Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Sevenoaks
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Sevenoaks restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 35 restaurants in Sevenoaks and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Sevenoaks restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Sevenoaks Restaurants
1. Indian Essence
Indian restaurant in Petts Wood
176-178 Petts Wood Rd - BR5
TV chef Atul Kochhar’s smart subcontinental, in the SE London ‘burbs, is “still a joy” – the “delicious and succulent” cooking being “a far cry from the average Indian cuisine”. The two- or three-course weekend lunch attracted particular acclaim this year for its “excellent value” (“it was packed and I can see why!”).
2. The Old Bank
British, Modern restaurant in Westerham
8 Market Square - TN16
Adam & Emma Turley’s converted bank in this Kent town just beyond the M25 wins high ratings all-round: “a cool place”, with “wonderful food and very good wine”, plus “a lovely engaging front of house crew”: “highly recommended”. There’s a five-course tasting menu for £75 per person, or go the whole hog and have the eight-course version for £105 per person.
3. The George & Dragon
British, Traditional restaurant in Chipstead
39 High St - TN13
This sixteenth-century pub, complete with beams, log fires and an updated interior, has a “great small menu which changes constantly”. A “lovely spot” for a meal, “whether inside in the winter or in the garden in the summer”.
4. 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”).
5. Xian
Chinese restaurant in Orpington
324 High St - BR6
“Still hitting the mark” – this family-run Cantonese flies more under the radar than once it did, but inspires nothing but positive reports from its loyal fan club (“consistently good… never had a bad meal here”).
6. The Haycutter
British, Modern restaurant in Oxted
Tanhouse Road - RH8
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.
7. Chapter One
International restaurant in Locksbottom
Farnborough Common - BR6
“A jeweled oasis” in the southeastern London ’burbs – this “exceptional venue continues to maintain the highest standards of hospitality” in an area a short drive from Bromley where there’s “not much competition”. Chef/Patron Andy McLeish trained under Nico Ladenis and has been at the stoves here since 2000 (with head chef Dean Ferguson joining shortly thereafter). “Reliably high-quality food” is provided in a “well-appointed” setting. Top Menu Tip – “jugged hare was a particular treat, not often seen on menus nowadays!”
8. The Swan
British, Modern restaurant in West Malling
35 Swan St - ME19
This modernised village inn “never fails to please” with an attractive brasserie-style menu that’s “great for a casual lunch”. A covered garden adds to the package.
9. 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”.
10. 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”.
11. 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.
12. 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”.
13. Chez Vous
French restaurant in Warlingham
432 Limpsfield Rd - CR6
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.
14. The Poet
British, Traditional restaurant in Matfield
Maidstone Rd - TN12
“The service and food are simply sublime” at this “lovely pub” – named in honour of the First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon, who lived nearby – which has served “the most accomplished food” for some years. South African-born chef-patron Petrus Madutlela, who has masterminded the venue’s gastronomic rise since 2015, departed in early 2023 and is replaced by Lee Adams, who worked for the late Gary Rhodes and returns to his native Kent after a decade running kitchens in Dubai and Hong Kong. Early reports suggest standards remain very high under the new regime, although consistency may be an issue.
15. McDermotts Fish & Chips
Fish & chips restaurant in Croydon
5-7 The Forestdale Shopping Centre Featherbed Ln - CR0
Tony McDermott’s “great fish ’n’ chip shop” has earned an enviable reputation for its “fantastic fish and really good service” over almost 40 years – making a less-than-glamorous corner of Croydon “well worth a visit”.
16. Bank House Wine Bar & Kitchen
British, Modern restaurant in Chislehurst
11 High Street - BR7
2021 Review: This September 2019 yearling in the heart of the town (occupying a former NatWest bank, hence the name) is notable for its owner: Stuart Gillies is the former CEO of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant group, and has launched this venture with the help of wife Cecilia. Previously a chef, Gillies has devised a ‘European small plates’ menu for the two-floor wine bar.
17. Cinnamon Culture
Indian restaurant in Chislehurst
97 High St - BR7
This contemporary curry house wins solid ratings for its food, with unusual chef’s signature dishes including a mixed grill of achari ostrich filet, chicken tikka and lamb chop. Family-run, it transferred to Chislehurst after a decade in Plaistow Lane, Bromley.
18. Rosa's Thai Cafe
Thai restaurant in Greenhithe
The Plaza Upper Gallery, Bluewater Shopping Centre - DA9
2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.
19. Miller & Carter Bexley
Steaks & grills restaurant in Bexley
Bourne Rd - DA5
2023 Review: “Very busy steak-centric restaurant” (part of a chain owned by pub giant Mitchells & Butlers) that is one of the more commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll in the poorly served ’burbs to the south east of the metropolis. The food is “reliable”, “without being exceptional” and – notwithstanding some blips regarding service and management generally – this can be a “reasonable” destination in the locale.
20. Chai Naasto
Indian restaurant in Beckenham
2 - 4 Fairfield Road - BR3
This suburban subcontinental offers an unusual take on Indian street food, having been set up by three brothers keen to pay homage to their grandmother’s cooking, inflected by her travels in Africa and Saudi Arabia; its “authentic” recipes attract nothing but positive reports.
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