The Coastguard Inn, St Margarets Bay - pub details
Address: St. Margaret's Bay, Dover, Kent, CT15 6DY [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 31333) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Martin Mill (2.2 miles), Walmer (3.8 miles), Dover Priory (4.3 miles)
Pub suggested by GrahamA on 5 Sep 2006
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> Current user rating: 4.3/10 (rated by 23 users)
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> Local guide: Kent pub guide
other pubs nearby:
Clyffe Hotel, St Margerets at Cliffe (0.7 miles), Hope Inn, St Margarets at Cliffe (0.7 miles), Smugglers, St Margarets at Cliffe (0.7 miles), Red Lion, St Margerets at Cliffe (0.7 miles)
user reviews of the Coastguard Inn, St Margarets Bay
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 25 shown - see all reviews
| A very disappointing experience. We arrived at 1:15pm on a Sunday and asked for a table for 7 people. We were told to come back at 2pm and there would be a table for us. We went for a walk and came back at 2, then waited outside in the January cold for another 20 mins. We were told they were out of a few items and that there wasn't a huge choice for the kids. We were grateful for the heads up and said as long as there were chips, the kids would be fine. We were told - Yes, there were chips. We were allowed to take a table for 4 to get the kids out of the cold and whilst we waited for a big table to finish up. We ordered a round of drinks and moved to the larger table - a 6 seater, so we squeezed an extra chair on the end. The waitress (and as we found out later, duty manager) came to take our order and when we tried to order chips for the kids, she said they couldn't have chips on their own, only with something from the starter menu (patatas bravas and chips, anyone?). She also told us that we couldn't have 7 seats at the table and that we'd have to split across the two tables... We pointed out that we'd requested a table for 7 right from the start and then she rather rudely said we should have booked! Enough was enough - we decided to leave at that point. The 3 kids (4, 8 & 11) were hungry so we decided to leave our 5 soft drinks and 2 pints of beer. We agreed amongst ourselves that we would be happy to pay for the 5 soft drinks, which had been mostly polished off, but the beers were virtually full pints and nobody was in the mood to neck them. A big argument ensued whereupon said waitress denied saying we could have a table for 7 and that the kids could have chips. She was as rude as hell. No customer services skills at all, happy to have a slanging match in the middle of the restaurant area in front of other customers, some of whom followed us to the car park to tell us that she'd behaved outrageously. One of the least child-friendly places we've ever been to. They might as well have said: Children Not Welcome! At least that would have been more honest. NOT TO BE RECOMMENDED. LizHawkins - 30 Jan 2012 01:30 |
| Went to this pub on Friday 25/11/11 and found what a little gem this place is. We found the food excellent the service very good and a very relaxed atmosphere in the pub in general. OK the place could do with a lick of paint but i am sure this will come in time. As for the previous comment people like you TONYENGLAND make me want to vomit, next time take your kid to McDonald's then he can just have his chips cant he? instead of bothering hard working people in such a lovely little pub. tipler1964 - 28 Nov 2011 17:33 |
| the most disappointing family restaurant day out I have ever had, having made the effort to reach The Coastguard passing many fine restaurant on the way we were shown to our table by a less then happy waitress. I was with my wife and 9 year old son who is both polite and well manned. The restaurant at the time only had 4 other persons in it and we proceeded to order drinks and view the menu, we was not asked or offered a child's menu which is quite strange for a restaurant of this type. Both me and my wife proceeded to order our starters and main but when it came to ordering for our son who had decided he would be happy with just some plan chips as there was not a child menu I was told by the waitress ( who seamed to be in charge) that they would/ could not do a single portion of chips for him and that I would have to a smaller portion of a adult main for him if he wanted chips........ I explained that he only wanted a small portion of chips but was again told NO, By this time things were getting a bit strange ,so to end the matter I told the less then helpful waitress that I would order and pay for a full child's size meal. ( I was never told or shown a price list so wonder how the price would have been worked out) but I ONLY wanted the chips delivered to the table and that the restaurant could keep the fish I was about to pay for... in my mind I expected her say something along the lines of " I see what I can do " but instead to my shook she took the order and went off, at first me and my wife sat there a bit confused as to what had just happened.... I did think of getting my own back by not giving a tip at the end, but the more we thought about it, the more we felt unhappy, it was clear we was not going to enjoy the meal. I called the same head waitress over and informed her that we wished to cancel our meal and just pay for our drinks, again I expected some kind of 'sorry we could not help more' but instead I get 'ok' We had to wait for the drinks bills whist feeling less then welcome and left without so much of a sorry or good bye from any of the staff. Being the first time ever I have had to cancel a meal I found the whole 15 mins quite strange...... however the good news is we went to the new restaurant which we had passed on the way down and was welcomed with smiles and good service and had a very pleasant lunch indeed. I think the Coastguard needs to look at how it greets and treats it's customers in a time when business's need to bend a bit to stay in business, I will not be going there again and I will tell my friends not to also. Tonyengland - 2 Nov 2011 06:46 |
| Excellent location but as a local I rarely go there. Today I have reminded myself why. It was a nice sunny day which attracts customers in this location but today there was just one person on the bar and a constant queue of about 12 people. I waited 20 minutes to get a drink during which time I saw a poor lad do his best to keep up with the demand whilst a young lady also behind the bar would only take money for food. Given the way she spoke to some customers and had there been another bar further along the road I would have left and gone there instead. This place does not attract me as a local. They should concentrate on their efficiency and attitude! T55 - 31 Jul 2011 21:03 |
| Very nice location but food was over priced and tasteless. We were at Dover for the weekend (16/07/2010) and decicied to have dinner from coast guard Inn since were satying local. They did not have the crab dish we orderd so we had to go for fish and chips and a chicken dish which cost us more than £12 each. it was nothing specil and not worth the money. I would never recommend the chiken dish as it had no taste and too dry, looked like it had been inside a fridge for years. the whole dish was a disaster. fish and chips looked like they came from a cheap chippy shop and with mushy peas were so overcooked that they had a brwon colour. we had to change to chicken dish as it was not edible. The staff was nice and friendly. People at our B&B said that its not very famous amoung the locals. chanidezoysa - 20 Jul 2010 15:53 |
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