Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Bidborough
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Bidborough restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 8 restaurants in Bidborough and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Bidborough restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Bidborough Restaurants
1. Kentish Hare
British, Modern restaurant in Bidborough
95 Bidborough Ridge - TN3
In a “pretty village setting” (“what’s not to like about sitting under a pergola in the Kent countryside?”), seasoned restaurateurs the Tanner brothers run this much-garlanded gastroboozer. The food choices are “simply cooked” but “not mundane like you could do yourself” (indeed, “to call this pub food would be truly a disservice”).
2. Thackeray’s
French restaurant in Tunbridge Wells
85 London Rd - TN1
“Perhaps the most luxurious restaurant in Tunbridge Wells” – this “very smart Regency villa where [W.M.] Thackeray lived” provides a “very attractive” location for a meal; and is also praised for its “lovely, finely pitched service”. But while Patrick Hill’s well-regarded cuisine continues to win praise, there was also the odd reporter this year who felt it was “technically fine but with some over-fussy dishes that didn’t let the good-quality ingredients fully shine”.
3. The Beacon Kitchen
British, Modern restaurant in Tunbridge Wells
Tea Garden Lane - TN3
This “smart and trendy location” from the ‘I’ll Be Mother’ group, set in an Arts & Crafts house with “lovely views” over Happy Valley, offers “high-quality food, attentive service and great surroundings”. There’s also “a nice terrace for meals, if the weather permits”. Not surprisingly, it’s “popular and often hard to book”.
4. Hotel du Vin & Bistro
British, Modern restaurant in Tunbridge Wells
Crescent Road - TN1
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.
5. The Ivy Royal Tunbridge Wells
British, Modern restaurant in Tunbridge Wells
46-50 High Street - TN1
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”.
6. Tallow
British, Modern restaurant in Southborough
15a Church Road - TN4
It’s been a good year for Rob & Donna Taylor, who moved to this “charming, cramped little room in a fun stripped-out townhouse in Southborough – a near-neighbour of Tunbridge Wells” – and who topped the Good Food Guide’s list of Top 100 local restaurants in July 2023 just two years after their opening (having moved here in 2021 from The Compasses Inn in Crundale). For a second year, it is one of the more commented-on venues outside the capital in our annual diners’ poll: the “highly skillful” food is “out of this world” and available à la carte (yay!) as well as in an alternative tasting format. Dishes include “plenty of well-judged strong touches” and “the presentation, balance and clarity of flavours are standout” (“meat cookery is a highlight, but the pastry section runs it a close second”). “Staff are super-sweet too and know their stuff!”. “The overall feeling is of a place that’s fairly priced (if not cheap) and a special place for a special occasion”.
7. The Bicycle Bakery
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Tunbridge Wells
118-120 Camden Road - TN1
2023 Review: “Absolutely delicious coffee and pastries” – all made in-house – are on offer at this “bakery with a couple of tables” – “and you can leave with a perfect sourdough loaf”. Founder Jamie Tandoh was the first independent sourdough baker in Tunbridge Wells when he opened in 2014. Top Tip – “the best croissants”.
8. The Square Peg
British, Modern restaurant in Royal Tunbridge Wells
46 Camden Road - TN1
2023 Review: This tiny Tunbridge Wells restaurant has just 5 tables, serving 12-14 covers, and offers a six-course menu. The work of a self-taught chef, Rob Marshall, it has yet to generate feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but looks worth a go.
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