12 Thanet pubs and micro-pubs and six breweries in CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025

A bumper crop of 12 Thanet pubs and micropubs and six breweries have made it into the 2025 Good Beer Guide.

The guide, produced by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is now in its 52nd edition. This year soap series pubs The Rovers Return Inn and the Woolpack feature on the guide covers.

Despite the tough trading environment facing a lot of licensees, they continue to battle against the odds, and the 2025 Guide boasts over 900 pubs across the country that are new to this edition.

Information in the Guide is collated by thousands of CAMRA volunteers who give up their time every year to select the best of the best across the UK. As well as covering 145 of the very best pubs across Kent, it includes 28 new pub entries across the county.

The foreword of The Good Beer Guide 2025 has been written by multi award-winning Iain Macleod, ITV’s Executive Producer for Continuing Drama

CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: “CAMRA’s mission is to ensure support from the Government as well as tangible legislation to protect pubs in this country. By next year’s edition of the Guide, we want to be talking about the beer and pub trade growing with the support of communities and parliament alike.”

Thanet entries:

Broadstairs

The Magnet

37 Albion Street

Owned by Nikki Munn and Will Leeves have been at the helm of the venue since February 2019 and are known for real ales and ciders, involvement in community events and fundraising and excellent customer service.

The Royston

2 The Broadway

The Royston micro-pub in Broadstairs won Thanet Pub of the Year for the second time in a row this year.

Run by Andy Smith and Melissa Goacher, with loyal staff, it has a mix of Victorian, steampunk and Art-Deco themes. It has a showpiece chiller cabinet with three to five local and national ales including many from high-end brewers. It also has an extensive wines and spirits menu, alcohol free choices and barista quality espresso coffee.

Margate

Ales of the Unexpected

105 Canterbury Road

A micropub created in a former fishmonger’s in Westbrook which first opened in 2013.

Sells real ales, ciders plus wine and has an interesting map collection on display.

Mechanical Elephant

Marine Terrace

Wetherspoon pub Ideally located opposite the beach with a name that derives from a large roving mechanical elephant that gave rides along the seafront in the 1950s.

Pub manager Mac Cole said: “I am delighted that The Mechanical Elephant has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by CAMRA members.

“We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all times, including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well as hosting our own beer festivals.

“Staff at the pub work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in first-class condition at all times and the pub’s inclusion in the guide highlights this.”

Two Halves

2 Marine Drive

The Two Halves is owned by Shaun and Jackie Smethers and first opened its doors in July 2015. It prides itself on serving good cask real ales, ciders and wines – accompanied by plenty of conversation and fantastic sea views. Look out for the old-fashioned postcards in the loo!

Ramsgate

Artillery Arms

36 West Cliff Road

A no-frills real ale boozer. The pub has artillery prints/memorabilia and fine listed windows depicting Napoleonic scenes

Honeysuckle Inn

31 Honeysuckle Road,

The 17th century Honeysuckle Road pub was taken on by landlords Joe and Kat Gibbons during covid.

It is also host to concession Salt. Barbers headed up by Ramsgate resident Alex Gillings.

Hovelling Boat Inn

12 York Street

Dog friendly micropub with cask ale and ciders/perries. The former pub site reopened as a micropub in March 2013.

Montefiore Arms

1 Trinity Place

Owned by Ramsgate Brewery owner Eddie Gadd, so a good selection of Gadds beers among others. Back street pub with a number of loyal regulars and a 20 ft mahogany bar top that dominates the Public Bar area

Pub Ramsgate

87 High Street

Opened by boss Nicola Werner in 2021. It has a bright, clean, eclectic look with exposed brick, dark wood and fabulous local art on the walls. Bavarian beers are sourced directly for the pub’s Springfest and Oktoberfest events.

Red Lion

1 King Street,

Likely the oldest surviving pub in the town. It was known as the Red Lyon in 1650 and until the town hall was built in 1785 it was used as the admin centre for the town’s Parish Officers, now operated by Thorley Taverns. Beers from the Ramsgate brewery (Gadds’) normally available

St Peter’s

Four Candles Alehouse

1 Sowell Street

Rev Jacobson (centre) with Paul Wenham Jones (left) and The Four Candles owner Mike Beaumont

Former shop now firmly established on the local micropub scene which also has its own microbrewery in the cellar.

Owner Mike Beaumont opened The Four Candles in 2012, followed by the site’s microbrewery in 2014.

The pub was given the name because it was previously a hardware store and Sowell Street, where it is based, is not far from the former H. E. Harrington’s general ironmonger business in York Street, that is famed for stocking everything you could possibly need. It is thought the shop was the prompt for a sketch written by Ronnie Barker of the Two Ronnies.