Upnor is a beautiful and secluded village tucked away just minutes from bustling Rochester. Upnor’s many pubs are wonderful to visit for afternoon lunch, a pint after a nearby walk or a hearty dinner.
Here are the best Upnor pubs plus everything you need to know about each one.
The Tudor Rose, Upnor
The Tudor Rose is one of our favourites and is located just steps from Upnor Castle. The building itself is beautiful with a cosy fireplace and historic wooden beams along the ceiling.
The Tudor Rose always has friendly staff and great home-cooked pub food – our personal favourite is their battered fish and chips. As a Shepherd Neame pub, this historic pub has numerous ales, ciders and a variety of other drinks on-hand. It always has a welcoming atmosphere and a pint ready for you.
While The Tudor Rose does not have its own car park, there is a free village car park about a 1-minute walk away. Since the car park is used for the castle and Upper Upnor, it can easily fill up quickly.
Important Features at the Tudor Rose:
- Family friendly
- Serves lunch & dinner
- Large pub garden in the back
- Steps away from Upnor Castle
- Beautiful fireplace & historic building
- Shepherd Neame pub
The Tudor Rose has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor with nearly 600 reviews. Incredibly, this pub is listed as #1 of 85 restaurants in Rochester. These reviews truly speak for themselves!
It’s no surprise that The Tudor Rose is worth a visit. We would definitely recommend trying out the pub before or after your visit to Upnor Castle. We love the Tudor Rose (and Upnor’s other pubs) so much that we’ve included it in our list: What to do in Upnor (as told by locals)!
Opening times
- Monday – Saturday: 12:00 – 23:00
- Sunday: 12:00 – 20:00
Food serving times
- Monday – Saturday: 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 21:00
- Sunday: 12:00 – 16:00
To keep in touch, make sure to check out Tudor Rose across social media:
The Kings Arms, Upnor
Just up the street from The Tudor Rose in Upper Upnor is The Kings Arms. If you’re looking for unique pints, this is the place to go in Upnor. You’ll find real ale here and there’s no shortage of new beers to try. Out of all the pubs in Upnor, The Kings Arms is the best for beer.
Just like the Tudor Rose, The Kings Arms does not have a dedicated car park. However, the pub is only steps away from a free car park used for Upper Upnor. The car park can fill up quite quickly, so make sure to plan ahead on busier days.
Important Features:
- Real ale available
- Serves lunch & dinner
- Large pub garden in the back
- Holds frequent events, live music & parties
The Kings Arms has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Trip Advisor with about 270 reviews and is listed as the 10th restaurant in Rochester. It’s certainly a crowd favourite, especially for their ales and live events.
Opening times
Monday – Saturday: 11:30 – 24:00
Sunday: 12.00 – 24:00
It’s also worth noting that The Kings Arms stays open the latest out of all the pubs in Upnor. All weekend, the pub shuts at midnight, while others close around 11:00 pm. If you want a late night out, The Kings Arms is your best (and only) option.
Food serving times
Monday to Saturday
Lunch – 12:00 – 14:30
Dinner – 18:00 – 21:00
Sunday – 12:00 – 17:00
To stay up-to-date with The Kings Arms, you can follow them on social media:
The Ship, Upnor
The first pub you’ll spot in Lower Upnor is The Ship. The Ship Tavern is a beautiful historic building just across the road from the River Medway. The Ship also has an extremely long back garden with picnic tables, plus a few seats outside the front of the pub alongside the river. It makes for a wonderful afternoon out to have a pint overlooking the river in the summer.
If you want to enjoy the river views along with your pint or meal, The Ship is the best option.
The Ship is famous for a traditional Sunday roast and other great food. With a new chef, The Ship is easily full for Sunday lunch so make sure to call ahead!
The Ship does have a few parking spaces available for customers in front of the pub. However, if those are full, you’ll need to either park at a free car park at the end of the village, or find a space in the nearby neighbourhood.
Important Features:
- Real ale
- Family friendly
- Serves lunch & dinner
- Large pub garden in the back
- River-side seating in front of the pub
- Very small dedicated car park
- Live music events
As like the other two pubs, The Ship has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on Trip Advisor with about 270 reviews. It’s also listed as the #3 of 17 bars in Rochester and #16 of 85 restaurants in Rochester.
The Ship is definitely a local-favourite with very loyal customers.
Opening times
Monday to Sunday: 12:00 to 11pm
If you want to keep in touch with The Ship, make sure to check them out on Facebook.
The Pier, Upnor
Just past The Ship in Lower Upnor, you’ll come across The Pier, the final pub in Upnor.
While it doesn’t have a back beer garden, The Pier does have some tables out front that overlook the Medway River. However, it does feel like you’re eating in a car park.
Important Features:
- Outdoor seating in front of the pub
- Serves lunch & dinner
- Pool table
- River-side view
- Real ale
- Family-friendly
- Live music & events
Out of all the Upnor pubs, The Pier has the lowest Trip Advisor score of 3.5 out of 5 with only 173 reviews. It’s also listed as #13 of 17 bars in Rochester and #43 of 85 restaurants in Rochester. It’s not the top of the lists, but it’s worth a visit if you find yourself in the area – or after a nice walk along Upnor’s beach.
Of the two pubs in Lower Upnor, The Pier has the widest selection of beer as well as a pool table and darts board.
Opening times
Monday to Sunday: 12:00 – 23:30
Want to stay in touch with the pub? Make sure to follow The Pier on Facebook
As mentioned before, The Kings Arms in Upper Upnor is the only pub in the village that is open until midnight during the weekend. Both pubs in Lower Upnor are closed by 11:30 pm.
Restaurants in Upnor
Upnor used to be home to the restaurant Powder and Magazine which recently closed down. In its place we now have Coelho’s Picados & Skewer House instead! This Portuguese restaurant only just opened in Upnor so it will take some time before we better understand its popularity in the village.
For more details, check out Coelho’s Picados & Skewer House on Facebook.
If you don’t want to visit Coelho’s, you’ll need to leave Upnor village for more restaurant options. Thankfully, Rochester is just a short drive away and has lots of great restaurants (and car parks). If you’re not sure which to pick, we recommend walking up the High Street and trying any one of the options available. Or there are a few takeaway options that deliver to Upnor.
However, if you really want to stay in Upnor, you’ll need to chose between Upnor’s 4 pubs or its one restaurant.
Covid-19 Update for Upnor Pubs
Legally, pubs could not operate as normal during Covid-19. However, all pubs in Upnor (minus The Pier) did their best to provide some level of takeaway service during that time. The Kings Arms has even opened its own little shop for some groceries and household items.
Currently, Upnor pubs are open for business although certain practices have changed. Customers are encouraged to social distance as best they can when visiting the pubs and to sanitise their hands often.
If you’re interested in takeaway from a pub in Upnor or want to visit, make sure to contact the pub directly. They will be able to give you the most up-to-date details on the services they are providing.