Lakes Restaurant in Swale

It was a sad occasion, but uplifting and seeing friendly faces. It's a time to catch up and share many memories as Uncle would have wanted.

I hope my review can be constructive for the kitchen team. I want to say first that we truly loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, and the waiting team was wonderful, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately though, I did not enjoy the food. I chose the meal “fruits de mer” which means “seafood”. Apart from 3 mussels and 2 prawns, not really much fruit de mer in sight. There was some tasteless salmon and cod. There was (way too much) linguine in a spicy tomato sauce which for me doesn’t go well with fish at all. I was hoping for fresh pasta, considering the £29 price tag. But it tasted like Barilla. I really wanted to like this restaurant but the most important aspect of it being food was a huge miss for me. My husband enjoyed his turbot. We shared a Black Forest desert, and again, I could barely taste the chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Only marked it down for atmosphere since we were the only people there pretty much but 2 days before Xmas what can you expect. Lovely and amazing food and great service.

Great place, staff very good. Went for a meal with family......MENU was severely lacking in choices, NO SPECIALS. Absolutely nothing for anyone of a younger generation. Such a shame! 4 stars really, never had a service charge in a establishment of this standard, it should be a customer choice, so no gratuity (tip) for staff.

If you like fine dining this is the place for you. The restaurant has a faded elegance vibe but we like that. The food is excellent, well presented and the service was faultless when we were there.

Absolutely wonderful afternoon tea celebrating my mum's birthday. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, everyone was so lovely and the food was excellent. It will be top of our list when choosing where to go for our next family occasion.

We had a gift voucher for lunch with bubbles as a gift. It was easy to book and the staff called back to confirm our booking, We were warmly welcomed by the friendly staff and shown to our table in the restaurant. As it was a very warm day, all the doors were opened to allow some breeze in. The service was superb, the staff friendly, the presentation of the meals was great and the food delicious, Nothing was too much trouble,

I Recently had Sunday Lunch at the Lakes Restaurant to celebrate a friend's special birthday. My experience was fabulous. We had a lunch booking for 7 people at 1pm for a special birthday. I thought the staff were very friendly, accommodating and especially attentive to our Birthday Girl! The restaurant itself was lovely and bright with an amazing chandelier as a centre piece! Last but not least the food! This was the best, everyone agreed. I happen to be Vegan and I was stunned with the choice and quality of my dishes especially. I will definitely be coming back!

I took my wife to Lakes for her birthday, the service, food and ambience were so good we came back to celebrate my birthday. On both occasions we were looked after by Sorean who took the time to chat to us throughout our visit. Just wanted to say that we will be returning soon with our friends. I would wholeheartedly recommend Lakes for a wonderful lunch or for that special dinner.

Great setting there were only two of us in restaurant so difficult to comment other than food was delicious and we enjoyed a nice couple of hours of unhurried lunch.

The restaurant is lovely, it was not crowded when we visited and the atmosphere was welcoming, our waiter was very courteous and the service was excellent.

Great place to eat. Lovely food.

We went for a meal for my Mum's birthday with the wider family and we had a fantastic experience. Right from arrival we were made to welcome and very professionally attended to by the staff. The meal was moderately and fairly priced and the food was lovely with large portions. The staff also added some lovely extras for Mum's birthday celebrations. Really enjoyable. Thank you

They really spoiled us. Was our 40th wedding Anniversary. We wanted low key but special. Ticked all boxes. Thank you.

Always a nice place to dine and the best Sittingbourne has to offer. Only criticism was that service could have been better. When we first arrived, told to wait in the lounge but no drinks service offered, at the table no bread until we asked, always had to get up and go to the bar to ask for wine top-ups - plenty of staff but they tended to gather at the bar chatting with very little attention to the room. When staff did attend the table they were perfectly fine, but just lacked leadership. The food was, as always very good, but they need an experienced front of house manager to make the experience worth the price they are charging.

Been here so many times over the years and never disappoints!

Always wanted to go there so, as a special treat, my husband took me. Quite disappointing. Carpark to restaurant difficult to manoeuvre in pitch dark when snowing heavily. Food not as good as expected considering the price. Expensive.

This is our first visit here, and WOW! it is a small restaurant in a beautiful setting, we were sat immediately and the service is excellent, I have been to much more expensive places and the service here was comparable to that of the the Dorchester. The set menu was varied and the wine selection was excellent. The food itself came in a timely manner, not rushed, neither did we have to wait, and it was superb, hot, delicious and good sized portions. (Try the soup it was stunning.) The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble, we will be going back to try the à la carte menu. Kudos.

Absolutely wonderful, the food was unreal, just beautiful. Staff were all amazing, friendly and helpful. I cannot wait to return!

Lovely food, great staff, expensive food. Not a price i would be willing to pay.

Had my mums 80th afternoon tea. Superb service great value for money. Throughly reccomend.

Fantastic Restaurant for special occasions.

I took my wife here for her birthday and it was absolutely amazing. We were both blown away by the quality of the food and the friendly, attentive staff. It wasn't cheap but it was worth every penny.

Had a steak to die for. Lovely surroundings

Excellent service and good choice of menu. Lovely to sit inside but have the doors open. Breakfast also had a good choice

Went for Sunday lunch. Good food delicious and good portions. Vegetarian and vegan well catered for. Service very good and staff lovely and very attentive. Did not feel rushed. Dining room had a lovely ambience. Will definitely go back. Prices very good.

The service is good, staff are very polite and attentative. The duck dish sauce taste good but the duck meat seem dry and hard. Not much choice on menu.

Beautiful surroundings and very relaxed atmosphere. Lovely big car park with disabled spaces. We had booked a cream tea which was perfect. Plenty to eat. Very nice selections. Free tea top up. We felt full up at end and the waiter was very attentive and extremely pleasant. I noticed they supply cake boxes if you can't finish everything. They had even sprinkled little Happy birthdays on the table.

The service and food were absolutely smashing. We had the festive dining and we really enjoyed our meal as a family.

We arranged this meal as our family were coming from all over the UK to meet up on Boxing Day. We wanted something special but unfortunately, we were really disappointed. The area we were eating in was disappointing - people walking through in dressing gowns and dragging suitcases. There was no special attention paid to the table layout either - no crackers although other tables in sections of the hotels were dressed very festively. As far as I am aware, our meal cost the same as the others! The food was mediocre, and the portions were small. One of the group had a beer which was flat. The rolls were hard and cold and so were two of the starters! I of the sweets arrived frozen (not defrosted properly????) and some of our meals were incomplete and the service was very slow. We even had to ask for our coffees which were included on the menu! Such a shame as we were so looking forward to our meal and our experience at the Hempstead Hotel. Perhaps it was because of being short-staffed but it just did not appear organised or coordinated!

The restaurant was excellent with a very high standard of service and quality of food. The room was spacious and beautifully decorated

Really nice restaurant with very friendly and professional staff. Very clean and the food is amazing. Highly recommended!

Beautiful ❤️❤️ can't wait to go back. Staff were kind and food was like nothing I have ever tasted.

Spent the weekend with family celebration for birthday. Will definitely be back A hidden gem Worth a visit

Lovely dining experience, with a friendly atmosphere, the food and service is fantastic.

One day I was calling around trying to find a table for a Sunday lunch with my family of 5. Hempstead house had a table. This isn’t normally our type of place, we normally stick to brewers fayre type places so not as to feel out of our comfort zone. We have an autistic son who often has meltdowns but is also growing up (14) so likes to be independent and ask for his own food from the menu, the waiter was extremely patient while my son was flapping and getting stressed over his order. From the minute we walked in we were treated like the only customers in the restaurant, the service is second to none. You only have to look up and give the waiter a smile and they come over immediately to see what you require. I think we paid £120 plus tip for 3 course meals for 5. It was worth every penny. No other restaurant comes close to the service and food in Hempstead house. I absolutely love it but often butt heads with my partner who doesn’t feel comfortable going there, he is a fussy eater. The food is perfection, course after course, as it was summer the doors were open, a small fly landed in my drink so I went to order another one but it was simply replaced for free. I can not fault this restaurant at all. The service, the food, the ambiance, the temperature, it was all perfect. Thankyou for having us. I am still yet to find a restaurant in Kent that offers the same level of service as Hempstead house.

AFTERNOON TEA Having enjoyed Afternoon tea at various venues and restaurants all over the UK we found the food here just above average and not worth the £26.50 a head Firstly the service was very slow, half an hour before the food arrived and not offered a choice of tea or coffee, in fact not even offered a pot of anything, I had to ask. The deserts were very nice, The scones were half the usual size of most tea rooms but plenty of cream and jam. The sausage roll although tasty was very small. A selection of finger sandwiches were fine however they were again small and made from what looked like sliced bread. On booking we were asked if this was a special occasion, It was , It was my parents wedding anniversary and as a treat we felt somewhat deflated with the whole experience. Need to try harder, £106 for 4 people is far too much for what we got.

Very nice traditional restaurant Very good service

Beautiful surroundings, good food and impeccable service

Lovely food and a lovely waitress serving.

Frequent flyers to Hempstead House and never been disappointed.

Excellent food and service Silver service standard Attentive staff despite a very busy hotel Enough choice Well presented Would recommend

We have dined at The Lakes Restaurant many, many times over the last 12 years, and as usual, the quality of the food was outstanding and the setting is delightful. However, on this occasion (lunch time) the speed of service was a disappointing let down. After being seated, there was a long wait for our bar order to arrive, a long wait for our order to be taken and a long wait for our starters to arrive. 55 minutes after being seated, we finally had some food in front of us! After speaking to the head waiter, we were adequately compensated on settling up the bill, but ... we would rather have had good service and paid in full. Either the kitchen or the waiting staff were overstretched and I am afraid, on this occasion The Lakes Restaurant let itself down.

We have previously had dinner at the Lakes, we booked in good time and upon arrival we were told that we had been moved to the brasserie. This is similar to a cafe, folk were walking around in dressing downs as they made their way to and from the pool. Service was very slow and food had to be brought from the main restaurant. The food however was very good. I am disappointed that someone saw fit to move us without discussion. The manager of the restaurant came to see and told us there was room in the main restaurant and we could move if we wanted. The damage had been done and we had no wish to tramp through the hotel. Very disappointed

Good food....very tasty....relaxing romantic atmosphere and friendly helpful staff

Excellent food service a little poor and wait for meal was long and the wait between meals very bad but over all beautiful decorations and standards if not for wait would be 5 stars

I am a Dinning club member Good food always

Excellent food and awesome staff. Danny even remembered us getting married there nearly 2 years ago, such a good guy and made us laugh as much as he did on our wedding day. Can't wait to return for our 2 year anniversary in November.

Brilliant venue good food excellent service warm atmosphere well worth a visit.

Very nice foods and waitress is friendly and wear the face mask when serve the table.

Lovely food and atmosphere. Excellent service and good menu.

Cocktails we had were a disaster, probably the worst we have ever had. First order we got was wrong but OK people make mistakes. But the other three seemed to be very watery and just not of 'cocktail' quality, and no nibbles. The food was mediocre, weird mixed choice of Thai, Italian, Indian. Nothing really appealed but I had lasagne after a salt and pepper prawns starter, my husband had a mixed plate of chicken done three different ways followed by cheese crusted (and the all too ubiquitous) sea bass. All OK, but the lasagne was over flavoured and very heavy. Very pleasant staff who all appear to be quite young and inexperienced. The head waiter was brilliant, attending to diners and training his obviousy new staff. I would hope they eventually get their staff well trained, au fait with making cocktails, extend the menu and not include such an oriental mix which is done better by specialist restaurants. I would revisit, but only if staying at the hotel with no other restaurant around.

A lovely restaurant! The food was excellent as was the service. Staff were attentive without being intrusive. It's always a treat to visit here. Social distancing was well organised in the restaurant. Would definitely recommend.

This is by far the best place I have ever eaten in my life. Food is exquisite, always, standards are incredibly high, staff are excellent. I have been going here for over ten years and have NEVER had a reason to fault it. Simply put..I LOVE it and so will you.

Lovely well appointed dining room with plenty of room around the tables. Food excellent and staff very well trained and courteous

We love this place have been going for years lovely staff good food lovely surroundings

We had a delicious selection of food. Started with the satay chicken starter, which was small but nice. Prawns were big and juicy.Main we had the chicken supreme which was lovely. And for desert I had the treacle tart. I was a bit disappointed on the size of the dessert. But it was probably a positive that the restaurant gave me some portion control from my 3 course dinner!

Wow 🤩 food was fabulous. Tables with table cloths not seen that for ages. Wine was great choice and really good value. Service staff were really pleasant and efficient. Perfect from start to finish. Would love to try one of their theme events

Could not fault this amazing restaurant. The food was incredible and the breakfast was lovely too! Even though they were not allowed to do their usual buffet style of breakfast because of Covid, it was still incredible. The staff were really on their game and were always around to serve us when we needed it.

My wife and I visited as part of a birthday treat. Booking on line was very easy and this led to an exchange of e mails confirming the details (champagne plus a birthday celebration) and any other requirements. The staff on Reception and in the Lakes Restaurant at the hotel were so welcoming, polite and efficient. The Lakes Restaurant has a lovely ambiance. Our tea was plentiful and excellent in quality. The Covid protocols in place at Hempstead are well thought out and make you feel very safe and comfortable. Thank you all and I’d recommend wholeheartedly.

Very attractive restaurant. Added a few little nice touches as they knew it was my birthday. Very attentive. Lovely meal. Although prawn starter could have been better.. Very nice thank you

The food was fresh and delicious, plenty of hand sanitizer and staff were all wearing masks. There was however confusion around our booking, they appeared to be expecting the wrong number of people and the restaurant thought we had pre-paid but we hadn't which led to some awkwardness around requesting the bill - good job we are honest! It wasn't busy either so I think the booking system needs some attention.Incidentally the external door appeared to be partially blocked on the inside by various bits of equipment which made it almost impossible to get a buggy in or out.

During our stay at Hempstead House we ate breakfast twice and dinner once at The Lakes Restaurant. Our dinner was included as part of our room package and was delicious. We had a large selection of international dishes to choose from and enjoyed every bite.

Arrived to be seated at our table, with full Covid-19 things in place, hand sanitiser, staff wearing masks, walking around the restaurant a certain way also. Such a relaxing, lovely atmosphere... it’s one of my favourite places to go and eat. So today is the first time we have done the dinner menu and it didn’t disappoint. Every bite was wonderful, full compliments to the chef! Staff were so friendly and helpful, which is what you want when eating at a restaurant. Our youngest was eating from the child menu, but we all wanted the brownies, so the young waiter asked him, would you like me to see if we can get you one too, is that why you have a sad face? Well, the young waiter did go and ask, he then proceeded to make our youngest child’s evening... the chef had let him have one of the brownie desserts. So really, really impressed with the lake house. Thank you for making our evening wonderful and filing....Would highly recommend to anyone, Even with little ones. Lots of different beverages to cater to lots of different taste. Clean restrooms, every where is signposted on where to enter and exit. Even had a visit from a really cheeky cat.

We had a fabulous afternoon tea. The scones were delicious. The service in the restraunt was very good too.

As always we received amazing food and service on dining here. The staff are attentive and helpful with a great knowledge of what is available. Superb selection of wine and other drinks too. A must visit for anyone who enjoys fine dining.

The guests were met and the feast was set with probably a hundred people inseveral attractive rooms. Our room was cosy and the tables tastefully laid with Christmas crackers. So far so good. No welcoming glass of bubbly however !Starters ( pre-ordered by post from the menu) were fine albeit a little paltry with the fish assiette. Main course was just not up the standard expected with turkey slices,bothover and under cooked potatoes, a strangely boiled “ pig in a blanket “ and everything swamped in gravy. There wasn’t anything to really complain about but for an expensive Christmas lunch this was well below expectations.Puddings were small anddoused in powdered custard ( Creme Anglais ) Tea or coffee to follow.At close to £ 100 per head this was very poor catering.On leaving, one guest was not at all happy with having been charged £10 for a plastic bottle of sparkling water.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, nice choice of food on the menu, wine list was very reasonable and varied.

HD the most amazing food, wine and service at Lakes @ Hempstead House Country House Hotel and Spa. Staff are amazing, nothing too much trouble and not at all pushy. We will definitely be returning

Staff were very pleasant but food was exceptionally slow especially considering how quiet the restaurant was. The steak was really good but the other meal and deserts were very average. We also had breakfast there which was also only ok. The fruit salad was ‘fizzy’ and the staff would get you what you asked for but weren’t proactive - for example they seated us at a table with 2 seats and we had to ask for a third chair (there were 3 of us) but they still didn’t give us a third place setting. Service was quick though at breakfast. Setting is dated.

Great breakfast brilliant choice staff so helpful nice choice of buffet followed by cooked food to order. Lovely

Thoroughly enjoyed afternoon tea here. We were very well looked after by a friendly waiter and the surroundings were beautiful. Would certainly recommend this afternoon tea to friends and family.

Booked this for a Friday evening for a birthday dinner. The service was very good. The vegetables with my beef were cold so I sent it back. The replacement vegetables were better but the portion was very small so I asked for more vegetables which were better but the mange tout were stringy. The cheeses were unusual and turned out to be local: the piece of goats cheese was very small. 1 starter, 2 mains, 1 dessert and 1 port cost £100.

We came in for the new Lunch menu. We have been many times before but thought we would try the new menu.It took an hour to receive our lunch which was 3 chicken tagliatelle and I classic Niçoise salad.There was one other table besides us.The Nicoise salad was awful. So disappointing and the other meals did not resemble the pictures on the website and was not up to Lakes restaurant standard.Sorry to have to say this as I love this place but this menu is not good and feel I cannot return until this changes.The waiter was as always very polite and helpful.

Came here on a Saturday night as we were staying in the hotel.

We stayed again at Hempstead House Hotel and had another superb meal on Saturday 3rd August, joined by my husband's daughter and son in law who live locally to the hotel. It's like a home from home in there! Apart from I can't cook like they can! I had scallops, fillet steak and cheese as well as sharing a lovely bottle of sparkling Rose wine from the Chapel Down winery, but every single dish for all four of us was as exceptional as ever! Our thanks to the Restaurant Managers(Pav was on holiday this time), Olivia and Jordan as well as Tarryn on reception who welcomed us in. Our 5th visit to this lovely hotel and it won't be the last!

For foodys who love different flavours exploding on the tongue this is the place to go. So tasty, the gamon was divine.

A delightful afternoon set in beautiful grounds. The jazz was pitched just right for easy listening whilst dining. Lunch was beautifully presented , hot and very tasty. The staff professional and very charming. A wonderful way of spending a summer afternoon!

We were lucky enough to have our Pre-Wedding meal in the Lakes Restaurant.

The food is one step above first class! The welcome you recieve and the service you get is of the real old fashioned customer service we used to get years ago. If you are a meat eater may I suggest you try their Four Rib of Beef. It just melts in your mouth. An excellent menu, with something to please everyone. Your surroundings are of a luxurious decor, and the prices are extremely reasonable. You would pay double this if you were in London!

We had a very nice Sunday lunch which is very good value for money for 3 courses. The location is very nice and the staff were all very good.

Classic lunch atmosphere, stylish but not over the top.We were able to mix & match from the a'la carte to the set lunch menus . The food was excellent as was the service was attentive(but not in your face). The Chef even gave us, Anniversary petit fours also our table was decorated for our lunch. We look forward to returning soon.

Booked Sunday lunch for a family birthday on 26th May at 1pm for a large party. The staff were friendly and attentive and the food excellent as seen by the clearn plates. We were able to make our food selections beforehand, ensuring everything went smoothly. Well done Hempstead House.

We often go to Hempstead House for lunch but this week we were rather disappointed. Our booking was for 1pm and we were greeted promptly and shown to our table. The restaurant was empty and we were left with the menu but our order wasn't taken until 1.25pm. Another couple arrived in the dining room, who had obviously given their order whilst having a drink elsewhere, and were served their starter and eventually main meal before ours arrived at 1.55pm. We had enquired if there was a problem in the kitchen, due to our wait, but we were told there was not. The potatoes were rather hard but the rest of the meal was OK.

Good options for breakfast, however our package included a fixed menu and i would say portion wise could be better, which is why i preferred the food in the brasserie. Afternoon tea in the Maple room was exceptionally good

Sunday lunch but with some degree of class. A good welcome,a good table setting and excellent always available staff. Set three course meal ( for a fixed price ) and good choices albeit smallish servings for starters and puddings.

I booked the hotel's Lakes restaurant for my wife's birthday. We did not stay at the hotel. There were 15 guests in all, and naturally I was worried in case anything went wrong during the BIG occasion. I needn't have worried. Staff were on hand as I requested to ensure everyone had a drink on arrival and they circulated constantly to ensure everyone was "topped up." They were attentive at all times. I have organised functions before at other venues where I have had to act as the staff's memory, and chase them around to get service but there was no danger of that happening at Hempstead House.

We were met at our Birthday Lunch by an attentive Head Waiter, who took our coats and orders for pre-lunch drinks before showing us to a particularly attractive dining room. The menu was ideal for a mid-day meal and when it arrived was well presented and delicious. Service was excellent and prices reasonable.

We were more than pleasantly surprised by Lakes restaurant. The service was excellent, the dining room is superb. The atmosphere is exactly what you would like and the food was of the very best quality. What is surprising is that price of the food from the fixed menu is so reasonable. The drinks aren't cheap, but overall, the value for money is difficult to fault. We have already decided to go back.

The most amazing three course meal wine and service really could not fault staff were amazing and my friend was gluten free and a fabulous chose she had to

The Good Lady and I had Sunday Lunch here with my Daughter and parents.

Booked the hotel for afternoon tea.

We were attended to as soon as we arrived. Drinks were ordered in the lounge area. Our starter orders were taken. Once they were ready we were escorted to our table. The restaurant beautifully festive. Starters were excellent. We were not rushed at all. Main courses were well presented. Again nice lapse before dessert orders taken. Again delicious. All in all most enjoyable lunch. Service excellent.

I visited this restaurant with my Wife and daughter for the first time in early December to celebrate my Birthday and were very impressed because as my daughter is a Vegan she was able to select a suitable meal from the Menu with no difficulty, My Wife is very selective about her food and was able to choose a meal easily and I found the menu offered many choices all of which I could have eaten, we had the house Red which was very acceptable, The Waiter and Waitress were very pleasant efficient overall it was a most enjoyable experience and we will be visiting at least once a month in Future

Thai Night Themed food. Perfectly cooked excellent food, service with a smile, gloves and we were made to feel welcome and special as guests as well as the locals. An Amazing place highly recommend to any one couples groups.

Ate in here as part of staying in the hotel. Menu was a little ‘small’ but all food cooked fresh and superbly presented.

This is my second visit to the Lakes restaurant and once again the food was divine. Presentation, quality and more importantly taste was perfect. Gin selection was good. Service was brilliant, staff attentive, polite and friendly. A lovely enjoyable evening.

Perfect fine dining experience. Staff professional and friendly. Food delicious and complimentary chefs extras. 100% worth a visit.

Great food and the staff are very well mannered and polite!

Had dinner in the restaurant on two nights, had excellent meals. Food was delicious, well presented and staff looked after us very well. The range of dishes on offer was very good and reasonably priced. Breakfast in the same restaurant was good with a nice cooked breakfast, as well as cereals, fruit etc. Service again was good.