The Yew Tree Inn in Maidstone

Stopped in one Sunday roast, lovely, very tasty

We held my late wifes wake here , from our first meeting with Farli and Guesippe, we knew that this would be the place for a great send off for a lovely lady. The food was exellent and with great choices, tea & coffee was also on tap , as well as the great selection of other beverages. There is also plenty of parking. Thank you Farli and Guesippe it was just how Melanie would have wanted it , you did her proud x

Venue was welcoming, atmosphere relaxing, staff attentive, polite, chatty, menu choice was excellent and food was amazing. Great value for money. Will definitely return.

Great food, great atmosphere, newly refurbished, lovely will be back x

Lovely staff, friendly atmosphere. Roast was good cooked well. Will return.

Loverly birthday meal last night with all the family , thank you everyone at the yew tree ! loverly food ,great kids menu too , really welcoming & friendly service can’t fault them , great atmosphere and will definitely return regularly xx

New owners now and the difference is massive. Great drinks selection, food is amazing, staff are friendly and a great atmosphere. Plenty of parking and some nice local walks around it. Would absolutely recommend and will be returning soon.

Under new ownership. Place has been refurbished to a good standard. New owners are friendly, welcoming and know what they are doing. The food was of a high standard and reasonably priced. Service was nice and we will be going back soon. Can't wait to try the Sunday roast 😋

Lovely Sunday lunch, with beautiful quality meat. However, music way too loud, especially towards the end of our stay, when it was turned up twice, and more suited to a 60's disco than digestion! Overall very enjoyable, and would visit again.

I’ve been going here since I was a lad - but stayed away last few years because it wasn’t good Got told it’s reopened under new management so living locally decided to give it a go - best decision ever We had lamb and rosemary pies and sausages and mash With red onion gravy and moules and frites as a special Plus a great selection of wines The food was perfect , all freshly made The Staff were all attentive and welcoming The pubs atmosphere was fantastic and its really good to a local back Can’t wait to return Thanks so much yew tree

What a treat lovely pub fantastic staff , have been visiting our local pub unfortunately this is the only one that nobody made eye contact with us felt uncomfortable with the regulars such a shame every where else we have been have been interactive and. Made us welcome

Had a lovely meal there ... It was a Tuesday so it was quiet, nice atmosphere.

We used to go here but stopped because of previous owners. Went for Sunday lunch today. Friendly and vibrant and we’ve never seen it so busy. We both had the roast and I had pork and hubby had lamb. Tasted nice, presented nice and hot. Waited about 35 mins which is not unreasonable for good food. Fay, our waitress was lovely and also had a mocktail made for me as there were none on the menu. Have a few criticisms, my pork was belly pork. If it had made that clear on the menu, I would not have chosen it. It’s too fatty a cut for me so I would have chosen beef. I had 2 slices and barely any meat, all fat, which is fine if you like that cut. I don’t so had to pick it apart and therefore had little meat to eat. The gravy was like water and therefore didn’t coat the food. It did however taste very nice, just very sloppy. Hubby had more slices of lamb and enjoyed it. Overall good. No chocolate option on desert menu. Will give it another go for all the good bits I mentioned.

Drinks are good and the staff are friendly

Fantastic to see the Yew Tree open for business with new owner and will definitely be visiting again

Went for Sunday lunch the overall experience was first class The staff where so good could not do enough to help The food was great and must say we shall be going back Soon.

Just back from an excellent Sunday roast at the Yew. Very friendly welcoming staff. Great service Even better food ! Good to be back ! Thank you.

This pub/restaurant has been transformed since the new owners have taken over. We came for lunch and the food and service was amazing. We shall be back!

Went for Sunday roast. Food was good and service was excellent. Highly recommended!

Very quiet so atmosphere not rateable, but we had a good time.

New owners! Inside has been modernised, and there is a nicer vibe throughout. Went on a Sunday and had a roast and it was the best roast I've had at a pub. The roast pots were to die for. Wine was also delightful. Would recommend!!

Yes tree new owners. Fabulous welcome by Farli and Guesippe. Stayed for lunch really well presented and tasted great. Food all locally sourced. Nice background music very relaxing. Can't wait to return. Nice to have conversation without mobile phones. Spoke with local customer he had so much knowledge of the area a pleasure to speak with him.

First visit since the Yew Tree reopened. It was very pleasant experience, with good food and excellent, friendly service. Excellent pie, interesting but overpriced special starter

Dropped in for a drink lunchtime, good beer, great service and really friendly team. Looking forward to going back for Sunday lunch.

It has changed sense we larst went they have been taken over, not happy, very noisy food isn't as good

Now under new ownership. Pub has had a good makeover, had Sunday roast, lovely food and nice and hot and plentiful, good service, plenty of staff on duty. Reasonable prices

Beautiful pub in Sandling. Best In the area, new owners doing a great job

Lovely pub with a homey feel to it, this was then helped by the really friendly and helpful staff. Food was lovely. Would definitely recommend and will be going back soon.

We stayed I their car park at the rear for an over night which is very very basic stop over , plenty of space but just enough for stop over We wanted to watch the England game that night in the main room which was empty completely empty The guy behind the bar who is quiet rude and arrogant said “ what time does it start , will put it on then “ We asked 4 times before eventually begrudgling putting it on before returning to his empty bar and clicking his laptop back into life And you wonder why’s it’s empty 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Think we found the worst pub in the UK! Is it possible to give zero stars? Happened to be in area for a pick up of children at local scouts meet. Stopped in for a pint. No pint. Crisps? No crisps… super awkward owner with folded arms repeats that they are a restaurant, therefore no crisps or snacks. All the pint taps and pulls are not working, so he offers a bottle of beer or cider for £6.50!! As it’s ‘a restaurant’ we asked for a menu, he points towards a scrap of paper sellotaped to the bar stand! Who is he kidding?? Finally he said he can do a portion of chips, so we ordered the ‘gourmet chips with selection of dips’ from the scrap of paper. waited ages for him to heat the clearly very old used oil, and finally were served a small plate of frozen Mcains with ketchup. I don’t think this guy understands the concept of bar / pub / restaurant. The only person he is kidding is himself…. Clearly he just wanted to be left alone and not have any customers bother him. And the complete lack of service/ friendliness/ food / atmosphere / drinks totally reflects that. Have no idea how he is making money or staying open or why? Probably a front for laundering money, as per the ‘cash only’ sign, though to be fair he did let me pay on card. Situated under the elevated motorway so the constant traffic noise is a lovely touch too! As far as worst pub/restaurant/ whatever he thinks he is goes, I cannot fault it!!

Very disappointing. Parents hadn't been there for a long time so as a treat we went for lunch. This didn't happen! No food. Poor atmosphere and felt like we had invaded landlord's peace and quiet...won't be going there again.

Mothers day ruined, hour and half waiting for food, there were only 4 tables in use with 3 persons on each table, please avoid. And to top it off there's an office, and trouser press set up in the restaurant area.

Mother’s Day ruined. Had a 2.30 booking and was told just waiting for a table to finish up and then we can sit down. 3 o’clock comes and told the same. By 3.30, still not seated, we were told that they were short staffed and likely would have to wait a long time for food. We left. No communication. Chef/owner/ bar man seemed unbothered, blunt and disinterested. Others left with us. Will not be returning. Embarrassing

Mother’s Day ruined. Had a 2.30 booking and was told just waiting for a table to finish up and then we can sit down. 3 o’clock comes and told the same. By 3.30, still not seated, we were told that they were short staffed and likely would have to wait a long time for food. We left. No communication. Chef/owner/ bar man seemed unbothered, blunt and disinterested. Others left with us. Will not be returning. Embarrassing

Deeply disappointing. Arrived on time only to be told we can have a drink but no food! Staffing problems - no chef. One of my friends asked if they could provide any food and was told " might be able to knock up a chip butty". I enquired, " why did you not contact me to explain the situation". Response, shrug of the shoulders. Apart from that the place looked run down and not somewhere I would ever think of going to again.

Went two weeks ago to confirm our booking for Christmas lunch, which was chaotic. Stopped ed for lunch, which was a mistake. Only 4 people in the pub, but it took an hour for food to arrive. Waitress said the chef hadn't noticed we ordered starters and if we wanted them ,it would be another 20 minutes! Meat pie was dreadful, very little meat and pastry so hard it was inedible. We were assured we had a reservation but they couldn't give us a price because the chef was negotiating with the butcher. When we turned up today, the pub was empty, but we were told we didn't have a reservation because we hadn't pre-ordered! Certainly won't be returning.

Out of four meals three had to be sent back almost £100 spent on 3 steak meals and all had to be sent back as cooked incorrectly side orders of vegetables cold for the money it would have been better to go to McDonalds

Oh dear, this place has gone downhill - waited far too long for someone to take our order,someone in chefs outfit came out and just stared at us from time to time ! ,which was rather offputting,the food was very good though but service was not as good as it has been in the past - a real shame as it has been our go-to place for Sunday lunch in the past,may not visit again.

I cannot believe the poor reviews of the Yew Tree. We've been coming here for a few years now (upon recommendation) We have never had a bad meal, food is always first class as is the service and the choice of wines & real ales. It has a gorgeous garden (great for summer evenings) It's our go to pub.

Looks nice from the outside but very dated inside, lots of staff watching you but not answering the very loud phone. My meat was fatty, potatoes only cooked one side, cauliflower cheese missed off and gravy bland. Worse of all was the weird chef/owner kept emerging from the kitchen watching everyone for a while whilst saying nothing then slink back into the kitchen. Toilets were gross.

A lovely warm environment with good roast dinner, especially nice meat and Yorkshire pudding. Looks like it's near a big road on the map but it's actually a little retreat of countryside.

Very quiet and 'Out of the wsy' PH. Friendly staff and good food.

We visited on a Saturday night for dinner and arrived by taxi (didn't realise how expensive this would be £25 from Rochester there and £30 back again). On arrival there were only 3 other groups eating dinner which didn't bode well for a Saturday evening. We asked for a bottle of Prosecco and were told there was no Prosecco. We then asked what gins were available and the selection was very limited, we settled for Hendricks which turned out to be an empty bottle on the shelf. The lady behind the bar was very apologetic advising that there was a supplier problem so we then asked if they had a wine selection as we were staying for dinner. She advised there were 2 bottles only of Shiraz and 1 Pinot Grigio. At this point we did wonder if we wanted to eat here but as we had arrived by taxi this would have caused a further problem. She advised that 3 of the starters were unavailable but a replacement had been put on to the menu. She went to serve a table of diners and a man in a chef uniform then stood in front of us behind the bar. He said nothing apart from look at us. We tentatively asked for another gin and beers which he served although looked as though he had never done this in his life before - he lacked customers service in a very big way. We stayed for dinner which was nice so a plus for the food. I asked the waitress if they would be serving Sunday lunch and how with lack of supplies to which she replied they would be shopping at Tesco's to get by. To conclude, food was good, service from the waitress was good and she was very apologetic, the chef had no people skills whatsoever, and lack of wine/spirits was very disappointing. We will not be returning.

Had a lovely lunch today with my mates. Pub was really easy to find and nice and snug amongst all the country woods. The pub itself is a bit old fashioned both outside and inside and the lighting was quite dark and gloomy inside but otherwise was fine, made for a cosy meal. A lot of reviews on here said about the food and the service not being great. To be honest and fair to those reviews I personally dident have a problem with the food I ordered although some of my mates had different views on there food ( my order was the deep fried brie starter and roast beef for the main also had a lovely cheese cake which I dident get a photo of) all of my food was well cooked and fresh and tasted fantastic. Service was really good we had a lovely young lady server who did a great job and made sure we was looked after the whole time. The prices where around the same price to expect in a pub like this £42 in total for me. Would defo give them another go if ever in the area 👍

Rude , run down, lacking in Customer Skills , low levels of stock and that was just the Chef. Untrained, uncaring staff , Must have changed hands

2.30pm Lack of choice of menu, slow service, drinks not served, overcharged!!! Would not return.

The owner is the most rude person you could meet. He really doesn't care if your there or not! its like you are a burden to him. He totally spoiled our evening. Don't bother, you get better service from Mac Donald's.

I wasn't going to leave a review but after spending the night being sick I'm now angry enough to. After having my first 2 choices for starters declined for being out of stock I opted for the soup and was told it was mushroom. Again I was told I couldn't have this but could have tomato or minestrone. So minestrone it was. An hour and a half later (the waitress was very apologetic for the wait so can't fault her) my soup turned up. What I was served I still can't tell what it was( please Google Minestrone soup to see what it should be chef). Not wanting to wait another hour and half for another one I decided to eat/drink what I can only decide as pale dishwater with a funky taste(big mistake). For main course I chose the Lamb and rosemary pie with gravy in a jug. What turned up I think was steak and ale in a bath of gravy. How a pie can be so dry in so much gravy is a skill I suppose. The chips I had with it just tasted of burnt old cooking oil which obviously hasn't been changed in a while. Won't be returning anytime soon.

Lovely pub, situated down a quiet road. The selection of food was good and the meals we had were freshly cooked and got a thumbs up from all in our party. The lady who served us was friendly and polite.

Very disappointed. Has it changed hands? Previous menu, service & quality excellent. Visited last night and it was awful. Inexperienced staff, long wait for food (1 hour 20 mins). Not that many in the restaurant to account for the long delay . No Prosecco left Things not available on the menu. Steaks overdone & tough to eat Pie burnt & dry. Some deserts not available and what was available unimaginative and very samy. Asked for coffee was offered a flat white and received a bitter strong tasting Americans with milk (I think?) difficult to tell. Complained about the coffee so not charged but still charged £29 for an overdone dry steak that was meant to be medium rare. Asked the waitress if she thought it looked medium rare and she agreed it did not. Still charged for it though!! Such a shame . Hope it gets better!

The beef was absolutely amazing and reasonably priced! Landlord was extremely welcoming will definitely be returning

This little gem tucked away in Sandling is a lovely old fashioned style pub. Beautiful freshly cooked food. Not to mention the Sunday roast’s which in my opinion are one of the best in Maidstone!! Friendly staff. Good atmosphere. Worth a visit.

Very unfriendly place that don't cater for children and don't seem to want new people! The roast dinners, only meal available on Sunday, were very good. I asked for a child's portion as nothing mentioned children on the menu ,however the plate was scorching hot and the meal was the same size, just 1 piece of beef less!! Ridiculous for a child's portion. Looking at the bill we were also charged for an adults portion, clearly the chef wasn't accompanying our daughters needs!! When we did see him he was very rude and miserable, no wonder there was no atmosphere there! Avoid,avoid!!!

Nice old school pub but very noisy due to M20 motorway. We were a group of 6+ a five year old. We were booked for 1.30. When I asked if we could have a drink before we sat down I was told we were late(it was 1.34) And they were not a fast food establishment. All food was cooked fresh to order and not microwaved. So we sat and ordered 45 mins later the food arrived 5 star. But the landlord/chief was so obnoxious. It spoilt the occasion and will not be returning as he has no customer curtesy. Shame

In the past this was a no brainer 5star review. Something has changed and it’s nowhere near the same.Poor service,lack of choice but to name a few.Such a shame

Do not go here! Can’t comment on the food as we left before we got to sit down (40 mins waiting!) the landlord is an absolute tool with zero people skills and the first thing he assures you of on arrival is that his food is not microwaved! I have never had this said to me in any pub regardless of where it is when wanting to order food, obviously when you go for a pub lunch you expect freshly cooked food! Shame as it looks like a lovely pub, but with him at the wheel can’t see it lasting 👎

Give this one a miss! We were catfished by all the amazing online reviews and were so excited as we’d even had to book over a week in advance just to get a table for Sunday lunch. Worst roast we’ve ever had! Dark and dingy inside. Wait staff were sweet and polite but slow and didn’t seem to know what was available on the menu. Lunch service started at 12pm and by 2pm they had already run out of multiple items on the menu. The food was shockingly bad. They didn’t have any of the starters we chose so we opted for the cod cake as a second choice, which was still partially frozen in the middle and had to be sent back. The roasts themselves were tragic. We opted for the lamb and the beef. The meat on each dish was tough and overdone, the vegetables were all bland and had turned to mush from being overcooked (no bite left in them at all), the yorkshire was dry and dense, and the gravy was some sort of bisto like monstrosity. To add insult to injury the prices are outrageous for such poor quality cookery and atmosphere. Prepare to pay north of £20 per roast (not including drinks/ starters etc.). Suffice it to say we will not be returning.

Came for Sunday lunch with my family it was my son’s birthday, when we arrived we were told they were short staffed and only doing roasts, initially it wasn’t a problem although I wish I had know before hand as I would of cancelled. The majority of the meal was ok the veg were very hard and undercooked, we didn’t get the cauliflower cheese which we just thought they had run out of but all the other tables had it. The lamb I had was very gristly the potatoes were greasy but the gravy was nice. Would I go again probably not. Even the people on the table next to us were saying that other pubs in the area are better.

What an awful experience for a so called pub lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Rude, surly landlord and untrained and incompetent staff. The young lady behind the bar was unable to use the coffee machine. No vegetarian option other than soup which was inedible when it arrived. It came with lumps of unmixed powder in it and consisted of a jelly like substance right across the top. Chips were overcooked and greasy. Cooked in well used oil I think! I was told I could run a tab when I arrived only to be accosted when I sat in the garden and told I needed to go to the bar and pay immediately. The landlord sat out the front drinking wine and even though the place was empty apart from us he offered no apology for the inedible food which we returned to the kitchen. In fact he totally ignored us apart from staring at us as if we were a complete inconvenience to him. Needless to say no refund was offered. We moved on to alternative pub where we had a decent lunch. I am local to this pub would NEVER go back.

Best food around book well in advance

So we were recommended to go here for the Sunday roast and it didn’t disappoint - the beef was fantastic and no fat whatsoever. I understand that the landlady has moved on recently and that most of the staff are new but just a few pointers as below as way of feedback ;- You had run out of lemonade at 1pm on a Sunday lunch ?? You had run out of chips ??!! 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ I know that running a pub these days is hard work but come on at least have the basics in. Apart from that everything else was great, place could do with a spruce up but at the end of the day it is a country pub so we would definitely return again. Young staff were a bit shy and inexperienced but it’s hard to get staff these days so hopefully they will grow confidence as they work more 👍🏼👍🏼

Great food and service from an independent pub and restaurant. Would like more vegetarian choice please but definitely back again soon.

Only popped in for a drink. Every negative review on here is spot on. Rude, arrogant owners who have no customer service. Do not waste your money or time!

My wife & i have been here several times before. Friends of ours asked us to recommend somewhere to go for Sunday lunch (theyd not been here before) so i had no hesitation in recommending the Yew Tree. We had a fabulous roast, excellent food and the service was superb, very attentive waitresses. The owner Jim is also the chef. This is our go to eatery for a superb dining experience. See you soon Jim & staff. Kevin Cork

It's a great shame that this once favourite pub of ours has gone downhill. Service was extremely slow and not as good as we had experienced in the past. The staff were friendly enough but it lacked the charm of a good landlady. Will not be returning any time soon.

We called in on the way to a wedding. We realised we didn't have a lot of time, so just had a snack and a drink. My mother in law is coeliac, so has to be very careful to avoid any gluten. When she asked if the crisps were gluten free she was greeted with a glare from the owner, who said "all crisps are gluten free". He continued to give stare at her whilst she checked. She felt a little put out and thought she should explain that due to her illness she really does have to be careful. He just shuck his head and continued to tell her that everything gluten free now!! Our food arrived, I had soup. It was a cup a soup! The latte was like dish water. The only good thing was the prawn cocktail, it was beautifully presented. We won't be going back and wouldn't recommend anyone else visited

Spoiled by the grumpy owner/manager who doesn't do customer service very well. Garden furniture could do with being replaced. Unfortunately some numskull had a motor way built right next to the inn.

Fillet steak was perfect. Will go back again.

Had a very lovely evening at The Yew Tree recently. There were four of us and we each had a 3 course meal. We each chose something different from the menu but were equally very happy with our choices. The food and service were excellent and we will certainly be visiting again soon.

We went on a Friday night for a meal the food was absolutely delicious definitely not the average pub grub. Lots of choices. Service is very good as well would totally recommend.

First impressions outside needs some tlc, old hanging baskets up and no flowers in the garden, and the grass could do with a cut too. Lunch did take a while too.

Loved it, great food, great service and ambiance! The gift that keeps on giving!

Great food and drinks but very quiet...def recommend though

Best Sunday Roast I've had out for a long time.

Superb home cooked food and excellent friendly service. A quirky little place.

Another lovely meal at the Yew Tree. Really good fresh cooked food.

The food was homemade and totally delicious. Fairly priced too. I gave it 3 stars for atmosphere as it was relatively empty and playing golden oldies, but I was in there on a Wednesday night. Its perfect for a family dining experience especially if you are taking the older folks. However it's closed on Monday's and Tuesday's. I believe it's run by a husband and wife team as he was in the kitchen and she was tending bar and waiting tables. Absolutely spotless throughout the whole pub and the ladies toilets were nicely decorated and not a speck of dirt anywhere! I would recommend this place to families and people of an older generation. The menu had loads of yummy choices and the puddings were utter classics. The beer was reasonably priced too. Upon entering I was asked if I had pre booked, which I hadn't, but they were more than happy for me to sit in the bar area and eat anyway. The place didnt seem to get too much busier so I was a touch confused why I would need to book first but in my opinion it was a minor confusion. Give it a try it was very tasty.

Great food good service never disappointed look forward to our next visit

First time at the yew tree. We went for Sunday lunch, hands down the best Sunday lunch I have ever had. It was great. We will be going back.

Brilliant Sunday roast and great service.

Food was piping hot, and the steak and kidney pie was delicious! Excellent

Superb Sunday Roast. Definitely the best we've had in this area.

I've been a qualified chef for 30 years and I see so much potential in this restaurant. Unfortunately, I found it fell flat in service, presentation and quality in general.

Excellent service. Great food. Nice staff 👍.

The food and service was amazing. The mussels were tasty and a very large portion and the pies tasted great too.

Great food nice people would recommend

This was our first time at this quaint little pub, first impressions where good, staff are friendly and attentive, we went for lunch , and had the steak and ale homemade pie and cod and chips, both where exceptional. Portions where big enough for us not to be able to fit in desert! Will definitely be returning for a Sunday Roast!

No reservation, sat in bar area.. Absolutely lovely atmosphere and fantastic food!

Eaten here several times, never been disappointed. Staff are friendly and helpful

No atmosphere! Popped in for a Friday evening drink. Thought it was closed, car park empty, one other couple eating and a lonely cyclist hug his beer. Chef arms crossed behind the bar didn't even get a grunt from him, felt as if we were intruding. Pub clean and has potential but sadly has a long way to go.

Lovely food great place for a treat

Book well in advance if you want to eat here.

Very friendly, food was excellent. I am gluten free and I was catered for easily. Would recommend to anyone. Well done.

Sunday lunch was a bit more expensive than any where I've been to before so cannot afford this very often

Nice pub, food was lovely & a great pint too.

First time visit today as a group of 4. Small traditional pub feel, with child free restaurant section which was a nice change. Avocado prawns was beautifully presented as in the photos on other reviews. Home made pies delicious with very tasty seasonal veg, sea bass cooked and presented beautifully. The Lamb Tangini was over cooked and too rich. Fed back to owner who agreed and apologised and showed me another batch of the same that looked so much better. Was given a refund for the dish and a free dessert so was happy with the response. Be prepared for a wait for food but nothing unacceptable. Prices were on the high end compared with similar restaurants around Maidstone. Desserts £7 each and felt these were over priced for what they were. Overall we had a good evening, staff very friendly and attentive.

We had not booked and were not welcomed very enthusiastically initially but after agreeing to wait were served very well and the food was extremely good

Lovely pub and restaurant friendly staff very attentive, food was delicious 😋

Had a lovely roast dinner definitely recommend a visit

Excellent, would highly recommend and will be visiting again