The Yew Tree Inn in Maidstone

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.

It has changed sense we larst went they are very slow at coming to take your order, food is good, but not as good as before

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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 👍🏼👍🏼

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

Brilliant Sunday roast and great service.

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.

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

Prawn and avocado wrapped in cucumber was not what we expected for a prawn cocktail. Great idea and so good. The fillet steak was the best we've had, even better the one we had from a Michelin starred chef in Switzerland. Great pub, great food and well worth a visit.

Nice people but on arrival told that they were running late and our table was not available for 15 minutes. Strange as loads of empty tables. Food was average, not a great selection although was running a limited menu due to supply issues. Main meals, 2 came out and was told to start eating as other 2 would be a while as the chef got order wrong. Overall lovely pub but in my opinion small overpriced portions and poor organisation. Great location.

Visited for my daughters birthday very expensive for an average meal. One of the group ordered fish and there was gravy on her plate.

Lovely food as always, enjoyed our lunch. Thank you 😊

Phoned and booked a table for 5 people, at the time of booking I was asked whether this was all adults. I advised this was 3 adults and 2 children, however with one of the children being 15 and eating like a grown man that it was really just 1 child who was 6. On the day of our booking I received a call about 5 hours before to confirm the booking and to advise they were running on a reduced menu. This was a little disappointing but we appreciated the fact that a phone call was made in advance as a pre warning. When we arrived, the place was almost empty and was a very dull vibe. The menu was very limited as expected from the phone call but also with 1 of the main courses also being unavailable. We asked for a children's menu for our 6 year old to be told they dont have a kids menu!!! And that 'normally' they are predominantly over 18's. I queried this and asked why I was not advised at the time of booking especially given the fact that I was specifically asked whether the booking was for all adults, only to be told that it 'does say on our website!!!'. Given the fact we booked this through a recommendation, we didn't feel the need to check the website so seems a bit of a stupid response. I then asked whether they offer children's size/small portions of the mains on offer and this was another blunt no!!! There was such a lack of care or service from the staff and the lady who I assume is the manager/owner. She come across as very rude and certainly no ethos of the customer is always right!!!! Needless to say, we called around and managed to get a table at The Swan in West Malling instead so swiftly left!! I would not recommend the Yew Tree solely on their poor attitude and lack of customer care and service. The Swan on the other hand was world apart and I we will be certain to go back again!!!

Staff are welcoming and very attentive, the atmosphere is relaxed and homely, the food is EXCELLENT and presented well, The service was exceptional and faultless both timely and attentive. Value for money was fabulous. Cant recommend the Yew Tree Inn high enough, great team work. Thank you for a perfect Sunday.

Nice little traditional tucked away country pub/restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff, tracey was very accommodating. The menu offered a great range and we were not disappointed with our choices being the calamari and scallops starters followed by the seabass and fillet steak #theyewtree #theextreamlyhappycouple #thehappycouple #inlove #maidstone

Anyone wanting microwaved rubbish food will be bitterly disapointed if they dine at his wonderfull little pub.Simply amazing,i have visited several times.Staff friendly,food exellent and wonderfull ambience.And of course the beer is kept in tip top fashion.Highly recomend.

Lovely pub / restaurant, food was excellent and a great menu all cooked on the premises. Wonderful staff. Thank you for a great experience.

As always an excellent meal with great service.

Outstanding food presented very well in excellent surroundings will be returning highly recommended

Wonderful and generous sunday roast.

Fabulous Sunday Lunch! Plenty of meat & fresh veg, very pleasant staff. Good selection of Ales! Highly recommend it!

Lovely experience from start to finish. Staff so accommodating when we needed to move our booking back a little. Fabulous service, all friendly, happy staff and truly delicious food. We will be back!

Every time we go for dinner at the yew tree we have a lovely meal. It’s such a beautiful setting too.

We have used the Yew Tree many times and always thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The change of menu for December seems to be a retrograde step . Whilst the meals were excellent as expected the price has risen and the quantity has dropped to an unacceptable level. My main meal would have been acceptable as a starter but underwhelming as a main course. We will think hard about another visit which is very sad for us as regular customers.

Visited yesterday for Sunday Lunch. Real Christmasy feeling as soon as we arrived. Food cooked to perfection, as usual, and two delightful young waitresses. Deserts a real treat. Would highly recommend a visit.

Excellent service and food outstanding

Absolutely fabulous lunch!!! Great food, fantastic portion sizes and really attentive staff. Stand out dish was definitely the cauliflower cheese. Can’t recommend this lovely pub highly enough, our favourite 😃

Very good Sunday lunch plenty of turkey as well as fresh vegetables lovely friendly staff have been before and will definitely return

Had a delicious, reasonably priced three course meal here. There was a broad selection of meals that pandered to the varied tastes of our group of six. The presentation of the food was excellent and pleasing to the eye. The waitress was very attentive, polite and welcoming and catered for our every need. Seating arrangement was good without our party being too close to others. Due to Covid, tables were only allocated for two hours but we didn't feel rushed. There was a pleasant ambience there and it was an enjoyable evening I would recommend others try.

It was dark when we arrived at the yew tree,but the pub was lit up and the twinkly lights made it look inviting. When we opened the door we were at once aware of the really warm atmosphere and how cosy and warm it was. We were at once greeted warmly by Tracy the landlady.The dining room was beautifully clean and tidy and we had a perfect table with plenty of room.Between us we had prawn and avocado salad and scallops, exquisitely presented, and for main chicken stuffed with Brie and mushrooms and Lamb shank. The meat and accompanying sauces were beautifully cooked and very tasty with fresh vegetables, a must for me.We found the service and hospitality excellent and Tracy was very kind and helpful helping me find a precious earring I had lost.We found the whole experience of the Yew Tree made a lovely evening, and very good value for money for food which in my opinion could be classed as fine dining.We were so pleased we found this little gem, and we will be returning .

Absolutely amazing. So quaint and relaxing. Attention to detail and quality of food exceptional. Very enjoyable experience.

This is a great place to eat, warm welcome, excellent service. I have been several times, it hasn’t never disappointed. Highly recommend a visit if you love to eat good food this is the place for you.

We had discovered the Yew Tree Inn on our previous work trip to Detling Antiques Fair when we ate at the Yew Tree on the Friday and Saturday evenings. At that time we booked a table again for the two nights at the end of October. This time again the food and the service were excellent. Before we left we booked again for 21 and 22 January and look forward to going back.

We enjoyed great, freshly cooked food and the staff were very friendly and attentive. Pub is very quaint and close enough to the M20 to be easily accessible.

Food was excellent, all served hot and freshly cooked. Friendly staff and good service. All four of us enjoyed the food from starter to dessert. Highly recommended.

We had a meal Saturday night for my birthday, as soon as we arrived the chef gave us a look because we had my 15 and 12 year old with us. Stuck us in the bar area ( only us eating there) because kids not allowed in the restaurant. My daughter felt very uncomfortable. We will not return again, food was very tasty but the owners are not family friendly at all. Its very discriminating towards under 18. Kids eat from the same menu as adults & take one chair each like an adult would so I don’t see why they can’t eat in the restaurant.

We visited last night (23rd Oct) for the second time, and had THE most wonderful time. From the way we were warmly greeted at the door when we arrived by Tracey the landlady, the fantastic service from the wonderful Wil behind the bar to the attentiveness we received from our waitress (so sorry, we never got your name) but most of all the chef, just wow! The food, just everything was first class!We cannot recommend this this pub restaurant enough, we will all most certainly be back - thank you

Excellent Sunday lunch with friends. The food was of a very high standard with generous portions. Service was quick and attentive. The smoked duck was superb and the roast lamb was delicious with plenty of accompaniments. Really nice experience and we will definitely return.

Superb meal. Only a few restaurants in the area that come up to this standard. Very friendly owners and will definitely be coming back again. Thanks

The food was banging! And I couldn't fault the service either