The Unicorn Inn, Canterbury

Very pleasant, very traditional pub just on the 'wrong' side of the St Dunstan's level crossing. Various seating / dining areas all around the central servery, all with the low ceilings and exposed beams that the attractive exterior suggests should lie within. Bar billiards and patio beer garden. Four real ales on handpump: Shepherd Neame Master Brew, Doom Bar, Hogs Back Surrey Nirvana and a rye beer from Whitstable.

A decent pub this one with four ales and one cider on handpump. On our arrival to the bar we pondered for a while, until a local chap at the bar persuaded us to go for the Shefford Dunstable Giant. The interior of the pub is traditional in décor and the textured glass leaded windows along the front feature white net curtains. There was also a wood burning stove and lots of horse brasses displayed on the walls. If you do get to visit this part of town, there is a fabulous chip shop a few doors down from the pub, near the level crossing.

This has been more than well described below. It's still carpeted and still has a bar billiard table at the rear. The bar has five hand pumps which had a cider, Master Brew, Doom Bore, Canterbury Ales Green and Gold and Landlord. I went for the Green and Gold (£3.55) which was in excellent condition. I didn't have a lot of time to spend here as I had a train to catch but it seemed a decent enough place.

A pub of this name has stood here since 1593 and although much has no doubt changed in the intervening years, the pub we find today remains a lovely traditional house, easily reached from the city centre and Canterbury West station. You enter into the main bar with a large dark wood servery directly opposite, decorated with all manner of horse brasses, pistols and a few fairy lights over the canopy. The room has been carpeted throughout with some pretty tatty looking banquettes along the front wall under frosted windows, supplemented by a few low stools. Walls are panelled and there are plenty of dark wood beams and pillars everywhere you look, giving the place plenty of olde-worlde character. Some old bottles and jugs run around a high shelf and the walls have been decorated with some nice line drawings, brewery mirrors and photos of local scenes. To the right of the servery is a remarkably large brick chimney stack complete with fireplace and plasma screen TV, which acts as a partitioning wall on this side of the room, screening a brighter rear room filled with standard seating. To the left of the bar, access to a bar billiards room can be found, as can a separate door leading to the toilets and a large garden complete with smoking shelter. I counted four ales on the bar - Gadds Seasider, Sharps Doom Bar, Shepherd Neame Master Brew and Canterbury Ales Wife of Bath's Ale. I opted for a pint of the Gadds, which was a lovely, easy drinking session ale. Boards advertised a couple of Kingstone Press ciders and a decent wine list and also mentioned that you could try three third pints of ale for £3.30. The barmaid seemed very friendly and was very helpful and patient when serving an elderly customer who needed assistance carrying her drink to her table. I thought this place had a really nice, welcoming atmosphere and really enjoyed my time here. The pub has featured in recent editions of the Good Beer Guide and I would suggest this would be a good stop off for anyone wanting well kept ale in traditional surroundings.

This was our favourite pub from a weekend in Canterbury, and we tried quite a few. It opens at 11.30 daily, and was very warm, with a real fire, friendly service, a welcoming atmosphere, and the buzz of a well mixed customer base. The four hand pumps offered Masterbrew, Doombar, Caledonian Flying Scotsman, and the fourth changed between Gadds No 5, Milestone Lions Pride and Hopdaemon Golden Braid during the weekend. I had pints of most of these and found them well kept and tasty, and I noted paying a reasonable £2.95 for one of them. There is a fairly typical pub grub menu with main courses at around £6.50-£7.00. We also had a great time on the decent quality bar billiards table. I would certainly go out of my way to come to this pub again.