Hare & Hounds, Maidstone

A nice old locals' pub which has had a bit of modernisation and new furniture but still feels like a proper pub. There is an island bar, and a terraced outdoor area to the rear. Just Goachers on handpump.

Much as described below, it’s encouraging to see this historic pub survive as the buildings around it have changed over the years; it’s the last building in what was once a terrace. The garden looks good, though it is probably a bit loud due to the main road traffic. The landlord, pub dog and the locals were on good form, and we felt very welcome here. Only one ale on, Ghost Ship, which was in good condition. Worth including in a local crawl or just stopping in for a quick beer.

The Hare and Hounds is a fairly basic pub with an island bar that stocks a few standard draught products and supports three hand pumps that were drawing Red Fox, Master Brew and Doom Bar. There are a couple of plasma screens and one of these was showing Bargain Hunt, which wasn’t being watched by either of the other two customers. At least it was muted and the jukebox was playing a few random songs at a reasonable volume. There is a garden out the back, but a quick peek through the glass in the door led me to believe that it was out of bounds. I found the woman on duty to be extremely friendly and the Doom Bar was in good condition. This pub lacks any character, but I would have no problem returning if passing.