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Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent

Water Lane

4.7
4.7
136 Reviews
£26 to £40
European

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 2 times today
  • Charming
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
Water Lane is a restaurant based within a working market garden in the High Weald of Kent. Guided by the seasons, our menu reflects its sense of place in the English countryside where we grow our own vegetables and use local suppliers. Our ever changing menu is simple but prepared with imagination and care by our Head Chef Jed Wrobel and his team.
The Good Food Guide 2023 describes us as 'A contender for one of the most charming eateries in Kent, it's pretty much impossible to resist the lure of this rural restaurant tucked away in a delightful walled garden...'
We are open Friday to Sunday 10am - 4.30pm, serving breakfast 10am to 11.30am and lunch 12pm - 3pm. We serve dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings between 6pm - 8.30pm. Our restaurant is currently located in the Carnation House glasshouse. We welcome well behaved dogs on a leash in our garden.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    European, Contemporary European, Contemporary British
  • Hours of operation
    Fri, Sat 10:00 am–9:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–4:30 pm Breakfast Fri–Sun 10:00 am–12:00 pm Lunch Fri–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:00 pm
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Neighborhood
    Hawkhurst
  • Cross street
    Situated on Water Lane and shares and entrance with St Ronan's school.
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Public transit
    Nearest bus stop on Rye Road, A268, Hawkhurst. Nearest stations are Etchingham or Staplehurst, both of which serve mainline train routes from London and south east coast.
  • Additional
    Cafe, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch

What 136 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Kent

    Best Ambiance

  • Kent

    Great for brunch

  • Kent

    Innovative

  • Kent

    Healthy

  • Kent

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Kent

    Vegetarian-friendly

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Water Lane offers a captivating dining experience with "exquisite food" and a "beautiful setting" in a walled garden. Guests appreciate the fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, exceptional service, and creative menu. While some found it pricey, many highlight the delightful atmosphere and "wonderful" service, making it a "highly recommended" destination.

136 Reviews
  1. Howard

    London

    26 reviews

    4.0

    26 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful place , great atmosphere, lovely staff and good food. Highly recommended.
    Water LaneResponded 4 days ago
    Thanks for taking the time to post a review. We really appreciate it. See you again soon.

    Is this helpful?

  2. martin

    Kent

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fabulous as always, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. Inside or out the team are always fantastic, food is fabulous and staff are wonderful. Move over Eggs Benedict the Bacon and oyster mushroom flatbread with fried egg, spiced yoghurt, Water Lane hot sauce and crispy shallots is my new favourite breakfast!!!
    Water LaneResponded 4 days ago
    Thanks Martin, pleased you enjoyed your breakfast here. The homemade hot sauce is the star of this sandwich. Always great to see you and Paul - see you again soon. Nick

    Is this helpful?

  3. Paul

    London

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely setting, friendly and great food, we’ll be back.
    Water LaneResponded 4 days ago
    Thanks for the feedback Paul, we look forward to seeing you again soon.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Richard

    Brighton

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great Saturday morning family brunch at Water Lane. Nick and Ian do a brilliant job as hosts and the staff are so friendly and helpful with a large group and young children. Such delicious choices and the banana loaf with maple butter amazing. Great location and the glass houses just make it the most interesting place for brunch, lunch or dinner.
    Water LaneResponded on December 7, 2024
    Thanks Richard, we are pleased you enjoyed your brunch with the family. Let us know how you get on with the banana bread recipe. We look forward to welcoming you again soon. Best Nick

    Is this helpful?

  5. Sarah

    Gloucestershire

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A great dinner full of autumnal flavours. Great location.
    Water LaneResponded on November 17, 2024
    Thank you for the 5 stars Sarah, this means a lot to the team. I have shared it with them of course. See you again soon.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Lisa

    East Sussex

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 15, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Good food, though small portions. Not terribly busy, so quiet ambiance but that didn’t bother us. Service good.
    Water LaneResponded on November 17, 2024
    Thank you for taking the time to review your experience here at Water Lane. The garden here is now sleeping so this is reflected in the low footfall on occasion. The Spring and Summer months are much busier. We are pleased you enjoyed the food and service. I have fed back to the chef about his portioning, thank you for highlighting that. kind regards Nick

    Is this helpful?

  7. OpenTable Diner

    London

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 10, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful place , good food good service will come again
    Water LaneResponded on November 17, 2024
    Thank you, we look forward to welcoming you back again soon.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Mary

    Kent

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 9, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    What a stylish place and delicious food and wine - an original menu and we were made to feel so welcome. Do go - you won’t be disappointed!
    Water LaneResponded on November 11, 2024
    Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Mary. We appreciate it when customers do so. I'll share this feedback with the team. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Nick

    Is this helpful?

  9. Helena

    London

    14 reviews

    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on November 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I have visited several times but this was my husbands first visit. He was impressed with the number of English wines on offer and chose a delicious fizz. We both had the bavette steak which was perfectly cooked and the pumpkin purree and greens side went so well. Two pieces of cake as take out both delicious. Staff as always were helpful and friendly. Good value, lovely setting and a chefs love of food that really shows! Can’t wait to return. Thank you All
    Water LaneResponded on November 9, 2024
    Thanks for this wonderful feedback, Helena. We are extremely pleased your husband enjoyed his first visit. It's also great to hear that our English wines are being so well received, the fizz you drank is called Fitz. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon. We will share your feedback with the team here.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Ruth

    London

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 3, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious breakfast. Perfect for meat eaters and veggies. Lovely setting in the greenhouse. Great, friendly service. Highly recommend
    Water LaneResponded on November 7, 2024
    Hello Ruth. Thanks for taking the time to review your experience. We are delighted to read that you loved breakfast. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind Regards Nick

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Water Lane is rated 4.7 stars by 136 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 2 times today
Google Map for Water Lane

The Walled Garden, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 5DH

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Situated on Water Lane and shares and entrance with St Ronan's school.
  • Neighborhood
    Hawkhurst
  • Hours of operation
    Fri, Sat 10:00 am–9:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–4:30 pm Breakfast Fri–Sun 10:00 am–12:00 pm Lunch Fri–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    European, Contemporary European, Contemporary British
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Public transit
    Nearest bus stop on Rye Road, A268, Hawkhurst. Nearest stations are Etchingham or Staplehurst, both of which serve mainline train routes from London and south east coast.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Cafe, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch
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  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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