Sankey's in Tunbridge Wells

First and last time I go here. I ordered king prawns and nachos- clearly spoken to the waitress, yet was given battered king prawns with a sauce. I thought the nachos were on their way or were forgotten. Asking if it came with nachos, the lady admitted she got it wrong, no sorry....so am I getting the nachos? Do you want the nachos she asks... I say yes of course.... because of this odd exchange I realise it was not a missing part- it was a different meal. Unbeknownst to me, she was asking if I wanted the original order after I'd eaten the wrong one! We wait for the bill too long and then they can't find the card reader. I pay for mine separately and have to pay £17 for two tiny meals, one of which I didn't order. What should have been £7.50 turned into £17 for a small lunch, all because I was given the wrong meal. My friend paid for hers separately but then realised she was also paying for the tip for both of us included. Tip? For you picking up food from the kitchen and putting it at my table, and getting my order wrong? It was so expensive and atmosphere was dire because of the service. Never again. Their communication was bad and I shouldn't have had to pay for their mess-up.

A nice bar and restaurant but quite expensive

Wonderful seafood. Sweet juicy mussels, prawns to die for. All served on a bed of ice with a side dish of so r dough. Washed down with a lovely Cardonnay. Excellent unobtrusive service. Nothingness too much trouble. Highly recommended.

We had an excellent lunch here recently. The food is top notch, the service friendly and efficient, and the ambience pleasantly quirky - a great combination that makes you want to come back. It's a bit expensive, but seafood just is, and both the choice and quality justify it. Two comments - you wouldn't know it from the online menu but in addition to the items on it there is a choice of additional fish dishes available, four extra options in our case. The only downside is that parking is a nightmare, especially during the day. We actually parked in the car park next to the station and cabbed it both ways, and that worked fine.

Fantastic service, great atmosphere and the lobster was to die for 👌 very dog friendly with a menu for them too! Would definitely recommend for any occasion

I'm really impressed by the acoustics today, it couldn't even allow to enjoy food. Music evenings are great... With someone who can actually sing..

Really annoying loud untalented singer was performing forever today :(

I don't know who decided to torture the customers with the most unprofessional singer for hours, but they definitely succeeded

Utterly delicious food, lovely staff, great setting. Heaven on a plate! Thank you for making our family meal so special

What a find! Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Cornish sole cooked to perfection plus lots of other delicious things

We came here for dinner after getting married, the food was perfect for the group, everyone was happy with the options. The atmosphere had a great positive upbeat vibe to it, and the service was great! We felt very much in safe hands. Thanks to the chefs too - brilliant fresh food all round! PS I highly recommend the dressed crab.

The best service. A TW institution.

The best service. A TW institution.

Thursday evening dinner. Sardine starters and then beautifully cooked fish for main course from a wide selection of fresh fish as well as other choices

Absolutely top notch venue, food and friendly service. The best fish and chips my son (11 years old) has ever tasted he said - difficult to disagree with him! Waitress (Lara?) was particularly friendly, engaging and helpful and worthy of a special mention. Can not wait to return!

Fantastic food and great customer service. Made to feel very welcome despite rocking up in Combat trousers and vest top. Good range of GF food including cider battered fish and chips. Good sized portions. Would eat here again.

Fantastic food and great customer service. Made to feel very welcome despite rocking up in Combat trousers and vest top. Good range of GF food including cider battered fish and chips. Good sized portions. Would eat here again.

***This was totally overpriced - we will not go back*** We had the Crawfish and the Salmon. The seafood itself was just above average. The seafood was fresh. It was not badly cooked at all, but not amazing. And certainly not amazing enough to justify the eye-watering price tag. £48 for half a Cornish Crawfish. Having been to Cornwall, I was expecting something spectacular. But it was cooked at a level of an average seafood restaurant. The garlic butter was not flavoured properly, and for this price tag, I would've expected something like homemade mayonnaise or aioli for the dip, not the bland supermarket mayonnaise they put on the side. This would have been 3 stars for the food, but I took off a star because of the service. The staff was polite. But did not provide a lobster cracker / fork, nor provide a finger bowl or wet wipes to wash my hands with. No one came to ask if the meal was okay. Will not recommend unless there's nothing else in Tunbridge Wells to go.

Oysters delicious & fresh with delicious vinaigrette. Sardines with heirloom tomato salad, Scottish mussels cooked in Thai sauce. Beers. All cooked perfectly, fresh & delicious. Staff were attentive & charming. Beautiful old historic pub. Would definitely go back.

Came by for lunch today (Friday 9th August) with my daughter-in-law and two grandsons. We had a lovely time sitting outside. Food was great, reasonably priced. Most particularly, though, I must say our waitress, Zara, really made our visit special; she was friendly, helpful and attentive, a real asset to Sankeys!

We absolutely loved our lunch today, the maître d' and waitress were superb, and the megrim and smokie were so tasty, thanks for a fab lunch, we’ll be back!

Delicious crevette caesar salad! (Might be worth noting it was spicy, not sure if it said on the menu.)

We LOVE this place ! The food is soooo nice and the atmosphere is amazing. Front of house is amazing (especially Dan!), always chatting through the food options. But honestly great wine and outstanding food !

Friendly staff loved their sweet chilli sauce need to bottle it

Stopped in for a working lunch. Friendly team, and reasonable burger.

Beer was either out or stock or ran out. Barman ghosted me and helped 2 other people and then had an attitude when finally not getting to me. Blonde lady had same attitude like she was doing me a favour being there to serve me expensive beer. A joke

A fantastic meal here, every mouthful of food was bursting with flavour, all cooked beautifully. There was very little waiting time, staff was attentive and helpful. There is no carpark but that isn't an issue as 2hr free parking down the road. Will definitely be back!

My food was great, fresh fish cooked perfectly. The problem was the service. It was so slow, we were there 20 minutes before we got a drink let alone ordered. We left after the main course - standing up to go pay the bill as it wouldn’t arrive. I’d have eaten more if they’d brought it over.

We often visit Sankeys for a few drinks, and we did so again yesterday, and we managed to get a table for dinner, which was lucky as it is often packed! We both had a hankering for lobster, and when the waiter told me how good the lobster mac and cheese was, I said I would give it a go, and I was certainly not disappointed. The amount of lobster was surprisingly good (I was expecting a mouthful, and the mac and cheese element is unctuous and flavourful. My partner prefers chilled lobster and really enjoyed the simple flavour of his chilled with mayo with a bowl full of crisp fries. We each had a lovely glass of wine, although perhaps a ittle pricey for wine by the glass - £17 and £20 for a large glass of gavi de gavi and another of chardonnay. They tasted great though and paired very well with our food. We didn't have room for pudding but finished with a lovely single malt and an armagnac before heading off for the evening. The staff were charming and it has a lovely feel about it. Lots of freshly cooked fish are available, and they clearly know what they are doing!

Came yesterday with my girlfriend and my son, and was amazing! Tom was absolutely brilliant!

Not just great fish! A must visit for a Sunday lunch, Sankey’s is definitely up there for one of the best roasts in Tunbridge Wells. Beef was cooked perfectly and the roast potatoes were fluffy and crunchy. The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the swede mash which had a curry flavour so for me was a no but that’s a personal preference. But in saying that with a fish dish that would have gone perfectly. Had a glass of the Chilean Merlot which was really reasonable and delicious. If you’ve got a big appetite go for a starter but if not I’d stick with just a roast and if you have room squeeze in a dessert!

Cool, quirky vibe, busy but not overly so. A great place to meet up with friends. And the food's good to. Check ✔️ it out.

Food service was dire!! £25 for a 10x5cm piece of Cod and a bowl of french fries is unexceptable. Great decor, nice atmosphere UPSTAIRS, not great downstairs. Beer choice was excellent but sadly will never return for a meal.

This resturant had very good food and was amazing. The service was really good and the servers are really good. I would definitly recomend here to anyone going out for dinner everything was absolutely amazing the fish and chips was amazing and really filling and the surf n turf was really nice and the lobster was nice and big and starters were really good I would really recommend here to anyone. Its really good

Lovely fish and chip lunch with friends. Staff were friendly and helpful and the fish was cooked to perfection.

Sad to say today we found this once bastion of Tunbridge Wells eating and drinking very disappointing. We were originally heading for the Ragged Trousers on the Pantiles for Moules Frites - only to find they dont serve food on a Tuesday ! So we left the conivivial buzz and fine selection of real ales to head for Sankeys. Once known for it's fine selection of very well kept, often local, cask ales - today there was just the one and it was so totally flat and lifeless it went back (after the managers approval but should never have been served). Apparently expensive craft IPA's are all that's in demand now - not what I've experienced I have to say and considering there were only five other people in the pub others might think the same!! And sadly the whole customer service was caotic too. A disappointing experience all round. I wont be heading there to watch the six nations like we used to - maybe that's not in fashion anymore either....

First time here and loved the venue and food.

Visited a very busy time when staff were very busy, but food was exceptional.

Excellent food and very nice staff.

Christmas group of 5- I have been here once before and the food was great and the service was not so good however, on my second visit the service was good but the food was pretty disappointing. The hake ordered arrived stone cold and the side dish of potatoes were also cold (some frozen inside). The mussels that came with the paella were also cold which I find incredibly concerning. Value for money = poor. The best meals were the burgers.. The cold food was returned and replaced but was a disappointing visit for my friends as it meant we were all eating at different times and lowered the mood for the night. Waiting staff were friendly and accommodating but this restaurant was let down by the chefs on this occasion.

Consigned to the upstairs dining room, which was cold, terrible lightning and basically decorated with hessian sacks. Service, well the waiters just did not want to be up there. Food was good as it generally is at Sankeys but the atmosphere was non existent. We have had many a Christmas dinner there, this is probably our last one.

We had our Christmas do here on Saturday and we're put on a top room that was freezing cold, brightly lit, undecorated and a big table covered in sacking. It was absolutely awful. The staff were really sweet but we were not happy. Sankeys, I'm expecting a reply on this one.

This restaurant is superb. The food, atmosphere and service could not be better. A very welcoming and friendly place.

Never visited prior but took my mum for dinner and had the most incredible experience, the young boys working that night made it. The food was absolutely incredible so hearty and tasty will definitely be returning very soon. The staff were so welcoming, cosy atmosphere with incredible food can’t fault it.

This is my preferred restaurant in UK They serve fresh fish and the way they serve is special because it’s not full of sauces or spicy it’s just prepared with the test of the seafood or fresh fish so you can test the real test that is amazing for me. You can choose for crab, lobster oyster and muscles but there are a lot of delicious that you can choose for you. The place is very different from the other , there are a lot of space I suggested you to booking in the advance because this place is very famous and the food is so it’s really really required Price It’s fine Service is fine I recommend you come here

Booked a table for 2 people at the last minute and knew nothing of the place beforehand. We were not disappointed, the food was amazing and well priced. A wonderful experience and will certainly return the next time we visit TW or perhaps even pass through!

Very good fish, slightly depleted by some weather based fishing issues! Lovely piece of monkfish with sides. Could have more vegetarian options to be honest. Adding a service charge (it’s becoming more prevalent) is unnecessary and is really frustrating

Top class food and great service. Thank you

Lovely place and staff. I ordered chicken - stupid I know in a fish place but I fancied it, was ok. Wife had the fish which she said was amazing. Sides were good

Only 1 real ale, however, lots of ipa & lager, but fish & chips not exciting, no chunky chips & a small fish.

Fish n chips poor, just thin fries & small fish.... only 1 real ale to choose from...

Took our visiting family from Ireland out for dinner, they requested Fish if possible. Hadn’t visited this restaurant for a good few years. We had 4 different dishes, two meat and two fish, between us. Everyone commented how good the food was, good size portions and cooked perfectly. Character of the rooms was good, nice buzz from all the tables and wasn’t too noisy. Service from staff from the front door to table, taking orders and drink and food delivery was very good and staff were welcoming and efficient with it. This restaurant and now on our pretty short list of go-to places to eat in TW.

Very disappointed, Sankey's isn't what is used to be! Used to be the place to go on Friday afternoon's in Tunbridge Wells but won't be visiting again. Long wait for food to arrive, poor quality when did arrive. Fries cold, more batter than fish in fish sandwich, paella nothing to get excited about, wine seemed expensive. Restaurant empty and no atmosphere, staff being sent home as not needed for PM shift. Such a shame as was really looking forward to visiting again and a bit of the old wow factor

Absolutely disgusting level of customer service. As a regular patron for the last 20 years I rang to book a table and was told very rudely that there was a non-refundable (if cancelled the day of booking) deposit to pay for each member of the dining party. I have health issues and have good and bad days so whilst I would always call to cancel if necessary, it may be that day before I can confirm my attendance or not. I was shouted at by the owner down the phone and he demanded: "HAVE YOU NOT LISTENED TO ANYTHING I'VE SAID?" down the phone in terms of this policy. This is unacceptable and bullying behaviour and I came away from the call feeling extremely distressed. It goes without saying I will never eat in this establishment ever again and also wonder if Sankey's may start to experience difficulties as a brand following this type of behaviour, especially in these times when everyone is stretched economically and are just looking for a pleasant evening out. SHOCKING.

Not inexpensive, but excellent quality food and drink, and great friendly service. A really good formula!

Absolutely gorgeous lunch today. In the garden in the sunshine, lovely food. Lovely garden. Great service.

We went to the Bar and Kitchen last night with my parents as a special treat. Service was good, friendly staff but the menu is fairly small (not usually an issue) and 3 of the items we chose we were told had run out. It was only 8pm! The food was ok but the soup was only just warm and the white wine was warm (although we did get a bucket of ice after raising it). Wouldn’t rush back I’m afraid which is a shame as there aren’t many other fish restaurants in the area.

With roasted fish, vegetarian and meat options Sankey’s is a great venue for a great Sunday lunch. We can highly recommend it!

I don’t normally write reviews,good service/ food etc are rewarded by a tip and pleasant exchange with the restaurant staff. I am writing as a very frequent user of the Fishmarket restaurant as I feel extremely annoyed by my experience at the Seafood Kitchen & Bar last Wednesday.Our friends booked the evening,having recently had a pleasant experience themselves. We arrived promptly at 8am as we had a taxi deadline placed on our evening. We left at 9pm having not received a drink,let alone food of any description. The restaurant was clearly understaffed ( mostly by very young people ) and struggling to keep up with the demand. My friend asked for a menu after waiting an inordinate amount of time, we then had to ask again for drinks. Both requests were greeted with a less than cheery response. I appreciate that the hospitality business is struggling for staff but suggest they don’t take bookings if they cannot cope. The reason behind this situation is purely greed. Sankeys has a monopoly in Tunbridge Wells, it’s food has always been good and service excellent. Now it is extremely expensive, with poor service to boot. I for one will not be returning and after reading a number of recent reviews, will not be alone. It’s a shame but there are so many better alternatives in town.

I attended a private function whereby Sankey's was privately hired for the day. Sankey's has a prime location on Mount Ephaim . The bar staff were under pressure from the word go, but performed admirably given the number of drinks served over a 9 hour period. Lunch was provided for 60 people, menu options were supplied via email before the event, the food was very good. Overall, a very good day!

I’m 52 and have lived in Tunbridge wells all my life and I never come across a bar man so rude and judgemental. When I asked to speak to the manager, the manger asked me to write in instead of dealing with it there and then. I certainly will be writing in. We were a respectable group of professional people trying to have a nice evening and were treated badly. I won’t be returning.

Poor customer service and rude emails over reservations. Money taken from my account. A real shame as the restaurant looks lovely along with a great menu.

I have been running a Christmas dinner evening in T Wells since 2002, this was our 21st event. In all that time never have I received such positive feedback from each and every person that attended. The ambiance, the team and the food were first class. The fantastic team who were certainly under some pressure when we arrived, excelled. The pub manager Rachel is absolutely brilliant. Really hands on when required, very supportive of her team and kept calm when almost every available space seemed to be taken both up and down stairs. The space we were allocated was perfect for our group of 18 It was a great evening, thank you to the Sankeys team both front and kitchen for superb service. We will be back next Christmas!

Visited today, we were led away from the bar to a table, then ignored. Waited about 15 minutes by which time a big group were being served at the bar (which we were originally at). Decided to leave - not the first time we’ve encountered extremely shoddy service.

We had an enjoyable lunch here - great fresh seafood and prompt service, accompanied by good beer and wine.

Great little restaurant, really enjoyed our evening here, Great beer also! We ate lots of Great seafood on offer, fresh as you like!

You can always reply on Sankeys for good food, good service and a cracking selection of craft beers, but I must make special mention of the skills of the pastry chef. There is always something original and exciting on the dessert menu, and today I...

From the warm welcome on arrival to the anniversary card placed on our table in the very comfortable terrace area, our return visit to Sankeys after a few years did not disappoint!

Great service & wonderful food. Our first visit & it won’t be our lasts. Thanks team

Sankeys was recommended to us for our wedding anniversary, so we went for Sunday lunch. Food was exceptional, the team warm and friendly and the restaurant ambiance was great. Wouldnt hesitate to return in future. Thank you Sankeys

What an excellent place to try some exquisite sea food. Excellent staff, fantastic food - it's pretty iconic of Tunbridge Wells.

Went for a wake, never been before. Settings were nice as was the food. But not great service I must say. We said we were cold after being told we had to migrate to the outside are, only to hear the owner as he came over to turn on the heater say " oh is this them that were moaning" pointing to our group and then as drinks and food that were ordered together were coming out all over the show and taking so long in doing that we asked is it going to be much longer to be told again by the same person "well I only have one pair of hands" not professional at all and wont be in a hurry to return. I found him to be very ignorante and rude

Wouldn't allow us the time we wanted to book online.Even though the restaurant was pretty empty the whole time we were there.The food was so overpriced for the quality and portions you got.Very disappointed. Won't be rushing back anytime soon.

Really disappointed! I like Sankeys and have been going for years but the fish and chips was just poor! Soggy batter! Slow service.

Really lovely place. We stopped in just for a drink and ended up having the scallops. They were to die for. Fantastic range of drinks and food on offer. Would highly recommend.

First visit since before lockdown and massively disappointing. Portions used to be larger and not so expensive! I appreciate prices have increased but £14.50 for a scallop starter consisting of just THREE small ones is nothing short of daylight robbery. The sole was served pure...

Always good for a loby and chips.

Booked table for bite to eat with friends. On-line system mentioned increasing number of no-shows and asked for card details (very rare for local place). Received follow-up email telling me not to be early or late as it affects tickets going into kitchen. Turned up...

Service slow, food OK, no John Dory or Crab early on a Saturday night.

So I’m updating my previous review. Original review was posted a couple of days ago after a lovely Sunday roast on 6th March where I gave it 4 stars. I have now taken a star away after an early evening drink at the bar on Friday 11th March. We really like this place but we feel that we were a little ripped off by a staff member. We arrived impromptu around 4:30pm so it was very quiet. We went to the bar and ordered a bottle of “La Copa” house red which we’ve ordered numerous times before, usually we pay £20 but we were charged £22 by the manager. I believe this was because she directed us to a table so that a service charge of 10% could be added to the bill. We’ve just checked the website to see if the wine had gone up but it actually listed at £19 per bottle. So we feel a little disappointed as this was starting to become our go to retreat. As you can see from my original review at the bottom, we really like this place. Just a shame they feel the need to over charge their returning customers. 😕 Original review…. Had a lovely Sunday roast here late Sunday afternoon. Sankey’s is a great place for food and drinks, or just drinks. Friendly attentive bar staff and nice surroundings. Good Choice of wine and beers and reasonable prices. Great to see people gathering again 🤗

No Crab or John Dory early on a Saturday night disappointing but otherwise OK.

Nice local restaurant, the food arrived quickly and the fish was fresh. A few highlights were also the cider and the honeycomb ice cream. The waitresses were nice and attentive. Recommend it!

Fantastic pub/restaurant serving a wonderful array of dishes ranging from classic seafood courses to sumptuous roasts in a relaxed dining atmosphere... Along with attentive and friendly staff it's like having all your birthdays at once!!!

We chose to go here for a family dinner despite having had a mediocre experience here previously. We thought we’d give it another chance. Boy, do I wish we’d gone elsewhere! ‘Buffalo’ chicken wings were slimy, halloumi fries had some weird ‘beetroot ketchup’ which I’m...

Came to Sankeys for my sons birthday. We were disappointed with our meals as the lobster was overpriced and so small we had only four small bites of it. The service was very slow at times , we waited about 20 minutes for one pudding...

Sankey's refurbished its basement restaurant back in November apparently and it is really very pleasant. The menu is excellent, the service great and the portions generous. There was no problem preparing a wheat-free meal for me and to top it all, the wine list is...

Meal ok but £4 for water was steep. We were offered it as we entered before even being seated. Was supposed to be aldlib but we're charged a further £4 for a second jug. Normally happy with tap water so sad to be charged £8!. Slightly spoilt the meal.

Live within walking distance and decided to try.for Friday Lunch. Have a nice newly renovated outside patio with heat and covering. Had a couple of starters and a cod and prawn mornay all of which were excluded. The dessert of apple and fruit crumble was enough for 3. Very nice host. Recommemd if you like seafood.

The best seafood restaurant ever. I’ve been to Sheekeys in central London. I’ve been to Rick stein in Cornwall. This has to be the best I’ve ever had. Sardines melted with a warm Asian salad. The lobster linguini was full of flavour and lots of...

Great staff friendly and helpful

Genuinely friendly service. Fish and chips are very generous.

We throughly enjoyed our meal at Sankey’s. The octopus risotto was incredible and I will be thinking about it for some time. Next we had the Dover sole - this was absolutely delicious, cooked to perfection. We finished with the chocolate and almond torte, which...

Nice atmosphere. Good range of beer.

I chose here for my sister's 30th birthday celebration and we weren't disappointed! Probably the best customer service I've had in this country for quite a while, all the staff were so friendly and helpful! Moving onto the food, we went for the plaice, john dory and seafood platter with extra cockels. All were very tasty. The only slight criticism with the fruit de mer was that it was a bit too cold such that the flavours weren't as amazing as they could've been. Would 100% return and this time stay for desert!

What a fabulous meal. Haven’t been for a few years (something must have happen globally?!) Layout is brilliant. Superb bar with many craft beers. Menu is everything from burger to the finest fish in the land. And every member of staff is not only charming, but superb at their job. Thank you all for a brilliant time.

Oysters were superb! The rest of the meal was disappointing, 3 members of staff stood chatting as we sat waiting for them to clear the table, customer service terrible.

Excellent fish and brilliant chunky chips, well trained and charming waitresses. All very professional but friendly and smiling

Couldn't fault it great service great food, made for a really enjoyable evening

Perfect spot to nip in for a quick pint when working from home.

Went here for lunch and it was fab, lovely staff a good choice of fresh seafood and a great choice of beers of up to 15. Its is a relaxed and friendly pub style venue. They welcome dogs too.