The Crown in Medway

Happy to see this place open just after 12 so it was still a little cold although the heating was put on for us. The menu is a little limited but the small plates were a good mix especially to share with friends. Friendly service..

From a style and decor perspective the Royal Crown looks more like a hotel bar than a traditional pub. It looks smart enough but there’s no doubt that a refurb is probably overdue. It’s not really my sort of bar (I prefer cosy pubs) but on a quiet Wednesday evening it had a decent number of customers, while many of the other pubs on the High Street were almost empty, so it is clearly a popular venue Service was very friendly and we enjoyed our visit.

Sunday lunch with friends. Started well… hummus and flat breads were delicious. The roast however was disappointing. The beef was tough, the roast potatoes had that reheated taste. Nice vegetables and they didn’t skimp on the gravy. Huge Yorkshire puds but not the best. Generous portion of cauliflower cheese. Dessert of Eton Mess was ok but there was a distinct lack of meringue - 3 tiny pieces in a serving. Staff were pleasant enough and speed of service was good. The prices were not bad to be fair. The pub is newly refurbished and looks nice but the black and white tiles in the ladies are looking distinctly grubby and need a good going over with a mop! Won’t be rushing back anytime soon sadly.

Yesterday I attended my friends wedding reception here, beautifully decorated upstairs. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food (buffet) was great and catered for all. Will definitely go back for lunch or drinks soon.

Unplanned lunch visit Easy to get a table arrived at 12pm sat outside Staff were polite Menu was a little limited all averagely priced Food was average, after the recent makeover I was expecting a little better to be honest Would return for a drink but unfortunately not the food Far better places in the high street for that

Nice inside, staff seemed ok, atmosphere ok but food below average, had a pie ( had no mash) and it was like a supermarket round small pie, roast beef was dry and tough and ravioli had nice sauce but only 5 large pieces! Food was below average and not worth the money, better options nearby, for a drink yes, food no, as note nothing special.

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

Amazing food, fantastic setting. I planned an evening for small group and was seated in a private area upstairs. The Royal Crown has recently undergone a massive refurbishment and it really shows with an elegant dining area. The menu has lots of choice and plenty of options for all and the servings are generous. All the dishes were delicious and 5 empty plates went back to the kitchen. Everything went well until the bill came, normally we’d split equally between us however, on this occasion, 2 of our party arrived early and paid for their drinks separately so we decided to pay for what we had - this was when I noticed we had been charged for 2 bottles of wine we didn’t order! Queried the bill with the barman and quickly had the amended bill, with excuse of our order being left open on the till and items being added accidentally. As I was unfamiliar with one of wines, I asked what it was and the waitress then said that they hadn’t sold any that night - odd, why would they have been added accidentally?? £60 worth of wine, expensive mistake to make. If you’re planning on eating out in a group, make sure you check the bill before paying, especially if you usually split equally between you.

Not the place to go on a wedding anniversary meal. We arrived and were told the table was in the downstairs bar in the corner. It was very busy and loud. We had to ask to be seated as they forgot about us. Once we ordered our food the starters arrived pretty quick unfortunately the scotch egg was uncooked in places so only could eat some of it. The mains arrived shortly after the staters plates were removed, my husband fish dishes was nice but my pork chop was dry, overcooked and clearly been sitting under a hot plate for a while. It was impossible to get waiter attention as the bar was so busy. We were asked if we would like to see dessert menu we said yes that never came. The waiter was outside smoking we asked another waitress she did bring them but after waiting another 30 minutes and no came over to take an order. My husband went to the bar and paid our bill. He mentioned to the lady at the till we had just waited 30 minutes to try and order some desserts but that didn’t seem to bother her. So we walked out!!! We wish we had been told when booking the table you had no availability upstairs in the dining room. Even tho some of the food was nice I feel it’s pretty highly priced to be sat in the corner of a very loud busy bar where the waiter just forgets about you! We will not be returning!

To celebrate my daughter's new job she reserved upstairs and we were given the room that overlooks the river. Really great for parties up to six people. All went for the Sunday roast beef. Good proportions of everything and extra gravy for those that like plenty. Washed down with a Pinot Noir. Good attention by our server Jeff and a very pleasant experience. Well done all and pleased to see a full bar later for the League Cup Final.

Visited with family from Germany and they loved the fish and chips! Service from Faith and Jeff was excellent. Highly recommended.

My friend and I always enjoyed meeting for a coffee and catch-up here, alas our recent visit post referb was a disaster . After 3 coffees a toilet visit was needed before we parted ways … the toilet that was on the lower bar area has been moved to down stairs , my friend as a disabled person on sticks couldn’t go …. After a successful 2 plus million pound referb have managed to alienate disabled patrons . I’ve informed friends that will take this venue off the list . Shepherd’s Neame …. Why ????

Gary doesn’t know what he’s talking about… music is perfect level and the play lists are on point. Foods awesome, staff are great… think Gary needs to get his ears checked.. or just find another pub to have one drink in..!

Just had an amazing meal celebrating a birthday with family the meals were lovely the atmosphere was lovely and the staff was attentive overall a lovely evening already booked to go again

Great change to the place, looks much more warm and welcoming and the food is a complete upgrade. A lovely lunch 😊

A group of ten of us had a very enjoyable lunch. We booked the table in advance, but were not able to pre-order the meal, which meant there was a lot of waiting around. I do think large groups should be able to pre-order. The staff were friendly and helpful, but considering it wasn't particularly busy, the service was rather slow. But good food and a pleasant location.

Dear Manager Why are you piping in bland music at a volume which is not loud enough to discern but certainly loud enough to be regarded as inflictive and intrusive? People meeting pals for a catch up, lunch or chat surely do not want to have this bland drivel pinged at them. Hope you can justify this without the usual “brand standard “ nonsense that is often stated. Would have stayed for more than one drink if it were not for the annoying and unneeded music . Gary

Lovely Christmas Lunch with friends, delicious Turkey Christmas dinner, as good as home cooked food. Large portions, very good selection of veg, including crispy roasties , cauliflower cheese, sprouts, red cabbage, swede, roast parsnips. Plenty of everything. Piping hot, had cheeseboard for dessert, Excellent. Staff lovely , will definitely visit again x *****

The. Worst meal I've had in Rochester.Waited 1 hour for cold goats cheese tart Waited further hour for main with rubber Yorkie and crucified veg.Haddock served cold.Still waiting for sweet. After a further hour.Totally disorganised.

The refurb is beautiful exactly what rochester needed ,the vibes are top teir,only went for drink but the food menu tantalisingly tickled my taste buds and the bar staff are unmatched the spanish guy with the permed hair who always greets with a smile and good energy smashed it will most definitely be coming back again

Amazing experience, attentive staff and fantastic food. A great refurb, much needed. Great refuge if your needing a table for 1. Love this place.

Hannah our waitress was absolutely brilliant! Thankyou for making our afternoon / evening wonderful.

Sticky tables Poor service One of our dinner plates came more than 15mn after everyone was served. (The time to unfreeze the fish they said) The chairs were looking in a bad shape.

The crown has a new menu which we really enjoyed. We had the chilli &lime prawns, the duck tostados and the silly moo dirty fries all were lovely and really tasty. The staff were great and we would really recommend a trip here 😀

A great pub to spend the evening and the staff were fun and welcoming, a great atmosphere between them which made our night more relaxed and enjoyable. The food is scrumptious and good price for all!

myself and my partner came here to visit rocheser for the sweeps fesitival on sunday the 30th april. we came in for a drink and was served by a young lady name jade. who then promoted a new menu to us in which we decided...

Met with friends after work. At first I thought the pub was a bit tired. However, the service was good and the food delicious. Will definitely go again. Thank u

Friendly, attentive staff, good choice of beers & pub grub. The pub could use a lick of paint though. 👍🏻 would recommend

Don’t trust this place AVOID, both mangers slag off customers, staff are treated and spoken down to and treated like crap, staff aren’t treated with respect, it’s all about the money and hitting targets.Place is over priced and the food isn’t worth the money nothing...

Visited ‘The Crown’ for a lunchtime meal over the weekend of ‘The Dickensian Christmas Fair’. For a Shepherd & Neame establishment I would have expected better. Although it was acknowledged by staff that the day would be busy and all tables taken there still seemed...

Friendly welcoming atmosphere, traditional Sunday roast, well cooked, large quantities, 5 different vegetables, what more do you need?

On a day trip to Rochester we decided to visit The Crown for Sunday Lunch. Although the price was higher than we expected there was no quibble about the food. A good selection of meat and ample vegetables, although the more popular ones would have...

My family and I were recently visiting Rochester for the concerts at Rochester Castle, we stopped in The Crown for dinner beforehand. It was quite pricy but the quality overall was superb. The staff were lovely, one very flamboyant man in particular was honestly one...

We enjoyed a fish and chip lunch here. It was delicious and the service was great. Would receommend it.

Had an amazing Sunday Lamb roast everything spot on staff were all lovely would definitely recommend

Tasty food , and good portions. Great service from our waitress. Even though it was a hectic Saturday evening at full capacity ~ We had service with a smile. Look forward to returning soon.

Wow, what a burger! Absolutely hit the spot! Best burger I’ve had in ages! I like this pub, it’s honest and is a favourite of mine in Rochester.

Fairly regular visitor to the crown normally just for drinks! But discided to have some food! Busy Saturday night so was expecting a wait after 20mins food arrived but was cold after speaking to staff food was replaced with freshly cooked meals Plus given a...

Blimey if you are wanting a huge great value roast this is the place. Absolutely hit the spot. So many options for veg and all freshly cooked. In addition after these pics there was also red cabbage and gravy delivered.

We recently held my fathers wake in the upstairs bar and it was everything that we could have hoped for. The buffet was superb, I swear the chips were the greatest I've ever eaten! The staff, particularly the Manager, were fantastic and im truly grateful...

Busy saturday night in rochester popped into The Crown for a drink but stayed for food as we couldn't be bothered to look for a table elsewhere. Not expecting any special yet pleasantly surprised food cooked to order and from local suppliers absolutely no complaints.

Greeted with a professional manner and all according to the gov rules, all staff correctly masked to gov rules which made a great comfort evening, the bar was well managed, 100% recommend to anyone

First time we'd been to Rochester and decided on the Crown as it was very near to our hotel. The food was superb both nights we visited. The loaded chips with chillies (packed a punch) were the finest I'd ever tried. Would thoroughly recommend a...

Whilst visiting Rochester we had dropped in for a drink a few times, so booked a Sunday lunch. Very impressed with the way they are dealing with Covid. All precautions taken, staff are efficient and friendly and table service is provided. Tables are cleaned immediately...

Lovely Sunday lunch yesterday. Choice of 2 meats, beef and chicken. All served on very hot plates and vegetables in very hot bowls. All steaming hot and cooked to perfection. Reasonably priced too. Would def recommend

Popped in here for a pint recently, for the first time in ages. The pub is nice, clean and comfortable. Presently the beer is served to the table, which I like. The staff are attentive and quick. The venue does do food, although we didn't...

Me and my friends went for a night out in Rochester, we were walking up and down the high street for ages and settled on The Crown. It’s safe to say it’s a hidden gem in the Rochester High Street! Could not have received better...

We were so impressed and felt so comfortable with the way they dealt with social distancing and managed the pub on a very busy Saturday, I was quite nervous about going to a pub and the manager and bar staff made me feel very easy...

Brilliant pub, great drinks, welcoming staff especially Peter the manger, he made us feel very secure due to the COVID situation.

Love this great family pub, was the perfect balance of restaurant and local boozer, and it’s great to be back, but was just making my way through the new menu before lock down, so I’m happy it’s open but need to be doing food again...

The crown is amazing and we have missed it so much during lockdown! So good to have it back but really miss the food especially the famous crown roast please bring it back as soon as possible!!!!!!!!!!

This was a Christmas meal with Sue Ryder as I volunteer there, not to bad on service, we had to question the bill as it didn't make sense. We still paid it but didn't leave a tip like we had planned to. We have said...

Always enjoy coming in some lovely characters, was served by a lovely boy today josh what a funny person really got me laughing and left smiling and was served by a blonde girl last time who was also very polite and great 👍🏻

Enjoyed a lovely sausage and mash at the crown watching the football, great atmosphere and the manager was very hospitable. Would certainly recommend.

This was the 3rd time my staff have requested The Crown for a party and we had another brilliant night upstairs. DJ was great, food lovely, and Pete and his team looked after us all brilliantly again.

Peter and Lauren were both great the beer was lovely and the food delicious, this is a really friendly place with a great vibe, heartily reccomeded.

Came for lunch with the family and I must say the staff were excellent couldn't do enough for us and made us feel very welcome food was great to

Great service from josh and Tom, very polite and welcoming, regulars come in and will continue to return. Great people

So impressed what a lovely greeting and service, wow Suzie and josh. Your fantastic defo coming back so amazed

We visited Rochester for the day from London on a windy Friday in February. We discovered the Crown and had a very pleasant late afternoon drink there - lovely staff and good atmosphere. We liked it so much we moved on to the dining area for an early dinner. And the meal was even better - freshly cooked, tasty, good value and great service. We'd definitely recommend it!

Had a meal for two on Friday night. Great service, food was fresh and piping hot. Reasonably priced. Have visited the pub on many occasions, and am always greeted by the staff. Feel like your custom is appreciated. Recommended for a meal, or just a drink.They rent out their upstairs bar for functions, have attended these on a couple of occasions, and the food and venue are superb.We were served by Josh, very friendly and polite. Really enjoyed our night out.

Very busy but all seemed under control.. favourite places to visit in Rochester.. good food nice beer.. happy manager n attentive staff.. perfect combo!

Excellent Evening at the Crown ! Both my friend and I booked for the set Christmas meal which was absolutely delicious ! The young waiter Joshua served us all evening and what a fantastic job he done ! He was so attentive and was always on hand when we needed anything ! Strongly recommend this place !!

Third year running that we’ve had our Christmas meal at the crown and I must say it didn’t disappoint!

We hired upstairs for our Hague Christmas Party and were not disappointed. Pete and his staff were attentive and worked hard to ensure we all had a good time. The buffet was varied and the cooked items were lovely and hot. The bar staff coped well with the demand and kept everyone served without having to wait too long. Despite the fact that the downstairs bar was very busy we were well catered for. It was a good humoured evening and I highly recommend it for a relaxed party.,

BRING BACK STEVE !!!!! It’s just not the same. Traditional free hold to now a chained wait till the refurb it’s gonna look shabby

Had another fantastic evening out. Here at the crown we had our Christmas meal. The food was really nice. All cooked lovely and hot. Being honest I did not enjoy my desert of fruit crumble as it was way too sweet for me. Tasted other desert and they were good. Manager was very helpful and could not do more for us. Thankyou for a great evening

Heard lots of good reviews about this pub and so decided to try the roasts for myself, was really pleasantly surprised the food was so reasonable as well as the staff! But the manager of the pub made the experience another level. He was so attentive and you could tell he really cared about our experience. I overheard another couple had received something slightly wrong and the manager went above and beyond to get it sorted for them. On the whole a great time and will defo be back

Hadn't eaten here for years, so thought we'd try the Sunday roast (as advertised as 'the best in Rochester'). Really don't think it lived up to the billing, especially for the price. The pub's location is great (really close to Rochester Bridge and overlooking the river) and the ales and bar/serving staff all fine. Just the roast itself was disappointing. Didn't have the choices of meat expected, and as mentioned in previous reviews, vegetables were not great - potatoes not cooked properly and rather insipid cauliflower chhese - not the baked and cheesy delight a good sunday roast needs.

We came here for Sunday lunch. There was a lovely atmosphere in the pub. The bar staff were quick to serve. The staff juggled things around and sat us in the dining area rather than the bar. The food was delicious and plentiful. The vegetables were beautifully cooked! The waiting staff Sarah suze and Tom were rushed off their feet but were attentive and checking everyone was ok for drinks. We wouldn’t hesitate to go back here. Thankyou all.

I’ve been an on-off visitor to the Crown for over 20 years, almost every time I’ve visited Rochester.

Used the upstairs room for a company event with hot buffet food. Peter was excellent from time of booking to even following up after the evening to make sure everything had gone okay. Staff were friendly and helpful and food was very good. A great evening had by all.

I have reviewed this pub before but thought this information might be useful to future visitors. A family member has recently been diagnosed with a condition that requires a gluten free diet. As regular visitors to The Crown we all decided to go for a bite to eat yesterday but were unsure what might be on the menu that he could eat. Well, surprise, surprise, I had no idea that the pub has always had a separate Gluten Free menu with quite a few options. What a result! He chose the sea bass which he said was really delicious. We were also told that the pub's website has lots of information about the ingredients in its main menu so you can see what's on offer in advance of your visit.

Honestly, watery (frozen) chicken and beef... no Yorkshire pudding 🤣 had to ask for it and the staff response was “do you want that?” 😂 well yea The dark haired girl who served us was lovely, no question on her service, just awful food 🤮

Meat was nice, vegetables were good but coliflower cheese wasn’t that good, not much cheese and no sauce (usually my favourite part of the roast) more like coliflower no cheese. 3 small roast potatoes and a trio of meats was a little slice of pork and two slices of beef, gravy was tasty very very tasty, didn’t fill me up sadly. Staff were really attentive , friendly and great service, pour a good pint and seem happy. I’d definitely come back here for drinks, not so sure on the small Sunday roast for £13.95 , I’d say £8,95 would be more an appropriate price for what you get.

Good service, our particular waitress was very attentive and friendly and considering we were a large table the food came fairly quickly. Drinks service was slow but there were a lot of cocktails being ordered so perhaps to be expected.

Nice English food (we had the Sunday roast and the poached salmon with a creamy pesto sauce), big portions and very friendly service. We loved it!

We popped in for a bite while having a day out in Rochester. It was me, my wife and our two kids. The staff were really friendly and accommodating of us and our noisy kids.

We called in here on a Sunday evening. The staff here were all excellent, particularly the young gentleman who served us our food, he was very attentive without being obtrusive, a credit to the business

Had a Sunday roast with friends. All I can really say was faultless. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was great. Highly recommend this place. 👍

L occasion dans déjeuner dans un pub typiquement british, cadre sympa, service agreable, le fis handball chips était très bon, pas trop frit , juste cuisson . Bon accueil aux familles avec enfants

Visited Rochester today due to the lovely weather, we were looking for somewhere to eat and spotted this place were serving Sunday roast. We ordered a lamb and chicken roast dinner followed by apple and blueberry crumble. the food was great, the roast dinners came with everything you needed, including mint sauce for the lamb and cranberry for the chicken with a boat of gravy on the side, the veg was cooked perfectly and there were lots of roast potatoes :) The staff were friendly and we were well looked after even though we sat in the bar not the restaurant area.i would definitely visit again when in Rochester and highly recommend to others

Have recently used the sports bar upstairs to host a birthday party, staff could not have been more helpful in arranging. Great venue, highly recommended👍🍺

Another great place to get drinks. Located right near the bridge so it’s quite a nice place also. All positive

Decent helpings at decent price for a traditional Sunday lunch served by cheerful and willing staff.

Saturday lunch with wine, 2 couples old school friend. Didnt book nice food, staff work hard and very helpful. Change dishes to accomodate our dietary needs.

I booked this as a last minute for fathers day wanting a roast dinner for my husband. They were able to squeeze us in later in the afternoon and although busy this did not reflect adversely in any way at all.

Had late lunch here today. Service was excellent The prawn and crayfish sandwiches were scrumptious with generous fillings. Very clean. Reasonable prices.

Recently visited this pub to watch the Champions League Final after a recent visit a few weeks ago. The food is great and well sized. All the staff are very friendly and served our table drinks throughout the whole game.

Gone down hill on the food and got expensive. Surf and turf.... Prawns not king prawns just tiny little things

The crown is a good solid pub with classic bar food and a reasonable selection of ales.

Drop in here occasionally after work - near to both train stations Rochester and Strood. Food and beer good - friendly staff. Fine for a quick bite or a beer.

This is such a great pub. Very easy on the eye from the outside and inside i5 has a great pub atmosphere

Great pub. Very friendly. Just one issue, one time my friend had a shot and immediately asked the staff it was watered down, they said no.

Visited with a group of friends for lunch. Excellent service, friendly staff and great food. All good.

We have visited this pub before when we visited Rochester and it seemed ok but this time we were very disappointed with it. We walked in and stood by the bar, athlete were two ladies serving behind the bar, one did say she would not be long but she seemed to take ages, then a young man walked behind the bar, and instead of asking who was next just walked straight up to someone who had only just walked in and served them. The customer did not even say we had been waiting! So we just walked out as the other two serving behind the bar were still busy.

Nice pub. The staff were friendly and attentive when needed. The locals must be glad to have this nearby

Brilliant night! 25 of us went for Christmas meals. Everyone was extremely friendly, food was on time and there was no complaints which is always good when organising these events. Drinks very well priced and overall a good feel across the board! Not to mention the fact that if England are on the tele this is 100% the best place to go.

Peter booked us an area in upstairs bar for a recent retirement celebration. Really great service before the event (quick responses to emails and questions etc) and also on the night. Buckets of ice with glasses for the prosecco we had ordered all laid out ready for our arrival with strawberries as well, nice touch. Friendly atmosphere.

We had a drink in here. It's a lovely huge old pub. Really nice staff. My glass unfortunately had lipstick on it I went up to the bar and the bar girl immediately said she was so sorry and got me a fresh drink no issues no questions asked. This is exactly what I would have expected and it's what happened. Excellent little bar will go there again