Edenbridge Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: This “lovely” mid-Victorian boozer (believed to be the only ‘Haycutter’ in the country) earns solid ratings for its “good old-fashioned pub grub” and “brilliant” all-round performance. It is now part of the Brunning & Price group.

This cute 16th-century village pub offers a far-from-standard menu which changes monthly to reflect seasonal local produce, with a notably “solid Sunday lunch” among the highlights.

“Straightforward and generous Sunday lunch in a very nice village pub” is a regular occasion for many fans of this “thoroughly enjoyable” local pub in the Kent countryside, which numerous reports attest is particularly “good for families and family occasions”. Its “quality food in a lovely environment” also wins praise, though, from a much wider audience too.

Recently relaunched, this hotel dining room set in an Arts & Crafts boutique hotel and wedding venue with “excellent views” over Happy Valley is a “real treat”. The original interior includes a stained-glass window and a fireplace, and chef Scott Goss makes best use of locally sourced ingredients.

“For us, as garden lovers, a magical place” – this Elizabethan country house in the Sussex countryside sits in grounds laid out in the 1880s by the famous landscape gardener who then owned the property (and has been a hotel since 1958). “It‘s probably best to enjoy Gravetye in the summer when it is delightful to wander round the beautiful gardens with an aperitif” and to get the most out of “the modern, conservatory-style dining room, which is simply dazzling in design, creating a feeling of almost being in the garden”. Since its 2019 relaunch, there has been a major upgrade to the cuisine here, with chef George Blogg preparing “beautifully balanced dishes with assured use of ingredients”: “seasonal produce is allowed to shine and sing”. (The food would score even higher if the odd reporter did not find it “a bit safe”). Staff generally “can’t do enough for you” but ratings slipped slightly this year on one or two “hit ’n’ miss” experiences in this regard. No complaints of any significance were highlighted, and the general impression is that a meal here is “so smart, and of such quality”.

2022 Review: The French cuisine may not be cutting-edge, but it is both consistent and highly accomplished at this ten-year-old restaurant with rooms in north Surrey. Chef owners Laurent Pacaud and Martin Bradley ran the business as a catering company for ten years before that.

“Probably the most luxurious restaurant in the Tunbridge Wells area” – “Richard Phillips’s modern French gourmet flagship is still popular with the area’s well-heeled consumers of fine dining” and – though arguably “not as high-profile as it once was” – remains one of the top-100 most commented-on restaurants in our annual diners’ poll. All reports attest to its “lovely location in a very attractive Regency villa” and “lovely, finely pitched service”. On the downside, the food can be “a bit hit ’n’ miss”: mostly it’s to a “good standard”, but there is also the odd report suggesting it’s “technically fine but with some over-fussy, confused elements”, notwithstanding the “beautiful presentation”. (A romantic and business recommendation, no-one claimed it as providing their top gastronomic experience of the year). Top Tip – “exceptional-value set lunch”.

2023 Review: A “family favourite” for its “lovely atmosphere and brasserie food” – and handily close to Tunbridge Wells station – this spin-off from the ever-expanding Ivy operation is well regarded by most reporters, but also suffers from the complaints commonly levelled against its Identikit siblings: most especially indifferent cooking that’s “poor value for money”.

This “extremely popular” 16th-century free house with four bedrooms, in a hilltop village in the Sussex Weald, has everything you want in a country pub, from “very good cooking” and beamed interiors to “a lovely pint of Harvey’s”.

2021 Review: “For a thoroughly enjoyable traditional afternoon tea (HdV certainly make an occasion of this British tradition)”, or “a very good full English”, this fine-looking mansion still wins praise. However, more serious dining from its French bistro menu, as supported by its trademark wine list, attracted too little commentary for a rating last year.

2021 Review: This “delightful pub with an excellent garden” on the edge of Ashdown Forest wins solid ratings for an inviting menu of locally sourced dishes. A family-run freehouse, it also has a strong list of local beers, wines and ciders.

“The service just gets better every year” at Tony McDermott’s “ultra-reliable fish’n’chip restaurant in an unprepossessing suburb of Croydon”, where “high-quality fish, usually cod, haddock and plaice, supplemented by scampi and chicken dishes” have been enjoyed since 1987. Its “very personable ambience” and “great value” make it a “family favourite” that is “worthy of repeated visits”.

“Very good in all respects… and it’s NOT in London!” – Andrew McLeish is entering his 25th year of owning this “stylish” well-known destination a short drive from Bromley: “a welcome spot in a culinary desert thanks to its high standards” and a favourite for many occasions (including a “romantic” celebration among a widespread fan club that includes a huge number of reporters living in BR postcodes). “A consistent friend that never disappoints”, “service is professional and friendly”, the cuisine is of “high quality”, the setting is “comfortable” and “there’s a good choice of wines by the glass from the Coravin system”. There’s an à la carte menu and brasserie section as well as a fancier ‘Gourmet Menu’ at £125 per person.

“Still hitting the mark”, according to one diehard long-term fan: this family-run Cantonese fixture on the high street once had a national reputation as a favourite of the late Gary Rhodes; and although it doesn’t inspire the huge volume of feedback it once did, is still said to be “consistently good” by all who opine on it.

This well-established dining pub – named after war poet Siegfried Sassoon, who lived nearby – “still maintains a high standard of unpretentious cooking in relaxed surroundings” under the new leadership of “top chef” Lee Adams, originally from Kent, who spent 10 years working in Dubai and Hong Kong. Ratings were slightly dented, though, by the account of one long-term fan who feels it “used to be a go-to but has lost it”.

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

“In a delightful village”, this “scenic” gastroboozer-with-rooms continues to please, two years after longtime owners the Pullan family handed the keys to the Young’s group; the “best atmosphere is in the bar” (as opposed to the annexe), though the “great garden” remains the standout here, offering lovely views of the Ouse countryside.