Britannia Inn — Restaurant in Folkestone and Hythe District

The only pub on the beach, literally.

Coffee shop on the front with ice cream by the scoop + dog ice-cream also available.

Bright dining space in the pub area, parking and outdoor seating with direct access to beach front.

Dietary Requirements==

Points earned for gluten free and dairy free salad options, with signs saying to not be shy to request dietary requirements. can not confirm cross contamination risks and they did briefly mention they had separate chip fryers but this was not investigated further as I did not eat.

No dairy free milk for a coffee, although they do apparently normally have it, I think soya and almond sounded like they are on the menu. We visited on a Monday, so in fairness to them, they probably have a better stock over the weekends.

There was a very decent vegan offering on the menu, probably more substantial than other pubs and establishments in the local area.

Atmosphere==

A clean little pub with a cafe vibe. Lovely and bright in the dining room area.

Nice outdoor area. Dog friendly. Clean toilets.

Friendly staff with little treat jars on the bar for dogs and kids.

The friendliness of the staff can not be faulted.

Food & Value For Money==

The portion sizes I think are pretty fair for the money asked, maybe a little on the expensive side, but this pub is in the middle of nowhere.

The pizza was about £11. Although it felt on the expensive side it did appear to be home made. The fish and chips were a fair price. But didn't appear to be anything special.

Kids (11, 8 + 5) shared an adult pizza and small fish + chips with another adult. They were not particularly hungry and it was all eaten.

Kids meals are available for £5.95.

A meal without alcohol would fall into the £11-13 region, which I feel is pretty standard value.

They probably couldn't survive charging any less.

Final impressions==

For the only pub on the beach (there is a cafe at the train station) they could charge what they like and dish out whatever they felt like. There's literally no competition.

Awarded 4 stars instead of a 3 as they really have made an effort to cater for all dietary requirements. Which is actually quite rare in the area to be presented with such choice.

They provide friendly service, it may not be the best but they are genuinely trying.

Yes, as other reviews mention, food might not be the best, but have had far worse and seen much...

My husband and I have frequented the Britannia Inn over the past few years. While it was never fine dining, the fish and chips have always been a safe bet and the staff was always friendly. They renovated last year and we were impressed with how light and bright the pub has become. Gone are the tatty key rings and dingy decor. Sadly, though, the menus, wine list and pub mats were all stained with food and in terrible condition. I had to rummage through the stack of menus on the bar to find one that was relatively clean. They really need to have been laminated or printed on wipe-able paper. Something that could be cleaned if they aren't going to replace them on a regular basis.

The menu has also been re-vamped, however, not really better. They would be better off with a smaller menu that is focused on the fish and chips, seafood dishes and a few key items with a specials board that has the fresh items of the day. The menu seems to be trying too hard to have all pub standards and too many items. Disappointingly, my husband wanted to try the Homemade Lasagne only to be told they were out - how can you have it on the standard menu and be 'out' on Tuesday at lunchtime?

They don't accommodate for food allergies very well either. I don't eat gluten and it took several attempts until I settled on the non-battered fish and chips...I ordered the fish grilled, but it was served steamed, completely soggy and tasteless - all for the bargain price of £9.95 - NOT - I have had better food for less. None of the fish on offer is nice when served as a non-battered dish...all are just plain boring white fish - nothing I can recommend. What would have made it better was to serve it with a nice chutney or sauce to make a boring dish a bit flavoursome. We had given up on the Britannia prior to renovation - and I don't expect that we will be going back...

I visited the Britannia Inn, principally a dine-in fish and chip restaurant, on Tuesday 24 August 2021 in the early afternoon, a weekday during the school holidays. I was with two other people. This was my first visit. We visited for lunch whilst enjoying a day out on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Light Railway after having visited the old lighthouse, which is all well worth checking out!

It was a lovely day so we sat outside - there were plenty of tables to chose from.

The visit was interesting from a customer experience perspective. The staff were not very customer centric - it was very unclear what you were expected to do or where you were expected to go - there was a "please wait here to be seated" sign, which we waited at for a while whilst various members of staff hastily bustled about, very busy, but essentially totally ignoring us - not even a "someone will be with you soon" approach. In the end we grabbed someone's attention and they explained that we needed to order at the till in the foyer and then the food would come but it was like pulling teeth - the people we dealt with, whilst polite, weren't particularly switched on.

All of that said, the food, which is the main point of the visit was spot on - we got everything we expected in good time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I enjoyed a chicken burger and chips. The food was very great value for money, I paid £40 for three main meals plus a drink each.

Overall I really enjoyed my visit and would definitely come and...