Blue Pigeons

My husband and I were regular visitors to The Blue Pigeons over the last few years - we even got married there in 2017! They were renowned for their fabulous roast dinners! However, it has been undergoing significant refurbishment since new owners took over, and when it finally reopened at the end of 2024, we knew we'd have to give it a go! So, my friend booked a table for Sunday lunch to celebrate my husbands birthday. We weren't disappointed. The decor has changed quite a lot, but the bar & restaurant maintained the relaxed, friendly atmosphere it had previously. It feels bright, spacious & airy, despite the bar being brought forward back to its original position! The pianist was a lovely touch. We each had different starters. My husband had king creole chicken, and I had salt beef croquettes. Both packed a lot of flavour and were delicious! We also both had pork belly for our main course. The pork was cooked perfectly, amazing Yorkshire pudding, and the cauliflower cheese was to die for! Our slight criticism? The gravy was too thin (but full of flavour), the roast potatoes weren't crisp, and the kale should have been shredded & maybe sautéed or an alternative green vegetable used as it was quite tough. But these are just our personal preferences. We were served by 5 different members of staff. Again, my personal preference is to be served by one, maybe two (at most), servers. Being served by too many means service actually becomes slower, less attentive when it matters, e.g. low on drinks, being asked multiple times how the meal is. It would also be nice to have somewhere to hang our coats rather than the back of our chairs. That aside, the staff were all very friendly and service was with a smile. One last thing... parking. The car park is now for residents only, but when we visited, only 2 room keys had been taken, so there was plenty of space in the car park. Perhaps patrons only would be better, with hotel guests requesting a parking space upon booking so a space can be reserved with a cone or similar? Seems daft having an under utilised car park. Would we visit again? Absolutely! Overall, we had a lovely meal in great surroundings! The new owners have done an incredible job! We can't wait to go back!

I went for lunch with my husband and was blown away by the decor, ambience and overall vibe of this beautiful restaurant. I had a the chicken Poke bowl, my husband had the burger and we were both really satisfied with our meals, they were absolutely divine. Service was great. The toilets were beautiful - everything has been thought of here and the new owners have done an amazing job. A must visit!!! We can’t wait to come back for valentines meal and an overnight stay! Definitely a hidden gem ❤️

Booked a room and an evening meal to celebrate our anniversary. Friends arrived to drop off a gift for us mid afternoon only to be told they had no record of our booking! When we investigated we were told the rooms weren’t even ready! No apology or explanation was given to us. Needless to say we will never visit now! We felt thoroughly let down - we were keen to support this new local business despite knowing our stay would have cost us in excess of £300. The staff were rude and not in the slightest bit concerned. Luckily we were able to book The Fulstaff Hotel in Canterbury for a fraction of the cost at short notice and had a wonderful, luxurious experience.

Went for Sunday lunch and was thoroughly disappointed. Starter: Ordered the prawns and avocado, expecting tiger prawns as advertised. Instead, we got tiny water prawns, a few bits of chopped avocado, a bit of lettuce and half a slice of sourdough bread. It was all freezing and must have been plated and sat in the fridge Main Course: Had the pork belly, which is admittedly a cheaper cut, but what arrived was mostly an enormous slab of fat with a small piece of meat in the middle. The roast potatoes were blackened and overcooked, and the Yorkshire pudding was burnt to the same degree. We had to ask for apple sauce, which arrived in an ice-cold ramekin, clearly a jar job and straight from the fridge. Dessert: The apple crumble was no better. It was essentially a bit of puréed apple, which had caught and tasted slightly burnt, topped with what seemed like breadcrumbs rather than an actual crumble topping. It’s baffling that the chef allowed food of this quality to leave the kitchen. Very disappointed and will not be returning.

Just popped into give the place a once over. Extremely impressed with the layout and decor. Garden area was the best I've ever seen in a hotel/pub. Not too impressed with the prices. Was amazed at the price of £14 for prawn cocktail starter. Was really amazed at the price of a medium glass of sauvignon blanc and a very small cup of cold coffee at £16. Didn't expect Wetherspoons prices but come on, the owner must have a sense of humour

What a shambles So we went for a meal in New Year’s Eve 1st of all my friend was presented with the starters that were full of nuts No one asked her she had to say We had our meal then retired into the lounge with the live music We entered a children’s party it was absolutely hectic kids running riots we found out it was all the owners and the family…. Really ? It should have been even a private party not us paying £150 per head that’s without wine It was so loud and not an nice experience at all and to top it off the owner knew we wasn’t happy and was completely rude and drunk and obnoxious I suggested if you want a family party don’t open the restaurant to paying guests I won’t be back