Maidstone
The Boathouse

The Boathouse

Hampstead Lane, ME18 6HG, Maidstone, United Kingdom

Pub • Pizza • Steak • British


"We visited on Sunday lunchtime as a party of 7. I called twice to add to our party this was done efficiently. On arrival the car park was full. I had a disabled guest and the two disabled spaces were taken by cars with no badges displayed however luckily a small space came available so no harm however if this had not it would have been a long walk from the road and we would have probably thought twice about bothering. Anyway we were a bit early so decided on a drink outside as it was nice. The lady behind the bar was super friendly and helpful allowing a small taster of ales beforehand. Outside seating is pleasant overlooking the lock and is probably the selling point of this place. We went inside to eat and were slightly surprised no Sunday roast was on the menu and I think they are missing a trick there. Starters were wings, calamari, Welsh rarebit, mushrooms and Camembert and being brutally honest none of them were worth talking about. For the mains we had chicken burger, beef burger, pizza, pie and fish (haddock) and chips. The winner hands down was the haddock! A huge fleshy portion with nice batter. Pizzas were also nice, good base, burgers did as said on the tin but the pie was least favourite. We didn’t have puds as too full. In my opinion the food needs tweaking not the cooking, it was cooked perfectly well but the menu needs a bit of work as the choices were pretty uninspiring and dull. Now it sounds like I’m being negative but really the reason for the honest review is this place has so much potential because the staff here are lovely and really seem to want to make it a huge success. The lady on front of house was really bubbly and went over and above to make our experience good. Our waiter was delightful and discreet but there when u needed anything all smiley and pleasant. The restaurant itself is comfortable, bright and clean. All in all I would give 8/10. If the menu choice were better it would be at least 9.5. We will return again"

Fairfax

Fairfax

Maidstone, United Kingdom, ME17 1PL

Steak • Cheese • Fast Food • Ice Cream


"My husband and I stayed at the castle as a way of celebrating our wedding anniversary. The stay itself was lovely. Unfortunately, I wish I could say the same about our experience in the Castle View restaurant. I had emailed the restaurant prior to our stay to ask if we could bring a bottle of champagne to the table as it was a present for our anniversary. I did not receive a reply so we didn’t take the bottle with us. When we arrived at our table there was an ice bucket waiting for us. We asked why it was there to be told that it was for our champagne. I explained that we didn’t need it as no one had bothered to reply to my email. We were then told that the restaurant would have charged us a £27 corkage fee! A few pounds I can understand but £27, that’s ridiculous and we most certainly wouldn’t have taken them up on the offer. We then ordered a bottle of wine and our meal (all part of the package). The lady who served us was very polite and friendly and I have no complaints about her at all. The starter arrived but no sign of our wine. That eventually turned up when we had finished the starter. It wasn’t what we had ordered so we had to have a replacement and, there was no wine cooler. This, I had to ask for. The main course arrived which quite frankly was not particularly pleasant. Both my husband and I had ordered the chicken due to a very limited menu. I ate very little of my dinner. We didn’t complain as it had nothing to do with the cooking of the food, it just wasn’t up to the standard one would expect when dining in a castle restaurant and, considering that the charge for the main course were £24 each, we expected better quality. We then decided to pay the extra £8 for a desert as we were still hungry. I ordered the ice cream; £8 for three small scoops of ice cream was pretty harsh. We also had breakfast the next morning as part of our package. The breakfast itself was lovely but the service was very slow. This was extremely worrying as we had to check out by 10.00 which, in my opinion was too early. The staff, although friendly bar one, take far too long to take orders. We also witnessed a bird fouling one of the outside chairs. This was reported to a member of staff who wasn’t in the slightest bit bothered. I pity the poor guest that ended up sitting on the seat! Overall, a wonderful experience at the castle, grounds and accommodation but very disappointing in the restaurant. A shame, as this really lets the castle down and, for this reason, we will not be returning or recommending."

Mu Mu Lounge

Mu Mu Lounge

108-110 Week St, Maidstone, United Kingdom

Vegan • Fusion • British • Vegetarian


"Where to begin?! MuMu hosted our wedding this year and it was absolute perfection! We were supposed to get married in March 2020, but due to the pandemic we had to cancel just days before. MuMu were amazing, despite everything that happened in the past two years, including them having a devastating fire, they always reassured us that they would honour our booking and make sure everything was just as planned for our big day even two years later. Whilst we were planning nothing was too much for Ishty the GM. He was always just a call or text away and happily met with us anytime to discuss and organise. Nothing was too much for him and he coped with not one but TWO stressed out brides! Rob the Head Chef was also brilliant, he met with us twice and created a bespoke vegan menu for our wedding day, He listened to what we wanted and delivered! Everyone commented on how lovely the food was. On the day our guests wanted for nothing and we were just blown away by the standards that the staff kept. If a knife was dropped it was replaced within seconds, if a glass was empty it was refilled. The most important and special mention must go to Harvey Hugo, who went above and beyond in absolutely every aspect for the entire day and night of our wedding. Every time we worried about something he was there fixing the problem and easing our anxieties. His attention to detail was next to none. He ensured everything ran smoothly, everything happened at the right time and everyone was happy. And he did it all with such a charismatic manner that made everyone smile. He really made our day that little bit more special (if that's possible! . MuMu exceeded our expectations and we HIGHLY recommend this wonderfully beautiful venue and it's highly experienced team for any bespoke event. Thank you so much to all the staff at MuMu we waited a long time for our special day and you made it perfect!"

Hook And Hatchet Inn

Hook And Hatchet Inn

Church Road, ME17 1QT, Maidstone, United Kingdom

Pub • Vegan • British • Vegetarian


"First, let me state that in my opinion, I 'm not one to make a fuss about a place to get a free meal and pointless stuff like that. I refer you to previous reviews of mine if that 's what you suspect. I hate that. I do however, feel that sloppy service should be commented on. As should passive aggressive non-pleasant pleasantness that offers completely meaningless platitudes uttered by someone who wouldn 't apparently know good service if it slapped them round the face. We were in the area for a flower event and this was the nearest pub, and it looked busy on a Saturday lunchtime, with loads of seating outside. No warning signs were set off with us, so we ventured in. I am always wary when bar staff are young teenagers, so that was possibly the first sign of impending trouble. Especially when there is a slow-moving slightly disgruntled queue and two more teenagers doing nothing but hovering around the bar anyway. However, we were there now. I gritted my teeth, and as the girl I actually spoke to seemed the most reliable of the three, I gave my order slowly and clearly, knowing that ordering a starter for my son and two mains for my wife and I can throw kitchens into confusion. She seemed clear. We ordered drinks, my pint was a bit short-poured but nothing worth moaning about, the wife 's gin tonic was serviceable but nothing to knock your socks off about, and a nice apple juice for the toddler. We sat outside in the garden, and that was very pleasant. Good tables, plenty of space, quite tidy. A slightly sullen girl served up my son 's meal and airily informed us that the cutlery and sauces were over there! OK, I thought, not sure I 'm going to be mad keen about paying a service charge if I 've got to do half of it myself, but whatever. 15 to 20 minutes went by. No sign of our dinner. My son was eating his dinner which was not the worst kids meal I 've ever seen but by no means the best either. Still trying to stave off the air of impending doom about our dinners I went into the bar to see where they were. The same girl who took the order originally went into the kitchen and returned saying it was on the way. No apology, no urgency, and it appears, no truthfulness either. Ten minutes later, a girl turns up, dis-interestedly takes an empty glass, so I enquired what might have become of our dinners. Another 10 minutes goes by, whereupon my wife goes in. Returns a few minutes later and says we 're going. I go in to pick up my card, tell someone what 's happened and pay for what we 've had. I really wouldn 't care to meet that person again. To infer she 's somehow doing me a favour by refunding the meals that have never arrived is really annoying. Then she tells me how the meals are *now* ready and would be going in the bin as if that 's somehow my fault. Incredible service ! All in all, the lesson here is: If you 're lucky enough that your dinner doesn 't get forgotten, you will probably have an OK meal here, but we 'll never know. But, if it doesn 't turn up, do not expect any customer service attempt to put the situation right. I appreciate, things happen, but decent people apologize. If you can 't do that, don 't run a pub."