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Ye Olde Thirsty Pig, Maidstone
Maidstone
ME15 6LP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about Thirsty Pig
An excellent and ancient pub of character - the higgledy-piggledy woodwork on the exterior is reflected by the whole of the interior. Small bar area with a snug behind and two nice larger rooms above but mind the awkward staircases if venturing up with drinks. Appears to be a CAMRA favourite and deservedly so, with three good ales on: Iron Pier Fruit Cake, Mad Cat Red Ale and Bexley Golden Acre.
On 11th January 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Thirsty Pig
15th century pub which looks great from the outside and has plenty of character on the inside too. There is a small ground floor bar with another room behind the bar. Two uneven and steep staircases take you up to two further rooms and the toilets. There is also an enclosed yard at the rear. Although that seemed a bit depressing.
A couple of locals were sat chatting in the tiny main bar area, whilst another customer was sat on his own in the quieter room to the rear. The Scottish barman was friendly and seemed to be the subject of a bit of banter.
The 3 ales on were McCann's Janet Street, Kent Old Skool & Gadd's She Sells Sea Shells. The cider was Biddenden's Bushels. Well worth a visit.
On 17th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2488 recommendations about 2487 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Thirsty Pig
As described below this is a colourful, quirky pub with some lively conversation to be had. It was previously called The Minstrel, while nowadays it veers between having and not having the 'Olde' prefix. They are dog friendly, but I wouldn’t want to bring children in. Ales on were Gadd’s No5, Iron Pier Imperial Stout and Blackbird Stout from Pig & Porter. Also on draught were Arnsberg Lager, Motörhead Road Crew, Orchard View Cider, Paulaner Pils, Guinness, Amstel and San Miguel. It feels a bit contrived due to the furniture layout and the atmosphere was a bit lacking, but the beer was good and it would make a decent inclusion in a crawl.
On 2nd May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3289 recommendations about 3254 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Thirsty Pig
This is a characterful multiple room pub on a busy crossroads to the South of the town centre. The pub looks pretty large on approach, thanks to a wide frontage, but inside, there are just two small rooms joined by a dark corridor, so it felt pretty quaint and cosy. The entrance takes you into the larger main bar area, which has the servery to the right and very little in the way of furniture, with a few bar stools along the front wall, but not much else by way of seating. A couple of locals were in here when I arrived, chatting to the colourful landlady, but I moved through to the second room, behind the bar. There’s a small step in the corridor that connects the two rooms, which I couldn’t see due to a lack of lighting in the passage, so I slopped a good amount of my pint on the floor to my embarrassment. Once safely in the back room, I found a pleasant carpeted space with hard pew seating around the perimeter plus a few low stools in support. Leaded windows and dark wood ceiling beams in both rooms add a good deal of character, although in the back room, a Halloween effigy had been hung from one of the beams, which was a bit gruesome. Decor throughout is fairly simple, with a few animal themed paintings here and there, plenty of promotional posters and a few plain mirrors doing their best to fill the wall space.
Four handpulls offered the choice of Bexley Old Mill and Own Beer plus Wantsum Black Prince. I took a pint of the latter for £4.20, and found it in excellent condition. Despite sitting in the back room, I could still hear the chat between the landlady and her customers, which was pretty entertaining, to say the least.
This is a strange little place with a nice two room layout, uncomfortable seating, an interesting host and some good beer all making for a bit of a mixed visit. The plus points certainly outweigh the negatives and whilst there are undoubtedly better pubs in Maidstone, this is still worth making a bit of effort to check out.
On 21st December 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Ye Olde Thirsty Pig
15th-century listed building with various small rooms on two levels, and two dubious staircases you wouldn't want to tackle if you've had a few. Small ground-floor bar, with four handpumps offering good, Kent(ish) ales: Bexley Session Pale Ale, Spitfire Gold, Whitstable Try Time (£3.45 with a Camra discount) and Old Dairy Snow Top. This place has had its ups and downs over the years (and I don't just mean the uneven floors), and on my previous visit over five years ago I was pleased to see it doing the right things again, and I was glad to find it little changed again now.
On 21st February 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Ye Olde Thirsty Pig
I didn't wander far from the small and dark street level bar at the side of the pub during my recent midweek early evening visit. The service was nonchalant and three of the four hand pumps were off leaving Master Brew as the lone ale option alongside some standard draught. Food is advertised, but I didn't see any menus or anyone else eating. In fact the six other patrons were all embroiled in a discussion about Lord of the Rings which was quite apt for the dank surroundings.
I spotted a pool table in another room but didn't investigate.
Next time I'm in the area I'll probably pop back in for another look around to see what I missed during this visit.
On 10th February 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about Ye Olde Thirsty Pig
This pub has an interesting tudor frontage but is rather uninspiring inside, which might just be me being hyper-critical. I was taken aback by the range of drinks on offer though, and the prices. £2 for a bottle of Quilmes is staggeringly good value, and is worth tolerating the dodgy noise that emanates from the jukebox.
On 8th July 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]