White Bear Tunbridge Wells Reviews Summary

Staff Service

Pros:

• "The person who greeted us was so lovely. Made us feel very welcome and looked after us from start to finish."
• "Staff clearly overloaded but very pleasant and friendly."
• "Friendly and professional service."
• "The staff are what make dining so great as they are so attentive, friendly and professional."
• "The service was great - the staff were very friendly, efficient and professional."
• "Service is friendly. Waiter was always smiley and making sure we had everything we needed."
• "Staff went out their way to find us somewhere to sit despite lacking a reservation on a busy Saturday."
• "The staff is attentive, especially Conor who makes me feel very welcome every time I am there."
• "The staff were so knowledgeable, attentive and very patient."
• "The service second to none from Tom, Connor and the team."
• "Staff made us feel so welcome and paid constant attention to the toddler, keeping him entertained."

Cons:

• "One of the worst meal experiences we have ever had. We were a group of 8 and our time at the White Bear was dreadful from start to finish."
• "Most of the staff spent their time having a laugh behind the bar and ignoring all of the customers."
• "Service was absolutely terrible. The young lady with brown hair who served us practically ignored our table for long stints."
• "I've been to the White Bear a couple of times this year (2023) and whilst the venue is nice, the service is horrendously slow."
• "Really disappointing. Booked a table in the orangery and then on arrival we were told it was empty so hadn't been opened."
• "After waiting for over 15 minutes without being acknowledged by any of the staff, we decided to get up and leave."
• "Upon seating our party of four were seated at a dirty table accompanied by crumb infested and stained seats."
• "The service was painfully slow. We had to wait over 30 mins for any drinks to arrive even tap water!"
• "Service from our particular waiter was rubbish though."
• "It seemed there were lots of servers but none of them could take an order!?"

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food was really good."
• "Food was well presented and tasty."
• "Really good food."
• "The food is lovely."
• "Great food and attentive friendly staff."
• "The food was high end pub grub and nice enough."
• "The food is also amazing."
• "The food was fantastic - a lovely varied menu."
• "Then our steaks were excellent!! Highly recommended!!"
• "amazing service, brilliant food - clearly a lot of thought put into the menu and each individual part of the roast was genuinely great."
• "The food was great and will definitely be going again."
• "The portions were nice and large."
• "The signature burger, succulent with good quality beef."
• "The food was fantastic. We had a few starters as tapas, which worked really well - the prawns in particular were amazing."
• "The Sunday roast was very good with large portions."
• "Between us we tried the beef, pork and lamb. All of our plates were left empty and every part of the dish was tasty from the meat to the cabbage, carrots and roast potatoes."

Cons:

• "The mains were largely inedible. The lamb was literally burnt and the beef was so overcooked it was like rubber."
• "The sides of cauliflower cheese were one of the worst things I’ve eaten."
• "Appalling experience. Waited 2hours and still no mains delivered."
• "Service was absolutely terrible...after 1 hour 45 minutes our mains still hadn’t come out."
• "They served roast beef with hair in it and then didn't cook the replacement to preference."
• "The food that was cooked properly couldn't feed a small child, there was way too little food on the plate for £28.50."
• "Though a lovely setting with friendly staff, the food let them down."
• "Some of the dishes were hit and miss. Fish & chips were great, beef burger was overdone and dry."
• "Food terrible, took an age to get service, absolutely terrible."
• "Unfortunately I can’t give a positive review for the Sunday roast. The beef was all gristle."
• "The pork belly managed to have a soggy top and be dry in the middle."

Atmosphere and Environment

Pros:

• "Lovely space. Really enjoyed it and would go back."
• "The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere comfortable and relaxed with well spaced tables."
• "Lovely spacious pub with great food and attentive friendly staff."
• "We were out in the Orangery area which was a lovely space to be."
• "Had a nice atmosphere and surrounding - cosy feel!"
• "Beautiful pub and the staff are what make dining so great."
• "Room was very cute too."
• "The atmospheres and environmental was really nice."
• "Very impressed with the refurb, lovely decor and vibe."
• "The White Bear occupies the site of what was the TW Bar and Grill and gets a higher score than its predecessor."

Cons:

• "The bar area did get quite busy on a Saturday, but that's to be expected."
• "We were sat in the coldest part of the place - it was freezing."
• "The music was far too loud and dominant."

Management and Problem Resolution

Pros:

• "After asking to speak to the manager...they sheepishly came over and offered to take the sides off the tab."
• "A more senior staff member arrived and advised they had waived our entire bill and the food swiftly followed all together."
• "The bar staff friendly and very skilled at every drink."
• "Staff need to be up front if the meals are not as described on menu."

Cons:

• "After asking to speak to the manager...the manager promised to come back to speak to us but they disappeared never to return."
• "The manager on duty didn't seem very in control of what was happening."
• "When we complained about the cold, the staff didn't really know what to do and no one seemed to be in charge."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Worth the money for the atmosphere and the staff are worth their weight in gold."
• "Good value for money considering the location and quality of the food."
• "Good is nice too, price is good for the quality."

Cons:

• "It is expensive for what it is."
• "Very expensive for below average food."
• "Not worth the price they are asking."
• "The burger etc come with a tiny 'bucket' of anaemic thin chips and no salad or veggies."
• "The food generally tasted Ok, but all the portion and ingredient sizes were way smaller than the price point suggests they should be."

Suitability for Families and Pets

Pros:

• "The only downside was the three dogs near our table. They were well behaved."

Cons:

• "I'm not keen on dogs being allowed in eating areas."