We booked with some friends for The Thompsons Bell’s quiz night and we were so glad that we did. It wad fully booked and the place was absolutely buzzing, the atmosphere was just fantastic. The staff were all amazing, friendly and super helpful as ever. The quiz was hilarious, and the food was just what we needed after a long week. Thanks to the team working that night for being simply awesome. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Trip05078774557
Four of us arrived at 6.30 pm on a Friday for a drink with a view to trying restaurant if not too busy. As we entered we were asked by an obviously stressed member of staff had we booked! The question was posed in quite a rude manner so we replied we were in a pub is it necessary to book for a drink even on a Friday (the room was not particularly busy)? We were told that every Friday was Quiz Night (there was nothing indicating this outside the pub) and we could stay for a drink but there were no tables available. Fair enough. We got our drinks. Getting lemon for the gin and tonics was beyond the young girl behind the bar but this was resolved by a kitchen helper who came out for a drink and obtained two slices - in his hand- from the kitchen. We asked if we could sit at an empty table until the pub filled up. We got a grudging OK. Took one sip of the Theakston Best and it was obviously off with a strong smell of vinegar. Back to the bar which was now in meltdown. Neither of the two members of staff seemed to want to be there one struggling with food orders the second with large drinks orders. About 15 minutes passed before anyone asked me why I was standing there expectantly holding a full pint. By then my wife and our two friends had been ejected from the table so we rcided to cut our losses and quickly left and went to the Coach near Sholden where we had a lovely meal with great service and good pints of Gadds. Obviously we hadn't booked and it was a quiz night but that doesn't excuse rudeness and poor service. None of the empty tables had reserved signs and there appeared to be nothing inside or outside to indicate it was a quiz night. The staffing seemed inadequate for what was planned hence the stress levels of those working. By giving a 2 rating and not 1 I am giving a little benefit of the doubt and may try the pub again but not in the near future.
Adrian
Didn’t go in. It looked so scruffy. Not appealing and clearly not making an effort anymore :(
RichardB9059
I’ve reviewed this pub before, but over a year ago. I feel I must once again commend them, this time for a very good, extremely competitively priced, Sunday lunch. At £10 a head I cannot think it would be possible to find a better deal anywhere around. And more importantly it was very good: plenty to eat, nicely presented and tasty. As always the manager went out of her way to ensure everyone felt welcome.
Jill F
Most alive pub I've seen in Deal for ages . Busy , good service, accommodating and spotlessly clean. Atmosphere was so very good, loos were spotless at a very busy time . Slight criticism on the food which was still all good and edible. The pork bites could have been cooked a bit more to stop them being so chewy , the falafel was slightly overcooked making them a bit crunchy but they were still lush . Ice cream could do with upgrading. The camembert and salt and pepper squid was to die for and very reasonably priced . Fell in love with this place and will be back soon 9/10
Shelly Prior
I booked a table for my daughters 18th birthday dinner and it was brilliant! The food was great and they helped sorting out balloons and also gave us all we needed to cut the cake! Would definitely recommend.
Alister A
My wife and I we went on a Thursday evening for some food and time away from the kids ?.It was a quite evening except for the regulars there. The food was very nice I had a chicken burger with Mac n cheese while my wife had four starters for £20 as a meal as they’re big portions which I ended up eating, the cheese melts are amazing but a lot of cheese.
Natasha Evans
We popped here by chance for dinner.upon entering It does seem like a locals pub and we did wonder whether to stay. We decided to give it a go and it didn't disappoint The Cajun chicken burger is one of the best I've tasted. My partner had the Cheese burger and he said it was very good. Very fast service, pleasant staff. The only issue is parking, if you can find a one hour Bay like we did and you're just going for food then this works fine, we ordered and ate our food quite comfortably with about 15 minutes left.
Face Man
Had a great evening listening to 'ozzie and the uglies' which was the reason for the visit. It has changed in there from my last visit, which was 30 years ago, but won't be another before I'm back.
Mandy Baldock
We have just got back from the Thompson Bell after have a very tasty roast lunch then coffee afterwards.The staff were very lovely and friendly. Would definitely recommend this place. Thank you to the staff.Vegetarian options: My friend had a vegetarian pie with veg and said it was really lovely.
Tried the new lunch menu today. The mushrooms were in a creamy garlic sauce with a hint of paprika and fresh baked bread. Definitely need the recipe. Slices of onion in the gravy enhanced the sausage mash with fresh peas. Velvet cheesecake with strawberry ice cream and cream ensured we walked the long way home. £13.50 for 3 courses well worth it. Friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere. Children and dogs welcome in the pub and its garden. Definitely will return. Thank you to all the team.
Carol Beer
What a lovely pub. I understand the owners are quite new. Well decorated light and airy. Really nice beer garden. Dog and child friendly.Menu has pretty much everything from Sunday roasts to burgers and sharing dishes. Some very good deals throughout the week e.g. 2 burgers and chips £20, 4 sharing dishes £20.We did the 4 for £20. Very nice. Reasonably priced drinks.Lovely staff, so helpful and friendly.I should guess as summer closes and the nights draw in this will be a cosy, warm place to grab a bite or a beer.I'll definitely be coming back when I visit this area again.
870sophieg
We came here for the first time this evening with our two children and I can honestly say I don’t think we’ve ever eaten such tasty food!! The steak fajitas and lasagne were delicious, beautifully presented and the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming. We’ll definitely be back again soon so thank you!
Nicola Harrison
Great Pub… good food and drinks. Nice atmosphere, with the Pool table and darts. We (quite a large group) came here on a rainy day when we were camping nearby and they accommodated us wonderfully!
Amanda Taylor
Great atmosphere, amazing food. We had the small dishes 4 for £20. So flavoursome & would definitely recommend you visit.
We booked with some friends for The Thompsons Bell’s quiz night and we were so glad that we did. It wad fully booked and the place was absolutely buzzing, the atmosphere was just fantastic. The staff were all amazing, friendly and super helpful as ever. The quiz was hilarious, and the food was just what we needed after a long week. Thanks to the team working that night for being simply awesome. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Four of us arrived at 6.30 pm on a Friday for a drink with a view to trying restaurant if not too busy. As we entered we were asked by an obviously stressed member of staff had we booked! The question was posed in quite a rude manner so we replied we were in a pub is it necessary to book for a drink even on a Friday (the room was not particularly busy)? We were told that every Friday was Quiz Night (there was nothing indicating this outside the pub) and we could stay for a drink but there were no tables available. Fair enough. We got our drinks. Getting lemon for the gin and tonics was beyond the young girl behind the bar but this was resolved by a kitchen helper who came out for a drink and obtained two slices - in his hand- from the kitchen. We asked if we could sit at an empty table until the pub filled up. We got a grudging OK. Took one sip of the Theakston Best and it was obviously off with a strong smell of vinegar. Back to the bar which was now in meltdown. Neither of the two members of staff seemed to want to be there one struggling with food orders the second with large drinks orders. About 15 minutes passed before anyone asked me why I was standing there expectantly holding a full pint. By then my wife and our two friends had been ejected from the table so we rcided to cut our losses and quickly left and went to the Coach near Sholden where we had a lovely meal with great service and good pints of Gadds. Obviously we hadn't booked and it was a quiz night but that doesn't excuse rudeness and poor service. None of the empty tables had reserved signs and there appeared to be nothing inside or outside to indicate it was a quiz night. The staffing seemed inadequate for what was planned hence the stress levels of those working. By giving a 2 rating and not 1 I am giving a little benefit of the doubt and may try the pub again but not in the near future.
Didn’t go in. It looked so scruffy. Not appealing and clearly not making an effort anymore :(
I’ve reviewed this pub before, but over a year ago. I feel I must once again commend them, this time for a very good, extremely competitively priced, Sunday lunch. At £10 a head I cannot think it would be possible to find a better deal anywhere around. And more importantly it was very good: plenty to eat, nicely presented and tasty. As always the manager went out of her way to ensure everyone felt welcome.
Most alive pub I've seen in Deal for ages . Busy , good service, accommodating and spotlessly clean. Atmosphere was so very good, loos were spotless at a very busy time . Slight criticism on the food which was still all good and edible. The pork bites could have been cooked a bit more to stop them being so chewy , the falafel was slightly overcooked making them a bit crunchy but they were still lush . Ice cream could do with upgrading. The camembert and salt and pepper squid was to die for and very reasonably priced . Fell in love with this place and will be back soon 9/10
I booked a table for my daughters 18th birthday dinner and it was brilliant! The food was great and they helped sorting out balloons and also gave us all we needed to cut the cake! Would definitely recommend.
My wife and I we went on a Thursday evening for some food and time away from the kids ?.It was a quite evening except for the regulars there. The food was very nice I had a chicken burger with Mac n cheese while my wife had four starters for £20 as a meal as they’re big portions which I ended up eating, the cheese melts are amazing but a lot of cheese.
We popped here by chance for dinner.upon entering It does seem like a locals pub and we did wonder whether to stay. We decided to give it a go and it didn't disappoint The Cajun chicken burger is one of the best I've tasted. My partner had the Cheese burger and he said it was very good. Very fast service, pleasant staff. The only issue is parking, if you can find a one hour Bay like we did and you're just going for food then this works fine, we ordered and ate our food quite comfortably with about 15 minutes left.
Had a great evening listening to 'ozzie and the uglies' which was the reason for the visit. It has changed in there from my last visit, which was 30 years ago, but won't be another before I'm back.
We have just got back from the Thompson Bell after have a very tasty roast lunch then coffee afterwards.The staff were very lovely and friendly. Would definitely recommend this place. Thank you to the staff.Vegetarian options: My friend had a vegetarian pie with veg and said it was really lovely.
Restaurantji Recommends
Tried the new lunch menu today. The mushrooms were in a creamy garlic sauce with a hint of paprika and fresh baked bread. Definitely need the recipe. Slices of onion in the gravy enhanced the sausage mash with fresh peas. Velvet cheesecake with strawberry ice cream and cream ensured we walked the long way home. £13.50 for 3 courses well worth it. Friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere. Children and dogs welcome in the pub and its garden. Definitely will return. Thank you to all the team.
What a lovely pub. I understand the owners are quite new. Well decorated light and airy. Really nice beer garden. Dog and child friendly.Menu has pretty much everything from Sunday roasts to burgers and sharing dishes. Some very good deals throughout the week e.g. 2 burgers and chips £20, 4 sharing dishes £20.We did the 4 for £20. Very nice. Reasonably priced drinks.Lovely staff, so helpful and friendly.I should guess as summer closes and the nights draw in this will be a cosy, warm place to grab a bite or a beer.I'll definitely be coming back when I visit this area again.
We came here for the first time this evening with our two children and I can honestly say I don’t think we’ve ever eaten such tasty food!! The steak fajitas and lasagne were delicious, beautifully presented and the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming. We’ll definitely be back again soon so thank you!
Great Pub… good food and drinks. Nice atmosphere, with the Pool table and darts. We (quite a large group) came here on a rainy day when we were camping nearby and they accommodated us wonderfully!
Great atmosphere, amazing food. We had the small dishes 4 for £20. So flavoursome & would definitely recommend you visit.