Chestfield Barn in Canterbury

We visited The Barn Saturday the 26th of April at 6pm. Occasionally I pop down to see my brother in Whitstable and this is the second time of visiting the barn. I have to say, I love the building, the staff and the food. The staff were attentive without being pushy and the ladies who served us were just brilliant. The food, my brother chose the Sirlion which he said was just fantastic but I chose the pie of the week? a lamb minted pie with chunky chips and a gorgeous side gravy. I like minted lamb but I've never had a minted lamb pie before. It was pure lushness and I'm a big fan now. It does get busy so booking is your best bet. There was a slight delay in the food arriving but when you see how packed it gets you'll understand why. If you want a great meal at a fair price in the area, then the Chestield Barn should be on your list.

We had a lovely Easter lunch here with our family. It was extremely busy so we had a little wait for our main course but considering how busy it was that was to be expected. Louse the general manager was keeping things running smoothly and the food was lovely when it arrived! Thanks for a lovely Easter Sunday :)

Good evening We have visited Chestfield barn twice. We came on 4 April, for my birthday meal. Our waitress was Ella. She was attentive, kind, and very cheerful. She made our meal so special, and enjoyable, and was even kind enough to add a candle on my cheeseboard, for me to blow out, to celebrate my birthday. This was such a kind gesture, and I was so touched. It made my birthday extra special. Ella is an asset to Chestfield barn, and you should be so proud of her. We also visited tonight (17 April) and again, Ella was extremely attentive, and kind, We had a really good laugh with friends, and again Ella's cheerful, outgoing personality, and kindness really made our evening extra special. Thank you so much Ella. You are a star! We love having you serving us! David Snook BEM

We have known and used the Barn for many years. Its various incarnations have not always been wonderful and some downright awful. Times when we became absentee customers. The current one, however, is really fab. The food is more than ample and really great, the service even better (Sarah and Ellie are simply wonderful) the decor and atmosphere really welcoming and comfortable. Highly recommended! Well done the Chestfield Barn and it’s exceptional staff for a fantastic job done! Sorry, no pics to upload!

Beautiful atmosphere, amazing service the team are super friendly!! Food is just amazing 🤩

Ordered food at 18:30 arrived 21:30, enough said. In response to the owners comment it was most definitely the Chestfield Barn. We visited from a local company, entertaining clients from abroad and it was not a good experience. There were 8 of us that night so easy to confirm with other reviews. As you will see from my other reviews I believe in honest feedback and that is what I have left for the Chestfield Barn.

This place caters for all age groups. Food is excellent and hot. Lovely old barn.

I visited my friends who took me to lunch. We had to wait 55 minutes for our meals. We were all disappointed with our meals. My friend had the Salmon and Prawns she had hardly any Salmon on her plate. I had the Salmon on Vegetables the Salmon was lovely but the veggies were too oily ( I did not complain as my friends had taken me to the Chestfield as a treat. My friends husbands meal was disgusting he ordered Filthy Fries, the fries were burnt dry and crispy, the cheese was rubbery and very chewy, and there was hardly any sauce. The Waitress were brilliant we gave them a generous tip because of the service they gave. My friends were very upset as they looked forward to taking me to the Chestfield Barn for a nice treat

Great food as always, nice ambiance. Service was great. Our waitress was Ella, she was very attentive. She is a credit to you, her service skills were 5*!

I have been here twice this weekend Saturday and Sunday and all I can say is fantastic, the staff are so friendly and welcoming the service here is some of the best we have had and down to the manager and team are so enthusiastic and friendly and we are down for a weekend stay and this place is an absolute treasure! The food and desserts are terrific! Highly recommend!

Worst Sunday lunch ever. If you're going to pack people in all day long make sure you have chefs that can reach a standard and stick to it. It was revolting

Visiting from Florida, Let me tell you, this place is a little slice of heaven!

Came to the chestfield barn last night with my family, the food was absolutely amazing, I had the burger and it was one of the best I have had, so much flavouring and cooked spot on,I also had the trifle which was amazing too ,I will definitely be back again.

Fairly good accessibility for wheelchair - entrance doors tricky to get through without help, but plenty of space inside. Level access from car park. Old style flagstones inside make for a bumpy ride but there's a good size disabled loo. The food on the set menu was delicious for a large group of 22 people in Feb 25.

Quick, friendly service and Food was spot on as always.

Exceptional food and the most lovely, attentive and welcoming staff, even on a busy Valentine’s Day evening.

Seated 17:35, saw for order relatively quickly, starters came in good time. All went fine until mains, we were cleared and then waited 40 mins for mains. The Restaurant wasn't heaving at the time, at least in the food section. No apology. Waited 10 mins for dessert menus to be brought to the table when other tables were asked if they wanted them while clearing. Generally, food was pleasant, service on this evening let it down.

This was an impromptu decision to out for Sunday lunch but absolutely no regrets. We were shown to our table by the general manager, a very personable lady, and then looked after by some lovely front of house staff, all very calm, helpful and smiley 😊 Considering the restaurant was extremely busy with several tables in excess of 12 covers we weren’t kept waiting for food or drinks. The roast was exceptional as were the desserts. It really was like a well oiled cog, everyone knew their role and the general manager was constantly but discreetly updating staff as each group arrived. So impressed. We will be back!

Went in today for a Sunday roast and as always the service was impeccable and the food superb! Not one fault and the prices as reasonable as ever.

Great New Year’s Eve at the Barn. Good sharing platters. Louise and her team were friendly and attentive which along with a really good DJ made for an excellent atmosphere.

We went to Chestfield Barn with our family for New Years Eve. This was the 1st time we've ever been out on NYE, so didn't know what to expect. The restaurant was decorated beautifully and had a great atmosphere upon arrival . We all had a lovely meal, and drinks to celebrate the New Year. There was a DJ playing a great selection of music throughout the evening/night. The atmosphere was great, and there was dancing and fun to be had by all. The staff are fantastic and very attentive, especially Louise who is always very friendly when you arrive and throughout your evening. She pays special attention to detail xx They all work extremely hard at Chestfield Barn, especially at this very busy time of year...It was really appreciated and Thank You again for such a great night. All the very best to you all for 2025. Elaine & Family xxx

Beautiful pub with so much character. The staff are really welcoming and the waiting team are really friendly. Nothing was too much trouble, they managed to squeeze in a large booking on new years day for us. Food was really good and reasonably priced. Definitely recommend!

The staff are very friendly and food is good

The Barn is a real gem, service is excellent, Louise is always friendly and makes you feel welcome , food is great and reasonably priced

Christmas menus was ok considering there was 11 of us we got what we requested alright they tried hard to appeal. Expensive time of year.

Went for works Christmas do. Everything was spot on, which is hard to achieve with busy services . Friendly staff, lovely niche in upstairs restaurant. I had the venison that was cooked perfectly, the fondant potato was lovely and soft. The gravy/jus was tasty. I was very happy! I wasn't sure about the poached pear I had ordered but again, this was absolutely delicious. I'll definitely be back

Fantastic venue. Service and ambience was spot on. Very highly recommended

Wow, wow, wow!!! This is such a beautiful place. Such a warm welcome and smiling staff. The food smelled amazing, and it looked amazing. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to eat here, but we will definitely be visiting again to sample the food.

Nice place good atmosphere food and drink what more could you ask for

Superb place! From the stunning building to the warm and friendly staff the whole visit was excellent. The food was amazing, I had the pork medallions and they were so tender and full of flavour. I can honestly say that I have never had better. We had an allergy and a coeliac in our group and the staff were brilliant with their advice and double checking everything to ensure that we were safe. They did not make us feel as though we were being difficult (as so many places do.) I would very highly recommend this place to anyone.

Attended a wake here a few weeks ago. The staff were polite and respectful. The Barn was beautifully decorated with fairy lights and had a really warm feel.

scampi very poor quality! miniscule bits of scampi too small to taste. Chicken goujons overcooked, burnt in fact. very dry and tasteless. we took them home for the dogs. We will not be returning!

21 of my friends and myself organised a steak night at The Barn . The food was fabulous the service from the friendly staff was both well organised and prompt .. we will definitely visit again.

Great Whitstable institution for things family and important!

Great service, staff and food. It was a new menu for us, which is fantastic choice and great quality 👌 👍 😀

Great food in a beautiful place with really friendly staff.

Visited on Sunday got greeted at the bar by Meels and Izzy, who were so friendly and welcoming! We had starters and mains which were both lovely, but had no room for dessert. Will definitely visit again!

Outstanding in every way. We have often visited Chestfield barn for lovely lunches and dinners so when it was our friends birthday we decided to eat at the barn with his mum, brother and friends. We asked if they could provide a cake and they couldn’t but said I could,bring my own. Our lovely waitress Lisa hid the cake, lit the candles and even carried it to the table singing Happy Birthday. Our dinner was lovely, we had a massive range of different dishes and all were excellent. My Vegetarian dirty fries were great. It was a truly joyous evening made special by the outstanding staff, particularly Lisa. I have rarely felt so welcome in a restaurant or enjoyed such great service all delivered with a lovely smile. Thank you Lisa, you are a star. Our friend flew over from Switzerland especially to celebrate his 60th birthday and he wasn’t disappointed.

It's best Barn (Druid era) pub/resturant place to go for a drink or grub to eat. Very relaxing and next to a golf course too + plenty of parking spaces at back.

A very busy and noisy place, probably understaffed and staff seem tired and stretched. Otherwise it has a 15th century ambience and feels special.

I was at a wake and was very well organised food exsalant

Lovely building with beautiful lighting and old beams. Great table service and friendly staff.

Really lovely food, beautiful setting. Plenty of parking

You must visit this pub/ restaurant. The building is stunning & food really good definitely worth a visit.

A wonderful place for a great time. excellent parking. outstanding food. wonderful service---I planned a gathering of 10 and the planner (Amelia) was outstanding and so helpful. very fair pricing. highly recommended

Booked Sunday lunch for 4 at 3pm. Ordered 2 x lamb and 2 x beef roasts. After 15 mins we were told there was no lamb but offered gammon as replacement - No thanks! Settled for steak & ale pie, waited another 10 mins to be told no pie left. Reluctantly settled for beef all round. 20 minutes later the meals arrived. Not a vegtable in sight, As there was no-one to ask we assumed maybe we had to order the veg seperately & started to eat. After another 5 minutes, the veg arrived in a bowl. The beef tasted ok, but the potatoes were hard on the outside and barely warm inside & the veg was definitely undercooked. We had 2x pints of beer and 1x glass of wine. I paid probably 2.5 times what it would have cost in a local carvery which in hindsight would have been a much better option. Needless to say we will not be eating there again.

Great location with a lot of character and lovely food

Had a fabulous meal with great service from all the staff. Thank you will come again soon.

The quality of the food and the service was excellent, the staff were very helpful, friendly, efficient and cheerful

Turned up at 8pm to get a table, drove all the way from Faversham only to be told the kitchen was shut even though advertised as 8.30pm - disappointed is not the word

All right perhaps our fault for accepting a 3.30pm table time for a Sunday roast but come on there we’re still lots of meals being served after we were seated.Lamb and Turkey were sold out so choices were chicken or beef.I had the beef which took a lot of chewing roast potatoes were rock hard .no none of us actually enjoyed our meals sticky toffee pudding was good Guinness was cold best 2 parts of the meal.service was pleasant.So book. early or have strong healthy teeth.

Excellent hospitality and good food

We just had a couple of glasses of wine wow £19 for 2 glasses 😯 it's just so expensive to drink out ,it's a lovely venue but a a little on the pricey side

we held our 30th wedding anniversary party here , we took over the whole Barn and Louise and her team were fantastic from all the planning we did ( we had a few meetings ) , to working with the chef ,and the whole evening was fantastic , we had about 100 guests and the atmosphere was great plenty of space for all our guests and the food was great , i would highly recommend this venue as the whole place looks and feels great , thanks again you made our anniversary special

Service is always good and the food is good

Lovely pub with great food and service. We arrived early on a rainy Saturday and got in for lunch but recommend booking- beautiful garden on a sunny day too, will be back. Had the filthy fries and a great burger with a real bun- no brioche here, hooray!

My friend and I came for a meal tonight to celebrate her birthday. We arrived, table wasn't ready and so we got a drink. Table was ready very swiftly and we sat and were given menus. We ordered our main and came in good time. The food was delicious, hot and a good portion size. I did have the chicken and did find it a little bland. However with what it came with it did enhance the flavours and was lovely. After the meal finished we asked for a break and will have dessert choices in a bit. We sat chatting and then realised we'd been left and no one came back to check on us and give us our dessert menus. I did ask for them and a member of staff said she would bring them over. They never arrived and so we just paid and left. Nothing was said or mentioned. Would have loved to have tried a dessert However it got too late and we chose a mcflurry at McDonald's instead. I will return However service needs to be a little better. Was a shame.

Great place for a meal, such a lovely location.

Wonderful thatched building next to a golf course. Good selection of beers and lovely interior. Gem of a pub. Food was excellent, cooked to perfection.

Gorgeous pub with an amazing garden that gets lots of sun. The food menu is great, a huge selection to choose from, including vegetarian. Staff were always attentive and helpful.

Fantastic food. Lovely pub and service is great too

Absolutely awesome food! Staff were welcoming and helpful with a smile on their faces. The ambience was great, and the Friday night band were top notch, too. We will definitely return!

Great times by the pond with friends :)

Dropped in at lunchtime today with my wife. What a lovely venue and atmosphere. Seafood salad platter was excellent. Service was excellent too. Many thanks!

Excellent food, plenty of it and delicious. Bar service was a little slow.

We were very pleased with the kindly service we received when booking the upstairs for a buffet for a number of people after Mum's funeral. It's not easy to gauge the number of people attending but our estimates, with their advice, worked very well, and we all enjoyed a varied and tasty buffet spread, with teas, coffees, and jugs of juices and water. The room was arranged perfectly and our photos were carefully and beautifully displayed. There is also the facility of the bar downstairs, which is great. David, who took our initial booking, and then Louise, the evening before, and Sarah, on the day, all kindly made sure everything went smoothly and according to plan. It's a great location for a special function. We were very pleased. Thank you to all at the barn.

Not enough staff. Instead of trying to cope and put the poor staff under pressure they should have cancelled bookings

Visited for a family meal on Wednesday evening. We received excellent service from the staff, Izzy in particular was fab. There was a wait on food but was worth it. The salmon supreme was delicious, and my partner enjoyed his seafood tagliatelle. We all opted for desserts which were also lovely. Will definitely return!

Nice place designed for the older generation 65 onwards, food was ok but could do with a revamp of the menu nothing new which you expect from any eatery, maybe do a more Mediterranean menu ... I wouldn't rush back nice staff thou

Well what an experience. Bought a bottle of wine and went to the garden to enjoy. On a large table was 3 couples all with children who were being allowed to run wild. One kid was pulling the flowers off the hanging baskets whilst another was snapping branches off a plant. The parents were sometimes shouting at the kids mainly because they was jumping off the wall onto the golf course lawn. the kids were walking along the brick wall knocking into us then we even had one of the dads chasing them and he’s arse in our face. After about 15 mins I asked them to keep it down and get control of their kids. This obviously upset them and one of the useless mothers decided to have a go at me whereupon she was bluntly told what to do. This offended her husband who said he was having none of it. We upped and moved table to get away from them but when they was leaving the upset lemon husband walked over to me demanding an apology to he’s wife. He was told that’s never going to happen so go away. He carried on telling me he’s not scared of me etc etc then left even more upset. We then had the Manageress tell us we would no longer be served and have to go because they complained and are upset. We all know nowadays the ones who complain are the poor victims, bless them. We was told they are regulars which is odd because we are to and we are using the sister pub the ship in Herne Bay weekly with friends. Maybe your manageress could pop out to the garden area every now and again to see if all is ok especially as it was full and the inside are nearly empty. My advice is give it a miss as well as the Ship your money will be better spent elsewhere.

My husband and I were being treated to a Sunday Lunch at the Barn. Had we been on our own, a lot of food would have been returned to the kitchen. We had the mushrooms and the chicken popcorn to start with. The mushrooms were grossly over cooked and all shrivelled. The chicken popcorn was very tough. My husband asked for the beef to be rare and it was over cooked and like eating a piece of shoe leather. The hot meat and gravy had been draped over the potatoes and they had gone soggy. I had the steak pie…..well…what a disgrace. It was a semicircle of pie and about 3/4 of an inch of raggy meat in a gloopy, gelatinous gravy….it was terrible. At last, the desserts! They were wonderful. I had the sticky toffee pudding and it was really nice. The red wine was too warm. Overall, a bad experience never to be repeated.

Really good experience, great food ,great atmosphere and great location All good

It’s been a while since my last visit to the Barn, and sadly a very disappointing one too. Although we had booked a table we had to wait a while to be seated and the a long while before the order was taken. Once the meals were brought to us some had to go back as they were not up to standard and also some of the food was cold so had to be sent back. The puddings were late too and teas got forgotten. So sadly for the price we would not be returning.

Me and family went to the barn last week to celebrate a birthday and we had such a lovely time! There was a lot of us but the food came out so quick and the service was amazing. We had amelia as our waitress for the whole meal and she was so attentive and just a lovely girl! Can’t wait to go back :)

Went for lunch yesterday with 4 friends. Main course was good although we did have to wait nearly an hour for it even though it was not busy. We decided to have dessert and settled for a sundae. I don't like squirty cream and asked if it could be left off....no problem. In reflection, I called the waitress back (who was lovely and only doing her job) and asked if I could have an extra scoop of ice cream instead. She said she would ask....answer from the chef was no because the ice cream is denser than the cream so would cost more!!!! Never heard such an unusual reply and so asked to see the manager, Amelia. Explained the situation and she said she could not make a decision (err...but what else do managers do except customer services and make decisions??). She asked chef and said that on this occasion they would make an exception and add a little ice cream. We told them to cancel all the puddings, paid and left. Oh forgot to say, she rolled her eyes as she walked away!! We could not believe they were were being so petty over a scoop of ice cream!Such bad customer service and a manager who doesn't make decisions. The bill was not cheap and with people going out less because of the current economy, Amelia and the chef should learn to placate customers because they might find that, like us, customers will not be going back.

Lovely people. Lovely food. Would recommend the steak and prawns.

Had lovely meal, Staff very attentive & pub has varied menu, very suited for vegetarians & vegans. You can eat in or outside. Lovely setting. Highly recommend this pub.

Quite oldies lunch feel. Food nice tho beef tough staff pleasant and friendly. Free parking....

Lovely pub in such a unique and historic building. Good food and great service. Sunday roasts are very good, but not great (meat and little fatty) and deserts tasty.

Beautiful place, great staff, gorgeous food

Lovely place, good food and adequate parking.

10/10 the food was amazing and the staff were polite and friendly and helpful I will definitely be returning and recommending the barn.

This pub is over an hours drive for us but we always visit at least 3/4 times a year as its one of my favourites. My wife treated me to a Father's Day meal, with my young daughters and dog. We are always made to feel welcome when visiting. The grounds are lovely and the pub itself is beautiful and cozy. I thought the free beer for the Father on Fathers day was a nice touch and appreciated. Every table was full which created a nice atmosphere. There was a little wait between courses but that was no issue for us and it was to be expected on Fathers Day. Every member of staff that we spoke to was friendly and even commented on how polite our daughters were when ordering! I just wish this was our local. We'll be back very soon.

Lovely meal to celebrate my daughter finishing her GCSEs. Highly recommend, great atmosphere, food was delicious, and good potion size for value for money. All staff friendly, and chatty. Service with a smile from our waitress Ruby and a recommendation for filthy fries which didn’t disappoint.

Unfortunately the food took over an hour to come to us and we had pre ordered the food. Prawn cocktail served without a lemon which should be standard and the roast was extremely bland. Bland gravy, fatty lamb and unseasoned vegetable. So disappointed haven’t been before and was so looking forward to it! The pie was rock hard and had clearly been left under the heat for the other meals and dried out. The baguettes were hard and dry and Camembert starter like water! Will only return for drinks as we loved the setting.

Food very good, payed a bit more for it than some pubs but worth it! Will go back.

Good place for a pint and dinner.

Very enjoyable meal in a friendly atmosphere, the staff very curteous

This is my favorite place! Amazing atmosphere, friendly service and very tasty food!

Unfortunately the service was slow, we waited over and hour and half and the food was subpar. Edit (additional feedback for owner): We booked a table for 4pm on Sunday, we arrived at 4pm and ordered within 10 minutes, it didn't seem too busy, I would guess around 20 covers (tables). We waited 50 mins before asking a member of staff who said "shortly", after another 20 min wait we asked again and was told 10 minutes. When the food did arrive the veg was a little al-dente and some of the roast potatoes were very dry, almost empty husk due to being sat for too long on low heat. We also heard a few other customers complaining about wait times so don't think it was isolated issue.

will come here again very nice we were there at At a very quiet time Wednesday just after 2.30

We have eaten here a few times, including a couple of big birthday parties. but today was the 3rd time we have been turned away as they were too busy. We weren’t even asked if we’d like to have a drink and wait, just no way they could fit us in. Probably won’t bother again. Obviously don’t need the business!

Very slow service but excellent food

We recently moved to herne Bay 11 weeks ago after spending 38 yrs in another location Of kent And decided Togo to the barn as we haven't been their for at least 25/30"years Good food, atmosphere great, service great Will come again when we have time

Great old pub, food was lovely and we wasn’t rushed in and out.

Lovely cosy historical place with beautuful surrounds. Free wifi. Lunch, dinners, coffee available. Easy park

This was a last minute meet up with my daughter and grandchildren, we as a family have been there before as we know my grandson will eat here. We ordered 3 meat pies with vegetables and an extra cauliflower cheese . My granddaughter had a cheese burger and chips and my grandson had cheesy chips with bread . I was the only one to have a sweet, which was mint aero sundae. The food was very good and served fairly quick , my pudding was a let down as it was not what I was expecting. It was a sundae glass with vanilla ice cream with pieces of mint aero bar broken into it .

A wonderful time, great food and excellent service too.

Really nice meal with good atmosphere and great service.

The worse steak I’ve ever had in a restaurant . I had the sirloin which was £29 although the price isn’t listed on the menu. Had no taste at all apart from a greasy flavour . I paid an additional £2.50 for pepper corn sauce . This also had no peppery flavour , No one came over to ask if everything was ok but I eventually found someone to tell . I had taken my mum for lunch for her birthday so didn’t like to make too much of an issue but she described her scampi and chips as very average also . I was given 10% off which was not really good enough given my disappointment. I am not one for complaining, and have never given a bad review. I will return for a drink as a lovely venue and staff are friendly , but will not eat there again.