The Hengist in Tonbridge and Malling

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

Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Steak wasn't too great, overcooked potatoes and small dessert sizes.

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

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

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

Where to start, the food was simply incredible. Some of the best dishes you’ll eat outside of London. A truly hidden gem

We had a table of 6, all orders prebooked, for the Christmas menu. 2 of us had the ‘Brie’ balls, which where just hollow balls with the tiniest dot of Brie inside you couldn’t taste at all. The main course roast dinners were average to say the least, small portions and overcooked Yorkshires. When they brought me out a mini roll sold as Yule log I couldn’t believe it! The gaps between courses was exceptionally long, despite us pre ordering and the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy. This has always been known as an upper end restaurant for a special meal but this meal was disappointing. We could’ve had 2 meals of a better standard at any number of restaurants for the same price as we paid for one meal here. Definitely would not recommend! Save your money and get a nice meal somewhere else.

Very busy when we went. Food OK. Waited a long time but staff were very fair and apologetic. I'm sure this could be five star when not so busy.

Staff were very helpful and friendly and the food very nice . Glad I didn't have a starter because the main course and dessert filled me to the brim. Thank you. Xx

Thought I would treat my mum for a pre Christmas treat as she has not been well recently and booked afternoon tea, we went in April and it was beautiful, but today it was so disappointing, the food was tasteless, dry and over cooked, so not very pleasant at all. The ambience and staff was very good which was lovely but I will not be returning again, unfortunately I have already bought a voucher for my son and his girlfriend to have afternoon tea, so hope it’s better for them.

Went for afternoon tea with my wife. Atmosphere and staff absolutely spot on. Food slightly disappointing for such a quality restaurant. The scones were overcooked and the sandwiches could have been more exciting, cakes very good with a large selection. Overall we both really enjoyed our visit

Excellent restaurant. Very friendly staff and really good food. I went there for my birthday and had a brilliant time.

We had a disappointing experience at the Hengist tonight. Despite a birthday celebration, we were seated next to a loud table, and despite requesting a change, no alternative was provided. The food, while tasty, arrived cold, leading us to send the main course back for reheating, resulting in overcooked dishes. Challenging the service charge revealed a suboptimal response. To make matters worse, we endured explicit and inappropriate conversations from a neighboring table, and when brought to the waitress's attention, her apology fell short. Despite the restaurant's reputation, it seems they prioritise profit over a pleasant dining experience, especially during busy seasons. It's regrettable that what was once a delightful spot now appears to have sacrificed its standards for the sake of December's high demand and pricey cocktails.

Great place, great service and amazing food

I find it amusing how true reviews that have low star rating are quickly pushed down the list by 5 star reviews that some of them are fake.

Birthday lunch with friends today but Very disappointed with the food, we had to send 3 Lamb dishes back as they were lukewarm.. they were duly recooked but one of our friends had to eat his Noodle dish on his own! They had no Chardonnay wine listed at all, no Rose Prosecco and no Red Port ( of which our friend is partially to!) The staff were lovely, very efficient. Would we return? Possibly in the future ……

I have visited twice in the last couple of months. Once for afternoon tea and once for tapas. The afternoon tea setting was lovely and the service was great, but the food was pretty awful. It looked as though it had just been thrown together, not sure if they were going for a rustic look! Taste wise, it was all very cold, pre prepared and out the fridge. Tapas night was a let down, we were served undercooked chicken which is the last thing you want when you’re 8 months pregnant. I pointed out this to the waitress and she didn’t seem too bothered, she said she’d let the chef know. The chicken was taken off the bill at the manager’s discretion.

Our Spanish night was perfect. There were 16 ladies to be looked after .Food was amazing

Absolutely lovely place for a romantic date. Caters for groups of people too.

Visited for an Afternoon Tea on a voucher gift from a relative. Admittedly we arrived early but waited 15 minutes before being asked if we wanted tea! Afternoon Tea arrived without any explanation of what was on the selection!! Sandwiches not exactly fresh bread, cakes were hard and scones were mediocre! Had superior Afternoon Tea in many places - so will not be returning or recommending! B Was looking forward to a visit here but won’t be returning

Afternoon Tea Nice ambiance, Sandwiches, cheese scone and prosecco good, but the chef can't make cakes so disappointing. Cake is kind of the point of afternoon tea so they really need to sort this out. Dry boring flavours. I would have given 2 stars for the food only gave the extra star because it's a nice cosy place.

Afternoon tea what a lovely place food was great and staff were lovely

All mostly fab, but the coucous was unexpectedly wet and slimy. Served with my Ratatouille

This is one of Kent's leading fine dining restaurants. The food was exquisite, and the service was excellent. A truly professional team. Well done, The Hengist.

Fine dining at it's best. Thoroughly enjoyed the food and the drinks. Would highly recommend this place.

Service was very slow and no apology given. restaurant was not busy . When we told the waiter he just said totally agree with you . Meal was very nice except the undercooked brussels but I feel it was overpriced

Excellent food and atmosphere 👌

Good food and drink. Some good deals available on different nights. We had a buy-a-gift voucher for a 3 course meal for two. The voucher covers starters up to £9 and mains up to £23 and I am not sure about dessert but around £8. If you choose something more expensive just pay the extra, oh and it covers your first drink each. I would recommend it as a night out. Only gripe is the bathroom and gardens need some TLC. P.S. pork belly bites with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds was awesome 😋

Waiting staff very polite and helpful

Food was excellent and would have been 5 stars but the service was terrible. We had to wait over 10 minutes to be given a drinks menu, and the place wasn't event busy. The staff were inattentive and slow. No beers on tap as no one knew how to change a barrel, was also a big shame. We will come back to try again and hope the service is better! Surprising the place was half empty on a Friday night!

My family hasn’t visited The Hengist for a couple of years and was a little apprehensive in booking a table after reading the reviews. But- we thought we would give it another go. Our table was booked for 6pm, there were a couple of other diners already eating, the atmosphere was pleasant. Our drinks order was taken and these arrived in good time. Cocktails were lovely. We ordered a sharing board of bread, this was delicious. Main course, burgers for the ‘kids’ and husband and I had the lamb with an extra portion of chilli green beans. The food was very good, service was good. Staff all pleasant and professional. Desserts ordered were the brownies, mango sorbet and a vanilla ice cream. All what you would expect. I think if you haven’t visited this restaurant for a while- give it another try. Whilst it’s not a Michelin starred restaurant anymore, it was still a lovely place to get dressed up and enjoy a relaxing evening out.

Went to a private party at The Hengist. It was such a lovely place. The staff were friendly and professional. The food was amazing!

I bought a groupon voucher and booked lunch for 4 for my birthday on 07.10.23. The table was booked for12.30. Staff were friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious. I could not fault it. Would recommend it. Can't wait to go back. I went with my husband, my son, and my best friend. We all enjoyed the food.

Food was delicious (for the most part, one starter out of the 10 on our table was overdone and barely edible but they more than made up for that with the mains and puddings). Portion sizes were generous, service very good.

We visited for the Prosecco afternoon tea, which was very enjoyable! Tasty food & friendly staff. Highly recommend!!!

Had an afternoon tea ,to celebrate a 75th birthday. Food was excellent, and plenty of it . The negative was that we had to wait 1/2 hour for the food to come out, especially as 1 guest had to leave to go to work. Plenty of tea shame the first lot was cold. Service was excellent especially as they were busy . Will be back as this a favourite place for Afternoon Tea.

Oh dear, oh dear. Group of 8 for a 40th anniversary meal. We struggled to arrange a date when 4 couples were all available. First time in the Hengist for 6 of us and having received A good comment from a friend it seemed to be the place to go. Groupon vouchers for a 3 course meal were purchased. I'm beginning to wonder if Groupon is being used by venues as a way to bolster ailing business but that is another discussion entirely. 3 small tables pushed together, one side being a bench seat, 3 armchairs the other side and one at each end. 3 armchairs being wider than 3 tables meant the 2 at the ends were close to the end of the table and hence close to the person sitting at the end. The armchairs are a bit low for the tables and too deep to sit comfortably whilst eating meaning one has to perch on the front. Our drinks order was delivered and the only bitter (London Pride) available was off and sent back. We could see it being sampled by a member of staff and a couple of minutes later we were asked if we would like a replacement as the barrel had been changed, we both left more than half of our drink, I suspect they didn't flush the system through. All 8 starters were reported as delicious. 3 of us ordered an oriental chicken dish, basically a big chunk of dry chewy chicken with an extremely salty sauce drizzled over it and some noodles/spaghetti in a sauce served up in what I'd call a vegetable tureen. I'm sure this is the height of fashion but remember I'm perched on the front of a fairly low armchair and it felt like I was reaching up and over the bowl, they did find a plate for me. After the second bite of the chicken I started cutting the outside off get rid of the salt and then struggling to chew the inside put it to one side and cleared the noodles. 2 others in our party started complaining about the salt and we rejected the dish. 2 elected to forgo a replacement the 3rd chose a haddock dish, he described it as "Kept hot for an hour" and ate about half. 2 of our party ordered the steak (for an additional £7 on the Groupon deal), one very generously described it as only a quarter fat. 1 of the 3 listed desserts was not available and replaced with Eaton mess, 7 of the party chose that, I chose the cheeseboard (for an additional £4 on the Groupon deal) as I was at that point hungry ... Silly me, I didn't think to read the description of a cheeseboard, the 'Home made beetroot butter' being ground beetroot in something to give it the consistency of gritty salad cream and variously described by those who tried it but none were complimentary, 'Lemon Cruton' being slices of rock hard slices of French bread and those who sampled them used similar uncomplimentary descriptions. Having only eaten the Herring starter (delicious) a little noodles and the cheese, grapes and roasted almonds and less than half a pint of beer I left feeling it was a waste of money Oh and check the bill, things like charging more for the drinks than shown in the wine list. During the course of our meal we saw 2 more pints of London Pride being sent back and they were after the barrel change and another of the vegetable tureens so I assume the chicken dish.

Such a shame, a great venue, pleasant staff, but the food really lets this place down, I’ve tried now at least four times and really want to leave this place a good review, but the food really lets it down a prawn starter Absolutely shocking for a restaurant of the standard cheap frozen prawns, no flavour and a French stick overcooked steak, everything underseasoned as usual the chefs have no idea what they’re doing I will not be returning a real shame.

Visited here 1st Oct 23 for lunch based on a friends recommendation. Oh my word !! What a hidden gem this place is. Staff were very attentive, swift and polite. Food was fantastic, plenty of it and cooked well. (Chef please note roast potatoes were a bit dry inside for future reference), plenty of choice and lovely cocktails. We will definitely be coming back for sure for your French night on a Thursday. Keep up the good work - this is definitely worth a visit if you haven’t been yet !!!

We came here for the first time using a voucher a family member had kindly given us and I have to say I’m gutted that we didn’t know about this restaurant before!! It was a fantastic 3 course meal, we could not fault a single dish! The food was absolutely incredible and the service was too. Our waiter was extremely friendly and we both felt very welcomed from the moment we stepped in the restaurant. We will definitely be back here and have recommended it to our family and friends.

A fabulous afternoon cream tea with our grandson age 9. The food sweet and savoury was everything and more, eg, savoury scones had stilton melted on the top, the chocolate orange torte delicious, Our grandson said 'it's heaven' when he saw it all. They made him a fruit punch and frappiccino, the waitress called him sir, made him feel special and grown up. Thank you.

After reading some negative reviews on TA we were somewhat concerned that we had booked here for my wife’s birthday. We needed not to worry. We received a cheery greeting, the restaurant was quite busy on a Thursday evening and had a nice atmosphere. The service was attentive, and food was great. All 3 courses were tasty and hot. The seafood pasta was delicious. Overall, a lovely evening and we will definitely return

Great attentive service, food was very good. But it is a bit of an echo chamber and it feels like you have to converse in low whispers. No background music to dilute either. Felt like being in a library

Lovely roast dinner , good choice of meats. Good selection of starters and desserts. The house white wine was good quality too

Went to the Hengist with the family and we had a fantastic meal. The food was perfectly cooked and presented and the service was excellent. The ambience in the restaurant was great and the noise levels were low, 👍

Brilliant Sunday lunch Definitely recommend Brilliant food and brilliant service

pleasant surroundings, easy access. Exceptionally comfortable chairs. Good atmosphere, excellent food, good service, not cheap but good value. LP

The food was disappointing and not the high quality standard it used to be. We all ordered Sticky toffee pudding and the cake was dry with a small dollop of ice cream and hardly any sticky toffee. We ended up paying £50 each between the 6 of us for food that not great and very disappointing indeed.

Very impressive, great happy and helpfull staff!

Dined in here twice in one month, for friends birthday parties. Both times dining in here were very disappointing with food not up to the standard it used to be, paying £50 per head. The youngsters who were serving us did not know what they were doing and we had to order again with a senior waitress coz some how our 1st order was lost. We expect great food and service regardless of the high price we payed. Won't be coming back here again.

Genuinely awful. Place was loud, music and full of kids running about the latter granted not being the restaurant's fault. Waited 45 minutes for a main which was one of the worst meals I've ever had. Clearly rushed, lamb well undercooked and i like my lamb rare and fatty as hell. I know lamb is fatty by default but pretty much all of it was fat. Best part of £150 for 4 mains, no starters, no dessert and no alcohol for any of us. They did apologise for the noise and the long wait but could clearly see we weren't impressed. No attempt to take anything of the bill. Hugely unimpressed. Do not go here under any circumstances.

Fab afternoon tea and great service

Nice main meal ( word of warning pork belly doesn't have hardly any meat, mainly fat). Pudding very nice, garden looked dated.

The girls running the restaurant are exemplary well done

A bit pricey, for what they served.

We are regulars every two weeks but what's going on two weeks ago lovely meal but what a wait table booked for 7pm main course arrived 8.30pm an hour and a half wait the bottle of wine you get with meal all gone so you couldn't enjoy your meal with wine and then tonight ordered starters but main course arrived first what's going on hengist think we need a break from you

We had booked for a 3pm tea. We arrived at 3pm and we're not served food until 3.35 despite having already given our order. One group arrived 5 mins after us and were served 15 mins before us. The food was nice but I wouldn't go there again.

Lovely meal. Steak night so had fillet steak for 2 with wine. Very good value and food of an excellent standard. Service was efficient and all servers polite and courteous. Couldn’t fault it.

Been to HENGIST 6 times, and will continue to travel to go back here. Have used for special events with friends and family. It’s just a lovely ambiance and great food. Have also had the afternoon tea and the gorgeous steak. Beautiful setting with plenty of parking to the rear.

Went there on a Friday night and there were only a few people there! Food was ok service was alright just nothing special which you might expect for the price.

We booked a table for 4 for my son’s 40th birthday. 9th August 2023 Evening. Arrived 18:45. Service slow from the start. We had starters, but 2 hours onward we had to ask where was our mains. We received an apology from the Manager and explanations difficult to accept including a late surprise large late booking downstairs. But a promise our food was nearly ready. At 2.5 hours our main meals arrived. Two x 2 dishes of Duck and Lamb. Both stringy and undercooked rushed it seemed. Vegetables sad and overcooked. We were the first to arrive for the evening. Last to leave at 10:45. Our ordeal lasting 4 hours. Memorable occasions for all the wrong reasons.

Food is great but the service was not what you would hope for in a restaurant like this. Firstly you're waiting at the entrance before anyone notices you're they're and finally seats you, we then waited 20 minutes to place our order, we were served warm water, when ordering an expensive bottle of red wine I was given dirty glasses, which were then replaced with white wine glasses, which were then replaced with cheap but clean red wine glasses. Our main course then arrived cold and was taken away but our sides were left behind to be enjoyed on their own while we waited for a hot meal. Had a similar experience here a couple of years ago, so it's sadly not a fluke. But as I said - food is great, so if I was in a patient mood I would revisit.

We booked a table for 4 for my son’s 40th birthday. 9th August 2023 Evening. Arrived 18:45. Service slow from the start. We had starters, but 2 hours onward we had to ask where was our mains. We received an apology from the Manager and explanations difficult to accept including a late surprise large late booking downstairs. But a promise our food was nearly ready. At 2.5 hours our main meals arrived. Two x 2 dishes of Duck and Lamb. Both stringy and undercooked rushed it seemed. Vegetables sad and overcooked. We were the first to arrive for the evening. Last to leave at 10:45. Our ordeal lasting 4 hours. Memorable occasions for all the wrong reasons.

You cant blame the service staff for being slow and rude when the owner doesn't pay his staff. One waitress confessed it was her last shift there because she was owed 6 weeks pay - the directors shouldn't be allowed to trade.

Food was lovely but prices far too high. Very helpful staff but service charge of 10 percent put on bill. A very enjoyable lunch but no parking at all. The set menu lunch was nice but the a la carte menu very dear in price...

Beautiful setting and friendly staff made us feel at home straight away . We had been for afternoon tea in December which was brilliant but, this time decided to try lunch with friends. The food was delicious and beautiful presented . All in all we...

Lovely afternoon tea and best savoury warm cheese scones, the chocolate torte was delicious also! The down fall was having to wipe out seats from crumbs and eating next to a window seal that was collecting flies and dust and our water never arrived. Ladies...

This place used to be amazing! It was one of our favourite date nights to go to once a month. Having been back a few times this year im sad to say its going to be our last! It always used to feel special and...

Nice ambience, the afternoon tea was delicious.

Was very slow at letting us place our order and waiting for food so from arrival Food took 1 hour 55 min for a Sunday roast. When it did it was delicious.

First time I’d visited, we sat out in the garden. The food & drinks were brilliant, the staff were super friendly. It was unfortunate we had a really long waiting time for our food, it seemed a little short staffed. Overall I would definitely go again as the food was really nice.

Had our wedding reception here staff were amazing helpful in every way lovely food lovely atmosphere just a lovely place Just made our day perfect

Spent a lovely afternoon at Hengistthis afternoon. Service was excellent but outdone by the food. Sugar glazed goats cheese is probably the tastiest starter I've ever had and there was nothing but praise for all the dishes had by six of us today. Well done...

Sadly it took 40/45 minutes to receive our food and when we did all meals were cold, not even warm. 2 of us had the chocolate brownie for dessert and it wasn't a brownie, it was a dry, crumbly mess. After wanting to take our Dad / Husband somewhere special for his 80th were have been sorely disappointed and let down and won't be returning and certainly would not recommend it to anyone

We visited this establishment for my wife’s birthday after being recommended by family . There is no parking near this place that we could find so had to walk a distance back to it. On our arrival the staff had trouble reading the QR code...

Spent a lovely afternoon at Hengistthis afternoon. Service was excellent but outdone by the food. Sugar glazed goats cheese is probably the tastiest starter I've ever had and there was nothing but praise for all the dishes had by six of us today. Well done chef

Food is outstanding. Staff too.

This restaurant is full of itself more style than substance and when you make a complaint all they say is i will tell the chef .we wont be going again

Had a wowcher deal, the stagg were friendly and was a lovely atmosphere

We visited The Hengist after being let down last minute by another restaurant. They kindly fit us in on a Saturday night within 30 minutes of calling. The service, food and cocktails are all faultless. We were advised the scallops were the only thing unavailable...

The food was amazing! I had seafood pasta, which had lobster bisque as the sauce.

Went for afternoon tea. Which was nice. Lots there but scones were a little crispy think they had re baked them. Lots of choice and enjoyed it had to take some home in box as too much for me

So disappointed with the change of this place recently! My partner and I were pretty regular having visited both throughout the week and on weekends, bringing friends here for dinner and recommending the restaurant. This was our go to place, however, we will not be returning after our last visit. Our past two visits were not to the usual standard, and the last visit we were saddened by the lack of service received. We visited The Hengist on father's Day and the Sunday prior. The Sunday prior my partner and I had the sharing roast. Whilst we both like our lamb pink, the way the lamb was presented this time was not to the usual standard. It was VERY pink, to the point my partner didn't eat it. He stuck to the white meat. I attempted to eat it, and in doing so had to ask for a steak knife to try and cut it due to how chewy it was. I eventually gave up and we took the rest home for the dog. We did not complain, and assumed that this was a one-off incident and put it down to a fluke as none of our other meals had been like this. Father's day however, we lost our hope that this was the case. We had booked a father's day meal for my partner and the three of us turned up ready to enjoy! What a shock we were in for. We enjoyed the starters on the set Father's day menu, but the evening took a turn when the mains came out. We had ordered three roast dinners, one beef, one lamb and one turkey. The beef was fine, the lamb looked completely raw and the turkey wasn't fully cooked either! We called a member of staff over and informed her of this and she offered to get me some lamb that was 'more cooked' and offered my partner another turkey dinner, which he opted to change to beef. I also asked if there had been a change in chef recently and I mentioned our previous Sundays experience. She assured us there had been no change. There was no apology made, no shock at the fact they had just served uncooked poultry, and it seemed like a complete lack of caring to the whole situation. Whilst I waited for the lamb to arrive, another member of staff passed and put a side plate on the table without saying anything and walked off. We assumed this was for the raw meat on my plate and I transferred it over. She came back and asked if we were done and then took the meat away. Again, no apology. The thing that makes this more upsetting is that both of these members of staff were in plain clothes, indicating they were management. My partner's replacement meal arrived as did my lamb, however, one piece was exactly the same as the previous lot, blood as well. I didn't eat much of my remaining meal, just the vegetables and my partner didn't finish his either. The two of us opted out of dessert, we felt deflated by the evening's events, however my partner's son enjoyed his crumble. Whilst he was eating this, the first person who served us came over and advised that she had taken the lamb off the bill and flippantly remarked that she was 'sorry about that' with regards to the lamb issue. We had started the evening already discussing that we still needed to return on a Wednesday evening to try another of their sharing boards, only to end the evening decided we would not be returning at all. Hengist, take note, this is the way to loose loyal customers. Sincere apologise go a long way!

We were looked after well and anything that we needed was sorted out with politeness and professionalism. The food was beautifully plated and served well. If you want a lovely place with attentive staff and a great chef- it's all here.

Used for a corporate event. Very professional service and amazing food. Great feedback from the delegates, thank you.

So disappointed with the change of this place recently! My partner and I were pretty regular having visited both throughout the week and on weekends, bringing friends here for dinner and recommending the restaurant. This was out go to place, however, we will not be...

A beautiful venue, but sadly ruined Father's Day with my Dad. I had pre booked the table, for 2.30pm yesterday. We arrived around ten minutes early but were attentively shown to our table and offered drinks in the beautifully kept sheltered patio to the rear. We had the two course Father's Day menu, he had pork, I had oysters. the pork went down well, but I'm sorry to say the oysters were mis sold. I asked the waiting staff how they were served - I was informed; on ice with spinach and parmesan garnish to the side. As I prefer Oysters chilled, this was music to my ears. Unfortunately, they were not served on ice, at room temperature and smothered in parmesan. After waiting until 4pm for our mains, my father was very happy with his fillet steak burger, although the meat was perfectly cooked and tender, I had to stick my finger in my mouth to hook out, as I started to choke, what, to my horror was length of plastic, I can only guess was some sort of wrapping or film from the kitchen. A young lady who appeared to be part of the management came out and apologised and offer me an alcoholic drink FOC. I couldn't accept, as I was driving, but asked if my father could have it instead. The icing on the cake; shortly before we left - A rat, moving at haste, from the building side of the garden, to the small stream running alongside the garden. A complimentary drink, being charged for contaminated food and and the cheek to leave the service charge on the bill, will not have me returning unfortunately.

Wanted to give my dad a great Father’s day meal and my experience at The Hengist completely hampered our day. Our booking was at 1pm and first of all our starters were not taken down or ticketed properly meaning that one of our family members was waiting a good 20 mins for another meal to be cooked whilst everyone else ate. After our starters were taken away we proceeded to wait for AN HOUR AND A HALF for our mains. I had noticed that people who have arrived after us had already received their mains and were being served the dessert menu. I tried to flag down staff but it was insanely difficult to get anyone’s attention - no one was standing around our table or looking in our direction. I had to walk up to the waitress and ask her why we have been waiting so long for our food. She told me it would be 10 mins - which would be a number of times they would fib when questioned on our time. After 15 mins went by I asked the same waitress what is taking so long and why were other people who arrived later getting served before us? She had no clue though said that the staff and kitchen were aware of the delay. I asked to see her manager for some answers and she couldn’t provide me with any reason as to why we were waiting nearly 2 hours. She said that the meal would take another 10 mins. After around 20 mins the meal came out with the vegetarian meal arriving 20 mins after everyone else’s. I was extremely disappointed by the lack of answers and the fact that the staff knew our order was being held up and REFUSED to tell us prior that we may be waiting a while. It was thanks to one lovely waitress who explained that an issue with their system sent our order to the very bottom. Regardless the kitchen and staff knew we were waiting and prioritised newer meals. They decided that the meal would be on the house but regardless their service ruined what was supposed to be a special day out for my dad. This is also the second time The Hengist have been EXTREMELY slow with handing out food - with my mother and step father going for a meal at 7pm and not getting their mains till 10pm! Needless to say, though the area is lovely, food is nice and the staff friendly - the service is poor and I will never be coming back to this place ever again!

Great ambience and feel… cannot complain at all about the service… however… the food was not great and two hours after I was very poorly. Avoid the seafood platter

Last week, we went to the Wednesday Steak Night event and were pleased with the pleasant decor and great service. However, we were a bit disappointed with the food quality. Although the presentation was impressive, the bread was stale, and the chips, calamari, and lasagna were too greasy and not fresh. We understand that many businesses are facing challenges, and we appreciate the effort put forth by the establishment. Nevertheless, we were hoping for a more exceptional culinary experience.

The best Sunday roast I've ever had. Chose turkey, it was super succulent and delicious and came with the most perfectly cooked and beautifully seasoned green vegetables. Lovely!

First time there was great thanks

Lovely meal food very fresh and tasty. After reading some bad reviews was a bit worried to eat there but everything was perfect

The food was fantastic. Trying to find fault but really couldn't. The waiting staff were attentive but not "in your face". Very pleasant evening. Thank you.

Fantastic meal, great staff and lovely abeyance. Staff made our anniversary very special, thank you.

One of the Best Sunday Lunches. Searched for best roasts in Kent and stumbled on this place and decided to take a punt on it. My wife wanted to try some where nice for Sunday lunch. So pleased we did. Staff were lovely. Decor is...

We went for a meal there. they were rude and stuck up. I made a complaint about how long we waited for dessert. They rang me up and said your mistaken we checked our cctv!! Utter crap they lied we ordered dessert at 9.15 we...

Very disappointed with the food, was for a afternoon tea, sandwiches were very nice the cakes were very uninspiring not tempting, had to send scones back twice as they were uncooked in the centre, staff did not seem to care. Would not return

We would highly recommend the Hengist. Its a gem of a restaurant with high class and exquisitely presented food at reasonable prices. We had some allergy issues and the chef and his team found some very creative and delicious alternatives and they did this with a dedication which hasn't been our experience in other places. A very friendly and warm staff team and we would recommend outdoor seating if its a warm day.

My husband and I went for lunch as a treat. We've eaten there several times before and the food has always been of excellent quality and flavour. How different this experience was. We sat upstairs which really doesn't have the same atmosphere as the cosy...