Royal Crown Rochester in Medway

Booked in for Xmas dinner and was not disappointed. Cost was normal for Christmas dinner out (£100) but that included starter, palate cleanser, full turkey dinner with the largest yorkshires I've ever seen, desert, coffee and truffles. I thought it was excellent value and perfectly cooked. There were alternative choices available - my mum had venison which looked amazing. The food was very high quality and the chefs should be rightly proud, but it was the service levels that made the difference. Attentive without being intrusive, patient and knowledgable. The young lady was especially professional and given her audience was exceptional. All in all a great Christmas lunch and a place I'd go back to in a heartbeat. Well done team Crown! 👏👏

The food was disgusting and over priced. We had a roast and it was huge but completely lacked any flavour. For the price of it, it was terrible. I won't be returning for food again.

Decent Shepherd Neame pub. The beer selection is good—we had a Master Brew and a Stout. Since it’s a Shepherd Neame pub, it has all their beer on ta. I haven’t tried the food yet, but I’ll update the review if I do. We visited around 4 PM, during a mix of work Christmas parties and post-lunch drinks, so it felt like an in-between time so that might have affected the atmosphere which was a bit dry. The decor is fairly standard, and the bar service was fine. We managed to find a high-top table, but despite the pub being quite big, space felt limited—they could probably arrange it better. It’s in an interesting spot on a busy corner, which makes it very convenient to get in and out. Overall, it’s a pleasant pub with a solid Shepherd Neame beer selection, worth a visit if you're in the area and by appearances it certainly looks like one of the best in the area.

Service very very slow, food mediocre considering the price of £38 for 3 course Christmas menu. Doubt I'd visit again.

The food was excellent and the staff were very friendly and very helpful.

Had an absolutely fantastic roast dinner there. Would recommend not eating much before as they give generous portions. Best to book if going with a large party or on busy weekends with events in Rochester.

Seems to be the place for older drinkers it's OK.

We hired the upstairs for our baby shower and it couldn’t have gone any better. The food and atmosphere were amazing. For days people were commenting on how lovely the food was! The staff were so so helpful especially Rachel and the other two ladies behind the bar (I didn’t catch your names sorry!). Would highly recommend to friends and family! Thank you for a wonderful time and making our day so special x

Went for Sunday lunch, it was very nice.

Lovely pub with open fire.Completely refurbished by Sheperd Neame brewery.

Attended a private family birthday party in the function room. Had an enjoyable evening with my partner catching up with family members not seen in years. Unfortunately my partner was repeatedly jostled by staff members pushing past her. This happened on numerous occasions. Which marred an otherwise enjoyable evening for her.

Had a refurb in there lately..... very nice in there but they've got to pay for the refurb by putting the prices up ...4 double drinks JD and Rum's £40.....

Don't order the steak. Dried up and tough. Goto wiitherspoon s for a lovely steak

Price, quality and atmosphere are all very good, but not top tier. Decor is great, really tasteful and stylish. Staff were good, but at the moment not everything is top tier. However I visited after they Re opened

Went there on a Sunday for dinner at 8.30pm - they told me they close the kitchen at 8pm. I then returned the following Sunday and they then said the kitchen was closed already at 7.30pm. They didn't seem apologetic at all for the inconvenience. If I could give a 0 star I would 🙂

I'm not mad about the menu. It is trying to be too fancy. I would prefer good tasty classic pub grub. However, I enjoy the Sunday roasts. Nice interior, miles better than when it was just the Crown. The staff have always been friendly and polite when I have been in there, again this is a vast improvement from when it was the Crown. Atmosphere all depends on time of day, nice for a drink and a catch up.

We came in for sunday roast & was very impressed with the portion size it was a very good roast dinner & 100% will be returning.we was so full we ordered a side of cauliflower cheese & pigs in blankets . Would 110 % recommend .thank you

Went in weekday afternoon Great tasting food get monies worth, great looking pub inside friendly staff too , nice views to outside

Excellent place Haven't tasted food yet 😕

Really friendly staff, great food. A proper, well-run pub. I can recommend the steak.

It was beautiful location, great staff as well

A large airy bar with plenty of space and a decent pint on the pumps

Great Pub with fantastic selection of Shepard Neane Beers

We had tried a couple of places but had to book so we tried this place, no booking (result) the food was lovely. I had pork, and my wife had half roast chicken. Very nice and reasonably priced.

Although I went on a Wednesday night and was quite late, the welcome was brilliant and the food (Sea Bass) was really good! Reasonably priced, too. Great location, I would recommend it to anyone.

Just elegant, peaceful with good sensible food and nice wines. The Chateau Lamothe Red Bordeaux as a classic 50/50 Cab/Merlot was very good value . Service was at that nice junction of Oro and friendly

Good food and great beer and cider.

Lovely roast dinner, with giant Yorkshire pudding. Delicious

Love this pub! Second time I’ve had Sunday lunch here and the food is unreal. Generous portions and everything tasting so nice. Bought my mum and dad here today and they were really impressed too. It’s a comfortable, cosy pub to sit and chill in on a Sunday and the staff are friendly and really look after you too. Already looking forward to coming back again and trying other dishes on the menu on a different evening as I’ve had drinks in here previously and the cocktails are great as well

Always a busy pub,plenty of atmosphere, prices are norm for the tourist area We didn't eat here,but they have a designated area for eating and the food looked and smelt delicious. Recently refurbished its a nice place to relax,and plenty of choice .

2nd time now we've used it for our Army REunions, Saturday night wasn't best choice when rugby was on but still a good night, another REunion last night much better atmosphere after the refurbishment more seating and no TV.

What a welcome addition to the high street since the refurb. A lovely setting right next to the bridge. Decent option of lagers, although prices are a little steep. Similar to London.. nevertheless a good experience overall!

What can I say what a nice establishment we was visiting Rochester the other day and we came in for a quick drink before going out for a meal

Went to a wedding reception there and we were very well looked after. Very helpful, friendly staff - nothing was too much trouble and the food was excellent - quality, variety and quantity.

Fantastic place! We celebrated our wedding and we can only be grateful for the great service, great food and great atmosphere!!! Definitely worth it. Thank you very much for making our day so special!

Nice and cozy place. The food and the service are very good !

Busy but nice atmosphere. Nicely decorated. Good, speedy bar service. Lots of tables and chairs. Security guards at both entrances and exits.

Huge thank you to all the staff. My daughter had a very intimate wedding party on Saturday 03/08/24. We were tucked away in the snug. The food and service was exceptional and the staff were so helpful and friendly. Thank you for making it a magical experience. The food was so delicious and such great value for money, as well as presented in a fantastic way.

I did not have food but looked nice

We arranged our wedding reception at The Royal Crown in Rochester. From the moment my sister visited the venue in November through to our day on Saturday your team of staff were outstanding. Rachael as the key contact person was open, friendly, organised and communicative. On the day she really made my partner and I feel cared for and special, not to mention the other 20 guests and the rest of the pub too. Anything we asked she made happen and it really made a difference to the planning and the day itself. The rest of the team, Theo, Lacey a young blonde lady (sorry didn't get her name) and Tom were all truly fantastic. It is no easy task to coordinate welcome drinks, afternoon tea, a two course meal, cake, coffees and drinks for that many people - but really each and everyone of the colleagues working that day did so with such a smike, enthusiasm and kept saying "it's no trouble." Absolutely fantastic, so much so every guest said, gosh, what a lovely team!

Great Sunday roast, best pub in Rochester

The food was nice, better than expected would go zgain for lunch

Since this pub had its make over Wow! Really has made it lovely n pish to wanna be sat in. Food could be better. But the atmosphere is great. Pub is so much cleaner n so much nicer to wanna sit in.

Classy following a recent refurb. A good option for the pintsman or woman about town.

Very warm welcome both in the pub area (large choice of beers) and in the restaurant area...huge fish and chips (homemade beer breading) and delicious, excellent onion fritters...and Rochester, a very beautiful city ( beautiful center) which doesn't spoil anything!

I had the seabass and copious amounts of beer, the staff were excellent.

Sunday traditional English lunch. Delicious dish with large portions.

great Shepherd Neame pub. Beautiful interior.

Lovely pub in a nice setting, on the evening we where there there was a few things that they had run out of which the server made us aware of straight away. The food was OK definitely not terrible but also nothing to shout about, I would say slightly over priced for the quality of food ( cheep frozen Sausages)

Great food, good beer and friendly staff in a clean and tidy pub. There's a good variety on the menu and some meals you don't often see.

Excellent food and service, staff polite and friendly.

We visited today and had a lovely Sunday roast. The food was delicious and the staff were excellent. Will definitely be visiting again.

Bit of a strange lay out inside, drinks very pricey. Maybe have a look, but not to my liking.

Only stayed for a pint so can't say much, nice deco and seating, service was good.

Great Experience. Great food and I can't fault the service received. Thank you

Still the same. Keeps running out of Spitfire Pathetic incompetent management.

A nice place to have a drink, see a live band and have a date night.

Pub food Sage honey roast potatoes and a dish of olives Simple but roast must of been from yesterday Wasn’t impressed with Olives Service good though Second visit this year and food l left

Highly recommend, food was hot a fresh and tasty, service was excellent and the atmosphere was chilled and relaxed. Will definitely be back

Restaurant is so lovely after the refurb, food is to die for and great value for money! Couldn’t fault the staff were so friendly and attentive!

Needs some fineness with service- staff presentation very scuffy. After starter new cutlery just left on side of table without sufficient fresh napkins. Yorkshire puddings nasty. Veg insufficient and odd.

Had lunch and a pint for 4 people. Great position by the river. Recently refurbished to a very very high standard. Lovely dining area plus you can eat in the bar. Sandwiches were excellent with really nice skin on fries included. Usual Shepherd Neame beers and ales well kept. My only complaint is a minor one. I know there is an understandable emphasis on tourists here but we call them 'toilets' in the UK, not 'restrooms'! Recommended.

Great food, excellent service, lovely atmosphere - fantastic value for money, too, will definitely be back!

Visited Royal Crown in Rochester with my daughter and son in law during an afternoon out while staying with them for a couple of days. We had a nice slow walk down Rochester High Street before stopping off at the Royal Crown for a spot of lunch and a drink. The public house has been redecorated since my daughter last visited and it was nicely done. Service was slower than expected but the food was very nice. We all had a pleasant afternoon and would return at a later date 😊.

Pub was good and conveniently placed, also good location fir restaurants

Me and my partner really enjoyed our wedding reception the buffet food was spot on and the staff wasxvery welcoming thank you for making out special day wonderful Mr and Mrs abnett

Nice location on the edge of town, atmosphere was good and seemed to be clean and tidy. Food come out quite quick and promptly.

Now newly refurbed this pub looks great inside and serves some quality Shepherd Neame beers, try the Hürlimann Swiss style Helles! Will be back again soon. Didn’t eat but menu looks good and the food I saw served to others looked great.

Recently refurbished, good selection of beers and good food. Fish and chips is great. Little on pricey side.

Day out with friends but a bit dear prices of the beer but nice pint anyway.

My family took me to The Crown to celebrate my birthday it was a wonderful experience food excellent staff extremely friendly even delivering my cake with an excellent rendition of Happy Birthday this pub is highly recommended

It's recently had a refurb so it's nice and fresh/modern inside. Close to the castle and the river + being at the end of the high street is ideally located. Function room upstairs, there was a wedding party upstairs when we went. Plenty of parking in the town so no free parking directly at the property but it's easy enough. Def worth a stop in if you're in the area.

The member of staff was as polite and friendly as could be, sadly the sausage sandwich was awful, possibly 2 sausages that looked as though had been microwaved on thin bog standard bread and charged close on £10 for it. Would not go back to eat there, but the wine was nice.

Fantastic pub with friendly staff and great food and real ale. Often there for big sporting events which are well catered for with big TVs. Great pub to visit whether there is sport on or not....proper pub!

Excellent service and food. Drinks a bit pricey

Visited twice had muscles on both occasions. Meals are lovely . Staff are attentive . Great atmosphere. Also had a social with a friend . Would highly recommend. Jeff was very professional. Will go back for sure

Great food and beer selection and great service.

We came here for dinner on a weekday. The pub is looking fantastic since being refurbished - lovely atmosphere and decor. Unfortunately we didn't find the food or service matched this. The food was very average. The service was poor. We were seated quickly, the waiter told us he would be with us to take our order shortly. 15 mins later, no one had come over so we ordered at the bar. The food took another half an hour to arrive. Considering how few customers there were, this was a bit odd. The prices are high too. This is absolutely fine if the quality is there, but sadly we didn't find it was.

Fantastic place to eat and socialise, staff are great, food is absolutely tasty.

Lovely pub, well decorated and clean. Friendly staff

Had a very enjoyable meal in this recently refurbished pub, located in a very popular area of Rochester. Tasteful.

We went to the Royal Crown to meet up with our Son as it was his Birthday. It was a Wednesday night so it was not very busy, the staff were very friendly and attentive. We had some food there and it was very good and we didn't have to wait too long for it. We would definitely visit the Royal Crown again. The Royal Crown has recently been refurbished and the decor and lighting has made it more relaxing inside.

Loved the food but service was really slow

Great meal here, with excellent food and a stunning Malbec.

If you visit Rochester, be sure to visit this pub, which was crowded with customers during the daytime on weekdays.

Wonderful refurbished establishment in Rochester! The staff are amazing. Extremely friendly and personable and accommodating to all needs. I absolutely love coming here - it’s like a home from home.

Book twice now and both times they got our reservations wrong, today was the last straw, the manager was rude and suggested we had not booked for the size of our party. This used to be a wonderful place for Sunday Lunch but under new management they have lost the ability to give good service, noticed the food that people were eating looked mass produced where before when we’ve eaten there the food looked and tasted fresh 👎 won’t be going back and would recommend people that haven’t been for a while don’t bother

Amazing pub set on 2 floors next to the river

Beautiful pub with excellent views of the bridge and River Medley. We had a group of 6 and enjoyed the chicken and beef Sunday roast, it was lovely. The butternut squash soup is also highly recommended. Unfortunately there isn't a wide selection of non-alcoholic beers

Arrived for lunch at one o'clock and was told that due to a large party they would not be taking orders until 1.30. Waited for 65 minutes and still no joy despite a few reminders to bar staff. Finished our drinks and left. Worst experience in a Shepherd Neame pub I've had.

Don't order the beef... it was like eating a bit of carpet..tough and fatty. For £18 I expect better. Gordon Ramsey would not of been impressed. However, the staff were great and a nice relaxing atmosphere.

So positives first, the food was great and the service was fabulous and attentive. And the atmosphere was buzzing. But the space we were crammed in to was ridiculous. I understand there will eventually be more seating upstairs but squashing customers into a tiny space when even getting in and out of your seat was nigh on impossible without bashing into the diners on the table behind is not acceptable. Sadly I wouldn't return until the seating is sorted out.

Refurb has made this pub very classy but still friendly and comfortable. Shepherd Neame's Spitfire and Masterbrew perfectly served. Plenty of seats and large tables.

By far the best pub in Rochester. Great atmosphere, warm and dog friendly. All the things a pub should be!!

Lovely pub, very busy. Went for a gig ( rock paper scissors ) they we're upstairs. Was absolutely cram packed. And stifling. Had to keep going outside for fresh air. Ended up leaving early. Which we didn't want to do, as rock paper scissors is my fav local band.

Arrived on a lunch time (since the refurb) Friday afternoon so didn't expect it to be busy downstairs was clearly heaving so we opted for upstairs. A fair amount 20-30 people were left to some poor barmaid who was clearly trying her hardest so props to her. The food, how you can charge £7.50 for a sausage roll is personally beyond me, but this is the modern world. I opted for fish finger sandwich which arrived cold to baking hot chips. Fro £9 not the worst. The menu boasted gluten free options so my partner went for the gluten free haddock and chips. This is not gluten-free batter merely the fish baked without a coating. Mushy peas must have contained gluten as well as they never arrived. Haddock was okay I was told but at a whopping £17.50 my partner expected more. The refurb has the place looking nice but with the drinks slightly more expensive and the food pretty pricey for Kent. It does make you wonder if the refurb was worth it.

Nice food only one server who was doing all he could would def go back

Really frustrating. Went past on Xmas eve as walking past as we wanted to find somewhere for lunch for myself, my wife and kids. Asked at the bar if reservations were needed if we wanted to head down in about half an hour and was told "no, it'll be fine". When we went back half an hour later we were told that we couldn't eat if we didn't have a reservation. Very disappointed. There was no attempt to find a workaround - it was a flat no, and we had to leave. Merry Christmas! The refit itself looks good, but clearly things not being communicated properly between management and staff.

Nice refurb.. very loud BUT it is a pub and it was Christmas Eve !! Nice food would recommend the Pork Chop !!

This place has been refurbished. Decent job, but I must admit I preferred the previous incarnation. More of a food pub these days I think. Nothing wrong with that, but doesn’t really have the space to be both pub and restaurant. Bit chaotic for just grabbing a drink. Nice pint of Whitstable blonde and service impeccable, but space very limited when busy. No gaming machines. Might be better at less busy time of year when more relaxed. Full of large groups of ‘lads’ when I visited. Amusement value, but their behaviour wasn’t the best… A pass for now, but I’ll head back by in a few months and reevaluate.