A new restaurant has opened at a celebrity hotspot in Kent.

Bear Lodge has launched at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, near Hythe, and diners don’t need a ticket to the animal park to visit.

Located near the Bear Lodge accommodation, the restaurant is open three days a week to anyone.

It will host curry nights on Fridays, family favourite dinners on Saturdays and roasts on Sundays.

“Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve’s Bear Lodge is proud to be offering these amazing new menus to external diners as well as guests to the resort,” a spokesperson for the park said.

“No reserve ticket or annual pass is required to visit Bear Lodge Restaurant.

“With its own private entrance, a family play area, extraordinary views across Port Lympne’s spectacled bear enclosure and the entire reserve, and a troop of cheeky squirrel monkeys to visit, Bear Lodge is the perfect choice for a memorable family dining experience.”

Port Lympne – run by the Aspinall Foundation – is one of Kent’s biggest animal parks along with its sister site, Howletts, near Canterbury.

It is also home to different accommodation and a safari.

It is much-loved by celebrities, with Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden being the latest to visit.

The TV personality and Heart Radio presenter said she had the “best experience ever” at the reserve where she fed several animals and stayed at the Lion Lodge.

The Only Way is Essex stars, including Gemma Collins, Amy Childs, Billie Shepherd and Samantha Faiers, have all visited Port Lympne and raved about it, while Former Little Mix band member Jesy Nelson came face to face with a tiger during her stay.

The new Bear Lodge Restaurant is open to the public from 5pm until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 12pm until 4pm on Sunday.