although more popular with day-trippers than people who actually live in Whitstable. Alas, I only earn 42K a year so can't afford to drink here too often.
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This place is AWFUL - don't go. The beer is very poor quality and too expensive.
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Well I could hazard a guess as to why this place seems devoid of regulars.... shall we say �3.25 for a pint of bitter!? Its true folks, Mayfair prices in the middle of nowhere. It is one thing to mug-off day-trippers in the summer, but what do you do in the winter? The locals have voted with their feet. Join 'em.
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Spent a couple of hours here last Friday afternoon and as Neame pubs go, it's ok...if nothing spectacular. Alongside the normal Shep beers I noticed Asahi lager on tap which is unusual. I opted for the Whitstable Bay (when in Rome and all that) and a good choice it was too. The barmaid serving was very knowledgeable and courteous and the place seems to be well managed. Unfortunately, it does feel a little run down inside and due to its central location, it didn't seem to have many regulars (which is what I normally associate with Neame pubs).
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The Duke, as you call this pub, when you are as well connected as I am (coughs) is a large pub that sits very centrally in Whitstable.
Its cavernous nature makes atmosphere an elusive thing. Being Shepherd Neame, the beer was fine but on a rainy Thursday afternoon it wasn't particularly magnetic. A shame really....
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This large Shepherd Neame pub in the centre of town gives the impression of being rather run down despite having some nice traditional features. We visited on a Monday and Tuesday evening recently and the bar staff and landlady were very friendly and the beers was well kept. Rather lacking in atmosphere becasue it was virtually empty on both occasions, although I can imagine it being busy in the season. Not sure what the food is like. I suspect that this pub is rather limited by the lack of investment but is worth a visit nevertheless.
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This is very much a hit or miss pub, with recent visits falling in to the latter category. Ale always ok (as ok as S.N. can be) but on Friday nights there are too many groups of 'lemon squeezers' for my liking...the Bouncers are there for a reason, I imagine. Whitstable has a lot better to offer...
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Went here on 18th December for a lads drink.
A large Sheps pub with restaurant. Have eaten here before and the food was average, nothing special.
The beer I chose was Bishops Finger and Porter which were both good. Hardly session ales, but what the hell...!
Bar staff friendly but overall the pub lacks a bit of atmosphere IMO.
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Decent enough, with a prime location that could attract more in the way of unwelcome elements. The cavernous back room is pure holiday resort pub cum restaurant territory. Friendly bar staff and decent Shepherd Neame brews including the appropriate Whitstable Bay make for an above average combo.
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I agree with Mr Faber. The staff are not suited to the customer service environment. Beer poor also
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The second pub visited on my Bank Holiday jaunt to sunny Whitstable (5 May) was here to The Duke Of Cumberland. Situated within the heart of the town, it�s a large, sprawling Shepherd Neame pub with a genuine feeling of grandeur about it. The usual ales were on offer and as expected, condition was good, though perhaps my Kent�s Best was a little fizzy. Walk through the main bar area and you find yourself in a spacious dining area with regulars and tourists tucking into plentiful portions of fish and chips. There is courtyard with a balcony and believe it or not, a stage for performing � we watched a guy tuning his guitar for 20 minutes and then deciding not to play. This is another pleasant pub worth visiting.
HTM69 - 10 May 2008 11:21 |
Visited at 3pm 27 March. My the Bar Staff here must really enjoy working here! On entry the Bar Lady looked and sounded as though she had been made to work here under protest!!
Chose the Sheps "Early Bird" (the first oppotunity Ive had to taste this year) and was impressed at its quality, despite the general unwelcoming surroundings in the shape of staff and the rather rowdy crowd of people in the Bar. Oh well off to another Whitstable Pub then......
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Lovely pub, good live music, very good menu, very friendly
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Probably the largest pub in Whitstable, there has been an inn on this site for 300 years but the current building was rebuilt in 1878 following a fire that destroyed the original. There have been several restorations and improvements over the years but it still retains the charachter of an old coaching inn. The ground floor is divided into a main bar and a large rear seated area although the dividing corridor has been partly removed giving easy access between the two rooms. The main bar is quite spacious and comfortable with partly tiled, partly carpeted flooring and arched windows. The rear room (possibly the original dining room / banqueting Hall) is very light and airy thanks to its bright colour scheme, pine floor and the natural light that floods through the skylight in the roof. There are a few prints and large mirrors but the centerpiece is a large model ship perched at one end of the room. There is also an attractive courtyard with additional seating outside in good weather and a separate function room. The beers are from the usual Shepherd Neame range. The Duke has a vast amount of character and appears to be very popular although it is probably best avoided during the Oyster Festival when it seems to be taken over by Brass Bands and Morris Dancers!
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