Ramblers Rest Wateringbury in Maidstone

Nb .that’s not a photo of the RR above ! It’s a rather tatty old shed , a few dark and gloomy tables inside the shed , rarely used, most people sit outside. There are outside seats for maybe 80 people or more . It’s in the middle of a small marina boatyard , surrounded by boats on the ground. It is quite pleasant on a nice sunny day to sit with a tea and gaze at the swans , ducks etc on the Medway. On a Wednesday evening in the summer, 5-9pm you get maybe 100 bikers there. Very friendly and sociable , mainly old geezers on classic bikes. Like me ! Downsides : over priced for what it is. Compared to Blackheath tea hut , particularly. A tea and cake is £7. Burgers and chips around £13. Quality is ok rather than wonderful. My personal bugbear is the lack of proper toilets. Just a plastic portaloo. Yuk. Ok for a break , on a sunny day. If you want better, head on up to the teapot island cafe in yalding.

I visited Ramblers Redt today. I sm registered blind. Went to counter. Lady wad helpful enough. Ordered food and a drink. I carried my white stick, and explained I was sight impaired. Given bleeper thing. 1st time it bleeps, your drink is resdy.. 2nd time the food is ready. No offer of help due yo my disability. You hsve to go in when the thing bleeds. Find your drink, they 2nd time food. Trying to find condiments etc. It a nightmare. Apart from the food being cooked gorbyou, everything else you have to do yourself. No customer service at all. Very badly organised. The management need to learn how to run a business Disorganised chaotic mess, us the best description. No recognition of an individual 's disability, or offers of help. Shame, because the food was great. Prices very reasonable.

Pre booked a ploughman’s lunch for eighteen of us for a family birthday gathering. We were not disappointed, with succulent ham, good cheeses, locally made chutneys and fresh crusty bread etc. We also liked the informal setting. Parking was not an issue.

I went to bike night which happens Wednesday evenings. It was very friendly with a nice cafe and food, with a special biker menu for these weekly events. The cafe staff were really very nice too! It also has a licensed bar. The scenery is excellent. I had a really enjoyable time there. Bear in mind that this is a Marina, not a five star hotel, so as any biker who has attended shows etc would know, it has portaloos. I plan to be returning there Sunday for Breakfast

Nice view. Place itself is rather shabby. You sit outside. Ok to chat to bikers on as Wednesday evening. I thought the food was adequate but very overpriced for what Is basically a shack amongst the boats in a marina. £2 for a tea ? Plus horrible toilet. Plastic porta Potty. Ugh. Id bring a flask and sandwiches if I went again.

Visited with my husband and children. A really lovely lunch. Perfect for sitting by the river and watching the world go by. Friendly staff, lovely food. As a local Tearooms owner I often recommend here for a cooked breakfast and I am glad I do. Will be back on another day off.

We went to RR for a late breakfast not realising they stop serving breakfasts at 11:30 which is a real shame. There was a very long wait to order but we stuck it out and it turns out their chef had just walked out so they were trying to cover the kitchen as well. The very sweet and kind lady serving explained the problem and said there would be at least a 20min wait before they could even start cooking out food. The staff were all very nice even though it was obvious how stressed they were. We ended up waiting over an hour for our sandwiches but the view of the river was lovely and the food was great when it did arrive. Great setting, good food, lovely staff/owners and dog friendly so despite Sundays unfortunate circumstances it’s a solid 4* from me - only not 5* because there is only a portaloo for customers.

Three of us stopped here for lunch during a long way around the area: one ham, egg, chips; one egg, chips; one sausage and egg sandwich and a side of chips plus drinks. The food was very good and the service excellent, really attentive without being intrusive.