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From the
https://www.kentonline.co.uk From the Secret Drinker, 31 July 2025.
Secret Drinker reviews the Four Fathoms pub in Herne Bay High Street.
I needed to watch the British Lions take on Australia, Mrs SD ‘needed’
to shop and, for reasons too boring to go into, we found ourselves by
the sea in Herne Bay.
There was a wedding celebration taking place on the lawn behind the pier
and the aptly-named Pier Ceylon, which featured In The Mix. It looked
great but certainly wasn’t showing the rugby.
There's scaffolding on the building behind, but the Four Fathoms at the
top of Herne Bay High Street, with its quality dark paint job looks very
impressive.
There's scaffolding on the building behind, but the Four Fathoms at the
top of Herne Bay High Street, with its quality dark paint job looks very
impressive.
So, without hesitating, I crossed the road to the Four Fathoms on the
High Street and sent her who must be obeyed down the road to find the
shops.
Already surprised by the well-dressed folk and the glamorous setting in
The Bay, the pub had a real classy feel on a Saturday morning with its
colourful hanging baskets and tastefully-tiled floors.
There can be no doubt this place has undergone a serious makeover, and
it’s clear whoever took it on has splashed the cash and not cut corners.
Everything from the dark green tiles in the toilets to the chunky wooden
bar feels and looks tasteful. Then, I met the barmaid…
Smartly dressed in black, like a mini ninja, she patrolled the bar area
like a force of nature, taking no truck from anyone. The letter ‘T’
doesn’t exist in her vocabulary and she is unapologetically
down-to-earth and straight to the point.
I, and everyone else, is addressed either as babe or darling and it
doesn’t take long to realise she is the driving force here who ensures
the place is run efficiently and without bother of any kind.
She’s more than happy to drop the odd F bomb but it falls naturally from
her lips and doesn’t come across as coarse or unnecessary.
This might be a great venue to see the Aussies take a beating but it
doesn’t come as cheap as some places in the town. A Cruzcampo cost £5.60
and a pint of Guinness was 10p more but I reckon it was worth it.
There is a good-sized games room at the back with two large TV screens,
though they were switched off on Saturday morning, there was also a pool
table, a dartboard, a fruit machine (which was on) and what looked like
a quiz machine. This area was partly being used for storage and this may
have been due either to the rugby in the main bar, or because the
outside/garden area is currently being renovated.
But, the work at the back looks close to completion and it’s already
clear this area has had the same care and attention lavished upon it as
the inside.
Unsurprisingly with such a major rugby match being shown in the main
bar, the games room, with a pool table, a dartboard and two large
screens (not switched on) was deserted.
I took this photo just outside the door of the gents and it perfectly
demonstrates the quality of the tiles, both on the walls and the floor.
There’s also a snug, just off the main bar, which looks to have been
created in exactly the way its name suggests, a quieter space for a few
folk to enjoy a more private space.
Having used half time to stretch my legs and look around, I returned to
find the shopping was finished and Mrs SD was already in deep discussion
with the black ninja who had ‘unfortunately’ convinced her she deserved
the best version of her Sauvignon Blanc, a NZ Marlborough. My protest
that it was inappropriate on two counts, 1. Price and 2. The fact that
it’s antipodean when the Aussies were winning, fell on deaf ears. So I
forked out £9.50 for the only size she knows.
There are plenty of signs dotted about announcing a zero tolerance to
drugs, which, like other places issuing such warnings, is either a
stitch in time or a response to an issue.
The outside seating area at the back of the Four Fathoms has obviously
had a recent makeover and looks as if it's a work in progress.
The only things more numerous than the signs were the hanging baskets
and the fairy lights but there were plenty of other indications the pub
is under new management, so I was surprised to hear the current owners
took over two years ago. But there are also plenty of signs they’ve been
busy rebuilding the reputation and standing of this historic Herne Bay
watering hole.
The menu looked interesting but I think it would be unfair to label this
a gastropub as there’s more to it than that, not least being one of the
few places in the town showing the rugby.
Now, I just need to decide where I’m going to head to watch the final
Lions test this weekend.
I'm not normally a fan of these trendy urinals fashioned out of beer
kegs but I have to admit the toilets here were absolutely immaculate.
For once these industrial-style sinks were working exactly as they
should, effective and efficient.
Another example of making sure they get the small details right, the
soap dispenser had been fashioned from an old Bacardi bottle but it
worked perfectly.
Décor: Superbly decorated throughout, everywhere you look there are
classy touches. I’m sure the outside area will be great when it’s
finished and the room set aside as a snug was exactly that. *****
Drink: My Cruzcampo was fine and the Guinness was a very good example of
the black stuff, but there wasn’t a massive choice of drinks available.
Mrs SD, once persuaded, sang the praises of her NZ wine. ***
Price: A Cruzcampo was £5.60 and a Guinness 10p more at £5.70. Mrs SD
was persuaded to enjoy a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for £9.50 but
alternative large Sav Blancs were also available for £7.50. ***
Staff: Nothing is more important for a pub than finding the right staff.
The barmaid was hard working and efficient, but still found time to
create a good atmosphere at the same time as keeping everyone in line.
*****
I'm told there were three toilet cubicles in the ladies' loos and for
some reason Mrs SD chose to send me the one featuring the poster 'Happy
wife, happy life'.
A few weeks ago a Secret Drinker reader asked me to get Mrs SD to review
the ladies toilets so she kindly also photographed these rather lovely
twin sinks. |
