The Compasses in Tunbridge Wells

Food was absolutely delicious, service excellent, staff pleasant and helpful. This such a lovely place ambience very cosy, atmosphere friendly and inviting.

Always a great welcome, pub looked amazing! Manager super-friendly, our favourite TW pub by far. Lots of effort to make the Halloween decs look fab, loved the bloodied hands and feet over the fireplace. Can’t wait to come back!

Great Hospitality made us and our dogs fee at home and very comfortable. Very good food. The dogs enjoyed the place. Thank you.

Fabulous staff, amazing customer care! I was recommended this lovely pub from a friend so I booked lunch there for Christmas day. I was really looking forwards to it but have had to cancel because we're not visiting the area now. They cancelled my booking and gave me back my full deposit, no questions asked.

Great spot for a drink after work, good food and atmosphere. Good beer line up and really friendly staff. 10/10 recommend

Middle of the road establishment in terms of food, its nice however not something to write home about. Pies out of here fundamentally fill a hole. Service is ok standard pub vibes gardens always busy in the summer.

A fabulous old pub with history.

A wonderful dog friendly pub. Definitely will return for a Sunday roast.

Another great meal with family. We were looked after by Kim, very polite and efficient. Will defo go again. Food was good and service great

It was a great location, vibe & menu to help celebrate my brothers life with friends & family. The staff were very friendly & helpful & there was a great selection of home cooked food.

Felt very welcome as an American tourist with delicious food, drink and hospitality at a good price

Friendly staff at this spacious Greene King pub in a residential area. Huge comfortable outdoor seating areas, indoors looked nice too.

Probably my favourite pub, staff are lovely and care about the customers and food is great 😄 Recommend going and giving it a visit 😁

Can’t wait to come back here for food, there’s a great drinks selection, and exceptionally friendly and welcoming staff, and lovely exterior / interior - such a lovely spot.

Chicken Kyiv was outstanding, topped off with brilliant staff and a smooth pint of asahi! Very much recommend

Great service. Will be coming back. Robert n was very lovely and friendly, very sad I didn't get to see any ghosts though!

Wonderful pub! Really nice food and excellent staff - thoroughly recommended! Food is good value for money and the pub garden is very nice too!

Besøgte The Compasses en solrig søndag eftermiddag for en drink med familien. Den ligger centralt i byen i et område som beboerne kalder "the Village" og har også udeservering. Består af 2 afdelinger, en med trægulve og en lidt finere med gulvtæpper. Har et fint udvalg af øl og drikke og her serveres også mad, priserne måske lidt over gennemsnit. Vi fik gode drikke og sad ude og nød vejret som ellers havde budt på regn tidligere. Kommer gerne igen.

Nice country pub in the town! Only had a drink

Lovely local, very friendly staff, fast service and pleasant outdoor area.

Excellent Burger. I’m not gonna lie wasn’t expecting much with the standard Pub food and was BLOWN away. Brilliant. Will be back and try something else

The food we had was great. Friendly service. Nice crowd on a Sunday afternoon. Nice outdoor seating options. Dog friendly, family friendly.

Just popped in for a few pints after a funeral. Good pub. Its a Greenking, but you cannot have everything. Staff really friendly. Loads of different seating options in and outside. Only had drinks, no food.

Went on Friday night to the Drag show, it was absolutely brilliant, great atmosphere staff were great, hope they do a regular spot would highly recommend great night out and couldn’t fault the service of the wonderful staff

Had a lovely Sunday roast lunch. Big portions and all meals came out together. Served by Kim very efficient and friendly .

Gosh outstanding location. And outdoor area ! But SHOCKING food, u must avoid the food ! Ordered a few times and it’s always under cooked and cold !

We bought quite a lot of drinks from the Compasses over the course of the day to drink in the park. We then ate outside as a group of 15 in the beer garden at around 4pm. The food was fine (mediocre and over priced for what it is but not an issue, we know that’s the case) and there was minimal service as we ordered at the bar but also fine as again, we know that is the set up. When we finished we tried to order desert for the children and were told that the kitchen was too busy and it would be 45 minutes. I joked that my 6yo could scoop ice cream himself in less than two minutes and the staff were quite aggressive, calling after me in response, in front of the children. A waitress then followed me outside to tell me that they had ‘heard I was upset that the kitchen didn’t have time to make children’s deserts’. I said no problem, we’ll just buy them some ice creams at the shop. They then told us, again in an aggressive tone in front of the children, that the children couldn’t eat ice cream from elsewhere on their premises (although we were sitting outside, buying drinks and they couldn’t provide it) and they would have to eat it on a bench over the road - which is quite dangerous for three year olds. All together, not great. We have eaten at the Compasses well over 20 times and have often reserved large areas for school drinks parties etc but will not do so again.

Last minute booking for dinner with visiting family. A dog friendly pub with the most attentive staff. The food was wonderful. 5 star review for the Steak pie and my steak was cooked to perfection. The vegetarian tart was a huge success too and all the portions were more than adequate. Staff were friendly and welcoming, with lots of fuss for the pooches Thank you for a wonderful experience, I shall return

Lovely staff, great food and good selection of beers! Thanks all 😊

So friendly and the food is to die for, great entertainment, the manager is amazing. Try out there Sunday roasts yummy. Book a table to avoid disappointment Love this place

Poor performance, attended at 2245 on a Saturday and said that last orders had been called and refused to serve. Unlucky lost our return custom. Really disappointed!

So disappointing, on returning to an old local having to wait 25 mins to get a beer and seeing wine served in beer glasses, this place has gone down hill in a big way. Three staff on for one of the busiest nights and some of the language coming back across the bar!!, why are Greenking running this place into the ground.

Great pub, decent food, top staff. They made a big fuss of my elderly aunt who was celebrating her 82 birthday. Highly recommended.

First visit to the Compasses, the staff were very helpful and friendly. Robin the manager was extremely kind. The atmosphere was lively and vibrant and the decor is very cosy and pretty. The food was delicious and offered some unusual dishes! Thank you for a great evening!

Exceptionally friendly staff, superb proper steak and ale pie, Aspall cider and very refreshing Abbot ale in a 1700's pub.

The service & food was exceptional, my partner and i will definitely visit again.

Friendly and a generally nice looking pub. Definitely worth looking for and no doubt this would be great in the summer months sat outside

Great Mother’s Day meal. Staff couldn’t be more helpful. Fish and chips was a great success for my dad as was the burger for my daughter. Very dog friendly and reasonable price. Recommend it

Brilliant meal last night with friend. Food absolute ACE. Chose steak and ale pie…. delicioussss. Friend ate venison dish.. yummy! Service outstanding. Really friendly. Could not do enough! Best of all great atmosphere and roastie toastie fire 🔥

Such a lovely pub, so welcoming and cosy! The staff are all absolutely amazing and the manager Robin is a delight, always goes above and beyond whenever I see him. No faults whatsoever.

Been here a few times, really recommend the venue the food is top notch, friendly staff and cozy feeling atmosphere.

Had a lovely fish and chips, beers lunch with a friend. food and drink great as always and the young lady behind the bar was excellent, friendly and checking that all was ok. Will send back.

Food was delicious and the staff were helpful and friendly

We had the most excellent Roast Dinner yesterday - I would highly recommend this place. The atmosphere is great and the open fires keep yo nice and toasty :)

Great pub! My family and I love going to the weekly quiz here. There is such a friendly atmosphere and the service is fantastic. The last time we went, my friend had hurt their ankle on our way there and Amy and Harrison were so kind in getting us ice and making sure we were alright! We haven’t tried the food yet but definitely need to! Couldn’t recommend more.

Meet to say good bye to a friend

Lovely friendly staff, felt very welcome despite us having two dogs with us. Food portions were very small for the money, very overpriced. Other then that we had a great time

Nice old pub, good food and atmosphere..

Fantastic lunch on Christmas day. Outstanding friendly service despite it being busy, simply the best roast turkey I have ever eaten. Will certainly be booking next year

On arrival, the place was buzzing with lots of people enjoying themselves. We arrived for a 2:15 booking and were seated at the table by Robin who was super friendly. Once seated, we only got half of the welcome drinks, which were then eventually followed with the remaining welcome drinks and the starters some 10 minutes later which all felt a bit rushed. During, after and for the next hour and a half, we were constantly being offered drinks by Robin while still waiting for the main course. We were, on several occasions reassured that the main course was ‘being plated’ ‘on its way’, ‘not long now’….we waited and waited without raising any issue. The longer we waited, the more we realised that Robin seemed to be the only person doing pretty much all of the running around and appeared at times to be quite manic. When the main course eventually arrived well over an hour after the starters, all four of the turkey dinners were stone cold and had to be returned to the kitchen. A couple of our party went for the steak option, one of which was more gristle than meat. Even after the the turkey dinners were brought back to us, the veg was almost raw, the roast potatoes were bland and not cooked properly and the turkey appeared to be very much processed making the whole plate look very unappetising. Whilst one of our party was still muddling through the main course, the other plates were being cleared from the table, and we were asked if we were ready for our dessert…. The deserts were ok, however, one of them had been clearly forgotten, and when this was raised, it turned up and had obviously been hurriedly defrosted in a microwave and went to a plate of mush. All in all, not the best experience by any one of us, and we were all very disappointed after having looked forward to this for so long. Following all of this, we were very surprised to receive the bill ‘IN FULL’ which was just shy of 500 pounds. By this time, there was no chance of grabbing Robin to discuss a discount, because he had now left the building leaving two younger team members behind the bar to take payment. On reflection, we could have been more understanding if there had been lots of people eating around us and needing attention however, it seemed like we were the last and only table remaining for the last hour or so so can not understand why after the initial buzz of activity with drinks and starters, it all went so terribly downhill. This was our first ever Christmas Day eat out experience and will most certainly be the last.

Visited over Christmas. Pub looked great, it's a beautiful 17th Century building and the decorations and real fires made it feel very festive. We only had drinks on this occasion which were excellent. All the staff were very friendly. It's in a great location if taking kids as it's right on the park.

Cosy and good selection of beers.

Food was mostly pretty good. Onion rings only had 2 per serving, so poor value. Everything else was good value. Service was friendly but the bar was slow.

Food incinerated. Service non existent.

We managed to get a very late booking for Xmas lunch. Robin looked after us beautifully. Provided an electric heater when I was cold at the front of the pub. Robin's service was generous and flawless. Food was good. Didn't give 5 stars as thought the (although themselves delicious) carrots were a slightly odd side for halibut and the lemon tart was underwhelming. Venison terrine was fabulous. Would definitely come to the Compasses again. Thank you for a lovely Christmas experience!

I was so worried about coming to a busy pub. Robin was so hospitable, patient and attentive. Even on a busy Christmas Eve! Thank you Robin.

So busy but perfect for Xmas. Had a really great staff member called Robin who sorted out our drinks order immediately once there was a delay on ordering (because of the busy period!!) and gave us some good Christmas cheer!!! Thanks to you all and Robin x

Lovely pub, great staff, excellent festive cheer! Our entire family of 9 people were accommodated by Robin on Christmas Eve despite having NO booking! He was so helpful and attentive. Happy Christmas!

Great pub, excellent service - special shoutout to Robin, who went above and beyond. Will be back, thank you

Such a fabulous little pub - absolutely love the atmosphere . It’s so well run by Robin and the team . Thoroughly recommend the Halloumi and the Mushroom Chilli . Love the Christmas lights by the way

Good selection of food and drinks in a cosy feeling, warm pub. Very helpful guy sorted us a table even though the place looked full. A nice table near the open fire.

We only popped in for a quick drink after shopping, the atmosphere and friendly nature of everyone was so lovely that we ending up staying for 3 hours and had a merry walk home. Great character and a blast from the past! Will definitely be popping by soon.

Thoroughly recommend. Food was great, as well as the friendly staff that made the service excellent. Loved the cosy, christmasy atmosphere. Definitely will be coming back in the near year!

I went for a lunch today!!! The food was amazing and the service perfect! I love the xmas decoration! Make you feel very cozy.

I recommended The Compasses as a meeting place for a pre Christmas lunch with friends having eaten there a few times before. The last time being a pre Christmas lunch last year. Unfortunately the food on this occasion was absolutely awful. Two of the plates...

Had such a lovely time! Staff were so helpful and friendly! Food service was very quick and it was a great way to start off our christmas festivities! Will definitely be returning🙂

was such a beautiful place and the staff were so welcoming and lovely. food was excellent too, would definitely recommend

Wow, this place has such a welcoming and friendly environment & amazing christmas decor. The staff were so helpful and polite. I even left my bag and the staff member kept it safe and returned it to me! 100% will go again had an amazing night!

Took friends visiting from Ireland for a pre Christmas lunch, this pub was recommended to me and did not disappoint. Staff were helpful and friendly, great buzzy atmosphere, food was outstanding, would highly recommend

I went for a lunch today!!! The food was amazing and the service perfect! I love the xmas decoration! Make you feel very cozy.

Booked a table to eat at 6.15 for 4 adults and 4 children. Don’t do it. Because it was only 4 adults the booking system did not register us as 8 for food so after a long time waiting and moving tables due to the noise, we we finally got told, after having ordered, that they could not serve us as the kitchen could not fit in order for 8. Very miserable kids and ruined evening. :( Thank you for your reply. We would have happily paid a deposit and as per the email we showed you we had booked for dinner and drinks. It appears that because we booked for 4 adults and 4 children rather than 8 adults we were not asked for a deposit or a preorder. If we had been asked we would have done as requested. I think it is your booking system that is at fault.

We came for a nice Sunday roast for my sons Birthday however it was very disappointing, I ordered the turkey dinner, the roast potatoes were obviously frozen and very anaemic looking, the sprouts also frozen, far too little gravy, no stuffing and when I asked...

We enjoyed a lovely lunch yesterday with our friends. I especially liked the roast turkey - perfectly cooked and plenty of it. My wife had the sea bass and mussels and our friends enjoyed the fish cakes and steak. Very friendly service, especially given how...

Such a lovely pub, staff were so welcoming and friendly. We had a fantastic evening. Thanks Robin :)

Sunday dinner here. Food was good. Service was excellent.

Cosy, atmospheric family-friendly, destination pub. The staff could not have been more welcoming to its younger guests. A lovely evening.

What an amazing place. This was our first visit but not our last, we will be back. The food was great, everyone enjoyed their meals and there are good vegan options too which is always a bonus. The pub has a very warm atmosphere and is clearly popular with locals also they are dog friendly another bonus. Finally, we met the landlord Robin who is incredibly friendly and very generous when he found out it was a birthday celebration. So thanks Robin and your team see you soon.

Had a lovely pie for dinner on what was a very nice menu, although let down by the selection of puddings a small piece of apple pie with little filling or pie to be honest and ice cream that tasted frosted. Lovely building with warm and welcoming fire, which I could not get to as everyone else had got to it first. Nice place it was just unfortunate that it was the other side of town from my hotel, so I only went once.

This was our first visit to The Compasses, What a fabulous pub, everything a pub should be, great olde Worlde charm & great friendly & relaxing atmosphere, all the staff were very welcoming. & helpful. The food looked lovely & we heard nothing but compliments, but we only went for an evenings drink. The Manager Robin was fab, spent time chatting to us & brought us a bar stool over, as we were one stool short in our party of 4. Highly recommend & we will definately be back. Thanks to Robin & all the staff for a great night. Lyn & one arm Alan

Love this pub,very welcoming and friendly staff.Great customer service from Robin.Highly recommended 😁

Always come to the compasses. Always come for food great customer service from Robin. So friendly, cheerful, great customer service. Food is always great. Highly recommended 😁

A very lively pub more for young people than my age group. Not a place to sit and have serious conversations. However, if you are looking for a great time on a Saturday night, this place will be exactly what you are looking for!

Great atmosphere and friendly staff! Live music was great and I’m yet to try the food so can’t comment

Noisy music had to shout totalk

The Compasses is my favourite pub in Tunbridge Wells, brilliant in winter and summer. They do the best fish and chips and wings in town. The manager Robin is also super friendly and helpful, which flows down as well to all of his staff.

It’s always a pleasure to visit the Compasses, Robin and the bar staff always go out of their way to accommodate our needs, great food and lovely atmosphere 🤩

The Compasses is such a great pub!! In fact, now my favourite in Tunbridge Wells. The team behind the bar are always friendly. Robin the Manager is always so accommodating. Whether it's sharing chocolates around the pub, making sure the kids are comfortable with an...

Lovely pub with a great cosy feel. Second visit here and this time was with a larger group of family. The service was excellent, made to feel very welcome and everyone enjoyed thier food. There is something on the menu for most people. Would recommend if you are visiting the area.

Lovely place. Really friendly staff and good food and very dog friendly. Have been twice now. This place is always quite busy and so best to book but they try to fit you in if they can. Highly recommended

Lovely place Robin was very friendly and the food was amazing Kirsty did point out the wonky Christmas bow which made him smile

Popped in for a drink and ended up staying for dinner. Food was lovely and service great too. Friendly and helpful staff, would happily return.

Fabulous pub, great staff and manager. Made to feel so welcome. Food looked amazing I would highly recommend.

Probably one of the best pubs in Tunbridge wells food was brilliant and an amazing selection of real ales and amazing service from robin, was really friendly and welcoming 10/10 would come again

I recently visited this pub a few times since summer, and I must say that it's a bit of a mixed bag. The atmosphere, the food, and the bar staff all have their own unique charm, but the manager's attitude left a bit to be desired. Positives: the moment I walked into the compasses, I was struck by the cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The dimly lit, rustic interior, paired with comfortable seating, instantly put me at ease. It's the kind of place where you can sink into a corner booth, forget about the outside world, and enjoy a relaxing evening with friends or even on your own. The food is another highlight. The menu offers a variety of mouthwatering options, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and presentation of the dishes. The bar staff were an absolute delight. They were friendly, attentive, and went out of their way to make our visit enjoyable. Whether it was recommending a craft beer or just striking up a casual conversation, they were the shining stars of the evening. Negatives: Unfortunately, the one major drawback at the compasses is the manager's behavior. I witnessed firsthand a few confrontations that left a sour taste in my mouth. The manager seemed quick to anger and had no qualms about engaging in arguments with patrons. This unpleasant behavior undoubtedly had a dampening effect on the otherwise pleasant atmosphere. It's a shame that a few unpleasant interactions could mar the overall experience. In conclusion, the compasses is a place that could easily become a regular haunt if the management improves their people skills. Until then, consider it a mixed bag where you might want to visit for the ambiance and food but brace yourself for the occasional turbulence with the manager.

Lovely old Pub. Cozy, busy. And good fish and chips. In a nice place in the town.

Lovely pub! Very welcoming and spacious! Thank you to Robin for your welcoming and great service, couldn't have asked for any better service.

Lovely pub with an amazing atmosphere. Compliments to Chef had a great squid and fries:)😊😊😊😊, will be back.

This place is simply astounding. The atmosphere is on point, perfectly little quaint pub. What a hidden gem. If you find yourself in Tunbridge Wells, come by here and grab yourself a drink in a wonderful environment. Served by a lovely lad named Harrison, always pleasant, even at quiet times always ready for a lovely interaction. Food was spectacular. Had a Chicken Kyiv, was spectacular. For what you pay it is more than worth it. Would 100% reccomend!

My family and I love coming to the compasses. It has such a welcoming and cosy atmosphere, helped by the wonderful team behind the bar! The food is fantastic, and has something for everyone- would highly recommend!

Visited The Compasses last night for dinner with friends. This is the first time we've been there and we were all blown away by the fantastic food, service and atmosphere. Lovely, cosy pub feel and although there was a band playing (they were really good too), we were able to chat and enjoy our food. We all ordered different dishes, all of which were delicious. The squid starter was just amazing! We will definitely be visiting again soon, I've got my eye on their Sunday roast menu...