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Picture of Castle Hotel
Image posted by paulof horsham
Submitted on Tuesday, 31st January 2023
With picture contributions to 4530 other pubs
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Castle Hotel, Dartford

High Street
Eynsford
Postal town: Dartford
DA4 0AB
Correct details

Served areas

Reviews of Castle Hotel (Average Rating: 5 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Castle Hotel

Upmarket Shepherd Neame pub / restaurant / boutique hotel, but if you can escape the table service, dodge the proffered food menus and escape to the rear terraced beer garden you will find a reasonable spot for a pint. Just Spitfire and Whitstable Bay Pale (£4.90) available from the three handpumps on this visit.

On 10th August 2020 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Roger Button left this review about Castle Hotel

Situated in the heart of the picture postcard village of Eynsford, the Castle was originally called the Harrow but was rebuilt in the late 19th Century by local entrepeneur, village benefactor and teetotaler Elliott Downs Till (who is buried in the nearby churchyard) who bizarrely invoked a one drink per person per day restriction for its customers until the brewery wisely overturned his ruling.

The pub looks enticing enough from the outside with its double frontage adorned with flower baskets and quaint sign proclaiming “hotel, motor pit and stables”. Since my previous visit some years ago the pub has had a bit of a makeover and now has more of a dining pub feel to it than previously. The main body of the pub is a single room that has been stripped down to the bare floors with quite plain décor and a few swords, daggers, coats of arms and suits of armour giving it a bit of a medieval theme to match the pub name. We were steerd immediately towards the open fire which very welcoming and rather necessary despite it being the middle of June. A separate area to the rear in what was the old public bar houses a pool table and there is a separate dining room known as the Lavendar room which I gather is more for formal dining and functions. A corridor to the rear leads to a car park, small outside patio with covered seating and the old stable buildings.

On the ale front there were just 2 ubiquitous Shepherd Neame beers, Spitfiire and Master Brew, the quality of which was just bordering on the positive side of drinkable. The bar food options were a mix of classic pub dishes with prices ranging from £6 for a good value Sunday roast up to £14 for Lamb Shank. The service was friendly and prompt albeit the pub was hardly bursting at the seams.

My previous visit found the place to be a quite insular local’s pub with unchecked kids running amok and prominent industrial language shouted over the top of some excessively loud music. My latest visit was a more sedate Sunday lunchtime and things were a little more civilized. Whether it is the same on peak evenings I don’t know but they do appear to have made a bit of an effort to improve the pub’s image and make it more welcoming to non-locals.

The village does attract numerous walkers, cyclists and visitors to Lullingstone Roman Villa, Eynsford Castle, Eagle Heights and Brands Hatch, all within easy reach and who no doubt need their food and drink requirements catered for. The Castle is fine for a quick visit but I don’t think there is too much that would entice people back on a regular basis.

On 10th June 2013 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Nick Johnstone left this review about Castle Hotel

Bit too clinical and modern and there were unsupervised kids in there. Better options in the village and shepherd neame ales just don't do it for me.

On 5th April 2011 - rating: 4
[User has posted 98 recommendations about 98 pubs]

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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Eynsford, 0.87 miles, 16 min walk (show)
Farningham Road, 2.88 miles, 55 min walk (show)
Swanley, 3.74 miles, 1 hr 12 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for Castle Hotel, Eynsford
31st Jan 2023, 22:02
Picture submitted by paulof horsham approved
 
31st Jan 2023, 22:02
Picture submitted by paulof horsham approved

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Accommodation : Yes last updated 31 January 2023 by paulof horsham
  • Beer Garden : Yes last updated 31 January 2023 by paulof horsham
  • Car Park : Yes last updated 10 June 2013 by hondo .
  • Child Friendly : Yes last updated 10 June 2013 by hondo .
  • Function Room : Yes last updated 31 January 2023 by paulof horsham
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 10 June 2013 by hondo .
  • Micropub : No last updated 31 January 2023 by paulof horsham
  • Pool Table : Yes last updated 10 June 2013 by hondo .
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 10 June 2013 by hondo .
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