The Bull Inn in Tunbridge Wells

Idyllic village, cozy pub with very good food.goofle seems to think it's a hotel?

We had two lovely evenings at the Bull, dining and a few drinks, just my idea of what a country pub should be like. Two very good meals and well kept Harveys Sussex Bitter

Great night, great staff, wonderful curry and rock night. lovely venue. We were proper looked after and entertained. cant wait to return.

Let me tell you, it isn’t a load of cock n bull at the bull inn, thick cut chips, lovely gravy, and the new bar maid is a delight, it was as if she new I liked my Harvey’s wet and my nuts salted! The fire was hotter than Kendrick’s new diss track and the atmosphere was an afternoon delight, would come back if I’m allowed.

Great pub and lovely staff and food 👍

A really hot cooked meal, local produce, sauages & mash & vegs, a great service. Nice cuppa tea too.

Visiting Benenden Hospital went here for lunch. It was recommended and lived up to its recommendation. Nice ambiance efficient staff, good food. Just a little problem with the doors open, it wasn't a particularly warm day,

A lovely old pub, with cosy nooks for enjoying the meals. A limited choice but tasty dishes. Scallops were one choice and the filo pastry fish pie was mine. This was followed by syrup sponge pudding and custard (GF) and a ginger pudding with custard. We didn't stop for coffee as we went on to Hole Park for a cup of tea. The food was very tasty and the delay was acceptable as it was very well prepared. Would recommend the place for the ambience and attentive staff. Tips are optional and were appreciated when given.

Great pub. Mark the landlord even drove us 20 mins up the road to our campsite when our van broke down. Lovely place

I was made to feel very welcome working in this pub today. Great selection of beers and a lovely garden too. They have their own local wine which regrettably I forgot to try!

Absolutely lovely meal while out on a nice drive, friendly local pub with good staff, food was excellent. A must visit if in the area!

Pleasant staff and lovely little garden at the back. The kids had pasta and ham egg and chips… we had the chicken burger and terrine… generous portions and lovely food.. Will return

Went to The Bull for lunch with my daughter and her partner. My daughter has 9 out of the 14 allergies, so she went straight to the bar to show the allergies she has to see if they could cater for her. She was told yes so we sat down. The young girl who came to take our order took a photo on her phone of my daughter’s allergies and took them to the chef to see what she could order. She came back and said she could have the burger with the bun, and my daughter said “so there’s no egg or wheat in the bun” and the young girl said no as that’s what the chef had told her. We ordered the burger with vegan cheese. As my daughter was eating her lunch she was coughing a bit and knew something wasn’t right. She asked the young girl if she could see the packet that the bun came in, so she went off and came back with a photo on her phone of the packet. The first thing my daughter noticed in the ingredients was egg powder which is one of my daughters allergies. The young girl looked horrified and went to speak to the chef. My daughter immediately took Piriton which she carries with her. The young girl came back and said the chef apologises which isn’t good enough! He didn’t come out until we said we want to talk to him. He basically stood there and said sorry but he missed the fact that there was egg in the bun!! This could have potentially been fatal. He never asked for her details to check on her during the day. I am disgusted that this still goes on when allergies are highlighted so much in the news and one mistake could be fatal. We will never eat in this pub again as we can’t trust that this won’t happen again.

Fantastic country pub with a great menu.

My 12 year old daughter no doubt knows all swear words now thanks to clientele of this on the face of it a nice country pub , the odd expletive is accepted in most pubs , But when a twenty something girl is screaming at the top of her voice many times SUCK MY F### ING C##k with no intervention from staff , this was 7 pm on Sunday and football was imminent , so I suppose anything goes , Maybe worth taking down the signs around the pub that asks patrons to respect the neighbours,

We were a party of 10 attending a wedding next door at St George's Church. They're 2 mins walk apart so super-convenient location. We booked the Lower Bar and Secret Garden to keep us separate from another large wedding party at The Bull! Beforehand we ordered sandwiches for 10 but in the end, extra family turned up, and numbers were doubled. Miraculously everyone who came had at least one sandwich, like the feeding of the 5000!! Lucy and the team were extremely helpful and accommodating, drinks were ordered on a tab so everything ran smoothly. The idyllic rose-scented Secret Garden accommodated us all. We had a fantastic time before the rest of the wedding festivities. Would strongly recommend The Bull in Benenden.

Lovely pub in a beautiful place.

Nice looking old (1608) country pub. However, real ales not great and far from cheap, and menu uninspiring (though not overly expensive)

We are regulars for a Sunday carvery here and it never disappoints. We are ranged from age 8 to 91 and we are all catered for perfectly. The carvery is as good as a home cooked roast at your mums! Such a gem, please never change, keep doing what you do best!

Went for Sunday carvery, very nice

Having visited the Wealden Times Midsummer Fair, we popped into The Bull for lunch today. Plenty of parking available. Typical old traditional pub/restaurant - perfect. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel very welcome. Excellent range of beers and lagers and a "proper" pub food menu. The steak and mushroom pie was outstanding, as was the salmon. All in all, great food and great service. Thank you.

We had a family celebration for 23 people and we has a wonderful evening. Food, service, ambience all amazing. Couldn't recommend highly enough. Thank you Bull at Benenden.

40th Birthday Celebration/ Family meal for 23 . Staff very accommodation when arranging the evening. Food was lovely and service was 10/10. Such a lovely evening. We would highly recommend The Bull, Benenden.

We had a table for 4 for dinner & all of us had "Pie of the Day", which we all enjoyed! The portions were generous & the ambience of the pub was good. It is a beautiful building! It has a small car park but a sign says that customers of the pub are welcome to use the next door village hall car park. All in all it was a very pleasant evening.

1st visit and hopefully not the only one. Lovely food, great staff and friendly natives. 😀 A very welcome respite on the journey home after a long day on Expedition 🍻🍽 👍

Good good and very pleasant and accommodating staff

We went along to an open mic night, fantastic pub, so welcoming and friendly.

I don't think they do rooms but as a pub that is steeped in history just the ambience of the place is brilliant, you can also take the dog as long as they behave. Food was lovely a small menu done very well I would say. So in summary I would say if you are passing definitely pop in and enjoy, there is also a secret garden out the back if seclusion is required. I will definitely be going back!

Wonderful country pub in a quaint village with lovely pints, very friendly staff, and a fantastic open mic night. Will be back for sure.

Nice pub and eatery, food very good plenty of parking and tables available outside

A traditional pub/restaurant. We ate hamburgers and chips and they were quite delicious.

Another great Sunday carvery. Choose from 3 meats, 5 veg & all the trimmings. Highly recommend 👌

We were staying in the area but wanted a pub within walking distance. The pub is beautiful and the service was good. The menu for vegetarians is pretty dismal, it's just vegetarians burger and that's it, even amongst the 4 specials, it was all meat or fish. My husband had the burger which he thought was good and I had the fish pie which was very good, shame it came with frozen peas instead of fresh seasonal vegetables. We had booked online but a few days later had to pick up the phone as no one had responded. Towards the end of the meal, one of the waitresses put a board on our table saying that someone else was going to have our table at 8pm, we'd arrived at 7pm! What if we had wanted desert and drinks after? It was never mentioned that we could only have the table for such a short time! It wasn't a problem for us as we wanted to leave anyway but it was rather annoying.

Lovely rooms, only thing I would say is maybe pop the heating on before people arrive.

Lovely atmosphere, great staff and delicious coffee!

Lovely cosy pub. Photos on here don't do it justice! Didn't have the food but looked great. Stopped here whilst on a long dog walk through High Weald.

Service was excellent, staff very friendly, polite and prompt. I had the pie of the day with seasonal vegetables. Pie was good, but veg only consisted of 3 pieces of carrot and a slice of courgette !! Very disappointing.

The food, the decor, the staff and the atmosphere here is top notch! I had the best Vegetarian Sausage and Mash I have ever had. It was good quality food very well cooked. Stunning dining room too! The lady running The Bull was fun and professional. Excellent experience. Well done

Had Mark‘s take away fish ‘n chip 🐟 suppers x2 tonight. Beautifully cooked and presented! Just the right size too. Top ‘Marks’ from us Mark !! 👍 Ian.

The Bull at Benenden never disappoints even under COVID restrictions. A table of 6 Book club friends was set aside and all precautions were taken to make us feel safe and secure. The staff were welcoming and made the whole experience less scary. Having not eaten out for quite some time, it could have made me a bit anxious… but not at all. The tables were nicely spaced, and the staff all had face masks on. As always, the food was great quality and really nice. What more can one ask of a fantastic village pub!

After arriving in this characterful restaurant in a handsome village and being greeted promptly by friendly staff, the rest of the meal proved a let-down. We both chose burgers, mine their veggie bean burger. The burger itself was bland. It was not home-made, nor it seemed were the french fries. The haloumi topping was little more than a sliver. Then the service seemed to vanish. The people at the next table must have been left alone with their menus for quarter of an hour, as we were with empty plates. Ordering a dessert would not have been a good idea.

Stopped here on the off-chance of some Sunday lunch and a beer after a lovely walk with the dog. The lad behind the bar was so helpful and a real credit to the pub; and they were able to accommodate us even though we hadn't booked ahead. The haddock and cod fish and chips that were served were hot, fresh and delicious. Social distancing was very well organised and it made for a perfectly relaxed Sunday.

Excellent service and good food. Saturday lunchtime visit. Good approach to Covid, we felt very happy with this. Good beer. Happy customer

Great hospitality and lovely rustic settings. This pub was a pleasure to dine at. Tucked away in the Kent countryside it's a great spot to spend an evening.

We visited this gorgeous pub this weekend, the staff were lovely and friendly and so welcoming, the food was Excellent ! We shall definitely be back, it was worth the 40 minute to drive to get there, highly recommend this lovely pub. Well done to the staff for creating such a lovely relaxing environment.

Decided to return to the Bull after several years since last time. Always remembered the pub as serving good beer and food. Thankfully, nothing has changed. The welcome was great, the pub warm and cosy and the beer truly excellent; Larkins Traditional well worth experiencing. As for the food, it was too good! If planning a visit it is recommended that you book in advance. We were lucky to get a table on our visit; people were being turned away shortly after us as tables were unavailable. The Bull ticks so many boxes and being in Benenden the location is great too. One of the best pubs.

This was a first visit. Friends had been here in the last few weeks for a Sunday lunch.We booked a table for 4 in the Restaurant for 7.30pm and the experience of dining here was a pleasure, with attention to detail. The Restaurant decor is charming with spacious layout with various sized dining tables, comfortable chairs and space between each table. We sat in the square bay with a wonderful array of old books to talk about.Menu varied and food beautifully presented. My choice was deep fried Halloumi on a wonderful bed of varied salad,peppers, tomatoes (not just a few salad leaves). all presented on a very pretty glass plate.My choice of main course was Coquilles St Jacques in a white wine sauce served with thick fries and side salad. Again this did not disappoint, the flavour was there and took me back to a restaurant of several moon years ago, called La Chandelle in Mickleham, where i first experienced this dish by Chef Missao Costain. Our friends delighted in the Goats Cheese Parcels, and The Bull Burger. We declined the dessert menu and enjoyed the rest of the evening in comfort at the table (no rushing us here) Staff very efficient and unobtrusive but there. A great evening, with good menu and very well priced. We will visit again. Well done to this pub.

We decided on the Bull at Benenden as it was within easy reach of all the family. What a good choice. good varied menu including vegetarian. Everyone eat well, service was a little slow as they were very busy but this did not worry us at all. (I am used to eating in France) A really relaxed 3 hour lunch.

This is an olde world good british pub which has excellent food, great value for money and friendly efficient staff. Parts of the structure can be traced back over 400 years and the extensive menu is great.

Wanted a light lunch for 2 with 2 dogs and was welcomed warmly to eat in the bar on a Saturday. Advisable to book in advance 01580 240054. The menu was very extensive and others were having very substantial 3 course lunches!We just wanted a light lunch [smaller tummies now we are older] and i had a really delicious significant bowl of home made soup and my guest had a very generous portion of Scampi which he demolished with great enthusiasm. Had decent sized cops of coffee [decaff and caffeinated] and were offered hot or cold milk which was a lovely option.Other guests in the attractive bar welcomed the dogs which was very reassuring.Really good value, delicious and excellent friendly service.

Lovely atmosphere in bar area, it appeared to be popular with locals. The restaurant was the same with a good menu selection including a variety of pies and large portions

It was cold and raining, and getting towards the end of lunch service, but we were welcomed and fed, sitting in front of the fire in the most perfect country pub.Gorgeous interior, lovely food, great chunky chips, excellent ale (Harvey's), friendly staff.... nothing to fault.And our pooch liked it, too!

Avoiding the more traditional items enjoyed by others I had good rich chicken liver pate, with nice salad, jelly, toast, butter. Then a fish pie like no other I had seen - a sort of deep basket of crisp filo with very well cooked fish & prawns in creamy sauce, accompanied by exceptionally good chips & another interesting salad. Chocolate log was pleasant with ice cream on top, the whole leaving one with empty plates & a real sense of satisfaction from a not-too-large delightful meal. Pleasant room, good service, would do this again.

We normally go to The Bull at Benenden either as a couple or with a couple of friends. On every occasion we have visited before we have never been disappointed. This last time we were in a group of 30ish people and, if anything is going to go wrong, then this is the type of occasion when it can go wrong. I'm happy to say that the service was so good that there was not a hiccup at all. OK, the food (starter, main and dessert) was pre-ordered but the service was so good that no one had to wait for their food and no one's food was other than piping hot when it was served. My wife is Gluten Free but, even with these numbers, her special diet did not faze the staff at all and she received her food at the same time as the rest of our table. Well done for a great and very successful evening

I went to the Bull last Sunday with two friends, just before lunchtime. We were staying at a local air b n b. We had not booked but the staff were very accommodating and it had not yet hit the lunchtime rush.The menu was much better than expected and the food was lovely. I had a bean burger with halloumi, fries and coleslaw, one friend had a chicken dish and another a regular burger. We all finished our meal.Staff could not have been nicer. Would highly recommend if you are in the area.

We rocked up unexpected for coffee and were made welcome to leave our car there while we went for a walk

I enjoyed a visit today to what I call, a lovely country pub. Such a lovely atmosphere when you walk in and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. I had an amazing goats cheese salad with chunky chips which was absolutely delicious. My husband had the bangers and mash. Both portions were generous and beautifully presented. I will definitely be coming back. I just wish it was nearer to my home as this would definitely be my local.

Have eaten and stayed at this wonderful independent pub on numerous occasions, the food is really very good, generous portions and clearly of a great quality. Rooms are wonderfully decorated with very comfortable beds. The owners are lovely and very helpful, I only wish this could be my local. Highly recommended.

Stayed two nights, and one evening meal. Friendly, clean , and well appointed. Mattress in room needs an upgrade , but otherwise a comfortable, with good breakfasts. Would certainly stay again.

The atmosphere in the pub is pure British all the way, and we enjoyed a lovely Sunday carvery (beef, pork, turkey, roasted potatoes, veg, Yorkshire pudding and gravy). Cozy environment with good service. A very pleasant dining experience. Will return next time that I'm in Benenden.

This is a great pub with very friendly and helpful staff and delicious food. What more could you want? This pub never fails to deliver and always satisfies. The Sunday lunchtime carvery is a must. Just make sure you book early or you may be disappointed!

The warm and friendly welcome we received on entering the pub was only exceeded by the delicious fresh, piping hot, Haddock, Chunky Chips and peas and the superb service.

This is a proper village pub the staff are friendly and very helpful.Dogs are allowed on the premises.I have had dinners there which have been very good .I have also attended groupmeetings there as they have a very good room for such occasionsThe Dec or is exactly in character with village.

Was in the local area on a day trip with friends and The Bull was recommended to us by some locals.

We stayed in The Bull when attending our friends wedding in benenden. The Kitty Fisher room is a great size and plenty of amenities!

We just popped in for Coffee and I must say what a lovely pub. Staff friendly and decor was great. The menu looked really nice and they do B&B; as well. We don’t live that far from them so we will go back to try the food. The village is idilic if you want a taste of the Kent countryside this is it.

This is a great place to stay close to Chapel Down. Four of us stayed this Saturday and we can't praise it enough. The owners are very friendly and helpful, the staff were efficient, the hotel was a well-maintained period property, the food was top notch. We particularly enjoyed the cooked breakfast on Sunday morning served to the tune of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

Had lunch here today with my wife. Never been before but very pleased with the food. It’s an old style pub with different areas to eat in the bar area. (I noticed that there was also a separate room that I expect they use in the evening although I didn’t ask). The food was typical pub food but very good. We will definitely be going there again.

The food at the Bull is fine on the whole. The pies were nice but the chicken in the chicken salad a little dry. The asparagus was lovely. Our lunch there was however spoiled by the incredibly slow service. It shouldn’t take two hours to be served a main course and pudding!

We ate dinner and breakfast here. The Kitty Fisher bedroom is very large and well appointed. Every table at dinner was occupied which reflects well on the kitchen, We ate asparagus, coquille st jacques and the garlic prawns. The ice cream sundae brought back memories. Breakfast English style was superb. Emily is a real star, the management is on hand and it shows. A really great and popular Inn in the most lovely village.

We were taken to the Bull by friends who had been impressed by the pies there. We drove through lovely countryside to a very pretty Benenden village and found the Bull also an attractive building. We ate indoors but apparently there is a secret garden which we didn’t see. Needless to say we all ordered pies, 2 Filo fish pies, 1 veggie and 1 turkey shortcrust pie, all absolutely delicious with various sides all very good. The waitresses were helpful and pleasant. Lunch also turned out to be quite reasonably priced. This pub will be a future destination for us.

We have visited this pub on a few occasions and I’ve haven’t been disappointed with the roast dinner that the cook. Fantastic food and the staff were really friendly.

Beautiful old pub with bags of character, sympathetically decorated and furnished, free house so good choice of drinks and a menu of excellent pub classics supplemented by delicious specials and sandwiches also at lunchtime. The food was well presented and delicious and there seemed to be plenty of interesting choices for vegetarians too. Staff were friendly and welcoming and the toilets are great (always a good indicator of attention to detail I find). Only criticism is some of the paintwork is poorly done but having stumbled across this place by chance we shall definitely return when we are in the area

We were staying at an AirBnB almost next door and this pub was recommended to us. I booked a table and we received a warm welcome on arrival and were shown to a lovely table in the dining room.

We visited the Bull at Benenden over the Easter weekend. We have had an amazing meal - the cherry tomato and spinach open filo pies were fantastic. Great attention to detail too - the fries were well cooked and the side salad was delicious. The pub staff were very friendly and accommodating of our 16 month old son. I would recommend booking for lunch as the pub gets busy.

Three of tried the special Wiener schnitzel, a dish which is normally crisp. This was piled fashionably high, was soggy and unappetising. Disaster. We have previously enjoyed this pub. Not this time.

We have visited here many times and, as usual, great food which was delivered well before I finished my first pint!. Quality of food was excellent and hot. Prices are on the high end of pub grub but well worth it. If your in this area then try it, we don’t think you will be disappointed.

We visited following an appointment at the nearby hospital and the staff were very accomodating with our last minute booking. The pub is popular with locals and was full at lunchtime. The staff are lovely and provide great service. The menu is either A La Carte or Pub Grub, we went for vegan bangers and mash and veggie burger and chips (Pub Grub) - all very nice and reasonably priced too. Real fires keep the cold out and add to the cosy atmosphere. Telephone booking recommended.

This is the place for Sunday lunch! A real pub with good choice of beer, a great ambience, very helpful staff and excellent food. If you don't want the carvery, there's an excellent menu from which to choose your meal. My wife is Gluten Free and she is always given a gluten free Yorkshire pudding and gluten free gravy. Look no further when in the area.

I recommend this pub highly, from the beginning Lucy helped endlessly with organising our function and her attention to detail is second to none. The staff were professional, accommodating and ensured we had a great evening! My friends and family travelled from all over the UK and were impressed with such great service and the friendly atmosphere that they felt throughout the whole of the evening. Food was incredible! Thank you so much!

My husband and me had the most wonderful Roast on Sunday at The Bull. I had booked our table a good few weeks in advance and specifically requested a certain table, I phoned in the morning to confirm my reservation and table, when we arrived there was a lady sitting at the table, I immediately thought 'oh no this will be a nightmare' but the barmen immediately moved the party of drinkers for us, this was dealt with quickly and with politely so we could sit down and enjoy our lunch.

Found this place on Google No booking but they managed to squeeze us in. Proper old country pub with an amazing carvery. Food absolutely delicious.

You may think I'm bias as I live in the village , but I have to say , the bull, the staff,and the food are consistently excellent, must be the daily attention to detail and selective staff, most people from the village are admirers of our village pub , we consider to be one of the best in the area, be warned book ahead , so many times see people take pot luck for a table , book ahead then you won't be dissapointed

Took the recommendation from The Good Beer Guide for this visit, and what a delight it was. Small drinking bar, Harveys and Larkins, but many smaller eating areas,with plenty of atmosphere. Food varied and well presented in a style many other pubs could well follow. Very friendly, helpful and efficient young lady looked after us, and in all would give this pub a 5*rating.

We had a brilliant Valentine’s meal at The Bull. Very impressed by the choice of vegetarian/vegan options. We had the bean burger with halloumi and a warm salad, followed by a malteaser ice cream sundae to share. Lovely friendly staff, including Petal the pub cat who was happy to sit on my knee for a while! Highly recommend for a great evening meal.

I hadn't been to the Bull for a very long time but was invited to this get together. I know 4 of us were dissappointed for the money we paid. The plates were cold as were the vegetable. Cauli cheese was runnin and insipid.The only saving grace was the meat.

Met up with some friends here...a good choice. The menu is not long and has many pub standards, but we all had something that was well cooked, well presented and pretty good value for money....what's not to like?

For starters we chose the Halloumi fries and Whitebait. As for the mains we went for the beef and tomato & brie pies.

Booked a table 1 week ahead and arrived at the stated time to find that the table we had booked had been given to someone else and we were asked to sit in the hallway next to a blazing woodstove. Staff were unsympathetic, disinterested and rude when we politely complained. We won't be going back ever again.

Great meals at this place with friendly service and good beer. Food was mostly pub classics and everything was generous in size and tasty. Would definitely go back.

Friendly local pub with good beers and great food - we stayed over and excellent rooms overlooking the cricket field

Great food, super staff, and good ale made a very pleasant lunch. We ate outside and the service was super.

During our stay in England, we ate a few times at this pub. The food is great, the people are wonderful, and it was a surprise for us (Belgians) that our dog was welcome and even got some cookies on top!

We stayed here when we attended a family wedding and I simply can “not” fault the place. Every member of staff, landlady and landlord were all very polite, courteous and friendly. The food, the service was and the place itself was very lovely. The coffee was just about the best I have ever had and there were some cracking ales too. For those who have moaned about it being noisy maybe you should select your venues more carefully as it is a pub! But my wife and I absolutely loved our entire stay here and would definitely stay here again. 10/10 from us!

The whole experience was amazing! Lovely room, beautifully presented food, lovely staff that were so helpful and friendly. Very pretty location and a great pub with a quality selection of Ales, beers and wine. Thank you so much for a lovely stay Mark and Lucy, we loved it here!

Not a fault to be found. We arrived on the off chance for lunch to find the place PACKED solid. Fair play to the very friendly staff who warned us that lunch might be a while. We could see that and where ok because we where in no hurry. We where taken well care of and we moved out to the back garden to get the sun. The food was amazing! My partners ploughmans nearly burst her and my burger and fat chips where a delight. We will be back.

Amazing carvery. Great selection of meats & veg, very well cooked. Generous portions and fantastic service. Decent selection of ales & IPA on tap.

What a gem this is. We had a wonderful lunch with excellent food, drinks, service and ambiance.

Visited when another local pub was closed... bit of a result. Good pub fayre - I had scampi which was lovely. Good choice of beers including Harveys and Dark Star. Quite busy but very friendly staff. Would definitely visit again if in the area.

my 90 year old father in law treated us to lunch today and I cant add much more than the excellent reviews have already said .