Thackeray's

We went for lunch for our anniversary, and let me tell you, this is the best food and service in Tunbridge Wells, and it's not even close. Everything we ate or drank was stunning (3 course menu with wine pairing for £110) Our server was 1st class also. 100% will be back with friends and family.

We love it here. Photos over a couple of visits. Always fantastic service and attention to detail. The food is consistently a winner and somewhere we’ll be returning to many times in the future!

A spectacular Easter Sunday lunch. Yum yum yum. The rhubarb sorbet was incredible!! The service was perfect. Attentive but not intrusive. We will be back.

Great meal and atmosphere . Family were well taken care off. I very much recommend the great selection of wine and will be going back soon .

Went here to celebrate my thirtieth birthday with my family and could not be happier I did. The food was beautifully executed, service was warm and efficient and the chef came out to see the guests and explain dishes. Wouldnt hesitate to recommend and go for the wine pairing if you're into it and they have some really interesting treasures in their chest!

We visited this restaurant for Sunday lunch, and we were impressed! The food was very good and the staff provided excellent service and made us feel welcome throughout our visit. The Sunday lunch deal for GBP 38 is not cheap but well worth it.

Had a excellent dinner yesterday evening. We went for the 5 course tasting menu for £48pp, plus free amuse bouche, and it was superb. Will definitely return, great spot for a celebration.

Visited Thackeray's last weekend for the first time, but it will certainly not be the last. We decided to have the tasting menu and the accompanying wine flight. It really was amazing, the whole menu and the wine pairings were so thoughtful and delicious that it was hard to decide which was my favourite. If pushed, I would probably plump for the amazing Hildenborough Pork, which came with a generous slice of spiced pumpkin sausage roll on the side as well as a gorgeous scottish langoustine, atop some pork belly and red lentils with pumpkin puree and a sumptuous marsala sauce. The langoustine was a work of genius, making this my ultimate surf and turf dish with a real autumnal flavour. The desserts were heavenly Making raspberry soufflés so perfectly has to be applauded and the custard and sorbet really set it off beautifully.

Visit yesterday for my bday and so had we did, we moved recently to the area so still getting to know new places, food is great and well priced , service is friendly, space is lovely, we sat on the terrace as it was beautiful. Cocktails are super yum too and wine list is extensive. Can't wait to go back.

Nice fine dining establishment at food reasonable prices however can get rather expensive with wine. Charismatic venue with good history. Friendly and attentive staff would definitely visit again.

Great place for great meals. Creaky old building with slanted polished wood floors, moody lighting a the scent of history. The lunch menu is both reasonably affordable yet a glimpse of the amazing food they have to offer. The tasting menu, and accompanying wine pairing is fabulous. Great wines that fit closely with an exciting menu of rich and varied flavours. Would recommend for very good food and tasty wine in classic surroundings.

Great vegetarian options, appreciated there was a separate meat-free section of the menu. The staff were very attentive and knowledgeable. A lot of little touches that made the visit very enjoyable. Would recommend and would happily visit again!

Excellent service and possibly the best Sunday lunch I've had . Generous portions too .

The food was top quality, the wine flight was perfect, and we left feeling full. Thackeray's made our 5th anniversary perfect. It's hard to pick one dish out of the myriad we were served, but the haddock and main course are certainly memorable. Based on our experience, Thackeray's is certainly deserving of having its Michelin star returned to it. Fantastic.

Lovely Sunday lunch al fresco in the courtyard. Service was great and the food was very good. It has been a while since we last visited and we'll be sure to drop in again soon.

Fantastic quality and value for the lunch time menu. The surroundings, service and wine are also first class. Treat yourself to some fine dining, all made in-house.

Thackerays never fails to impress. Our visit for lunch today was perfect, as always. The staff are a delight and the food second to none, the menu offers plenty of options and choices. Its a real Tunbridge Wells gem - a must visit!

A lovely evening spent at Thackeray's. A unique experience dining in William Makepeace Thackeray's home in Tunbridge Wells. The ambiance, service and food was exceptional. The extra touches provided completed the evening. Wonderful!

Our second visit this month. Such a great place to sit at lunch time on the terrace and enjoy the sun along with a well earned glass of wine. As always the food was perfect . Thomas our waiter is a great asset always there when we wanted We will be back soon

10/10. Best restaurant in town. Food, cocktails, wine, service all excellent. Baby friendly (5 months at the time). First choice for a special occasion

Had the chef's tasting menu and every dish was fantastic. A real breadth of flavours in each course from canapes to desert. My favourite was the fish course (John Dory) but also a shout out to the bread, the focaccia with the paprika infused pork dripping was amazing. A relaxed atmosphere and pleasant staff make this a nice place for a special occasion, I would definitely visit again.

Absolutely perfect, I couldn't fault a thing. The food is amazing and, unusually, so is the service. Really very, very polished in all regards.

The comprehensive web site gives you all the information you need including menus. This was my first visit in a many years but I will certainly aim to return soon. The cuisine was excellent and, as promised, imaginative. The food equal to more famous Michelin starred venues I have tried. And the various ‘amuse bouches’ that appeared from time to time between courses made the whole experience extra special. One note of warning though, it is a relatively old building and the wooden floors uneven - sensible footware should be worn!

Incredible, first of all the team here were wonderful, attentive, engaging and meticulous! We had a private dining room for an event, the bubbles and canapés were divine to start the evening. The meal was expertly cooked, delicious and we couldn't help but try everything! A great atmosphere with an incredible selection of wine, thank you for a wonderful evening, you made it very special!

Delightful family lunch meal on a Saturday. Top nosh/notch with amazingly professional service: unobtrusive, friendly and alert staff. I had two starters which were just perfect (as I was skipping dessert) though the set menu was also a wonderful option at a great price. Their tasting menu with optional accompanying flight of wines looks deadly serious and absolutely delicious, but sadly a little out of my budget (for now 😢). Highly recommended.

Wonderful meal. We all had the November taster menu and found each course absolutely delicious. Tried dishes I wouldn’t normally choose and loved them. That’s the best bit of a tasting menu, discovering new flavours. Staff were excellent and very attentive. Highly recommend. Look forward to going again in the new year.

Having dined here multiple times, and always trying something new, as the menu is never the same on each visit, which I love, as it broadens my taste pallet, I have to say, I am always blow away by this amazing restaurant. The Exquisite quality of the food, the presentation, the high level of service, the calm but warm atmosphere, the attention to detail and the lengths they go to, to really make it a great evening all round, is a perfect reflection of the team, that work so hard to give their customers this unique dining experience. I love going there knowing that every meal I have is different! Unique! and even if I don’t think I will like it! I end up loving it, with its fresh, modern approach to dining and really going out of there comfort zones on trying new and different things. I highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion, and I will continue to go there, as Ive always felt welcomed, satisfied and leave feeling like I’ve had a great evening out. Thank you guys for always giving myself and my partner a wonderful evening.

I have eaten in many fine restaurants. This is not one of them. Excellent service, good wine, good ambience. Tried the short tasting menu. Amuse bouche was lovely. Although i love cheese the entire experience was cheese heavy. I guess the roquefort was used in the amuse and tge cheese course. The main course was a let down. The chicken veloute too strong and bitter, which spoilt my main course experience. The parkin cake for the roquefort course was a let down. Too hard to cut with a knife. I had to pick it up and bite on it.The souffle was overly sweet for me inspite of the apple sorbet which is supposed to sharp and balance the sweetness but I felt the sorbet was quite sweet and did not do its job. Paid £180 plus. Does not justify the price tag and finesse of a 3 rosette restaurant.

The food was wonderful, the service was top notch and the location was beautiful. However I give it an overall 4 star as I felt sometimes that the dishes were a tad small for the price tag. We were 2 people and our bill came to £300 and we only had 2 x the chef’s tasting menu and 2 glasses of wine (not even a bottle) as we were driving. The raspberry soufflé is one of the best I’ve ever tried and definitely the one that will make this visit memorable.

We enjoyed the food at this restaurant, as it was of very good quality. However, we couldn't help but feel that the portion sizes were a bit on the smaller side, considering the price tag. I personally left a bit hungry. The set lunch for 2, along with a bottle of water, all together priced at 99 pounds, felt quite steep. Additionally, finding parking in the area proved to be quite difficult.

There was a sense of anticipation in spending time in a spot where Thackeray once stayed and the place does not disappoint. The downstairs restaurant is elegantly decorated in warm colours, the tables well-spaced for privacy - ours was by a window. The staff are polite and friendly. Clearly, it is a special occasions venue. While the menu isn't huge, it has enough choices. We opted for the two course set lunch at £ 26 a head, plus a bottle of new world wine - the Kentish white wasn't great, sorry. It was a truly leisurely afternoon; they were in no hurry to see us leave (it was a Wednesday) and we felt well taken care of.

High end restaurant and expensive. Does it very well if a bit fancy for my taste. Did not like their hash browns at all. Gloup all over. Needs more basic simplicity. Amuse bouches good

Always great food and service, can recommend completely from that point of view. Staff are perfect. The only downside today was we wanted to have a pre lunch gin in the bar but there were kids running round unsupervised. They’d been allowed to set up an area in the bar. I’m not really interested to have a gin in a kindergarten so we had to move to our table. The parents were having their lunch while the staff were allowing the kids to run around everywhere. Not really what you want for £100 a head lunch venue. Either don’t allow kids or only if they can sit and eat without annoying other diners in my view.

Superlative service. Food was OK but not the startling wonderfulness I’d expect at this price. We sat in the garden which was very nice until it got too dark to see what were were eating.

I had 3 course dinner and 2 glasses of wine. My experience wasn't great. Service is nice, presentation of food is nice but - the fish was way too salty to appreciate but not too bad to send back. Definitely do not recommend though. There is to prawn flavour in the filling. Also they served it not with clams as advertised but with a battered fish finger! And no, they didn't tell me about it in advance. You can see it on the picture. And minor thing but still - it doesn't look the way it's advertised. Compare yourself. - the banana dessert was just pure sugar, I mean PURE SUGAR. I couldn't eat eat after trying , I passed my comments to the waiter. yet I was charged for it (which is fine of course it was my choice of food but in really good restaurants you're not charged for food you don't eat) - I tried 2 different wines and both were rather disappointing and flat - starter was good though! Not sure I'm coming back, not sure I can recommend

Very disappointed. I was unable to celebrate my 60th birthday due to brain tumour diagnosis last November, so decided to have a belated 60 this Novemberand have a belated 60th / 61st and so I booked a table for lunch. I Explained the circumstances at some length when I made the booking all of this in a and was assured that it would be relaid to the staff. Arrived at restaurant, obviously a big lack of communication at their end as maitr., d, didn’t acknowledge my birthday despite wishing at least two other diners birthday regards. I spent the whole meal awaiting some acknowledgment of a birthday I hadn’t expected to see. No response or apology from the restaurant in any form. Rather ruined what was a big occasion for me.

We booked in and had the tasting menu with wine pairing. Starting off having a cocktail at the bar with a very friendly barman who made a great cocktail. For ease I’m going to dissect the courses to properly explain the score I gave. Scallops- the scallops were incredibly acidic. The course wasn’t balanced and was a disappointment. There wasn’t anything to marry with the citrus notes and created a very one dimensional dish that had me reaching for the rennie. Duck - the confit duck was a little dry and lacked flavour and the duck breast although tasty and cooked beautifully was served luc warm. John Dory - this course was actually really bad. Although the John Dory itself was in fact cooked to perfection, it was accompanied by under cooked risotto and a sauce so thick with cumin or turmeric (I can’t remember which now) that the sauce was powdery. Really nasty texture. I was actually shocked at how bad this course was. Reminded me of packet risotto and packet sauce poorly cooked by a student. Both of us left it and we were not asked why. The beef option - the beef itself was cooked to perfection. The sauce was also fantastic and silky with a lot of depth. However the ‘lasagna’ I believe our waiter said it was accompanied by, was close to cold and the potato’s were tasteless and a little stale. I did mention the lasagna was cold but nothing came of this. Cheese - the cheese selected was fantastic, such a rich creamy blue cheese. Paired with the honey comb well. The water biscuits were not for me and tasted a touch over done. Lemon curd - was exactly what you would expect from a pre desert course. Nothing to report here. The soufflé - this was another disappointment. Came with a bit of a show and looked great but the soufflé itself was split and a touch eggy. The raspberry sorbet was delicious. The wine throughout the night was a real treat and the best part of actually what turned out to be a very dissatisfying meal. I wake up today lamenting spending over £480 on a meal that in all honesty is probably the worst tasting menu I’ve had out of the 30 or so I’ve had. I’ve tried to weigh up if it was my expectations and excitement that it just didn’t live up to but on closer reflection it was actually just not a good meal which is a real shame. Every course had something wrong with it or wasn’t executed to the standard that I would expect a place of this high regard. With this all being said, Your staff are lovely and the ambience is spot on. Just a shame the food let it down this evening. Especially at that price. In conclusion, unfortunately I would not recommend and I should have asked for a refund on most of the courses.

It should be noted that in the process of making their coffee Thackeray's use coffee beans that are 'naturally processed' by civet cats who have eaten them. Additionally, if you look this up, you will find these civet cats are kept caged in cruel and unsuitable conditions, neglected, malnourished and abysmally exploited. Quite unnecessary hence one star.

What a spectacular fall from grace. Our recent dinner at Thackeray's was genuinely shocking in its mediocrity, especially given the eye-watering £271 price tag. The scallops drowned in cloying sweet jam, completely masking any seafood flavour. The duck breast? Bizarrely ham-like texture, served with confit leg, sweet corn and chilli: a bewildering combination that suggests fundamental misunderstanding of flavour pairing. The lobster was an absolute travesty: rubbery, overcooked, unseasoned, served on mushy bread that belonged in a school cafeteria, not a supposedly upscale restaurant. The lamb came swimming in what I can only describe as sugar sauce (genuinely less interesting than ketchup) accompanied by lentils in baked bean sauce. Yes, really. The only competent dish was the truffle cheese with honeycomb, hardly a culinary achievement when you're simply plating bought ingredients. The raspberry soufflé finale was a sugar bomb so heavy and one-dimensional it left us feeling physically unwell. Add cheap pop music, no tablecloths, and general chaos, and you have a "fine dining" experience that wouldn't pass muster at a chain restaurant. Not once were we asked if we were enjoying our meal; perhaps they already know the answer? This kitchen seems addicted to sugar and fundamentally confused about seasoning, oscillating wildly between bland and oversalted. The recherché presentation can't hide the amateur execution underneath. Save your money. There are far better options in Tunbridge Wells that won't insult both your palate and your wallet.

It was always very pleasant every time we went, but on our most recent visit I had a starter that was actually quite disgusting. Only in hindsight I think (having initially taken it for inventive and daring cuisine) there might have been an accident as a "parfait" at worst of times wouldn't be a brown liquid with a milk acid taste. I am now torn between trying them again and never going back. UPDATE: having spoken with other Tunbridge Wellsians we agreed that Thackeray's have gotten worse over the years and are not worth it anymore...