The Griffins Head

My friend and I were made to feel extremely unwelcome, and we were treated TERRIBLY by the staff.
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.

Worst place ever! Never been so offended by an establishment! Landlord was incredibly disrespectful, to myself, husband and young daughter. He even swore in front of another very impressionable young child.

This pub is not old it’s ancient. Why has there never been a review of it before? Perhaps those who know it want to keep it as it is: eccentric and excellent. The landlord has a reputation for being difficult — but then so have I and I’ve never been difficult in my life! Anyway, he seems fine to me.
The bar is smallish and usually filled with regulars (locals and/​or Kent cricket fans) but fight your way to the bar and the blackboard menu, order your food and drink (good wines) and you’ll be shown to a table downstairs or round the back. The food won’t disappoint.
Afterwards walk up the village to the restored smock mill (it fell over a year or two ago but it’s back up now).
Incidentally how does one get the place one’s reviewing to show correctly on the map? This pub is not in the middle of Canterbury!

Me and my girlfriend have visited here a number of times. Always welcoming. My girlfriend recently witnessed a car accident down the road from here and said they were lovely as they let her use the phone and made sure she was ok. Other than that there is always great service and pleasant smiles all round.

A VERY fine eating and drinking establishment.
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