After a day of exploring Dover Castle and walking through Biggin Street, we decided to dine at this…read more popular and recommended pub. A perfect place to rest and recount our adventures for the day. There were quite a few diners in, and the space seemed a lot larger once inside, with a bar and several rooms to accommodate small and large parties. We were seated near a party of 10! Service was friendly and leisurely, which we welcomed. Only one staff was taking and distributing orders and he advised of the delay in service. The food was delicious and had we more time in town, would likely have dined in again.

We just arrived from a cruise trip, while visiting Dover Castle we were looking for a great stop…read morefor lunch. This place is fantastic, easy walk from Dover Castle and just so happens to be Dovers oldest pub. The menu for lunch is small, feels like it's because they want to do things right. The fish and chips- highly recommend. However unless you are starving I recommend you split it with a friend. When we arrived we were immediately greeted, service was excellent. For families like us, they do have high chairs. They will take your order if you sit inside. There's also an outdoor garden however you need to come to the counter to order. Same with drinks. Each room has a lot of history. Take one look around and there's a lot going on. Apparently this location used to be a part of monastery and has evolved over the years now to a great pub. Each dish we enjoyed, the vegetarian linguine was fresh, chips were delicious and the fish was wonderful. If you're cruising in and need a place for a good meal not too far from the port or to Dover Castle- I recommend you swing on in. Highly casual so you can come as is or for special occasion.

A VERY fine eating and drinking establishment…read more What really annoys me is that we've been here before for a drink - even had a meal here with a group of people but only on a subsequent visit much later did I realise what wonderful food it was serving. Talk about blind and insensitive! Judi and I have been visiting gastro pubs lately - mainly in the south of England - as a means of ensuring reasonable food/drink quality. You can usually tell them by the makeover - the sage green sign and the trendy wood and metal furniture - and, yes, we have eaten well and there are a few Qype and Google Earth posts to record this experience. BUT........ The Griffin's Head doesn't claim to be a gastro pub - it just IS one but doesn't feel the need to jump on the makeover/label bandwaggon. It has too much taste for that! The quality of the food and wine list is remarkable. There is no permanent menu - so if you go there one afternoon before it is written up on the board, as we did, you should just trust me and book a table. You will not be disappointed by the food itself or the presentation of the dishes. The wine list is extensive and contains some really good stuff. To top the lot, the Griffin's Head is a very beautiful, half-timbered house of great antiquity set in a tiny, remote village with houses of similar vintage. There is even a tiny smock mill to the north of the village to complete the picture of the idyllic English pub. The landlord has something of a reputation! He doesn't suffer fools gladly and if you behave in a crass fashion you will be told so in no uncertain terms and serve you right ! If you are NOT crass, love good food and fine wines and enjoy lovely surroundings, go to the Griffin's Head. Otherwise keep away and leave it to people of taste! Well-behaved dogs allowed; children NOT allowed - bliss! Superbly run by Jerry and Karen Copestake

My friend and I were made to feel extremely unwelcome, and we were treated TERRIBLY by the staff…read more As two young women, we were patronised, and our casual visit was even questioned, 'WHY are you here?' Our request for 2 hot drinks and a snack on a cold winter afternoon in a near-empty pub was treated with bemusement and ridicule, as was our pretty standard desire to see a menu. We were left sitting in darkness in one end of the pub, lights were only turned on when one of the locals sat nearby. We would never return to the pub, and were extremely disappointed by an otherwise beautiful building.

Customers are an inconvenience to the staff here. The food is charged at restaurant prices but not…read moreone ounce of restaurant service was provided. No physical menus where available to browse, you had to gather around a small fireplace looking at chalk boards, grappling with a busy bunch of other customers. There were 4 of us, so had to go in two at a time , not very practical when you want a relaxing lunch, sitting at the end of the garden. When the food arrived by the grumpy waitress, we ask for water at the table but was told to go to the bar to order more drinks, which my husband did so had to leave his food to go cold for over 5 minutes. Didn't matter because the food was bland and sub-standard for the prices they charged. We did not want to approach the hostile staff with our comments as it was supposed to be a pleasant family lunch. In fact we couldn't wait to leave.

I had dinner at this pub masquerading as a restaurant and tonight will be the last time. For a pub…read morein a village that charges restaurant prices I expect to be treated like I was in a restaurant. Unfortunately, there were flies continuously harassing us through our dinner and laying on top of our bread rolls. Secondly they choose to employ young girls and whilst may I add the young girl behind the bar was very friendly and a good service manner, our table waitress was either Vicki pollards biggest fan or we were delighted by the presence of a 'chavtastic' teenager in the prime of attitude just wishing not to be working...our service was a disgrace, the food was overlooked and the cleanliness of the place has a lot to be desired judging by their infestation of bugs wanting to join us at the table. A horrible experience and I will take my hard earned £65 elsewhere.

Wonderful little micropub with all local beer! We walked in a little unsure of ourselves, but were…read moremet instantly with a warm welcome. We were inviter to sample whatever we wanted to make sure we liked our drinks. We were always taken care of and they made sure we were having a good time. It's a small place, but full of charm and delicious beer!

Friendly, super inexpensive and big…read more Let's just say if I was a resident of Dover I would be here during the day often. Set in the heart of town the place was full of local older men and ladies enjoying really cheap beer and food. The value cannot be beat. I enjoyed watching and listening to the men at their tables chatting up. You have the option of using the QR code and ordering off your phone or going to the bar. All condiments are located near the bar.. No shocker but I ordered the fish and chips. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was that I felt that the fish was SUPER greasy. I pretty much removed most of mine breading and ate the fish. The fish was beyond delicious. The fish and chips were super hot too which was great. The menu is massive. The meals come with a choice of beverages as well. Since we were there on a Monday the pints were less than £2 and the bar has a wide selection of ales

There's allot to like about this eatery. But know we did not find it to be traditional English pub…read morefare. With that said, it's good food and cheap eats!! This was our first stop in England, having flown in today. We arrived in Dover and set off on foot. After conferring with a local, we landed here. Other recommendations were too far to walk. I ordered a Skinny Chicken sandwich. Great portion of grilled chicken, lettuce and tomato. Bun was fresh and soft. They had a condiment bar for Mayo and sauces. Very filling, cooked well. For a skinny burger - GREAT! Hubs ordered a BBQ bacon burger. Bacon wasn't crisp, but he gobbled it down. Meals came with drinks. Hubs upgraded mine to a bottle of Prosecco. Um.....ooookay! I shared it with a friend and really enjoyed it. Our food came to $34 something with a WHOLE bottle of Prosecco and tall Amber ale. Great value. The bar was lively & packed with locals. You order at the bar (QR code ordering didn't work for us). They have casino canes also. One surprise, a few people smoking. It wasn't too smoke filled but......

A really nice village pub, the service is excellent as all the staff are friendly and competent, a…read moregood pint at a good price. We had a meal there with some friends and although the menu was a little limited, we found it to be good and good value. I have been told, but cannot give first hand review, that the Sunday lunch is one of the best pub lunches in the area.

Good little pub. Staff sounded like a good little family team little bit of banter, laughter made…read moreour Sunday visit very pleasurable.

My family held a wake at this venue recentl for my fathers passing…read more Extremely disappointed with the food, quality & Quantity of food, the customer service was extremely poor. Given the event was a wake You would hope to receive a service that showed thoughtfulness & a welcoming environment. We paid £220 for 18 people. The food had clearly been purchased from a local cash & carry. Our menu should have contained "hot sausage rolls" and a fresh cake along with sandwiches and crisps. What we were given were sandwiches on a plastic plate, a couple of bags of crisps in a small bowl, cold sausage rolls and a synthetic cake. The quantity wasn't for 18 people. No offers of extra teas and coffees or even a hello is everything ok for you. Following the event we called to discuss our disappointment, and were told the manager was away and would contact us the following week. We received no return calls. A week later I emailed the pub sharing my disappointment. No reply. Businesses and companies have policies that they should adhere to and one of those is following up and managing complaints. I'm baffled by this pubs lack of communication and its appalling behaviour. If the pub had staffing shortages on the day then they should have been transparent about this. When i called the day before just to check in about our booking no difficulties were mentioned. Disappointing and would never return again or recommend. Date of visit: October 2025

We started our trip to the UK by staying at the Duke of Cumberland. It's a beautiful pub in the…read morecenter of a quiet little village. A true English pub if I ever saw one. They have three rooms upstairs for folks staying so we grabbed one for two nights. They have private parking, a play area for kids out back, plus room for outdoor events in addition to the pub itself. The rooms are accessible from a private staircase out back as well as from within the pub which is nice so you don't have to haul your luggage through the pub. The food was really good and I absolutely loved the cask ales. I really wish we had those in the US. The best part though was hanging out with the locals in the evening, and chatting with the staff during breakfast. Great people and everyone made us feel at home. Highly recommended.

I have been a regular since birth, quite literally. My dad was in here even when I was being born…read more I love the staff and all the locals. I call it my 3rd home. Parties? sorted karaoke? sorted Pool? sorted Food? SORTED Laughs? sorted Hangovers? SORTED! all in all, I intend on going here for another 25 years and taking my children in here when that day comes.

From the owner: Lively welcoming village pub and restaurantread more