Pubs and bars in Rochester

12 Degrees

A micropub in a former shop at the Chatham end of the High Street, with six changing Kent cask ales and real cider straight from the cask.

352 High Street, ME1 1DJ

Mon-Thu 6pm-10pm · Fri 6pm-11pm · Sat 2pm-11pm · Sun 2pm-8pm

The Coopers Arms

A traditional pub tucked behind the cathedral, with low beams, a beer garden at the back and around seven cask ales on.

10 St Margaret's St, ME1 1TL

Mon-Thu noon-11pm · Fri-Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-11pm

The Eagle Tavern

A proper pub with big plates of food, a well-reviewed Sunday roast, board games and a garden.

124 High Street, ME1 1JT

Mon-Thu noon-10pm · Fri-Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-10pm

The George Vaults

Named after the George Inn and the 14th-century vaulted crypt beneath the building.

35 High Street, ME1 1LN

Mon-Thu 11am-10pm · Fri 11am-1am · Sat 11am-2am · Sun 11am-10pm

The Golden Lion

The Wetherspoon, with rooms upstairs, food from 8am and one of the few places open late on a Monday.

147-151 High Street, ME1 1EL

Mon-Thu 8am-midnight · Fri-Sat 8am-1am · Sun 8am-midnight

The Granville

A friendly local on Maidstone Road with a garden and an upstairs function room for private hire.

83 Maidstone Road, ME1 1RL

Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm · Fri 4pm-midnight · Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-11pm

The Jolly Knight

The High Street front bar of the same building as Ye Arrow, with pub food and a second room looking towards the castle.

56 High Street, ME1 1LD

Mon-Thu 11am-11pm · Fri-Sat 11am-1am · Sun 11am-11pm

Man of Kent

A traditional ale house a few minutes off the High Street, with well-kept local ales alongside German lagers and Belgian beers.

6-8 John Street, ME1 1YN

Mon 6pm-10pm · Tue closed · Wed-Thu 6pm-11pm · Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm · Sun 6pm-11pm

The Nags Head

A slightly hidden local with a pool table, jukebox, local ales and a resident pub dog.

High Street, ME1 1HS

Mon-Thu 11am-11pm · Fri-Sat 11am-midnight · Sun noon-10:30pm

Three Sheets to the Wind

Bigger than it looks from the street, with a room downstairs and a large garden at the back.

173 High Street, ME1 1EH

Mon closed · Tue 6pm-11pm · Wed-Thu 4pm-11pm · Fri-Sat 1pm-11pm · Sun 1pm-10pm

Two Brewers

A small pub dating back to 1683, pouring Shepherd Neame beers, with live music on Sunday afternoons.

113 High Street, ME1 1JS

Mon closed · Tue 4pm-11pm · Wed-Sat noon-11pm · Sun noon-6pm

The Dead Pigeon

Craft beer and burgers with a strong local reputation, sport on the screens and a monthly sharing platter.

378 High Street, ME1 1DJ

Mon-Thu noon-10:30pm · Fri-Sat noon-11pm · Sun noon-9pm

Wolfe and Castle

A small craft beer bar in a wonderfully wonky old building, with a changing range on tap, two-thirds measures and cans to take away.

44 High Street, ME1 1LD

Mon closed · Tue-Thu 11am-9pm · Fri-Sat 11am-11pm · Sun 11am-5pm

Bodega 51

Coffee and cake by day, cocktails, DJs and a garden bar at the weekend, with an unusual range of canned beers.

51 High Street, ME1 1LN

Mon-Wed closed · Thu 5pm-10pm · Fri-Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-6pm

City Wall Wine Bar

A big, busy bar with live bands, quiz nights, karaoke and DJs, and one of the later licences on the High Street, to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

120-122 High Street, ME1 1JT

Mon-Wed noon-11pm · Thu noon-1am · Fri-Sat noon-2am · Sun noon-11pm

The Kings Head

A late bar and hotel on the High Street.

58 High Street, ME1 1LD

Fridays and Saturdays only (reported January 2026) · licensed to 2am

Maverick Ladies Lounge

A cocktail bar in the Royal Victoria and Bull building, open on Friday evenings and Saturdays.

16 High Street, ME1 1PX

Mon-Thu closed · Fri 4pm-11pm · Sat noon-11pm · Sun closed

Oliver's Bar and Kitchen

Dinner, cocktails and a garden, with DJs and a late licence until 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays, and a Sunday roast.

186 High Street, ME1 1EY

Mon closed · Tue-Thu 5pm-9pm · Fri-Sat noon-2:30am · Sun noon-6pm

The Queen Charlotte

A lively sports pub with plenty of screens, a small garden and some of the keener lager prices on the street.

159 High Street, ME1 1EH

Mon-Thu 11am-11pm · Fri-Sat 11am-1am · Sun 11am-11pm

The Ship Inn

Medway's oldest gay pub, and in its own words one of Kent's premier gay venues, at the Chatham end of the High Street: three bars, DJs, karaoke and themed nights, open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday.

347 High Street, ME1 1DA

Mon-Tue 4pm-10pm · Wed closed · Thu-Fri 4pm-2am · Sat noon-2am · Sun 2pm-10pm

Ye Arrow

The castle and cathedral are in view from the garden.

Boley Hill, ME1 1TE

Mon-Thu 11am-11pm · Fri-Sat 11am-1am · Sun 11am-11pm

Kings Arms, Upnor

A village pub in Upper Upnor, across the Medway from the Historic Dockyard, with a big garden and home-cooked food.

2 High Street, Upper Upnor, ME2 4XG

Mon-Thu noon-11pm · Fri-Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-10pm

Royal Crown

A Shepherd Neame pub in a Grade II listed building at the bridge end of the High Street, reopened under this name in November 2023 after a refit.

2 High Street, ME1 1PT

Mon-Thu 11am-11pm · Fri-Sat 11am-1am · Sun 11am-10:30pm

The Bohemian

A cafe and wine bar just over the Chatham boundary, with coffee, cake and relaxed lunches by day and wine in the evening.

2 High Street, Chatham ME4 4EP

2 min walk from the High Street

Hours not confirmed, so check before you go.

Poco Loco

A family-run cocktail, tapas and live music bar just along the High Street into Chatham, and a grassroots venue for indie, jazz, soul, rock and burlesque nights.

58-60 High Street, Chatham ME4 4DS

4 min walk from the High Street

Mon-Thu noon-10pm · Fri-Sat noon-2am (its website). Sunday hours not listed, so check before you go.

Tap 'n' Tin

A nightclub and live music venue over several floors in a former brewpub near Chatham station, with rock, indie and punk gigs and student club nights.

24 Railway Street, Chatham ME4 4JT

8 min walk from the High Street

Gig and club nights, mostly late on Fridays and Saturdays. Check its Facebook page for what is on.

The Alexandra

A late Victorian pub opposite Chatham station, with period features, a rear courtyard and one cask ale.

43 Railway Street, Chatham ME4 4RJ

8 min walk from the High Street

Mon-Thu noon-11pm · Fri-Sat noon-midnight · Sun noon-10:30pm

The Thomas Waghorn

The Wetherspoon in Chatham's former post office, with a large bar over several levels, an open kitchen, 12 handpumps including local ales, and a courtyard garden with a roof terrace.

14 Railway Street, Chatham ME4 4JL

8 min walk from the High Street

Mon-Thu 8am-midnight · Fri-Sat 8am-1am · Sun 8am-midnight

The Command House

A Grade II listed pub on the river by Chatham's Riverside Gardens, with a large beer garden, a garden bar and views over the Medway.

Dock Road, Chatham ME4 4TX

12 min walk from the High Street

Hours differ between its listings, so check before you go.

Who'd Ha' Thought It

Medway CAMRA's Pub of the Year for 2026: a back street free house just off Maidstone Road, with a wood-panelled bar, a log fire, a snug and three changing cask ales, Kent breweries to the fore.

9 Baker Street, ME1 3DN

16 min walk from the High Street

Mon-Thu 3pm-10pm · Fri-Sat noon-11pm · Sun noon-9pm

The George

An independent pub on City Way, at the corner of St William's Way, with one large bar, TV and pool, live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, two regular cask ales and two changing ones, a garden and free parking.

344 City Way, ME1 2BH

28 min walk from the High Street

Mon 2pm-8pm · Tue-Thu noon-11pm · Fri noon-midnight · Sat noon-11:30pm · Sun noon-10:30pm