Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by NIGEL WILLIAMS
Submitted on Thursday, 29th January 2015
View all this pub's pictures (8 more images)
Detail Pages
The Bell Inn, Maidstone
Bearsted
Postal town: Maidstone
ME14 4PA
Reviews of The Bell Inn (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Bell Inn
Previously a pleasant local on the outskirts of Bearsted, the pub is currently owned by GK and has lost almost all its charm. There is a fair sized car park at the side, which leads t a large garden with various wooden covered areas, presumably erected to meet COVID social distancing requirements. It feels a bit like a UN compound in Somalia, but without the warm night air. You enter through the front door into the older part of the pub, a small public bar to the left, a larger lounge area to the right, the latter extending into an even larger modern extension which feels like a more corporate dining venue. It's all open plan. The area on the left has a TV, the lounge area a modern brick built fireplace with a woodburner. Two ales on, GK IPA and Abbott, both in average condition. The staff were unhelpful and not that friendly. It took an age to get served. Having been shown to our table and left for 20 minutes it transpired we were supposed to order our drinks online - a bit difficult of you don't have an internet-enabled phone with you. They wouldn't take cash, either. The locals weren't that friendly. Food was pub grub plus stone-baked pizzas, reasonable value for money but not that exciting. I don't think I'll be coming back any time soon.
On 29th July 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3281 recommendations about 3246 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
NIGEL WILLIAMS left this review about The Bell Inn
The bell Inn has been managed over the last year by temporary Managers, naturally this will reflect in the experience you receive during that period. There are New Tenants going in on the 3rd February 2015, Nigel & Andrea will be writing the next chapter in the life of the pub.
Nigel & Andrea want to preserve that Traditional Country Pub feel but with a modern twist, Community pubs are such wonderful places to visit with diversity of clients and lots going on, Live Music, Darts, Popular sports shown, Great Ales, Lagers & Wines.
The new chef will be creating a completely different menu as you would expect, a lot of research has gone into the types of food that we think the public who visit us would love. We expect the restaurant to be back open by the 5th February.
We have a new website for you to visit www.bearstedbell.co.uk
On 29th January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Bell Inn
The Bell Inn felt like it had just opened when I visited just after 15:00 last Friday afternoon. The bar area is found at the front of the pub where there is some seating to the right and a dartboard to the left. There was some music playing off the plasma screen and I didn’t notice any live sport advertised. There is a seating area at the rear of the pub but the lights were out and the curtains drawn. There is a back door which I imagine leads to some sort of beer garden, but again this was out of bounds.
The bar is stocked with standard draught and supports three hand pumps. One of these was unused, but a cash bag was over the nozzle so I imagine that I just happened to wander in when it wasn’t drawing anything. The other two hand pumps were drawing Greene King IPA and Thwaites’ Wainwright. There is also a cocktail and hot drinks menu and food is served with the mains coming in between £8 and £10.
I found the surroundings to be comfortable enough and the governor was very friendly, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again.
On 22nd March 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
View more reviews of The Bell Inn (4)
No known official website for this pub.
- Facebook - The Bell Inn Bearsted
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Bell Inn - whatpub.com
Maidstone East, 2.72 miles, 52 min walk (show)
Maidstone West, 2.74 miles, 52 min walk (show)
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 : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Car Park : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Darts : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Function Room : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 30 January 2015 by hondo .
- Jukebox : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Live Music : Yes last updated 30 January 2015 by hondo .
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 30 January 2015 by hondo .
- Micropub : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Pinball : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 22 March 2013 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
- WiFi : Yes last updated 24 July 2020 by E TA
