Sentado Lounge, Sittingbourne

Typical Loungers outlet, located in a prime position directly opposite the railway station but housed under a rather unglamorous Travelodge hotel. The large, L-shaped bar / dining area benefits from full-height windows on both facades and at one end so there is little wall space for the usual plethora of mismatched paintings and prints. Also has a good number of metal patio tables out on the pavement. No real ale of course, but at least the keg options included Menabrea (£5.85), Hofmeister Helles and Brixton Reliance amongst others.

Located opposite Sittingbourne Railway Station, Sentado Lounge looked very inviting as I peered through the floor to ceiling front windows on a recent Tuesday evening. It was reasonably busy for the time of week so I decided to make this the venue for my dinner. I had to wait at the door for about three minutes while the overrun waitress finished some of her other many chores. When she finally got to me she was extremely friendly so my middle aged man making-me-wait rage soon dissipated. I was a little confused though, why did I have to wait at the door to be told to find myself a table before ordering at the bar? This venue is on a corner Plot so the interior is L-shaped with seating to the left and straight ahead of the entrance. The bar counter supports premium craft, I had a pint of Cruzcampo, which was priced at a very reasonable £5.20. I paid almost the same for a Kronenburg in a shithole up the road. I plumped for the Bacon Cheeseburger which I thought was worth the money at £15. Being a pub traditionalist I’m not really a fan of these lounger places, however this one feels like it’s aiming at adults rather than the pushchair lunch crowd. That said, I’m not sure I would visit again just for a beer. One thing that I’ve not seen before were the non-splash urinals in the gents. They are shaped with a ridge up the centre to allow the jet to land on a slope thus stopping any yellow rain – genius!

A large café bar on the corner of a new town centre development. Its corner position gives the bar an L shape, while its large windows make it bright and airy. There is some outside seating, but the only view is of the railway station, opposite. Entering is a bit frustrating – you have to ‘wait to be seated’, yet the doors open inwards so collisions with the doors and other people waiting are frequent. A strange foreign front-of-house person waved us in when we said we just wanted a drink, losing interest when it was apparent that all we wanted was a beer. The wooden floor looked like it had been recovered from a gymnasium, complete with paint marks that could once have been court lines. While standing at the bar, the young waitress somehow managed to spray me with soda, and to be fair she was so embarrassed she didn’t charge me for my beer. There was no real ale or cider on, sadly, just two from Brewdog – Punk and Hazy Jane – plus three megaciders and some premium lagers. OK for refreshments while waiting for a train, but not an evening venue.

Official site of Sentado Lounge - thelounges.co.uk

Official site of Sentado Lounge - thelounges.co.uk

Facebook page of Sentado Lounge - www.facebook.com