The Best Restaurants in Benenden, Kent, United Kingdom (2025)

We recently had our wedding at The Oak Barn and it was the perfect place. The barn and surroundings are absolutely beautiful, the fact you can spend the whole weekend there really makes the wedding feel special with plenty of time to set up and relax. The team are amazing, really supportive in the run up and during the weekend and ready to help with whatever might arise! Thank you for the best weekend ever.

It was a real pleasure to visit The Oak Barn again this time to perform for the newlyweds Abbie & Tom, the venue grounds are well kept and a beautiful setting for such a special occasion, the barn is a great space to host the evening party with a raised stage area for the bands to perform on, the staff are there to greet on arrival, friendly and helpful throughout and one of Kent’s finest wedding venues! We look forward to the next visit 🤘🙂 🥳

We had our wedding at the beautiful Oak Barn in July this year. From start to finish Deana & Tim were incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. Planning a wedding is such a daunting task, but they were incredible in answering any questions I had and kept us informed throughout the process. The Oak Barn itself is a magical place. I am so pleased that we chose this venue for our wedding day. Everything was perfect, even on one of the hottest days of the year. The barn is absolute perfection and it shows in the love and care that they give the barn. It was the most perfect day and we couldn't thank them enough for making the day so special.

We're so happy we chose The Oak Barn as our wedding venue! We got married here in August 2023. We fell in love with the venue from the first viewing. The setting is stunning, and the barn is modern but still has a rustic feel, which was perfect for us! The cottages on site are also beautiful. The team at The Oak Barn are a wonderful bunch - incredibly helpful and make you feel at ease throughout the whole process. I want to give a special thanks to Chrystelle, who was amazing in the run up to the wedding and on the day. She made sure everything was running smoothly and really kept us calm! It was one of the most magical days of our lives and we couldn't have wished for a more perfect venue.

Food was amazing, Bev was brilliant all night and couldn’t do enough for us. Have already booked to return again

Wonderful food and atmosphere. We had a dinner here during the summer and will be coming back in future.

We went back here for our Anniversary and both had an absolutely excellent meal With great food, service and atmosphere this is our go to place for special occasions Highly recommended if you are in the area Make sure that you book ahead as the number of covers is limited

Almost Decided to visit a reasonably new venue. It was quite quiet the night we visited (friday) The menu is quite short but most were things I would be delighted to eat. We decided to have different courses to spread the experience. The Amuse bouche was a wonderful summer Gazpacho. Starters were squid (mine) and prawns (friend). Both really nice dishes, the squid for me was my meal highlight. Quite liked my lamb rump but personally not a fan of the minestrone veg. My panna cotta was superb. Front of house was really nice, didn't get much contact with chef. It was a lovely meal, great food almost there. Word of caution Steps down to toilets are very steep and not deep, a bit of a challenge for the less mobile. Non alcoholic cocktails were a little weak for my taste.

A fantastic cup of coffee at this new cafe with a great vibe. My food was beautifully presented and tasted delicious-you must try the Parmesan truffle chips! Very comfy seats. A great selection of cakes. Helpful staff . Well worth a visit , what more could you want?

We met friends for lunch here today and it didn’t disappoint. The food was presented so beautifully and tasted great! Love the atmosphere and the Christmas window display!

What a lovely little bistro in the heart of Kent. Welcoming staff and great food. My daughter and I had dinner there the other night and we will be heading back there on our next trip to Cranbrook.

Lovely owner run and managed cafe. Booked for brunch on a wet Easter Monday. Glad we reserved as it’s a small place and we were a big party. Lovely menu for big and little kids alike. We were greeted with a lovely smile and seated quickly. Orders were taken quickly. Drinks came quickly. Food was a little slower as it’s freshly made but well worth the wait. Cooked Breakfast and pancakes are highly recommended. Coffee and tea is excellent. Juice is standard carton stuff but pleasant enough. The owner Chloe and her team are lovely and welcoming and clearly very accommodating for small, large and single guests plus dogs. It’s also a very inclusive cafe which accommodates people with disabilities. Lovely find and highly recommended for all. A local gem.

We dined here after receiving a voucher from a relative. We decided to stay the night as well. Overall the experience was positive. The food was very nice and the accompanying wines were well chosen. I would certainly eat there again. As for the stay, while the room was nice and the facilities plenty, there were significant shortfalls. Firstly there were notable water stains in the plaster around the skirting board and wall behind the towel rail. Secondly the hand towel hook fell out of the socket. Finally the shower had amazing water pressure and would have been great, however the drain must have been blocked as after 60 seconds operation it was overflowing. A pity considering the room was fairly expensive considering the area.

Delicious food. Great chef. Excellent service from the whole team. Would recommend and visit again. Rooms are comfy.

Top restaurant serving very high quality food. Everything was perfect. Will definitely be coming back.

We had a nice, relaxing evening meal. Tables in the restaurant are at a good distance from each other, which makes all the difference. The staff was attentive but not overbearing. The food was delicious and beautifully presented and arrived at just the right intervals. We loved little surprise treats in between courses. Will definitely come back. Big thank you to Chef Graham and his Team.

A little piece of Greece in Cranbrook! Great atmosphere, delicious food, impeccable service at great prices. I don’t like tzatziki and asked to not have it with my souvlaki, it was kindly replaced with a delicious hummus without even having to ask which was lovely. It clearly shows how much they care about customer satisfaction. We’ll certainly be back soon ❤️🇬🇷

My friend and I went for a meal at Kypseli on Friday evening and it was fantastic, as always. I often eat at Kypseli either in the restaurant or via takeaway and I am always blown away by the quality of the food and Friday evening was no exception. It is always a pleasure to eat with friends here as I know full well that we are going to have a fantastic experience, with great atmosphere, friendly staff and really lovely chilled family vibes. Another great job all! I look forward to eating here again soon 😃

What can I say, just lovely! Fantastic service, fabulous food. Started with dips which were lovely, continued with linguini prawns and pork stew. Puddings of a traditional cheesecake type dish with Shredded almonds ... kefka I think. Wonderful. Great atmosphere out the back with blankets and heaters! Definitely go again! Thank you?

The food, service and value here is fantastic! We were ever so slightly disappointed to discover that the menu was different to the one listed on the website, as we’d set our hearts on a few dishes that weren’t available, but we had a great meal regardless 🇬🇷🫒👍🏻

Absolutely amazing place. Best restaurant in the area by far and it shows! Food is perfect and a great verity of food to choose from. Service is brilliant, all of the staff are appropriately dressed and very kind. Overall a clean and a very positive environment to be in. Definitely would recommend, definitely one of my favourite restaurants. Would 100% come again if I’m in the area. Thanks for the great experience!!!

What a beautiful place this is. Can be quite busy but staff and kitchen handled it like a pro. We were graciously welcomed and staff was super friendly and attentive to all. As they had a lot of customers on the night, they never lost their cool and made the experience extremely pleasant. The liver was a bit under cooked so ended up with pink, bloody mash BUT was still tasty. Aranchini was cooked brilliantly but the sauce was too tomatoey for me as it over powered the taste of the aranchini. The olives & bread is sooooo good. The Black Shadow cocktail was so tasty and tiramisu also delicious. Nothing like a little Grappa to end the evening off. Overall an amazing experience and will definitely be back.

Mentalbano is an authemtic Italian restaurant, clean, tidy, and the staff were helpful and knowledgeable, to say the least. They greeted us at the front door and took our coats, and presented us with our table. Good atmosphere, tasty food, and well lit. This is the second time I have visited this place, and it hasn't disappeared me. It got better. 😀👍

I’m a chef, I found this restaurant on a whim for a date night with my partner, and I have to say that this may be my favourite restaurant I have ever been to. The atmosphere was amazing and made us feel very welcome, and the food was truly amazing. Will definitely be back many times.Will be our go-to date night spot.

Julie and Jonathan have a lovely home (and garden) and it was a genuine pleasure to stay there. Their sense of hospitality and kindness was amazing and touching at times, and it made our stay a lovely experience. Julie is a clearly a great cook and takes pride in the food she serves up. We stayed for one dinner, which was delicious. Amazing restaurant options are also only 10 mins drive away. Breakfast was one of the best I’ve had in a B&B (or hotel for that matter). One of the easiest recommendations I could make.

We stayed for three nights, having dinner cooked by Julie on one of them. This is one of the very best B&Bs we have ever visited, out of many all over the country. (actually I think it definitely IS the best!) Comfortable, quiet, relaxing; excellent breakfasts with delicious home made bread; the dinner was perfect and we were allowed to bring our own bottle. The house has an interesting history and is set in glorious wooded country with walks all around, a choice of nice pubs and although being mid November a lot of things were closed there were still plenty of places to visit. Our room (Hebe) was large and well lit; fresh flowers, a comfortable bed and a huge ensuite with everything you need. Julie herself is a natural: sweet and generous to the core. We were genuinely sad to leave, which says it all.

I was another one of those who couldn't quite believe this place could live up to all the exceptional reviews, and yet it exceeded our expectations. Nothing quite compares to Beacon Hall House, it is by far the best B&B and one of the best accommodations I ever stayed in. We were there for the Easter break and every day we would wake up to the most luxurious breakfasts, including fresh fruit, jams, marmalade, bread, home-made cakes and muffins, local cheese and if that isn't enough for you, Julie will whip up delicious cooked breakfasts. My partner and I are both vegetarians and Julie made us the tastiest brekkies with fresh veggies straight from her garden. Our room was so peaceful, overlooking the luscious greenery and we really appreciated the little touches like fresh flowers, high quality bedding, White Company towels and home made biscuits on arrival. Whether you just want to relax or if you want to be more active, Beacon Hall House is the perfect place - there are tons of footpaths basically on your doorstep, gardens, castles, amazing country pubs and wineries nearby. We were also able to play some tennis, as there's a tennis court on the property and you'll be provided with tennis rackets which was super fun. Thanks Julie for spoiling us and for all the care you put in welcoming your guests - we hope we'll be back!

We had a wonderful stay. Julie and Jonathan are incredibly accommodating and their home is stunning. It felt more like we were staying with friends than in a B&B. Breakfast was delicious, Julie is a great cook and nothing we requested was too much for her. The rooms and house are exactly as pictured. We will most certainly stay here again.

Had a lovely time here with family last Sunday. The roasts were so good and the service was excellent. Definitely be back. Highly recommend.

AMAZING! We visited with the family and was wonderful. The service was great they were very accommodating and helpful. The food was delicious, specially the mussels, they must be the best mussels I ever had 👏👏 Everything was amazing, thank you! 🤩

I stayed here for my birthday, what a truly lovely place. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. We stayed in the deluxe double, totally worth it. The room was amazing with great presentation. Breakfast was perfect, a good choice and the meal in the evening was exceptional. I will go back, and would highly recommend this accommodation to anyone visiting Kent that is looking for high standards for their stay.

We had a delicious meal at The Bull Inn Rolvenden this afternoon.. Great quality food at very reasonable prices! The lady that served us, Georgia,was extremely friendly, attentive and professional and a credit to the pub! Well done Georgia!! The Christmas decorations were fantastic! Just a lovely, wholesome country pub and we will be sure to come back again!!

Went here on Monday evening whilst on holiday seeing friends in Kent. Barry and I had such a great meal, we returned, following day to treat two friends for lunch . We were served by a great waitress Jemma who had a great personality and is a great asset to the Pub. Hope they appreciate her - good staff are hard to come by. All our meals were great, beautifully presented and delicious, plus reasonably priced. Wish we had a pub local to us like this is Lincoln. We may well take another friend there for lunch on Friday🤗

We had some close friends come down to visit us and decided to pop into the Bull Inn at Rolvenden for some lunch, we hadn't booked in advance, fortunately they were kind enough to find us a table for 4. Our waitress was Jemma and she was absolutely fantastic, great sense of humour and incredibly pleasant and extremely efficient, wonderful young lady. The Bull Inn is dog friendly so that was an added bonus as our friends didn't want to leave their two dogs in the car as it was quite a hot day, Jemma even brought out two little dishes of assorted dog biscuits after taking our orders and bringing our drinks to the table, impeccable service. We were very impressed with the great selection of food on the menu, we asked if it would be possible to change a few items, this was no trouble at all, very accommodating and at no extra charge. The food was fantastic and cooked to perfection! I have attached some photos of the food we ordered, hopefully these speak for themselves as to the generous portions and the lovely presentation, really enjoyed our meal at the Bull Inn at Rolvenden, lovely atmosphere and I would highly recommend this as an affordable place to eat out, look forward to visiting again in the future. 10 out of 10 in all aspects.

Great pub with decent selection of beers and really tasty food. It's close the several thrift shops and had a decent outside seating area to catch some sun. It's also dog friendly which is a bonus. Staff was friendly and food came quick.

Live locally and we come here regularly. Can't fault the food, the service or the friendly welcoming atmosphere. Today's Sunday roast was up to its usual high standard- absolutely delicious and lemon meringue pie to die for!

We found this gem of a pub and been back three times in a week and a half! The food is delicious and cooked to perfection. I keep ordering the same thing. Lovely ladies behind the bar . Very friendly. Great atmosphere, quaint and beautifully clean. Plus we enjoy the furry visitors that get to say hello. Fabulous Fabulous! See you on Sunday!😁

Can’t wait to return to The Star. A wonderful traditional village pub with a great menu. Super welcoming atmosphere. A lovely pub garden too. Event nights are always worth a visit!

Such a warm welcoming friendly pub and atmosphere food is amazing and your always looked after by the amazing Staff and owners highly recommend