Nelly's Takeaway At The Nelson Arms in Tonbridge and Malling

Lovely pub, really good beers, good food

I had made numerous promises to myself to visit this pub for a number of years now, and tonight, I finally made it along to enjoy a couple of birthday drinks and food with my family. Tonight, being a Tuesday, meant it was "Pie Night" and the three of us thoroughly enjoyed what was served up, namely Steak and Ale pie (with thick cut chips), and Lamb, Mint and Potato pie, with mash potato. The food was great - tasty, well-proportioned, and good value for money. If (as I am) you're a cask ale afficionado, you'll be spoiled for choice; even on a midweek night, there were about 8 of offer, with a good range of styles and ABVs, perfect to suit all tastes. The staff were polite, helpful, informative, and attentive - a real credit to the business. Special thanks must be extended to Dee for her welcome and for ensuring we were looked after for the duration of our visit. As for the building, decor, and atmosphere itself ... it was superlative; a truly wonderful, cosy, beautifully presented and spotlessly clean establishment. It is dog-friendly, too, which, personally, even as a non-dog-owner, I find a plus. The local community is truly blessed to have such a gem on its doorstep. I shall definitely, 100%, be back, and, next time, I will ensure I am able to stay and enjoy the friendly ambience for even longer!

Nice pub, friendly staff, good choice of real ales, pale ales and IPAs.

This place is always brilliant. Fast becoming the best pub in town

Fantastic selection of beers and ales. We attended pie night so £11 for a very good pie (I opted for steak and ale) with chips and veggies. Sub £5 for all my pints also, little bonus!

Easily the best pub around. Fantastic array of ciders, beers, lagers, ales & stout.

This pub is fantastic in terms of beers available atmosphere. It's probably the best pub I've been in for a couple of years.... If you are a beer drinker visit. I certainly will be returning.

Decent pub, large selection of beers, always seems busy which is a good sign, food is lovely and has a homemade feel to it

Absolutely cracking pub with amazing ale. Ever so friendly, warming, and convivial. A 'must do' whenever in Tonbridge 🍺👍

One of the loveliest pubs I’ve been to in a while; went there with my wife and three children (I would advise going without children to be able to better enjoy the ludicrously rich selection of beers and ales available. I plan to return with my brother and brother-in-law to taste a few of the others on offer.

Great traditional style pub complete with snug and a fabulous range of ales

Had a lovely time here a great selection of drinks friendly staff and a nice clean tidy bar

Great pub, good food and large selection of drinks

First time there, seemed nice and friendly, just lively enough. Thursday evening. Good choice of beers too. Had a Sunday roast this time, top tier!!

Superb pub. Just as it should be. Unbelievable choice of beers, ales & ciders.

We visited The Nelson Arms today after hearing it was voted the Number 1 pub in Kent! It's a gorgeous little pub, beautiful decor. There were 30 beers available on tap and warm pork scratchings available, and a small patio area out the back, which was lovely in the sunshine. Really warm welcome from the bar man. Lovely little pub.

An absolutely amazing pub, for the second year in a row it's won Kent pub of the year and in the the running for best pub in the UK, rightly so it's got everything you could want from a pub and the selection of craft beers, ales and ciders is the best iv seen with new ones on the menu every few weeks. Highly recommend!

Great little pub, everything (good!) you've heard about it is true. I don't live in Tonbridge but if I did I'd make it my local.

Unreal pub with an enormous beer and cider selection. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Lots of quality beverages (ale, craft beer and proper cider). Friendly staff. Courtyard garden out the back. A bit of a walk to get to but it was worth it.

30 beers, 18 ciders. Could have spent a week in this pub. Loved it

What an absolute gem of a boozer! Loved every minute of our visit. Thanks Matt and team.

Best pub I've ever been to. Perfect balance of vibe and beer selection.

Lovely little place, good beers and friendly service

Lovely pub with a fantastic selection of quality beers. The food was lovely too. I'm looking forward to a return visit

This is a fabulous pub. The attention to detail in all aspects of what a pub should provide is absolutely spot on. The range of cask ales just never disappoints. I love this pub and I hope it never changes.

Brilliant selection of beers and a homely feel. Will be going back as soon as possible

A brilliant pub, very much an IYKYK place but given greater prominence of its runner up in Camra POTY 2023. It’s on the side street of a back street, so it has no right to be good, and even though its reputation is now preceding it, it’s STILL worth getting there. The range of beers is just exceptional in this unassuming venue. Service is very good. Facilities are good. But the beer, oh the beer, is just superb. A wondrous place.

Nothing flashy but a perfect model of what a pub should be. Great beer (& cider), good food, relaxing atmosphere and genuinely friendly staff. And they are dog friendly as well

Love it here, huge selection of beers, great atmosphere, attentive staff who smile and warm scratchings. What more could you ask for

My new local, great beer selection, good for sport or a quiet drink

Brilliant community owned pub. Welcoming, friendly, relaxing, homely. Cask, keg, bottle and can beer selection is always outstanding, diverse and served in perfect condition from attentive knowledgeable staff. Great cider selection as well. Perfect back street pub

love it! great people, great beer, great food. life up in the appartment is lovely

Bloody great place! Went here with some friends for the first time and we loved the atmosphere. Didn't have any food but I will do next time I visit. Excellent selection of beer on tap. They carry lagers, ales, bitters, stouts and even porters, which made me very happy. I would well and truly recommend it to anyone. You may however bump into a couple of locals who will join in on your conversations. We were talking about cars and somehow got taken down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories by a local. Good fun though and lots of conversations.

Brilliant pub, runner-up of CAMRA National Pub Of The Year 2024. Great food and beer selection. Lovely decor. Well worth a visit 😁👍❤️

Great independent with a wide selection of ever rotating beers. Serving both keg and cask. Cask beers are well maintained and the staff are knowledgeable on good cask management.

Very welcoming and helpful nice home cooked food great beer to choose from will be going back soon Very dog frendly

Fantastic hidden gem of a place.

Fantastic atmosphere, fantastic food and a beer wall! The perfect pub.

A proper pub, the best in a large area. Great selection of ales. Friendly staff.

Just the best local boozer. Pretty much the perfect pub. Great and unusual range of beers which change regularly. Delicious and reasonably priced pub grub. Regular quizzes and live music, friendly staff and atmosphere. What's not to like?

Cracking local pub with a great selection of real ale and craft beer.

Not one for kids but for the grown ups was great, book it gets busy!

Excellent, friendly traditional pub with a very wide choice of ales. Will definitely return. Maybe on a Sunday again, as the roast looked great but we were booked in elsewhere.

Great service, excellent selection of drinks.

Lord Nelson Arms Winterslow Sunday Lunch is absolutely amazing. The Indian samosas were a super starter and the Chicken Tikka starter with mint dipping sauce was superb. The roast potatoes, meat and gravy cooked to perfection and the cauliflower cheese was the best I have ever tasted. I was amazed that towards the end of our meal we were asked if we would like any extra potatoes, cauliflower cheese, veg and additional gravy. I thought this would be at extra charge but NO additional charge - Amazing. Never had this even at our local and all with a very pleasant atmosphere. Nothing too much trouble. Lovely staff friendly even though we are not from the area they made us feel so very welcome.

Gem of a pub in the backstreets of Tonbridge. Winner of numerous Campaign for Real Ale awards. Saved by a residents group several years ago, this is a brilliant community boozer. Great selection of well kept cask ales from local breweries and further afield. Superb craft keg beer is also available. The food is very good. I've tried the Sunday Roast which was excellent and a fair sized portion, and the burgers which are very tasty. Service is friendly and efficient, and there's a cosy atmosphere inside the pub. There's a partially covered beer garden which is very pleasant. Food and drink is very reasonably priced. Absolutely worth a visit if you're in the Tonbridge area.

Great Sunday roast. Great atmosphere and superb pub .

Great local pub. Service fantastic and dogs allowed too. Food is absolutely delicious

I watched G.E.M and Hush (bands) here on two occasions, fabulous service each time. Even though it is a smaller pub and space is tight never had any issues

Lovely pub with a great selection of beers and cider. Very friendly locals and staff . great live music too .

Phenomenal freehouse with great range of cask and keg. Welcoming staff and good food make this a well deserved award winning pub.

Someone recommended this place to us for ale. Brilliant !! Will be back

Great courteous staff, excellent food and the best real ale in Kent

Had a lovely time here, will be back.

Probably the most friendly of pubs I've ever been in. The bar staff and landlord were so welcoming and friendly. Live music the night we went. So many Real Ales to choose from. Cannot rate this pub highly enough.

By far the best beer in town, excellent food (check serving times), it's a lovely pub.

Fantastic local pub with great range of beers, friendly staff and good food

Lovely little pub Friendly staff really polite too

Great selection of beers. Always something new to try as well.

Great pub , and great choice of ales

Little hidden gem in the back streets of Tonbridge. Amazing range of ale and cider on tap. George is the perfect barman to be your host. Thanks Simon for introducing me to the Lord.

Introduced by a friend, I may have my new local.

What can I say. Best pub in Tonbridge by far and my local. The food is fresh and delicious and reasonably priced. Sunday roasts are as good as my mums! And the staff are all very professional and friendly. Matt the landlord really is passionate about his business and it is refreshing to see. It's also a massive bonus that sport is regularly on the screens which is unusual in a local traditional pub. 6 stars all the way

Great pub, has been done very well. You must try the warm pork scratchings, fantastic. Menu looks good. Very good Easter lunch ferrio roche cheesecake fantastic. Very friendly

Quite possibly the best pub I have found south of London and possibly north of it.

Great choice of ales and beers and fantastic Sunday Lunches. Staff always helpful and pleasant...A pleasure to visit.

April 2022 - We only dropped in for a quick pint on our walk from Tonbridge to Leigh. The pub has plenty of character and a huge selection of ales on the pumps. 22 draught pumps I counted with ciders and ales. We were given a very friendly welcome. Update March 2023. Still a real ale drinkers gem of a pub. And the food is very good. My Swedish friend was very pleasantly surprised by the food quality.

What a great little pub. Tasty food and ample portions. Friendly service made the experience such a good one. Will be back

Brilliant Pub, love it so much I keep it a secret from my Tunbridge Wells friends! Great Staff, Great Beer, Great Feel!! Thank god I found it!!

Fabulous pub, warm welcome with a great atmosphere. Huge range of drinks available with lots of local breweries on tap. Not tried the food yet but the menu looks tasty and we will definitely visit again.

Really good pub, very good selection of beers and ciders.

Went on a Thursday night as a family - it was a burger night. Absolutely delicious, the burgers were well filled had a range of different types (vegan and fish as well!) and chips were homemade and tasted amazing. Drinks were great! Good pints on tap. It's a great local pub if you are in the area, lovely service, nice pub and good range of drinks.

Lovely roast, great ambience. We'll be back.

A delightful back street pub with several beers that I enjoyed.

Great service and brilliant beer .

Wow, amazing pub. Hidden gem. Great atmosphere and staff, incredible selection of drinks

Great pub, with a brilliant atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. Will be going back again.

Had a lovely roast dinner, fantastic pub

Booked a group christmas party meal at the Nelson. Food was amazing. Matt is a great landlord. Best pub in Kent 10/10

Proper pub. Good atmosphere, good beer. Great decor, friendly team. What's not to like?

Lovely staff and good outside space.

Great roast dinner and brilliant selection of drinks.

Up there with Fuggles in terms of the best pub in Tonbridge. A hidden gem.

Great selection of beers and good friendly staff

This is quite simply the best "real" pub in the area bar none! Popped in on the evening of Friday 7th October with a doubting Thomas friend. Great beer, grub and atmosphere. My sceptical friend is now a Nelly convert! You simply have to give this place a try. You won't be disappointed!

Love this place. Staff always make you feel welcomed.

Fabulous back street pub with a superb beer range. Friendly and always something going on or about to. If you just want a quiet beer? No problem.

Excellent selection of well kept ales

One of our favourite dog friendly pubs. Delicious food too

West Kent CAMRA pub of the year 2022 for a good reason. I've been visiting semi-regularly over the last 4 years and it's a fantastic pub. Well decorated and maintained, the unique selling point is the well curated, great new and interesting beers of all types which are in constant rotation along with a few regulars. Every visit there is always something new to try. In addition to the beer, regular live music, sport, quiz nights, jukebox and other community themed events really cement this as a fantastic 'heart of the town' pub. Weekdays and weekends you can buy some great burgers or just go for a plate of dirty fries. Sundays during the winter traditional Sunday roasts are on the menu. The usual bar snacks can be bought as well if you just want a small nibble. Nelsons also offer vegetarian and vegan options too and gluten free beers. Of course if you are not a beer fan, you can find a selection of other drinks including Gins, Whisky, soft drinks. While Children are welcome up to 7pm there is an adult only area filled with big comfy armchairs. A covered and uncovered outside area at the back. With the owners also being dog lovers, the Nelsons is very dog friendly.

Providing you can find it its better than most of the pubs on the highstreet

Love this pub, best roast dinners around the pub quiz on Sunday is great too! Always a pleasant place to go and staff are so friendly!

Excellent pub. Good selection of beer and ciders

Lovely friendly, cosy little pub, good food and great service!

What a great pub. Finally visited and not disappointed. Immaculately kept tucked away pub an easy walk from Tonbridge Station with a fantastic range of cask and Keg beers, all perfectly kept. Lovely friendly staff and comfortable seating and snug. Recommended!

Great selection of beers and lovely people. A great pub!

Great pub full of charm and very friendly lovely landlord

Great local pub, live music, varied beer and warm pork scratchings. What more could anyone want?

Always a great selection of guest ales. I always end up discovering a great new pint here