please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited a few times , Larkins is always spot on and the bar staff very friendly.
Food is always slightly better than I expected (and slightly more expensive).
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Stopped here whilst out walking on a Sunday lunchtime. Good beer - Harveys and Larkins, nice old pub, nice garden, food looked good but we weren't eating - will do next time. Lots of tweed jackets around but that may have been the coach & horse fair on locally. Quite busy and rightly so.
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5.9/10 is unfair. The Larkins was excellent, the surroudings are lovely and the bar staff were very helpful. I will certainly go back.
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A pub with Bags of character, jovial landlord, superb Larkins beer and yes the portions are on the small side but the food is very tasty..
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Based on the recommendations applicable to the Castle 20 of us Ramblers went on a pre-arranged visit last Wednesday week .
What a dissapointment.Guinness draught either off or not stocked.Ales on tap were excellent .However home made soup tasteless served in a tiny bowl with 2 small pieces of bread for circa �6
Sandwiches good wholemeal bread with 1 watercress leaf on top an egg cup of crisps no salad accompanyment at all Again circa �6.Served on a piece of "Slate" Whats wrong with plates?
Left feedback with Management.Most establishments in the area serve sandwiches with a good fresh dressed salad & about a �1 a time cheaper.
We noted that without us the pub would have been empty.On this showing this group won't be back Suggest "Lessons need to be learned" Look at what the competition is doing !!!
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Pleased to see that the garden is still a revered feature. Enjoyable memories.
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This place has gone up in my esteem! I didn�t realise on my last visit what a beautiful garden this pub has. The Larkins was as good as before and there is also a kind of serving hatch to the outdoor area which can save having to tramp back into the pub for more drinks.
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The Castle Inn at Chiddingstone is a lovely building set in a beautiful village not far from Penshurst. I had a pint of Larkins which was fine and a game of bar skittles which was fun. Nice, friendly service in this pub in a gorgeous part of Kent.
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My wife and I went to the castle last week for a meal. We thought the service and food was great. Everyone was friendly and there was a great atmosphere. Nice to see our local pubs using local produce and local ales . We will be back! Other great pubs that we have been to recently and are well worth a visit to are The Bottle house, the Rock and the Spotted Dog all great value for money with local ales.
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Visited again recently and found the service initially to be poor. When we arrived there was nobody at the bar and when a yound lad finally came to serve he did something else before actually asking what we wanted. My wife then asked for some change for the cigarette machine only to find it was completely empty! We later found there was a shop only a couple of doors up which he could have told us about. That said, the food and beer were again very good although the good value 3 course set menu seems to have disappeared!!!
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Some of the reviews leave me wondering whether this is the same pub that I went to yesterday. Friendly, yes, excellent Larkins Porter, yes, nice pub, yes. However, I ordered a meal that turned out to be a medium sized cheese roll that I had to make up myself for �9.10. Yes, it was goats cheese, and I do not know the price of goats cheese however it must be like a bar of gold. Eat here with great care.
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Knock out - 10 out of 10. It may not be the cheapest place in the world but it's certainly not the most expensive either and the food is worth EVERY PENNY (you get what you pay for)..... I've been lucky enough to experience many well know London restuarants and seriously, The Castle beats them all! The service is personal, the food is excellent, the venue is mind blowing and very welcoming. The locals meet you once and by the time you leave, you feel like you've known them forever; such a lovely community spirit. Chris in the restaurant can't do enough for you and is the epitome of professional. Take the time to visit because unless you're mad, you'll make this a regular haunt.... Such a beautiful part of untouched Kent countryside too. Enjoy!
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The beer is 'alwas' in good condition here but still camra refuse to add it to the good beer guide because of a mis-understanding 15 years ago, infantile.
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Visited on a cold wet and windy Monday lunchtime and found the place very welcoming. John, the landlord, was very chatty and friendly and gave us an oversight of what he'd done with the place since taking over in January. We opted for the 3 course set lunch and although choices were slightly limited the food was very good indeed and great value at �13.95 per person. This is somewhere we'd definitely return to and hopefully it will be as good every time.
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"Had lunch on Sunday with family. Place was packed. Food great & prices lower than had been told, nice surprise, will go back!"
I hope you will go back John, it's your pub!!.
Keats - 28 Oct 2010 15:40 |
Had lunch on Sunday with family. Place was packed. Food great & prices lower than had been told, nice surprise, will go back!
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Me and my husband went for a meal last Friday night, we had previously visited under the old owner and were keen to see how/if it had been changed.
We were pleasantly surprised to find it had been refurbished and had a lovely atmosphere. When we arrived we were welcomed in by a friendly member of staff and shown to our table in the restaurant. There was a good selection of wine and we were impressed by the menu. The food was wonderful; we were both impressed by the high quality.
All in all, we would not hesitate to recommend the Castle Inn and will certainly be returning in the near future. It is a great country pub and well worth the visit.
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As previous comments have alluded, I too visited the pub again yesterday on the way back from the excellent Bottle House Inn and enjoyed the marvellous resuraced roads leading to Chiddingston.
We walked into the courtyard and were pleased to see that the seating there had improved from those horrible backless benches we'd seen there a few months ago and had been replaced by rather large and cumbersome wooden furniture - which is a plus. However, glancing at the Pub menu, we winced at the prices charged for sandwiches, starters and especially desserts at �6.50 a time - absolutely ridiculous.
No, go back down the road to the Bottle House, Spotted Dog or Little Brown Jug for better fare and prices.
It's a shame that the Castle has ended up like this for want of a bit of common sense and good management - Don't owners ever learn?
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It was such a shame to see Nigel go. My wife and I hadn�t been able to bring ourselves to return until recently when we finally decided to visit The Castle Inn under its new management.
It was an absolute pleasure to see Chris who, as ever, was lovely and bent over backwards to accommodate us in every way possible.
The food was fine but unfortunately the wine list was worse than dreadful, the choice is limited and limited, it would seem, to the bad stuff. Having eaten our meal and left most of a bottle of overpriced vinegar we were introduced to the new owner John, a perfectly pleasant chap but thoroughly charmless and uncharismatic. I had always considered the prices at The Castle Inn included a premium for the good company of the staff, family included, and the other diners; that being said they can hardly justify those prices any longer.
The Service we received from all but Chris was abysmal, the waitresses seemed clueless and forgetful and the young man behind the bar was obviously made in the same mould.
It is with great regret I say that after more than forty years patronage we will not be visiting the Castle Inn again. If I didn�t think that it was such a well deserved retirement, I would recommend the new owner handed the keys back to Nigel!
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Popped back to The Castle Inn and yes it's still better than it was, but the new owners have do much more to make the real difference that this potential gem of a pub needs to thrive. The drinks list fall woefully short of inspired choices, which for a free house is a real shame. The food menu needs to up the ante and to change daily to justify the high prices. Shepherds Pie at �12.50 was tasty but more like Shepherds Soup, that said the do very nice bit of game pie at the bar for �2.50.
More decent local and national ales ( Timothy Taylors etc ) and ciders please, plus a changing lunchtime special menu at around �8.95 would see more locals and visitors alike start to populate the place. The chefs are there to cook, but if the place is empty then, you still have to pay them..so a well priced lunch menu is a must.
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This pub has changed completely - and all for the better.
The food is very good indeed and would throughly recommend it.
A bar menu of light snacks would be welcome.
The prices may a first seem on the highish side, but the quality is there to justify them
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Stopped off briefly in Chiddingstone today to have a look at the menu and courtyard of the recently 'taken over' Castle Inn.
I did not like what I saw in respect of the prices of Pub Grub on the menu (�6 for a dessert!) nor the fact that the comfortable although faded plastic furniture in the courtyard had been replaced with the ubiquitous and uncomfortable 'backless' picnic tables.
Shan't be going there again. Ah, well anothe pub bites the dust, so to speak
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The Castle Inn has definitely improved since the new landlord moved in. The food has improved greatly although limited in choice and expensive for the standard served, it's London prices for basic decent pub food and a bar menu would be welcome. The morose and un-communicative locals still haunt the public bar, but elsewhere has seen newcomers moving in to eat and drink, bringing a new lease of life to this lovely old pub. The drinks range is still limited, one local beer, no local ciders and a very limited wine list...but I'm assured that this will change as the new owner gets to grips with running a quality pub. Many other pubs in the area have seen management changes for the better recently and The Castle Inn needs to be on it's toes to come out ahead of the pack.
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Was a bit worried about this place having read some fairly terrible reviews on a few sites but was pleasantly surprised. Very old and charming pub, great service and friendly staff. Food was very good, my shepherd's pie was lovely and the sirloin of beef someone else in our party also had was excellent (if pricey at �15). Child and dog friendly as well which is always a bonus and a very pretty setting. We'd definitely return. The new owner's have obviously put time and effort into improving the food at The Castle Inn. Only slight issue I have with it is the price, but the food was good quality, so not a deal breaker for me.
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Had a trip out to the Castle last night as I had heard it was under new ownership (about time too!). Oh what a joy........we were greeted by Mr John McManus who I know from past experience has an excellent reputation for producing exceptional food.
We dined on potted duck & butternut squash veloute to start followed by a sublime rib-eye steak & a suburb lamb dish served with a side of the best Shepherds pie I have ever witnessed. We finished with a platter of English cheeses & a superb Treacle tart.
It is evident that the castle can now boast food equal to it's quintessential English pub located in a beautiful village. Prices for a pub are on the steep side but the value for money is outstanding & quality rivals some of the very best restaurants. Note to the Bottle House nearby......You had better be aware!!
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The Castle Inn is potentially a great pub, lovely old building in a wonderful old village. It has been a bit tired for a few years but the pub has a new management team with a definite emphasis on serving quality food whilst retaining the pubby atmosphere. Whilst the food has improved it is still very expensive for what it is and the beer offering is very limited. I'm sure that the pub will improve gradually without alienating the locals and visitors alike. WORTH A VISIT
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The recession is clearly biting. I was in today and the Larkins Porter had dropped to �4.05 a pint!!
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Went to the Castle today for a snack lunch with a colleague. This is a really wonderful building with everything one would like to have in a traditional inn. Haven't been here for a few years as i've moved away, but thought I would impress my colleague as I was in the area. Sadly,I have to agree with previous comments regarding price and quality. Harveys Best Bitter �3.95 a pint!! Sausage Baguette nearly �7. I don't know what the owners are trying to do here, keep it strictly for the rich it would appear! Shame on them, because i'm sure this could be one hell of a destination pub with the "offer" priced right. Garden furniture was old and tatty, and not really cared for, and I have to say I was deeply disappointed. Never mind, luckily there are other good pubs in the area.
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Lovely looking old pub and dogs welcome. Had a pint of Larkins Platinum Blonde (which it wasn't) a quite ordinary ale with little flavour so I was a little pissed off at being charged �3.25 for that swill. Outrageous prices for a beer that's brewed down the road. Would not bother again.
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lovely old pub in lovely old village. totally overpriced on food (�14.75 for a mid-price main course) and drinks (�5.30 A PINT FOR PORTER)
OUTRAGEOUS. DONT GO THERE.! ! !
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Beautiful old pub. I really liked it. We didn't eat so cannot comment on that but the Larkin's Porter was very good. However at �4.35 a pint it should be. To date the most expensive pint I have ever bought. Maybe that explains some of the earlier comments.
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Visited The Castle with my daughter in August for lunch, was disappointed to say the least. Went back with family and friends early December and again was left wondering why are some people just not bothered about customer service or the quality of food.
The potential for this place is unbelievable, however I suspect the business must be making more than enough for the proprietors to keep the status quo.
Worth a visit if only for the local walks, quick drink and to admire the architecture of this amazing building
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I really wish that Nigel, who is/maybe the current owner/manager would come to this website and read some of the comments about 'his' pub. Sometimes I think that he, or his successor is in denial.
This pub could be so much better than it now has become.
The bar menu has been changed recently and their nice open sandwiches have disappeared and been replaced by ordinary one with not so much filling, as a result. This is accompanied by quite an ordinary salad garnish.
Less than 5 years ago the open sandwiches were delicious and appetising to look at also looked as though some effort had been put into the preparation.
The garden courtyard is now very shabby and it would not take too much effort to have a firm in to pressure clean the brickettes. As for the plastic table and chairs, well least said. However I do prefer a proper backed chair to those ubiquitous and uncomfortable picnic benches.
The prices of the now quite ordinary pub grub is very expensive and I never have coffee because of the absurd prices charged for what is ordinary machine-produced liquid.
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I hadn't been to this place for years and despite recalling having eaten the world's most expensive bangers & mash I thought it was worth revisiting on a cloudy bank holiday Monday. The service was cheerful enough but the bar menu was lacking in alternatives to sandwiches. The restuarant menu helpfully groups the dishes according to price (all the way to �24.95), but it is difficult to determine where the starters end and main courses begin. Hilariously the prices have a Euro equivalent based on an exchange rate of around 1.70, but they weren't prepared to change me some pounds at that rate! Can't comment on the beer as we only had soft drinks but the Brie and Bacon Baguette at �6.95 was awful, largely due to the microwaved streaky bacon and straight from the fridge brie it contained. This all corroborates with previous comments about food in what should be a great old pub to visit. Oh and the unkempt garden with its dirty plastic chairs which we shared with hundreds of wasps deserves a mention too. Shame.
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I really wish i'd read the reviews before i visited. The food and service at the castle inn are dreadful.
But on a positive note the beer was lovely, Larkins brew it at the end of the street, and the Castle Inn is certainly a very beautiful establishment. The whole village is owned by the national trust but they do its reputation no justice by serving up the slop i received for the price it was set at. Go there for the Larkins brew and an ogle at the street itself but don't be so foolish as to even consider eating anything there unless it was prepackaged, salted and roasted.
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We stopped at this lovely looking pub for Friday lunch and were bitterly disappointed. We were told we could not go in the restaurant so went to the bar. The menu was awful. Chile con carne, curry, veg pasta or ale pie. No fish. Not even a simple steak. The pie was tough meat with a slab of warmed up pastry on top with cold mashed potatoes. When my wife mentioned afterwards that the potato was cold, she was told that she was wrong and that it was not cold. No way to treat a customer.
The curry was a pile of slop on rice with a plastic pack of chutney. Boring but edible.
We were left with the impression that there is no chef on duty and the food is just microwaved by temporary staff.
This pub is a beautiful building and could be great. But something must be done about the bar menu. It was surprisingly empty for Friday lunch, so it is clear that no one goes out of their way to go there.
We will not be going again, except perhaps to have a pint in the summer.
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Went there in spite of previous comments because it was parents' choice. Beer good, food varied from good to very good (and a lot of it, and the kitchen on display - an excellent but rare concept).
Must give them top marks on service. My mum is in her 80's and not very mobile at all. ALL the staff could not have been more helpful - from putting out a ramp, to helping her get seated. One of the staff also mentioned the importance of helping disabled visitors maintain their dignity. May have changed hands; not a hint of surliness from the staff.
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Well I think it's fine. Nice Harvey's and great public bar. Dunno about the food I would never dream of eating more than a snack in such a place anyway.
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Five of us were walking in the area and rang up to reserve a table for lunch. The bar area is tiny, and so arriving in good time we had a drink while choosing our lunch from the menu - the set price two-course lunch at �9.95 is good value. Despite a full restaurant on the Saturday before Mother's Day we were well looked after by the head waiter. The food is well-cooked and attractively presented - not huge portions admittedly. Some of the main courses were a little salty, however. Lovely location opposite the church, and rumour has it that it's been sold...
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I took my Mother here for Mother's Day on Sunday. On returning, I sent a polite note to the pub which pretty much sums up my experience. It read:
"Just got back from Mother's Day lunch at Castle Inn.
The young staff you had there were lovely - but what a shame things were spoiled by the surly 'head waiter'(?) who I thought was unnecessarily rude. He rolled his eyes and was very short when I asked for my lamb to be cooked further - I had requested initially that it was cooked through with no blood. He was again sharp when I queried the bill. I realise you were busy but it's this sort of attitude that makes you uninclined to return again. A shame - because you have a lovely pub in a beautiful part of the country"
I got this response this morning:
"I'm afraid I will not pass on your message to xxx (I have removed name) as he will find in very hurtful - Rather I hope you will accept these testimonies as much more usual. Please accept my apologies for our lack of courtesy"
He sent a list of 'good reviews' from their site. I have not bothered to reply. If the feelings of their staff are more important than how the customer feels, then there is little point in making any sort of constructive criticism. Instead, I decided to post a review about this pub which had never been my intention originally. Needless to say, I won't be going back!
anonymous - 19 Mar 2007 13:17 |
To me, this is a pub for summer months, when one can sit in the covered courtyard (which is in need of a bit of TLC). I find the interior bar area rather dull and not very cosy in the winter and so avoid it at that time of the year.
The pub food is rather on the expensive side and the menu has been pared down recently, but one can look at the activities of all those kitchen staff who have to be paid and then realise why prices are so high and quantities often on the small side - particulary the set price luncheons they have on offer! Even with my small appetite I think that I'd come away from a 2 course set lunch feeling like eating a bag of chips (they don't sell chips at the Castle, by the way).
I don't have coffee there either; it is very expensive for machine produced coffee and one apparently pays the same price whether you ask for a small or large cup, which I have never understood why.
Will have to see what this Spring and Summer months bring is terms of quality and possible price increases
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