The Cheese Room Botanicals - (Near Kent, South East)

5 /5 Molotoval: Despite being fully booked, they accommodated us in sitting outside. Service was good and knowledgable. We enjoyed a coffee, gin and delicious cheeseboard outside at a very reasonable price. We may book next time just so we don’t risk missing out. This place is a gem on the high street.

5 /5 Fiona Tracey: This lovely little restaurant is one of those rare finds that balances charm, quality, and atmosphere with effortless ease. Set inside a quaint, historic building, it offers a warm, character-filled backdrop that makes every visit feel a bit special. Although the menu is proudly cheese-focused, there’s an impressive range of options for vegans and non-dairy diners like me — and everything I’ve tried so far has been consistently excellent. The food is beautifully prepared, the quality is evident, and the prices remain refreshingly reasonable. The cocktails, however, deserve their own spotlight: the pistachio martini has become a personal favourite, and the festive White Russian is wonderfully indulgent. It’s the kind of place where you look forward to trying something new each time, yet still feel tempted to reorder your favourites. The staff here are always warm, welcoming, and genuinely friendly, adding to the relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Because the venue is small, it does book up quickly — so reservations are definitely the way to go. I’ve been several times now and already have my next visit planned in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to go back.

5 /5 David Shea: We were served by Ella, who was very knowledgeable about what was on offer and selected a small cheese board as a side for me and my partner. My partner had pork belly with black pudding, poached egg with a cauliflower puree, and I had a mac and cheese with steak and peppercorn sauce and some onion rings. All the food was perfectly presented, served swiftly and top notch. Portion sizes were excellent. The pork belly was the best Ive ever tasted. I had a local bottled cider to drink and my partner had a non-alcoholic espresso martini, again both excellent. The cheese board selection was great thanks to Ella, (especially a home made chutney that was a star of the whole meal) and we split a fantastic creme brule as a dessert. The whole meal came to just over £55, which for two people and the quality on display was very reasonable, especially as that included a 10% service charge. (if we had had some cash on hand we would have paid a higher tip the service was that good.) Ella, despite being busy, was charming and an excellent conversationalist. Atmosphere in the restaurant was also excellent, this is a lovely wonky old building with heaps of charm. If you are tourist in Rochester, you owe it to yourself to go to the Cheese Room. Would recommend booking in advance, the place was very busy on a weekend lunch so dont expect to walk in without a reservation. This is our second visit and it hasnt disappointed yet.

5 /5 Emma Huthart: Had one of the nicest cheese toasties Ive ever eaten here! I came with my friends and 2 of us shared the Italian Job sourdough toastie and the raclette bravas potatoes. The toastie had mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto, Basil and pesto. It was delicious. The potatoes were delicious too. I had a large wine....naturally and my friend had an apple juice. Our other friend had a cheese and ham toastie and some water. The toasties were only 7 or 8 pound and worth every penny.

5 /5 Marisol Carvajal Barrera: I visited Rochester and I fell in love with this beautiful town. A lot of vintage shops on the high street. I made the right choice to take lunch. The restaurant is warm and inviting atmosphere. I ate a yummy onion and bacon soup with sodourg bread and for the main crispy Pork belly with red cabbage. On my side was a couple and she was eating Meat Balls that looked delicious but unfortunately they didnt have more so I got pork belly. I will be back again and I will try it! Book in advance... its a very busy place!