Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in East Malling

Great meal at the Ivy. Had a slight issue with the steaks not being cooked according to the order but they re-did them and they were then perfect. To apologise they kindly offered us deserts on the house which was very much appreciated. Would definitely recommend and we will return. The customer service was excellent and was exactly what I would hope for if things don't go 100% correct.

I had a wonderful experience earlier today at the hengist. My husband and I saw the new Sunday lunch menu on Facebook and just had to book!!! Despite reading some of the previous reviews regarding the food, we decided to give it a try for ourselves and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! Immediately when we walked in we were hit with this bubbly, warming atmosphere. A lovely lady named Julia greeted us at the door with a welcoming smile, she offered to take our jackets and took us to a beautiful table by the fireplace . My husband had the scallops and the pork, whilst I had the delica pumpkin and hispi cabbage. The portion sizes were perfect for us, and the food was delivered to us so quickly! Julia, Ollie and Leah delivered such an amazing service, being extremely attentive but also giving us the much needed time to ourselves. Leah was exceptionally polite and made us feel like royalty! After our delicious meal (too stuffed for pudding unfortunately but the table next to us had sticky toffee pudding that looked divine) we were asked if we wanted a hot drink, which was lovely to hear as not many places offer them anymore. On our departure, we were handed our jackets by the owner (Kieron) who asked us how our experience was (amazing!) and we got to chatting about the new chefs and the cocktails. Its clear to see just how much thought and passion is put into this beautiful restaurant and how hard the staff work to deliver a one of a kind service and experience. I would definitely recommend the Hengist to anyone, such a hidden gem with excellent staff and glorious food! We will definitely be coming back to try the grill night.

What can I say, the whole evening was absolutely amazing. The food was outstanding, great choice from the menu. The hot meze was delicious, the sharing platter for 2 was amazing. Couldn’t eat it all as there was loads. Their service was excellent, was well looked after. Would highly recommend and going back there soon. Absolutely worth the visit.

The food was outstanding with very friendly staff just to top it off. A very nice evening all round. So nice to find such a lovely restaurant in close proximity to home.

Sunday lunchtime for my birthday which was really nice. Not too busy. Lovely food and very good service by friendly, attentive staff. Cosy bar with a fire burning.