The best restaurants in Dartford South East

Have driven past this a number of times. Just off the M25 on a roundabout. Plenty of parking. Have to register to park. Fantastic menu. Good value. Not cheap but great streaks. Extremely friendly service. Really nice inside. A little surprised by this but should not be. Good bar. Great ambience. Clearly very popular. A great treat. Lots of special from the app if you have it. In the area? Great place to eat with the family.

We had an awful experience at Cotes, Bluewater on 21 November 2024 in the evening. It was a quiet evening with minimal people inside. We waited for 10 minutes to be seated at the door and was not greeted, we were stared at by several staff who were standing at the front of the bar talking and we stared back to get attention, however we were ignored. Being heavily pregnant, I could not stand up anymore and had to go inside and select our own seats. When we selected our own seats, we were still not greeted again, but stared at again by the same staff who were having a catch- up at the bar. After 10 minutes, someone came over and told us to move, explained I am not moving as I am now conformable and our previous issues at the door were ignored. They were persistent we moved to a more crowded area with lower seats and not conformable for a pregnant person and we refused. Customers should be able to choose their own seats. They seem more interested in getting us to move than greeting us and taking our order. We finally got to the order stage and the drinks and food arrived quickly. The portion sizes were small and overpriced, but we knew we had to order additional sides. Our bill did not arrive after 20 minutes of waiting for it and again the staff were busy chatting at the bar than to bring it over to us. We had to walk over to the bar and told them to bring it over. We refused to pay the service charge as the service was extremely poor. It seems here, staff having a catch- up and chatting is more important than providing a service at this place. This was meant to be our last time of going out in the evening before the baby arrived. Cotes has ruined this experience. We will never be returning.

I had high hopes for Siam Radhuny in Dartford, but unfortunately, our experience was nothing short of disappointing. We were a party of seven celebrating a special family birthday and had booked well in advance, receiving confirmation of our reservation online. However, when we arrived, it became clear that our booking had been entirely overlooked. Despite showing the confirmed reservation on email at the door, we were left waiting for a table to become available and cleaned. This was not the start we had envisioned for our celebration. The issues didn’t end there. Once seated, our starters arrived at different times, with some members of our party finishing their plates long before the last person was served. Even more frustrating, there was over an hours wait between finishing our starters and the main course arriving, leaving us wondering if we had been forgotten. We had to ask several times being told that our mains were on their way. When the main courses finally arrived, two of the side dishes were cold - not just lukewarm, but cold to the touch - and had to be sent back to the kitchen. My mother’s tofu dish seemed to be overcooked, making it hard and chewy, not the soft texture one would expect from tofu. Additionally, the service throughout the meal was poor. The waiters were inattentive, rarely checking in on us, and we struggled to get their attention for additional drinks. Some of the cutlery was also dirty, which we asked to be replaced, only to have to remind the waitress to bring replacements. Once we finished our mains, the neglect continued. There was no attention to our table, and we had to actively seek out someone to ask for the bill as we had decided not to wait further for deserts or coffees. When we raised our concerns with the manager, his only excuse was that the restaurant was busy. He had no empathy to the situation or resolution, even with his "30 years experience in the business???". It took prompting from us to even get an apology from the manager, and there was no offer of compensation or even a round of complimentary drinks to make up for the poor experience. We even had to ask for the service charge to be removed from the bill - a service charge that certainly wasn’t earned. Overall, what should have been a memorable birthday celebration was tainted by subpar service, long waits, and poorly executed dishes. It’s hard to imagine returning after such a frustrating experience. We expected far more, especially given the occasion. A restaurant’s success hinges on more than just food - it’s about the experience, the service, and this one failed on every level. I didn't want to give them even 1 star.... To add, this restaurant seems to focus on its take-away customers, as take-away orders seemed to leaving the kitchen faster that dine in customers..... what a great business model!

When the poppadoms aren't cooked well you know it's not going to be great! Service is awful - seem to concentrate on takeaways rather than seated customers. Food not fab either - luke warm. And to top it off they added a service charge which we didn't pay. Won't return

My first time here and absolutely loved it! Such a lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Chocolate is amazing!

GREAT food! Great service and a laid back vibe. LOVE this restaurant.

The girls (staff) were so lovely, and food was lovely too

Lovely food but did not enjoy having my meal and conversation interrupted by a member of staff who then stood over me and told me to leave a review. He refused to leave until I did so!

Terrible service / rude staff (except from the young lady, bless her), very disappointed and won't be back

I stayed in Dartford for a course and went to The Plough a number of times over the Christmas period. 5 stars is not enough. Great bunch of people, loads of space, brilliant food, great service and parking! Family vibe, comfy seats and the restaurant is separate from the bar so you can choose to be in the hassle for a good pub bar or in the quiet restaurant for quite drinks or a meal. I can't recommend more! Thanks to all the staff for being so welcoming!

New landlords Paul and Tiff really are very welcoming, new selection of wines and beers inc ales. Lovely atmosphere and a busy entertainment calendar 🤩🍷🍺

Website says close at 11pm. Walked 1.2 mile to get there to find out door was locked at 10.05pm. Man shouted through letter box that they had shut early. Only been here a few times and have enjoyed the atmosphere and food but given the amount of other Indian restaurants around, I doubt Raj will be me choice again anytime soon

Beautiful cooked cod is fresh spot on and definitely will be ordereding again.Mine and my family new favourite .thank you

My favorite Chinese takeaway in Dartford by far! The food is always delicious, and the staff are lovely and friendly every time. Highly recommend!

Great bar staff. Very competitive priced drinks local were very welcoming.