We first visited this delightfully shambolic real ale and cider bar in the centre of Margate Old Town back in February 2012, and two years later we were back in town looking for a good pre/most match boozer.
Once again the Lifeboat Inn came up trumps, serving up some fabulous ales, made all the better for having The Smiths playing in the background.
Happily, my football team, Dulwich Hamlet, didn’t disappoint either, romping home 4-2 winners against Margate later that evening.
Still run but the same opinion-dividing proprietor Julian, the pub offers a vast range of local Kentish ales, a “wall of cider,” plentiful wines, and 18 independently distilled spirits, plus food and snacks.
Unfortunately, the veggie options were all but non-existent on the day we visited, but if you’re into meaty pies, the selection looked good.
Even more catastrophically, the formidable cheese list turned out to be nothing more than a tease, so we settled for a slice of quiche and a half-ton of lettuce-type stuff.
The seats to grab if you’re in the bar on a chilly day are the ones by the wood fire.
We got lucky with the seats when we returned in the evening, and you really can’t beat a good conversation by a roaring fire in a pub. Lovely!
Interior view looking out to the Old Town.
Three pint jug.
The pub hasn’t really got a bar as such, just a small ‘reception’ area, with the ciders and real ales stacked around the place.
Detail from the aforementioned ‘wall of cider.’
A sumptuous selection of real ales.
The pub hosts open mic nights, jazz nights, quizzes and evenings of poetry and song – see listings here.
More info:
Lifeboat Inn
1 Market Street
Margate, Kent CT9 1EU
01843 447118
07837 024259
Email aleandcider@thelifeboat-margate.com
Website: thelifeboat-margate.com
Facebook page
Opening hours
Monday to Sunday
12 noon to “late”
(“We shut earlier according to trade, but never before 10 PM”)
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