Bell Bar & Brasserie in Dover

Took advantage of the rare beautiful weather in October to have lunch outdoors at this property. Perhaps being outdoors caused the serving staff to loose their focus as service was very slow including failure to bring some of our ordered drinks. Food wise however the experience was excellent in terms both of flavour and presentation.

Quick lunch stop Good menu choices even though limited Tasty food Excellent service Lovely surroundings Fabulous outdoor space 😎

A lovely pub ruined by poor management. They are disinterested and obviously not customer focused. Service is poor- manager really off. They turn away customers when they the staff want to go home. Such a shame as it could be a gem. Decided to close early at 10.15 despite that not being the hours advertised. What a shambles !! Don’t waste your time or money on visiting

Very disappointed by our visit today. Went inside to order a couple of drinks at the bar, only to be told it was waitress service only, find a seat and you will be served. Found a table, it was not busy at all, couple of beers arrived, we asked about a snack to eat, menu was provided and that was it. Forty minutes later, no sign of anyone to take our order, the place was quiet and staff just chatting amongst themselves, oblivious of customers! Went to the bar, paid for 2 drinks, made the comment that we would have ordered food however far to busy!!!! Comment was sorry! Avoid this expensive venue if you want service. This is yet another Shepard and Neame failure within the hospitality business, they should keep to brewing beer.

Food was very good and well cooked. A slightly limited menu. We sat outside, table very wobbly. Waitress acknowledged this and said they are all wobbly. If that's the case, you need to get stabalizers and sort the issue out. The open crab sandwich was excellent, as was the fish finger sandwich.

I totally enjoyed my hour or so here. Ultra professional and friendly bar staff, comfy sofa, perfect lighting ( I was on my own and I could read my paper but the lighting was still moody), what appeared to be a fun clientele, good wine, excellent fish and chips, perfect location. I was told by a down-at-heel rival that I would pay through the nose here but the price seemed fair. Recommended. The only criticism is the management don't so have sorted out their TripAdvisor entries. There appears to be some duplication"

Brilliant and friendly service and was lovely sitting outside watching the world go by. The food was very very food, so much so we went for lunch two days running.

We wanted to have a drink and were told at the bar that it was table service only. Sat down and waited - four staff members were busy arranging tables and chairs and ignored us. It was not busy, but nobody came to take our order. Finally someone arrived, took an order from a couple who arrived after us, ignored us and walked off. At that point we left and will not go back. Sort out your service The Bell - there is no excuse for ignoring customers. Would give 0/5 if that was an option.

Great setting, super staff - extremely helpful with mobility scooter access etc. Great menu, good quality food. Nice inside and out. Highly Recommended

Great pub bistro style food and not at all over priced. Really enjoyed the evening - staff were superb and great atmosphere too.

Had drinks and bar food here today with our dog. We ate in the bar, but there is also a more formal restaurant. Very friendly staff, courteous service. Freshly made sandwiches on sourdough bread, eggs, ham and chips served very hot and fresh. Bowls of water for the dog outside. Very nice traditional atmosphere, relaxed. Decor is seaside theme, and a nice view across the Quay. A mixture of dog owners with their pets, and young couples with babies.

nous avons dîner sur place, dormant au Bell. Animé mais agréable, service ok. Le burger et le fish & ships super frais

Visiting Sandwich & looking for a quick lunch we stopped at The Bell. Primarily as it had an outside seating area that we could sit with our dog. Food & drinks ordered at bar. The husband was advised that they only had sandwiches available as they’d had a kitchen fire. So ham & tomato sandwich & a crab open sandwich were ordered. We then waited & waited. It was not busy but we waited over half an hour with no apology when they finally arrived. Well the ham & tomato sandwich was horrible dry tasteless bread with a tiny amount of ham & tomato. No thought in presentation given to the food either. Absolutely horrible ate just some of it as was so hungry. The open crab sandwich was slightly better but no way worth the £10 it cost. For some reason the small amount of crab was swathed in mayonnaise which lost the taste of the crab. Oh how I wish we’d looked at TripAdvisor reviews before we sat down. When we complained were told there was nothing they could do. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Nice place but a shame that , when you want a mid-morning cup of coffee, that you can't have a scone or toasted teacake or cake. Not everyone wants a fry up at 10 in the morning and toast is a bit dull.

Good lunch/brunch menu, popular with locals, visitors and golfers. Not been in the evening but often see lots of guests sitting outside drinking in the evening sunshine.

Ideal for lunch or dinner. Good selection. Attentive staff. Comfortable surroundings would eat here again

This is a good locations for drinks with friends, lunch or evening. Coffee or something a bit stronger.

Should have known not to eat here when we were the only people in the restaurant. The people of Sandwich know better than to eat here. Food disappointing but the whole experience was really ruined by the rudeness of the staff. One of the Manager's brought over our dessert and when putting the plate on the table he knocked by boyfriend's phone on the floor - he turned on his heel and left immediately - no niceties and no apologies - this sums up our entire experience. We stayed in the hotel which was even worse. More uncomfortable bed than the discount hostels I've stayed in in Asia and items stolen from our room. The presence of guests is treated like an inconvenience. Will be writing to Shepherd Neame but after looking at other reviews it appears I shouldn't expect them to care about our bad experiences either!

After a walk to Sandwich Bay-a beer was needed The Bell Brasserie was very welcoming. A table was found for us although we were not eating-staff were great, would definitely return.

A good breakfast on the morning of Christmas Eve it was open early in the morning and ready for customers . It had amazing service and great facilities ! Would recommend for any special occasion you are planning !

Visited here one afternoon in the Summer, a couple of friends and I sat outside. There was a decent range of beverages. I only had a little bite to eat which was the soup of the day and it was French onion soup. The soup was beautiful and the bread which came with it was delicious. The service was brilliant. The young guy which served me had a good sense of humour, was extremely welcoming and offered a brilliant service. I would recommend visiting if you are ever in the area.

We came here for pre dinner drinks waiting for family to arrive, we were very fortunate to find a table outside.Good professional service from bar staff, they served a very dry french rose which tasted wonderful but although straight from fridge i think it needed to be much colder to suit my taste i will certainly be trying it again, as always here the ambience is great, a wonderful place just to sit and people watch as its right by the toll bridge and right on the Quay.

I took my mother to the Bell. We both had two courses. I had possibly the worst Roast Dinner ever. Starter was a bland Chicken Liver Pate with underdone toast (yes). Beef was three thin strips (ca.4 x ca 1.5 inches of dried beef from yesterday presented with soggy roast potatoes, overboiled veg and no gravy. When I asked for gravy the waitress said it is served with gravy so I pointed to the plate and she said Oh I'll get some. My Mother had a bland tasteless fish pie and a brownie with a very small scoop of ice cream.

Several items on the menu not available. When the food eventually arrived we had squid with mint sauce (seriously) instead of the the advertised sweet chillii sauce, a fish cake that was 90% potato with trace quantities of fish and hummous that was entirely without flavour. Everything was cold and badly overcooked in a deep-fat fryer.

Finished off our evening with a coffee and a drink after a lovely meal at Luigis. Love the bar in The Bell. It has a really comfortable, cosy feel to it. Very welcoming waiter (Alex) who came over very quickly to serve us. Mum had a decaffeinated tea which was lovely and husband and I had lovely coffees, and a nice touch the coffees came with a chocolate curl biscuit too. Had a nice chat with the staff, Alex and Theresa - lovely youngsters, very attentive. Often came in here after work with a friend and always sat to the right of the door on the comfy sofa - a lovely place to watch the world go by and a really nice buzz to the place. Often seen older people (singles and couples) and mothers with babies in buggies having a coffee during the day - lovely, welcoming atmosphere.

The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed .There are usually plenty of people using the bar area which adds to the general buzz.The staff are welcoming and give good service .We enjoy the food choices from either the main restaurant menu or brasserie .

No change from my visit last year in terms of the food. I was staying here on a special package that included 1 dinner, and what a disappointment it was. My fish was over cooked and covered in salt and strangely came without any potatoes or vegetables. Cheese course very poor, all 3 portions were very old and when I turned over the cheddar it had a large black section dotted with mould. Staff were very friendly and helpful and I felt really sorry for them as they are trying so hard and being let down by the kitchen. Wines by glass haven’t changed, still no Kentish wines and unfortunately I was served with dirty glasses 3 times over the 2 days. Such a shame as it’s a lovely airy room with a super terrace close to the river of this beautiful village.

This is my partner’s favourite place to pop in for a coffee or lunch. The setting is lovely, but the food could be better. The burgers are dry and over cooked, even a bit burnt. They need to trust their meat and keep it juicy and moist by not cooking so long. Fish and chips are fine, but chips are too fat for our liking as there are not enough crispy edges. They just need to up their game in the kitchen please.

poor quality, poor food, awful stay, need to find somewhere else to stay in future much to our disappointment after 10 years

Staff brought Coffee, tea and cake as ordered but were not seen again. Three types of cake were produced and the Victoria sponge was the wrong choice as it was a bit dry. This is the second time our group has been there but I am still not convinced I would like to eat a meal there.

I had lunch at The Bell today with friends. Great venue, good wine but let down by the food. Small, overpriced portions for half of us. My vegetable provencale bouillibase with aioli and toasted sourdough bread was neither a soup nor a stew, but a few slices of griddled courgettes, aubergine, onion and courgette with a chunky tomato sauce at the side. What the aioli lacked in garlic, it made up for in vinegar, and when the sourdough came (after I had asked where it was), it was greasy and had a strong taste of "dirty grill". After making my disappointment known to the waitress, there was no further response. Dessert was great and, I believe, bought in ready made. Such a shame as the venue is beautiful.

Had the pork belly for dinner it was very nice, the staff were really friendly especially the young chap waiting on the tables I think his name was David. Lovely location and will definitely be arranging a return visit.

We stopped in for early Sunday lunch after a morning walk. Good location, nice outside area marred by very uncomfortable chairs, so we sat inside, very smart and modern conversion of an old inn. They only offered us the pricey set Sunday lunch menu, not the alternative of the brasserie menu. The roast beef looked like it was cooked *after* it was sliced, very well done, and not much of it. The salmon was rather bland, supposedly marinaded but no detectable taste, needed a dill or similar sauce. The Yorkshire pudding was good, as we're the vegetables.

Either inside or outside, this place is a great place to eat or drink. Good choice for lunch or dinner.

Visited the bell hotel for a drink with family and friends. The location was perfect, shame the staff let the place down. Waited at the bar for nearly 10 mins, the girls were more interested in chatting to each other than serving customers. First and only visit.

Three of us called in the Bell Hotel for a sandwich at lunchtime but looking at the menu saw "hand-cut...

Very pleasant place to visit. Staff friendly and helpful. We spent quite a bit of time sitting outside in the...

Cuatro de nosotros tuvimos un almuerzo tarde aquí durante el Sandwich Ale y Festival de Folclore el sábado. El bar estaba a tope, con un montón de intenciones viendo los actos fuera, en un escenario creado por la Barbacana, venían para llevar refresco. Cogimos una...

Trattandosi del ristorante all'interno dell'albergo migliore del paese siamo arrivati carichi di aspettative. Bello il locale, buono il servizio, i piatti nella media a prezzi nella media. Nulla di speciale.

Ordered the club sandwich whilst in sandwich- pardon the pun! Great service, friendly Spanish chap at the bar and lively outside terrace area fabulous whilst in the sun! Good central point too and very busy for mid-week which is healthy to see.

Had lunch outside on a not an especially busy day and the service was absolutely impossible - we were still waiting for 2 main meals when the other 2 diners had eaten their starters and nearly finished the mains - and this was after the starters had been delivered to 2 diners at the same time.With so many other really good restaurants in Sandwich will definitely not be going again

We came and eat outside for lunch last week - food was nice and it was a glorious day - what let it down was the state of the outside area. It needed a good sweep and may be a jet wash. How can you allow this area to look so dirty??

Can't undetstand why this place doesn't have a higher rating. Would rarely bother to post a review of fish & chips but was so pleasantly surprised by the quality I felt it necessary. Asked the charming lady who took our order if the chips could be well done as we do not like them mushy. What arrived was maybe one of the best fish & chips ever. Cooked to perfection. No grease and well done chips accompanied by a nice home made tartar sauce. Wish I lived near by as would be back often.

We just had drinks in the bar and a main course in the restaurant. The food was well prepared: the steaks were cooked as we liked and the side dishes appetising. Reasonable choice of wines.

foods okay, priced about right but the service can be a bit hit and miss.Nice in the summer to sit outside and watch the world go by.

Light and airy bar beautifully furnished with a lovely terrace overlooking the centre of this beautiful historic village. Yet again a disappointing visit, and once again it's all down to poor management. On the first day I stopped by to try a glass of local wine, and when I asked for the winelist I was asked "white or red?" Not a good start, and disappointingly for a brewery owner based in Kent there was no choice of Kentish wines. Second visit I saw they had a glass of Cava for £4.25, however there was a very nice lady behind the bar who said she needed to check with the Manager if she could sell it as she doesn't usually work behind the bar. What are they doing putting this poor, untrained young lady there in the first place? Even then the Manager had told her they didn't have any when clearly I could see the bottle in the chiller. They have so much potential but sadly this is not the first time I've had poor service.

Have lived in Sandwich for two and a half years now. Love The Bell as a place to drink.it is a nice modern trendy pleasingly decorated place to have a drink but the food is really quite quite bad. We eat there every 4 months or so in the hope that the chef has changed and the food would have improved. But no, it never changes. Badly cooked, fresh ingredients are not fresh. Food items on the menu switched for other inferior food items. No taste, just disappointing. Breakfasts are good but only served until 11:00. We have eaten Sunday lunch there and this is acceptable. What a waste of a great opportunity for providing something special to the town. Great to sit on the terrace and watch the world go by with a drink.

My daughter was on her lunch break so we needed to be quick.She had the lobster bisque with fresh bread and I tried the soft shell crab salad, and we shared. Both were delicious and freshly made. Quiet in October but speedy service enabled us to relax for an hour. Unfortunately we returned in January to find that they weren't doing any lunchtime food on a Friday as too quiet.I would happily try to eat there again next time we're in Sandwich

Bright space with an informal and casual feel. It's pub grub done very well indeed and at a good price. Staff are very attentive and pleasant contributing to the overall relaxed feel. Located by the river there is ample parking which is free in the winter. An excellent stopping place for lunch if you are in Sandwich.

We came here first on Saturday night for a light meal, and again on Sunday for lunch. The staff had no problem seating us on Saturday, despite not having a reservation and we received genuinely fantastic service from everyone, but especially from a really nice guy called Shane (With the New Zealand accent!). The atmosphere is calm and relaxing, and there are some beautiful photographs around the restaurant of local areas.We all enjoyed our food. I had butternut squash gnocchi, which was delicious! Very simple but exactly what I needed. My parents only had side dishes, as they ate a big lunch but no one made any comments or fuss, it wasn't a problem at all which was great. Brilliant selection of wines as well. Sunday lunch was also great, we had the avocado wrap with sweet potato fries - everyone should try them! And it was a lovely relaxed setting, with great service again.One thing I would like to mention is that although the service was excellent, some of the staff seem young and perhaps inexperienced and were quite openly gossiping and giggling, which I feel was inappropriate. Otherwise I would definitely recommend this place as I enjoyed my meals and experience here.

My parents invited us for dinner and decided to book the Bell. They are frequent day time visitors to the Bell and were thrilled that the evening service was as good as the service they receive during the daytime. Faultless service, excellent food and a wonderful ambience. The lighting in the restaurant area is very inviting. The portion sizes were generous and the menu had a good variety of choices. Definitely a hot favourite and we will be revisiting soon. The location is wonderful and outside the restaurant the trees are beautifully lit, adding something extra special.

The location of the Bell is superb, with lovely views of beautiful Sandwich, including the historic Barbican and the River Stour.There is always a good selection of beers available; Asahi, Whitstable Bay, Oranjeboom etc. and the service is invariably friendly.The decor is extremely attractive and the outside space is a wonderful place to watch the world go by, weather permitting of course.Highly Recommended!

This place could be so good as it's right-by the Quay and has lovely views, but they lack the staff! They have one person behind the bar and there is always a queue of people waiting to be served. Also, food as this place is hit and miss as well.

Very good service and excellent food! Recommend it for snacks and meals! Very comfortable surroundings!

We were looking for somewhere for a cold drink and a snack having been in the park so we popped into the Bell as they have a sign that states coffee and snacks available. The only snacks were crisps or 2 stale croissants, we asked about getting toast from the breakfast menu to be told they had stopped breakfast (we were 5 mins late). We asked if they ever have cakes and were told only when they were not busy! Don't advertise what you don't have - simple. We also heard people complaining about their breakfasts and mistakes that had been made.In the end we were charged nearly £9 for 1 diet coke, 2 lime and soda and 2 stale croissants.

There is a good choice with some of the menu the same as the dining room and extras such as burgers and more usual bar food.

Considering this place is presumably a flag ship for Shepherd Neame they really need to educate their bar staff on the art of real ale.Enthusiastic barman but the product didn't match this unfortunately. Very average beer clearly near the end but not recognised by bar staff and OMG £4.15 for a pint of bitter!!!!Nice location but never worth that!...I wld try a few other pubs round the town for something a bit more drinkable and realistically priced!

The first rate service from the bar and waiting staff, especially Charlotte, is let down by the absolutely awful food. Having had a few extremely bad meals in this hotel/bar, I thought that no one could spoil a lunch time sandwich. How wrong can you get! My colleague and myself ordered roast sirloin of beef sandwiches. Service from Charlotte was perfect but oh dear, the sandwich was dire. And remember, it was almost £7.00 for this "gourmet" wonder sandwich. What we got was good bread, smeared with margarine, not butter and "scragg end of beef" which was so full of gristle and sinew, the meat was unedible. When a food outelt charges a premium price, you would surely exepct a premium product. It was disgusting and shame on Shepherd Neame for this. It was an outrage. Given that a sister hotel in Tankerton serves the most sublime but simple food, why cannot the Bell do better?

Went for midweek evening meal for two. Service by young staff was excellent - very friendly and surprisingly efficient. Sadly, food was not as good as the young ladies and was extremely average. Limited menu, which is a good thing. Chicken was very processed and rather tasteless and few vegetables on either of our plates. Nice place but overall rather disappointing.

Yesterday we took a visitor for a quick sandwich in Sandwich...well we tried to! It was ok but the service was appalling. We waited for almost an hour for 3 sandwiches. It was busy but that is no excuse. If you know a particular day is busy you need to put in extra staff. Very disappointing and very expensive. We won't be returning again

A nicely laid out room with outdoor space as well. We had a selection of ordinary lunchtime light meals and they were all fine. Service was pleasant and prompt. It was just nothing special. Would probably return as value was perfectly acceptable and other lunches we've had in Sandwich haven't been much better. Just don't expect too much, but a £10 a head why would you?

I liked my tuna nicoise salad but my husband's pasta and chicken dish was too plain with no sauce, so it was rather dry.

It was a lovely sunny day today in Sandwich so we thought that we would pop in here for a drink on their terrace. There were very few customers, yet I had to almost rugby tackle somebody behind the bar in order to get served. In the meantime all the tables outside were filthy, with ashtrays overflowing. There was no shortage of staff but they all seemed to be busy doing anything other than serving customers or keeping the terrace tidy. It isn't cheap there either so I was very disappointed.

Visited twice here with my wife in May and on both occasions we had a very enjoyable light lunch in the pleasant bistro/bar. We found the staff very polite and helpful and we couldn't fault the place. Looking forward to visiting again when next in the area.

We sat in the sun enjoying a cup of tea and carrot cake one afternoon, and the following day ended our short break with coffee on the terrace. Not always easy to get decaffeinated Cappucino, but we did here. Very pleasant and friendly staff. Excellent.

very reasonably priced in the restaurant, good selection of meals, staff were very helpful and friendly, clean and tidy.

We stayed at the bell hotel as the restaurant is adjacent to it we decided to eat there. Nice menu good choice not to expensive 2 course with a bottle of wine was less than we expected at roughly £30 each so we were ore than happy great service with a smile would recommend it here

the soup of the day is always a nice surprise, the dover sole not bad but sometime you can have an excellent lunch or dinner and the other day a miserable one.

Shocking customer service. Barman did not know how to make drink. Was told that I would have to wait for my liquor coffee as it was a complicated process! And he couldn't make one. Really! Overall this is the 3rd time I have received a very poor service at the bar, it seems the staff have no training in customer care nor can they deal with a busy bar on a Saturday evening. Go to the Kings arms instead.

Nice outside terrace on a warm day, extra special with some sun.The Bell forms a triangle withe the Admiral Owen and the Crispin.

Friendly staff. Lovely warm fire. Table large enough for Great Granddad and Great Granddaughter to share their crisps without all out war breaking out!

Very nice, so visited twice to try lunch and dinner. Both pleasent experiences. Staff friendly enough and quiet attentive. It's a modern, roomy, tasteful venue and nicely decorated. Food good and prices competitive. Toilets clean, bar clean and dining room clean. Always appears to be busy. Also has rooms above. A good mixed crown. I think a must for all visitors.

Contemporary hotel bar, drinks a little pricey but worth that little bit extra as it's an amiable place to be. Good bar food at reasonable prices and a nice place to have breakfast too. Lovely stylish surroundings and if the sun is shining outside it's a great place to enjoy a few drinks with friends, or just watch the world go by!

Stayed here for 3 nights at £100 a night, not worth that at all. Room was quite shabby, no wardrobe and quite small. Staff were friendly. Very limited parking so if you cant park at the hotel you have to pay in a car park down the road. Breakfadt was ok but they are trying to be posh which doesnt work. Snobby place and over priced.

We stayed at this hotel ,had a few drinks in the bar and the prices were good and great staff.Breakfast was only so-so--My wife was asked if she wanted any sauce, she said Brown and Tomato ketchup was brought--They also mixed up the breakfast order and the fried eggs were like rubber

We have had lunch here twice and breakfast once. The service is excellent, the food is really good. The surroundings are really good, clean, stylish and well maintained. The prices are very reasonable. The staff are great. We couldn't a single fault on any of our visits if this isn't good enough for you, stay at home :-)

Had lunch at the Bell with 3 others and had to send back all 4 main courses. My Lemon Sole was so tiny covering only one third of the plate and the vegetables portions were tiny too- more like a starter. My fellow diners had steak which had been left to go cool and aws not hot to eat-so they took all 4 plates away and tried again. I opted for the beer battered cod a chips this time. All four main courses were excellent the second tim around and desserts of sticky toffee pudding finished off a good lunch.The quality is usually good here and we will be back soon.

We were a party of 8, adults and kids, service was fantastic. We sat in the restaurant but had the menu from the bar, which was more suitable for all of us. Good was tasty. Crab starter not perfect, but everything else was so good and kids had a great time!

Good variety of lunch foods and drinks. Nice ambience beside fire in winter and close to good car park. Early evening ask for their cocktail menu and be delighted

We were the only table, they got our order wrong. They were sorry and would give us complimentary desserts. They renaged on this when time to pay the bill as they stated that we were only being charged for our original order and as the steak they'd served was of a greater value ( not in our eyes) we were then charged for the extortionate price for one ice cream.A disappointing evening as we hadn't been in the Bell to eat for some ttime me so thought we'd try it as we are local. Sorry you have now lost our future custom. Much better p,aces to eat in Sandwich. A shame as it has been nicely decorated.

went to the bar for pre drinks prior to going out to eat elsewhere, insufficient staff for the number of clients given that there was also a wedding taking place. Staff were not friendly and the beer had run out

Went here as we were passing and it looked a lovely place to sit out and have lunch (it is a lovely place). Got two sandwiches, a bowl of chips and two drinks which came to £27. Chips average, sirloin steak sandwich which looked the steak had been steamed and left to go cold (and untrimmed so big pieces of fat and gristle on the side) , ham sandwich 'ok'. Overall waste of money and clearly trading on its position.

Great venue,good staff,poor food for the third time of trying.The only real hotel in town has a mediocre menu which is not what one would expect.

With a friend I recently stopped at the Bell Brasserie for lunch. The place was deserted when we arrived, and by then end of our experience we were not surprised!There were two ladies waitresses at the time. One cleaning glasses, who did not greeted us nor respond to our hello, and a second one who kept making mistakes! We ordered what was a pretty straight forward lunch from the menu, and instead of 2 dishes, the waitress got 3 to our table. Apologies came but we were still charged for 3 on the bill. Luckily we had checked it before paying! The atmosphere was cold and the service terrible. The food was decent but nothing exciting or that you would remember. I would not recommend this place.

We stopped here for a quick rest bite and a beer what a lovely pub very clean We sat out the front looking onto the bridge where the river flows the staff were so attentive and pleasant we ended up staying a couple of hours we only had snacks but have to say it was lovely and very reasonably priced

On our recent visit to Kent, I did look at this place to stay at as it has rooms as well, but it was full at the time of asking. Has some history by all accounts and has been an Inn for a few hundred years or so, but all brought up to date, looks like a normal English boozer from outside, but the interior is 21st century. We intilally stopped late afternoon on a saturday for a quick drink and a look see, and said we would come back in the evening ........... should have booked as said establishment was full, and we were told meals could be an hour late on orders, so we went elsewhere. So we did return on sunday evening, the staff could not be more attentive and helpful, they get 5 stars alone. General menu and Al a Carte, all good Albion grub. My partner had fish and chips, and I had pork belly portions are huge, two great big pieces of pork, also managed a couple of puds which were top notch. all very good washed down with a Kentish ale, on reading the bottle the oldest brewers in Blightly, it told as well absolute corker high in proof but a bloody nice drop matey. So yes nice English hospitality Pub, lots seating outside, could be nasty on a hot day with that Kentish Brew !!!!!!!!!!!!

My sisters and I had previously visited The Bell Hotel in Sandwich and had a nice roast and decided to meet up again. £14.95 for two courses for a Sunday lunch is reasonable as the place itself is very pleasant. However, the service we received was appalling and I would never return again. We ordered three roast beef dinners. When they arrived the beef looked very rare but as we all like our beef rare/pink we thought it would be ok. However both of my sisters was raw. One sister choked on her first mouthful as she couldn't swallow it. I swapped a piece that was pink with my other sister as I was starving and can eat anything and wanted her to be able to eat. When asked by the waitress how the meal was, my eldest sister pointed out that the meat was not cooked. We did not want to make a fuss and said we would persevere as I had literally just swapped the piece of meat over. However, it became clear that the meat was too uncooked and when another waitress asked how the meal was my sister explained that two plates of the meat was not cooked. The waitress asked what they could do to rectify the situation and my sister asked if a couple if slices of cooked / pink beef could be bought out in a side plate and that would be fine and not interrupt out meal. When the waitress returned she said that was not their policy and that she could take all three plates away. We still didn't want to make a fuss, so said to leave it and we would eat the veg. and luckily for me (as i was starving!) i can manage to eat raw beef. When the plates were cleared my eldest sister asked the waitress if she could show the chef the meat on my sisters plate and ask him if in his opinion if it was cooked. The waitress did not come back with a reply despite returning to the restaurant. My sister called hat over and asked if there was a reply to her question to which the waitress replied " the chef said that its always served like that". What utter nonsense!!! Other diners were clearly appalled with how we were being treated and two ladies were tutting their disgust at the manner in which we were treated. Another waitress came over and the situation went from bad to worse. Finally she went away and came back saying that they would knock the price of one meal off. To be perfectly honest, this situation need not have happened, we don't get to meet up often and we are happy with just edible food but the way that we were treated was truly appalling and giving the establishment one star for service is one too many!!! The surrounding are lovely but I will never set door in there again. The chefs comments were arrogant and the two waitresses should not ask people how their meals are if they can't deal with a basic problem.

This was my first visit to the Bell and I wasn't disappointed. Inside it is very nicely decorated and feels very cosy and welcoming. The food was delicious and the service was very good indeed. Would highly recommend.

Freshly modernised bar area, good choices of drinks and food so worth a visit. Terrace outside as well if the weather is nice.

My inlaws took my wife and myself here for a lunch, it started fine, the waiter who was pleasant enough, took our drink orders and I asked for a beer and was told they had all the Shepherd Neame beers so I asked for a Spitfire, then was told they hadn't got it. Not a good start. Starters were ordered but mine failed to arrive because it had been forgotten. When it did eventually arrive it was very nice. Next, the mains,my wife had to wait this time and the rest of us had eaten half of ours before hers had arrived. I had seafood spaghetti, steer clear!! It's was dry and more or less cold. Now you would think nothing else could go wrong!! Dessert was ordered, my mother in law had the cheeseboard, and the crackers that went with the cheese were stale and damp. So, that is the first and last time my wife and I will visit this hotel.

Travelled to Sandwich for a nice day out and lunch. Chose the The Bell as it it had a lovely look & feel about. The starters were very nice but very disappointed that after a long wait the pan fried liver on mash was barely warm and severely over cooked. Pasta dish was hot but my request for Parmesan was ignored. Wouldn't return.

Visited with my partner for a weekday meal out. We both ordered fish and chips. The fish batter was very oily and the fish itself was watery and tasteless, it was obviously poor quality and had been frozen. Bill came to about £40 for the meals, two G&Ts and a bottle of water! May as well have gone round the corner to the chippy!! Service as always was slow and untrained. Very disappointing.

Have to say with above average prices one expected a decent meal.... this has to be one of the worst meals we have had in a long time ~ I don't know what they did to the poor steak but it definitely wasn't medium rare or even really that edible!! Over priced, over rated and the waiting staff were terrible to the point of being rude. Asked for butter but the waitress forgot to bring it as in her words "she was busy doing something else"... waited nearly half an hour for main course after our starter, asked another waitress to chase it up and when I asked her if she asked the chef if our main was coming she just said "yes" and walked off!! no tip left. When I complained I was offered a free diet coke......Wont go there again either !!

On our visit to Sandwich we stopped offat the Bell hotel, near the quay for lunch, and we were very impressed with the service and the quality if the food, which was a reasonable price. The outside seating area was clean and tidy, although a little noisy at times because of being beside the road, but not too much of a problem really.From what we saw of the hotel (only ground floor areas), it was in a very tidy, clean and well presented condition. Staff were very polite and helpful, I would certainly go there again

Very nice and well located hotel, lovely external area of the restaurant and bar! It's just a shame about the service, they are not interested in offering a good service, lazy people on the bar, such a beautiful hotel deserves better employees

on friday 13th June I took my daughter here for lunch to celebrate the end of her exams, (I had eaten here a number of times before the hotel changed hands and really enjoyed the food.) I ordered the char grilled chicken salad and my daughter ordered the burger. When the food arrived my chicken was inedible, it had been beaten flat and cooked to the texture of shoe leather, I gave this back to a passing waitress. My daughter then opened the bun containing her burger, it contained what looked like a piece of charcoal, we then took this into the bar and showed a member of staff, alternative food was offered but we were running out of time. They explained that the chargriller was broken ! and someone had tried an alternative method to cook these dishes. How anyone with pride in their kitchen could send food out like this, I cannot understand. I will certainly not eat here again.

As a local my partner and i regularly visit the Bell for breakfast or drinks of an evening. We have sampled many breakfasts in various establishments and can assuredly say The Bell is tops for breakfast and service, The food is of great quality - worth every penny. The staff are attentive and helpful especially the waiter Nick and Emma. In the evenings Dan is always on hand behind the bar so all in all we are very grateful to have such a nice place to go on our doorstep.

If you've worked hard all week and are looking forward to being spoilt then dont go to the Bell. From 3 courses they managed to serve one-the main! When we asked where our starters were they said that they would take the mains back but we'd waited long enough. No drinks were served at the table so ate most of my mealwith my sons water. After sitting with empty plates for over 20 minutes we decided to ask for the bill. To be clear; of the 10 tables in our section only 3 were occupied!

Came here for a family birthday, felt like we were inconveniencing the staff by being there and nearly passed out from the perfume worn by one waitress (not pleasant when serving food) had to wait a long time for food and found it lacking in flavour and very disappointing for this calibre of restaurant. They were also unable to accommodate a change to a dish. They did however apologise for this experience and did reduce our bill accordingly. I don't think we would go back.

Very poor service considering there no more than a dozen people there; food when ti arrived was reasonable