The Royal Hotel, Sheerness

A Victorian hotel in the town centre, another grand building which feels a bit like a parody. A splendid large bar area is carpeted, yet the grandeur is marred by gaming machines. The landlord is very enthusiastic about selling real ale, but he doesn't drink it. There is a dedicated smoking area outside. It is an ideal place for social events, but the bar was on this occasion dominated by the Ladies' Darts Team, an odd mixture of the fairer sex in terms of age and appearance. There is a standard pub menu, reasonably priced, which includes a 'seniors [sic] special', but the absence of the apostrophe left doubt as to whether (this being Sheppey) the seniors eat or are eaten. The only ale on was Spitfire which was in good condition. The overall style was a fusion of 1890s grandeur and 1990s apathy. It wouldn't be my first choice of pub in this area, but I'd be happy to drop in if passing or on a crawl.

The Royal Hotel is a U shaped Shepherd Neame pub with a function room to the far left that was closed during my visit on Monday evening last week. To the left of the bar is a dartboard and I didn’t spot any televisions. Karaoke is held here every Thursday evening and there was some background music playing off the jukebox. Outside the front of the pub is a designated smoking area that houses a few tables that are railed off from the path. The bar is stocked with standard draught and two of the three hand pumps were off leaving Spitfire as the lone ale option. Pub grub is served during lunch periods and from 19:00 until 21:00. I didn’t try the food but I did glean from the menu that the mains are priced between £7 and £8. I’d have no problem returning here for a quiet pint or two if passing.