Passed this pub a couple of weeks ago and it was closed.
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CJG and blue_scrumpy seemed to have hit the nail on the head with this pub. It has the look and ponceyness of a clinical wine bar but the ales and friendly landlord of an olde worlde english pub. Unfortunately this just doesnt knit. Dont get me wrong, this isnt a bad place to go and it has a good mix of clientel, but it has got to be one or the other as the atmosphere of the place just doesnt work like this. Also the seating is extremely limited when the dining areas are full as despite now being a pub (well bar) the bottom floor is still old fashioned hotel lobby like with the floor on different levels and the bar itself taking up a lot of the room. A shame
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The Bell is a bit of a strange case. Ostensibly it has the feel of a comfortable hotel bar, but it attracts a clientele dominated by lager drinkers drawn in by the handy location and the usual sporting nonsenses with a few hardy ale drinkers doing their best to get through the well-served Westerham beers. Being a fan of Westerham beers, it was a real treat to be able to sup on the Grasshopper - don't report me to the RSPCA, I didn't warm to the Bell. The atmosphere was laddish and a little cold. Not a bad pub, just not really what it could be. Lacking charm for a pub in the lovely Staplehurst, I won;t be making a beeline for it in future. The Raglan is a better bet.
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I can't say there was anything I particularly disliked about this pub. But similarly there was very little I liked about it either. The place was fairly busy and seemed to be doing a good trade in meals. The interior seemed a bit plain. The garden looked appealing. Three real ales were Goddards Scrumdiggity, Hopdemon Incubus and Westerham Finchcocks Original. Cider was Biddendens Bushells from a polycask. It may be worth a second try if I'm back in the area. But I couldn't warm to this one.
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Two ales on � Westerham�s �Finchcock� (rather obscure), and �Falcon� (very obscure). We were offered tasters of each, which is something you don�t often get, and then we were taken to our table where the waitress took our orders, and then dropped the beer all over the floor. Bless....
The food arrived, taking a little longer than I would have liked, but it was worth the wait.
How would I rate the place?
I can�t help but feel that were we sitting in the cosy bar near the open fire I would have liked it better. But the restaurant bit was rather clinical, and very cold. People were not taking coats off, and were wearing scarves.
For the obscure ales it gets 7/10.
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Visited this lunchtime. An excellent pint of Westerham Finchcocks Original. Also on offer was Westerham Grasshopper and Black Sheep Bitter. The food was superb, delivered to our table in the garden. I'll be back again.
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At last - Staplehurst has an interesting pub which makes an effort and sells decent beer. (Ignore my previous comment further down the list below.)
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This pub has gone from the ridiculous to the Sublime!
Great food, drink and ambience and a very warm welcome from Karen and Paul the young owners.
A La Carte menu in the evening, a set price selection at lunchtime and a range of coffees etc throughout.
Also, it's a non-smoking pub!
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This pub has been totally transformed. It now looks fabulous, the landlord and staff make you feel very welcome and the food is great. Great food reasonably priced, families welcome. At last somewhere decent to go in Staplehurst.
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Appears to be closed...
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This pub has no idea what it wants to be!
It tries to appeal to all ages and appeals to none, bar the horse racing (gambling) fraternity that are in the bar most afternoons.
Worth a quick visit to view the tasteless decor!
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