Kumquat Bar & Restaurant in Tunbridge Wells

I don't usually write reviews but after eating here for a few times, I have to say this is a little gem in the pantiles. The staffs are so friendly, the food is beautiful and unique. Working in hospitality is so hard but the staffs still smiling a lot. I just love here and I will continue come back and try other dishes. Well done to the Kumquat team

A wonderful experience from Virginia and the team. Booked a couple of seafood mains 48 hours in advance as advised on their website; we were very pleased. We were warmly welcomed by the team, which added to lovely ambiance of the restaurant. The Singapore chilly crab was just like being back at Jumbo East Coast Park in Singapore, and the steamed Seabass was an authentic Asian experience and tasted devine. The team were very pleasant, professional, and even our pup enjoyed himself. Next, go back and try the rest of the menu, including breakfast. FYI, the price represents our choice of indulgence for our anniversary😁😁 Thank you again xx

Disappointing… raw tuna tasted weird, korean chicken was so overfried, some pieces couldn’t eat, leaves with prawns were so sweet, I couldn’t taste anything else apart from sugar. The only thing was ok-aubergine miso, but also too sweet imho. Maybe I was just unlucky, but it was really disappointing 😔

Fantastic fusion food! Amazing flavors, cozy atmosphere, and friendly staff. A must-try! I love the tuna tartare and fried chicken!

5 of us had a delightful evening eating new, exciting & very tasty food, beautifully cooked & presented by Theo & cheerfully, knowledgeably & professionally served to us by Josie. Lovely setting, good unobtrusive music. A real find & on our favourite list. Highly recommended.

Thank you, Josie and Theo, for making our birthday dinner so memorable last night. The service was delightful, the food delicious and the Riesling spot on. The dishes are so imaginative and prepared so carefully, with presentation to match. Bravo.

First time visitors, will definitely return. Delicious flavours, exquisitely presented in a warm atmosphere.

What an absolutely smashing little gem! This cosy restaurant boasts a delightful atmosphere and the most attentive, smiley staff you could hope for. The food, however, is the true star of the show - exquisitely crafted Asian fusion dishes that are quite simply out of this world. Every bite is sheer perfection. As someone who is lactose intolerant, I was a tad disappointed to find I couldn't indulge in any of their desserts. But the wonderful team went above and beyond, whipping up a sublime lactose-free treat for me on the spot. Needless to say, it was positively delicious. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It's an absolute must-visit that will undoubtedly become one of your favourite haunts. Simply top-notch!

Really superb flavours. Very fresh. Original and highly Recommended. Don’t expect standard fayre - this is a special place.

The food was amazing. We were a large party and they did well If there was a slight negative it would be the drinks were a little slow but that is nit picking as otherwise top notch.

Best restaurant in Tunbridge Wells

Amazing food, friendly service. Lovely atmosphere. Perfect for a romantic meal or a meal with family and friends :) The Fusion Bao Buns and Lychee Martini are a must x

My wife and I had a truly wonderful meal at this restaurant. The food was exquisite and the service friendly & efficient. Highly recommended

Wonderful food and great service. The corn fritters were top class and the veg gyozas were fantastic. Highly recommend.

Wonderful place. The staff are incredibly friendly and the foods blows your mind!

Avoid the brunch. Luke warm poached eggs served on tepid toast with ice cold tasteless ricotta and avocado. A deeply weird and unpleasant combination . Really disappointing as the regular menu and reviews suggest the food is usually very good, but this certainly did not translate to what we were served. It also took forever to arrive despite not being too busy.

What a discovery. Food absolutely delicious. Some leaves with wonderful prawn mixture. Amazing aubergine miso. Lamb shank wow wow wow. And also great service

What a find! Gorgeous flavours and beautifully put together. Enjoyed every dish and will be back for more. Great tunes and decor, and really friendly/professional service. Highly recommended!

Had the prawn crackers, the prawn leaf bites, the porkbelly bao buns, and the Taiwan chicken burger, and topped it off with the cremeux. All of it was divine, and the service was top class.

Can’t believe we haven’t been here before! Asian fusion prepared and served to a very high standard. We had fish and tofu to start along with tuna tartare. The perfect balance of flavours that zinged around the mouth. The contrast between bitter, sweet & sour was finely balanced. Cocktails were reasonably priced and delicious. Main course we had monkfish Asian style with coconut rice , all worked very well and I sat there with a big smile on my face. My wife not such a spice fan had the pork belly and rated it highly . The service? Well they were rammed full and there was a full private party downstairs so it was a bit chaotic but it a local restaurant so no issue with us, the lady who runs the place came over several times and talked to us and apologised, she was friendly and really nice. Thoroughly recommended!!

Newly decorated Kumquat Bar Restsurant in Tunbridge Wells brings you on a food journey like no other restaurant in town. Head chef Alex Boyd brings a touch of sophistication to each plate of food presented with meticulous detail. Can highly recommend!

We are so fortunate to have found Kumquat. Having experienced Asian food abroad it is such a pleasure to know that we have such wonderful authentic dishes available close to home too. The other aspect of dining at Kumquat is the exceptional front of house team led by Virginia who has such genuine warmth and caring, ensuring that our visit was perfect. Thank you and well done to Alex, Virginia and the Kumquat team.

Lovely little place and food was beautiful but the pretty leaves and lovely sauce didn't hide freezer burn very bland gyoza. Pho was so bland was a shame, i requested chilli oil and more lime which they provided but the fatty beef rib floating in a soup just left my jumper needing a wash. Also added a 12.5% service charge on a table for 1 which felt cheeky.

Absolutely fantastic food, presentation and flavours were superb!!

The food was very average. The service was slow and food took a long time to arrive. Given the London price (£10-20 per tapas dish), I expect better!

Amazing! Highly recommend! Delicious!

We drove over 80 miles for our meal, and it did not disappoint. Reason we ventured out was because it kept popping up on my Fb feed, and the food looked fantastic. On arrival, we were greeted with a very warm welcome by the front of house young lady. The owners, Alex and Virginia then arrived after their break and again, gave us a very warm welcome. Virginia then introduced us to all the dishes to help us make our choices. The food that followed was just like in the pictures and flavours were amazing. Overall, great food, great hosts with good atmosphere. Will definitely be back soon.

Absolutely delicious Asian food! Great range of vegan street food options, which we loved. Really friendly staff & good atmosphere. Great location on The Pantiles. Would definitely recommend

At a birthday party. Staff were brilliant and the food tasty and novel to me but very enjoyable

Amazing and delicious VEGAN food

Best restaurant in tunbridge wells. Fantastic cocktails and the food is really nice.

We had a fabulous brunch there and still talk about it now! Food was beautiful. Owner found time to be sure we were happy even though they were busy. Planning another trip to the town and will make a beeline to Kumquat without doubt!

We had a lovely evening at the Friday Singapore Supper Club special. The food was first class and the intitmate atmosphere was enjoyable. Our host was very welcoming and talked through every dish with a fun and intresting story. However don’t book it if you have limited time or impatient, luckily we were not but the whole experience took 4.5 hours. The small kitchen and capacity dinning room did make for, at times, some long waits for fresh drinks and next courses, but this was soon forgotten when they arrived. This was noticeable at the end when a long queue formed to pay as people were keen to leave and get home.

What a gem! This was a random choice for dinner when wondering through the pantiles on an impromptu night out. The food is incredible, so interesting and the service was impeccable. It was such a pleasure to meet Virginia and chat to her - so interesting. Overall such a lovely evening!

This is a place not to miss. Each dish was clearly explained with love for the food. We shared some starters of which, the pork dumplings set in a deliciously fruity sweet potato sauce was the star. We had the attention of the lovely lady owner and front of house, who recommended a desert that I would never have tried myself, but it was the highlight of a wonderful meal with an old mate. Next time we are bringing our wives.

I went for the second time tonight and the food was immaculate. The service was so smooth and the waitress was so helpful. Tonight I had my favourite dish, lamb shank, and the flavour was flawless. I also tried the tuna tartare tonight and the taste was incredible.

Really nice small restaurant. We came here at 11:50 and I had a taste for breakfast. The staff was very accommodating and happy to still make me a breakfast even they did finished 20 min ago . I really recommend the small Japanese dish . Don’t know what is it called . It’s 3 leaves with prawn or tofu. I have uploaded a photo . Delicious!!! I was surprised how much flavour was in it . Atmosphere was also nice . We had a table outside . And there was a musician basking . Definitely will come back .

We recently had breakfast at the Kumquat. The food was great, however there was quite a wait, from ordering brunch to getting it was over 40 minutes. Completely understand that it says on the menu that the poached eggs take 1 hr 45 mins, but we only received an apology for the wait from staff when they were serving our food, between taking our order and receiving drinks we heard nothing from them. There were also other tables waiting, when they asked about the wait they were told some answer, but we were not informed of the delay. Once we received the food it was lovely, eggs cooked perfectly and presentation was nice. We may come again but would make sure that we’re not really hungry just in case we have a wait again.

After many many months, I'm back again @Kumquat. Creativity and standards are still v.high with tastes that combine the fashion of the Husband and Wife team of Alex and Virginia. 5☆

Our family (with children aged 14 and 10) all loved eating here! Fantastic food with great service. Loved the Bao buns!

Excellent place with lovely staff and owners. They are always experimenting and doing fun things with the menu - every time we've been there has been more delicious than the last!

Lovely little restaurant that serves a creative variety of Southeast Asian inspired dishes. Our waiter Simon George very attentively looked after us and contributed to a very entertaining evening that will be fondly remembered.

Nice location. Tables outside along with all the other cafes along the Pantiles. The service slow, probably because the staff was on holiday

The service here is terrible. The waiters don’t know what’s on the menu even the tap water takes ages to come some orders just forgotten

had an absolutely lovely meal here and will certainly be going back. The Gyozas were amazing I even had another serving of them after our main and the lamb shank was brilliant. The cocktails were outstanding.

We tried Almost everything and it was all delicious. Great service too. Recommend highly

Had an awesome brunch at this place! The waitress was super friendly and accommodating, allowing me to order off-menu due to my dietary restrictions. The owner also stopped by for a chat, which was really nice. And let me tell you, the food was not only delicious but also visually appealing—I even got asked by the next table at the coffee shop what I was eating! Highly recommend it!

I spent my birthday evening in Kumquat and was rewarded by excellent service by Clara and amazing food by Toby. I would highly recommend.

Amazing service, fresh and tasty food and lovely staff. We visited here for the first time for my friend's birthday. We were intrigued by the sharing plates of modern Asian cuisine and were not disappointed! The food was so tasty, and Virginia (the owner) and our other waitress (Georgie) were so helpful. If you would like to visit a family run business - this is a great one to visit. The prices are reasonable too. We'd highly recommend the chicken satay which is super succulent, the gyoza and the tofu Japanese leaf bites

I love all the dishes, a lot of flavour and very presentable. The service is good and the food came fast. The chef knows what he is doing. Quality food and the prices match. Thank you Alex the chef will be back

Had a wonderful meal here. Fabulous food and lovely friendly service Belinda and Mark

This has quickly become one of our favourite restaurants in Tunbridge Wells. The food is such high quality - you can tell that Alex (the chef) really knows his stuff- it is pan-Asian cuisine at its best. Virginia is absolutely lovely too - could not recommend this spot highly enough and it is certainly somewhere I would bring friends from out of town to. We’ve come for lunch and dinner a few times and loved it, will be returning for brunch next time!

We had dinner last evening at Kumquat and it was a fabulous evening right from the get go! The vibe and the atmosphere were so inviting, lively, and cozy!! Virginia is a great hostess and just the most wonderful person! We had a few vegetarian/vegan starters and they were packed with flavor! The dumplings and corn fritters were to die for! I could literally just eat these all day! Truly, a fusion restaurant where Asian flavors take pride of place! The chef knows what he’s doing!!!! We also had vegan pho and the lamb for main and my partner tells me the lamb was top notch! The soup of the pho was so light but packed with flavor again! Ordered a lime Bloody Mary which was a regular Bloody Mary but with a limey twist! Loved it and had a couple! We thought the evening was going great until we had the dessert which took it to another level! The panacotta and the berries were light, the perfect amount of sweet and oh so fresh! Truly the best restaurant in Tunbridge Wells!!! Thank you Alex and Virginia!!

Have visited few times and Food is just delicious, service is great and very much into details , making sure you have everything you need, always! All dishes are yummy. Location is perfect.

We came here because the look and presentation of the food was beautiful. And they for sure lived up to that! ✨ We started off with the tuna tartare which had a wonderful balance of wasabi flavour and tuna 👌🏽🐟 Drinks-wise, I asked for their lime bloody mary, which turns out they had run out of. So instead they made me a lemongrass Piña colada, which they recommended. I really liked their proactive touch here Mains-wise, the Pho's came in a beautiful dish, however we felt like the starters were a stronger choice than our Pho's. Beyond the food, we loved the family-run business vibe 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

We had the most delicious lunch. Very lucky to have this place in Tunbridge Wells. Highly advise visiting!!

Very delicious food - we ordered lots of different starters to share and they were all really good. The owner was there and she was really lovely, clearly was very proud and cared about her customers. I would say it was a bit overpriced but we still really enjoyed it.

Wow this was a really great find on the Pantiles. The food was excellent. We had the poached eggs on toast with crispy back and mushrooms. It was a really well executed dish and beautifully presented. Highly recommended.

LOVE IT! it was my first time to dine in here. every single dish were amazing and refreshing! If you are a fan of cocktail, I would recommend the Lychee Martini, fresh made syrup. I would definitely come over again!

We enjoyed wonderful food and hospitality at Kumquat this evening. All the dishes we were served looked fabulous, and tasted even better! The service was impeccable, and matched the wonderful warm welcome we received. Top marks for a memorable evening. We'll be back again soon!

Really enjoyed our meal here, both the food and the cocktails were excellent. The owners were very attentive and friendly, and the place has a really nice family run feel to it. We'll definitely be back

Kumquat Restaurant is a new addition to the eateries on The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells. The restaurant serves modern European cuisine with a fusion of flavours from South East Asia... The first time I dined I tried their bao buns with slow cooked tender & flavourful pork belly and delicious (huge!) succulent fried tiger prawn with a crispy coating (possibly panko?), this went well with a lovely glass of wine but they do make splendid cocktails as well... Their recent change in menu has been very well-received by customers. The new dishes are all very creative and use seasonal ingredients to create delicious and unique flavour combinations... If you're looking for a truly unique dining experience, I highly recommend Kumquat Restaurant. The food is amazing, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is perfect for a special occasion...

You must go here! Amazing fusion Thai food. Such a unique menu. Totally delicious food created with love and skill. Lovely personal service with recommended dishes. Everything we had was delicious. Definitely coming back. Great for an evening out with friends.

As a fusion restaurant, Kumquat adequately accentuates its unique approach to traditional dishes from East and Southeast Asia, while simultaneously staying true to traditions by incorporating original ingredients just as used by native populations in those regions. Moreover, the presentation and overall quality are consistent with what one would expect from a former head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a 5-star hotel. The service is also nothing to complain about as a family-run business. Overall, I would highly recommend Kumquat - it will be sure not to disappoint.

A stunning, family-run establishment. There is a perfect balance between the immersive fine dining experience and the homely atmosphere, with lovely decor throughout. We ordered the Pork Belly and Tofu bao buns with the Taiwanese Fried Chicken. Everything was amazing but especially the pork. It melts in your mouth! Thank you to our young waiter for such a lovely evening, he was a true professional! We will be sure to come again if we come back to visit Tunbridge Wells.

I had the pleasure dining experience at this fusion restaurant by a lovely family-run business. It was absolutely delightful! The highlight of this fusion restaurant seamlessly blends different cuisines and flavors to create unique and delicious dishes that are truly unforgettable. The best part of dining at this restaurant was knowing that it was run by such a talented and inspiring chef who was the head chef at a 5-star hotel with Michelin starred restaurant. His passion for food and dedication to his craft was evident in every aspect of the restaurant. Despite the exceptional quality of food and service, the price were incredibly reasonable for the chef experiences. Overall, I would highly recommend this fusion restaurant to anyone looking for a truly exceptional dining experience. The food is outstanding, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

My husband and I had the best time at Kumquat. We made a last minute reservation and the staff was so welcoming and accommodating. Our cocktails were great, as was all of the food. We ordered the chicken satay, tuna tartare, gyoza, and pork belly bao, and the lovely owner let us try the tofu Japanese leaf bites as well. Everything was delicious! Each dish had such great flavors, we especially loved the tender pork belly, which came with an excellent cabbage slaw. Highly recommend if you’re ever in the Pantiles.

A great place for anyone who doesn’t know the real taste of asian food. Wasn’t tasty and no value for money.

Sometimes I see foreigners cooking in the kitchen, and then emphasize that it is Asian fusion. I am really surprised, but after reading all the reviews, I know it is good food, so I book a table and see that the foreign chef is the boss, and the young proprietress and daughter from Hong Kong are waiting for me. As a helper, my son also took advantage of the holidays to greet the guests, and he smiled brightly, chatting and laughing with his father. When he grows up, he will also be his successor. The chef was originally the person in charge of fnb in a five-star hotel. My wife called for help, but my husband took action instead of cheating. After many mistakes, we came up with a menu that was both affordable and tasty. 👌👌👌

Lovely, unique style of food, well worth a visit. Great service too.

Delicious food and good service

Some of the best food I have ever eaten, it was so delicious and amazing how many flavours were combined. A lovely atmosphere and the service at Kumquat was amazing, would highly recommend and I’m already looking forward to going back. Perfect place for lunch or an evening meal.

Very nice owners, good quality food but portions were small. Could be bigger for price/performance.

Fairly recently opened, this restaurant specialises in fusion Asian-British food. Ingredients have clearly been carefully selected, the service is second to none, and the food was unlike anything I've eaten before - in a good way. And I've eaten in a number of Asian countries. Highly recommended.

We discovered this great fusion restaurant through our friends and were not disappointed. The food was right up our street and the owners are super nice, we had a lovely time! We will definitely go back to try their new menu that evolves constantly. Hope they will be able to hire more staff, so the service could be faster.

Been to this restaurant for a few times. The chef always surprised us with professional and delicious food: fantastic taste, good presentation. Fine dining quality with good price Highly recommend

We had a great dinner, food was amazing, creative, precise and innovative. One of our best experience in TBW. Thank yoi.

Such fantastic good! Amazing attention to detail, the service was great! Highly recommended

Pros : -Ideally located -Food is very fresh and excellent -Service is smiley Cons: - Service is way too long. Waited one hour to get our starter (40 minutes to get our beers with peanuts nibbles!). The worst for me is that I ordered 2 eggs on toast for my 3 year old and asked for him to be served first. We waited not less than 1h20 for him to get his dish! He was the last one to be served at the table, even after our main. - no kids menu Unfortunately even if the food was delicious, I would not come back as it was way too long to be served which increased my frustration and therefore did not enjoy my lunch break. Edit: thanks for the reply. We did book a table on that day actually and we were not told that the service was going to be slower than usual. Service apologized a few times as we did indeed wait a long time to get drinks and food.

Me and my partner visited Kumquat in Tunbridge Wells for a special occasion and wow did it deliver! 6 exceptional courses (and some extra little bits) kept us on our toes - the service was brilliant, including a visits from the chef in-between courses to get immediate feedback and share stories of how he came to design each dish. They went the extra mile to make it a complete sensory experience, ranging from smell, sound and even changes in the lighting. We thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and can’t wait to book in our next visit. This family run eatery offers something different and is great value for money. Thank you!

Best spot in town. Fantastic food and wonderful team!

Very tasty and interesting freshly cooked food with Asian influences. Great value lunch offers.

Wonderful experience with great food. A very warm and inviting restaurant. A great place to come with friends and family.

Wow what a lovely place to dine in the Pantiles. We went on Saturday to enjoy an evening celebrating Chinese New Year. This was our first time dining at Kumquat and it will not be the last time. Stunning 8 course dinner, which was well presented on each course. The food was so outstanding, along with excellant service and entertainment. Thank you Virginia, Alex, Gabriella and Severo

Lovely family restaurant. We were celebrating the Chinese New Year and we had the owner's kids singing and playing music to us. The food was great. We had a very lovely evening with 8-course dinner. Will be back soon to try breakfast and lunch. Lyubov

We had the most amazing experience at Kumquats first Chinese New year celebration event. Fab entertainment laid on and the food was spectacular. Very special evening. The peking duck was incredible.

My partners birthday yesterday went in on the off chance...the most friendliness of people and the food was absolutely amazing so relaxed chilled not rushed didn't want to go home. Can't wait to go back again thank-you so much you made us feel so welcome x

Absolutely sensational food, walking through The Pantiles and noticed this great little restaurant and really wasn't disappointed. We both had the Buddha Bowl for lunch and the food was so fresh and incredibly tasty and we're in no doubt, next time we're in Tunbridge Wells where we'll be coming for lunch. Great value and amazing food.

Went to dinner last night and wow what an amazing find. Fantastic food, brilliant service and definitely the best meal I’ve had out in T Wells for a long time. Highly recommended.

My daughter and I had a lovely lunch . We both had a budda bowl and thought they were absolutely delicious. We will be going back .

A definite gem 💎! The food was incredible, fresh, very creative, made with great care. The owners were welcoming and friendly. We travelled from london and have tried a lot of Asian fusion restaurants but this is hands down the best! Highly recommended and we will be visiting again. Ps. Love the Christmas decorations

Unassuming little cafe tucked in The Pantiles. We could have easily missed this and think it offers standard cafe menu. How wrong we would have been if we hadn’t looked! Serving asian fusion dishes, all delicious. Baby friendly, family friendly. Staff were attentive and super apologetic when it was busy and understaffed. There’s seating outside (if weather permits) and basement as well. Toilet has funny messages. Overall, a good experience.

I’m always looking for places that will offer me good value for money. I had a couple of bao buns which had huge prawns and a massive piece of pork belly inside, for only £11.50, a bargain in my eyes. Thank you

I have been to Kumquat a number of times over the last few months, so I thought it would be nice to write a review. Everytime I have come here, the owner, Virginia, is always so nice, somehow she manages to find time to talk to everyone and give them her direct attention, she remembers people and cares about them, rare in this day and age. The food is always good, I’ve had excellent breakfasts here, the poached eggs are perfect, I don’t know how they do it. Lunches are great, buddha bowls are what I usually go for, but I have seen a lot of people go for the bao buns. I’ve only had dinner once, but it was excellent, it was a jazz night back in the summer and was very busy, but I remember the food was still excellent and the service was as good as always. Well done to Kumquat for always being brilliant.

Since I am Japanese, I was excited to find somewhere that I can get food with flavours from Asia. A friend from Hong Kong expressed to me how good the food was here. I was very pleased with the whole experience, the owner, Virginia, is so lovely, she made us feel so comfortable. We had a great meal and it is for me, one of the best places to eat in Tunbridge Wells.

Had a great lunch here the other day, not had one before but tried a buddha bowl and I was very impressed, lots of flavours, perfect for lunch. The coffee here is excellent, I will be back soon!

Top food, top service, love this place. Just wish I lived a little closer so I could come more often. Thanks guys, keep up the good work.

What a fantastic meal. Incredible hospitality and great food. Really enjoyed the baos, the ham hock croquettes with Wasabi mayo were incredible. Great for a light bite during the day or fine dining in the evening

Nice food and run by nice people.

Extremely friendly owners who offer delicious fusion dishes. Lamb shank is a must-try, and my daughters liked the dessert too