Cuckfield Restaurant Guide

“A lovely setting overlooking the gardens towards the South Downs” helps set up a “top-class experience” at this Elizabethan country house spa-hotel: “decor… ambience… service… food all are first rate”. Mind you, “there‘s nothing flash/super-creative about any of this: they know their market and it’s just really well executed”.

2024 Review: “Really impressive and tasty food that’s a cut above usual Thai fare” and “attentive service” win praise for this local Thai, on the high street of a super-cute village. Top Tip – “top delivery” too: “speedy delivery and delicious food; and a good range for vegans too”.

“Everything about this place is outstanding”, from “the grounds of lovely Leonardslee Gardens” (owned by entrepreneur Penny Streeter) to the “17-course tasting menu, which is a real experience of foraged ingredients” from a “well-drilled team” led by South African chef Jean Delport – a contestant in Great British Menu 2025. The whole evening is a “well- executed performance”, and “the attention to detail is fantastic” (“we walked in without saying who we were, but they knew about us and our dietary restrictions”); (“by course number 14, we were completely stuffed and had to take home a doggy bag of petits fours!”). Top Tip – “the rooms are also fantastic and well worth the stay, so you can walk things off on the estate the next day”.

“It’s such good fun to watch the kitchen in action” at this boutique hotel, set in 93 acres with views on the South Downs, where the dining room is named for the open kitchen, an approach to fine dining which it helped pioneer when it first opened in 2008. Ben Wilkinson is at the pass nowadays with his team, and provides an ambitious seven-course tasting menu for £150 per person. It’s won the venue many accolades, and such feedback as we have is very positive, if not quite as prolific as you might expect for somewhere with a Michelin star and 4 AA rosettes.

“Absolutely lovely” 16th-century freehouse on the edge of Ashdown Forest, with “very reliable and friendly staff, a specials board that’s always worth checking” and “the best Sunday roast in quite a while” (much of the produce is grown at Courtlands nursery, a mile or so away).

“The stunning glass-fronted dining room looks out onto the lovely garden” at this “quite magnificent spot” – a “rather splendid” Elizabethan manor house “steeped in history”, amidst 35 acres “of great horticultural interest” that were laid out in the 1880s. The building has been a hotel since 1958, and the very contemporary dining room was added in 2019 – “just glorious on all levels”; “a fabulous summer experience” in particular; and “perfect for a romantic interlude”. All reviews also attest to its “sublime food and super service”, which we’ve rated on the basis of our annual diners’ poll despite new Executive Head Chef, Martin Carabott joining in March 2025 as it was in progress. “With fresh vegetables and fruit from their extensive kitchen garden, it’s a very high quality experience indeed”. One of this year’s worst reviews? “Not sure it’s really worth the money, but it’s always a great occasion”. Top Menu Tip – “particularly good langoustine tartare”.

“Everything looks and tastes wonderful” at this rural pub with views of the South Downs, where “the menu is a little bit different” and “friendly service with a smile just adds to the enjoyment”. The country cousin in Brighton’s Gingerman group, it focuses on “high-quality” ingredients from within Sussex, including local ales and wine from the Ridgeview estate a couple of miles away.

“In a delightful village”, this “scenic” gastroboozer-with-rooms continues to please, two years after longtime owners the Pullan family handed the keys to the Young’s group; the “best atmosphere is in the bar” (as opposed to the annexe), though the “great garden” remains the standout here, offering lovely views of the Ouse countryside.

Sui generis boozer whose “first-class seafood” (notably the “astonishingly great shellfish at great prices”) comes as a bit of a shock given the suburban setting by a school; add in “lovely service” and “good beer too” – the in-house Larrikin which is offered on tap is brewed in the basement – and it’s “a gem” by absolutely all accounts.

“When you want a hipster burger dripping in your beard, this place delivers!” – Scott Collins’s “buzzy, vibey” joints are notorious for their “really good dirty burgers” with memorable names (the ‘Dead Hippie’ and its veggie cousin the ‘Tempeh Tantrum’), plus “excellent buffalo wings with blue-cheese sauce”. In early 2025 he opened spinoff venture BLOODsports in a Covent Garden basement (see also), showing live sports and horror films on large-screen TVs.

2023 Review: Isaac Bartlett-Copeland’s ambitious and ultra-local operation in Brighton’s boho North Laine is “so original and never the same twice”, with its ‘taste of Sussex’ menus and an all-English list of wines. The “NYC vibe” goes too far for some tastes (“well-meaning front of house told us everything, and I mean absolutely everything, about every dish…”)

“Definitely worth the trip to the seaside for this cool place” – Stephen Edwards “seems to have thought through the all-round experience” at this converted former bank in Hove, which he opened in 2017: “from the wait staff, to the feeling in the room and of course the food and drink” it is “hard to put your finger on exactly why, but it all just felt effortless and satisfying” and it’s one of the most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. The food offering revolves around a five-course menu for £55 per person: “refined dishes with a number of options to play with” and “with clear (and justifiable) pride in the food coming out of the kitchen”. There’s also “a comprehensive and far-flung wine list”. Top Menu Tip – “The Marmite bread is worth the hype”.

2023 Review: Decked out with neon lights, graffiti, sugar skulls and vivid flowers, this ten-year-old cantina has also spawned a (larger) Hove spin-off. Such feedback as we have says its “great value, with really enjoyable food” – more reports please!

“Outstanding pizza that’s super-light and oozing Italian style” (“not usually a pizza fan but really enjoyed the food”) has made the name of this “buzzing and hilarious” but also “good- value” Neapolitan joint. It’s now part of a five-strong chain, spanning two London outposts (the most recent in chi-chi Covent Garden), a newly refurbed Hove branch and this, the original, where “sitting outside to people watch is also great – it’s Brighton after all!”.

2022 Review: “A fire before lockdown, followed by Covid restrictions, mean it's been a tricky time for this well-loved Brighton institution”, but the “fabulous” North Laine veggie and vegan café is happily once again back in business. “Beyond-delicious food, lovely people and a great atmosphere” ensure that it's “definitely worth a visit even if you’re not vegetarian”.