The Quay, Faversham

The Quay can be found listed in the Good Beer Guide but it was quite frankly disappointing. The interior is modern and lacks character, whilst the solitary cask ale was Dark Star Hophead. It seems that in the 13 years since the last reviews, the pub has closed and re-opened with a thorough refurbishment. You enter into a bar area, with a lounge off to the left and a dining room to the right. A wood burner separates the bar from the lounge. There are also some shelves with books and lots of modern-looking posters on the white walls. The lounge has a grey and white colour scheme. On the bar, there was a second unclipped handpull. So, it seems that they may dispense a second ale at times. There are lots of pumpclips above the bar, also suggesting that they have a more varied selection at times. A plus point was a bag-in-the-box cider (Kentish Pip High Diver). The same cider was also available on keg and I also noticed Twisted Wheel Opus on keg. Music was playing whilst we were there and live music was being advertised. A few well-heeled people arrived to check into the pub's accommodation and the car park is reserved for those stopping overnight. Close to the town centre and surrounded by Shepherd Neame brewery buildings, it may make a decent place to stay and possibly eat. However for the drinker, there are much better options in town unless the real ale selection (or lack of it) was representative of the average visit.