Ringlestone Inn, Ringlestoneback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Closed.
Up for auction, future uncertain.
|
Great pub, fine food, excellent beer, high prices, grumpy staff.
|
Beautiful pub in a delightful setting with a grand, large garden. Didn't have food but the Ale was spot on. However at £3.90 a pint, take a full wallet.
|
A pub where you wouldn't expect it. A fantastic building with a beautiful interior. A nice pint of Early Bird to be ahd a Thatcher's cider also available. Roast potatoes also provided to our delight! also excellent toilets!!
|
Its a funny old pub this one, we take clients there and sometimes its good and sometimes its not so good, and just occasionally its truly bad. I then forget the bad expereince and find myself back in there three months later.
Lets start with the positives. It has a nice fire which burns most of the year it seems. Local wines (if you like that sort of thing); a decent ale and bottled ales too - yes its a Sheps pub but I can manage a Master Brew or Late Red and not die. Sometimes the staff are pleasant (the landlady and her son are okay).
Now the not so good. A few of the staff need some serious training in manners, etiquette and simply how to serve behind a bar. I have an alergy to dairy products - the number of times the waiter or waitress make an issue over this makes me irritated.
So, why do we go back, well its quaint and our clients seem to like it. Yes you get the odd night where service is a bit ropey but on the whole its better than a lot of them in this area of Kent.
|
First visited with clients. Food not great but service was good and the atmosphere was plesant which made up for the less than average pub grub. Thought we'd give it another go as the atmosphere and service had far outweighed the food and I believe in giving second chances. What a mistake. The food was just as poor as before and the service from booking to paying was awful, down right rude in fact. We were treated as though they were doing us a favour. I will never visit this pub again.
|
What a great find! Lovely situation, beautiful garden well sheleterd from too much sun, and great pub food. Normally �14.50 for a pie is too much, but here the pies are a bit special so didn't mind paying this much. The beer is standard Shepherd Neame which is a shame because if this had still been a freehouse it would be the complete pub. That said the Thatchers Gold Cider was pretty good and the Lagers offered by SN are okay.
|
The Ringlestone Arms does tend to go up and down every few years. I remember it when it was owned by "Ma" and her daughter. Back then, you often had to knock on the door to gain admittance and that was by no means a guarantee if Ma didn't like the look of you. She kept a loaded shotgun behind the bar, and would grab it quite often to deter anyone she didn't feel deserved to be in her hostelry. On one occasion, Peggy & Barclay, who were at that time owners of the nearby Blacksmiths Arms in Wormshill, told me that they visited Ma on their night off. Several youths were attempting to get in, rattling the locked door. After Ma told them to "piss off" and they continued to ask to be let in, apparently Ma said, "Barclay! Get my gun!" And sure enough, he said, she fired buckshot at the inside of the door and, not surprisingly, the lads outside decided to go home. I did not see Ma actually use the shotgun, but she did wave it around, convinced that customers were intent on robbing her, because there was no electricity and the place was quite gloomy at night, lighted only by flickering gas lamps or oil lanterns. The beer was very good, as I recall, served directly into jugs from barrels behind the bar. After Ma passed on it lost a lot of its atmosphere and really wasn't worth a visit. A few years ago, another owner took over, introducing a fairly wide menu and some good draft beers. I would always try to visit when I was back visiting my old home in Kent. Haven't been there in a while, so I can't comment on the current state of the place. But Shepherd Neame beer is certainly not a bad beverage, although it would be nice to have the choice that you get in a 'free' house. No doubt, still worth a visit to get a bit of 'atmosphere' if not for the food [according to recent reviewers]. But as it tends to go up and down over the years, by the time you read this, it'll probably be back on the way up!
|
This pub is delightful! Steeped in history and well worth a visit! The food is great and good value. It has a lovely asthmosphere.
|
Everyone seems to be very caught up that it is a shepherd neame pub, they supply the beer yes, but how can that be the only thing you state when your entering a building that is 500 years old, with all the old interior still in fantastic condition, with an open fire and very lovely staff. The food is freshly prepared and tastes fantastic. As for the prices of the beer, i didnt find them overly expensive. The glasses for coke are large and you pay the same price then what i normally pay for a small glass. Beautiful garden, and they have a Barn owl for the children to see which i thought was great. There was such a lovely atmospere here and will reccomend it. Fantastic for families, if you have a dog they give you water if its a hot day so don't just assume because its shepherd neame its a bad pub because it most certainly isnt.
|
Points for - open before Noon on a Monday
Points against - only Sheps Beers, London + prices, �3.10 for a pint of Late Red.
|
keep looking keento.this is still a half desent place.bt your 10 out of 10 is off the mark by someway.its a grt shame you didnt go in 2005.it was a free house for a start and had alot more well kept beers.the food also had a very good widespread reputation.a pub run by sheperd neame is never going to be the place your seeking.i can see why an american my be impressed by the "quaint" surroundings,but remember why you go into a pub to start.theres lots more places out there worthy of your keen eye and i wish you very happy times finding them.youve got some real gems not far from where you were.
|
Charming pub perfect for a meal and cosy evening.
|
My new favourite pub. My husband and I have been all over the UK staying at inns and seeking out old worldy country pubs, this one was the best hands down. (I'm American and he's from London so it's been kind of game to find the best.) The pub itself is the most well preserved pub I've ever been in. It has a big open hearth with a real fire, candles, period furniture, welcoming proprietors, and well cooked food. It was fantastic and we will go back again and again. Only 1 hours drive from Southwest London. My husband and I used a 2005 guide of to find this pub. Any changes occuring from change in ownership would have happened by now. I had never been here before but after reading others reviews, I do not know what some people are complaining about. 10 out of 10!
|
very sadly this place has been taken over by sheperd neame along with another pub close to us "hook and hatchet" at hucking.both were free houses and both have suffered badly.we have been using the ringlestone for soooooo many years,we took our kids when they were very small and they have in turn used it too.the food has gone down hill dramatically.printed cards supplied by the ice-cream supplier seems tacky for a wonderful olde world charm pub.this pub remains a nice ride out on a sunday if your just going to have a drink.the wood burner is lovely to sit nxt too in the winter{get there early for those seats} and the garden is lovely.the beers behind the bar in barrels have gone and you are just left with the normal shepaerd neame names,although these are well worth having and very well kept.still got a nice candle-lite atmoshere for the romantics.
|
Absolutely splendid pub. Found this by accident 10 years ago and keep returning.
|
Having been told that this pub was a good venue for a high standard meal it came as a huge disappointment when what was described as home made food, made to order from local ingredients, arrived at the table. The menu makes specific mention of customers probably having to wait as all food is prepared specifically when ordered. Mmmm? �9.95 for the Chilli Con Carne was certainly not good value for money. The fish pie is equally way over priced. Ringlestone has a long way to go to compete with other Kent Pubs, one of which is less than 3 miles away and knocks spots off it and is excellent value!
|
My wife and I walked to this pub from Hollingbourne yesterday, and were very much looking forward to having lunch there.
However, when we arrived at 1.30pm we were told that they couldn't give us any food because a 'coach party' had arrived. This coach party comprised perhaps twenty adults and children at most, and there cannot have been more than ten or so other people in the pub, so we were perplexed and disappointed to say the least that they couldn't even give us a cheese baguette. According to their leaflet, they serve lunch until 2.30pm.
We explained to the barman that we had come by foot, and could he suggest anywhere else we could eat, to which he replied that we could walk back to where we'd come from! He also said that it would have been best to book in advance.
"A Ryghte Joyouse and welcome greetynge to ye all" is the sign above the door, but if you want food, we suggest that you phone ahead to be on the safe side.
|
fantastic olde word pub,with local beer.candles on all tables and a real fire on cold nights.A little tricky to find but well worth it.
Evelyn Warriner - 26 Sep 2003 17:54 |
|
