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

We had a really lovely visit to The Moody Mare recently, the first of many I hope. Great staff and a really good selection of drinks. The most incredible aspect of the pub is the building. The atmosphere is really special and history is truly worth hearing about. The team have managed to keep both the important historical features but add some unique features, such as the teepees at the back of the pub.

Nice food for reasonable prices. All the staff were friendly and helpful and the venue is clean and really big. A service charge is automatically applied to bill at payment.

Even better second time! We came for dinner again and the food was superb. I had the Chorizo Scotch Egg to start, followed by the Cod and Fries, with the Irish Affogato to finish. Friendly service, lovely decor and clean facilities make this an excellent venue. We shall return!

Stopped by for a Sunday lunch on my way home. The only space available was in the garden so worth booking ahead! Turns out Sundays are carvery days... not normally my thing but I really enjoyed mine. Tried two meats and both were excellent. The trimmings etc were all very good with special mention for the cauliflower cheese! A very good lunch!

Had the 3 course Christmas dinner today with my wife and some friends. We’ve been before and had the pies but today had the Christmas menu. Food on both occasions was amazing and great value. Generous portions ( the Christmas main meal was a self serve carvery) great atmosphere and attentive staff.

Fantastic Sunday carvery. Extremely well organised with thoughtful staff. We took our two year old and the staff offered to move us to a table with more room when available, and even washed up his plate. Highly recommend.

Always a warm welcome and good food and service. Menu choices are always good. Relaxing atmosphere with a nice fire.

Spent a Saturday afternoon here drinking delicious cocktails and absolutely loved it. Fabulous range of cocktails for a pub, and all the ones I ordered were delicious, unique and beautifully presented. Decor is lovely, seating cosy and service friendly and attentive. Slight criticism is the as the afternoon turned into early evening service became overbearing as a member of staff approached our table persistently every few minutes asking if we were ready to order more drinks. There were only two of us and it was clear that our glasses were not nearly empty so it felt like we were being rushed, perhaps as they wanted to accommodate more patrons arriving. But I had a lovely time and would definitely return.

First visit to this incredible little gem today for our anniversary brunch, couldn’t find a single fault, not that we were looking however, staff were perfect! Welcoming, polite, friendly, felt like we were the only ones there because they were so attentive and lovely, would go back just to be treated so nicely, but the food was 5 star, perfect temperature, fresh, and really good options especially for me as a vegetarian, love love love this place! Will be going back asap!

Really good food and service. Went for Sunday lunch and the roast was delicious. Other options on the menu as well.

Lamb rump really delicious. Small, single hasselback potato accompaniment needed some friends, for £26 though! And the side of veggies at £5 also a derisorily small portion size. Service and vibe superb, so if the pointlessly miserly approach to vegetables is rectified, this place would be perfect!

Attended last night for birthday surprise and wasn't disappointed. The staff were very attentive throughout the evening. Head Chef Lee has created a menu which is a delight. The menu to make a decision which of the 5 starters & 6 mains to choice was extremely hard as I could and was tempted to have one of each. The food was as good as u can get the flavours were exquisite. The pairing of wine is a great idea. You will not be disappointed in booking here. Will be returning.

Our favourite spot in Kent! The Poet is consistently excellent: wonderful service, superb quality dishes The menu changes periodically depending on local produce availability, but is always exquisite, a real treat every time we go. I love that they offer a dog friendly table in the bar (if you ring ahead to book, and your doggo is well behaved) Garden is also lovely for a drink before/after food inside 👌 Highly recommend.

I came here for an anniversary meal and it didn't disappoint. Don't let the exterior pub-like look fool you. On the inside, it's a fine dining experience. Incredible food and service. The only reason it gets 3 stars for the atmosphere is because we went on a Monday which was very quiet. Will definitely be back for the tasting night which sounded excellent.

Get in quick before it gets a star. Service- relaxed but very professional Drink - well recommended Food - for £100 a head in London easily. Seriously superb food. The dishes take you on a journey the team design and deliver on. Went for a birthday, will now “have to go back” to regularly check quality.

Lovely food - fresh and original. Not as shown on the website. I had Chicken shish on flatbread with humus, chips and salad, followed by a delicious blueberry cheesecake. It was beautifully cooked and presented. My husband enjoyed fish and chips for his 85th birthday lunch. Highly recommended.

Great food at a traditional English pub by a village green. We had the seafood platter and charcuterie starters. Both excellent with my seafood tasting really fresh amd accompanied by lovely soft bread and butter. My mains of ham and chicken pie also really good with a generous chunky filling. Partner had the sausages and mash - generous portion of quality sausages. Desserts excellent. All in all a great meal and the staff were lovely!

Any pub with the words “on the Green” in its name is going to be good. The Swan is no exception; across the board, service, comfort, food quality, it is absolutely brilliant. A pub food goer’s dream.

What a lovely pub/restaurant. Plentiful parking. Cosy log fire keeping us comfortable. Very friendly service and not pushy at all. Liked the question about allergies after taking the orders. Reasonable period given to complete each course before serving next course. Food portions are generous and the presentation and quality are mouth watering. After starter and main course we couldn’t manage a dessert but had perfect coffees. Superb choice of beer and wine. We are not a vegetarian but there is something for everyone on the menu. Well worth a trip to West Peckham in beautiful Kent.

Really delicious authentic food, long wait times. We visited on a Saturday lunchtime when we were one of three tables. We shared the arancini and bredaola to start, and then had the ravioli and risotto for mains. Everything was super delish and good portions, shame we didn't have enough room for dessert.

One of the best restaurants in Maidstone - delicious, authentic, home-cooked Italian food that never disappoints, and always a nice selection of specials. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the service is impeccable. A lovely, cosy place that we love to visit often!

Great food and excellent service! It's a cozy but decent Italian restaurant. We do love all the dishes, especially the lamb stew, it's tender and delicious. Thumbs up! We absolutely will come back and highly recommend it.

La Villetta is such a lovely part of the food scene in Maidstone. It’s a cosy, independent restaurant with really flavoursome and seasonal menus. Our starters were amazing, we shared a selection of olives, burrata and polpettine and they were delicious both separately and together! It was a little slow to get our mains but my chicken was beyond flavoursome, I would even say not for the faint hearted. It was so buttery and creamy, i loved it. My husband had the mushroom gnocchi which was not as deep in flavour but still quite good. The gnocchi looked as though it came from a packet but honestly compared to the chains that are available in our area, the food here was much more homemade. We also tried one of the italian beers, Birra flea (margherita), it was so nice I’ve had a google to buy some. Its malty and savoury in flavour so goes so well with all of the food. We didn’t go for dessert but they do an afogato with baileys in it which went down a treat! The waitress was really lovely and helpful with the menu. The only odd thing is that the floor feels a bit wonky under foot! This is a really charming place to eat and the food is much fresher than anything else you’ll find in Maidstone. We will definitely return.

Large well managed establishment. Good selection of wine and beer but accent is on food. Spacious and airy dinning area's and friendly, efficient service. My Guinness was presented in prime condition. Recommended , particularly if eating. Christmas lunch in region of £100 pp.

Sometimes, the most unexpected places hold true gems, and this restaurant is a shining example. The food here is simply superb, and it's no surprise that they are featured in the Michelin Guide. Despite the restaurants unassuming exterior, don't let that deter you—the experience is absolutely worth it. The quality of the dishes and the culinary expertise showcased here far surpasses any initial judgments based on appearances. The staff are also very friendly. Don't miss out on this hidden treasure.

2024 October Review NEW AND UPDATED Back again at the Stile Bridge, with the previous chef who departed 6 months ago, it has been time to try the new menu again. At a glance the new menu has inspirations from Asian cuisine slashed with British classics. A very good choice for all palates of flavours. To start, the house bread and oils, the Focaccia style bread was delicious , crispy, fluffy and tasteful, most perfect bread you could ask for to start. The lamb meatballs, had an Indian inspired taste coated in crispy panko, I actually thought the additional aioli style sauce was not needed. Next up was the boneless chicken wings which was a let down, with its dry flavour, baseless and bland texture it felt like the wing was absolutely battered and butchered to create this flattened pancaked wing. Mains : Chicken salad - chicken was super juicy and tasteful, with a salad which isn’t drenched in dressing, the perfect amount for a main dish, with expedited pickles which were fab, and well seasoned dish. Pork sirloin, juicy, cooked well rather tender as welland had great accompaniments with it, the jus was flavourful and hit the spot. Scallops, cooked well, fresh, and plenty of spark. Overall the Stile Bridge did not disappoint again, will be back, and loved the service. Truly so far still one of my top recommendations for restaurants in Kent. Best for those who actually have an eye for food and an open palate. NOT for your typical boring clientele. 2023 Review - A MUST TRY hidden Resturant in the country side of Kent Food Quality 4.7/5 Presentation 4.5/5 Price 4.6/5 Service 4.7/5 Atmosphere / Ambiance 4.2/5 Stilebridge offers an South American fusion with British cuisine, utilising fresh and local ingredients of Kent and East Sussex. It is a show stopper of a restaurant to visit if you are in Kent. compared to other restaurants within Kent, which serves typical British classics and other delicate British style dishes it is good to see a pub serving a different variety of food from around the world, being a Michelin guide recommendation, the Stilebridge is certainly a place that is well worth on the Michelin guide. The food I would describe it as light South American heavily infused with British twist, this is definitely done to please the pallets of local clientele within Kent which are known for having less adventurous pallets, but as an individual who thrives on flavour, exoticNess and wonder, this may also be the place for you as it is especially for me it is. The octopus and pork belly was fragrance, light and packed full of simplistic flavours, which hit each flavour on the tongue perfectly. Had a small cake which enhances the flavour of the dish., I would say the octopus is a touch over done when I had it, but the pork belly was cooked perfectly. The lamb rump was cooked to perfection, after talking to the chef, and knowing that it was a dry aged lamb from Romley Marsh? Very well with the potato jus accompanying it very well with its lights and arrogant flavours. I would have liked more of the sweet potato jus upon my dish, the lentils works. Well I would’ve liked a bit more than those as well. The Korean style, Bimbap works well for local clienteles pallets, however, I would have preferred it a lot more crispy rice at the bottom of the bimbap, after discussing it with the chef, who was very polite and friendly, it was understandable why it was done in such a way. The side dishes of the potato, Bravas and the pickled salad was a very nice for the compliment to my main protein dishes. Overall, the Stilebridge is a great restaurant you should visit, as a reviewer, I never eats anywhere five stars restaurant wise, however, with my own personal recommendation, I recommend a rate Stilebridge very highly and would be back again to try the other menu items. I would love to see more South American dishes because it’s hard to find authentic dishes done right utilising British local projects which I highly enjoy. My compliments to the chef. Thank you

I'd been wanting to visit The Stile Bridge for some time; it was with some excitement that I saw how nearby a restaurant in the Michelin guide was. It did not disappoint. Beautifully cooked meat, with the best chips I've ever tasted - well seasoned throughout, crisp on the outside and fluffy in the middle. The pork sirloin was delicious, the beef sirloin moreso. I will be back very eagerly. Lovely service as well, and some nice drinks offerings.

Visited the Redstart as a party of 8 yesterday evening, for the first time in years. What a great gastro pub! Lively, friendly, decent value, and, not surprisingly, packed! Good choice of traditional pub food on the menu, so something for everyone. We'll be back, recommended.

It’s surprising how good pub food can be. The RedStart exemplifies this. Walk inside and it looks like a standard looking sociable drinking space. Sit down, look at the specials board, you begin to realise there is something special about this place. Yes it does prepare the traditional British dishes. The RedStart goes one step further and throws in European dishes into the mix. When these dishes arrive they ooze quality. Presentation, piquant and professional. These were some of the best tasting dishes I have sampled at a pub in Kent. For 3 courses I had change from £30, unbelievable given the standard of food. European pub food at it’s best.

The place is huge with indoor and outdoor tables and service. The food was amazing and the staff was so kind and friendly. There is plenty of garden area, it's really large. There's a playground so that you can take your kids and have a meal, a beer, and let them play while you enjoy the place. There's also some events there such as bingo and karaoke. The only negative point is the toilets, they're a bit neglected (old). The area where this place is located is so peaceful too. Worth the visit!

Stopped of for an evening meal after going to the pictures. Great choice of pub food although my first choice of Steak & kidney pudding was sold out so I had the steak and ale pie with mash and veg very tasty. Nice beers on tap good service .

Excellent pub, staff really friendly and welcoming. Food was lovely would highly recommend.

Fabulous pub, great attentive staff and good prices for the location and standard of food. Highly recommend

Such a lovely little pub and accommodation. Staff were friendly and welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. Great place to stay if you are attending an event at The Gardens, Yalding

Great quality Chinese food and friendly staff. We went on a Tuesday night so only a few people eating in the restaurant but they had a steady stream of takeaway orders. But we had a highly enjoyable meal with top notch food. The Seafood hors d'oeuvre was delicious.

Absolutely delicious food last night. Could not fault it. Duck was delicious, Crispy Beef was so beautifully cooked. Everything tasted so fresh and yum! Cocktails were so tasty. Our server was very nice and so attentive. My friend had a lovely birthday meal and really enjoyed herself, so Thanks Crown City!