I hope my review can be constructive for the kitchen team. I want to say first that we truly loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, and the waiting team was wonderful, friendly and helpful.Unfortunately though, I did not enjoy the food. I chose the meal “fruits de mer” which means “seafood”. Apart from 3 mussels and 2 prawns, not really much fruit de mer in sight. There was some tasteless salmon and cod. There was (way too much) linguine in a spicy tomato sauce which for me doesn’t go well with fish at all. I was hoping for fresh pasta, considering the £29 price tag. But it tasted like Barilla.I really wanted to like this restaurant but the most important aspect of it being food was a huge miss for me.My husband enjoyed his turbot. We shared a Black Forest desert, and again, I could barely taste the chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
David Collins
Only marked it down for atmosphere since we were the only people there pretty much but 2 days before Xmas what can you expect. Lovely and amazing food and great service.
David J
Great place, staff very good. Went for a meal with family......MENU was severely lacking in choices, NO SPECIALS. Absolutely nothing for anyone of a younger generation. Such a shame! 4 stars really, never had a service charge in a establishment of this standard, it should be a customer choice, so no gratuity (tip) for staff.
bas8606
If you like fine dining this is the place for you. The restaurant has a faded elegance vibe but we like that. The food is excellent, well presented and the service was faultless when we were there.
Claire Hadaway
Absolutely wonderful afternoon tea celebrating my mum's birthday. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, everyone was so lovely and the food was excellent. It will be top of our list when choosing where to go for our next family occasion.
Pat W
We had a gift voucher for lunch with bubbles as a gift. It was easy to book and the staff called back to confirm our booking, We were warmly welcomed by the friendly staff and shown to our table in the restaurant. As it was a very warm day, all the doors were opened to allow some breeze in. The service was superb, the staff friendly, the presentation of the meals was great and the food delicious, Nothing was too much trouble,
Debbie M
I Recently had Sunday Lunch at the Lakes Restaurant to celebrate a friend's special birthday. My experience was fabulous. We had a lunch booking for 7 people at 1pm for a special birthday. I thought the staff were very friendly, accommodating and especially attentive to our Birthday Girl! The restaurant itself was lovely and bright with an amazing chandelier as a centre piece! Last but not least the food! This was the best, everyone agreed. I happen to be Vegan and I was stunned with the choice and quality of my dishes especially. I will definitely be coming back!
Dave Rowley
I took my wife to Lakes for her birthday, the service, food and ambience were so good we came back to celebrate my birthday.On both occasions we were looked after by Sorean who took the time to chat to us throughout our visit.Just wanted to say that we will be returning soon with our friends.I would wholeheartedly recommend Lakes for a wonderful lunch or for that special dinner.
James Tipp
Great setting there were only two of us in restaurant so difficult to comment other than food was delicious and we enjoyed a nice couple of hours of unhurried lunch.
Lesley Hughes
The restaurant is lovely, it was not crowded when we visited and the atmosphere was welcoming, our waiter was very courteous and the service was excellent.
We went for a meal for my Mum's birthday with the wider family and we had a fantastic experience. Right from arrival we were made to welcome and very professionally attended to by the staff. The meal was moderately and fairly priced and the food was lovely with large portions. The staff also added some lovely extras for Mum's birthday celebrations. Really enjoyable. Thank you
JanWoolgat
They really spoiled us. Was our 40th wedding Anniversary. We wanted low key but special. Ticked all boxes. Thank you.
MS
Always a nice place to dine and the best Sittingbourne has to offer. Only criticism was that service could have been better. When we first arrived, told to wait in the lounge but no drinks service offered, at the table no bread until we asked, always had to get up and go to the bar to ask for wine top-ups - plenty of staff but they tended to gather at the bar chatting with very little attention to the room. When staff did attend the table they were perfectly fine, but just lacked leadership. The food was, as always very good, but they need an experienced front of house manager to make the experience worth the price they are charging.
Mark Smith
Always a nice place to dine and the best Sittingbourne has to offer. Only criticism was that service could have been better. When we first arrived, told to wait in the lounge but no drinks service offered, at the table no bread until we asked, always had to get up and go to the bar to ask for wine top-ups - plenty of staff but they tended to gather at the bar chatting with very little attention to the room. When staff did attend the table they were perfectly fine, but just lacked leadership. The food was, as always very good, but they need an experienced front of house manager to make the experience worth the price they are charging.
Andrew Smith
This is our first visit here, and WOW! it is a small restaurant in a beautiful setting, we were sat immediately and the service is excellent, I have been to much more expensive places and the service here was comparable to that of the the Dorchester. The set menu was varied and the wine selection was excellent. The food itself came in a timely manner, not rushed, neither did we have to wait, and it was superb, hot, delicious and good sized portions. (Try the soup it was stunning.) The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble, we will be going back to try the à la carte menu. Kudos.Vegetarian options: An option on each section and clearly labelled.Parking: Lots of spaces
I hope my review can be constructive for the kitchen team. I want to say first that we truly loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, and the waiting team was wonderful, friendly and helpful.Unfortunately though, I did not enjoy the food. I chose the meal “fruits de mer” which means “seafood”. Apart from 3 mussels and 2 prawns, not really much fruit de mer in sight. There was some tasteless salmon and cod. There was (way too much) linguine in a spicy tomato sauce which for me doesn’t go well with fish at all. I was hoping for fresh pasta, considering the £29 price tag. But it tasted like Barilla.I really wanted to like this restaurant but the most important aspect of it being food was a huge miss for me.My husband enjoyed his turbot. We shared a Black Forest desert, and again, I could barely taste the chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
Only marked it down for atmosphere since we were the only people there pretty much but 2 days before Xmas what can you expect. Lovely and amazing food and great service.
Great place, staff very good. Went for a meal with family......MENU was severely lacking in choices, NO SPECIALS. Absolutely nothing for anyone of a younger generation. Such a shame! 4 stars really, never had a service charge in a establishment of this standard, it should be a customer choice, so no gratuity (tip) for staff.
If you like fine dining this is the place for you. The restaurant has a faded elegance vibe but we like that. The food is excellent, well presented and the service was faultless when we were there.
Absolutely wonderful afternoon tea celebrating my mum's birthday. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, everyone was so lovely and the food was excellent. It will be top of our list when choosing where to go for our next family occasion.
We had a gift voucher for lunch with bubbles as a gift. It was easy to book and the staff called back to confirm our booking, We were warmly welcomed by the friendly staff and shown to our table in the restaurant. As it was a very warm day, all the doors were opened to allow some breeze in. The service was superb, the staff friendly, the presentation of the meals was great and the food delicious, Nothing was too much trouble,
I Recently had Sunday Lunch at the Lakes Restaurant to celebrate a friend's special birthday. My experience was fabulous. We had a lunch booking for 7 people at 1pm for a special birthday. I thought the staff were very friendly, accommodating and especially attentive to our Birthday Girl! The restaurant itself was lovely and bright with an amazing chandelier as a centre piece! Last but not least the food! This was the best, everyone agreed. I happen to be Vegan and I was stunned with the choice and quality of my dishes especially. I will definitely be coming back!
I took my wife to Lakes for her birthday, the service, food and ambience were so good we came back to celebrate my birthday.On both occasions we were looked after by Sorean who took the time to chat to us throughout our visit.Just wanted to say that we will be returning soon with our friends.I would wholeheartedly recommend Lakes for a wonderful lunch or for that special dinner.
Great setting there were only two of us in restaurant so difficult to comment other than food was delicious and we enjoyed a nice couple of hours of unhurried lunch.
The restaurant is lovely, it was not crowded when we visited and the atmosphere was welcoming, our waiter was very courteous and the service was excellent.
Restaurantji Recommends
We went for a meal for my Mum's birthday with the wider family and we had a fantastic experience. Right from arrival we were made to welcome and very professionally attended to by the staff. The meal was moderately and fairly priced and the food was lovely with large portions. The staff also added some lovely extras for Mum's birthday celebrations. Really enjoyable. Thank you
They really spoiled us. Was our 40th wedding Anniversary. We wanted low key but special. Ticked all boxes. Thank you.
Always a nice place to dine and the best Sittingbourne has to offer. Only criticism was that service could have been better. When we first arrived, told to wait in the lounge but no drinks service offered, at the table no bread until we asked, always had to get up and go to the bar to ask for wine top-ups - plenty of staff but they tended to gather at the bar chatting with very little attention to the room. When staff did attend the table they were perfectly fine, but just lacked leadership. The food was, as always very good, but they need an experienced front of house manager to make the experience worth the price they are charging.
Always a nice place to dine and the best Sittingbourne has to offer. Only criticism was that service could have been better. When we first arrived, told to wait in the lounge but no drinks service offered, at the table no bread until we asked, always had to get up and go to the bar to ask for wine top-ups - plenty of staff but they tended to gather at the bar chatting with very little attention to the room. When staff did attend the table they were perfectly fine, but just lacked leadership. The food was, as always very good, but they need an experienced front of house manager to make the experience worth the price they are charging.
This is our first visit here, and WOW! it is a small restaurant in a beautiful setting, we were sat immediately and the service is excellent, I have been to much more expensive places and the service here was comparable to that of the the Dorchester. The set menu was varied and the wine selection was excellent. The food itself came in a timely manner, not rushed, neither did we have to wait, and it was superb, hot, delicious and good sized portions. (Try the soup it was stunning.) The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble, we will be going back to try the à la carte menu. Kudos.Vegetarian options: An option on each section and clearly labelled.Parking: Lots of spaces