The Swan and Dog in Ashford - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Nice pub, good atmosphere dreadful food. Skate was very overcooked and not the freshest, new potatoes were burnt black and inedible and the ‘popcorn’ capers were just burnt capers. Fish and chips, catering oven chips stale fish and unpleasant batter. We will never go there again they need to get a new chef!

Popped in for lunch yesterday and greeted warmly. Decided to eat outside in the sunshine which was lovely. Tables were clean and although ashtray on table were covered for non - smokers. Good choice on the menu to suit everyone and liked the small plates option for those with a smaller appetite. Currently have a buy one get one free on cocktails and sampled some excellent margaritas made freshly and not from a pump 👍 Service was excellent and nothing too much trouble - would definitely recommend from our experience that we had.

Visited this Pub twice during our stay at a local excellent Air B n B. Pub was chosen as it was within walking distance of the accommodation. Good and enjoyable meal taken two evenings. Staff were very friendly and welcoming and the food was plentiful and tasty. Thank you.

Booked online in advance. In the notes I did ask for 2 roast chicken as we do not like any other meat. When we arrived at 3pm we did ask if they had kept 2 chicken roasts back for us. They said they did have chicken left but they had not read my message about keeping 2 back. They said they don't do that. Well beware of this because if you do book in advance and you have someone in your group that only likes chicken then they could be disappointed. I do think they should have read the online booking and rang me back explaining that they do not hold any meats back. We would have found somewhere else to go. Anyway the roast was £17.95. It was a lovely dinner. Only 3 roast potatoes but we asked for another portion and they kindly obliged.

Nice atmosphere and friendly capable staff. Wines were reasonably priced. My one wish is that they didn't have so many Mexican dishes on the menu and provided a few more traditional pub meals.

Our hopes were high, but we were disapointed. Food ws OK-ish, large portions masking indifferent and clumsy cooking. Pork loin was enourmous , but lacked flavour; I'm guessing it had been frozen for some time. Skate wing was very over-cooked with a ham-fisted greasy sauce. Something suspicious about the chips, under-cooked yet crispy.Beer choice very restricted (as is often the case in Shepherd Neame places), but what came was OK.Service unfortunatly was poor. Lots of hand waving to get any attention. I appreciate the difficulty, but asking bar staff to wait at table rarely works

Had the most wonderful time at The Swan & Dog this Saturday, despite the restaurant being fully packed, social distancing measures were still well enforced and not once did I feel any one was too close, even the staff took as many measures as possible to ensure there was minimal contact. I had the Barbie burger and my wife had the Bombay soy burger although she did struggle to pick from the excellent selection of veggie food. It was cooked perfectly although my only critique would be that there was so much food! I'm not a fan of leaving food but a few chips may have been left on my plate. We shall definitely returning, I have my eyes on that Eton Mess cheesecake.

Shown promptly to seats and served to perfection. Very happy with food and had a magical experience.

I've said good food because it is, but not very good as far as I'm concerned. I don't know why this type of restaurant uses frozen chips? Cook fresh, it doesn't take long and makes a huge difference to a meal. Service and staff were great. Pretty good value for money. Will visit again.

Came in for a drink and ended up staying for food, which is unlike us, hubby then ordered a steak which I always grimace at because he’s so fussy how it’s cooked (rare) but no complaints, great food, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff, will definitely be back!

We went out for a long overdue romantic meal we booked previously they couldn’t find our reservation we were placed right in the middle of the restaurant not romantic at all then I decided to have a Crocker which stated slow cooked beef to tenderise with pepper, onions tomato and chilli served on a bed of rice topped with cheese what I actually got was chilli con carne but I hate minced beef not a happy bunny and on top of that my other half steak was dried for nearly a month and was so dry after cooking medium needed a whole peppercorn sauce to swallow.

What a fantastic pub! No and her team were outstanding! And the steak was beautiful! I will be back here as soon as I can!

The staff and manager are wonderful! These guys know how to serve great food and quality service. The steaks were perfect and the beers and ales are well kept. Could not ask for more. Thank you Ronan

Visited at lunchtime with 3 other friends. The service was brilliant very friendly staff. The food was top notch and very good value for money. I would certainly visit again and highly recommend it.

After a visit in Tenterden, we dropped by Sean and Dog for drinks and food 🥘 ordered burgers and ciders! Enjoyed the outside sitting

Great food best 3 courses Iv ever had can't wait to come back and a lovely waitress, Defo recommend x

Another excellent meal at this pub , the food and service are superb and all staff were friendly and helpful, highly recommended

We were here for the last day of the eat out to help out scheme and we are really glad we went. We had a dog with us and were seated in the bar area. The waitress serving us was really lovely and very taken with our dog. As well as the main menu they had a couple of specials including lobster with chips which I had to go for. My husband had one of the steaks and my daughter went for one of the burgers. All the food was fantastic, particularly the lobster. The portions were great and the value was also pretty good. We will be back for sure.

Still one of the best pubs in the area for food, never lets us or anyone we know down. The food is consistently high standard, no matter what you eat, and the staff are all fabulous.Only thing in my opinion that lets this palce down is the toilet roll is not in a holder but on the floor or balanced on the sanitary dispenser which is awkward and unattractive.

Our local pub, have been here many times and always lovely food and really great service. Favourites include crockpot chilli and nachos. Dogs welcome and allowed in the garden. Highly recommended!

Visited for lunch. Loved it. Food was was excellent with large portions. Desserts were amazing! Our waitress was excellent, natural and funny. I'm sorry I didn't get her name but she felt she would be happier in the Arctic due to her hair colour!

First time but great ! Booked a table for four it is a great place, family friendly great food and service

The food is fine and the beer is excellent. Great choice of ales. The staff are great, friendly and helpful. Great atmosphere.

A good menu, fine food and welcoming, polite staff. A joy to visit, at a time when other, less inviting establishments are closed.

Lovely lunch, well presented and delicious food. Nice ambiance in the pub. A restaurant and a bar. There is outside seating and a car park at the rear.

We booked a table after recommendations from friends & family.The main part of the pub still has a 'village pub' feel to it, and certainly looks like a lot of locals still use it. The restaurant is 'modern rustic'......! Plenty of room at our table for four, well lit but not too-well lit, and was busy without being chaotic, which is always a good sign.Food was well cooked, with lots of it. The staff were efficient but not pushy. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and will certainly go again. Recommended.

Nice pub, good ambiance, and great food menu - huge selection so there's something for everyone. Have eaten here a few times and have always enjoyed it. The staff are lovely, there's a very welcoming atmosphere.

Lovely food and nice pub but the staff should really put a smile on their faces and want to be there! Went to pay and she said nothing to me, just took my money and walked away. Other than that the food is excellent.

Yet again had a fabulous lunch yesterday. JOand her staff always make us feel.so welcome. The food as usual was gorgeous. Thank you loved it.

Very busy pub. Can understand why. Superb roast meat. Excellent not overcooked vegetables.Hearty portions. Staff quick and friendly.Catered for one of our party who was vegetarian. Another of us was on a no sugar, no carbohydrates diet.Very helpfully suggested what to choose. Only thing I didn’t like was the noise and how busy it was. However it’s a price I’m prepared to pay for the great food.

Really great service, food was fast but wasn't the best meal. Manager dealt with the problems really well. Will definitely try again, hopefully just an off day.

Well kept beer, excellent pub food (particularly enjoyed beef stilton &port pie: v. good meat to pastry ratio and absolutely bursting with flavour; also excellent burger). Staff were a delight. We were made to feel really welcome ... as was our dog. Such a pleasant experience. Thank you. And within 22 mins of Channel Tunnel! We'll be back.

Had the best start to 2020 after choosing to dine here. The manager has a personal touch and every member of staff that served us are so helpful and friendly. The fajitas were exceptional! Highly recommend a visit!

We were a three generation family group of six here for Sunday lunch. The pub was busy but the service was good, portions large, food delicious. We felt at home with two young children - a relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely eat here again.

Came with family and had the full rack of ribs. Amazing! Service was good, staff were friendly and the wait time was not too long. Portion size is great.

About 12 of us went out on our Christmas get together. Wow, what a venue. The atmosphere was fantastic, the staff were fantastic, the food was fantastic and we had a great night - thank you. Will definately be back and can recommend very, very highly!

Nice place and the food was lovely, as were the majority of the staff :) The only thing that tainted our visit was the attitude of the barman, who was rude, sarcastic and made us feel extremely unwelcome.

This is the first time and will certainly not be the last as, from beginning to end, we had what must be one of the best Sunday lunches we have ever had. We were a petty of 4. Two enjoyed the special Sunday Roast menu. Tender lamb, a number of varied and numerous freshly cooked vegetables and better Yorkshire puddings than your mother ever made. I enjoyed amazing sea bass - superb

Eaten here many times, but came mid week with a group of friends and the service was soooooo slow with young waiting staff that wished they wern`t there, goodness knows what it will be like for Christmas lunches, I won`t be coming back.

Lovely location just away from the main bustle of Ashford in Kent.

Pleasant staff and friendly atmosphere- Ordered scampi and chips.(generous portion, good quality food and really nice) Menu is reasonably priced and shall be returning

Whilst visiting my mum in the William Harvey hospital over the past month we have been looking for decent pubs to have a meal after our visit. This pub was recommended, by a waitress when we had called in to The Old Mill last Sunday only to find a limited menu due to the extractors in the kitchen having broken down, although we still ate at The Old Mill on Sunday we decided to try The Swan and Dog on the Tuesday evening. We were surprised at how busy it was for a Tuesday and couldn’t get a parking place in the car park, however we were able to park in the road. We were offered a very nice table in the bar area with our Welsh Springer who was also made to feel welcome. The staff were all very friendly and professional and the food was equally as good, we liked the decor and the toilets were clean. I would recommend this pub.

Lovely scenic pub, with good food.

We were directed to this pub by the receptionist at our hotel in Ashford when we asked for somewhere nice to eat on our Anniversary. The pub is a nice little place with a menu that was a bit busy for me. Almost everything had quite a list of ingredients, accompanying bits and bobs and sauces. Some would have sounded more inviting if they'd been simpler and fresher sounding. The veg choices consisted of green beans lyonnaise or creamed spinach neither of which appealed so I plumped for a steak and asked to replace the faffy sides with a salad which they were happy to do. We weren't offered any condiments. The food was nice, well cooked but nothing special for the price compared to other good gastro pubs we have eaten at. The service was slightly erratic but ok. The oddest thing was that the entire ceiling of the restaurant area was covered in bunches of what looked like dried hops. People were ducking under them and their dry, papery appearance just added to the gloom rather than enhancing the old building. Nothing to really complain about but nothing to write home about either.

on the off chance we called at the Swan and Dog, and were very delighted with the result, mid day snacks for three adults and one child all tasty and served promptly

My boyfriend and I decided to come to the Swan and Dog for dinner. I had not been for years but remember it always being very good! We were seated quickly despite not booking a table which was nice and drinks served quickly too. We enjoyed our meals very much! Really nice big portions and we were too full to have dessert. The staff were all really friendly and accommodating. Will definitely return!

After a tiring but fulfilling day with the children, every August, we all look forward to our frequent visits to this excellent restaurant. It is lovely that one of the Chefs and recently, the assistant manager, all know our summerfuncamp, but, all the staff treat us very well indeed. We had the Helpers party on Saturday which was organised extremely well by the Manageress and the children really enjoyed their Kids menu, which was substantial but not too excessive. We, the organisers, know the menu inside out, there is plenty of choice to suit all tastes, but, my favourites are the Sea Bass, the steak pie and the Mussels, which you can have as a starter or as a main dish. Since Shepherd Neame took over, the portions have become more manageable, I can now finish most of them. Previously, the food was just as good, but served with rather too much on the plate to suit my taste. I'm sure others would disagree. You will not go hungry though and the food is beautifully cooked. There is plenty of parking space and I recommend booking if you are planning to visit at the weekends. Probably another feature that makes this Pub stand out above others is that you can visit any day, all day, including Sundays! For us, this is so convenient, we can never predict exactly when we want to eat. Highly recommended.

we were recommended to the swan and dog over a year ago when we moved down from surrey and have been here about four or five times with friends and family and have not been one bit disappointed,we used to have a place that we went to in surrey and coming to kent we tried to find a place to eat which was as good as the restaurant that we went to and yes we have and have always recommended the swan and dog to other people as the food is absolutely perfect with a good choice and a great service where the staff are very polite and friendly and it is not expensive for what you get, good home made and plenty,we have always left there feeling stuffed and never had any complaints from whoever we have taken here to eat,we will always come back here as you can`t beat the food or service thanks to the staff at front of house and to the back room staff ie kitchen just hope that other places would have the same standards as the swan and dog

Lovely food.. but slightly disappointed when the mood got lowered by the bar staff discussing very inappropriate stuff. Probably what happens when it’s left to be run by 17 year olds. Bit of a let down when the food is so nice.

Chanced at this Pub Restaurant for a sign on a roundabout. What a great find. Lovely pub. Nice and attentive staff. Great food. Fish and chips but better than at the seaside.

Off the beaten track but don't let this put you off. 4 of us ordered different Burgers and all commented on how much they were enjoyed including a very very fussy 14 Year old.

Lunchtime, early, jacket potato. Cold, flavourless, awful. Easiest thing in the world to do. No more to be said.

Looked up dog friendly pub and found here. Was not disappointed. Burgers were delicious, chips were well cooked. Service was quick. Car park was full but parking on road ok. Worth a visit if you want to eat outside or in.

We sat down at 12pm. Extensive menu split into different categories with gluten free options. Service was a bit slow bringing the food but the food was very good. Big sized portions and reasonable prices. One thing that wasn't clear from the menu was the butterflied chicken breast was coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Amazing pork belly dish.

Well I’ve been searching for a place to eat tasty steak and the ribeye I ate on Sunday was delicious. I gave my partner a sample and he agrees. Next time we visit we’ll both be ordering it.

Have used this venue several times now and have never been dissapointed with the service, the food nor the ambiaunce. I took my Daughter there yesterday having booked table, we sat outside had a couple of drinks then went inside to our table, I just love the oldy world surround inside with the low oak beams dressed with dried hops and scrub top tables, that's my kind of venue. The girls serving the restaurant and the boys behind the bar with Mama Jo in charge, what a lovely team and inspite of the fact it was full the food was fantastic, never been dissapointed in here, well done all of you.

We came here last night (18/07/19) and it was superb, there were 5 of us booked in for a table. The atmosphere was buzzing and set the mood for what turned out to be a fantastic evening! The food was delicious, at a very reasonable price, beautifully presented and with generous portions! The staff were friendly, always smiling, knowledgeable and very attentive. Even though it was a busy restaurant the table staff were incredibly on the ball, always looking out for customers needs. I would highly recommend The Swan And Dog, we'll definitely be paying more visits! Thanks to all the staff for making our evening a special evening!

Love going here, lovely food friendly service. Beware portion sizes are generous! Good selection of beers and gins

Visited here last night (6/7/2019) for my fiancee's 30th birthday, had rang and pre booked the table a week ago and had to keep ringing back to amend how many people were coming, they took the reservation without any problems and were happy to amend where needed!

I’ve eaten here a few times and it’s usually ok ish but based on today’s lunch I wouldn’t recommend.

Had lunch with a friend. The premises are very nice. Inside it's very pretty and there is a nice outside area to enjoy in the sunshine. I had the haloumi salad. The haloumi was over cooked so a bit tough and rubbery and the sun dried peppers in the salad were also a bit tough. The main issue was that they had recently had a group who had left without paying so everything was now "pay as you go". Every time you got some drinks, you had to pay and every time you ordered a course off the menu, you had to pay. Normally if you're with friends or a group you just split the final tab but trying to pay as you go along is hopeless and very inconvenient. The issue of payment is their problem, not mine and is completely non- customer focused. The food wasn't fantastic and there are a lot of other lovely country pubs to choose from so I can't recommend this place as it's just all in the too difficult box when you're trying to split the bill amongst the group or with friends. They need to seriously reconsider this policy.

Busy restaurant with a wide menu choice. Good friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere. Quality of the food is excellent and is served in ample portions. All very similar to other local restaurants in the Shepherd Neame chain.

We returned as a family of four Sunday afternoon to celebrate Father’s Day. The restaurant was extremely busy, but after a short wait we were seated and offered menus and drinks. Three of our party opted for the menu (Steak, ribs and Crocker, one for the Sunday roast). As always the food was well presented; tasty and piping hot. Our thanks to the staff for another wonderful dining experience.

We called into this pub on Tuesday evening whilst staying in Ashford, visiting my son and his partner. A varied menu, especially good if you are are vegetarian. All the meals we ordered (1 of which was a vegetarian meal) were generous portions and really tasty. (I would recommend the Kent sausage and mash - delicious).

Located just five minutes from the town centre of Ashford this is a gem of a place to enjoy excellent menu choices, great ambience accompanied by cheerful and friendly staff. Book a table to avoid disappointment (01233643222). Our chosen meals were well presented, wholesome and more importantly tasteful. Enjoy

Stopped off at Swan and Dog while in the area visiting Darling Buds Farm. We travel a lot with work, so eat out regularly across the UK. We have developed a reasonable expectation of service and quality standards in similar establishments. We now only post reviews when the experience is at either end of the quality scale.

I have been several times in the past and it has always been good food with BIG portions.

We returned as a family of four Sunday evening to celebrate our youngest son and my birthday (our eldest son had never been before). As always a warm welcome awaits when you arrive; offer of a drink from a wide selection, and promptly guided to your table. Great choice of meals from the menu, which were delivered to the table as ordered and to a high standard of taste and presentation. Thanks to the staff for another wonderful dining experience.

Two of our party had roast dinner, served luke warm, when asked if want something else ordered a pizza for it not to come! Gone down hill since changed hands

Great service, great staff, great place & lovely food will def b back again to keep going through menu

Great service for big group, bar staff and service 5* Lauren and manager behind the bar top draw 👍🏻

What an outstanding lunch with my family at The Swan and Dog! The service was relaxed and very friendly. The food was amazing and served by our lovely waitress Kayleigh who was incredibly patient with our table and totally professional. Thank you Kayleigh. Then Jo came over to meet us and was delighted when offered some mini eggs and kindly took some photos of our family meal. It really was a day to remember. The roast beef was cooked to perfection and my mum loved the roast lamb and fresh mint sauce. Your chef made our day with the perfectly made cauliflower cheese. We made some room for the excellent desserts. The Lemon cheesecake was fantastic. We didn’t expect such great food or service on such a busy day but you delivered spot on. Well done and thank you all. Will pop in with more mini eggs for the staff soon

For Mother’s Day this year, 5 of us booked in for lunch and were not disappointed. From visiting previously,the landlady recognised us and is so welcoming seating us once we had ordered a drink from the bar.

The pub is very nice looking, very welcoming. We had booked a table for 5 people on a Sunday evening (5pm). The service was extremely slow. Took about 30 minutes just to get the menus and to order. When the food finally arrived it all looked very nice. Unfortunately two of our party had the scampi and both people came down with a very bad case of food poisoning a day later. We will not be returning.

On our arrival the restaurant was not busy But we was left waiting at the bar then to be told to find our own table. We had keep returning to the bar for menus drinks and for someone to actually serve us. To top it off after asking for some service to order our food the staff done Rock Paper Scissors to who would serve us. Absolutely appalling. Our food was luke warm then had to go to the bar again to ask for pudding menus and to clear our table. Finally having to return to the bar again to pay our bill which wasn’t cheap as there was 4 adults and 1 child .

Visited here for the first time for an afternoon meal. Menu was varied, food was good quality and service was good. Setting very nice in the quiet village of Great Chart. Only downside was the time it took to receive the bill, and then had to go to the bar to pay as staff were busy chatting.

Popped here for a lunch with friends , staff always nice and friendly , I always have the same off the lunch menu because it’s so nice - the steak sandwich it’s a huge portion and only £9.50 .

We came here for my son’s 18th as a group of 11. The service was friendly and helpful and paced well.

Went for dinner last night in a group of 12

We visited the Swan and Dog last April and now that we are in the area again, we wanted to see if the food lived up to our memories. It did, and more. An excellent waitress served us for lunch. She was humorous, brisk and professional. The Guinness was perfect, I am reliably informed! We ordered the slow cooked pork belly and the rack of ribs. Meals are cooked to order so expect to have a little wait, but it will be worth the wait. Both our meals were excellent. My ribs were especially filling. We didn't opt for Starters as we knew they were similarly substantial. This is always a busy place to eat, and the quality of the food and service explain why.

Went here with friends for Sunday lunch today and was so glad I had booked a table .It was very busy ,very friendly and the food was delicious.Three of us had the roast and one had fish and chips .Everyone was very pleased with their food ,there was plenty of it ,all hot and vegetables were perfect and so much choice .Will definitely be going back .

My daughter and I were passing this pub last night en route to Rye. We had planned to visit our regular pub (The Bell at Ivychurch) but decided stop at the Swan and Dog. A big mistake!!

Went for a evening meal party of five,great food,very good service,burgers are tasty Will be going back again, lovely place thanks again

Went here for lunch for the first time today - will be going back for all the right reasons - good service,great goodbye and nice atmosphere

Just visited the swan and dog we often go there and the service has improved greatly since the new manager jo has taken over. Her attitude and manner is inspirational and confirmed we will be using a lot more. The food and overall service was faultless

Entree gaf meteen t gevoel: hier moeten we zijn. In een pub achtige sfeer heerlijk gegeten. Natuurlijk een Engelse pie met erwten en frites. Daar kwamen we voor. Een goed glas bitter erbij. Daarnaast een goede bediening en een vriendelijke rekening. Kortom top!

Just got back from Swan and Dog , new manager Jo has been there for a few weeks what a lovely lady she made us so welcome , she has created a warm and friendly atmosphere across the pub and restaurant.

While not a beer expert, I can tell the difference between a good beer well presented and the rest. I like Shep's beers and the S&D; certainly know how to serve it, And the food, Well, can't get better pub grub and everything is made on the premises, The paté was lovely and what a clever thing having the butter on top as a seal. So far had Sausage and mash, mussels and the Nachos.. All good. Plus, excellent service. I'll be back.And they are very dog friendly.

Saturday afternoon late lunch, mid-January – expected it to be empty. Whilst there were some tables left in the restaurant, it is best to book. Tables in the bar where dogs are welcomed. Not sure about the swans as didn’t see any! Food was good. My husband enjoyed the steak, port and stilton pie and old school favourite gypsy tart. Generous portions and fluffy chips, not the ones cooked so many times they bounce off the plate! Service was both prompt and friendly. Nice atmosphere and rustic decor. Locals there as well as those looking for a country pub lunch. Beer garden out front and car park at rear. Street parking is available. Defo going there again.

We had a table booked for 7pm for 4 adults,& 2 children on news years.

Fancied somewhere we don’t normally go. New Year’s Day very quiet when we arrived, in fact no one else in the restaurant. Asked where we would like to sit , somewhere warm please I said . Taken to a table by a radiator bliss. Ordered drinks then food ,one of us had a huge portion of nicely cooked sausages and mash the other had basically chicken and chips. Food came quickly and was hot. We shared a pudding although I think we were being greedy as the mains were large, but we bravely battled through the sundae, delicious ! By the time we left the restaurant was filling up. Service was quick and unobtrusive. Two drinks each, a main and shared pudding £54.

Went for date night and was served by Catherine who was very attentive and very patient, the food was lovely and so was the drinks, thank you Catherine for a lovely evening!

I have visited the swan and dog on lots of occasions and had lovely meals and service BUT this last visit was a disappointment. The bar and restaurant were quiet but our table wasnt ready, it took an age to get menus and then a wait for our order to be taken. After we had finished our starters we had a long wait for our main courses, only for 2 meals to be cold, which meant they were taken away and recooked. The other 3 of us had finished our mains by the time these 2 were finally brought out. I don’t know what has happened to the swan and dog but shepherd neame taking over have not done any favours to a lovely village pub! A return is very unlikely!

We've been using the Swan and dog since it opened and have always enjoyed lunch there. The most recent visit was our first for a while. The shepherd name effect is clear to see. While there beer is still pretty free house selection food standard has dropped drastically. The chips were once clearly homemade, triple cooked, crispy wonders of chips. Now a chunky generic chip with nothing special it, the sort of thing I'd expect from a chain. As for the steak sandwich once served in two chunky slices of fresh bloomer now in slices of white bread half the size. The steak was fatty and grisly. Very disappointed. If something works why mess with the formula?

As always here, you get a very warm welcome with quality food at a sensible price. Booking is always advisable as it can get busy at lunchtimes. Not tried evenings though.

Very good food, good portions. Staff seem well trained and not overbearing. This is miles ahead of the oak on the green in bearstead which is grossly overrated. Would recommend all day long.

We regularly like to eat an early dinner/late lunch when many restaurants are closed but luckily The Swan and Dog cater to serving food all day. Lovely location and atmosphere both outside and inside. This is one of the pubs that Shepherd Neame bought a few years back. As a result, The Old Mill and Swan and Dog have virtually the same menu. The Swan and Dog has more of a casual, welcoming feel but the food is the same. It’s decent but nothing independent and that causes some of the shine to wear off from both locations. On top of this the prices seem to be creeping up almost every time I visit. There’s no uniqueness or originality, what they do, they do well. But it’s turning into a chain restaurant instead of an inventive forward thinking gastropub.

We came as family of three been show a table by someone with no customer skills shame! As I’m myself in this business I know first impression it’s a key! So we been sat at the table by the toilets (who wanna sit there when restaurant look empty) order drinks wine arrived in dirty glass I have asked for a fresh glass, new wine arrived warm (it was a white wine which u expected to be cold). Not happy at all! Sunday lunch u wanna make it special as u not cooking at home. We left not finishing our drinks! So disappointed been there so many times before! Shocking what happened to place in such short time! If u fancy something nice go out side of Ashford! Only good thing we didn’t pay for unfinished drinks.

Happened upon this little place last Sunday by accident.

We were away on holiday staying locally, needed a dog friendly place to eat so rang them to check, very helpful and friendly on the phone. On arrival we were greeted inside the door by a very friendly waitress with a smile and an immediate request if our dog would like a bowl of water. Dogs are made very welcome in the bar area which is fine for eating with plenty of tables, the pub itself is just outside Ashford centre in Great Chart, Wed night in early November at 19:30 and the dining area was full of locals(always a great sign) and the people drinking at the bar were friendly. The decor inside is very well done and feels like a proper pub, not some modern fast food pub/eatery.