The Leicester Arms - Sevenoaks

We had been looking forward to going as it reopened after a refurbishment they had been plugging the big reveal On instagram all week When we arrived it felt fresh and newly painted but none of the fires were going it wasn’t freezing but they make a pub so welcoming no excuse not to be lit in feb Dried flowers on all the tables were used before the refurbishment surely some cheery daffodils would be nicer and fresher and more jolly for a reopening of a country pub . The Barman seemed unable to understand which non alcoholic beer we wanted despite us pointing and trying to describe it We had no welcome from any of the staff We ordered some snacks from the snack menu one arrived and we waited half an hour for the other 3 apparently they thought we had wanted the one that arrived first as a starter not what you usually want when ordering sandwiches for a quick snack from a snack menu one doesn’t normally have a starter the menu didn’t state this either This pub has been through many hands we were so hopeful this time it would improve but sadly no No welcome, no cosy atmosphere ,terribly poor service We understand on opening week there might be teething issues but we received a very abrupt apology for the lateness of our sandwiches and no offer of a peacemaker We left feeling so disappointed as this is our local Please try harder you are a beautiful pub a beautiful building in a stunning village please make it work ! Thank you

Top marks for the food in taste, presentation and quality. The raw venison with bone marrow starter was Michelin star standard as were the beef cheek and chicken mains. We will definitely be back. The location and great views at the rear were lovely and the service perfect. Too full to try the deserts which I am confident would have been delicious too.

Nice main meal in a very dark restaurant, went for a friend's 60th, all went OK untill the pudding was literally thrown on a dinner plate? We all had Eton mess and yes it was a mess, looked like the cat had thrown up on a plate to be very honest. No presentation, no garnish and not even put in a dessert dish, these were £7.50 each. Complained to the staff after then getting a £15 service charge put on the bill that we refused to pay. Not even a complementary coffee for such a disappointed dessert? just got the impression they wanted to get rid of us, and it was only 9.15.

We booked a table for 8pm on a Saturday night for an anniversary meal , on arrival the bar was empty we was told to go through to the restaurant, the bar and restaurant was staffed by several young lads although very polite and friendly I think their hospitality training was lacking and there seamed to be no team leader/manager. We was surprised to see only one other table occupied which left a very empty quite restaurant music was turned on later) The service was very hit and miss and my husband had his 3rd choice of starter as they others were not available! The food was ok but only ok . My husband also ordered coffee which I don’t think the lad had been taught how to make as was it was awful and he had to leave it ,when my husband got the lad’s attention to come over to ask for a teaspoon and sugar which hadn’t arrived with the coffee he came over with the bill !! As we left my husband went to the bathroom to find overflowing bins ,dirty sinks and generally not pleasant. This was overall a disappointing experience

Hadn't been to this stunning pub with beautiful outdoor area for a couple of years, as we had experienced poor/slow service although understood what challenging conditions they were working with at the time. Hopeful to put that to bed. Welcome was very friendly and food was well presented and thumbs up from everybody on the whole. Atmosphere was sadly lacking in the restaurant as we were the only table, until a couple came in halfway through. That was emphasised when the music was turned off! Particularly given the lack of covers I felt the service, although super friendly, was lacking. There were too many slack moments no side plates for starters; cutlery missing for mains; drinks that didn't turn up with original order and had to be asked for again; queries on the GF menu options that were forgotten about so that when we came to order they had to leave again to go ask the original questions; condiments late to arrive... All of these things seem petty if they were standalone but, added up, they left us feeling disappointed with the experience. Clearly they had been busy during the afternoon as bathrooms had not been cleaned and dirty hand towel baskets were overflowing. Perhaps the staff were tired. However, it just didn't feel like the experience that this beautiful pub deserved to give us.