please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Agree with all the negative comments about this pub. The manager is rude and arrogant. If you dare suggest the service was not up to scratch he is rude back. My opinion is that he perhaps either has an ego thing or has had one to many. As someone who has lived locally for a while I know my opinion and experience is shared by many locals. see facebook ' petition to remove current management from The Bullfinch' and sign up.
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We Used to go alot as I'm local to this pub. We went and were put off by the new managers arrogance and rudeness and haven't been back. A friend said that he was making more of an effort to improve the service, so myself and friends went back. What a mistake! That's it NEVER again McDonald's serve better food than here with a smile aswell! I give up with the bullfinch - real shame :( new management needed!
Positives are some of the old locals still go but have simelar things to say!
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Myself and my wife went here on Saturday night and waited one hour for starters to arrive! We asked to speak to the manager and tell him that we would like to cancel our main course as we had to leave to go to the theatre, he was extremely rude and said we would have today for the whole meal, we absolutely refused so he started shouting at us in the middle of the restaurant we gave him the money and left!
Tell everyone you know not to go here! We should have checked trip advisor first :(
Positives were the decoration was nice.
Thanks for stealing my money and ruining our night out!
Great job! New management needed! Even his staff were shocked!
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Myself and my wife went here on Saturday night and waited one hour for starters to arrive! We asked to speak to the manager and tell him that we would like to cancel our main course as we had to leave to go to the theatre, he was extremely rude and said we would have today for the whole meal, we absolutely refused so he started shouting at us in the middle of the restaurant we gave him the money and left!
Tell everyone you know not to go here! We should have checked trip advisor first :(
Positives were the decoration was nice.
Thanks for stealing my money and ruining our night out!
Great job! New management needed! Even his staff were shocked!
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Agree with the last poster, this pub is definitely better than the rating suggests.
Had a lovely afternoon in the beer garden there today. Food was absolutely spot on and after an ok-ish bitter I had a lovely couple of Aspall's. The kids loved the beer garden, so would heartily recommend it for families.
Can understand what others have said about the decor inside - very modern and not a great deal of olde worlde charm or character, but as we were outside it didn't bother me as much as it might have done otherwise.
7/10 from me.
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Feel some of the reviews are a bit harsh - the beers are from McMullens (award winning beers - at least one of their ales was a beer of the year in 2012 at the National Beer Festival) and the food has always been good when I have been there, or have I just been lucky?
PapaC - 11 Jan 2013 17:07 |
It's great that McMullens have acquired a pub in Kent; but less pleasing is the style they've gone for in refurbing it. It's more or less indistinguishable from dozens of other places all over the country - all 'in the best possible taste', but all completely soulless. As the previous review says, the staff were friendly and polite, and the beer was good - but I just don't like this sort of place, and there are too many of them. Still, I suppose it's better than closing pubs, which seems to be the alternative.
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This pub used to be a proper pub but now has been done up and poncified. The beer garden is lovely, a large grassy garden with the afternoon sun streaming in. On my visits the staff were ever so friendly and polite. Two drawbacks to this lovely pub: The prices (�3.54 for a pint of kroney)..not reasonable at all. Screaming spoilt rich bratty kids..I can't stand having to sit there whilst some one else's screaming brat runs around my table playing aeroplanes..take them to the park and leave us adults alone to enjoy our pints in peace.
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Have visited this pub several times and more so since it had been renovated and had new owners. Was always happy with the quality of the food and the service. However, on a return visit was very disappointed with the standard of the food. I ordered the Ribeye steak to be medium to well done. I received a very thin bit of steak (unsure whether it was actually Ribeye) and it had been cremated and bore a resemblance to shoe leather . . . This I may add was after we had been to the bar and ordered 3 other dishes which we were told were no longer available as they had run out . . . nowhere does it say what is available on the menu and hence because you have to order at bar for food and drinks, several very cheesed off customers waiting due to the time it took me to complete my order!
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This pub is dreadful. The food has to be among the worst I have ever had. Badly presented, microwaved trash. If this pub invested in a team of chefs who can cook from scratch rather than ordering in Brakes ready made muck, it would be half way to being worth a second visit.
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The Bullfinch is a smart looking, large family pub with a family-friendly garden. However we were hugely disappointed by the food and wine.
The wine list was limited, and dominated by cheap unimaginative wines.
The food was simply awful. The mullet was dry, overcooked, very fishy and drenched in sticky synthetic balsamic vinegar. The 'award winning' steak, mushroom and onion pie was clearly not award winning and served with soggy greens and dry mash.
This pub could do so much better if they sorted out the food.
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This is a nice pub now. The interior and outside are a welcome change to many other pubs in the area and well worth a visit. The garden is great for an evening out with friends or partner. Fingers crossed the summer will be a warm one!
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This pub has closed and re-opened again in the space of 2 years!
What they have done to it to make it more 'children' friendly I don't know. The decor still looks as nice, although they've wasted money on changing it, it didn't need updating, and apart from getting some new menus printed up, and decking out the front with a rather snazzy smoking hut (why put it there, where everyone can see people indulging in their nasty habits?), there is no difference.
We were all hoping for something for the children in their vaste garden, a tasteful wooden climbing frame, or slide perhaps in the far corner, but no! The owners, it would appear do not plan on putting anything outside for children.
When will the owners of this pub realise that it is situated in a predominately family area, with excellent schools nearby, and what parents want at the weekend is to pop to the pub for a few hours with their children and know that they can be occupied for a while, it's not a lot to ask is it?? Owners, get to know your regulars, you messed up before, don't do it again!! Get a climbing frame or two in the garden, and believe me you will be packed out with happy families come the summer!!
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Have lived in Sevenoaks for 4 years and the Bullfinch carpark used to be full of Corsas with blacked out windows.
I have been to this pub/restaurant several times since it was refurbished a year and a half ago, and I have got to say that I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews on this website - perhaps this is because the population of Sevenoaks are a moaning lot!!
There are usually 4 different real ales on offer (good ones like Harveys, Westerham, Spitfire, Doom Bar) as well as a good choice of wines and lagers. There are seperate eating/drinking areas, with log fires in winter. The food is of a very good standard - more quality than quantity and I have found that the staff are always friendly/helpful. Children/babies are always welcomed (although it has never become over-run with them, and the pub is big enough to sit away from them if you want) and the beer garden at the back is great on a summer's evening. Not the cheapest place around, but the chavs of the past have been priced out.
What more do people want from a pub?
PapaC - 20 Jan 2009 10:53 |
terrible service and very mediocre food not bad wine list though
will not rush back
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Thought it wise to put a positive review on here as people tend to complain rather than compliment. This relatively newly refurbished pub is a welcome new arrival in Sevenoaks. I would say that its the first really decent new gastro pub that we've had in a long while.
Living locally, I've eaten here a number of times (both for dinner, weekday lunch and the odd sunday lunch) The busy car park and same familiar faces speak for how good this place is.
The food is great, not overcomplicated (I think there's a very simple small menu of well sourced food done brilliantly) according to most restauranteurs thats the way to do it.
The decor is beautiful, in particular the recent swap of the restaurant area to the left and the sofas around the fire is a welcome change (diners no longer have the smokers walking in and out of their area) and you can now sit around the fire leisurely with a pub grub option available if you want a nibble.
Love the small touches the management put in place, the option to roast chestnuts or marshmallows on a skewer on the fire is fab, and the welsh rarebit and a pint option is fab.
Drinks are on a par with London Prices but in Sevenoaks it's par for the course. There's definitely no shortage of punters in here so it's certainly not a bad pub. Good range of customers too. A few locals, plenty of families on a Sunday and lots of 30 somethings.
If you're looking for a harvester standard meal piled high don't go here. If you're interested in locally sourced, good quality food and a well thought out menu and don't mind paying for quality, you're in for a good visit
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Watch out: overpriced food about!!!
I went to this gastro-pub with an important Chinese academic (with my husband): this was midweek, about a year ago; and it was exceptional (food especially). We chose to take my distinguished American academic parents there last week and were stunned (after booking) at how slow and bad the service was. . . Had the food been as good as (for these prices) it should have been, I wouldn't have complained, but three of us had duck (all overcooked) and even those who had beef (apparently better) couldn't eat the vegatables, which were so dry that you could see the wrinkles. This place has a nice decor, but you're wasting your money if you're looking for anything food-wise--and the service is so slow even our waiter apologised.
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Expensive Beer designed 4 the clientele, but a well kept pint of locally brewed Westerham Black Eagle was enjoyed in the extensive beer garden, 7/10
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The Bullfinch had a refurb to make it a gastro pub.
I thought I would give it two vists to make an oppinion. On first impressions, it looks great but thats where it stops.
Expensive beer, Over-priced and overcomplicated menu. The staff are mostly all spotty teens and just tend to grunt at you rather than acknowlege what you. You also have to order at the bar if you sit outside. (Try remembering 6 peoples food!). Finally after having the sunday roast on two seperate occaisons, it was cold on both.
Just not good enough. Feels like you are paying for the nice sofas and decor rather than food or drink!
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OI! DJ MIKE SMASH
IT"S ABOUT BEER!!
anonymous - 25 Sep 2007 15:48 |
This place has just re-opened after a full refurbishment. They seem to have done quite a good job , stone floors , good lighting and what I was informed a nice selection of "Laura Ashley" furniture . The ladies in my party were also impressed with the toilets (Very important).
The drinks are a little on the expensive side but the atmosphere was good .
A few teething problems ....lights going on and off , tills not working and the ocasional fire alarm . All dealt with in good spirit by staff . These problems will obviously be ironed out .Beer garden is still a work in progress . The menu looks interesting .....
there will be an update soon re that and the beer !!
Overall first impressions are good.
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Anyone going to the Bullfinch will have a bit of a wait for lunch.Its closed up with hoarding outside saying "OPENING SUMMER BY GARIBALDI"
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Nice atmosphere Guinness beautifull! Food, a bit 'chain'ish' but, nevertheless, well served, palatable and, of course, nourishing.
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It's a Country Carvery chain "pub".
Tim Bannister - 27 Aug 2004 22:42 |
