The Kentish Rifleman in Tonbridge and Malling - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Had a very very nice 3 course meal with my wife on the 26/7/2024 the food there is spot on will without doubt be going bk we sat in the garden room which is lovely the staff are efficient and knowledgeable

Fish, Chips and Peas were up to usual very high standards. As was the Harvey's. Had a little room for Cheese & Biscuits which were a very good selection. Great Pub, Great Staff and Great Service. Update We held our Wedding Reception in the newly opened Garden Room. It was a Sunny afternoon and the BiFold doors meant guests could sit inside or on the Patio and still feel part of the entire Group. Buffet was Exellent, especially Tempura Prawns, Battered Cod Bites and Polenta Chips. Service was seamless, no one had an empty glass. Vicky and her Team made it a day to remember forever. Update Just tried Tuesday Night is 🥧 Pie Night. Super Pies - Great variety. Excellent Value Update Highly recommend the Rifleman Steak - a gorgeous signature dish. New Garden Room opening by end of May (if not sooner)

Delicious food and lovely team looking after us. We highly recommend this lovely place.

Very pleasant country pub, but menu is very restaurant-like. Little in the way of sandwiches or lighter bites available. Looking at owner's reply, it is a shame this wasn't offered!

A huge huge improvement since we went a couple of years ago. A lovely new garden room. Great food and great service. We had trouble booking a Tuesday lunchtime table, so it proves how popular it is. Well done

Lovely food, friendly pub, we sat outside and watched the world go by.

We just had the most wonderful lunch at the Kentish Rifleman what a wonderful pub. Its very busy which says it all. Fantastic service incredible food, pristine toilets. Highly recommended.

Friendly & helpful team, food was fantastic too.

Lovely village pub,excellent food,friendly staff

Wonderful pub with fantastic food

Good beer good food. Lovely old pub. I never like service charges added to bills in a pub!

Delicious Sunday lunch today. Thanks to all of you, from Ann and Ken, Kathy and Christine. We will be back soon.

Excellent food and very good service were made to feel very welcome

Very lovely traditional English pub. You won’t find many better

We had a very good steak meal here. It's the second time we've eaten at Black and Blue and shall return. The staff were very welcoming and attentive. I recommend this restaurant without hesitation.

Very good service and friendly staff

Always a pleasure to either eat or just drink here Best pint of harveys and long man best bitter,

This lovely pub has it all, a warm and cozy welcome, friendly host and fantastic roast dinner. We go here for Sunday lunch sometimes, and it is exceptional. We had a lamb & beef today. Both beautifully cooked, crunchy roasted potatoes, parsnips

Excellent food and friendly staff and service was very good . First time here and definitely will go again.

Lovely Old English pub with good food

Great pub, great food. Wish it was closer to where we live, we’d be in there all the time!!!

Our favourite local village pub. Beautiful for cold winters inside by the fire or out side during balmy summer evenings in the gardens overlooking the fields. Perfect.

A lovely quaint pub tucked away in the Kent countryside, with really good quality solid “pub grub”. We were sat by a lovely roaring fire too, which made the atmosphere lovely and cosy.

Went here for Christmas lunch with a group of friends and it was excellent.

Small but great little pub. It's popular so busy. Small number of good real ales and a focus on local produce. Friendly service.

A beautiful country pub, excellent service, great food and reasonably priced. We regularly sit outside in the summer months but had lunch inside yesterday and had a lovely meal. The manager fitted our party in with short notice and the staff were incredibly friendly, made us feel very welcome and were mindful to ask if our party had any allergies. There was nothing I could fault, we will definitely be booking in again. I would recommend booking in advance because it’s a popular pub. I’ve read varying reviews but can only go on mine and my family’s experience which was a positive one.

A fantastic, very popular place, food, drink and service perfect after a trip to Igtham Mote. Definitely need to book at busy times tho!

I really enjoyed my meal with good company I felt it was a touch on the expensive side and whilst I would willingly go again price would be a consideration.

Fantastic Sunday lunch, fire on, great atmosphere, best roast had in ages. Perfect.

Wonderful traditional pub with a nice fire great beers and terrific food. I enjoyed the atmosphere and it was pleasingly busy on Thursday evening. The 'Proper' pie was a real delight with generous portions this was a delicious meal. The staff were friendly and polite, perhaps a little busier than expected and a pair of hands short Would very much recommend

Very welcoming, great food and good service

A great local pub offers good food and service!

Traditional old English pub. V clean. Staff extremely helpful, friendly.

Fantastic pub,always a warm welcome. Good food with great staff. Friendly customers, definitely recommended.

Great find great food very busy

We have visited this lovely old pub on three occasions now and every time we have enjoyed good quality food and good service. I cannot think of many other establishments that could do this… Parking can be difficult though…

Great pub, surprisingly big and open inside

Lovely dog friendly pub, and I enjoyed a very nice lunch.

Lovely Kentish pub with local wines, ciders and beers, good food served by people who care.

Great food & beer, very friendly service & tranquil garden to relax, in the summer

Staying locally, so called by for an early evening drink. We were met by a welcoming landlord who squeezed us into their busy Pie & A Pint night. Great atmosphere with people drinking outside and in, and tables filling quickly. Staff were very friendly and helpful. We had a delicious pie and chips with plenty fresh vegetables that were not overcooked. Husband recommends an excellent pint of local beer! Really good evening and would recommend.

Amazing food. Really dog friendly pub with friendly staff. A gem hidden away off the beaten track

Brilliant and friendly staff. The food was exceptional!! Came down from London to have lunch and will definitely be returning again, and again and again 😊

Wonderful rural pub in some beautiful countryside serving good food and beer.

A quick pop in with a couple of friends from Canada for an authentic English pint, and wasn't disappointed. A country pub at its best.

This has really come on under new ownership. Went on pie night and had a lovely meal - service was spot on from arrival to departure. Highly recommend and of course in a gorgeous location with a lovely pub garden.

Good food at a reasonable price, the service was good throughout.

Dessert was five stars! Tuesday is Pie and a Pint, a top cultural experience from our trip.

We went there for an off the cuff meal to spoil ourselves. Everything was just great. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Beautiful evening out back with a pint!!

What a corker..couldn't be any better. lovely smiley people, delicious food, great drinks, glorious location..Worth going out of your way for. Thank you!

Fantastic food very friendly staff considering high quality of food very reasonable.

Sunday lunch was excellent and not over priced. We both enjoyed it.

Lovely pub, proper pub & a good choice of beers 🍻

Fantastic food and a lovely garden. A great place for lunch on a sunny day. Wonderful selection of ales too, unfortunately I was only able to sample one.

Beautiful pub out in the countryside with excellent food,first class

I can definitely recommend this pub. I have visited a number of occasions over the past year and have always received great service and food.

Great find is this village pub. Great food and atmosphere. Friendly helpful staff.

Excellent pub. Good range of ales, generally local. Decent food. Well worth a visit for anyone walking in the area, a lovely traditional setting.

This is a classic British pub. It’s authenticity makes for a warm cosy atmosphere. To start we ordered home smoked salmon and prawn cocktails. The salmon was great quality, it was incredibly soft and flavourful however I could not taste any smoke which was a slight disappointment. The bread was also a little stale and had clearly been toasted quite some time before it was served. The prawn cocktail was near perfect with a generous helping of meaty prawns and well-balanced flavours. The bread unfortunately had a slight bitter aftertaste as a result of some burnt areas. I selected the roasted lamb rump for main course. It was cooked to perfection. Beautifully pink and succulent in the middle and accompanied with cabbage. I was pleased the cabbage wasn’t soggy and added a welcome freshness to the dish. The fondant potato cut like butter. It was soft, buttery and nicely seasoned but unfortunately lacked the crispy top which I had hoped for. We also ordered the cheese burger and fries. It was a lovely juicy burger with a good amount of melted cheese and crispy fries. No complaints there at all. We finished the meal with a sticky toffee pudding. I wouldn’t say it was very sticky and they could perhaps have been a little more generous with the sauce however the cake was moist, sweet and moreish. I reckon finished the bowl in under a minute! Overall we enjoyed a lovely pub dinner here and with a few minor tweaks it could certainly get a 5/5 from me. Follow my insta @londons.best.bites for more!

Great Pub, properly kept ale, amazing food and staff that care, we will be back

Lovely lunch with friends. Dined inside - friendly welcome. Nice bit of steak and good beer. Lovely to sit in the garden afterwards with coffee. Highly recommended. And a fair price as well for generous portions.

Lovely family run place, friendly staff and great food

Authentic British pub in the heart of Kent. Delicious and well presented local style food. Friendly and close service. A classic frequented by local people who are friendly and welcoming

Enjoyed a nice light bite and a glass of wine in a nice relaxing environment 😌 👌

Really lovely typical English country side pub

Fantastic food, good beer and very friendly staff. What more could you want.......oh in a beautiful location as well!

Visited here on 15/05 for lunch with family. This pub is a lovely, traditional and authentic pub located in such a picturesque location. Staff at the pub were very helpful and considerate and went the extra mile in catering for my daughter who suffers from multiple allergies - they had prearranged a couple of courses for her to enjoy and even went off menu for us to accommodate her needs which was incredible of them. The food was good, the mini fillet steak was gorgeous and was just the right amount of food for a light yet satisfying lunch. The drinks were abundant in choice and served quickly as well as being reasonably priced. The only thing I would argue could have been slightly better would be the wait times for our main courses, there was about 25/30 minutes between starters and mains however the pub was busy so it is forgivable and I am being nitpicky. All in all it was a brilliant lunch, brilliant pub, great food. Highly recommended.

Excellent pub , had a lovely small steak meal which was great as an option instead of something bigger for lunch. Great menu and lovely staff

A lovely country pub, friendly staff and a cosy local atmosphere!

As good as a pub meal gets! Friendly welcome from the barman, superb atmosphere, great service -- and most importantly, a fine range of well-kept ales and delicious food. Impossible to fault. Updated in 2023 (May): still a lovely place to spend an evening. The quality of the beer and the landlord is second to none.

Lovely pub in a beautiful setting. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere at the end of the bank holiday weekend. Recommend the Sharpshooter lager, locally brewed. Will return soon!

We recently visited for lunch, the pub was quite busy which is always a good sign on a weekday. The food was excellent, we both had minced beef pie with fantastic pastry, new potatoes and mixed vegetables and a tasty gravy, all cooked perfectly. The manager was very friendly and attentive. Will definitely return. Best to book

Lovely old pub with great food.

Great food and a lovely olde worldy decor. A proper country pub.

It was mothers day today so particularly busy at the pub, this did not seam to have any impact on the quality of food or table service. All in all it was very good and well worth a visit. It was also nice that all visiting ladies recieved a small bunch of daffodils which was a very nice touch.

Great historic pub with excellent food.

Lovely old atmospheric pub. Great food at reasonable prices and really lovely, friendly and helpful staff. We booked a table for 10 for a Monday Birthday lunch at short notice with two young children. The lady and gentleman could not have been more accommodating. Can thoroughly recommend and will certainly return.

Lovely pub in the middle of some tiny Kentish lanes. Excellent beer, the Tonbridge is recommended, and great food.

Thus is the most friendly homely pub/restaurant I've ever been too beautiful food and company ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely fish and chips Very good service

Charming and atmospheric Pub with delicious food and local beers. Great VFM, attentive and welcoming staff. Great location for onward walks !! Squeezed us in earlier than booked, despite kitchen and staff been under pressure from coach load of booked guests. Will be back 10/10 👍👍👍

Excellent beer, food, staff and very cosy.

We visited on Friday lunchtime and made the mistake of not booking. They found us a small table in the bar area. Luckily there was no show so we could transfer to a table in the restaurant area. Good and varied choice of meals on offer and those we chose were well prepared and served in good time. Four real ales on offer which were all local apart from Greene King. Those we had were in good condition. If you are intending to eat I would recommend booking a table.

I honestly cannot fault the food and service at The Kentish Rifleman. The pub is stunning and the history is fascinating, staff are lovely and welcoming. 10/10 for everything.

Looking for a welcoming venue for a group of 40plus adventurers for a Sunday lunch in December takes some research. After several unsuccessful forays our running club found the perfect solution. The Rifleman fulfilled all our wishes - a characterful country freehouse; a justifiable reputation for excellent food and well-kept real ales; a flexible approach to hosting groups of new customers; a really helpful and happy team prepared to go the extra mile to make our lengthy sojourn a truly memorable occasion. If you haven't visited the Kentish Rifleman don't hesitate. Vicky and Simon would love to greet you. Thank you KR from Tunbridge Wells Harriers.

Delicious Sunday Roast,great beer and fantastic friendly service what else do you need.

Been going to this pub for over 40 years and it really is quite a nice pub now, not pretentious at all. Latest visit however was disappointing insomuch the food wasn't up to the usual standard. We all had the fish and chips but the batter was that awful soggy type, undercooked. Not sure what fish it was but really quite tasteless. We all left the chips!! Won't be in a rush to go back. which is a shame.

Cosy, great wines and the food is excellent - worth a visit in the middle of farm lands - ambiance great and everyone is invited including dogs

Fantastic pub........ Great food and lovely open fire's

Absolutely stunning country pub! Wow! What a place! Highly recommended and very well deserved 5 stars!! Great proper food in a real traditional setting with friendly staff and fabulous atmosphere! Will definitely be back and highly recommended!!!

Had a meal here last night and was really good. Great country pub with great service and even better food. We will definitely be returning

Great service great food. Beer excellent.

Small country pub with great atmosphere. Good friendly service and good range of choices from limited menu. Very enjoyable meal.

Nice pub and very good Sunday lunch.

Very pleasant venue in a somewhat remote area of Kent. Friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere. Good food. Good range of drinks. Well worth a visit.

Had a nice cup of coffee in the garden with my walking group 👍🫡nice pub, nice atmosphere

An amazing birthday celebration with 20 close friends and family. Our menu was carefully planned with Chefs Adam and Georgie together with landlady, Vicky all of whom followed to the letter our wishes and requirements. We were given the outside garden marquee beautifully decorated with twinkling lights, a balloon arch created by Natalie and fresh flowers on each table. A couple of garden tables were also reserved for those to enjoy the sunshine. Upon arrival our guests were treated to a gourmet feast starting with the freshest of crudités and dips, a "station" of house champagne, a white and a rose wine and water dispenser. Waves of oysters followed together with the most amazing sweet, and succulent whole lobsters and dressed crabs. Then a buffet of marinated crevettes, home cured salmon, fish and pomme puree (sent one to heaven), smoked mackerel pate, sliders, chorizo and garlic arancini balls and parsnip beignets. It didn't stop there! Oh no! We had bite sized chocolate mousse, lemon meringue pie and plum frangipane, followed by a sharing Kentish Cheese Board with all the trimmings. My goodness, we were spoilt and when Chef Adam came out to see us, he was given a seated ovation. One must not forget Natalie who was on hand to ensure every one of our guests was catered for with their beverage of choice whether it was The Kentish Rifleman fine beers or the famous expresso martinis carefully prepared by Simon. Well done! Well done! Well done! It was truly a day to remember and, to add, if you are looking for catering whether small or large or just a table for two, you will be in the very best and creative of hands.

Great food in a fantastic pub. Highly recommend especially the halloumi burger!

Enjoyable pint of Harvey's in lovely surroundings. Though we didn't eat, the menu looked very enticing and will be well worth a second visit to sample the food as well