Strood Restaurant Guide

A “seriously dramatic room” plays host to meals in the restored 1873 pump house at Chatham’s historic dockyard on the Medway, which has been converted into a distillery and restaurant by Bob Russell and his sons Matthew & Stephen. Top Menu Tip – “amazing roasts on Sundays”.

This “independently owned and managed” old village inn “in a lovely setting” has been thoroughly stripped out and modernised, providing a comfortable venue for an upbeat menu that features oysters, Cornish caviar and a 500kg Chateaubriand steak to share.

Set in a converted stable block that was once part of the neighbouring coaching inn – now their sister venue, ‘The Oak on the Green’ – a “lovely village restaurant with real talent in the kitchen”. As per the name, it’s all about the “very good quality fresh fish” which fans proclaim “a bargain” (particularly the “excellent value lunch”).

John Lawson’s ‘no menu’ outfit (there’s always a meat course and a fish course, with veggie alternatives) “has moved away from a vegan format to a healthy-living offering” – meaning gluten-free and dairy-free, “so you don’t come away bloated and filled to the gills with butter and salt”. Everything is locally sourced and super-fresh, resulting in “superbly put-together meals that change regularly”: Michel Roux is a big fan.

2023 Review: “Very busy steak-centric restaurant” (part of a chain owned by pub giant Mitchells & Butlers) that is one of the more commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll in the poorly served ’burbs to the south east of the metropolis. The food is “reliable”, “without being exceptional” and – notwithstanding some blips regarding service and management generally – this can be a “reasonable” destination in the locale.

2024 Review: Sawdust floors and shelves of wine for sale add to the atmosphere of this ‘Wine Merchant & Dining Rooms’ – a Dickensian-style space that’s been a linchpin of the town’s eateries since 1976. It continues to win consistent support for its traditional fare, and is well-suited to business lunches.

2022 Review: Darren Bennett’s stalwart, serving up creative modern British cooking (including a well-regarded afternoon tea) “continues to be reliable in all respects”, whether you stop to take advantage of the set menus or its popular side act as a wedding and events venue.

With “high-quality food and very tasty cocktails”, this modern British venue from chef Tom Genty and co-founder Terry Brouet, who runs the front of house, offers what locals agree is “the best dining experience in the area by a mile”. Opened in 2021, its kitchen focuses on seasonal local ingredients, often fermented to intensify the flavours.

“Superlative food from an aspiring young chef” draws an appreciative crowd to this community-owned pub in a “lovely Kent village” – Alex Yates sends out “notably creative dishes chosen for flavour not curiosity”, while his wife Grace heads the “friendly, engaged and well-informed” FOH team. It’s very much a family operation: his father David, a former Balls Bros wine merchant, advises on a drinks list which offers “strikingly restrained prices”, while his grandmother provided the name – her family, the Bowleys, ran pubs in Kent. Top Menu Tip – “guinea fowl with an outstanding jus”.

Sierra Leonean chef, Maria Bradford launched this June newcomer (the name means ‘fancy’ in the Krio language) to showcase Sierra Leonean and Afro-fusion cuisine – a development of a supper club and online store she started in 2017. Dishes on the opening menu include: lamb belly, palm oil, and African five spice; bone marrow, kankankan puffed rice, and fermented honey chilli flatbread; and moringa millefeuille, benne cake, and sheep’s yoghurt ice cream. It opened after our survey had concluded, but in his July 2025 review, the FT’s Jay Rayner declared the interesting cooking “deeply savoury” and very much more than just a novelty. Jay’s Top Menu Tip – “I would go back… solely for Bradford’s flaky, golden flat bread, a little like a paratha, sliced thickly with honey and the warmth of fermented chilli”.

The “tops in town” – even if that town is “a bit of a culinary desert”, a “buzzy” and “fairly new” corner bistro, which was set up in 2022 by Stuart Gillies, ex of Le Caprice and NYC’s Restaurant Daniel, ‘entre autres’, and his wife Cecilia. The “interesting” modern European-meets-trad-British fare includes a “very good” Sunday lunch (Tuesdays it’s BYOB), while the Gillies are “very visible and ensure high standards”, though it can be “noisy when full”.