The Lemon Tree Restaurant in Ashford

We enjoyed our late lunch at this historic restaurabt. My fish was sourced from nearby Cranbrook. The accompanying chips and peas were generous in quantity. Table water was supplied and my pineapple juice was pleasant. The lavatory was clean and staff a pleasure.

We called on the off chance for lunch. Greeted by very amicable staff, and shown quickly to a table. Food and drinks were served efficiently and rapidly, we were told we need not rush at all. Very interesting building. Would return.

A beautiful country style restaurant. Been many times and always enjoyed the food and atmosphere

Historic building with a story. Very quaint and welcoming. Service was attentive and friendly. We had a deluxe afternoon tea for 2 which was delicious. A great selection of teas and the sandwiches were very filling. In fact the whole afternoon tea was too filling so we took the cake selection home with us. Definitely would visit again.

Food was ok, cheese sandwich and a prawn sandwich with small salad , side of chips, hot chocolate, elderflower drink. £27, but the table was so sticky that side plate had stuck down! When you look round you start to notice that cleaning has not been done to any sort of standard. It makes you think " should I be eating here" the number one thing restaurant should be is clean and hygienic. This place needs a deep clean.

3 visits and always the same. Best breakfast in town and certainly one of Kents best. My photo doesn't do it justice but it's huge and you won't eat again all day.

Lovely birthday breakfast with friends. Great atmosphere and food and friendly staff. Great food choice with there breakfast menu. And drinks menu.

Pretty little pub where we ordered a full English bfast and eggs, both of which were tasty. The place was cozy and old-fashioned. One star removed because the small eats ‘available all day’ we were informed brusquely was not available before 11:30! They need to rewrite some of their stuff. Like the description of rich hot chocolate. We got a pale liquid that looked more watery milk than chocolate. When we asked if there could be more chocolate in it they said, nope only one powder sachet per mug, but we could have more milk if we wanted! 😂

Service by one of the men serving was awful he wasn’t helpful and when my wife asked about Gluten and Dairy options he was dismissive and abrupt.. snatched the menu and walked off. My order had already been taken so we again asked another server and he was helpful and my wife ended up having just a roll with a some salad which was not great but at least they had the roll option. However I used to come here many years ago and the quality has dropped and isn’t great. Food served reminded me of a 70s canteen meal..

We stopped for lunch on our way back home and can't recommend this restaurant enough. The food was lovely and the staff all very friendly. I can't recommend this place any more than excellent!

Have previously really enjoyed a lunch here but the place has gotten so grubby - pretty much everything was dirty. Food didn’t seem fresh and given the state of the dining room I wasn’t overly confident in the hygiene of the kitchen… A real shame as used to find the lemon tree a lovely place but would now much rather pop down the road and grab a sausage roll from the bakery!

Visited with hubby where he had the full monty and I had scrambled eggs and bacon on toast. Very good service from the waitress when we came in and Nick the owner. Very enjoyable visit once again and will return. Can't understand the negative reviews to be honest but each to their own.

It was grubby. The place looked like it needs a good clean. There was also what looked like mould on my bread. Personally, I would not eat there again. There looked to be lots of other cleaner, smarter places to try in future.

The building is very attractive from the outside, but unfortately that's about all I say that is positive. The food is below standard. Tjhe taste is flat, the meat was overcooked, as if it had been boiling for days... The desert was not very refined, and very very sweet. No balance of flavours. If you are starving, you can have a cheap meal here and will not leave hungry but I would not recommend it.

Visited today with friends at lunchtime - it was busy but we were greated with friendliness and smiles . Seated and ordered swiftly - lovely food , friendly staff and wonderful customer service - well done to you all :)

Me and my girlfriend was seeing if we wanted to rent there room out for our baby shower and have been communicating through email. In the email they said if we could pop in after 2 as that is there busy time. So I went to see it last night and what a terrible experience that was. Who I ever I spoke to which was a man, looking at the reviews I'm guessing he was called nick as he seems to be getting alot of comments on how rude he it. He was one of the rudest people I've ever spoken to. Start off he said I needed to have an appointment even though the email said we could pop in when ever after 2. Decided to stand pretty much on my feet like he was trying to look down on me. Showed me the room for 2 seconds, when asked about menus he replied with they are just on the website. His attitude was disgusting im surprised they even get customers with his terrible people skills. When finally seeing the menu it wasn't anything special what so ever. It is the same menu if you was just to go and sit there to eat. To be honest I was so disgusted and shocked on how he spoke to me I couldn't get out there faster. He was no help what so ever and I'm glad we didn't have it there as I didn't feel like what I wanted to give them our money. To be honest looking at all the reviews you need to work on your people skills. Please Avoid

Family do to celebrate a significant birthday so we were upstairs. Being July it was hot up there (10 adults plus a child) . There should have been either a portable air conditioner or fans as the small windows didn't let in enough air. (Hardly any breeze). However, the food was very good as we had pre-ordered starters and mains. A good range of mains from roasts to fish cakes and the pie of the day. Large quantities which pleased everyone. We still had room for desserts. I had the banoffee with coffee combo which is the same price as a (very large) full one which others struggled through!

Great breakfast today. A mini monty nice and hot staff were very attentive. Coffee refill. Enjoyed my visit today. Thanks for making it a really good experience.

Very warm friendly welcome, seated and served tea almost immediately. Given plenty of time to choose from a wide range of breakfast dishes. I had the Eggs Benedict ( which were cooked to perfection ) and my wife had the vegetarian breakfast - she changed a few items without any problems. Both breakfasts were delicious. Will definately be returning.

One the best eating places we have visited on our travels. Service and food both excellent. We will be calling again when we visit Tenterden next year on our holidays.

Visited the Lemon Tree for lunch with my wife and the food was excellent as was the service given by the staff and in particular by Steve. Every time we have been to this restaurant Steve has always been an excellent host, very attentive and pleasant. We cannot recommend this place enough as our visits have been really good,

Phoned at midday, to book a table for afternoon tea for six. We were told afternoon tea started at 2.30pm so we booked for then. Once seated we were ready to book 3 x “delux” afternoon teas for 2. We were told by the waiter that there were only 3 scones left. Based on our booking 2.5 hours prior, we were disappointed but agreed w the waiter to replace the scones w other cakes instead. When the waiter came back my sister asked why scones were not put aside when we were told we needed to make a booking. She said it was not the waiters fault but whoever owned the cafe should be aware. A man appeared saying he was the owner and asked “what’s your problem” and was SO RUDE!!! He was condescending, rude and unkind. So much so that we stood up and left the cafe. My mum approached him on the way out to say the waiter was lovely and had dealt with it but he had been rude. Please spend your cash elsewhere and support the amazing shop owners doing the right thing for customers. It looks quaint and inviting from the outside but don’t be fooled the interior is poor and the management is dire.

Excellent food, lovely staff , very helpful and nothing too much trouble, Steve was our waiter and he was top notch, I said to my wife if I had a restaurant I would employ him.

Great food and service. Will be back soon. Nice Pinot Grigio.

Visited here today for a drink and some breakfast and while the prices are very reasonable and the staff friendly enough the temperature of the food was far to hot and the sausage was very dry and hard, also the coffee (americano) wasn't as nice as you would expect from a place such as this and the milk must of been kept out thr fridge for some time as tyere was a film on the top of the coffee and some small milky lumps forming. Don't think I would visit here again unfortunately.

Beautiful little restaurant with really amazing host and staff - we walked in while it was pouring with rain and immediately felt at home. The place was cosy with a fabulous rustic atmosphere. We had the soup of the day and chicken liver paté for starters - the pate especially was a very generous portion. After that - Sunday roast. Will definitely visit again - really nice, welcoming restaurant.

One of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time.

Very nice place to dine or just have a coffee. Staff are attentive and food good.

On the hearsay of others decided to pop in for a coffee and cake at lunchtime 7/4/24. There were clearly spaces and took heed of the boards' advertising outside (see photos). The place had many aged customers and clearly a place for those who would be quite at home discussing the politics of the daily mail. Rude little staff member was happy to serve us a meal, however, when said ''no thankyou, just a coffee and a cake'', the 'man' told us they were only doing lunches and would not allow. I informed him of the boards outside but no movement...so if in the future the lemon tree finds a board has gone missing, it will prevent other prospective customers receiving such awful service. Do as advertised rude stuck up little man...even a notice on the door would be better. Went to the bakery a couple of doors down, lovely staff (clearly know about customer service), and the coffee was good. Looking at other reviews...it seems a speciality of the lemon tree is rudeness....I'd avoid as Tenterden is full of nice places to eat.

Lovely building inside and really nice atmosphere. Fantastic cooked breakfast and the owner was very hospitable. Can’t wait to go back!

Awful stale food complained by e mail didn’t even have decency to reply don’t have afternoon tea here ever!

Booked a place at the Lemon Tree as it is in between Hailsham and Ashford, but very happy with the food and service, I would highly recommend.

Went in there for Mother’s day and to say the least the Owner NICK was a rude and Arrogant Man!! Never received Service as bad as this! We go there a lot with my grandparents and Family where the Manager is lovely. However the owner has lost a returning customer due to his Disgraceful service! If i was you Nick i would get your manager and staff to run it for you maybe then people will be happy with the service and you wouldn’t be ruining your own business.

Fantastic meal on Saturday liver and bacon amazing then top it with homemade benoffe pie washed down with a a glass biddenden cider. Plan to visit at easter well done

Very dated, food was awful tbh. Was like going to a restaurant back in the 80’s and was very angry with the quality of the food. Slapped on the plate with no thought at all.

Very disappointed with the food. It was awful tbh.

1st March my 50th Burthday arranged afternoon tea for four told afternoon teas served from 230 wasn’t told they start closing at 4 by 4 felt rushed to leave. When booked asked about steps ie disabled access told no nothing to worry about not told steps to toilet one of my party can hardly walk. Afternoon tea itself sandwiches fine scones stale cakes brought home rubbish. I never complain but sent an e mail didn’t even have decency to reply.

We visited with friends as they had previously had a Sunday lunch here and rated it highly. However this was beyond disappointing. Not that warm, meat sliced so thinly and uniformly that it could not have been hand carved from a freshly cooked joint, overcooked potatoes and parsnips, a flat Yorkshire pudding and a minuscule portion of veg to share. The worst thing was a small saucer of what was supposed to be cauliflower cheese to share between 4, but actually it wasn’t more that 4 tablespoons of cheese sauce but no cauliflower. If we had been alone or at least not with people who recommended it, I would definitely have complained.

Just been to the Lemon Tree but will not be returning after being met with such rudeness and hostility from owner after asking if they did toasted sandwiches which by the way they do not. He needs a course on social skills. Instead I felt so belittled I will not be returning or recommending Lemon Tree to anyone. I've never encountered service like that ever.

They accommodated our table of 9. However we had a guest with a medical food requirement and they were unable to fulfill our relatively easy request. I would not recommend this restaurant if you have strict diatery requirements. Very dissapointed.

Very Disappointing, sadly food was not up to their usual standard. Will think twice about returning Atmosphere and attitude of the staff has slipped, usually Steve is there to oversee staff and service but was missing must of had a day off.

Very poor unfriendly service, egg sandwich was really horrible with grey slimy egg. limp salad and was expensive, coffee unpleasant too.

The staff at The Lemon Tree are so lovely and attentive. The food has never disappointed and we are now regulars to a wonderful gem of a restaurant in beautiful Tenterden. The breakfasts are delicious, gorgeous hot coffee and always served with good humour and a smile. I thoroughly recommend here to anyone visiting. If you want home cooked, good food, with a nice atmosphere and attentive staff. Look no further.

Went in here for lunch excellent service by all staff working and jacket potatoes were hot and delicious try for yourself don't always believe what you read

Lovely home cooked food. A real find, would definitely go again when in the area

Absolute joke of a restaurant, waited an age to order, then waited an age for two undercooked (almost uncooked) chilli jacket potatoes. When raised with a man serving, snatched the two plates away, no apology, just a passing arrogant glance. Myself and friend at this point decided to pay for our two cups of tea and duly leave. Suggestion for owner(s), cut down the size of the menu, cook things well and concentrate on your service. Suggestion for the rude male server, leave!!!

Lovely staff and a friendly atmosphere. A regular in this excellent little gem in Tenterden High Street.

Tasty food, delicious coffee and the best staff in town. Who could ask for anything more ? Thank you for looking after my phone too!

Popped in for a full English breakfast after passing through and spotting the chalk sign outside. We went for the Full Monty breakfast, sadly no black pudding perhaps the 9/10ths of a Monty then 🤣. Reasonably priced, Very polite and professional service. The staff let us know that they had a little issue with one of the cookers and were waiting for it to heat back up, tbh didn't even notice a time delay, food came fast, nice flavour sausages all three of us enjoyed our breakfast. Nice vintage building, warm inside but not too hot. clean toilets. Will definitely come back, Thanks again 👍

Been before and had a lovely breakfast, returned this time, the food was very disappointing. The ham was more grey than pink and flavourless, and the chips weren’t cooked properly.

Nice relaxed coffee/ lunch stop off Warm old world charm with character, helpful friendly staff, try their Welsh rarebit with added bacon for a tasty lunchtime snack.

My mum called to book a table Xmas eve for all the family 6 of us. Man on phone was so rude and made a horrible comment to my mum and really upset her. Said “we close at 3 and want to enjoy Xmas eve” not really something you say to a paying customer. Didn’t care less about our business and had no interested in accommodating us at all. Ohh well your loss! Would of got a decent amount of money from us but your shocking service and mannerism will close you down. Lots of similar reviews. Maybe sort your staff out. Way better, nicer family run business who care about customers and have respect.

had coffee always plesent in merry Xmas

3 of us ordered the steak pie, one came back slopped on the plate with Hardly any crust on the top. Complained about presentation, the came back and he would not change it, it gets mashed up when you eat it, if you don't like you can leave and turned to us and said if you Don't Iike yours,you can leave also. Very rude, arrogant, and aggressive in his manner. We will not be returning because of his attitude. It's a shame because usually the food is good .

Stopped here for a quick bite to eat , great service, great food and quick !! Great value 👍

This was my first ever visit despite living in and near Tenterden for some years. I was disappointed with the menu but chose avocado pear on sourdough toast with crispy bacon. The avocado was not quite ripe enough and the toast was so thin that it crisped up making it difficult to cut and quite uncomfortable to eat! The bacon was very good though. I felt the place was very tired and that I was on a conveyor belt as one of staff was tearing around the place as if it was busy, which it wasn't. The cappuccino tasted like it had come from a vending machine as opposed to a barista, very tasteless. There was absolutely no atmosphere (this was on Tuesday 11.00 am to 1.00). I felt like I had been dropped off from a coach trip! The property has the most beautiful facade steeped with history.

The manager/owner was very rude We ordered meat pie ,which came up very sloppy and notin one piece, when asked to change he came out in a very aggressive way stating "eat it or leave go if you dont want it" very unprofessional, and needs to go for customer training

Went in for a Sunday roast, place is a bit grotty, food arrived warm but not hot. Met with rudeness when asking for some hot gravy. Small portions, very much like a school dinner. £40 for two, main course and drink. Went home and was sick with food poisoning. Other reviews mention the same thing, better off going somewhere else

Great breakfast food and a lovely building. The prices are good value. Marked down a star because the staff seemed in a bit of a rush to get people in and out and everything was a bit frantic, which made it less than relaxing.

I popped in for lunch as had a long day in Tenterden and was very happy with my welsh rarebit and the service was faultless. Love the quaint building and surroundings thank you

Fantastic every time. Quintessential English Breakfast. We said as we sat down to another breakfast that this little teashop, full of character and history is exactly where you would bring someone who had never visited the UK for a proper English breakfast. Lovely staff that are always helpful! The breakfasts are top notch, all very good quality and I love to have a refill for my tea. Fair price for the amount of food.

Beautiful, calm and friendly with kind and happy staff. Soup of the day was outstanding!

Went here when the folk festival was going on. The usual place we go to for breakfast and everywhere else was packed, so we went in here as it was the only place that had seats available. We paid an extortionate amount of money for x2 all day brunch - the food that had been fried was cooked in dirty grease and the chips it came with were the cheapest frozen chips you couldve bought, and these and the beans tasted like they'd just been microwaved (the food came out to us really quick, so pretty obvious a microwave had been used). Not worth the money at all and we didnt finish our food. Other places around are cheaper and have much better quality food. The staff also took ages to serve you, and just seemed like they were there to chat with each other all day as opposed to doing their job. The inside of the building is dirty and tatty. Would reccomend going else where if you're in the area.

My husband & I were staying at our daughter's in Tenterden for a couple of days. We decided to have a wander around the town centre & get lunch while we were out. We chose The Lemon Tree because my husband said he fancied a pie & the description of the steak & ale pie on the menu sounded appetising. The staff were all very friendly & warm, which was nice. We both decided to order the pie, which looked good, smelt good & tasted really good. The chunky steak filling was tender & there was plenty of it... The vegetables served with it were fresh, hot & a good seasonal accompaniment to the pie. Although tempted by the desert special of apple crumble we were too full to do that justice so we shared an ice cream pud... We felt The Lemon Tree was quaint & the building really interesting. The menu has lots to choose from & although it's not modern or super trendy, it's homely, welcoming & exactly what you need when you've got a hungry belly. We'll definitely be back.

Excellent food and service but the decor is very tired

Disappointed with my meal - a couple of staff quite un professional and made us feel uncomfortable, mentioned my disappointment of my meal - she came across and said put it on Tripadvisor. We have been regular customers for a long time - we will now not be returning !

Just come home after a first rate breakfast at The Lemon Tree, Tenterden. Can't fault it. Warm, friendly, attentive (but not intrusive) staff, quick service, beautifully cooked breakfast with attention to detail and coffee to die for. Definitely worth five stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the...

We had a delightful old fashioned meal here. Welsh Rarebit with egg and bacon!

Very poor jacket potato had to go back to kitchen as it was very hard on return still hard in places and filling poor,so will not return.

We were in lunchtime today I had a coronation chicken jacket the potato was so hard and had to go back to the kitchen,on return still hard in places and filling poor in size,so will not come back

Very very tasty breakfast. One of the best lattes ever had, really hot. Lovely staff. Beautiful old building.

Very friendly staff and great food.

We had lunch here which was lovely. Pate was excellent. My friend had avacado with prawns. Prompt service and nice atmosphere. Reasonably priced too.

We love the food and the ambience at The Lemon Tree. Our son who has learning difficulties and Autism, enjoys eating here.

Friendly service, interesting food, reasonably priced.

What a delightful place! It seems steeped with history. Very olde, rustic place. Clean, almost cosy, too. The kinda place where you feel instantly relaxed. Friendly staff. We stopped for brunch. All of which was delicious, well cooked & presented. The prices were very keen too. I'm glad we went in.

Every visit is the same experience. The cooked breakfast is basically a plate of baked beans with breakfast items added so beans dominate the breakfast. Why not serve the beans in a side dish. The sausages are cooked/heated to remove all moisture leaving the customer...

Quaint and quirky cafe in a beautiful historic building on the High Street. Really friendly and helpful staff, with a wide ranging menu. My poached eggs were a touch overdone and the toast a bit thin, so have knocked a star off. Lots of regulars suggests its a winner.

A wonderful place to spend a lunch break. Very friendly staff. Food is nicely presented with good portion sizes.

Dried up food, bench seat with no backrest, vista overlooking a service road, took three attempts to pay the bill as had to wait 10 minutes for chef to get off the phone before card machine would work!

Was seated immediately, food arrived quickly. Plenty of choice on menu at reasonable prices

Had a Sunday roast with family. Generally wasn’t very good. Portion size was small, meats were dry and the veggies were well over cooked. Yorkshire pudding was the flattest thing I’ve ever seen and it was only when we finished our meal did we realise...

A very good full or mini English Breakfast, including other choices plus a coffee refill, service good and staff polite .

This was our first visit to the Lemon tree. We had a full Monty breakfast and a mini Monty breakfast, I was able to swap the fried egg for a poached egg. Food was plentiful, hot, fresh, good quality and very tasty. Service was very...

Unfortunately, whilst the coffee was excellent, the tea cakes were the driest we have ever experienced..........so its probably just as well that they were also some of the smallest we have ever come across

From the moment we stepped into this beautiful 15th century building we were offered seats to dine straight away. It was cosy but not cramped and the proprietor was extremely helpful, friendly and attentive. The four of us ordered several different meals and we were...

Had a lovely breakfast just before lunch Staff are very friendly and helpful Nice pot of tea and comes hot

In planning this week-long trip to Sussex and Kent, we had decided to stop for lunch at Tenterden because of nearby National Trust properties we may have visited and also a famous local winery that we had arranged to visit. We reserved a table at...

Good food, reasonably priced. Service good. Particularly enjoyed the hot drink and half dessert option for pudding

Great service and lovely food is the norm for this restaurant

Have had lunch here now a few times and would thoroughly recommend it. Great food selection.

Visited with a party yesterday lunch time. The service was excellent. Had like warm fish and soggy chips. Plus two pints of pricey Doom Bar. Pudding was fine. My wife and I both used the stinking toilets. I am amazed they had not had them...

On the beautiful Tenterden high st,excellent food ,lovely staff,good variety on the drinks menu,have used this restaurant quite a few times now,and will do again

Came here with my boyfriend about a week ago. Food was ok nothing special, I had the scramble egg, but it was so creamy and had no flavour at all, toast was nice as it already comes buttered. My boyfriend got the 'monty breakfast' and asked for no beans as he really can't stand them, but it came with baked beans! The waitress said she asked for no beans, so I think some miscommunication there. The tea was weak, tasted like hot water. It wasn't really that busy either. There was dusty windowsills and dead flies, which was disgusting. Wouldn't come here again.

The Lemon tree brunch is great value and the bacon and sausage are delicious have now been twice and can thoroughly recommend. All the meals I saw on other tables looked great too. Sadly I can't take this restaurant back to Australia with me 😭. The only criticism I can add is please give your staff badges with names on them it would be lovely to call them by name 🥰.

Really enjoyed our lunch. Would definitely have lunch here again.

Nice food, friendly and efficient service. Banoffee is my go to dessert everytime.

Great mini monty beautiful food hot and very tasty. Lovely bacon can't recommend more highly. Staff and service excellent thankyou Steve and team

Took our friend to Tenterden for breakfast to celebrate her birthday. Went to the Lemon Tree. We were shown to a table right at the back of the restaurant. We were told that we couldn't have breakfast because we were behind 16 other people which would take us past the cut off time for breakfasts. We were then told we could have lunch instead but would have to wait for 45 minutes to get served. He didn't bother to ask if we wanted drinks, he just walked off. This man was not welcoming in any way at all. He didn't smile and was not apologetic about our potential wait. We sat there watching everyone else eat for around 5 minutes before walking out. The man's customer service skills are woefully lacking. We won't be going back to the Lemon Tree any time soon. Do yourself a favour and go to the Savannah instead. Very welcoming and good food. 😁

Traditional British food with great home made cakes. Loved the historic house! Worth coming to experience the old-fashioned British dining. Would definitely visit again.