Harden's survey result
Summary
“My wife took me here for a “date lunch”… it was superb” – Richard Phillips’s well-known destination occupies an attractive and central Regency Villa and is “excellent for a special occasion” for which it provides “formal dining in the traditional manner with unusual nibbles and interesting flavours” and a high quality selection of wines. There is a luxurious à la carte menu (with mains around £40 each) or a seven course tasting menu for £95 per person. Top Tips – something of a favourite for business lunching hereabouts, they provide a lunch menu with two courses for £28 per person; “lovely terrace for outdoor dining in summer”.
Summary
“Probably the most luxurious restaurant in the Tunbridge Wells area” – “Richard Phillips’s modern French gourmet flagship is still popular with the area’s well-heeled consumers of fine dining” and – though arguably “not as high-profile as it once was” – remains one of the top-100 most commented-on restaurants in our annual diners’ poll. All reports attest to its “lovely location in a very attractive Regency villa” and “lovely, finely pitched service”. On the downside, the food can be “a bit hit ’n’ miss”: mostly it’s to a “good standard”, but there is also the odd report suggesting it’s “technically fine but with some over-fussy, confused elements”, notwithstanding the “beautiful presentation”. (A romantic and business recommendation, no-one claimed it as providing their top gastronomic experience of the year). Top Tip – “exceptional-value set lunch”.
Summary
“Perhaps the most luxurious restaurant in Tunbridge Wells” – this “very smart Regency villa where [W.M.] Thackeray lived” provides a “very attractive” location for a meal; and is also praised for its “lovely, finely pitched service”. But while Patrick Hill’s well-regarded cuisine continues to win praise, there was also the odd reporter this year who felt it was “technically fine but with some over-fussy dishes that didn’t let the good-quality ingredients fully shine”.
Summary
The “beautifully cooked and presented” meals from chef Patrick Hill are a good match for their smart setting in this Regency villa, named after the Victorian novelist who once called it home. A “good wine list at reasonable prices” and “excellent service” complete the offer, ensuring a “lovely time” for all who eat here.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Thackeray’s?
85 London Rd, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1EA
Restaurant details
Thackeray’s Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Lovely local restaurant a short walk from the town centre serving good quality, well presented food.. at a not unreasonable price for this level. The set lunch menus, with paired wines, are particularly good value and definitely worth a try."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £40.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
85 London Rd, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1EA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm |
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