We list 18 pubs in Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and villages, from The Parrot to The Hampton Inn, with hours and hygiene ratings. Checked October 2026.

The Canterbury pubs most people look for first are The Parrot, often called the city’s oldest pub; the Thomas Tallis Alehouse, in a 15th-century building on Northgate; and the Thomas Becket on Best Lane, the local CAMRA branch’s 2024 Pub of the Year. Every entry was checked against the pub’s own website, or its CAMRA listing where it has no site, on 24 October 2026.

Hours change with the seasons, so check before a long trip.

Canterbury city centre

1. The Parrot

The Parrot on Church Lane is owned by Shepherd Neame, and its site says it has “up to six real ales at the bar”. Food runs from sandwiches and burgers to a fuller evening menu, with roasts on Sundays from noon “until they are all gone”.

The upstairs function room has its original oak beams and seats about 40. CAMRA’s listing calls it the oldest pub in Canterbury, a 14th-century building with stone-flagged floors, three open fires and a garden.

Open Mon to Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun to 10.30pm
Food to 9.30pm; Sun to 9pm
Call 01227 454170
Address 1-9 Church Lane, CT1 2AG
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 1 April 2026
Website parrotcanterbury.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for real ale, Sunday roast, open fires, garden, function room upstairs

2. Thomas Tallis Alehouse

The Thomas Tallis Alehouse opened in 2016 in a 15th-century half-timbered building that is part of the Hospital of St John, according to CAMRA. The pub’s site says it keeps “over 30 beers at any one time” from cask, keg, bottle and can, with Kent ciders and wine from Barnsole Vineyard near Ash. Well-behaved children and dogs are welcome, there is a silent phone policy, and the site says the building is not accessible by wheelchair.

CAMRA notes it takes cards only, and its listing carries a Good Beer Guide entry. The hours below are from CAMRA’s listing, updated July 2026.

Open closed Mon; Tue to Thu 5pm to 11pm; Fri 2pm to 11pm; Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun 2pm to 6pm
Address 48 Northgate, CT1 1BE
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 6 August 2025
Website thethomastallisalehouse.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for over 30 beers, Kent ciders, children and dogs welcome, silent phones, card only, Good Beer Guide

3. Thomas Becket

The Thomas Becket on Best Lane was the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable branch’s Pub of the Year in 2024. CAMRA’s listing describes an 18th-century pub once called the Bricklayers Arms, with an open-plan bar, a log burner, four handpumps of rotating local ales and a traditional menu daily with roasts on Sundays.

It is “very dog-friendly”, with more than 400 photographs of customers’ dogs on the walls, and takes cards only. The pub has no website of its own; tables can be booked through OpenTable.

Open Mon to Thu 12pm to 11pm; Fri and Sat to midnight; Sun to 10.30pm (CAMRA)
Booking through OpenTable opentable.co.uk/restaurant/profile/251022
Address 21 Best Lane, CT1 2JB
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 24 July 2026
Listing Our listing
Good for CAMRA Pub of the Year 2024, very dog-friendly, log burner, real ale, Sunday roast, card only

4. The Old Buttermarket

The Old Buttermarket faces the Christ Church Gate into the cathedral precincts. It is a Nicholson’s pub, and its page says there has been a pub on the site for more than 500 years, with a coaching inn called the Black Boy here from the 1600s until 1908; the menu leans on Nicholson’s pies and British pub classics.

CAMRA describes several rooms, a small outside area looking at the gateway, and a dog-friendly policy.

Open Mon to Sat 11am to 11pm; Sun 11am to 10.30pm (CAMRA)
Call 01227 462170
Address 39 Burgate, CT1 2HW
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 13 November 2025
Website nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/southeast/theoldbuttermarketcanterbury
Listing Our listing
Good for cathedral gate views, dog-friendly, pies, outside area

5. Bell and Crown

The Bell and Crown is a small wood-panelled pub on Palace Street, part of the King’s Mile. It has no website; CAMRA’s listing describes “an ever-changing range of local beers”, seating out front with a view of the cathedral, and a well-known jukebox that makes it lively at weekends.

CAMRA lists late hours.

Open Sun to Thu 12pm to 12.30am; Fri and Sat to 1.30am (CAMRA)
Food weekdays 12pm to 4pm; weekends to 5pm
Call 01227 784639
Address 10-11 Palace Street, CT1 2DZ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 26 January 2026
Listing Our listing
Good for local beers, late opening, seating out front, cathedral view, jukebox

6. The Foundry Brew Pub

The Foundry on Stour Street is home to Canterbury Brewers and Distillers. Its site describes “a family-run brewery, distillery and brewpub” inside a Victorian foundry, where the beers and spirits are made on site; brewery tours and tastings can be booked. CAMRA notes it won Pub of the Year at the 2019 Kent Tourism Awards, that a taster paddle of five third-pints is popular, and that tables are often booked for food; the listing carries a Good Beer Guide entry.

Open Mon to Thu 12pm to 11pm; Fri and Sat to 11.40pm; Sun to 9pm (CAMRA)
Booking brewery tours and tastings bookable; tables often booked for food
Call 01227 455899
Address 77 Stour Street, CT1 2NR
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 15 April 2026
Website canterburybrewers-distillers.co.uk
Good for brewed on site, brewery tours, taster paddles, Good Beer Guide

7. The New Inn

The New Inn is a Victorian terraced back-street pub on Havelock Street, a few minutes from the cathedral and St Augustine’s Abbey. It has no website; CAMRA’s listing records it as the branch’s Pub of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2022, carries a Good Beer Guide entry, and describes seven changing cask beers, a large whisky and gin selection, a wood burner, a long conservatory with board games, and beer festivals on the Whitsun and August bank holiday weekends.

Open Mon to Thu 12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11.30pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to midnight; Sun 12pm to 11.30pm (CAMRA)
Address 19 Havelock Street, CT1 1NP
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 20 March 2025
Listing Our listing
Good for seven cask beers, whisky and gin, wood burner, board games, beer festivals, Good Beer Guide

St Dunstan’s, outside the Westgate

8. The Monument

The Monument sits at the junction of St Dunstan’s Street, London Road and Whitstable Road. Its site says it became a pub in 1803 in a building more than 400 years old, and takes its name from a wooden crucifix that once stood at the junction to greet pilgrims. It is a freehouse with “one of Canterbury’s biggest beer gardens” and a short food menu.

CAMRA adds a Monday quiz (it advises booking a table) and a pianist on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, and its listing carries a Good Beer Guide entry.

Open weekdays from 3pm or 4pm; weekends from noon (CAMRA)
Booking advised for the Monday quiz
Call 01227 451666
Address 37 St Dunstan's Street, CT2 8BZ
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 13 August 2025
Website themonumentcanterbury.com
Listing Our listing
Good for big beer garden, freehouse, quiz Mondays, pianist Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, Good Beer Guide

9. Pegasus Tap Room

Pegasus Tap Room is a craft beer and gin bar a short walk from Canterbury West station. Its website was behind a security check when we tried it, so these details are from CAMRA’s listing, updated on 2 October 2026: 12 beers and two ciders listed on an electronic board, more than 100 gins served with tonic included in the price, and gin tasting flights.

Open closed Mon; Tue and Wed 5pm to 11pm; Thu and Fri 4pm to 11pm; Sat 2pm to 11pm; Sun 4pm to 9pm
Call 01227 637280
Address 86 St Dunstan's Street, CT2 8AD
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 21 August 2026
Listing Our listing
Good for 12 beers, two ciders, over 100 gins, gin tasting flights, near Canterbury West

Villages outside the city

10. The Duke William, Ickham

The Duke William calls itself a “quintessential Kentish pub” with rooms in the village of Ickham, east of Canterbury. Its site describes seasonal menus built on local produce, a log fire, private hire rooms and a downloadable walking route to Wenderton Hoath and back via Wickhambreaux.

Open Mon to Sat 9am to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 7pm
Food Mon to Sat breakfast 9am to 11am, lunch 12pm to 3pm, dinner 5pm to 9pm (9.30pm Sat); Sun 12pm to 5pm
Booking online, by phone or email info@thedukewilliamickham.com
Call 01227 721308
Address The Street, Ickham, CT3 1QP
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 10 February 2026
Website thedukewilliamickham.com
Listing Our listing
Good for rooms, breakfast, log fire, local produce, private hire, walking route

11. The Red Lion, Stodmarsh

The Red Lion is a 200-year-old pub in Stodmarsh which, its site says, is a ten-minute walk from Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. It backs British farming, buys local cider and beer, and is “renowned for our roast dinners every Sunday”.

CAMRA mentions a children’s menu, a small play area, two B&B rooms and dogs welcome inside and out.

Open drinks Tue 5pm to 11pm; Wed to Sun 12pm to 11pm
Food Wed and Thu 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to 9pm; Sun 12pm to 4pm
Price Halloween set menu on 31 October £24 for two courses, £30 for three
Call 01227 722571
Address Stodmarsh Road, CT3 4BA
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 12 June 2025; the register shows a new rating pending, and the pub tells us it is now 4
Website redlionstodmarsh.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for Sunday roast, dogs welcome, children's menu, play area, B&B rooms, near the nature reserve

12. The Red Lion, Bridge

The Red Lion Inn is a village pub on Bridge High Street, on the same street as the Bridge Arms in our restaurants guide. Its site describes “British pub dining with a subtle French influence”, an award-winning garden with a screen for live sport, and rooms for private parties; it says the pub was recognised in the KALC Community Awards Scheme 2026.

Food set lunch Mon to Sat 12pm to 3pm; dinner Mon to Sat 5pm to 8pm; Sunday menu 12pm to 4pm
Booking online or by phone
Call 01227 832213
Address 75 High Street, Bridge, CT4 5LB
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 23 October 2025
Website redlionbridge.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for award-winning garden, live sport, private parties, set lunch

13. Grove Ferry Inn

Grove Ferry Inn is a Shepherd Neame pub with rooms on the bank of the River Stour, on the outskirts of Canterbury. Its site mentions the riverside setting, an open fire in the colder months, Sunday roasts, live music and a function room.

Open Mon to Fri 12pm to 11pm; Sat 8am to 11pm; Sun 8am to 10pm
Food Mon 12pm to 4pm; Tue to Fri 12pm to 8pm; Sat 12pm to 9pm; Sun 12pm to 6pm
Booking tables and rooms online or by phone
Call 01227 860302
Address Grove Ferry Road, CT3 4BP
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 11 March 2026
Website groveferryinn.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for riverside, open fire, Sunday roast, live music, rooms, function room

Whitstable

14. The Old Neptune

The Old Neptune is the weatherboarded pub on the beach at Whitstable, and its site notes that Peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker shared a bottle of champagne here in the film Venus. The menu runs to battered cod, Whitstable rock oysters and burgers, and the bar pours Whitstable Bay lager, stout and pale ale and Harvey’s Sussex Best.

CAMRA asks drinkers to request plastic glasses for the beach.

Open Mon to Wed 11.30am to 9.30pm; Thu to Sat 11.30am to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 9pm
Food 12pm to 4pm most days (5pm Sat); evenings 5pm to 8pm Mon and Fri
Price Guinness-battered cod from £18; half a dozen Whitstable rock oysters £15; burgers £14
Call 01227 272262
Address Marine Terrace, CT5 1EJ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 18 March 2026
Website thepubonthebeach.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for on the beach, oysters, Whitstable Bay beers, film location

15. Pearson’s Arms

Pearson’s Arms is a seaside pub on Horsebridge Road, close to the water. Its site lists real ales, cocktails, live music several nights a week and an upstairs restaurant seating 40. Dogs are welcome in the bar and downstairs snug, not upstairs, and under-18s and dogs must leave by 9pm.

Open bar daily from 12pm; to 10pm Mon, Tue and Sun; to 11pm Wed and Thu; to midnight Fri and Sat
Price Thursday steak night, two steak meals and a carafe of wine £25 a person; Friday fish and chips from £12
Call 01227 773133
Address Horsebridge Road, CT5 1BT
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 30 October 2025
Website pearsonsarmswhitstable.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for real ale, cocktails, live music, dogs in the bar, steak night Thursdays

16. The Duke of Cumberland

The Duke of Cumberland is a Shepherd Neame pub with eight bedrooms at the top of Whitstable High Street. Its site says the building dates to 1867 and has recently been refurbished; CAMRA says there has been an inn on the site for more than 300 years. The menu includes seafood towers and broils for two or more.

It is family-friendly, and dogs are allowed in the bar and courtyard but not the restaurant.

Open daily from 8am to 11pm; Sun to 10pm
Food 8am to 9pm; Sun to 8pm
Booking online or by phone
Call 01227 280617
Address 2 High Street, CT5 1BQ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 27 November 2025
Website dukeofcumberlandhotel.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for rooms, seafood, family-friendly, dogs in bar and courtyard

17. The Twelve Taps

The Twelve Taps is a craft beer, gin and cocktail bar on Whitstable High Street. Its site lists twelve keg lines, one of them gluten-free, and its own Whitstable Gin, sold only here. It serves salty snacks rather than food, and you can bring in a pizza from a local pizzeria.

It does not take reservations. Dogs on leads are welcome, and children until 6pm.

There is a small courtyard garden. Email hello@thetwelvetaps.co.uk.

Open closed Mon; Tue to Thu 5pm to 10.30pm; Fri 5pm to 11.30pm; Sat 1pm to 11.30pm; Sun 1pm to 9pm
Booking no reservations
Address 102 High Street, CT5 1AZ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 22 July 2026
Website thetwelvetaps.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for gluten-free keg line, Whitstable Gin, dogs on leads, children until 6pm, courtyard garden, bring your own pizza

Herne Bay

18. The Hampton Inn

The Hampton Inn stands alone on Western Esplanade. Its site says it is “the only remaining building in Hampton-on-Sea”, a coastal community that was engulfed by the sea and abandoned at the turn of the 20th century, with sea views on three sides. It serves Shepherd Neame ales and calls locally caught seafood “something of a speciality”.

There is a large garden and benches out front.

Open Mon 11am to 7pm; Tue to Sat 11am to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 10.30pm
Call 01227 362216
Address 72 Western Esplanade, CT6 8DL
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 1 September 2025
Website hamptoninnhernebay.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for sea views, large garden, Shepherd Neame ales, local seafood

How we chose

We started with the pubs people search for and those with a public record we could cite: CAMRA’s branch Pub of the Year awards, Good Beer Guide entries as flagged on CAMRA’s listings, the branch’s own descriptions on CAMRA’s pub finder, and history the pubs publish themselves. We kept pubs whose website, or CAMRA listing where there is no website, gave current hours and details. Every pub here has a Food Standards Agency hygiene rating of 3 or above, checked on the FSA register on 24 October 2026. We left out the Bouncing Barrel micropub in Herne Bay, which CAMRA marks as temporarily closed, and The Dolphin on St Radigund’s Street, whose old web address now shows an unrelated site. Our monthly Canterbury food hygiene ratings story covers new inspections across the district.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@canterburylive.co.uk.

For eating out, see our guide to Canterbury restaurants. For more to do, see things to do in Canterbury, what’s on in Canterbury this month and our Canterbury business directory, including local businesses in Canterbury, in Whitstable and in Herne Bay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the oldest pub in Canterbury?

The Parrot on Church Lane is usually given that title. Shepherd Neame, which owns it, calls it the oldest pub in Canterbury, and the local CAMRA branch describes a 14th-century building with beamed ceilings, stone-flagged floors and three open fires.

Which Canterbury pubs allow dogs?

The Thomas Tallis Alehouse says well-behaved children and dogs are welcome, CAMRA describes the Thomas Becket as very dog-friendly and the Old Buttermarket as dog-friendly, and the Red Lion at Stodmarsh welcomes dogs inside and out. In Whitstable, the Twelve Taps takes dogs on leads, and Pearson’s Arms and the Duke of Cumberland allow dogs in the bar but not the restaurant.

Which Canterbury pubs have won CAMRA awards?

The Thomas Becket on Best Lane was the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable branch’s Pub of the Year in 2024, and the New Inn on Havelock Street won the same award in 2017, 2018 and 2022, according to CAMRA’s listings.