The Hidden Well in Tunbridge Wells

Excellent time here, food was fantastic and the staff were very friendly, will definitely be coming back here again! Duck bao buns and the squid were especially nice, thanks again!

I have to say the owners are possibly getting complacent for being so highly rated by local guests. My previously couple of dine-in experience were like: fairly good food served in small portions; a hidden-gem for RTW. So we ordered takeaway but really disappointed this time. The spring rolls tasted no better than those frozen ones from supermarket; the pan-fried kimchi chicken dumplings tasted blend and were burnt. Not to mention that my favourite cumin lamb skewers are still my favourite but came in smaller portion…. There is currently a lot of room to improve to maintain 4.9/5.

I visited with family earlier this month (first time) - food and service were both exceptional. I love the setting, and the fact there aren't that many tables - the place has a really nice, relaxing and cosy vibe about it. I returned with my partner for lunch today and the food was just as amazing. I tried something different and was not disappointed. Definately my favourite restaurant that I've found in TW so far. Highly recommend for authentic, casual, and tasty Asian food! Thank you :)

Lovely restaurant, amazing food and friendly staff, one of the best small restaurants I have been to in the area

Booked a table and even though we had they tried to seat us infront of the door which was really disappointing especially on a cold evening. Definitely should have reservations on betted tables! Food was tasty and service good however a few items were missing from the menu.

Updated below First time This place is great The food and service was amazing Very friendly staff Would highly recommend We will be returning very soon This is the second time for food And I must say Ive changed my rating as the food was not as good the satay chicken skewer etc was a lot smaller and not as nice like the not nice bits of chicken it was a totally different experience this time and when down stairs it seems you are just left also we had a different seat on the bench and it’s it’s not the right height as the tables are set up for the chairs the bench is too high so leaning down all the time The bao buns had half the size food as in my last picture the noodles we had this time are more like a pack of super noodles

Small, quaint little restaurant. My wife and I went for lunch. The food was very nice, my katsu was tasty, a little small, but I'm not a big eater so didn't mind. Friendly staff, and very relaxed atmosphere

I had my birthday meal here and the food was soo yummy, so much flavour and perfectly balanced. My partner and I had both vegetable dumpling and chicken dumplings both were amazing. We also shared the spicy Sichuan chicken salad which had loads of flavour and the heat was not over powering. The surprise of the meal was the messy tofu, soo crispy but with a soft almost egg texture inside, I could quite easily go back there again today. We had a bit of everything and it was easily affordable for us both, the food was soo good I forgot to take photos. Ahh well I will have to go back again then :).

Excellent Pan Asian and Chinese food. Service was super great. Friendly to the max. We ordered way too much food. Was also so lovely to learn about Katherine’s heritage and speak a little Cantonese. A joyful lunch.

For what we got, we felt it a bit expensive. The seating downstairs was a bit squashed and uncomfortable. The starters were really great which included a won ton soup. We then had a noodle dish and katsu which was lacking flavour and quite small. Had high hopes but probably won’t come again.

Easily the best restaurant in Tunbridge Wells. Friendly Staff, top notch Asian food and service. No complaints. I will defintelly keep returning for their Boa Buns and Beef Brisket Noodles. 😋

Such a little gem to find! Despite us having confused the date we booked we were warmly accommodated by the team, even though it was a very busy evening! The food was delicious and the hosts were so welcoming. We will definitely be coming back!

What a great restaurant. Delicious home cooked food served with authentic detail and a smile, thanks so much for a great meal we will definitely be back every dish was amazing and delicious 🤤😋

Before we left we had booked our next dinner there! The food was absolutely fantastic, the service was great and the atmosphere was welcoming, friendly and warm. It was really good value for a special dinner too. The fact that there are just 2 sittings means that there aren't people coming and going all night, which can be distracting and draughty with the door opening and closing. All in all it was a wonderful evening for a group of friends.

Incredible food. Bao buns were a highlight but everything was great. Going to become a regular spot for us.

Great venue, great food and wonderfully quirky

Great food and service. Shame we were downstairs in the cellar area.

I've been here twice and twice I've loved it... food was delicious both times and the service superb snd friendly. The venue is small upstairs, but cozy. I would recommend this place without reservations!

A true hidden gem. Fab service, delicious food, great ambience. 10/10, excited to revisit and explore the rest of the menu.

Great place. Best Katsu chicken I've ever had, good personable service and well priced. 👌

Absolutely amazing food - in or out! I’ve had restaurant meals in there, and also some collections. Lovely staff even if you’re just ordering out. The bau buns are all amazing, I can’t list all the dishes we have had over the last couple of months …. All superb!! Keep it up!

This place is certainly aptly named, I passed it many times and never noticed it. However, my partner has and she took me there for dinner. One point to note is the note at the bottom of the menu about when the food is cooked. You may think you're ordering starters and then mains but they may not arrive at your table in the order you expect. For me, that simply adds to the charm of this place. The food itself is mainly Korean and they're are intriguing flavours, the Messy Tofu was definitely surprising going from salt to sweet and back to salty in the same mouthful. Do yourself a favour and pay this place a visit.

The food was AMAZING I love it, went a few times and every time I enjoyed it as well as my family and I had the katsu sauce and the boiled rice as well as popcorn chicken.

Delicious Chinese food. Lady owner is lovely and chatted to us. Will visit again!

Really great little restaurant. Food was fantastic, I had salt and pepper squid, dan dan noodles and a chocolate ice cream filled bao bun and loved all dishes.

Overrated, was expecting something special after reading the reviews but was very disappointed. Food was very bland.

Absolutely delicious food in a cosy atmosphere. My only problem was trying to decide what to eat from the mouth watering menu. It just means I will have to return soon to try something different. Lovely dumplings, tasty noodles & all round great experience. Friendly staff too. Highly recommended.

A tucked away delight. Mouthwatering food, great service. Need to book in advance as popular.

We had friends rave about their fried rice with prawns. We recently visted and were told the dish is no longer on the menu.

The hidden well, what a hidden treat. Im from a hour drive away, I came to visit a friend who recommended this place. The lady was so kind and polite the food was outstanding, not one complaint, everything was superb. I will definitely be recommending and returning. Fantastic. @whatwehavingnow - on instagram for our full review & more vids/pics. (Like, comment, follow)

We loved The Hidden Well, it's a lovely, intimate (ok, small) informal setting. The food is amazing and the GF selection was very welcome. The service was attentive without being intrusive. Excellent!

Soooo good. Everything I’ve tried has been amazing, (highly recommend the beef salad and pork wontons in the picture). Food is fresh and high quality. This place is a must if you are in the area!

Brilliant pan-Asian food - the spicy wontons, mixed roast pork, and jaja pork noodles are all highly recommended. Noodles made from scratch, and great service from the family who own and run the place.

Gorgeous food and wonderful service!

Amazing food, very friendly service, lovely atmosphere. Would 100% recommend this.

As usual! Amazing service- super fast and friendly! Food is 10/10 every time we come! Hard to get a table for a while as this place is pretty popular but with their new online booking system it’s easy to book ahead now! We come back time and time again and this place never disappoints!

Always delighted when we eat here. I dream of their wonton soup

Very enjoyable! A must go place for gourmet families! Absolutely brilliant!

Hidden Well, more like Hidden Gem! Heart, soul and absolutely delicious. Exaggeration is not necessary for this wonderful surprise. We shall eat there again and we shall be smug and we'll fed....again. I suggest the Cumin Lamb. Its beyond expectations. Thank you Hidden Well.

Lovely service, gave great advice and recommendations on the food. Really appreciated that she altered the veggie Katsu to be tofu because we were having a sweet potato starter - a lovely touch to make sure the food was well enjoyed. Will 100% be recommending and coming back!

Went here this evening and had an absolutely lovely time. The inside is really cute and atmospheric and the food was spectacular! Loads of delicious options and the portion sizes were perfect! Had both the chicken and vegan katsu curries as well as the lemongrass bbq pork and some bao buns and everything was fantastic! The owners were also super lovely. Highly recommend!

All of the food was absolutely incredible!! Nothing else as good as this in twells.

I've been desperate to try this place for a while now. Popped in on my own today. Really warm welcome, lovely staff, really tasty food. I had the halloumi fried rice which I did wonder about, it was amazing. With the steamed veg (so fresh) amd vegetable dumplings. An amazing lunch.

Lovely evening catching up with good friends. This place is super. Gorgeous food, friendly service and relatively reasonable. Highly recommended. It's small so you need to book. The cheesecake is really yummy.

Delicious food, relaxed atmosphere, relaxed service 10/10 would recommend !!!

Best Asian food I’ve had for ages! Beats anywhere in London. Delicious, friendly staff, efficient service and great ambience. Will be back!

Fantastic food and service, well worth a visit

Enjoyed another absolutely delicious meal, honestly can never fault this lovely little restaurant, it is consistently always superb. They work so hard and the menu keeps growing ever so slightly with more excellent dishes.

fantastic little place, lovely hostess and great food all round ! Highly recommended but book as its small inside !

This place is a little gem. The food is delicious, try the braised beef shin with noodles, or the Ja Ja Udon noodles or anything on the menu. The chef is fantastic as is his wife at front of house. Her customer service has rarely been bettered for me, and i eat in a lot of places! The Hidden Well is a hidden gem.

I highly recommend this cosy spot for its authentic, delicious and fresh food, and friendly service!

Had a an amazing meal here last night. It was a small early evening family get together before Christmas with six adults and one (rather boisterous) toddler. The restaurant is tiny (atmospheric) and space is modest but sufficient. There is a basement area which we didn’t see but by the sounds of it the guests there were having a great time. (Which is not to say it was loud - just a convivial background hum!) The staff are fantastic - very attentive, knowledgeable and helpful. They found a carefully cleaned toy to amuse our rather boisterous youngster and were keen to help us make good food choices by describing the unfamiliar menu options. But the food! The food was absolutely stunning , amazing, superb. Not huge portions but the cooking and presentation were superlative. I simply cannot speak highly enough of just how much of a revelation their food was about the possibilities of pan Asian fusion food. The cumin lamb skewers were probably the best restaurant food I have ever had in over 60 years of eating out. This restaurant is definitely one you just have to try.

Great lunch, everything homemade and delicious. Will be back great value!

Good food. Great service. Pleasant atmosphere.

Really lovely food. So many brilliant dishes. Pick of the menu has to be the bao buns, so light, fluffy and tasty. Also amazing pandan cake.

Wonderful hidden gem. Fresh, authentic and incredibly tasty Pan-Asian food. Bao Buns a speciality but everything was perfect. Owner is lovely. Will definitely be going back

Visited The Hidden Well last night and was blown away by the food. Really delicious bao buns and the best noodles I have ever tasted. It has a lovely atmosphere, service was great especially from the owner who was very welcoming. Definitely recommend :)

Ja ja noodles were great. Also recommend the bao buns.

Excellent food, good value prices, we will come back for sure!!

Love the food especially the veggie wontons and the messy tofu.

What a treat! Delicious, flavourful food for reasonable prices, lovely staff and a really nice ambiance and decor. This place really deserves more attention. The crispy pork was a particular highlight, but honestly everything was great!

Amazing food, lovely staff and a nice atmosphere. The high rating is well deserved!!!

OVERPRICED!!! Ordered 3 dishes and a portion of green beans (for 2 people). The portions were TINY and mainly rice. £47.50 and we were still hungry. The food (what there was of it) was well flavoured.

One of the best meals we have ever eaten. Everything was fresh, served hot and absolutely delicious. The wasabi-mayo and crispy prawn bao bun with fresh mango was incredible. Best pan-asian food I've ever had.

Genuinely a very special little restaurant. I’m not usually a person that reviews or recommends somewhere but this place exceeded expectations by a long way. The best asian cuisine i have eaten in the uk, it’s intimate, the staff are warm, friendly and cannot do enough. I could not recommend it enough, i wish them every success - truly deserved.

Such a lovely owner! Food is amazing and just a cute cozy place to eat

Excellent food, awesome service and we're happy to seat is even those GH we arrived near closing. Highly recommended.

We had a bad experience here earlier in the week, having booked and then being turned away. However, the manageress (who was off at the time) was good enough to call the next day to apologise, explain and offer us some drinks if we should choose to come back. We will.

Good value and homely restaurant in Tunbridge Wells. Service was nice ✨ Simple flavours but good for people who don't eat much spicy food.

Best Asian food we have enjoyed in a long time, makes Wagamama's look like Maccy D's in comparison!

Flavor in the food was amazing, the bau buns and noodles Lovely local family business.

This place is 10/10!! Such a hidden gem, unreal food, the owners are lovely too! Thank you so much. We will defo be back :)!

Loved it. Amazing wonton soup. Best ever eaten

Authentic Asian cuisine. So tasty:)

Our first time here last night and what a gem. Our neighbour recommended we go here for my birthday dinner meal. It was busy but not overly so, people were coming and going but it still seemed calm and personable. This was amplified by the waitress who could not have been kinder and more helpful in explaining things. We had the messy tofu and the veggie spring rolls to start. I loved the messy tofu, so tasty. The spring rolls were nice but for me I like them a little crispier and more veg. The inside was more a paste of veg it seemed. Perhaps that is more a style I haven't had before but the tofu, yum yum yum. We had some Bao Buns which were new to me, the king prawn one was fab. Mains were the halloumi rice and the king prawn noodles. The rice was moist and tasty, for me I wanted a little sauce to go with it. That said I didn't ask and I have no doubt that if I had they would have brought me some. The noodles were perfect, thick, tasty and a great sauce. We had dessert too! Cheesecake and my wife had the deep fried bao bun. A perfect end to a tasty meal and at £75 for 3 courses for two people with drinks, reasonable and well worth it. Thank you so much :) We'll be back soon.

What a fabulous place! Went last night with friends, the staff were friendly and the food was delicious. So nice to have somewhere like this in TW. We ordered sooo much food as it all sounded delicious, and we were not disappointed. Tiny venue, definitely need to book!

Lovely food. Great service. Really lovely atmosphere

Amazing food, beautiful atmosphere and great vegan and vegetarian options. Waiters are very polite and helpful!

Had such amazing food and wine. Ordered loads to try a variety and it was all delicious. Glad we booked a table as it was busy on a Weds.

Delicious - tasty cute little place. Often fully booked as it’s tiny and for good reason. Highly recommend. The beef salad was glorious as were the wontons. The sambaal noodles were also great. Need to come back to try the rest of the menu!

Finally I got a table. What a fantastic restaurant. Everything was a perfect assault on the taste buds. Staff were lovely. Can’t fault it.

great place with great food very tasty and good prices. would recommend. Have visited twice in a week. Good staff.

Delicious! Really authentic tasting food. I've been 3 times now and it's been delicious and delightful all 3 of them.

Excellent food , friendly service couldn’t recommend higher 5 ⭐️

Not as good as all the hype in my opinion. We were really looking forward to a meal here. It was my husband’s birthday and after reading all the fantastic reviews, we decided to book. I wish I could give a better review. After arriving and being seated (not the most comfortable bench seating, I felt I was sat too high, couldn’t cross my legs) we were served by a nice chap who got our drinks. A small Asian beer. A nice waitress then took our order. We ordered Ribs and chicken satay to start and to be fair this was nice. I then ordered crispy pork and my husband ordered coconut katsu chicken. This all came in good time but.. my meal had only 5 very small pieces of pork which were far from crispy, Luke warm and very hard to chew. My husband’s katsu curry was very dry and very bland. We really wanted to love this little place but left disappointed. Maybe try again at a later date but for now, sorry Hidden Well it’s a 3 star from me. We didn’t stay for a dessert.

First visit and very impressed.

The food is great, the service is phenomenal this place is a hidden gem …

Really amazing food, great value for money and a lovely atmosphere. The owner is lovely and the staff are fab! All round brilliant little place!

Lovely little gem of a spot that serves delicious food in a cozy and comfortable environment. Definitely worth a visit.

The food is amazing, especially the bao buns! The dishes could easily cost twice as much and still be a great value. Service is always friendly and prompt. This is easily the best Asian dining in the area! Definitely try it if you haven't already.

One of our absolute favourite places in Tunbridge Wells. The real deal when it comes to Asian food - fresh, fragrant, and simply delicious, cooked and hosted by the most humble and kind people. A truly hidden gem that we cannot recommend enough.

My wife and I visited for lunch on Christmas Eve. The food was incredible, best bao buns we have ever had, home made noodles and crispy pork are to die for. Service was top notch too. We wouldn't hesitate to come back again. Atmosphere is cosy and dining feels very intimate. Highly recommend.

Food and service was great and convenient parking at the back (60p for 2 hours). Will definitely come again!

Very cozy place to dine in, food quality is excellent and the taste for each of the Asian dishes we ordered is authentic (Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and Taiwanese). Highly recommended!

The Hidden Well has fast become my favourite go-to for local Asian food since opening earlier this year. Friendly team and delicious food every visit.

A "hidden" little gem opposite Shuffle House - lots of little dishes to try, all amazing. Very helpful and informative staff.

Delicious food and great, friendly service.

Best Chinese in Tunbridge Wells, bar none

Food is not only incredibly delicious and fresh, but you can tell it’s been made with a lot of care. Every dish was faultless! I’ll definitely be back soon.

Such a tucked away hidden gem - wonderful setting with its own well in the basement. From a small menu, the food was superb and reasonably priced!! Will definitely go back highly recommended!!👌👏👍