The Golden Lion - J D Wetherspoon in Medway

The reviews are absolutely true, the rooms are super quiet, extremely clean and very well maintained. Even with the window open it wasn’t loud at all. Entrance is through the pub and check in was quick and easy. Pub has a lovely beer garden too

Very nice food and drinks at really low prices

Crowded and well done for speed of service and prices .

Its a spoons what more can i say

As usual, great beer. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, water dissolving and water removed.

pls get the korean sticky barbecue chicken bits and chips or whatever its called it is the best thing i have ever ate in my life this pub has never failed me

Great to have a good selection of real ale. It's a typical 'spoons, but there's nothing wrong with that.

The food was stone cold. The burger bun was rock hard. A young manager had no idea what she was doing. Horrible attitude, rubbish customer service. The owner of wetherspoon should sack her. Hannah

After standing at the bar clearly waiting longer then most of the other customers the girls behind the bar went out of their way not to serve me. Probably because I'm a masculine male. A reflection on society I would say and why England has become a horrible place to live. I hope they learn to respect all customers in future.

Staff are extremely rude, will not be returning or recommending this place

Amazing Location if you are attending Events in Rochester.

Lovevthevpub, nice friendly staff.

It was our second time staying in this 'Spoons hotel and, again, we were amazed at how the noise from the very busy pub doesn't travel through to the rooms at all. The room had a great selection of teas and coffees and everything else we needed such as an iron, ironing board and hair dryer. The bed was really comfortable with good quality bed linen and the bathroom was a good size with a huge walk-in shower. There was a delay checking in due to issues with the booking system needing a reboot but this was dealt with well by staff. We will definitely be back, especially because it's such a great location on the high street, close to pubs and restaurants as well as the sights such as the cathedral and the castle.

Monday 27th February 2023 I visited this Rochester weatherspoons All good about it food staff clean drinking areas food and preparation of it see pictures It only got 4 stars off me because today on my visit, the guest hand pumped ales were only 2 and of very average quality Saturday 8th March 2025 Today, I again came to this really busy weatherspoons in Rochester This weatherspoons has now got a lot more guests ales on the staff are a lot more organised The pub is a vibrant pub with nice people drinking inside it Because things have improved since my last visit I have now increased my ratings from 4 stars to the full 5 🌟 stars

I queued at the bar for at least 20 minutes while a man at the bar seemed very determined to serve everyone around us and then disappeared to the far end of the bar. The bar was busy, but the staff weren't organised with who was being served and there seemed to be a lot of staff not actually serving anyone. My friends and I got fed up and left.

Located in the middle of Rochester High street. Nice sized garden. Normal wetherspoons standard food and service.

The standard spoons experience, clean and quick, and definitely can't complain about the price

Love this place ! And even special when you have wonderful service from Michael. We had an amazing time today all thanks to Michael’s fabulous service . Thanks Michael .

Amazing service from Bailey on a busy Saturday afternoon! Could not have done any more to help us very attentive, credit to her workplace!! :)

Stayed in on of their beautiful rooms. Very well looked after and spotless. Would definitely recommend. Love how consistent Mr Martin is with all his locations. Always impressed 👏

I loved staying here ,staff and local s are so friendly, so much to do,plenty of transport to locations,

Not the best I'm afraid Great rooms to stay in

Nice atmosphere and the usual good food at very reasonable prices.

Quick service food tasting food , nice beer garden too

Staff were very helpful. Once through the doors separating the pub from the hotel, all was quiet, and we had a good night's sleep. Staff very accommodating. Will stay here again.

It was warm and relaxing, the prices were very cheap and food and drinks were good for the money. Not had a bad experience in a wetherspoon yet.

Great food cheap and cheerful great location after shopping I really do love this place

Shame food was awful!.. Was nice and busy and drink was good with good location.

Great location for Rochester which is always worth the visit and good vfm

What a gem. I love the friendly staff. The room was warm too. Rochester is amazing.

Booked a room here for the night on a Saturday and the pub was absolutely manic when we arrived around 1730. Large groups of noisy drinkers letting their hair down for the weekend all night long. Tables were like gold dust & chairs even more so. Food was ok & service was quick. We had the boneless basket & a Stella. Prices were typical for Spoons. Double room was nice for £90. Bit worried about possible noise as we were at the front of the pub on the main drag but we slept well and there was only the guests in the neighbouring room that slammed their door which disturbed us. Freedom breakfast the following morning was nice. Pub is in a great location. Staff were friendly & helpful. This is one double busy Spoons.

Its spoons. Great. Need i say more

Don’t order food here! I ordered a bowl of chips at a quiet time in the afternoon they were all raw! Thank good I didn’t order meat! Nice staff ends there really!

Nice @ friendly pub. Food was good . Staff are happy . worth a visit.

In 5mins, some guy in his 30s going round rapping to random tables. 2 "lads" at the table next to me talking about some woman being a dog and burping as loud as they can. Just a typical spoons ain't it 🤦

Ordered spicy meat feast pizza (my fave Wetherspoons pizza) with extra toppings and pint of Doombar & coffee via the app. Food, beer & coffee were excellent as was the service. It’s great for the price charged too.

Booked this for a January break to visit the cathedral and castle in Rochester. Easy to walk to from the train station and the room was really clean, looked freshly decorated and was warm. Couldn't fault the room, was pleased there were several USB charging points and a hairdryer. Free coffees from the downstairs pub

One place that never disappoints. Value for money and always great atmospheres

Good meal and 00 Guinness for under ten pounds!!

Convenient location! Quite a lot of space. Easy access to the toilet for babies. When my partner wanted to buy a spicy mango drink, there were no juices available after the busy Christmas Market weekend. Well management should be more aware of orders and make sure items from the cart are always available.

Excellent hotel, very clean, renovated and modern rooms. Very well equipped, lighting, sockets, snacks...

Would highly recommend, great location on the HighStreet. We parked at the Railway Station just a 5 minute walk was £16 overnight 3pm -11am.

Just your typical spoons. Cheap beer. Sticky carpets and tables that need a good wipe over. Pissheads 🤣🤣 just what all spoons are like

3 of us had different breakfasts and all them were lovely and the service was excellent. Free coffee refills are a bonus.

As a hotel , I can not fault it. The rooms were clean and had everything you need, but if you are there at a busy time, such as a Friday or Saturday night you are going to struggle to get any food , we had to use a restaurant along the road , but even , so I would definitely use it again , the location is perfect 👌 especially for the train station, the Castle , the Cathedral, and the museum . I just loved coming down the stairs and ordering a big breakfast and taking a cup of tea back up the stairs for the wife .

Decent size pub. Toilets were clean to a satisfactory standard. The service was slow and the bar staff could have been more attentive.

Only a short walk from the railway station and a 20-minute walk to Chatham in the opposite direction. Some interesting original features and information on the walls to inform customers of the local history. I stayed overnight in a comfortable room, but the heating wasn't on. All sorted with a quick call to reception. I actually had to turn the heating off in the night due to how warm it was. I enjoyed the three plates for under £15 with two beers. Would stay again and visit some of the historical places.

Wow wow wow…god I’m disappointed. As an espresso martini fan, I’m seriously aggravated by the taste of that drink. I expected a subtle kick, but was met with a knockout blow, left right goodnight. I expect better. Big shame. 2 for 9? Should have been 2 for goodnight.

I went here with my mother in law and two daughters for a nice meal, and a couple of drinks ( one of my daughters is 17) I’ve been here before and had a meal with a drink with my daughter and there’s never been a problem, but today they refused to give her a drink we’d bought with her meal and 3 worker continued to stalk us throughout our meal to check we weren’t giving her a drink. we felt very uncomfortable and I’m not happy and it clearly says as the law a 17 year old can have a drink with a meal if with their parents.

Perfect Poached Eggs. We both had Eggs Benedictine which was nicely presented + had lovely gammon ham. It was very tasty + we would definitely eat here again. Kirsty behind the bar was very welcoming. She was a very capable barmaid, she was the only 1 serving but was calm + not flustered when there was a queue. I had to report 1 of the toilets being in a terrible mess. Kirsty apologised + said she would address the matter immediately + that she was sorry I had to see that. Previously if I have ever had to report a toilet needs attention in other shops or stores it is brushed off + hardly acknowledged. So well done Kirsty, the best service I have received in a very long time…..

Always meet up ere to see my sons, great place x

Visited on a very busy Friday night. Staff were rushed off their feet but did an excellent job of keeping up with orders of food and drinks

Excellent service and staff. Very hospitable. Premises clean and taken care of. Would highly recommend. My visit was morning time.

Went here this morning. Great staff and service.

A good breakfast location, having a good choice of different meals , refillable coffees all at a good price . The food is quite well prepared and delivered by friendly staff

Food was good drinks cheapest in the area but this is why we all love these pubs well recommended

Shame it's tucked away down the far end of the High St, but what a remarkable High St. Nothing remarkable we thought about interior downstairs, but there is a very large patio outside. They should make a point of clearing plates etc outside as the birds, swoop down and crawl all over the tables.

Pretty central location to Rochester. Nice pub, large, standard sticky tables and menus. Quick service. Didn't stay in the hotel but have had a breakfast here. Toilets were a very nice shade of green and have won a deserving award, although the paper had almost run out in the cubicle I was in which was alarming having not checked before I went.

My self and my mum had lunch in there today I ordered a cheese burger was so horrible and cheap like a macdonalds burger. Order a wrapp instead with onion rings the onion rings we're swimming in oil and we're wet and horrible couldn't eat them. Mum had the chicken tikka masala and found a black peace of plastic in her food !!! After finding a peace of plastic in the food we both couldn't continue eating so off putting. Not happy told the lady when she came over very shy girl. She then brought us a mug and said here's a tea cup. She thought we meant we had found it in a tea cup ! Instead of tikka as we said... She got the manager he who didn't have a clue and didn't seem competent, he kindly offered a refund which we accepted. But it's the least they can do. We will not be returning again. Totally put us off. Worst experience today!!!

Decent size and spacious, but the beer garden is nice and open and probably rammed in the summer.

Excellent value for your money and fast service to your table cheers

Food is fine and reasonably priced. Menus could use some soapy water more often, very dirty Room clean, nice shower

A great place for a cheap pint and bite to eat. We all know what we’re getting with a spoons and The Golden Lion delivers. Top notch this one. (The pub garden is great in the summer, too!)

Good prices for drinks, situated in Rochester High Street and good for meeting up with friends for a night out. Food is fairly good.

Went yesterday afternoon , the staff were friendly and nice but not enough of them. There was a definite lack of management and organisation and the food to be quite honest was disgusting .The tables were filthy and not cleared regularly , the food was coming out faster than it could be served being left on the counter for so long. When we eventually (over an hour)received it, it was cold, dry and awful . Very disappointing.

You know what to expect with a Wetherspoons. But this one exceeded expectations. Great venue with the usual great prices.

Average fried foods and real ale is hit or miss. Not my sort of dive, actually. Oh yeah, you can wait an eternity to be served at all Wetherspoons pubs. Food's too ugly to send a picture of.

Cheap drink and cheap food. Service good, food good for what you pay. Just don't expect the Savoy.

Great beer garden with a friendly staff. Food tasted great and was fast.

Great value for what you get. I mean a McDonald's is more expensive now a days and you don't get a pint! For a decent, no frills meal, you can't really go wrong!

I feel that it should stipulate the time for for children when going out for a family meal. The manager was very rude and told my grandaughter of 15 to get out , I was not impressed, I understand the licencing laws but this should be made clear. We arrived at 19.15 and out the door by 20.40, is totally disgusting. However, the food was lovely but would have been nice to enjoy it and have a lovely time spent with my family.

Another great wetherspoons pub, friendly and helpful staff perfectly situated in Rochester Kent high street

Fantastic place for a quick breaky and the service was on point. Highly recommend 👌

Enjoyed the afternoon in their beer garden. Beer selection great. Food fills a hole at a good price. I did not stay in their rooms though I them gave 5⭐️s. Staff very polite and helpful. Cheers. 🍺

Terrible food and rude customer service and if you complain you will get the eye roll Wont be going back ever. Please get a new chef and staff

Menu difference online to in branch I wanted steak and kidney pie didn't have it asked for summer fruits didn't have that either if not bad enough that Ramsgate branch has gone meat free not impressed

Always used to be able to rely on Wetherspoons for a good meal at sensible prices. However on this particular experience never again. Ordering had to be done through an app, so had to ask how to access that. Drink requested at the bar was not available. Ordering a meal I have had numerous times in the past ,fish and chips, usually a good staple meal . When it arrived can only assume it was a baby's portion . 14 chips and fish about 4" long, poorly cooked, staff refused to change it as they said it was the standard meal. After this experience will never use Wetherspoons again

Was there on the evening of the European Championship final. I liked. The pizza is excellent...

My husband and I have been coming here for over 10 years and have seen the staff get younger with very little care for detail. Manager must be weak or uncaring. Even if it is busy the staff take 30minutes or more to clean tables of plates etc. The number of pigeons 8b the beer garden has increased due to the lack of care. They take too long to serve drinks behind the bar and the food is mediocre. The meat is cooked until it is dry and almost like boot leather. There are trolleys the staff can use to move more crockery and glassware efficiently to the kitchen. Food has become mediocre and we ate at Covent Garden cheaper than what was offered here and therefore was amazing. Wetherspoons has now become not the place to go but people like us oldies will go because we love them, younger gen will skip it because it can't keep up with trends.

Not very busy in morning but still lon waiting for breakfast when it comes not what it use to horrible.

One of the best weatherspoons I've been to. Had the fish and chips and it was really good

Had breakfast not to bad . But wonky tables plus had to ask for table to be cleaned . Moved three times to find somewhere less sticky and wonky

Great beer garden and fast table service

Great Wetherspoons food. Choice is really extensive. Chose to eat in the garden today as the sun was shining and our server was fast and friendly.

very helpful lady behind the bar this morning and breakfast was very tasty. chef was polite

Really gone downhill. Food not good. Service awful. Every time I've been, just not clean. Only pop in for a quick cheap drink.

As good as most Wetherspoons.good service and nice food

Not the best spoons, strange it's on a lovely high Street

Great room in the centre of Rochester.

I've been to the Golden Lion on a number of occasions now & have always been impressed with the overall appearance, the clientele, the staff & most importantly the beers on offer as well as the food menu. Given, how everyone, except millionaire B**tards, are tightening their belts literally every day, it's great that JD offer such excellent value on its beers & the food menu too. And the latter has a really good choice, from firm British favourites, such as fish & chips or ham, eggs & chips to a good choice of curries. And, what really sets the JD chain apart is that they have a free app, that once installed, allows you to simply order your drinks, your meals, in fact anything. And that will then after a reasonable time period have it delivered directly to your numbered table with no gunning for cash or cards as this too is done via the app. The only thing you have to do is to, it's just after ordering, go to the cutlery bank to get all your condiments & cutlery & job done return to your table to await your drinks/meals. This setup, for a normal pub, cannot be beaten & I feel it's the standard that all pubs should aspire too.

Good value breakfast, with outdoor seating area for the summer months.

We stayed in the hotel and were very impressed. Well presented, clean and quiet room (even when the pub and High St were busy!), with a big comfy bed and bathroom with bath and shower. Staff really friendly and helpful in the pub, as well as the staff cleaning the rooms. Good food options and was impressed to have a dairy free option for milk in the pub and room without asking. Would definitely stay again, and have already recommended to friends.

This is a fabulous Wetherspoons, huge new garden, plenty of seating, great location on Rochester's historic high street. Good choice of food and drink, great prices and so easy to order direct to your table using the app.

Nice spoons It was busy. Good crowd. Good location in Rochester Didnt stay at the hotel

It's a great Wetherspoons with a big garden.

Terrible service rude staff bartender couldn't be bothered too take my order had too wait 40 minutes too get it sorted

Didn't stay in the hotel , just stopped off for lunch

Was pleasantly surprised with our room on Saturday night. Very clean and very nice. Considering we were at the front above the high street and it was the Sweeps Festival the room was very quiet. Highly recommend.

The breakfast we all had was ok except for the eggs yokes as they where over cooked.

Just went for breakfast with two friends, hence no score for rooms. I used the app to order, but service following was fast and friendly. Food good and great value too. We had three traditional breakfasts and three coffees. Breakfast £4.99 each and coffee £1.56 each. So less than £17 in total ! Even better value because we had free top ups of the coffee (we chose flat white - pretty good) and managed a total of seven.