please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Warm fire places, beams to knock your head on, good beer and food and pleasant staff when I went there. The dining room at the back was less characterful.
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The Three Chimneys was our third pub of our Sunday visit to Kent. The village is the home of Biddenden cider and sure enough they had a couple of casks of real cider. In addition, there were 3 ales dispensed on gravity - Harveys Sussex Best Bitter, Adnams Bitter and another ale called Driftwood (not sure of the brewery unless it was actually something from the Driftwood brewery in Cornwall). Our visit was soured by the poor service. Locals were congregated in the central part of the bar, meaning that it was very difficult to get the attention of the barmaids from behind the pub's beams. They were too busy chatting with the locals. When finally served, the barmaid got the order wrong. Nevertheless, this pub has a nice feel. The bar area itself is very traditional. There is a small patio to the side.
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After having read the reviews about this pub I thought I would give it a try, but unfortunately since the last review was posted in February it's quite clear that the owners have gone bankrupt.
The first clue that something was wrong was when I ordered a coke. It was poured from a tap as usual, however rather than the usual Coca Cola it was actually Panda Pops or some other cheap replacement.
We then ordered food off the chalkboard (because they didn't have a menu), and was told that we couldn't sit outside because we didn't order a Ploughman's lunch. We sat near the fireplace which clearly hasn't been used - or cleaned - for a good number of years. I'm not sure where all the furniture had gone - it was unclear whether the owners had opted for medieval decor or they had sold everything to pay off some debts, but the part of the pub we sat in was completely empty apart from a dartboard and three very old tables that were all in a state of disrepair.
There was no music at all - instead we had no choice but to listen to a very loud American woman who LOVED the sound of her own voice.
My food was not too bad - although it was nothing special and I've had better in many other pubs nearby. My friend had nothing more than tinned fish mixed with a handful of pre-packed salad. The price of everything was about average, but for an average price I can go to a pub with better food, better drink, a better atmosphere and no gobby Americans - so I definitely won't be wasting any more time or money here.
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If the words "dining pub" tend to make you recoil slightly and wistfully long for the days when pickled eggs were the only temptation on offer, then arrest your fears, as soon as you enter this place there is a wonderful warm timeless atmosphere. Spend more than a couple of pints here and you will cheerfully let slip which decade you are in. They obviously do a great deal of dining business as the size of the car park and the conservatory out back attest, but this is still a pub you can happily roll up to for a pint without feeling you are getting in the way. It is perhaps not a "local" and didn't appear to have any chatty locals spraffing away at the bar as one might like when I was there. This is a pub that does food. Oh and the food is very nice, it is tad expensive, but you won't mind paying, that's how nice it is.
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I have not been here for years. Have just been told they would not let a coach load of CAMRA members in for a drink (most of them over 50, so they could hardly be lager louts).
I would suggest that people boycott this pub if that is their attitude.
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Beautiful place, had heard so much about it and we weren't dissapointed. The Food is lovely and I don't agree that its overpriced you have to pay for quality I'm afraid. My only gripe would be the lack of Management presence, the Staff were 'ok', a little negelectful at times throughout the evening, we probably would have had another Bottle of Wine but our Waitress didn't check back until it was time for Coffee.We will certainly visit again.Would also like to mention we stayed at 'Biddenden B&B' a gorgeous little place, great Hosts and a fantastic Breakfast.
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Lovely pub. The ale was very well kept and the food was absolutely lovely - if a little pricey. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, and we will definitely go back again. Unfortunately it closes at 3.00 on a Sunday (don't know about the rest of the week), but lovely pub nevertheless - our fault for being late on parade!!
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i would go to this pub for the starters and desserts alone!
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Lovely old pub with beautiful gardens and a good selection of ales - all served direct from the barrels lined up behind the bar.
I found the service a little lacking in warmth and I can't say I felt overly welcome compared to the locals. Shame, as it has all the things I like about a pub. Maybe I caught them on an off day though and it certainly wasn't bad enough to put me off returning.
Beer was lovely, by the way !
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Chose this pub as we were out with the dog and not many pubs accept dogs. Very nice old pub. Warm friendly welcome. Food was excellent. My dog even got a drink on the house. My pregnant wife hasn't enjoyed food at all for 9 weeks but loved every bit of it today. Will be going back again very soon.
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Popped in for lunch monday last - what a wonderful pub. like stepping back in time but with a modern functionality.
Three Ales from gravity casks, delicious.
we ate very well from a nice selection & I can thoroughly recommend the haddock. All very reasonably priced, and the hospitality was warm and courteous.
Definitely return in future!
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Only a quick visit while out for a walk in the snow on Boxing Day. A cheerful, friendly pub that looks like it hasn't changed much in decades (especially the public bar). I liked the row of beer barrels behind the bar. A nice touch was the plates of piping hot roast potatoes that were brought out for customers to enjoy. Will definitely return in the summer � looks like a nice garden out the back.
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Picturesque country pub that has been done up in 'Fired Earth' style to the nines; but still manages a traditional feel. TV-free.
Bars are, nicely, still divided into public and saloon; and a deal of the pub is given over to food. One accepts that nowadays as survival for more rural establishments is probably impossible on wet sales alone. Didn't eat, but menu appeared typical 'modern gastro'.
Adnams Best on gravity was just fine. Pricing a tad on the high side, but not eye-wateringly so. Service prompt, and - if not effusive - was amiable enough.
Extensive and truly excellent well-manicured gardens.
Would return if in that neck of the woods; and a better option than most, if not all, in Goudhurst and Biddenden (especially if visiting Sissinghurst).
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This used to be one of my favourite pubs for a country lunch and a couple of pints. It still looks absolutely brilliant for whiling away an evening at any time of the year, accompanied by a few pints of beer, but I won't be returning.
We recently had lunch there on a wet and windy Saturday. We were a few minutes late in arriving for our 2pm booking. It was explained to us that the kitchen would close at 2.30 on the dot, no exceptions possible.
So we got on with ordering. I was immediately disappointed to find that the vegetarian main course was exactly what I remembered having a year ago, and was a very unimaginative offering at that. We asked about children's food and it was explained that they could do children's portions of things on the main menu. Fine but what they didn't tell us was that we'd get charged �9 for two sausages and a few anemic chips. We queried after the meal and were advised to call the manager later. When we did so we learnt that kids are considered purely as "bums on seats", taking up space that could be more profitable if occupied by adults, so kids' portions were charged at a deliberately offputting rate.
I won't be back. Other pubs manage to do fantastic food and have a reasonable attitude to children too so I'll take my business elsewhere.
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Really good little pub, very cosy and welcoming. Good service and excellent food, if a little on the expensive side.
Plenty of proper ale on the go behind the bar in distinctive kegs.
They've just built an extension onto the back of it to provide extra dining space, but well worth visiting just for a cosy drink next to the open fires.
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Excellent Harvey's Old recently. Real fire. Friendly staff and locals.
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I often eat and drink here for two main reasons, first for the food that is outstanding (has gone down hill a little lately, not sure why) and the second reason is to watch the drunken manager stumble around the pub/restaurant bumping into tables and customers trying in vain to hold it together. Worth a visit for this alone hilarious�.
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This is somewhere I�ve driven past so many times and have intended to visit for so many years. I walked in to dismay � no hand pumps. And then I realised. The beer comes straight out of the barrel. Heaven! Three ales and a cider. We had lunch � the stilton ploughman�s was very tasty. The beer garden is huge and we spent a pleasant two hours here.
The only negative is the fact that they close on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm. What�s that all about?
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Finally made it to a pub that has been at the back of my mind for years. Don't now what it "was" like but seems perfectly fine now even if it has changed. menu looked exceptional but cannot comment on quality as I did not eat but did notice the sign for home-made desserts/puds which augers well. If the food matches the quality of the beer (despite or maybe as a result of a bit of heath robinson behind the bar) then it will be a truly exceptional pub. So a return will be made if, at the very least, for a pint of Adnams which was superb. Not quite the perfect pint as a little carbonation missing but.....pd close! BQ 9.5
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Called in the other day for the first time in some years. Physically it's pretty much as it was in the days of Ted and Grace, except that they've knocked a little gap next to the bar between the public and saloon. The barrels are still ranged behind the bar - no Fremlins now of course, but very acceptable Adnams'. In terms of atmosphere, we were in very early, so it's hard to judge - but the place seemed to have been 'tidied up': all the assorted business cards, dog-eared photos and drawings, including the old 'Pheasant Pluckers' record sleeve - all gone, and somehow the place seemed to have lost a bit of its soul, But maybe if I'd gone in later it would have been different; the dartboard's still there, and it's still one of the most perfect public bars I know anywhere.
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It was, and could be, a gem, but has been turned into a food destination. At the risk of being nostalgic, it was a gem in Ted Carter's time, when it sold excellent Fremlins from the barrels at the back of the bar, and bread and cheese beyond compare. I'm afraid it has been trading on this reputation for the last 20 years, while in fact it is merely a clone of many another country pub selling (good) food and reasonable beer. I'm afraid I don't use it enough to rate it.
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I assume this strange entry refers to The THREE Chimneys (named, apparently, in the time of the Napoleonic wars when French POWs, detained at nearby Sissinghurst Castle , were allowed as exercise to walk as far as the meeting of the 3 roads (les trois chemins, rather than cheminees).
I used to go there a lot, but haven't visited recently enough to give a review of any value. It was one of Kent's great pubs - maybe still is.
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