The Hengist in Tonbridge and Malling

Was treated to a great dinner for my birthday. Great food, wonderful service, brilliant cocktail and wine selection along with attentive and courteous staff. Highly recommend and looking forward to returning again soon.

On Friday night we came to the Hengist with friends for a meal. We hadn’t been for a few years, the last time being under the previous management which we had a poor experience. So we were hoping that under the new management, it would be a positive experience. I’m sad to say it was awful! We had a table booked at 19:45, we sat down quickly and had a nice table downstairs at the front of the restaurant, great start. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there on. We waited for 20 minutes before we had to ask the waitress for a drink, of which we hadn't even been given drink menu's. We then ordered and were told 5 minutes later that the scallops I ordered were unavailable. We then waited almost an hour for our starters to be served. Our friends both ordered the honey-glazed brie. Well, I have to say what was served was an embarrassment—the slimmest slice of bread with not even a slice of cheese on it. Sorry, but any chef with an ounce of pride would not allow that to leave his kitchen! Myself and my friend ordered the fillet of beef. Sorry, but this was possibly the worst fillet of beef I have eaten. It was dry and boring. My friend ordered his medium and it was closer to well done. There was no source option, which would have made it more palatable. I asked for some ketchup, of which the waiter handed me an empty bottle of hienz. Again, for a restaurant charging your prices, this was not acceptable. My wife had the burger. She described it as the driest, inedible burger ever. We decided we wasted enough money and therefore didn’t want to order a desert. We then asked for the bill. The waiter who brought us the card machine was incredibly rude and shoved it in our faces which was shocking. As a local resident I like to support local businesses but unfortunately I won’t be returning. I even emailed the restaurant before leaving a review however they failed to reply.

We had a fantastic, proper Sunday roast! The staff are very friendly and welcoming yet professional. We would definitely return.

A lovely afternoon spent with friends. Ample parking just down the road. Friendly staff and great food. Will definitely be returning soon.

Took my two girls here on Friday for some cocktails. The cocktails here were on another level. Absolutely outstanding. Very theatrical and delicious to taste. My girls and I loved them all and we tried a lot of them. It’s a lovely setting to have food and drink and the staff were excellent. Couldn’t fault anything about our 3 hours there. I’ve posted some pics of our night in the reviews section and the man in the photo with us is Kieran he created the cocktails. A Very talented man. Couldn’t comment on the food as we didn’t have any but what we saw other people having looked delicious. We’ll certainly be back soon only next time I’ll try the food to. Thanks for having us and making the evening a memorable one.

Came for Sunday lunch, 2.30 booking. Starters finally arrived at 3.30. 4.30 still no main so left without eating. We had a toddler in tow who was past it so was impossible thereafter. They put on the booking they need the table back after an hour and a half which is not doable. Manager said they had only just got our starter back that was why mains were late. This was because it took an hour to get them and then over half hour for the finished plates to be collected! Clearly stretched and should open downstairs only for the moment

10 of us came for the festive menu. We all absolutely loved the food. There were plenty of choices to suit all tastes and everything was delicious and so beautifully presented. The cocktails here are amazing and so much thought has gone into the detail. They taste and look good. Very reasonable priced too! We also enjoyed the Turtle Bay Sauvignon. As a table of 10 we would have expected to wait a little at times but the service was impeccable. The staff are all super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and we were very well looked after. The Hengist is set in the pretty village of Aylesford and there is free parking at the back. The decor and the Christmas decorations are stunning, which is evident from all of the photos people post on their social media. Several of the group are already planning their return! Kieron, thank you for a truly special night and for taking such good care of us. We really appreciated it. See you all again soon.

The interior was nice and creative. The mood and light was versatile and lent to a good atmosphere. Probably best not to place a zibra on the wall head height in a seated area. The food was flavoursome and portions are fair for me but you may want to order extra sides if you have a good appetite. I had scallops and it was not hot or warm but not cold. It was the first thing I ate for the day and would have liked it hot it was tasty and full of flavour. I would order again. The turkey was lovely and little bowls of Brussels on the table was a nice touch for me, well seasoned. Cocktails were creative and tasty combinations of flavor. The service varied from staff to staff. Overall no complaints and we had a lovely evening. I would return. It's a nice place and friendly. There is a smoking area outside that is well lit and clean. Thank you

Wow. Although I've lived in the area for years I'd never visited the Hengist. After chatting with the delightful Emma she informed us that they'd had a revamp and the result is fantastic. We visited on a Wednesday evening for the steak night and it was fantastic. Two filet steaks and a bottle of merlot for £60 ...fantastic quality and value. The atmosphere was fantastic and Emma was only to happy to show us the upstairs area including the zebra room which looked ideal for parties. Already planning a return trip with friends to show this place off. Bravo!

Highs and lows. Booked on line for lunch Sunday. Arrived a little early but they were happy to sit us upstairs. We ordered the cocktails and waited a while to oder the meal. Eventually got to order. I ordered the mix of beef and lamb with no gravy. Mine then arrived with Gravy! The beef was medium not the rare I asked for, plus it had a little too much fat for my taste. It was medium quality beef. The lamb was a bit overcooked too. On the booking I put no cheese, two of the three vegetables had cheese on. Wasn't excited by desserts so left. On the bill my partners lamb was charged as Pork, which was interesting as pork wasn't on the menu! It has potential but service needs to be pulled up by the bootstraps. Waiter couldn't tell us what one of vegetable dishes even was. Toilets ok. Ps cocktails were unquestionably the highlight Heard back from venue finally, after two e mails… It seems it’s my fault for not telling them again on the day, not that they bothered to follow guidance asking venues to ask about allergens etc, despite my specific instructions in the original booking! Great customer service Thr reply puts the venue into context, says a lot for their adherence to mandatory care re allergies etc as they ignored my booking info AND didn't bother asking on the day. Shockingly I got an e mail today implying I have a booking for 04/12/24 I THINK NOT. Heard back from venue apparently that was an error too! Hopefully the venue will now adhere to their GDPR statutory duty and delete my data from their database.

Best breakfast I've had in a while and will be back again soon. Really good vegan breako. Was a little cold in there though and no vegan butter but overall, really impressed. First time visiting since reopening and we'll visiting again soon.

This was an amazing night out, the cocktails were great, food excellent and staff friendly, highly recommended.

Great food fantastic restaurant

Beautiful restaurant & food was unreal! Such good value for money.

We visited The Hengist at 2pm on Sunday 10th November for a family meal of 6 adults & 2 children. The decor looked amazing and the initially very friendly staff took care of our drinks and foods orders well, encouraging us to order extras like gravy and roast potatoes at this point as ‘in his words’ if we didn’t order them now we would have finished our meals by the time they arrived. Having had 2 rounds of drinks all arriving in good time we started to wonder when the food would come. 2 starters of scotch eggs arrived about 30 minutes after ordering but unfortunately the sausage meat part was raw so we let the waiter know that we weren’t happy to eat them. An hour later (so 90 minutes after ordering) we still had no mains, the waiting staff now seemed to be trying to avoid us including to order more drinks and we had to call someone over to ask if at least the kids food could be sent as they were now getting hungry. Soon after a kids pasta and kids roast beef (which had no vegetables whatsoever priced at £11) came out. Still no mention or apology of our wait on food plus a couple of us were now without a drink. 20 minutes later when the children had finished their meals and no check on our table or explanation for our wait on food had been given we decided we had had enough and we would leave, asking for the bill of what we had consumed. A bill arrived including everything we had ordered including the missing meals, missing extras, returned starters and £5 each for the kids apple juices which were supposed to be included in a kids meal as well as a service charge percentage of all of that on top totalling £300! As you can imagine by this point we were quite annoyed, so having told the waiting staff as such, finally an owner came to our table but instead of apologising or trying to correct the situation we were made to feel like difficult customers. We left having spent over 2 hours not eating any food (except the children) and still having spent £90 (a few beers, 1 glass of wine and 1 gin & tonic). I haven’t left a restaurant this dissatisfied in a long time. I understand sometimes things go wrong in hospitality but some communication, an apology and an offer of reconciliation perhaps in the form of some complimentary drinks could’ve maybe corrected this experience to not leave us feeling quite so outraged that we will not only not return but will also actively avoid recommending anyone to try The Hengist!

Very disappointing all round experience. Travelled over 1hr for a family birthday gathering. After 2 hrs with no mention or apology for the delay, 2 childrens Sunday roast meals were served with no veg! We decided after 15 mins further, to leave so explained and were offered no recompense and paid in full for drinks and 2 kids meals. Customer service will one day be a new concept to this team but in the meantime only book if you are prepared to accept an absence of service and care. Change needs to start with the ownership as it won't happen with the current role-model being demonstrated. The food looked and smelled nice enough, however we left hungry.

We visited here today for our anniversary dinner and we were blown away by the decor, the food and the staff!! All were absolutely amazing and the staff there couldn't have done more for us! Thank you so much we had a great evening

I had lunch here with friends while visiting and we were all really impressed by the food. The menu is not huge, but this is not a problem as the food was really good. As for the cocktail menu !! Never seen one like it, with lots served in interesting ways e.g. smoking treasure chests, bathtubs etc.

Went for brekkie early on a Wednesday morning. Good coffee and great food!

We visited the Hengist tonight for our son’s birthday. It was amazing from start to finish! The staff were so friendly and welcoming, making such an effort for our son’s birthday. It was greatly appreciated. The food and cocktails were also delicious!! We will 100% be back for other family gatherings. Thank you so much Hengist Team! Especially Saber x

Great atmosphere. Food is well worth it. Brilliant that it’s family and dog friendly. A place that is good for all!

Everything was fine, waiters nice, polite and friendly. Atmosphere was fine. I have ordered a gaspacho soup, but had a small probably tomotoes pieces in clear, salty and sour water.

We had a lovely lunch, the staff were so friendly making us feel welcome

Fabulous lunch, best burger I have had anywhere! Superb staff, great atmosphere, reasonable prices

Visited on Wednesday for steak night. Service was incredible and the steaks were cooked to perfection. Such a good deal with options to upgrade and add sides. All the staff were really attentive even though the restaurant was busy.

Dont often write bad reviews- Slow & unattentive service, food was very adverage and lack of for the price. Not sure whats going on with the decor. Unfortunately I won't be back.

We ate at The Hengist on a Saturday night, and hadn’t been there since it came under new ownership. We were there for a special occasion and had arranged a babysitter, so it disappointing that the service was terrible. We sat down around 7:30pm and it took around 30 minutes just for bread to be brought to the table which came with the starters. The water glass was really dirty and the water had bits floating around in it, so we didn’t drink the water. We ordered a beer and a cocktail each which were nice but we weren’t offered anymore drinks. After waiting until after 9:00pm for our main courses we decided to ask for the bill right away. We couldn’t fault the food but it took so long to come that we didn’t have time to hang around for a dessert. The staff were all very nice but clearly the restaurant needs more staff or less tables as it was very hectic in there. We felt disappointed as don’t get the chance to eat out very often and with the service charge included paid around £100 for two starters, two mains and two drinks but felt like it hadn’t been worth it.

Absolutely brilliant, food was nice and the service was first class. Made a real fuss of our little one.

A big crowd of us (all ladies) chose to have assorted, and most generous, sharing platters all of which we really enjoyed. We were made to feel very welcome, the service was great. The atmosphere was lovely and we felt so comfortable despite being a large and 'fairly' raucous group. We were also impressed enough that we booked our Christmas get together there before we left. Thank you to all the staff.

Absolutely fabulous night, the food was amazing, thanks to George for accommodating our group, and to Shef for seeing to our needs and for keeping the alcohol flowing!!!!

I've been here a few times for breakfast and it's always spot on! The food is amazing, ambience and decor gorgeous, service is always superb! Definately recommend the eggs benedict, eggs florentine and full English!

My wife and I would like to thank Kieron, George and their wonderful team for organising our brilliant wedding reception 20/09/24. A special mention must go to the chef Ray for putting together a fantastic selection of dishes for our guests, not only from the UK but various parts of Europe. Kieron & team went the extra mile by surprising us with a live music performer, along with creating special cocktails for the Bride and Groom. All our guests commented on what outstanding food and service they received. The perfect venue for any event. 10 out of 10. Many thanks Gordon and Lina.

What a great find. Lovely Sunday roast

It was our first lunch at The Hengist yesterday 22 September 2024 and what a disappointment it was. On the menu it stated you get vegetables with your meal and nowhere does it stated that 2 people get to share a small bowl of vegetables. I ordered the lamb and my partner ordered the beef. When our food came there was only 2 small bowls of vegetables and when we asked the waiter where is the other vegetables with the other meal she told us that the chef decided to do it that way. We didn’t get any gravy and when we asked where is the gravy she said again the chef decided to do it that way. We ordered 2 separate meals and there were supposed to be 4 bowls of vegetables and at least gravy for the Yorkshire pudding. Needless to say we were told if we wanted more vegetables or gravy we had to pay extra for it. It was a very disappointing.

This afternoon Sunday 22 Sept 2024 Meal was average gravy poured on plate under beef so choice was made for me instead of being in a gravy boat or jug ,i didnt appreciate being treated that way, so a very dry Yorkshire pudding , veg came in a small bowl that had to be shared by two people instead of individual portions of which the portion between two was very small ,to add insult a 10% surcharge was added to the bill ,yet this wasn't verbally stated when i ordered the food or did it state this on the menu so all in all a very disappointing experience which leaves me in no doubt that I wouldn't go there again Also little bit over price for quality & portion size of food

Food was amazing, quick service and we were a big table, very friendly atmosphere

Great atmosphere but that about it!!! Got seated upstairs waited well over half hour to be asked if we wanted a drink then waited another 40 mins before we received them. We only ordered table food for starters got that well over a hour later, food not flavoured. waited over 2 hours to get mains, from when we arrived. By this time 3 of us had gone passed being hungry, so didnt even end up eating it. I also had the clear the table myself and take glasses etc to the bar. We were there for my daughter's birthday so so meant to be a happy eve , just ended up everyone (6 of us) being stressed. Such a shamed as we used this place many times before over the years

We was up stairs,the food was brought up from downstairs not covered. A small lift or dumb waiter in a corner would be ideal. As the poor waiter's needed to carry 2 plates a time, up down stairs, . Very well presented staff very helpful and happy. Had burger was tasty but to big in thickness, trouble cutting it, cut in half to fit roll, it is a dear place ok for special occasion.

We were very disappointed as came for our anniversary. Firstly we were sat in the bar area then waited 25 minutes for a cocktail menu and after choosing had to call someone over to take our order. We were then taken to an area that was cold, only ones in there with no atmosphere at all. All the time we sat in the bar area and cold reasturant area in my professional opinion a strong smell of cannabis was present. The waiting staff were friendly an apologised as we waited a while for food an that they were unable to offer alternative seating as they were full. The food was amazing but sadly will not recomend or return . Mr Clay.

Fabulous time yesterday at a wedding, food was good, service and friendliness was outstanding...well done Euan and Elliott!

Went there last night and wow the food was an amazing. I had the rolled Beef it was beautiful and so tender, and the truffle mac and cheese, so tasty. Can not recommend enough. Also the cocktails are imaginative in design, ask for the peacock!! Amazing x

Sat in the beautiful garden and had the BEST roast dinner ever. so so fresh and great portion sizes. cocktails absolutely amazing, and did not take long to come out at all. All staff were so polite and attentive, will 100% be making this my local!

I gave compliments to the chefs as I have always thought your hard pushed to get better Sunday dinner in a Pub/Bar/Restaurant, however, The Hengist proved this belief to be wrong, the perfection of the two meat roast was accompanied with the tastiest gravy I have ever had the pleasure of eating, roasties were great too the separate veg much the same, the extra sides being Mac n cheese and the leek crunch just sublime, No stuffing though, mind the leek side dish looked like stuffing yet tasted better, so yummy, so full, we really enjoyed the theatre of the mocktails and cocktails, on the beach with edible sand and pearls the dry ice floating across and spilling out the choc ice bookcase the bubbling, bubble bath in the chrome bath with toy ducks, expensive juice however good fun experience worth photos. Oh limited dessert menu I thought, although it was rich, the Dodo egg on its chocolate nest, that melted open, you literally poured the hot caramel into the top and it hatched, all the while like it is in the mist on the top of a mountain, as the dry ice sunk and floated across the wooden board, great presentation, I really enjoyed the Buddha beers too. So friendly and lots going on I would imagine, a cool lot of staff who all got on well, such a relaxed and pleasant bunch of good people. Expect a nifty a head with cocktails, and I missed out on the camenbert and squid starter though, please book and see different Menu and eating times on a Sunday. Good outside space and dog friendly too, a must experience, I reckon a great Friday or Saturday night out too, good music, lighting, not keen on the plastic seats, bit sticky, should have sat on my hoody sweater, just personally prefer material chairs.

We've visited this restaurant several times now, and it never disappoints. The food is consistently fantastic, and the service is always friendly and attentive. One small point to note is that when dining upstairs, the service can be a bit slower compared to downstairs, but that's a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. The quality of the food more than makes up for it, with dishes that truly speak for themselves. The cocktails are also top-notch, and their breakfast offerings are delicious and excellent value for money. Overall, it's a great spot for a memorable dining experience.

Been coming here for years, however today will be my last time. Way overpriced for poor quality food.

The perfect bank holiday - bottomless brunch. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the bank holiday! Incredible food, amazing drinks and the perfect staff. So attentive. There was live music which was brilliant! Couldn’t recommend the Hengist more!

Went along for a Sunday lunch today. The new chef is amazing. Absolutely delicious roast dinner - all beautifully cooked. Had a fab starter of scotch egg too. I already loved the atmosphere and theatrical cocktails but food has now gone to another level.

Attended this place a couple of weeks ago but a lot has changed. New chef, new menu. Waited well over an hour for food which wasn’t amazing, cost a small fortune and you could barely see on your plate. Made my feelings clear but politely to staff about unacceptable wait but they didn’t really care. Will not be coming here again and do not recommend anyone else does

The food was pretty average, I was expecting more if I'm honest. The waiting staff were great, very attentive and polite. Having said that, we did wait 45mins for a cocktail and longer for food to arrive. Probably won't be returning.

The establishment offers an extensive variety of cocktails, however, it does have an adverse effect on the speed of service. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, Elliot in particular was very polite and took the time to explain the restaurant's journey, which was informative. Overall, it was a delightful evening and we will be returning.

Menu was different to the website so didn’t order food. Came In for our anniversary and had a lovely time sitting outside, lovely view with very colour flowers. Elliot came over and had a chat with us and is genuinely the friendliest barman I’ve met. This guy deserves some credit. Thanks Eliot

What a lovely find! Thought that we’d try this pub as it’s dog friendly and the menu looked great. We went for the Sunday roast which was delicious. Both the meat and veg were cooked to perfection and they made their own gravy too. The cocktails were lovely too. We had an espresso martini and a passion fruit cocktail which was served with bubbling dry ice!🧊 What really made the meal were the attentive staff and the live music. We didn’t know they had live music, which really added to the atmosphere. Definitely recommended!

Was excited to go back having enjoyed many celebrations here under old management. Our table was 7.45 pm on a Friday . We were offered the cocktail menu but had to ask for a food menu after 10 minutes . Cocktails were amazing. We ordered some tapas bits and were advised that the kitchen closes at 830 pm. The food service was quick to come out . We noticed a dessert served to a nearby table so we asked for the dessert menu . The waitress said yes she would get us one but then came back to say no sorry kitchen is closed . All before 9 pm and having just literally seen a dessert go past us . We ordered a last drink around 945 , a simple round of G & T . When they came they had the tonic pre poured and no lemon slice and they’d run out of ice . After such a fabulous cocktail we’d each tried , this drink looked a lot less inspiring . I do think the kitchen closing so early on a summer weekend night is a let down as the setting there is so lovely .

My wife and i love this restaurant, and have been dining here for years , we were never dissapointed with the food and service. However, tonights experiance was not good. Limited menu (understandable at this time) however, there were a couple of things were not availible, what we did have was extremely bland ,not the fine dining quality as we no it, coffee machine broken, so we were offered instant coffee but still get charged top price. Toilets not great, waitresses wearing trainers , also waited for my wine ( which i asked for twice )with my main course, had to ask for cutlery All this was made aware to them and they honestly did not seem that bothered, over all not good

Lovely afternoon tea , very attentive staff. Highly recommend x

Nice place to sit, but badly organized. After one hour, we still did not get our food. No message, no apologies. Personel does not offer any service. We will not get back

Awesome place to go for drinks if you're into aesthetics. Just overpriced. 😅 I got a steak for my main both me and my partner, and I ordered medium rare. Mine came perfect, and his was well done... Overall, the steak lacked in flavour, though the skinny chips were amazing. I wouldn't pay £28. Love the interior. The service was great. The girl that served us she was one ball of joy.

Had a fabulous lunch there with a friend. £15 for a main course and a drink (we had a glass of wine each). We ordered the Hengist Burger which came with chips and coleslaw and was very tasty. We also had a cocktail each which, although a bit expensive, were both delicious and was like having a dessert and cocktail in one. The restaurant's decoration is quirky and lovely and the armchairs we both sat in were very comfortable. The waiting staff were very friendly and attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will definitely be back.

Another fabulous lunch, wine and cocktails. Elliot and Libby were great, very helpful and polite x

Great food and fab cocktails. Chap serving was lovely. Dogs allowed which made it even better for us.

Delious afternoon tea. Food excellent. Service brilliant. A pleasant afternoon x

We booked the bottomless cocktail afternoon tea even after reading the awful reviews on other events and wow so glad we did!! Benny was amazing and kept the cocktails coming at a terrific pace. He asked us and other tables, if we would like more sandwiches, But the amount and quality of the food and the amazing foaming, frothing and bubbling cocktails were already quite enough. Very impressed and I’m usually a picky cow 😁 Such a great afternoon!! And a brilliant price!!!!

Nice location. Nothing much has changed since new owners taken over, drinks seemed a bit more expensive than some pubs. Not clearing outside tables quickly and didnt seem that many tables outside

This restaurant is dreadful!!! Our dad's 85th birthday: service was lazy and not attentive. Drinks took half an hour to arrive, starter of cambert cheese was cold and not melted so was returned to be heated, meanwhile our Dad and brother in law ate their starters and then watched us eat ours. My sister and I have auto immune disorders and can not eat gluten. There was only ONE main meal we could choose from, and this is the mushroom risotto, which was inedible. The chef tasted it and agreed, so we were left with trice cooked chips that tasted as if they were fried in old oil. Prices are high, my sister and I only ate a piece of bread and melted cheese and a few greasy chips whilst watching our poor dad eat his meal.... shocking. The waitress deducted some money off the bill, but this was meant to be a special occasion, and it wasn't. Restaurants have a responsibility to give people a lovely experience, especially for birthdays and celebrations. Honestly, you should be ashamed. Never again.

Pleasant restaurant with a simple menu, friendly service and delicious food.

Very happy to see The Hengist back open. Myself & my Wife had a very enjoyable roast dinner on Sunday & plenty of it. Service was excellent & the price was very reasonable considering how much we had. The new owners are obviously doing a great job & happy to take time to talk with there customers. Looking forward to returning in the near future. Job well done by the new owners. From Richard & Linda

We had a scrumptious Sunday roast with all the trimming at the Hengist along with starters and a dessert. What a delight to eat there and the team are so warm and welcoming too. Just a charming place and the theatrical ambience of the place adds to its charm with a stunning flower wall at the entrance. Definitely an instagram moment here along with the smoking cocktails 💕💕. Will be back to sample more delights including the live entertainment on Fridays. Loved it. 🫶 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

Very understaffed and unorganised. Staff walked past and ignored us. Waited over half an hour for our drinks without an apology and no one even asked us if we wanted to order our food. We had a better experience with last year with previous owner, however now will not be returning after this experience.

After waiting around 10 years to visit we were blown away by this venue. The owner and staff were excellent and couldn’t make us more welcome. Loved the ambience and best cocktails I have ever had. More importantly the Sunday Roast was amazing - 10 out of 10 guys you’ll be seeing a lot more of us. Linda & Nigel xx

Food was amazing, highly recommend the Hengist Burger. Cocktails were absolutly amazing, the attention to detail om every cocktail was spot on. Such a great atmosphere with fantastic waiting staff who had time for everyone. Thanks Emma, you were brilliant

Lovely lovely place food is amazing and so are their cocktails! I asked if they could make strawberry daiquiri, which isn't on the menu and the lovely Hannah, was more than happy to make one and it was beautiful! Definitely recommend this restaurant!

A lovely evening at the Hengist. The new management are doing a great job and made us feel very welcome.

I have to start with the exquisite cocktails, very unique and tasty. Secondly the service is second to none, very friendly and can’t do enough for you. The food just tops off your Hengist experience, unfortunately my partner doesn’t like boujee food so I’ll have to lunch with the girls but it really is a perfect place for a dinner date. Will definitely be returning. 😁

Wow! What a lovely venue. We had such a great time here. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. A wide range of drinks and the food is delicious. Just what Aylesford needed, Kieron has saved the village!

My friend Aaron told me this place was amazing lovely place and atmosphere

Great Saturday breakfast, with lovely coffee. We were fortunate enough to enjoy good weather and sat in the gardens. Kieron and the team have done a great job and the food was delicious. I love the gold cutlery, it’s a great touch. Staff and service brilliant, highly recommend. Good prices too.

Finally got to visit The Hengist today and I'm so pleased we did as it's everything I thought it would be and more! I used to go to The Greedy Goose in Kings Hill because of Kieron and his cocktails - that were out of this world! I was sad when he left as it wasn't the same so I was absolutely delighted to hear that he would be opening up The Hengist and his cocktails will be the star of the show once more. Cannot wait to try out the food but on this occasion, as we had just walked from Ditton to The Hengist, we just wanted a drink, Mum had a lager & lime (she loved the Curious brand of lager and will definitely be having that again so please don't take it off the menu)! I had an Aperol Spritz which was perfect for a sunny summer's day. We paid for the drinks at the bar and a member of the team brought them out to us as we wanted to sit out in the beautiful garden. Lovely being outside but I cannot wait to dine in one day as the decor is awesome - loads of "Insta" opportunities inside that's for sure. Cannot fault the staff, they greeted us on arrival and were so friendly - loved chatting with them all. I would 100% recommend this business and I cannot wait to return with my friends soon. Massive thanks to Keiron & his team for such a lovely afternoon. #supportlocal #familybusiness

We'll be back! The food was delicious. Lovely friendly staff, too x

Finally got to visit The Hengist today and I'm so pleased we did as it's everything I thought it would be and more! I used to go to The Greedy Goose in Kings Hill because of Kieron and his cocktails - that were out of this world! I was sad when he left as it wasn't the same so I was absolutely delighted to hear that he would be opening up The Hengist and his cocktails will be the star of the show once more. Cannot wait to try out the food but on this occasion, as we had just walked from Ditton to The Hengist, we just wanted a drink, Mum had a lager & lime (she loved the Curious brand of lager and will definitely be having that again so please don't take it off the menu)! I had an Aperol Spritz which was perfect for a sunny summer's day. We paid for the drinks at the bar and a member of the team brought them out to us as we wanted to sit out in the beautiful garden. Lovely being outside but I cannot wait to dine in one day as the decor is awesome - loads of "Insta" opportunities inside that's for sure. Cannot fault the staff, they greeted us on arrival and were so friendly - loved chatting with them all. I would 100% recommend this business and I cannot wait to return with my friends soon. Massive thanks to Keiron & his team for such a lovely afternoon. #supportlocal #familybusiness

Brilliant evening, food was lovely, cocktails were amazing and staff were great definitely be back again 😊🍸

Father’s Day Nightmare. NO CROCKERY, OVERCOOKED AND STALE FOOD AND MISMANAGED STAFF. We were looking forward to the Father’s Day breakfast I’d booked but the whole experience from start to finish was diabolical. After waiting a while to order drinks, we were able to order a couple of coffees, which we were told there was a “little wait” for. This little wait turned into a big wait, so much so we had to ask for the coffees again once our food arrived. The waitress told us there was a “shortage of cups and saucers” which is why there was a delay in getting coffees out. How can you open a restaurant without having enough crockery? You’ve taken the bookings, so you know how many people you are catering for. Later this excuse turned into “the coffee machine is broken” which almost certainly was a cover-up for their lack of cups and saucers. When the flat white coffees came to the table, they were only half filled in the cup. Those that ordered the Hengist breakfast, which for £13 was rather disappointing, were left with eggs that were overdone, bread that was as hard as a rock and cold with no butter. It’s almost as if the bread was toasted at 7am and left on the side until it was needed later in the day. The sausages and bacon were overcooked, and nothing special, the kind you could get cheaply from your local chain Supermarket. If the chef can’t cook a breakfast right, how’s he going to cook a Sunday lunch? The waitresses struggled to find salt and pepper, and there was no mayonnaise. We asked for the bill so we could just get out and forget the whole experience. The waitress then came over and asked us what we had to eat and drink so she could give us the bill. When our bill came to us, it had several other drinks on it that were not ours, presumably from one of the other tables which had ordered drinks and left because it was taking too long to order their food. An honest mistake, or a sneaky way to not lose money on the drinks from the tables that walked out? The management at the Hengist and the standards and quality of the food need improving vastly to be charging the prices they are. The staff, although friendly, need someone who has experience to manage them as they were not keeping up with the workload, or, put more staff on over one of the busier weekends of the year to cope with this, although it wasn’t overly busy at 10am considering breakfast finishes at 11am. The lack of crockery is just inexcusable. Safe to say, I won’t be returning there any time soon, and word of mouth will be what sinks this restaurant. A shame because we had high hopes for this place.

Had a amazing afternoon in the gardens, the weather was lovely, the grazing board was perfect and the drinks second to none. Its a really social environment. I will be back regularly

We popped down on Saturday night for a couple of drinks. We got there about 7:30ish and we were taken upstairs and given a table. We ordered one cocktail and one beer. The beer turned up in about 5 minutes, but we had to wait 25 minutes for the cocktail - same as the two tables next to us. And I must say, it was not worth the wait - it just tasted like blackcurrant juice. Couldn't taste the gin at all. For some reason, the cocktails and some other drinks need to be made downstairs and then brought up despite there being a bar upstairs (H&S hazard and an accident waiting to happen). Because all the cocktails are fancy and have dry ice, flames, smoke, and other theatrics, they take a long time to make - this is not feasible, especially when you have a busy restaurant full of people. I would always expect a cocktail to take longer than other drinks, but max 5 minutes. Given how long it took for the first cocktail, both us and one of the tables near ours left and went to one of the other local pubs. A table near us wanted to order some tapas, but they said it would be a minimum 35 minute wait. I don't know if this is a ploy to get people to buy more drinks whilst they wait, but tapas shouldn't take that long. Again, this is likely because they are trying to make everything a bit too fancy rather than offering simple dishes that can be served in a more timely manner. This also could have been because they are short staffed in the kitchen - we were told one of the chefs walked out mid shift a week ago (doesn't really bode well since he only worked there just over a week). However, the excuses for the delay was because they were really busy, but it really didn't look that busy to us. And if they couldn't cope with the additional walk-in customers then they should have just said they were full. Although, we were under the impression that part of the establishment is a bar, and I wouldn't expect to have to book to pop in and have a drink. The staff were doing their best, and I will give them the benefit of the doubt since they're all new and the place has only been open a few weeks, but you could see they were stressed and overwhelmed. I'm not sure what the new Hengist actually is. Is it a restaurant with a cocktail bar or is it a cocktail bar with a restaurant? They need to decide, as they currently aren't doing either particularly well and they are overcomplicating everything. All people want when they go out is good quality food and drinks that are value for money - most are not interested in all the fancy stuff and theatrics. The theatrics are costing you time and that time is costing you customers. My advice to you would be to walk before you run, keep things simple and focus on quality food & drinks over the theatrics. Bear in mind Aylesford is a small village - it's not London or Essex. All most of us want is a good quality establishment that is value for money where we can go for a nice meal or a couple of drinks. Those drinks do not need to be served in ridiculous glasses with smoke coming out of them - they just need to taste good and be ready in under 5 minutes. This place has the potential to be great. The reason I'm leaving this review is to give some feedback and point out a few areas for improvement. I will come back in a month or so and see if it's any better. If it is, I'll write a (hopefully) more positive review.

We popped down on Saturday night for a couple of drinks. We got there about 7:30ish and we were taken upstairs and given a table. We ordered one cocktail and one beer. The beer turned up in about 5 minutes, but we had to wait 25 minutes for the cocktail - same as the two tables next to us. And I must say, it was not worth the wait - it just tasted like blackcurrent juice. Couldn't taste the gin at all. For some reason, the cocktails and some other drinks need to be made downstairs and then brought up despite there being a bar upstairs (H&S hazard and an accident waiting to happen). Because all the cocktails are fancy and have dry ice, flames, smoke, and other theatrics, they take a long time to make - this is not feasible, especially when you have a busy restaurant full of people. I would always expect a cocktail to take longer than other drinks, but max 5 minutes. Given how long it took for the first cocktail, both us and one of the tables near ours left and went to one of the other local pubs. A table near us wanted to order some tapas, but they said it would be a minimum 35 minute wait. I don't know if this is a ploy to get people to buy more drinks whilst they wait, but tapas shouldn't take that long. Again, this is likely because they are trying to make everything a bit too fancy rather than offering simple dishes that can be served in a more timely manner. This also could have been because they are short staffed in the kitchen - we were told one of the chefs walked out mid shift a week ago (doesn't really bode well since he only worked there just over a week). However, the excuses for the delay was because they were really busy, but it really didn't look that busy to us. And if they couldn't cope with the additional walk-in customers then they should have just said they were full. Although, we were under the impression that part of the establishment is a bar, and I wouldn't expect to have to book to pop in and have a drink. The staff were doing their best, and I will give them the benefit of the doubt since they're all new and the place has only been open a few weeks, but you could see they were stressed and overwhelmed. I'm not sure what the new Hengist actually is. Is it a restaurant with a cocktail bar or is it a cocktail bar with a restaurant? They need to decide, as they currently aren't doing either particularly well and they are overcomplicating everything. All people want when they go out is good quality food and drinks that are value for money - most are not interested in all the fancy stuff and theatrics. The theatrics are costing you time and that time is costing you customers. My advice to you would be to walk before you run, keep things simple and focus on quality food & drinks over the theatrics. Bear in mind Aylesford is a small village - it's not London or Essex. All most of us want is a good quality establishment that is value for money where we can go for a nice meal or a couple of drinks. Those drinks do not need to be served in ridiculous glasses with smoke coming out of them - they just need to taste good and be ready in under 5 minutes. This place has the potential to be great. The reason I'm leaving this review is to give some feedback and point out a few areas for improvement. I will come back in a month or so and see if it's any better. If it is, I'll write a (hopefully) more positive review.

NO CROCKERY, OVERCOOKED AND STALE FOOD AND MISMANAGED STAFF. We were looking forward to the Father’s Day breakfast I’d booked but the whole experience from start to finish was diabolical. After waiting a while to order drinks, we were able to order a couple of coffees, which we were told there was a “little wait” for. This little wait turned into a big wait, so much so we had to ask for the coffees again once our food arrived. The waitress told us there was a “shortage of cups and saucers” which is why there was a delay in getting coffees out. How can you open a restaurant without having enough crockery? You’ve taken the bookings, so you know how many people you are catering for. Later this excuse turned into “the coffee machine is broken” which almost certainly was a cover-up for their lack of cups and saucers. When the flat white coffees came to the table, they were only half filled in the cup. Those that ordered the Hengist breakfast, which for £13 was rather disappointing, were left with eggs that were overdone, bread that was as hard as a rock and cold with no butter. It’s almost as if the bread was toasted at 7am and left on the side until it was needed later in the day. The sausages and bacon were overcooked, and nothing special, the kind you could get cheaply from your local chain Supermarket. If the chef can’t cook a breakfast right, how’s he going to cook a Sunday lunch? The waitresses struggled to find salt and pepper, and there was no mayonnaise. We asked for the bill so we could just get out and forget the whole experience. The waitress then came over and asked us what we had to eat and drink so she could give us the bill. When our bill came to us, it had several other drinks on it that were not ours, presumably from one of the other tables which had ordered drinks and left because it was taking too long to order their food. An honest mistake, or a sneaky way to not lose money on the drinks from the tables that walked out? The management at the Hengist and the standards and quality of the food need improving vastly to be charging the prices they are. The staff, although friendly, need someone who has experience to manage them as they were not keeping up with the workload, or, put more staff on over one of the busier weekends of the year to cope with this, although it wasn’t overly busy at 10am considering breakfast finishes at 11am. The lack of crockery is just inexcusable. Safe to say, I won’t be returning there any time soon, and word of mouth will be what sinks the restaurant. A shame because we had high hopes for this.

Was sat at a table with no menus, asked for menus and was only given food menu, no drinks menus. Waited 25 mins still nobody to take our drinks order (despite plenty of staff passing our table), before giving up and going to the bar to order. Still no sign of our drinks after another 15-20 minutes or any member of staff apologising for the delay. Really poor service and felt we was just ignored. So much so that we ended up leaving.

Father's Day Fiasco at The Hengist 😅☕🥚 Well, where do I start? Booked breakfast for Father's Day at The Hengist, and let's just say it was an experience to remember...for all the wrong reasons! 😂 Arrived with my 11-month-old, hoping for a high chair. Little did we know, high chairs at The Hengist are like rare Pokémon - you know they exist, but good luck finding one! 😜 We spotted an empty one nearby, but it took them half an hour to clean and hand it over. In the meantime, we waited and waited (and waited) for someone to take our drink order. When we finally received our tea and coffee, they were stone cold. The reason? Not enough cups! 🥶 And just when we thought it couldn't get worse, the coffee machine broke, so no more hot drinks for us. Then came the food. Oh boy. Stone cold and the poached eggs well they were hard-boiled enough to bounce! 🍳 The toast was a thick slab of granary bread, served without butter and more stale rather than toasted. I get that they’re newly opened and have some teething issues, but serving hot drinks and hot food shouldn't be rocket science. 🚀 We won't be rushing back anytime soon. 👋💔

Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Food isn't too great and over priced. Food was late and not that warm

Popped in to the Hengist for a quick beer and to go out and sit outside in the lovely garden & sun 🌞

So glad this has reopened with new ownership of Kieron. A lovely bar & restaurant in the heart of Aylesford village. Took my dad here for early Father’s Day lunch & cocktails. It didn’t disappoint. The food was delicious & the cocktails amazing. All the staff were friendly & welcoming - especially Jasmine. Will definitely be back to try some more of the menu & cocktails!

Well what an appalling start to the launch of your cocktail bar. Firstly you post an offer of 2 4 1 cocktails every Monday throughout June between the hours of 4 - 7 pm . Only to arrive with a birthday party of 6 people to find that you are closed. What an absolute disgrace after a relatively long drive to experience absolutey zilch . I'm quite sure your business with fail abysmally as you clearly have no idea how to market your establishment. A few fake flowers outside and not a sole inside .You took the opportunity of a press release in the KM and I shall be contacting them to to let them know what a waste of advertising space they gave to you as you really haven't delivered

Great food, and incredible cocktails!! The service was great, always being attentive and they have live music too! Definitely a great spot for food and drinks! They are even dog friendly downstairs 👍

Beautiful location comfortable seats amazing food and brilliant wild crazy cocktails. Staff are amazing and very friendly cant wait to visit again very soon. 😊😊

What a wonderful pub - we had a brief tapas lunch here on their soft launch. Food was delicious (particularly pork belly bites), beer was a wonderful temperature and all the bartenders/staff were so lovely and welcoming. Free parking all day in the town car park with a cut through to the pub too!

I visited the Hengist on its soft launch yesterday and all I can say is wow! The staff were lovely and cocktails were incredible. Already can see such a brilliant change in the place. The decor is like nothing in the area and just a fun place. I can’t wait to come back.

Lovely atmosphere, really nice staff, amazing drinks that are really unique and great flavours. Great service too, will definitely be a regular drinking location for me.

We were stuck where to go for Sunday lunch and managed to find a table at The Hengist. We have never been before so decided to give it a go. Overall it was lovely. We booked in at 2:30pm and on arrival we were promptly taken to our table. They had obviously had a busy service and had sold out of a few items however this wasn't a problem at all. The young lady that serviced us deserves a mentioned - her friendly 'can do' attitude was really nice. She was personable, chatty and happy, sadly I didn't get her name. We were given a wine list and a drinks list. The wine list was good. Not a huge selection but well balanced and intriguing with good categorisation for a local gastro. We had a lovely Gruner Veltliner. We order some bread which was made up of rye bread, beetroot bread and spinach. The starters were scallops and a terrine which were both sensational. The roast were incredible. We had chicken and pork! Wow large portions and family service veg ! Cracking place highly recommend even if it is a little expensive

Really lovely visit. Food was great - all three courses of the Boxing Day menu. Friendly service and relaxed ambience.

Birthday lunch was lovely, and staff were so professional with excellent customer service 😀

We visit most Christmas Eve’s for a treat but what a disappointment. They were only offering. The Sunday lunch menu in the evening with a roast being the main choice. You don’t really want a roast the night before Christmas Day. They had run out of scallops and lobster only leaving trout gnocchi and a burger as a choice. The pork bites starter was chewy like bits of overdone bacon and the cocktails were disgusting. The lights were also bright no ambience at all. Service was ok but mainly staff were gathered around the outdoor cloakroom chatting. Very poor we won’t be back next year