The Old Buttermarket
Pub · St. Mildreds ·

The Old Buttermarket

Pub · St. Mildreds ·

Cask ales, British food, dog-friendly, and great service

The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null
The Old Buttermarket by null

Information

Kent, 39 Burgate, Canterbury CT1 2HW, United Kingdom Get directions

£10–20

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Kent, 39 Burgate, Canterbury CT1 2HW, United Kingdom Get directions

+44 1227 462170
nicholsonspubs.co.uk
@nicholsonspubs
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@OldButtermarket

£10–20 · Menu

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Last updated

Dec 11, 2025

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Jeff S.

Google
Stopped in for a half pint. Great pub. Very friendly staff. A good variety of ales to choose from. They do have a food menu if you want a bite to eat. Just an overall nice atmosphere.

M

Google
Went tonight for a low key night out. We had a fantastic night. The Old Buttermarket was absolutely lovely. We were served by Rose and Sydney who provided absolutely incredible service, they were both friendly, helpful, and kind. Rose recommended the Chardonnay which was a great suggestion, it was very nice (Not too sweet, not dry - a perfect balance). The atmosphere was very welcoming. I would highly recommend visiting The Old Buttermarket

Pompey P.

Google
I usually don't bother reviewing, unless I'm impressed or disappointed, and BOY, was I disappointed. Arrived around 1300, our companions ordered first. Their orders came nearly an hour later, around 1400. My wife and my food hadn't arrived by 1430, despite following up several times, and being given the runaround (steak takes longer to cook (?), the system must have been faulty, we were waiting for you to finish with your sides before serving your steak, etc) and by then, our appetites were well done beyond that point. Overall, a bad experience in what was a charming stroll around historic Canturbury. They were able to refund us at the very least. Food: 0/10, since our food never arrived. Our companion's opinions on their orders were negative though. Service: 1/10, had to get a highchair by ourselves, they served food to other patrons first (even though they came AFTER we had ordered our food) and were generally avoidant and frankly snippy with us, giving us the runaround on why our food was late. +1 for processing our refund. Price: 1/10 QUITE expensive for pub food. Even London pubs aren't nearly as expensive. For reference, their sirloin steak costs £25, whilst a high end restaurant at Chelsea serves a delightful ribeye steak, with all the trims and toppings at £32 Atmosphere: 5/10, seen one pub, seen them all. This pub is a bit snug, and cozier than most.

Annette F.

Google
Wonderful fish and chips. Staff were polite and helpful. Dog friendly inside and out.

Ingrid Wallenborg (Art & Architecture T.

Google
We were a large party of 30 having lunch and needed to be 'done' in just over 1 hour. We could not have asked for better service from Sydney (I think her name was) and those who helped her; friendly, attentive, efficient and perfectly understanding how to manage and serve with minimum disruption. I hope the management appreciate such good staff. Everything was ready when we arrived and the staff were prepared. We had a nice space at the back which worked very well. Thank you for looking after us so well!

daniel R.

Google
Wow, what an amazing pub. The food was amazing and the service was fantastic, not too expensive happily go back highly recommended to anyone and it's dog friendly

Vicki S.

Google
Lovely pub🥂, great food😋, friendly staff😁

SimBexBlue

Google
Amazing little Gem of a pub! The food was amazing & the service was great! The manager/owner was so accommodating to us and made us feel so welcome! We will definitely be back! Thanks also to the guy working with him! You are both amazing I’m sorry I don’t remember your names it was that last Long Island ice tea 😅 Thanks Guys!!
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Brian P.

Yelp
Had scoped out The Old Buttermarket as a dinner location during my 1 night stay in Canterbury. Based on my online research I'd planned on ordering the Sausage & Mash... until I saw an order of fish & chips delivered tona table nearby. I was starving after 48 hours of transatlantic travel and sight seeing and that plate of beautiful golden fried haddock spoke to me on a visceral level. The fish was fresh and flakey with just enough batter to let you know it was there. Peas and chips didn't go.to waste either. I paired it with a pint of Camden Hells lager and let's just say I went to bed completely happy. Would highly recommend especially if you're staying at the Cathedral Lodge as I was.
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Gerard C.

Yelp
We stopped in for lunch. It was very crowded. The food was good and the pub had lots of atmosphere. There was a slight language barrier even though we were both speaking English.

Michelle G.

Yelp
Stopped for lunch while touring Canterbury for the day. Good food, friendly service. Better to order inside at bar , like locals do , while sitting outside.

Jill H.

Yelp
We had dinner here while visiting Canterbury and it was lovely! Delicious food, friendly staff and a wonderful cozy atmosphere! We loved it and went back the next evening for cocktails.
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Sue F.

Yelp
This was a quaint location in the center of Canterbury, England with much activity bustling about. We sat outside and enjoyed the view of Canterbury Cathedral and listened to music. If sitting outside you order at the bar and food will be brought to the table. We ordered sandwiches, pie, and toad in the hole. The outdoor eating experience was a 5 as was some of the lunch dishes. The pulled chicken (aka chicken salad sandwich) and the club sandwiches were only 4 stars.

Eric P.

Yelp
Excellent pub grub, friendly & polite service, good selection of beer. This was the best pub I found in Canterbury, conveniently located across from the main gate at Canterbury Cathedral.
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Brenda L.

Yelp
I just love the history of this place. The food was just okay but I didn't care much because I'm from California and finding anything this old is rare. I had the fish and chips and some tea. Was it real cod? I don't even know. I do know that it took a long time to get served. They have a bathroom upstairs that I was a bit scared to walk to. I'm not used to having a lot of historical buildings around so perhaps anything that precedes the 1950s gives me an eerie feeling.
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Jay C.

Yelp
The outdoor courtyard area is the real selling point for the Buttermarket. Drinks and food are exactly the quality and price you'd expect from other pubs in the area. But on a nice day, sitting outside with the drinks and food is quite nice.
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Kelsey H.

Yelp
This is an incredibly convenient place to eat if you're in the town centre and/or visiting the cathedral. The pub's atmosphere is cozy and the staff is friendly. It's pretty sprawling on the inside, like most older pubs. It can be difficult getting a table during the dinner rush, but outdoor seating is available during the day. The fare is typical pub food, but it's very good. Once it took a while to get our food, resulting in some of it getting a little dry, but this wasn't a problem the other times I've been. The desserts, particularly the chocolate cake, are fabulous. It's also worth looking at the dinner specials, where you can get a starter, a main and a dessert for a set price. My major complaint is over the food availability at times. If the pub is close to rotating to a new seasonal menu, much of its old menu offerings may not be available, as we discovered last fall. One of my vegetarian friends had to have something specially made because no other options were available. The pie and ale specials are also not as varied as the menu and signboard suggest, so be sure to ask. Bottom line: Good food and atmosphere, although you need to have a backup plan when you order.
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Qype User (.

Yelp
If you like a nice wine, visit here. They always have some great offers on. Staff are friendly and welcoming. I've never experienced food here so cannot comment. Nice Outdoor seating area in the Cathedral Square. Lots of tourists always walking past so can sometimes get busy. Definately worth taking the time to visit this one.
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Robert K.

Yelp
The service was miserably slow, an unfortunate drawback given our time constraints, but the fish and chips were memorable. The crust was flaky, and the battered hunk of cod was filling. The food portion of the experience, which is in fact why we enter a restaurant, gets an A-plus. The two employees behind the bar, though, had the toughest time I've ever seen splitting a check. I wondered for a moment if I had mistakenly asked them to build me a rocket to the moon using plastic Tupperware containers.
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Qype User (.

Yelp
The old Butter Market is a tiny looking pub nestled in a corner by the entrance to Canterbury Cathedral. From the outside you wouldn't think that the Buttermarket was a large pub but as soon as you step through the door you realise that although it is narrow it is very long and has loads of nooks and crannys. I only visit the Buttermarket during the evening on the weekend as a stop off before hitting the clubs so this review will be based on my experiences of the pub when I visit on Friday and Saturday evenings. Atmosphere: One word. Electric. Full of people nestling in the comfy seats or sitting at the massive table eating meals. There are so many random areas in the buttermarket that you are likely to get lost. The bar only covers the first section of the pub and is rather small. It does go into the other room slightly but there is a slim chance of getting served as the bar is normally busiest in the first section. Staff: Several staff are lovely. Friendly, polite and are happy to serve you a drink and have a chat. There is one member of the bar staff who is rude and rather arrogant so it is best if you avoid them. You will know what I mean if you ever visit. Drinks: Normal drinks and prices for the center of Canterbury. A nice selection of real ales on offer. I stuck to pints of Strongbow when I visited. General: The buttermarket also serves food that I have yet to experience but friends have said that it good yet a bit pricey. The buttermarket does seem to have an upmarket theme going on, however I am sure it is not intentional. The men's toilets are absolutely disgusting. Their are tiles missing and you can smell the stench or urine and what seems like a lovely round of brie as you walk up the stairs to relieve yourself. The toilets really do need refurbishing. The floors were coated in urine that was leaking from the two operating urinals, the other being 'Out of order' (thank you masking taped on sign). There was also a pane of glass missing from the window which made the whole experience somewhat chilly. If you get past the fact that the toilets are a dive then the buttermarket really is a nice place to be. It's warm, comfy and feels homely. The building is old and has beams running through it. This adds to the atmosphere of the pub and makes it cosy. Overall: A nice place to be, mens toilets are bad, drink prices reasonable, atmosphere good.
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Qype User (.

Yelp
A real ale Pub and as far as I know CAMRA member, with a Menu of real ales to choose from, with samples for the uninitiated or foreign, the staff seemed very busy but also very helpful, and very knowledgeable, The place could have done with a bit of table wiping but apart from that it seemed fairly nice. It's an old building which as stated by many looks small from the outside. There are tables out the front when it's warm, it's in a desirable location right opposite the Cathedral Entrance, the food we had was normal Chain Pub Fayre, but it was ok, the service wasn't the quickest, but they were very busy and could have done with a couple more staff. Nevertheless we weren't in a particular hurry so it really didn't upset us too much. I'd have no problems with going there again..
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Jamie W.

Yelp
I've tried quite a few places to eat in Canterbury and this is the only one I would definitely never return to. Despite the place being very quiet , the food took nearly an hour to arrive. The staff were unhelpful and paid little attention to the customers. When the food finally did arrive, the explanation I received for it taking so long was (and I quote the waiter here) because 'the people upstairs don't know what they're doing.' The food was average but quite cold. I imagine it had taken a while to get to me from the kitchen. There are plenty of other places to eat in Canterbury that are much more worthy of your time and money.
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Phillip G.

Yelp
We popped in after a day of shopping and had a most enjoyable meal. Being so close to the Cathedral I half expected something "touristy" . It was not! We had a great pub meal of fish and chips that was truly above average. Another in our party had the roast chicken which was also great! There wear quite a few locals there also which is always a good sign. The service was just fine considering there was just one person at the bar serving drinks as well as food. (We were there at an off time ). When we selected our ale the locals chimed in and were happy to help recommend . Hope to stop in again while we're in town!

Qype User (.

Yelp
A small looking pub that is actually cavernous - it just goes back and back and back. A good selection of wines is always on offer. Have never eaten there, but have drooled at the food passing me! Quite busy at lunch and evenings, there is usually somewhere to sit inside, or if the sun is shining, why not sit outside in the Cathedral square and watch the world go by!
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Qype User (.

Yelp
This is a twice weekly market - Wednesdays and Fridays. It's a bit of a mixture of stalls - meat, clothing, stationary, tack, watches, pictures, and so on. It's located centrally in the main shopping area near Marks and Spencers. Its always crowded and space on the pavements to pass by is limited. However, its quite interesting and if you are fortunate you can get a bargain.
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Qype User (.

Yelp
Mmmm, not the best of places in Canterbury, and unfortunately, in a very advantageous location. Food is OK at best, and whole place has this greasy feel to it. Not good.
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Qype User (.

Yelp
Good real ale pub. Two bars, welcome families (unless it is a busy weekend night when it is not recommended). Well kept ales. Traditional interiors. Friendly staff. If you want to sit and have a pint and a chat this is ideal. Can't comment on food, haven't tried it. When I do I'll update this review.

Qype User (.

Yelp
This is my favourite sort of pub. The sort of place that has been there for hundreds of years so it is all old fashioned inside with lots of different rooms and bars. It also has lots of real ales on offer and good wines (and an interesting selection of spirits too). But the most outstanding this about the Old Buttermarket is that it has the BEST ploughmans lunch in the world. I came here for the first time when I was pregnant and cheese obsessed and raved about it for years till my husband took me back again at it's still the same. Amazing cheeses, delicious home made churtney, gorgeous ham and bread wow! There's also a pork pie version which I might have to go back again to try my husband had the roast beef which he got a mountain of and there were nice trimmings but he said the beef was tough so be warned. There are special pies on offer there too, different types everyday and they looked very appealing though I've yet to try one.