From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 12 September 2025.

Secret Drinker reviews The Duchess pub in Dover.

Stepping off a dark corner of Bench Street in Dover I headed for the bright lights of the Duchess and joined the even brighter clothing at the bar.

The barmaid didn’t leave me waiting long and, in the absence of bitter, rather than selecting one of the many lagers on offer, I chose a Brixton IPA, which was fizzier than any lager I could have picked.

It was dark on the corner of Bench Street in Dover so I decided to head for the bright lights of The Duchess.

Not quite as colourful, or bright, as the front of the pub, this is the side view of The Duchess.

The pub’s pool fans were already in and dominating the table at the far end of the pub, so I stuck with my new hi-vis friend in the front bar, though his opening line left me a little uneasy when he asked: “Is your name Storm?”

Fortunately, it turned out he’d found an ID card and reckoned I looked a bit like the fellow in the picture, minus an odd 30 years or so!

I moved to a table at the bar, which was grafittied more than any school desk I remember and… some of the scratchings in the varnish were even spelt correctly.

The Duchess feels like a very basic town centre boozer and as such is doing what it says on the tin – cheap enough drinks, sport on the TV screens, lights to accompany a DJ and scruffy enough to make you feel comfortable. However, it claims to boast an individual cocktail bar at the back, which unfortunately looks just as rough and tatty as everywhere else.

This area at the back of the pub was set aside as a cocktail bar, and yes, the TV screen really was that strange blue colour.

When I arrived, I saw a few seats out front on the pavement but by 9pm on a Tuesday, the diminutive barmaid, aided by a willing local, dragged everything in through the wooden doors at the front. When I asked why, she replied that everything would all be nicked otherwise. Incredulous that anyone would steal such items, I again asked why, to which she replied ‘because people around here are more stupid than elsewhere’. This statement received nods from all around the bar.

There are a few of those semi-humorous pub signs on the wall, but I felt the one which read: ‘Beware alcohol can cause pregnancies’ sounded more like a health warning.

Much here is what you’d expect: the aforementioned pool table, a dartboard, big bright fruit machines, plenty of TV screens and a jukebox.

Up behind the room set aside as a cocktail bar was another separated area, which is just wide enough to accommodate a pool table.

The pool table was in constant use during my visit but the dartboard remained unused.

But, the boarded wooden roof over the section in the bar does give the impression this place could have some history and there are plenty of nods to the town’s maritime past – old photographs are dotted about on the walls, there’s even a ship’s wheel at the far end and some rope wrapped around a few high tables.

There seems to be some sort of garden area at the back of the pub with tables and umbrellas but it was obviously deserted in the pitch black. In fact, given its position next to the road, I’m not sure how much use it gets – hopefully these tables and umbrellas don’t get stolen.

Any punters wanting a fag or a vape, and there were many of them, did step out of the bar to indulge their habit, though many only made it as far as the porch area rather than venturing fully outside.

When I arrived there was a cordoned off area at the front of the pub with tables and chairs - by 9pm the barmaid packed it all up and brought it in to stop it being nicked.

Packed away safely, the furniture from the front of the pub would only go back on the street the following morning.

The screens, which were showing a mixture of tennis and footie news, were being completely ignored but I did see an advertisement displaying which games will be shown live and I suspect these are more popular.

There also looks to be a decent setup for lighting and speakers for live music or DJs.

The toilets are sited centrally at the back of the pub and when I visited the gents I was greeted by exactly the same three women who I’d met in another pub toilet less than a week ago. One was armed with a magnifying glass, the second a drill and the third, just dressed in a bikini, was simply throwing back her head and laughing at me.

There's a curved porch area at the front of the pub and the vast majority of smokers managed to get this far before lighting up.

There were plenty of signs demonstrating the maritime history of this place, there was even a length of rope attached to my table.

Once I’d left the inquisitive ladies and returned to the bar, it was time for a second pint and not wanting to take on any more fizz I selected a pint of Cruzcampo. I was pleased to find this lager was much less gassy than the IPA, although it did cost 50p more.

Whilst it would unfair to say I didn’t like The Duchess as I was leaving, I couldn’t help noticing its next door neighbour is The "Hoptomist," a taproom which looked like a very interesting watering hole – maybe next time.

Décor: The graffiti on the tables is almost as interesting as the maritime memorabilia. If you’re kind then the decor is strictly functional, if you’re unkind, it’s tatty and a little unkempt. **

Drink: There’s a reasonable taste to the Brixton IPA, but it’s so gassy I almost bounced back out the door. I then played it safe with a less fizzy pint of Moretti. **

Price: It’s not Spoons or Craft Union cheap but I reckon it compares fairly favourably with other venues in town. The Brixton pale ale was £4.80 and a Moretti £5.30. ***

Staff: The barmaid, dressed in a Duchess T-shirt, kept herself busy and was friendly enough. When she wasn’t serving, she did grab a cloth to wipe tables down. ***

Rather than separate urinals the gents here contained a full length stainless steel trough.

It wasn't surprising that no-one was sitting in the pub garden after dark. However, given its close proximity to the road I'm not sure how well used it is in daylight either.