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Mind the Gap, Broadstairs

Pub added by Pub SignMan
156 High Street
Broadstairs
CT10 1JB

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Mind the Gap

Just a short way down the road from Broadstairs station, this is a split-level micropub with, as the name suggests, a railway theme. You enter into a good-sized front room with scuffed floorboards and large feature windows from its days as a shop. There’s a fair amount of seating arranged around the room in the form of chairs, low stools and a couple of compact sofas, plus some upturned barrels with the ‘Mind the Gap’ sign painted on top surrounded by high stools. The railway theme is evident pretty much wherever you look, whether that be towards the large steam engine image, the huge collection of old rail tickets behind a large Perspex screen, the old Victorian-style railway station awnings that run around most of the room or the suitcase rack and old railway signs that can be found over to the left side of the room. There’s also a very large National Rail logo used as partitioning from the upper bar area to the rear of the room, hidden in part by a large number of hops woven through it. The upper section is much more basic and compact, with the servery along the rear wall next to a set of helpful beer boards. Seating back here is limited to bar stools and the walls are almost entirely covered in old rail tickets, which creates quite a nice effect and is a good alternative to the usual pump clip collections. Other points of interest include a few pavement-side tables, a ‘gap’ that you pass over on entering the pub, filled with items ‘lost’ by commuters/drinkers, and a sign in the toilets that reminds you not to “use the toilet when the train is in the station”!
The cask ales are all racked up on the bar back and there were four available on this visit – Iron Pier Castle Iron Stout and Rosherville Red, Gadds War Horse and Mighty Oak Captain Bob – along with an extensive cider selection. My pint of the Captain Bob was in good shape and the barman seemed nice enough, without really bothering to engage in any chat.
I really liked this place and thought the quirky décor and plentiful seating options made it a nice place to settle down for a longer session. The beer seems to be kept well and there’s plenty to explore, which will reward return visits. In a town full of fine micropubs, this is another that shouldn’t be missed from any crawl.

On 25th March 2020 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about Mind the Gap

We visited this micro on a couple of occasions as we were staying in Broadstairs. So on my second visit, I started to see a few regular faces, along with the friendly barman of course, who all made us very welcome. One of the striking features in here along with a piece of railway used as a footrest at the bar was the huge collection of train tickets that had been stuck around the walls. This only started a couple of months ago by one of the regulars and had now become a bit of a craze. A choice of four ales on two visits, Gadds and Ironbridge seemed to be the regulars, and Oakham JHB also took the guest spot.

On 18th November 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Aqualung . left this review about Mind the Gap

This is a proper micropub set in a former shop. On my Saturday visit it had just finished hosting a "do", so was only just recovering from that.
It's a split level room with a small bar counter at the rear. Three beers were available from the cold room, Iron Pier Porter, Mighty Oak Falls Gold and Gadds' No 7. I went for the Porter (£3.50) which was in good nick. I'd like to come back here at a quieter time.

On 26th October 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Mind the Gap

As you would expect from the name, this micro-pub is quite near the station and has a bit of a railway theme (especially in the compact bar area up three steps at the back). The 'main' seating area at the front comprises four tables and a couple of sofas, so there is not a lot of space in total. Busy - but not crowded - on a Saturday afternoon, so quite a relaxed atmosphere. Four real ales on gravity from the cool cabinet behind the counter: English Pale (£3.00) and Cast Iron Stout from Iron Pier, Oakham Citra and the local Gadd's Seasider.

On 30th September 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]