The Black Horse in Tunbridge Wells

We found this pub by chance via the internet when travelling to Hastings from London. Impeccable pub food, nicely prepared. Speciality home-made pies are to be recommended! Cheerful, friendly staff make it a “must-try” if in the area!

Just the best carvery ever! Always have to book and you can see why, everything delicious every time

Recommended to give it a try so we did. Excellent in all regards. Service,food, ambiance. Although huge if including all areas the 'bar area' is very much that of a traditional pub. Choice of 3 real ales and wide range of wines. Has a reputation of being good for fish dishes so we had gf fish pie and bass fillets. Plentiful and full of flavour. Most of the pie finished but the sauté potatoes also beat me. The mixed vegetables generous. The desserts look great but neither of us had room. As it can handle large numbers happy to share as we will certainly return and would hate it being full.

Great atmosphere and the food is amazing Need to book 2 weeks I'm advance

Sunday lunch was delicious, couldn't fault it. Staff very friendly and helpful. The puddings were huge too! A great experience.

Loved the Sunday roast with good quality and amazing portion sizes. Good atmosphere and staff. Will definitely go there again.

Can't beat their roast dinners!

Such a fantastic carvery all homemade and delicious, including in price is an equally delicious dessert.

Can't praise the service and food enough friendly staff that couldn't do enough for the 18 that sat down brilliant

Very good pub grub with plenty of choice at good prices.Good service

It was a good place to eat, it was busy but it felt friendly.

The black horse is a nice pub for lunch. I have taken several business visitors to this location and they are always happy with the food. I also like open the fire in the winter.

First time I've had their Carvery It is beyond amazing and includes one of their delicious desserts. If you're too full, you can bring your dessert home, which is a bonus. The staff are fantastic and the whole place has a real vibe. A must for drinks and food. Book well in advance to not be disappointed 😃

We have just eaten a Sunday Carvery and I am more than happy with it it was lovely all I can say is two clean plates. Also the staff are really friendly and helpful.

A walk in meal. EXCELLENT food gigantic portions ( I couldn't finish my meal), friendly and helpful staff.

Welcoming local business with excellent service and proper Sunday roast - a great find

Didnt have food, just went for a few drinks. Nice atmosphere but did takw a while to get served (was not particularly busy). Will certainly come back though as the garden is lovely and the food did look nice

Lovely traditional pub with very friendly staff, and family friendly. Huge portions, really, huge portions!

Lovely pub clean and tidy good service nice staff nice range of beers and largers e.t.c.

Always a joy here. The food and service is outstanding. My seafood summer salad was divine and hubby's liver and bacon went down a treat too. Portion sizes are very generous. Great traditional pub grub on our doorstep.

First class food, very clean, good service, very good prices. We are U3A group who met today, 9 people, could not fault The Black Horse, Pembury. We highly recommend it.

Ate at this pub whilst staying at a local hotel. Food was delicious, portions huge and prices very reasonable. Staff were very friendly and welcoming. Thank you.

Went here for Sunday lunch last weekend and it is without doubt the best carvery I've ever had (and I am extremely fussy!) They had a selection of 5 different choices which you could mix, plentiful portions, superb crisp roast potatoes (which is almost unheard of) and a fantastic selection of vegetables all frequently replenished. You could even go back for second helpings but make sure you leave room for dessert which is included in the very reasonable price! And talking of the desserts, there is a great selection with all I think, being home made by the superb chef. I opted for the cheesecake which was absolutely amazing. On top of that, the staff were all really friendly and helpful and it's just a really nice atmosphere with a lovely area out the back which on the day we went was showing the Wimbledon final on a big screen. Cannot recommend this place highly enough.

A great pub menu, well executed, great value, and delighted to find English wine available. Worth crossing the road for !!

Wow what a find. We had a table in the bar as the restaurant was full and had the carvery. It was just like a home cooked roast. To top it off the dessert were great too. All for £23.50 pp.

Delicious food, great atmosphere.

Amazing country pub offering friendly staff and excellent food. Worth the visit even if our the area. Thank you

De passage à Pembury nous avons dîné les deux nuits dans ce pub très convivial, et avons pu tester une partie de la carte. Fish and ships, poulet, fruit de mer, légumes, purée gratinée. Très copieux !

Lovely atmosphere very welcoming and very dog friendly. We don’t live this area but every time we visit this is our place to eat. Portion sizes are very generous and food is very presentable and tasty. Thanks Gary & Michele

Parking was easy today . We had a table in bar area whuch can be a tad chilly near patio doors. Service was efficient . The carvery , burger and desserts were absolutely delicious and prices very fair. Visit soon!

Been here a number of times! Gets better +

Very welcoming. Service is great and the carvery on Sundays is amazing great value for such good food. Good section of beers. Highly recommend a visit. 5 Stars

Had our wedding meal here. Staff were amazing, food was also amazing. Will definitely be back, as I had so much food envy. And would highly recommend for smallish wedding parties, we had around 30 guests & it went superbly. Thank you Black Horse staff.

We had our wedding reception at the Black Horse on Saturday and it was brilliant. The food was amazing, staff were attentive and very helpful and everyone had an amazing time.

Great carvery. Very kind and helpful staff.

Just eaten the carvery here with my best pals , the carvery is unbelievable, the service is unbelievable and the deserts are to die for , the pub has an old skool feel to it which is rare to find these days , will 100% be returning , top notch food

First time I've been here but was pleasantly surprised at how nice the food was .service was good but tailed off near the end of our meal as the restaurant got less business and we found it difficult to find a waitress. But in the end we enjoyed ourselves and put it down to them being too busy cleaning up which is a good thing, isn't it . The puddings seem to be alot related to ice cream but they were different in a good way . Overall I would recommend this place .very nice pleasant staff and good food .

Best carvery around. Very welcoming pub and great food.

Lovely place. Very polite and helpful staff.

Pub doesn't look much from the outside, but once inside it is vast and extends into a vast patio with cover for inclement weather and heaters. Lovely food but beware the portions are vast! Good value for money. Friendly staff

Wow! We visited for the first time to meet our family friends and were super impressed. We originally booked for 5 people but last minute changed to 6 and a dog. This was not a problem and were asked to sit in the ‘garden’. This garden was incredible, the roof, the lights, the comfortable chairs and general atmosphere was amazing. The food was lovely. Very reasonably priced and generous portions. The staff couldn’t have been nicer. We brought with us our elederly foster doggie and she was made to feel so so welcome. The staff came over and gave her gentle fuss. If you are wanting a relaxed, welcoming pub to spend a Saturday evening come here. Thank you very much ☺️

After having tried to complete the mayday run, we stopped off here to get out of the rain. We walked into the pub drenched and looking like drowned rats. Steph, the lady behind the bar l, noticed us and immediately brought us over warm blankets as we were freezing. After taking off our bike jackets she offered to tumble dry our jumpers. Even our t-shirts were wet so brought us over jumpers to put on while they dried. Even offered my brother a clean pair of socks because of the puddles in his boots. After numerous hot coffees and lovely food we are now warm and dry waiting for the rain to let up. Would give more than 5 stars if I could. Highly recommend. I work in hospitality and haven't ever seen this level of service. Thank you so much everyone.

I can't give this pub any more than five stars unfortunately, but please know that I would if I could. We decided to ride down to Hastings for the Mayday run, and got absolutely drenched on the way. We gave up halfway, and decided to find somewhere to dry off a bit. As soon as we walked in, Stephany brought us blankets and offered to dry our outer layers in their dryer, while we ate some food and what food! Huge, delicious portions of food fairly priced for the quality. They made sure we were comfortable and warm throughout, and every single member of the team stopped for a chat- they were all so pleasant to talk to. We were feeling miserable when we walked in, but our visit here definitely brought our mood back up. If you are ever driving past, do yourself a favour and stop over for a while! You won't regret it.

Very big portion sizes. Don't need a starter

An old world setting. No television but so what? If you like good pub food then you’ll enjoy the food on offer here. Including two drinks and a dessert I paid £31. If I ordered a takeaway I’d probably pay £20 and the quality of food/service wouldn’t be that good. Sometimes you just have to enjoy proper pub grub

The carvery roast looked quite impressive for meat eaters, however, I had the veg nutroast and it wasn't a nutroast that I've ever experienced before. It wasn't great, but all of the veg sides were nice and the desert was really good. Probably best for meat eaters there. Good prices for the carvery also.

We thoroughly enjoyed our celebratory lunch of carvery, sea bass, burgers followed by fantastic desserts. We had a nice, if a tad chilly, table. Our elderly folk were assisted to get their carvery. The food was enjoyed by the whole party and the cost was pleasantly competitive. Recommended!

Overpriced pokey little pub with tiny tables jammed in tight, was offered a table in what can only be described as situated in a busy corridor, we left ! Better run pub located across the road !

Visited on Sunday for the carvery roast dinner, was very nice! Great service. Pub was obviously very popular!

Fantastic roast and superb you can visit as many times as you like and pudding included in price...

Great pub with delicious food and good beer. Very friendly service

Staying locally in a hotel , found this pub online,good reviews ,so went about 7 pm.It looked really tiny from the outside,and I think we looked a bit unsure , but a lovely smiling girl took us through to a large airy pleasant restaurant at the back.A few other female staff all smiled and said hello as we went through.Good sign. Lots of menu choices,my partner chose the pie ( he always makes a big deal of is it a proper pie ,or just a filling with a pastry lid,which he hates). The pie was a great slab of the meatiest pie with proper pastry ,I had the chicken fajitas, the portions were absolutely huge ! We had the homemade onion rings too.It was all absolutely amazing , sizzling hot spicy chicken chunks, fresh side salad,soft tortilla wraps, crunchy but no grease onion rings.All the meals coming out looked fabulous,best meal out we’ve had in ages.The service was spot on,everyone looked cheerful and happy.Great value for money.Highly recommend.

Had an excellent meal with friends at The Black Horse last night. Terrific food, portion sizes, and value. Admittedly, we had a few beers before our meal, so couldn't quite finish all the good quality potato aspects of the meal, but next time we know what to expect and will leave room.

Friendly pub - menu doesn’t change very often but the food is always very good, service excellent. Owners always very welcoming

Definitely recommend trying the food at the black horse. There is a good range of choice available on the menu - and at fair prices. 3 of the 4 in our party opted for the house burger. Which was massive and deliciously moist. Certainly left little room for desert. Already making plans to return and try some of the seafood on offer as I’ve heard great things.

Amazing carvery, fantastic staff (one waitress even carried my mum’s plate to our table for her). The Black horse is a gem, unmissable!

Fantastic staff, lovely food, portion sizes are huge, our daughter (who is autistic) was struggling a little bit after a long drive and all staff were so kind and one chap spotted her face when another customer was being a little loud in a nice way! I'm so sorry I could only leave a £2 tip .. the dessert menu was pure naughtiness

This was my first visit here in about 5 years the staff were very helpful the food was very nice and the venue has updated and it has a very nice outdoor area I will be going back

Can’t fault how friendly both staff and repeat clientele were. Sadly we were propped on a couple of tables in the bar despite booking early for Mother’s Day. What the pub lacks in style it makes up for in quality of food. Note not all options online available but what was was incredible. Ups friendly helpful staff despite a very busy day. Personally recommend Tom Dick and Harry Dessert Downs Not attractive place to eat There’s a smell to the pub that’s off putting Customers were openly vaping at bar despite people dining yards away. Queue for carvery not explained so the rest of my table had finished eating by the time I rejoined them Family dining would have been preferable as wait for carvery was long and hard for some age groups who walked with a stick. Also you have to walk through part of kitchen clean up area to get to carvery which is not clearly signposted. People encouraged to queue right next to people eating which isn’t pleasant either. Worth a relook. Not somewhere we’ll re visit, a shame as good value and great quality but it’s not all about the food.

We stopped here for dinner before a show in Tunbridge Wells. We were greeted warmly, shown to our table and o drinks order taken. Service was great - attentive, without feeling pressured - and the food was delicious, generous portions of fresh, well-prepared, dishes.

I'm really let down with the customer service for the Black Horse, I just phoned now (Wednesday) and wanted a table for 2 on Sunday for Mothers Day. The woman who answered was extremely rude and said, 'errrrr, it's mothers day?? - so we're fully booked'. Unfortunately, I lost my mother, so this was a nice meal in memory for her. I've always loved the Black Horse, but this has really let me down and there was absolutely no need to be so rude and sarcastic on the phone, really let down by this place.

My Daughter and Son in Law took me out to the Carvery on Sunday for my Birthday.. We had a drink in the bar which was enjoyable with a relaxed atmosphere and then went through to the Restaurant . Every one that we spoke to was polite , Courteous and friendly.. The servings of the numerous meats were extremely generous and all of the vegetables were delicious. Our plates were taken away once we were finished and the waitress then asked if we would like to go and get some more .. Again very generous but there was absolutely no way that I could mange any more .. After a while we were given the dessert menu and the choices all looked great .. My Daughter couldn’t mange a dessert so they put in in a take out container which she planned on enjoying later today.. In summary I cannot recommend this Pub highly enough. Every individual element of our experience was simply outstanding. Thankyou , We’ll be back.

This place is amazing. Fabulous carvery wonderful puddings. Great atmosphere and service was excellent considering the place was packed. From the outside it looks like a small country pub but it’s like a Tardis inside. Thoroughly recommend

amazing food, lovely pub and staff was amazing. will go back again. thank you for looking after us on my wife's 50th birthday party. plus the best food anywhere in the area.gary

Lovely traditional pub with very friendly staff and wonderful, plentiful food. Amazing sea bass, beef and ale pie which was enormous and filled with succulent beef and a truly fantastic pavlova. We will be back...

Lovely carvery Plenty of choices Definitely recommend

Great food had a real suet pastry steak pie, best pie I have had in a long time. May have to have the fab fish pie next time. Service was quick and efficient. You will not be disappointed

Really nice and very welcoming staff. Food was lovely and very generous portions.

When a pub has no car park – and foraging for a place is hard – you suspect something good awaits if the place is full on busy. And that was our experience. The claim was ‘home cooked’ and it truly was. My sizzling chicken fajitas were as good as I have had anywhere – and they are my go-to. My two companions enjoyed the steak and mushroom pie and the scampi. Everything came to the table fresh, piping hot and served with charm. Hand’s up, we did go for the less expensive end of the menu. But the indications were that if you wanted to splash out the extra would be well worth it. We’ll be back and know that a search for parking will be well worth it.

We would just like to say A BIG THANK YOU. We had lunch with you yesterday, having arranged to meet a friend halfway between our respective homes. It was our first visit, but definitely not our last. Your service and menu were excellent - so a special thank you to both the front of house and kitchen team. May we say that your menu appealed to all three of us, being varied and interesting. Great to find a mix of traditional and somethings new. The potion sizes were also great. We shall be spreading the word amongst our friends and look forward to our next visit. Best regards - Ian Scott ...

When we visited on a Sunday very busy. We were going to purchase some food . But when I asked if there was a table available. The lady just pointed and said there might be one that way. So we just stayed for a quick drink and eat elsewhere.

Late booking - good food - good service - interesting atmosphere - reasonable price. Sorry can't rate the beer as I was driving.

Another amazing carvery here today as always. We had a family birthday meal here for 14 people and we were really looked after. We had the amazing Sunday carvery which has 5 different types of meat (beef, turkey, gammon, lamb and pork). The food was delicious and the staff were very friendly. This is a great places for all ages and all occasions.

My fiance and myself visited the Black Horse Pembury on the 30th December it was my Birthday we were staying at the Camden Arms and came across this pub so decided to have a few drinks which turned into alot more drinks .We were made to feel so welcome and comfortable the customer service was brilliant and that's why I would like to mention names as they were great thank you Brad (the ruininer of surprises ) Adrien and Lauren we will definitely be back .Thanks guys .

Fantastic Christmas meal excellent service and food very friendly staff highly recommend visiting

Brilliant afternoon and lunch for Mum's 90th birthday. Only wish The Black Horse was our local

This is the spot for a family meal where no one could possibly leave unhappy or with an empty stomach. Dogs welcome and given equal attention. Lovely Christmas Eve dinner spread, absolutely the best roast (carvery) I’ve had in England. delicious succulent selection of pork, turkey, lamb and beef for Christmas Eve and lashings of the tastiest gravy, crispy hot potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese broccoli, pea’s, carrots and cabbage, and a fantastic peppery leek concoction that rounded out the plate. But be warned… you will want seconds, the problem is, YOU CAN. Dessert selection is also unique and large, happily able to top off the meal with something fruity lemony and light or dense and chocolatey you’ll have the option. Great, friendly, service, with the owner mucking in herself just rounded out the joyful family atmosphere.

Very busy but all meals came out hot and well cooked.

So smug that this is our local. The food is always amazing, especially the Sunday carvery. Lovely traditional pub with a big log fire. Impressive undercover outdoor dining area.

High quality fish and chips. Fresh hand cut chips that were soft and fluffy. Beer batter was divine and meaty generous cod complimented everything perfectly. Puts the chaser in shipbourne to shame in my humble opinion. 🙏

What a bad place for a Christmas do all they wanted was money 💰 and made us all fill not welcome 😒

We arrived 1.30 pm on Sunday, we had not booked a table - within 10 minutes they managed to find a table for us. 2 of us had Carvery and one had steak and ale pie. We were served within 20 minutes of ordering despite them being extremely busy. The food was amazing - did not have room for dessert however we were able to take it home with us - Thank you

Large portions and a good festive menu

We went in for a quick lunch between appointments at Pembury Hospital. They said they were fully booked with previous bookings but if we didn’t mind a table by the door they would fit us in. After about 10 mins enjoying a coffee we were...

As a local to Pembury we have visited many times for food and a pint and always have a warm welcome. A good selection on the menu always well cooked and presented. Possibly the only criticism I have is the menu appears the same as it was 5 years ago, would be good to have some new choices from time to time so we visited more frequently.

Staff, food, atmosphere, all brilliant. Only issue being it can be a struggle to find some parking.

Great traditional pub with quality food and service. Recommended 👍

Plenty of atmosphere food was great lovely staff

Friendly and dealt well with a big party arriving with no notice. Really good home made pie.

Had Sunday lunch at the black horse and it was very good only downside is the carvery is a two course meal and as someone who doesn't eat a sweet it is a bit of a waste of money, coupled with the fact that you...

Fabulous Sunday carvery! Great atmosphere, great service & great food! Thanks especially to Matilda and Mia for exceptional service!

Wonderful place. A lot bigger than it looks from outside. The food is superb, the staff are warm and friendly and the place has a great atmosphere

Very generous portions of well cooked food with many fish choices.

Arrived and was rudely spoken to by a man behind the till who was laughing when I told him that I’d spoken to someone on the phone that has informed me that there was a table free outside. He was then corrected by his college and we were sat down. Then came the carvery which we were all very excited for, only to be huffed for asking for mixed meat and and my Yorkshire slammed down onto my plate followed by and eyeroll. It was a massive shame because the waitresses were lovely and food was impeccable.

Really nice pub with food and outside space. Friendly staff and good value food. Would be nice to be a local.

Proper nice, I reckon maybe the most British place I’ve ever been, you will be full and the food is 10/10. Bring your mate or a date, it is great, no hate

Writing this review whilst still in the pub, as I fear I’ll be in a food coma shortly! Amazing food, big portions and really friendly staff. Cant recommend this place enough. We have spent the weekend up here visiting from Dorset. Well worth coming!

Went as a family for the carvery. Excellent meal, plenty to eat. You could have all the meats on offer if you wanted to. Great atmosphere. Would recommend.

Fantastic food, accomodating and friendly staff, we had a fab family meal.

Our seat was right next to carvery serving area which was rather warm. We were offered a lovely outdoor table with heating. The carvery was up to its usual high standard , as were the burgers and dip ‘n’ lick desserts! Go here!