The Command House, Chatham

A glorious building in a superb riverside location, with extensive tabling outside. The interior is smart enough but boringly corporate and lacking much character, which is a bit of a waste. The beer was fair enough though - seems to be Proper Job and Doom Bar as regulars with guests Hogs Back Spirit in the Sky and Three Acres IPA in excellent condition.

Very attractive Georgian building located between the town centre and the historic dockyard and overlooking the Medway. Not as interesting inside as out, however, once you have mounted the fine flight of front steps, with a thoroughly-refurbished bar having additional seating / dining areas at one end and a pool room at the other. Also benefits from a large front patio beer garden which must be a popular spot in the summer. Gales Seafarers and two beers from Nelson - Friggin on the Riggin and Buccaneer Bunny (£3.30) - from three of four handpumps. Definitely improved from the previous (2013) review.

The Command House is a riverside pub with outside seating and views over the Medway River. People walking along the river bank cannot fail to miss this pub, but it is hidden away from the busy A231 that is adjacent and I didn’t know of its existence even though I had driven by countless times. The interior consists of a bar which faces the entrance, a seating area to the left and an area with a pool table and some fruit machines to the right. The décor suggests upmarket, but the club flyers on the posts of the bar suggest not. During my visit on Monday afternoon some background music was playing off the plasma screen which was also advertising the weekly Saturday night karaoke which kicks off at 20:00. The service was friendly enough, but the lager was flat which I put down to being the first pulled of the day. The bar supports two hand pumps but one of these was unused and the other badged with London Pride was off. Maybe the seating out the front is a nice spot for a beer in the summer, but I didn’t see anything here that will have me rushing back.