The Hand & Sceptre in Tunbridge Wells

Slow service. Food is.nice but seems to have gone up on price

We had a lovely family meal on a Sunday night. The food was lovely and the staff were amazing. Many thanks to Vito, who made our meal an extra special experience.

Vito was attentive and entertaining. Excellent service and food.

I have no idea how this place can be designated as a hotel. Honestly it's no better than a dog kennel! Where do we start with this place No lock on the door Door open at the bottom as can be seen in the photos, so you heard absolutely everything when a room next door came back or left Paint peeling of the walls Bathroom shower cabin glass to small and water floods to the floor Towels that felt 10 years old A bed that was more like a water bed! Absolutely disgraceful place to try and sleep Sofa bed that offered zero sleep support Toilet paper that must have been the cheapest they could buy, it didn't even tear off the seam. They changed the towels once in 4 days but not the bed linen even when we asked. Dust everywhere! You hear everything from every room, TV, door, shower, it feels like they are in your room! We booked with booking.com on a non refundable rate, but because we are a genius 2 member and had described the conditions, they allowed us to cancel the booking if the hotel would also do so, the hotel said No! I can't understand the high rating on this hotel, maybe it's more designed for a local market for one room for a night after a few pints downstairs in the bar, because 4 nights here was literally hell. This hotel is not for international travellers, avoid it all costs.

We booked for breakfast at 10:30. To start with, half of our party of nine arrived early and was asked by a staff member to wait standing in a room at the back with the curtain dividing it from the main eating section. They weren’t told why. We ordered our drinks first and waited very patiently for them to arrive 40 minutes! Our food order was made at around 11am and after another wait we were finally eating at 11:45. One hour and 15 minutes after we arrived. It surprises me to read all the reviews about exceptional service and food as this was not our experience at all! The staff who made our drinks was nice enough, but the cups of coffee and hot chocolates we ordered were all dirty with spilled over milk and coffee. The cutlery on the table was two sets of knives and forks of the same size….unsure why! The one star is for the gentleman waiter, Vito, who was cheerful and polite and seemed to be the only one working on the floor. He attended to us as best he could. Our breakfast was below average, salty bacon, burnt sausages, fried smoked salmon(?!) and uncooked mushrooms! I don’t know where exceptional was this morning, but we saw no sign of it. Perhaps a chef works in the evenings and not in the morning? Sad experience.

A group of 6 of us went in just before Xmas and were pleasantly surprised. Food was really good. Service from our waitress bella was first class she was excellent. However there was another waiter Vito, who although not looking after our table seemed to always pop up for a chat, a bit annoying but he was friendly enough. Upon paying we paid by card and Vito appeared and started asking where the tip was. We had left cash which he hadn't seen. He then started quizzing us about why we didn't leave a tip and that we should be leaving one. He hadn't even served us. His attitude left a bad taste for me. Good service gets a good tip as Bella deserved but he should not be grilling customers about gratuity at all.

We were exceptionally well looked after by Vito for whom nothing was too much trouble. He generated lots of laughs and was swift to serve us. Our food was great and we would recommend a family lunch at the H&S

A lovely place for a group celebration. Great food and a fabulous waiter, thank you Vito

Vito gave us a great service and was very good to everyone at our large table. Food also very good and competitive on price

Excellent Sunday roast and attentive, friendly service from Vito.

Lovely meal with family and Vito our waiter was very helpful and cheerful.

We had booked a table in the bar. Had no acknowledgement ftom staff walking past us when we arrived and were not told we had to go to the bar to order. We waited an extremely long time for our starter. We waited so long for our mains that we had to ask where it was. It then immediately came out so I suspect had been sitting in the kitchen. A majority of the food ( not all) was warm , rubbery and bland. Nobody came to check of our food was OK. We had to ask yo have our plates cleared and for dessert. Pigs in blankets were forgotten and when they arrived they were burnt to a crisp. Luckily they were for the dog. The starter was pleasant, the dessert was pleasant ( though couldn't taste any white chocolate in the white chocolate creme brulee). There was a very nice, older man who was attentive but only when we asked and had a fun bit if banter

It just went from bad to worse. After calling ahead on the day of the booking to let them know it would be a late late check in, we arrived at 11pm on boxing day to find the hotel locked. We had our 7 month old asleep in arm and luckily our 2 year old had stayed at our families house so wasn't with us. It was very cold and we rang the bell and knocked for about 15 minutes with no answer. Luckily, another guest let us in, but the check-in area was closed. We peered through the window to find the night porter eating, drinking Coke and watching gladiator on tv loudly. When I asked him if he heard us and the bell. He said rudely.. what bell and said people usually knock on the window. I was not impressed. I said we'd booked a family room. He said we had number 9. I reiterated that this is a family room, and he said he didn't know. He didn't give directions to the room either and seemed annoyed that we'd disturbed him. We took ourselves to the room ab was met with a warped door which let in the light from the hallway and you could clearly see inside our room. The room was freezing with no heating whatsoever. The sofa bed wasn't made up, and there were no sheets or covers in the room. The room was dirty with crumbs and stains on the chair, pubic hair in the sheets of the bed, and a sorry glass in the bathroom. Just one glass for 4 people? I went downstairs to ask for the bef to be made, and the night porter responded by saying that it wasn't his job. Zero apologies. I asked him to phone someone. About 15 minutes later, another gentleman arrived at the bedroom with pillow cases and sheets. While apologetic and polite, he didn't offer to make the bed just handed me the sheets. He sadly had an overwhelming aroma of cannabis that accompanied him. With children in toe, was grateful he didn't come in. However, I then had to make the bed up myself. When doing so, we noticed there was no duvet cover so it was a sheet in a sheet. My husband was freezing, and when he woke up, he noticed a used contact lense in the sheets. Gross. We had breakfast, which was nice until today, where we've both had sickness. The room cost £130. It's absolutely not worth it. The hotel didn't charge us for our stay. But I felt it was important to leave an honest review in the hope that these problems are addressed. The lady on checkout was amazing. Polite. Apologetic and Professional. She deserves a payrise. A bright caring individual.

Bar staff were miserable. Looked like they didn't want to be there and not a smile between them.

Very busy today so couldn’t get a table in restaurant when we turned up on the off chance (very understandable). Bit of a wait for both drinks and then food in the bar, due to staff being rushed off their feet (again understandable). Was well worth the wait and I’m so pleased the pie and seafood linguini are still on menu! Best pub meal we’ve had for a very long time. The lovely Italian guy who served us said “I was very lucky” when he served up my linguini….and the taste sensation that followed proved him 100% right. We will be back…AGAIN 🥰

Caroline at the bar was AMAZING, super helpful and made some excellent cocktails for myself and my friends. Highly recommend coming here, and give Caroline a raise!!

Just had christmas dinner here paid in advanced as requested however there was no mention of the extra service charge they hit you with with another bill with a round of drinks £20 serv8ce charge on top of the high price of a meal was a bit of a cash grab I felt. Won't be booking again.! Beware

Lovely time at the Hand and Sceptre. Extremely accommodating for the whole family. The waiter even bought out Christmas goodie bags for the children. Waiter Vito was so lovely and cracking jokes. Feedback on the chocolate brownie- was little difference between the mini brownie and the normal size which made it difficult to tell which was who’s. Dessert portion sizes could be bigger but lovely experience.

We had the Festive Menu and the Chef, catering to a garlic allergy, made the whole meal especially without garlic !! It was delicious. Thank you.

Stopped in on way home for lunch. Food was amazing and our waiter Vito made our dining experience even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend eating here.

Me and my partner had a great meal tonight , Vito was great and service spot on

As nice as you hope it to be when you 1st look at the place

Sunday lunch and pudding was amazing! Service fantastic, staff very friendly and helpful

Checked in on Saturday night..whole corridor stank of weed. Went out to.meet family,.got back at 10.34 to.be told no drinks as last orders been called.. No drinks at just after 10.30pm.on a Saturday night. Absolute joke of a place.

Arrived to find whole corridor stinking of weed. Very basic room. Could touch all 4 bathroom walls with my short arms. Only soya milk for coffee. Not even a spoon to stir the horrible milk substitute. Less than a quarter of a toilet roll and nothing else. Very poor all round. To top it off got back from meeting family at 10.34pm to have a quiet drink before bed be told the bar was closed. This is a Saturday night. Absolutely ridiculous. Don't think I'll be back

Exceptional food standards, and the lodging is more than acceptable

Great service from Vito ...charming, amusing and he made a pleasurable gathering of good friends even more .memorable. thank you Vito.

We were served my a waiter named Vito who was amazing the whole evening keeping a smile on all our faces and made the night even better give this man a rise

Vito was amazing, made our evening, just about the right tone . Food really amazing , nice warm atmosphere Will definitely come back

The nicest roast I’ve ever had out, a must!!! if you like amaxing food, great service and great atmosphere 👌

Went for a Sunday roast with family - food was delicious, and service was excellent!

Food was great, both dinner and breakfast the next morning but the room was dirty. There were areas of the floor which had not been vacuumed for a very long time down the side of the bedside tables, presumably because the Hoover head does not fit in the space. Every ledge had a thick layer of dust, including the headboard fabric. Also, the bed was not made when we checked in and we had to go back and ask for the bed to be made.

Fab food, service and ambience. Jaqueline was fantastic and looked after us so well. Thank you!

Expensive food but Nice and nice hotel Room

Stopped for a coffee and was really pleased I did

Great food & drink with very friendly welcoming staff

The inside is very pleasing. The menu is extensive with something for all tastes. A good lunchtime menu too at fair prices. The food presentation was very good but some dishes were disappointing. Wine by the glass is over priced. I requested a table by a wall to help two disabled members of our group and we were given a table in the middle! Happily we could move to a better suited table. There is no indication in the car park of the entrance location so we went to the front on the roadside and my poor husband struggled up steps to a terrace and past garden chairs to the entrance. We asked if there was a flat access and were told yes, at the back but the door is locked so you have to ring to enter! I went to look and discovered two disabled spaces and a flat walk on the terrace to the entrance but again, not indicated. When you don’t know a place it’s good to have helpful signs.

We stayed here for one night and had dinner and breakfast. Very comfortable, clean and good size room for our requirements. It was a Sunday and we had a table booked for 7. I hadn't expected there to be any Roast left by that time of day but we were lucky enough to get the final 2 Roast Chicken. We were very pleasantly surprised that although these were the last 2 after a very busy Sundsy, thy were excellent, Chicken moist and succulent, generous amount of potatoes and veg. Very enjoyable and good value for money. The staff were very friendly and efficient,. Breakfast was equally as good . Would definitely stay again if in the area.

Went to here for dinner whilst staying down at another hotel for work. Good service, good food

Being local, I've driven past hundreds of times and never before been in. I finally got the opportunity when meeting up with some old friends for dinner. The restaurant area is surprisingly big, and the whole place is a bit of a tardis! The food and drink is a bit pricier than other pub/eateries, a pint of Amstel coming in at £5.80 a pint. We each had starters which split between the four of us so we all got to try a bit of each. Port and cheddar mushrooms, black pepper squid, beef croquettes, and king prawns, all of which were excellent, although you only get 3 croquettes so had to split one so we each got one. The mains were very impressive. I had the dirty burger, which was made with very high quality meat, so I was more than happy paying the price for it! It is also served with some of the best fries I've had, and a dipping gravy which tasted like it has been made properly with the juices of the meat. The food itself arrived very quickly, but drinks took quite some time to get to the table. The wait staff were friendly and had a good laugh with us too.

Excellent food well presented and served by Vito. Lovely location and very friendly surroundings. Will definitely come again when in the area. Thank you

Turned up for lunch whilst travelling through and met for a family lunch. First impressions of the decor were excellent and the whole experience lived up to that first impression. Superbly made & presented food, absolutely delicious. Everyone enjoyed their choices. Andy, the main chef, is clearly very dedicated to producing superb food. Our waiter, Don Vito, was brilliant at his job and clearly enjoyed it very much and took his quality of service very seriously. He is a great character and is good fun. An asset to this restaurant. We will be back for sure.

Great for a family night out, Vito was welcoming and kept us laughing the whole night. Celebrated a birthday and we were sung too. Will be coming back!!

Great food, service and atmosphere in the restaurant. Thank you Jacqueline for lovely service. The hotel rooms are very comfortable and we would definitely book again.

Jacqueline was brilliant. Food great

We dined here celebrating an anniversary dinner here and was served by Vito the whole night who was nothing short of AH-MAZING! He was so attentive, HILARIOUS, so caring and would 1000% come back thanks to his service!!!!! Food was also amazing, highly recommend the karaage chicken as a starter, crab & prawn linguine was amazing and the sticky rum toffee pudding was out of this WORLD soft, flavoursome, just DIVINE❣️

Had a lovely anniversary dinner at The Hand & Sceptre. Food was top notch and the service was fantastic. Special shoutout to Vito for looking after us so well. Bellissimo!

Great service, best beef I’ve had in years, our waiter, Vito, was great, brilliant service, will be coming back and recommending to others

I recently dined at Hand & Sceptre, and it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. The meal was outstanding, with each dish prepared to perfection. The flavors were well-balanced, and the presentation was beautiful—definitely a treat for both the eyes and the palate. What truly elevated the evening, however, was the excellent service provided by our waiter, Vito. He was attentive without being intrusive, knowledgeable about the menu, and gave thoughtful recommendations that enhanced our dining experience. Vito’s warm personality and professionalism made us feel welcome and well cared for throughout the meal. Overall, this was a top-notch dining experience, and I highly recommend, especially with such an excellent team member like Vito ensuring a memorable evening. I look forward to returning soon!

Lovely room. We arrived quite late after a wedding at the Salomons estate, it’s ideally located for this as it’s only a 5 minute drive away, and the staff were very helpful. The room was lovely and clean with a great shower. Breakfast was nice with a good choice. Would gladly stay again.

We visited Hand & Sceptre restaurant on Tuesday 8th October - wonderful!! Our food was lovely and our waiter Boogie was delightful!!

Vito was an excellent waiter, and has made our evening. The best evening we have had in ages 5 Stars to Vito

Haven't been here for a while, but I had forgotten what a nice place this is. Great ambience, lovely staff, and the food is absolutely superb. We had a lovely lunch served by Sarah, who was attentive and caring. Highly recommended.

First time back & we were very impressed with the whole experience, food, service, ambiance everything was just right for us & our friends. Highly Recommended ... Go For it...

The staff were very warm, polite and friendly. The service was timely, and the food was great. The staff were knowledgeable with the drinks menu offering a great choice of wines and something sparkling. The atmosphere is stylish yet has a cosy pub vibe. Would definitely like to return in the winter when the log fires are lit. Overall, very delightful experience and would happily recommend to friends and family.

Food very tasty. Service extremely slow by waiting staff and kitchen

Visited for lunch. Great food and wine. Relaxed vibe and friendly staff.

Only visited for a party. Reasonable bar service

Food excellent great service from Vito and food superbly cooked by Andy.

A delicious lunch shared with friends, extremely charming Italian waiter, Vito who has a great sense of humour and was very helpful. The restaurant is extremely comfortable, great decor and has an excellent atmosphere. We would definitely return to this venue.

Beautiful meal in a lovely warm and welcoming environment. The food and service were fantastic and the team seemed to have a great respect for each other. We will definitely be back soon. My only gripe: As my mum is elderly and has problems walking it would have been good to have direct accessibility access from the car park. We had to walk around the pub despite being parked directly in front of a door which could have gone straight into the dining room but said no entrance. Update:I visited recently and was served by Vito. Great water and again most excellent Sunday Roast!

I randomly stopped here on my way home and had a delicious pie and mash. Staff were friendly and the food arrived quickly. Lovely place.

Thanks for a great lunch Vito and team! ☺️

During our stay on our motorbike Holliday, we have had excellent service from Char the lady and Andy the cook, who made us a perfect delicious breakfast. The manager Bruno has also done a great job. Thank you all guys. See you next time.

Perfect food perfect drinks wonderful waitress Jacqueline will be back definitely

The bloke from the football event taking a leak in the car park wasn't the best welcome.

Sarah and Dannii were very welcoming and friendly and the food was delicious, amazing service!

I didn't stay, but had food in their restaurant. Itsxwas very nice and the service excellent. Not intrusive, but often enough to ensure I had everything needed, thank you Vito.. Free parking was added bonus. There is a lovely patio to sit outside if you wish.

Vito our waiter was fantastic. He made us feel so welcome. Thank you Vito.

Great service by Vito, very friendly!

Had a lovely lunch with my family here…great service from Vito. Will be back again.

Great food and service. Vito is the man 👍🏻

We had a lovely babyshower brunch and our waiter, Vito, was brilliant. We were quite a large party with children and were sat away from the rest of the restaurant which made our time much more relaxed. Nothing was too much trouble for Vito and the food was great. 5*!

Nice outdoor area. Managed to watch some cricket on the green

Food was nothing special and overpriced. Dont think i would return

Lovely place to visit and the pizza is amazing 😍😁😋

Popped in for a coffee, was pretty basic.

Great food and service. Boogie was a great waiter

Lovely location, very friendly staff, food great. Every member of the team was so friendly and the new member of the team Boogie was very helpful and fun which made our evening. We will definitely be going back again.

Good service. Clean and welcoming. Only had drinks but would go back and have food after the postive experience we had.

Don't bother What can I say, checked in and checked right back out...the whole experience was one of the worst ever.On arrival after a 7 hour drive the 2 girls behind the bar both went 'we can't check you in'...someone then appeared after about 5 minutes...no smile, no welcome,just threw a form at me to complete. The room was booked for 2 nights but it was nothing like on the website...like a shoebox..on the main road which was noisey.. the window wouldn't shut, the bathroom floor had a massive pool of water, the so called luxury toiletries was a nearly empty bottle of hand wash. I did go to reception to complain and we were offered 2 other rooms which looked slightly more like the ones advertised but I was too upset by then and just wanted to get out of the place especially when one of the rooms she showed us she caught the edge of the desk and the front strip was then hanging off. It is very hard to believe this hotel had a refurbish last year as it is very tatty and needs a lot doing to it.

Really nice food, great service from Ellie our whole time there. Drinks were also nice and food came out in a timely manner

The food and service from staff was fine but the length of time between courses was unacceptable.

The Hand & Sceptre made me my own dish of Mac & cheese with chicken and bacon was 10/10, the team was very accommodating. Thank you Gabor the chef.

Disappointed. Was looking forward to going for a morning coffee whilst waiting for a grandchild to finish an activity locally. Customer service poor and slow. The chairs that could be used for having the coffee were small in height and no good if you had a back problem or were tall. Even though it was mid:late morning people were still having breakfast so there was limited capacity for non residents. Tables were available outside but as it had rained overnight were wet. I asked to sit on a table for 2 in the resturant area as it had proper chairs, and that was fine. After moving items from the laid up table (trying to be helpful) a catering staff came out and made it very clear by their stroppy actions they weren’t happy with us being on the table. Totally unnecessary noise and flounce you’d expect from a teenager but not a professional. After the first drink, we moved as it was getting towards lunchtime we tried to be helpful and the breakfasting guests had dispersed from their high stool seats. We then waited whilst other guests who had arrived after us were served even though we had placed our order first. We then had to ask for our drink, which we then helped bring over - we had all of 1 cup of tea from the pot (rather costly for just one cup!) . The young girl serving was repeatedly given other jobs in between serving the guests which was causing holdups for people who had ordered. Had given up by this time- not a pleasant experience just felt unwelcome and would have been better going elsewhere. Won’t be returning I’m afraid I felt quite fed up and a second class citizen by the time of leaving.

We were guests at a wedding at Royal Tunbridge Wells, (Sunday 28 July) after a 6 hour drive we came upon The Hand & Sceptre, great location, and a car park. All in all a very nice looking pub that had food available. The decor is very pleasant 'modern traditional' if such a style exists. We entered the pub and ordered our drinks, this is when it started to go down hill. The two members of staff behind the bar made us feel as if we were intruding in their time, or getting in the way. 'Please & Thank You' are not swear words lads! Nor is the ability to engage with the customer. The drinks were banged down on the counter, my wife asked for one of them to be topped up and received a glare as if she'd insulted his mum. Look, I know we all have off days but there did seem to be a genuine indifference to us. The girl who serve our food by the way was very pleasant, and the food was very nice. Would I go there again? Yes , but I'd have a look in to see who was behind the bar first!

Stayed for a night away from the kids, my wife and I had a great meal and really nice drink in the bar after and finally a fantastic nights sleep will choose to stay here again

Tremendous lamb roast and cask ale. The food was beautiful and the service excellent. I've been here before a number of times with the family and will continue to chose the Hand and Sceptre for Sunday lunch.

The bar manager was friendly and polite. She was the only member of staff who seemed to care. Took ages to get served. Head on my drink was bigger than Jimmy Carr’s tax bill. Ordered a steak sandwich for around £15. A few small bits of steak served in an overly toasted bread with warmed up fries. Great venue overlooking the cricket green. With some staff training this place would be epic.

Lovely pub, position and rooms. only fault was being unable to open more than one tiny window a couple of inches on a very hot night.

Great food and setting, perfect for a summers evening

Very nice Hotel, friendly staff, nice rooms and nice fresh breakfast.

We had a wonderful stay here, lovely food in the restaurant, very quite and comfortable room. The staff were very friendly, the service was great. The breakfast was very large and tasty. We would definitely stay here again if in the area.

Pretty, small, relaxed hotel with very friendly staff. Nice interior design. Dannii and Aimée served us a very tasty traditional and vegetarian breakfast. We were passing through and would come back.

Very nice hotel, the rooms are clean and very comfortably furnished! Friendly staff and we were looked after very well by Danii and Aimee. In addition, the location is pleasant and there is a nice terrace :)

Highly recommend the wine & dine menu at Hand & Sceptre. Good choices of wine & food to suit everyone’s tastes. We had the lovely Yaz serving us all evening, very attentive & bubbly, happy to help with menu recommendations too. Thank you very much Yaz!

A reasonable room in a pub. Fairly clean. Comfortable bed. The bathroom was a bit tired and needed a lick of paint. Didn't have breakfast so I am unable to comment on it. Important context: My experience was a 1 night stay and does not represent this establishment in it's entirety. No-one in hospitality sets out to provide a poor experience. Anyone can have an off day

70th Birthday buffet gathering for about 60 guests in the function room - All the staff were brilliant, particularly Anita and Bruno! My twin brother and I had a great time and so did our guests judging by the feedback we have received !! Highly recommend !!

Friendly professional service complimented by the lovely lunch time menu

Three of us went for an evening meal on Wed 3 July. The female who eventually turned up just stated this is the only table we have. She was charmless. I really cannot understand why you employ people like that. The food was ok.