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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
The Kents, Wellswood, Torquay
Torquay
TQ1 2JG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Kents
Didnt really feel the love for this place. A couple of benches outside. Inside, rooms at different heights with the only comfortable seating a chesterfield sofa down the bottom. Other furntiture/decor a bit of a mish-mash with Mrs M commenting that "it didnt know whether it was going for modern or retro"
Otter Ale in good condition.
Not really enough going on to get me to stay for a 2nd.
On 13th October 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Kents
A comprehensive review from Mr Monster below and not much has changed in the intervening year. Kents looks like a very tidy outlet from the outside and is also very god inside too. Enter through a nice front patio area. Down a couple of steps on crossing the threshold takes you to the bar with a dining room to the right and up some steps to the left contains a nice loungey seating area. Tasteful modern décor inside, quite upmarket but not off-puttingly so. Ales at the bar: Dartmoor Jail, Cottage Sunset, Doom Bar and St Austell Tribute (fairly decent, perhaps a little towards barrel-end). No mention anywhere of a CAMRA discount. Food is heavily pushed here and we liked the sound of some of the menu – were tempted to stay but decided to keep our plan of doing a fish dish at the Buccaneer. Other points of note included a list of ‘Gin specials’ and a selection of daily papers. Interesting to note that on a Friday lunchtime the place was doing a decent trade. One minor downside is that the gents were somewhat cosy. All-in-all a lovely little place that’s worth seeking out if you’re in Torquay.
On 2nd August 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ale Monster left this review about The Kents
This is an old Victorian street corner pub named after the historically significant Kents Caverns nearby and is owned by Enterprise Inns, it has been sympathetically refurbished in the last couple of years. The interior is open plan but has two distinct areas, the front of the pub is a traditionalish public bar area and the rear of the room is a more contemporary restaurant area. The public bar has a lot of original dark wood that has been retained after the refurb, the bar counter along the left wall is one of these original features with a wood panel and tiled front and stained glass panels above, in front of the counter is a bare wood floor and opposite the counter is a raised area with grey carpet and grey leather bench seats divided into booths, there is a bar billiards table top propped up against the wall which I assume is available on request. In the front left corner next to the counter is a nook with a couple of sandy brown leather sofas. The restaurant area is a real contrast with bright walls, modern dining furniture, grey leather upholstered dining chairs, drift wood sculptures set in alcoves and modern abstract paintings on the walls. The only remnant of the old pub in the restaurant is a brick fire place with a log burning stove in the back wall. In the middle of the right hand wall between the two areas is a door that leads to an outside paved area which stretches down the full length of the right hand side of the building, this has several large tables with one massive parasol and green shrub borders.
Regular ales are currently St Austell Tribute, Otter Ale, Dartmoor Jail Ale, Sharp’s Doom Bar and John Smiths Cask Bitter with a single changing guest beer which was Wadworth’s Farmers Glory on this occasion (Cask Marque). This place is in a suburb of Torquay that is a little out of the way, so once I had made it here I decided to have quite a while in here and tried the Farmers Glory, Jail Ale, Tribute and John Smiths (just because curiosity got the better of me). All were in good condition and the John Smiths wasn’t too bad actually. There is a 50p discount for card carrying CAMRA members Monday to Friday.
A great pub that has a nice balance of fairly traditional bar and smart restaurant. The beer selection is pretty standard for Devon but was as well kept as any other place I visited in Torquay. Regular buses between Torquay harbour and Babbacombe stop nearby. I have not tried the food but the menu looked full of pricey posh nosh. If you like real ale then this place is worth the effort, I would definitely visit again.
On 7th February 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]