The Square Fish Cafe in Maidstone

We called in here while we were out cycling in the area, food was as good as always, drinks were a bit slow in being served, not normally like that.

I am local and this restaurant has always been a family and friends go to. This was our first visit after a change of chef and sadly the food presentation and cooking was not up to the same standard. Vegetable accompaniment a strange mixture of fresh and frozen cooked unevenly, over salted and full of oil. Service pleasant but inconsistent and not attentive, didn't enquire if we enjoyed the meal. Very disappointed.

Spot on! Staff attentive , food was good and catered well for a table of 13. No rushing 10/10 Perfect evening and was a mega experience to dine here

Wonderful little gem in the beautiful village of Lehman Kent. Staff bent over backwards to help, food was absolutely delicious and the decor and atmosphere is amazing. Had a fabulous evening and will definitely go again!

We come here for a meal because saw it was open next the fish and chip shop it was stunning we had cheddar cheese and broccoli soup fresh hot rolls for starter then I had a mushroom risotto so creamy and tasty would recommend this place to others with a visit open lunch and evenings not Mondays but can taste the fresh food not some places that cook in microwaves or packs. Makes a change to find a place that does real food. Also dress code I was worried but all was good I was shorts and hoodie but they did not mind.

Brought our friends here for lunch on our recommendation as they’re fish lovers. We all had either Cod or Scampi and Chips and all agreed it was amongst the best we’ve had. Portions are generous and the quality and cooking was fantastic. We’ll definitely be back 👍🏼

We have been to The Square Chequers Lenham Fish bar Cafe for a birthday dinner. The environment, service and food was absolutely AMAZING! Huge well done to the CHEF . We definitely will come back again !

The best fried bread of all time ever. Crisp, tasty and utterly delicious.

Another excellent meal at The square fish, we have been here often and never been disappointed. When we visit Lenham we always book as it is such a delicious meal and the staff are so friendly ! Definitely 5⭐️ from us !!

Went to Stalagluft 3, Colditz and Dresden with Tripsmiths. Guide was Guy Walters who was excellent and very knowledgable. Our tour manager,..Susie, was brilliant, organised everything so well. Highly recommended. Only downside was the outbound security queues at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Suggest that this airport be avoided in the future.

Delicious menu!! Restaurant has lovely decor too. Friendly service. Set in gorgeous little village. Parking easy. Would def go back!!

Over a year ago I reviewed this cafe and we have been back two or three times since. We visited again last night and it is still a fabulous fish restaurant. Friends and we, my husband and I, had a wonderful meal with my plaice so fresh it could have still been flapping. Excellent oysters to start. The chef owner is French and like many French he is clearly passionate about his food and creates beautiful dishes which complement the fish rather than over-power it. This restaurant is a gem of Kent. Because of the nature of obtaining fresh fish, menu items may not always be available - but anyone who appreciates fresh ingredients and excellent cooking will love it. Don't wait, go asap.

Fine food and Issues Decided to visit as the reviews were mainly great. Arrived to find it looked ten minutes after due to be open. They were just opening the door. I went in and quickly used the toilet, not flushed by last person that used it! It's a well laid out, well decorated restaurant. I chose the Escargots as my starter, well cooked with a very small amount of sauce sadly no tongs to hold the shell. They were 6 very nice molluscs. The main was an absolutely sensational tasty seafood salad. Interesting dressing on a generous variety of sea food and nice salad. I had ordered a lime and soda, it transpired they had no lime so someone went out to buy some and could only get lemon, which was ok. When it came to the desert I liked the idea of four of them but ordered the lemon tart. A few minutes later the lady running front of house (I later discovered it was her first day in post!!) Returned hugely apologetic telling me sadly they had no lemon tart. I chose the cherry clafouti and a few minutes later the young lady came back devastated to tell me they had none of that either! I eventually had a brownie, which she didn't charge me for. Must confess it didn't excite and the supplied ice cream was quite crystallised as if it had been refrozen. The table next to me were told they had no more Escargot, so clearly they opened with only one portion available. Front of house was good, 2/3 of the food I had was great but clearly someone needs to sort out the kitchen too many problems to give customers confidence of availability. Was it worth the trip? Oh yes but they have some serious organisational issues to resolve.

Decided to visit as the reviews were mainly great. Arrived to find it looked ten minutes after due to be open. They were just opening the door. I went in and quickly used the toilet, not flushed by last person that used it! It's a well laid out, well decorated restaurant. I chose the Escargots as my starter, well cooked with a very small amount of sauce sadly no tongs to hold the shell. They were 6 very nice molluscs. The main was an absolutely sensational tasty seafood salad. Interesting dressing on a generous variety of sea food and nice salad. I had ordered a lime and soda, it transpired They had no lime so someone went out to buy some and could only get lemon, which was ok. When it came to the desert I liked the idea of four of them but ordered the lemon tart. A few minutes later the lady running front of house (I later discovered it was her first day in post!!) Returned hugely apologetic telling me sadly they had no lemon tart. I chose the cherry clafouti and a few minutes later the young lady came back devastated to tell me they had none of that either! I eventually had a brownie, which she didn't charge me for. Must confess it didn't excite and the supplied ice cream was quite crystallised as if it had been refrozen. The table next to me were told they had no more Escargot, so clearly they opened with only one portion available. Front if house were good, 2/3 of the food I had was great but clearly someone needs to sort out the kitchen too many problems to give customers confidence of availability. Was it worth the trip? Oh yes but they have some serious organisational issues to resolve.

Amazing food, brilliant staff. We will definitely be returning.

Such a wonderful restaurant. Service was fantastic, restaurant was extremely clean and well presented but the food was out of this world! Can't wait to return.

Another amazing seafood meal at the Square Fish!! Lovely relaxed atmosphere, very attentive service, without being bothersome. I thought I had my meal choices nailed before I got there, then, I spotted the specials board!!! I notice the bar has grown somw since my last visi, pity it was my turn to drive. But, parking was spot on, right outside.

Excellent food, outstanding customer service, even the Chef came to each table to get the reaction of the diners ! Superb experience,...highly recommended.

Been many times and always had beautiful food , went there today and the food was terrible. The service was even worse , the prices have gone and to top it all you get about 8 chips if you’re lucky. The fish was always fresh here now it’s just like any other fish shop with the price a tag ! Very disappointed!! Will not be returning .

We made a last minute booking for my birthday here last night. Dinner was amazing, the platter is better than what I had at Rick Stein Cornwall. The family had fish and chips, a variety was offered and my children loved that the batter was very light. I had a great meal and thanks for being highlight of my weekend

Love this place. Fantastic fish and chips

Superb Hake and Monkfish followed by Tart Tatin and Clafoutis. Highly recomended Nice atmosphere, good service, and an interesting selection of meals to be tried next time.

We went out for a random drive a couple of nights ago and ended up in this village looking for a place to eat. Found this restaurant and was really impressed. Incredibly friendly service from a waitress with dark/orange/red hair (we didn’t catch her name). The food was really high quality and the price was very fair for the quality of the whole experience. We sat in a large open patio door they have looking over the church. Really enjoyed our evening and would highly recommend.

Should have been good, but wasn't. The lobster soup was over complex so that the lobster flavour was quite overwhelmed. There was a lobster flavour, but no discernible trace of lobster flesh, and the spices were strangely inappropriate. Cod is a wonderful fish, but not when poached in a thick, heavy batter. I particularly objected by being asked by the waiter if I wanted to add a percentage to the bill for service. I might have done so without being asked. To ask in that way was impertinent.

Goed gegeten. Vis (zalm) was lekker en er was zorg besteed aan de presentatie van de borden. Setting was modern en licht.

Very small lobster for the price, very miserable waitress, not a very good experience at all, would not dine there again.

Great food and service . We had Oysters, crab, hake, chilli prawns, seafood linguine and salmon poke bowl. All were fantastic . Lovely French Lillet cocktail too. Always nice to see chef come out to see if we were happy. Local seafood cooked to perfection , what’s not to like.

Excellent !! Lunch with girlfriends. Staff friendly and professional ( even had visit from the chef) Beautiful cocktail - recommend The Hugo Had scrumptious scallops to start followed by fresh crab with a great dressed salad and real crispy/fluffy chips No room for dessert but my friends enjoyed a honeycomb cheesecake and a lemon tart

Loved the restaurant. Treated impeccably well and the food was just amazing. Thank you so much.

Great french chef cooking superb fish dishes including lobster, plaice, cod rock mussels, skate.Good selection of reasonably priced wines..Friendly service.Recommended .

Had just been on an extended holiday in France eating gorgeous seafood, then came here for my sister’s wedding anniversary. It was SUPERB. Between us we had oysters, calamari, scallop linguine, hake and monkfish. Every dish was excellent and beautifully presented. They also have a very good wine list. What a gem of a place - very highly recommended

Brilliant meal as always! Lovely and polite service with great food. They go hand in hand! Great value for money! We shall be back!

Amazing food. Daughter was in heaven with the seafood platter!

Been here twice now. Fantastic sea food very fresh and impeccable service . Highly recommended!

Been there few times before but as well booked a table for my partner's birthday. Staff is always very accommodating and nothing is ever too much. Every meal and drink was a pleasure, scallops and moules were to die for! Amazing service and great chef - hats off to Fabien, had a lovely chat and ensured we enjoyed our meal. Big thank you, we'll be back!

Been herd many times before but the service and food was not up to it's usual standard. Chips were stone cold.

Amazing food. Two shared the seafood platter, one had fish and chips, another had the crab and lastly I had the scallop linguine. All the seafood was cooked to perfection. The staff were friendly and helpful. The chef came out for a chat and was...

Being local we have always valued having The Square Fish on our doorstep. Our whole family have been regular customers for the last 3 years and have had many splendid meals here and recommended it to others. The wine was always very reasonably priced, the food was delicious and the waiting staff were brilliant. However our recent visit will be our last. We decided to go there for a late lunch on a Sunday. It said online that the restaurant was open until 6.00. We rang and were told that they were actually closing at 4.00 so the last table available was at 2.30. As we arrived the only other customers were leaving. The waitress was not someone we recognised and she was abrasive from the start, telling us that we had to be gone by 4.00. She gave us menus and when I asked for the wine list she said ‘I am the wine list, do you want red, white or rosé?’ We asked for the Chapel Down sparkling Bacchus that we usually had and were told that they didn’t do that any more. We then asked for our usual rosé and again were told that they didn’t sell it. We then chose white and she offered us 2 named choices. We had to chose one, even though we had no information about it or even the price. We tried asking questions and were given curt answers as we were obviously annoying her. We asked for tap water as well. She bought us 3 glasses of wine, as apparently they don’t serve bottles now! Also a bottle of overpriced sparkling water. We should have just left then but as our daughter was treating us and we were hoping to have a relaxing time, we stayed. On looking at the menus we couldn’t believe how much the prices had gone up. We weren’t prepared for this as there are no prices on their website now ( or a wine list) Obviously things are pricier now with inflation, but £39 for a steak served with mashed potato is very pricey for a village restaurant. The food was ok, but the whole atmosphere was awful. As soon as we finished our starter our mains were put down in front of us and we all felt like we were being rushed. By 3.30 we were finished and given the bill. We all felt that we were being dismissed by the over bearing waitress and left asap. I felt sorry for my daughter who had to pay for the whole thing. I’ve read some of the other reviews on here and it seems that we are not alone in feeling very disappointed that this local gem has priced itself out, as a choice for local people and combined with the terrible service we’ll have to find a new favourite place to go.

Not cheap but totally worth it! Really delicious food served by friendly and knowledgeable staff in nice surroundings.

Not cheap but totally worth it! Really delicious food served by friendly and knowledgeable staff in a nice place. Relaxed dining with a great selection of seafood and other dishes on offer. Looking forward to going back!

We have eaten here a few times recently which have all been 5* experiences but the most recent was absolutely superb. I had the skate wing which was without a doubt the best I have ever had without doubt! It was fresh, so flavoursome and...

Went on valentine's day,the service was terrible,food 5/10.

Sat in the restaurant section and had superb fish and chips. Host Fiona was great and kitchen staff too. Really good atmosphere but trad fish and chips plus sticky toffee pudding was just fantastic.

Perfect food and most welcoming Fiona and the chef

Absolutely gorgeous food cooked to perfection! This place is a hidden gem!

It was a spur of the moment decision to have dinner at the fish restaurant, and we made the right decision, The seafood sharing platter was amazing, enough for 3 people, and we had the seafood linguine, was also very delicious, all wash down with...

Fabulous food .lovely friendly staff .will definitely visit again

Visited with friends for an evening meal. Slight issue with front of house which was dealt with at the time and it did not detract from the extremely tasty food and the wonderful attentiveness of Chef Fabien. Looking forward to tasting more flavoursome food soon

Food here is great and Chef Fabien makes sure every visit is memorable.

My friend and I had high hopes for this restaurant, given the previous reviews, and both love fish restaurants.. it seemed busy when we arrived which we took as a good sign on a Tuesday evening.. We ordered the small shellfish sharing platter to start,...

One of if not the best fish and chips I have ever had. We all had the Haddock and they were enormous with wonderful batter and clearly very fresh. Friendly and professional service too. We will be back.

Just what’s gone wrong at the Square Fish? Always our recommended go-to choice for friends and family, this has long been our preferred seafood destination in deepest, darkest Kent. But based on the fish dishes served on our latest visit, the poor plaice is forlornly...

Brilliant service from the two ladies in the front house, they were absolutely amazing, kind, well mannered, professional. Our main was the seafood platter £60. Some of the fish was clearly frozen, overcooked, bland, and we found a clams that was full of black slime...

Brilliant service from the two ladies in the front house, they were absolutely amazing, kind, well mannered, professional. Our main was the seafood platter £60. Some of the fish was clearly frozen, overcooked, bland, and we found a clams that was full of black slime inside, it was off! The fish platter included coquilles st jacques, these were missing, so we asked for it. 5 minutes later we have received 4 scallops cooked in butter inside a ramekin, definitely missing the shell, mash, shallots, wine, Gruyère cheese etc.... the chef came asking how was the meal and very politely we told him that the fish was overcooked. He got a bit mental, shouted that he was on his own in the kitchen and blabbing on about the teacher's strike. When we questioned the coquilles st jacques he said that there was no point in serving it in the shell as people put it in the bin (I would have agreed if on the menu he just put scallops and not coquilles st jacques and used all the same ingredients, but served on a plate, but he just served frozen scallop coocked in butter) He told us not to pay that he would pay from his own pockets, at that point he was getting really agitated, I did not want to make a scene and I told him not to worry, he stormed off as if everything was our fault. We got presented for the full bill, not even a gesture of a discount or an apology. Hospitality is an art, and clearly this place should not be in the industry unless they fire the crazy, aggressive, untalented and rude chef. I will never go there again and will also make sure my friends will have my full opinion on this place. If they would have offered a compensation or the chef simply apologised I would have given another try, but it is not worth. Good job to the 2 Waitresses they were amazing.

Fine seafood cuisine here and great light decor. Bit of confusion over risotto and paella, and what seafood constitutes, but lovely all the same.

To celebrate our anniversary, my wife Jane & I booked lunch at the Square Fish cafe, being tempted by the seafood platter on the menu. We'd not been before but found the restaurant very pleasant, with a lovely view over the village church & pleasing decor. The staff were friendly & efficient, the menu varied & with a wine list not too expensive. Service was prompt & the platter did not disappoint, with a lovely selection of lobster, crab, langoustine, clams, crevette & mussels. Certainly will be going again & thoroughly recommend the Square Fish cafe.

Delicious carefully prepared food. Friendly attentive service. A great warming escape from the wintry rain and chill outside.

Doubly disappointed. Was so looking forward to this after reading reviews and menu. 1st disappointment was that the seafood platter was not available.. due to lack of ingredients (a shame but understandable as between Christmas and New Year). 2nd disappointment was the halibut loin main course, that was VERY overcooked... dry and tough. I asked for it to be recooked.. the 2nd one was better but still overcooked and dry. For a £30 dish youd expect the food to be cooked correctly. I was close to asking for it to be recooked again but didn't want to embarras my fellow diners. The rest of the food (mussels, gluten free fish and chips, scampi and beef bourguignon) was good but the overwhelming feeling was disappointment. If you go, maybe better to check what's available when you book.

Was looking forward to our 1st visit, but we left last night disappointed. My meal was good (not outstanding - I've had better seafood meals), but my wife's main (turbot) was very poor. On reflection we should have sent it back. We did pass on our feedback at the end of our meal, but felt the staff could have responded better beyond an apology (a £30 main dish needs to be much better).

Incredible culinary experience for the palate and the eyes . A really good tasting menu full of flavour and presented perfectly on the plate - Caviar starter of excellent quality followed by entrée of perfectly cooked king scallops with a truffle slice. After that came...

Lovely food and atmosphere. Not Bushey but great place for a bit of a treat

Menu is varied without being over large. Beautifully cooked and presented. Good wine pairings. Never had a bad meal here, I'm a regular

I was lucky enough to have two meals at The Square this week, both were wonderful. The service is warm, friendly and efficient. The new menu is great, the Turbot was very fresh and was delicious. My other half had the steak with truffle mash, just gorgeous and again, perfectly cooked. My absolute favourite though was the Lobster Veloute Soup, beautifully smooth and full of flavour. The portions are generous (although I could never get enough of that soup!) It's great that there is a range of options to suit depending on how flush you're feeling. The mussels, small and sweet, are always good and a bargain. Thank you for a wonderful meal, I'll be back again soon!

Over priced, starter and pudding were lovely , but sadly main dish was tasteless and very little on the plate, and barely warm. Not sure if I’d return

Excellent fish and chips. Crisp, thin batter on the fish. Good chips. Homemade,very tasty tartare. Huge portions. Great pot of tea.

Delicious food in nice restaurant. Large cod and chips is a lot of food!

Where do I start ? Well, from the minute you walk in you are welcomed with a friendly smile and it gave you a good feeling about this place. The staff were very efficient and professional. It made things very relaxing when ordering. The café is modern and had a good atmosphere. Anyway let's talk about the food, The Seafood Platter was absolutely delicious, lobster, crab, oysters, king prawns, mussels, clams, with a green salad and petite rolls. Everything was amazing, freshness, taste, it's a 10/10 from me and I'll definitely be back! A big thank you to the chef Alex who did an amazing job and had all his dishes coming out looking and tasting brilliant.

Best ever. Very friendly presentation superb. Cant wait to go again

Had a delicious lunch (dinner) here. There wasn't as wide a selection of meals as offered by some larger restaurants but it was still varied enough to meet the tastes of the four of us. My in-laws shared a reasonably priced whole wild sea bass platter that was absolutely huge. There was probably enough fish for all of us! I had a very tasty hake and my partner enjoyed her calimari. Our waitress was very polite and friendly and made us feel welcome. The restaurant was quite small but didn't feel cramped and had a lovely outlook across the square. If you're in Lenham and in need of sustenance, I would recommend this place.

Situated in the village square, the interior was light and airy. More upmarket than your average 'eat in fish bar' but not too fancy. The calamari starter was fresh and tasty with a decent fresh salad. The wine by the glass was also good and...

Eingebettet im mittelalterlichen Ortskern von Lenham befindet sich dieses Fischrestaurant, stylisch und modern eingerichtet mit hervorragender Küche. Die Speisekarte klein, aber mit ausgewählten leckeren Gerichten. Die Austern waren erstklassig, Geschmack und Größe perfekt. Der Lachs auf köstlichem Karottenpürree mit raffinierten Saucen und knackigem Gemüse angerichtet. Dazu ein trockener Weißwein. Zum Abschluß Chocolate Profiterole. Das alles zubereitet von einem leidenschaftlichen Koch...Mehr braucht es nicht für einen wunderschönen Abend.

Very clean, bright and nicely decorated. Service was immaculate. I recommend this to anyone who likes freshly prepared seafood (the oysters were superb). We'll be going back to try the fish and chips!

We LOVE eating here, fantastic quality food, always fresh seafood. Staff are great!! 100% try the scallops and lobster 🥂❤️

Very good fish restaurant with varied menu from fish shop favourites to much more sophisticated fish dishes. Beautifully presented and cooked. We have been more than once. Very friendly staff

Had a lovely dinner it was my wife's birthday a treat from our eldest son .the mussels where fantastic as was the rest of the meal .would recommend this place .we will be back

Really lovely restaurant. Very relaxed with great customer service. The food was delicious. Lobster and chips...my absolute favourite! Lots of choice for all budgets.

Great meal for 4. Fantastic quality of food and fresh. we all very much enjoyed it. Service was great too would definitely come again. Thank you to all for today

Very fresh & good quality food! Everyone enjoyed it. Massive thank you to the head cheff and the staff. Lovely place. Would definitely come back. Very happy with everything

Having visited café’s in Lenham recently we spotted the fish restaurant. And what a find , a restaurant with a lovely ambience and fantastic food. Friday night and we needed to book, the service was spot on, even though it was busy. Not your usual...

Really good service. Staff so friendly. It was our anniversary and we got free Prosecco. The food was unreal Calamari that wasn't chewy was a first too.

This was a third visit, and we were not disappointed. Everything was up to the customary standard, and our guest, who has rather restrictive dietary requirements was very complementary.

Came to celebrate my birthday with my husband. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left we couldn't fault the service. We had 3 courses plus oysters, and the food matched the service and then some. There was a great selection of...

Excellent food and extremely friendly, highly recommendable. Thank you!

A beautiful restaurant, with a great atmosphere. Staff were polite and naturally friendly and the food just could not be faulted. Can't wait to go back there.

Food was amazing, squid was perfect I had never had it cooked this way before as restraunts usually ruin the squid by battering/bread crumbing the squid. Mains were perfect with the stone bass being delightful and the monkfish curry also being amazing. The Chef Fabien...

Great meal, lovely atmosphere inside it feels like your on holiday! The mussels were lovely, bigger mussels than anywhere else and nice big portion!

Vi är torsk fish chips, smakade bra.

Posh fishnchips or fine dine menu. Best of everything. Wonderful staff, good choice of drinks. Good views.Good value.👍

First time visitors to the square fish and we went for dinner. On arrival greeted and taken to our table both front of house team where attentive and friendly. The ambience of the restaurant was very nice and we over looked the church giving a...

We chose from the standard fish and chop menu , and wasn't disappointed. I had haddock, while my friend had the cod . Both served with a huge amount of chios and a bowl of mushy peas . The lady who served us was very polite, she appeared to be the only front of house member of staff balanced the bar , greeting guests and waitressing with ease . Would visit again and try the more 'seafood' side of the menu.

Based on the website overview we went expecting a "bistro style" fish restaurant. However, what we went to was really a very nice fish & chips eaterie. For starters we had the squid, tiny and dry and scallops, good size but not seasoned . Mains...

Lovely staff, good food, great atmosphere and prices are not too bad,

Excellent fish and chips, lovely fluffy crisp chips. But v poorly executed seafood linguine, greasy on the Paket and bland. A great shame because it contained a good mix of seafood n great quality squid. We weren’t asked if we enjoyed the meal despite my plate being half full at the end of the meal. Our shared starter was nice/unusual flavours, my husband loved it. Would go back for fish and chips. Also items off menu despite it being a very early seating.

Visited as part of large group (19 of us). I very much enjoyed French onion soup followed by the cod loin with confit potatoes. Looking forward to a return visit for what looked to be excellent fish and chips or maybe something from the tempting...

and great staff, nothing was too much trouble. Food delicious. We ate both seafood and meat - cod loin went down a treat! Only reason it did not get a 5 star was slightly slow service - was an hour between order and our main...

The food took quite a while to be ready. It seemed like they were short on staff so the waiters would take a while to get even an appetizer to your front. The food was a bit bland in my opinion. It needed a lot more spice. I asked foe food to be very peppery and I could barely feel any heat. That was a bit disappointing for me

We went as a group of five, with the in-laws as a treat (as I'd looked the place up on this very site). First off, the staff were friendly and not obtrusive but were there when you needed them. Fabien the head chef was awesome....

Wonderful food and very pleasant staff. We had a platter for two and it was wonderful. Highly recommended.

Expensive for what you get. I had rock and way to much batter. Service was good though.

Stunning food amazing staff and a very talented chef