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

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.

I had a wonderful stay. The House is spotless and beautifully decorated. Best night's sleep on the lovely comfortable bed. Nothing was too much trouble. Beautiful setting and the host made me very welcome. I would definitely return. Thank you.

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 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.

Simply lovely. top food, top service and lovely ambience. will be returning!

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

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.

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

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!!!

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.

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. 😀👍

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 team offsite at The Oak Barn and it was perfect from start to end - the venue, the suppliers recommended, all the staff! The location! It is a truly gorgeous place. Especially for us Londoners that need some county air!! Deana and Tim are the nicest people to work with ever, the communication before the event and during made everything so easy. I really appreciate how much effort they put in to make the day a success. I’ve had multiple people ask me about the venue after they’ve seen photographs and everyone is already asking if we can go back again next year!! Thank you so so so much, I was blown away by the entire day and so happy with how the event went.

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.

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.

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.

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?

This was a first-time visit for us to Kypseli, and it definitely won't be our last! We were a party of nine, celebrating my Mum & Dad's Emerald wedding anniversary. Everything about the experience from the moment I first contacted Kypseli to make the arrangements was perfect. The food was delicious & very authentic, and the atmosphere and attention to detail were second to none. The staff were super friendly and took care of us all wonderfully and made it very special for my Mum & Dad. Thank you for a fantastic evening. We can't wait to come back!

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 😃

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!

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 went strawberry picking locally and I found this gem on Google. The staff were very friendly and the menu was great for a lunch spot. The restaurant was very clean also. We'll definitely be back.

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.

Wonderful . Great healthy food , humorous waiter and super lovely relaxed atmosphere definitely going back.

Amazing veggy breakfast with crispy hash browns and perfectly cooked eggs! Plus friendly cat.

Warm & welcoming. Relaxed atmosphere. Lovely indoor & outdoor seating areas., Long table in the garden area for large group. Had a very nicely cooked & tasty full English breakfast. £35 for two full English, plus x2 latte, large bottle water & juice. Great venue in summer but I’m sure it’s super cosy in the autumn/winter.

Really relaxed atmosphere; wonderful decor inside and out; dog friendly; attentive staff; delicious vegan breakfast and smashed avocado on toast.

Food is fantastic, my other half and I eat out a fair amount but struggle to find places that have consistently good food. Popped in today for lunch and the food was spot on, I had the monkfish and my partner the steak. Will 100% return.

We had our 12 year anniversary meal here my husband had the delicious lamb and I had the super tasty pork. Can't wait to go again service was great and I love the traditional feel of this proper English pub.

Made a late booking for Sunday lunch and found the welcome, service and food simply wonderful. Prices were surprisingly reasonable as well. Everything one would want from a country pub.

We stopped in for lunch whilst on a walk with my 5 month old puppy. We were welcomed and found a quiet corner where my puppy settled down under the table. Lunch was delicious, a fish finger sandwich. Yummy, perfect comfort food. I would definitely go again.

Lovely pub with roaring fire. Very welcoming with some nice beer choices

Absolutely beautiful pub- amazing Sunday lunch - great service- our new favourite