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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
British
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
FEATURES
Seating, Serves Alcohol, Reservations, Table Service
Reviews (46)
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LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
31
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Reviewed 1 August 2022

Didn't go into The Castle pub.we hear it only sales drink no food, from the outside it looks like nobody is living there and very untidy

Date of visit: July 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 January 2020

Really tasty well cooked and thought about food. I can't rate it highly enough warm and friendly and having an allergy issue so helpful and accommodating xx already booked to go back for Valentine's night. The steak for my partner was amazing xx

Date of visit: January 2020
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 13 December 2019

Phoned up and they kindly managed to squeeze me and my boy in at the last minute. Steak was out of this world and the boy (8) can’t wait to return. Thank you very much. Very friendly and would fully recommend, even if popping in...for a drink.More

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 9 January 2019 via mobile

A night out with my wife and two daughters enjoying good food / drink and friendly service is assured at The Castle Pub in Brenchley! Mel and Kevin are always very attentive in the bar and restaurant area while Paul (the South African chef) in...the kitchen prepares possibly the best fillet steak I have ever eaten! Despite us being fairly fussy nothing is ever too much trouble and The Castle has become a regular treat for friends and family over the years.. We strongly recommend The Castle to anyone who may have perhaps driven past wondering if it was a suitable venue for anything from a quiet meal for 2 or a party for 16.. Best to book in advance to avoid disappointment!More

Date of visit: December 2018
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 9 December 2018 via mobile

There was 11 of us that came to the castle and could not fault it at all! The food came out the same time, all steaks were cooked to perfection, all food was piping hot, just couldn’t fault it! No complaints at all! Melanie and...her team were brilliant! We will be back. If you haven’t visited this place, you need to. Amazing!More

Date of visit: December 2018
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 October 2018

Food was really wonderful and the service and attention to detail was great. A really lovely place and hope to be back again very soon.

Date of visit: October 2018
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 October 2018 via mobile

Never had anything but delicious steaks here. Wash it down with a glass of Harvey's or one of their good red wines.

Date of visit: September 2018
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 29 September 2018 via mobile

With regards to Jamie A’s post on the 1st August we were actually present in the restaurant (which he states was empty) on this evening and were unlucky enough to witness this disgrace of a man belittle the woman he refers to as Sybil. She...was being helpful towards him and trying to accomodate his wifes requirement, all she got N return was abuse!! He was rude and obnoxious throughout his visit so much so that the people present were relieved at his departure. Please do not listen to this review, it’s rubbish! We are not locals, have travelled many miles to get here and have done for over twenty years! The food and service have always been excellent. The staff have always been friendly and welcoming.More

Date of visit: September 2018
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 August 2018 via mobile

We booked a table for 8 of us which not all small restaurants can cope with, but had a superb evening. We had a range of starters and main courses and they even cooked a small half size steak for my daughter, who doesn’t have...a large appetite. The quality of the fillets - we had everything from blue to medium - was superb. It is really good quality meat, very well cooked. A few pints of Tonbridge ale and some nice Malbec finished the evening off perfectly. Kevin and Mel were charming and very accommodating as always. Thank you for a lovely evening to celebrate my birthday.More

Date of visit: August 2018
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 August 2018

Firstly, before I get into my review please let me inform anyone that my wife has Ulcerative Colitis. This medical condition was not well received at The Castle Inn in Brenchley even though there was a sign hung directly in the restaurant which clearly states..."please notify us of any dietary restrictions or allergies" and that they are happy to accommodate them. Please let me assure you this is not the case and any request is met with resentment and hostility for (in their opinion) a massive inconvenience. Please let me further remind you that Ulcerative Colitis is a certified medical condition not just an intolerance. My wifes informing the owners about her condition resulted in the worst dining experience we have ever encountered on a global scale. On Saturday evening my wife and I happened to go to The Castle Inn in Brenchley as it was recommended by a friend that lives locally. We arrived around 8:00 pm and unfortunately we did not have a chance to make a booking in advance so we decided to try our luck after a long day exploring the local area. Upon arriving to The Castle Inn, we entered the premises with our French Bulldog and waited to inquire about a table and also if dogs were accepted in the establishment. We stood in the bar area while a Waitress (who turned out to ½ of the proprietors) stood at a table directly in front of us talking about local events and conversing with the locals for approximately 5-10 minutes with NO greeting or " I will be with you in a minute". There was absolutely NO greeting at all from any staff or management upon arriving. However we did receive a rather rude and aggressive greeting from a table of local residents with a dog sitting near the entrance. This dog (upon seeing our dog) proceeded to start barking and being aggressive with very high pitched yelps. The local couple informed us that their dog does not like French bulldogs hence the aggressive reaction we were encountering. (I am fairly certain that dogs cannot identify other breeds and single out one specific breed to dislike or discriminate against). Meanwhile the entire bar is now staring at us however we still have not been welcomed or addressed. Finally after standing around with no greeting or welcome we proceeded to ask the Bartender (the other ½ of the ownership) if it were possible for us to inquire about a table for dinner. The bartender informed us he required a minute to confirm if they had any availability. We waited for approximately another 15 additional minutes standing in the entrance of The Castle Inn. All the while being bombarded by the psycho dog from hell and the clarring eyes of the local clientele. To say this was uncomfortable and a bad way to start an evening is a massive understatement. We were hungry and therefore decided to stay and try and salvage some of the remainder of the evening. This proved to be a gigantic mistake. If we were in London we would of simply gone somewhere else. Unfortunately The Castle Inn is slightly remote and to get to the any other restaurant would take anywhere from 10-15 minutes by car. Finally Basil and Sybil did return and confirmed that they did indeed have room to accommodate us for dinner. We were shown to a table in the corner of an entirely EMPTY restaurant which was located to the rear of the property. NOT ONE person was in the dining room. We waited over 20 minutes for the owner to converse with her local friends and her husband to stand around aimlessly all the while being ignored as they could care less if we were paying customers or not. We were simply an inconvenience to their social lives and the fact that we were not local regular customers. At this point we asked for water for the table as well as to see a wine list from Basil. Basil went off on his merry little way to fetch our water and the wine list. Sybil them came by with menus when my wife took to opportunity to inform her about her condition and as a result dietary restrictions. We then tried to inquire about suitable menu options for my wife to eat as she cannot eat many items such as dairy, certain types of fatty meat and fish, onions, garlic etc. We asked about the Soup option of the day was only to be informed there was no soup. We then inquired about the Mains options only to be informed that everything is cooked in butter. At every point of our inquiries we were met with resistance and an unwillingness to accommodate anything we inquired about. After about 10 minutes exhausting every single option for a Main entree we then approached the subject of sides. The sides served with each entree at The Castle Inn is served with Chips, Dauphinoise, Creamed potatoes or Rice. All of which my wife cannot eat. We then inquired about the plain Green Salad on the menu only to be informed that did not have any salad either. We then inquired about vegetable simply steamed only once agin be met with an emphatic NO they do not have vegetables. At this point Sybil did state that they could possibly grill a chicken breast but it still left my wife with nothing more to eat than protein for a main. Meanwhile she proceeded to complain all the while of what an inconvenience it was but that she was really trying to accommodate us but we were making it difficult. Her remarks that she was trying to accommodate us was nothing more than her as a proprietor trying to save face with her local clientele and was an absolute lie. At this point we decided to review all our dining options with Sybil identifying that she only provided us with one option a slight possibility of a grill chicken breast.Sybil did not like our final inquiry and proceeded to berade us that we were being difficult and that she was trying to accommodate us. Her famous last words were that she was being accommodating and then we were to asked to remove ourselves from her establishment as she did not like our tone. This was an absolutely shocking turn of events by a completely unprofessional landlord who was rude and inconvenienced from the moment we entered The Castle Inn. As result of this unprofessionalism and the owners unwillingness to accommodate my wife's medical condition we proceeded to leave The Castle Inn. Upon our exiting the premises we were met with further hostility from the local patrons who began to applaud the fact that we were leaving. In an effort to leave the building without further confrontation or embarrassment we were then shouted and told "good riddance" by the locals in the bar area. This was the final straw for my wife and I could see that she was becoming visibly upset and started to cry from all the poor treatment and abuse. I hate to keep revisiting the fact that my wife is sick and has a medically recognized disease but this experience left her feeling ashamed and embarrassed for simply for trying to go out and enjoy a meal. No one should ever be belittled or made to feel as if they are insignificant as a customer or patron of an establishment. I myself was a professional Executive Chef for over 20 years in high end restaurants and international hotels. In my career I have never seen any Manager, Owner or Proprietor conduct themselves in such a disgraceful and unprofessional manner. The owners of The Castle Inn are a disgrace to the hospitality profession and the men and women who work tirelessly to provide us all with an exceptional dining (and service) experience. My wife is still very emotional and traumatized by the whole experience at The Castle Inn. She still feels ashamed and embarrassed about a condition that is out of her control. No one should ever be made to feel this way. This is down to the lack of professionalism of Basil and Sybil and their lack of experience and understanding of hospitality and service industry. If you are not a local resident I would wholeheartedly advise NOT to even attempt visiting or dining at The Castle Inn in Brenchley.More

Date of visit: July 2018
Helpful?11  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 11 February 2018

we visited with family, we all ordered the steaks which were lovely, nice friendly pub/restraunt with a nice atmosphere,five star

Date of visit: February 2018
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 31 January 2018

Great small menu from this lovely little pub. Very friendly service. The steaks are great and the rest of the menu is not extensive but something for everyone. I really enjoyed my lamb shank. They are not going to be winning Michelin stars, but thoroughly...enjoyable.More

Date of visit: November 2017
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 8 November 2017

A great village venue for coffee and snacks. Child friendly with indoor play. Bacon baps and scones are delicious. Tea and coffee fresh and hot. Friendly and inclusive.

Date of visit: October 2017
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 15 July 2016

We were recommended to visit and have the fillet steak. Very friendly welcome and the steaks were wonderful. We liked the atmosphere and the people of Brenchley are fortunate to have such a great local.

Date of visit: July 2016
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 24 May 2016

We were told the steaks here were 'the best in the world'. I think this may be true... Friendly service, good starters (a decent size, but not too big) - massive steaks, and SO tender! The pineapple upside down sponge was pretty tasty too. Would...definitely recommend.More

Date of visit: May 2016
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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THE CASTLE INN, Brenchley - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Castle Inn

The Castle Inn is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4