Hailsham Restaurant Guide

There’s no doubting the “great” setting of this former religious hostel, which lies at the foot of the Sussex Downs on the banks of the Cuckmere River; having been acquired by hospitality whizz Olga Polizzi in 2021, it’s now an “upmarket country hotel” replete with Bloomsbury set artworks and (in the dining room) a gorgeous Elizabethan-esque floor. With River Café alum Tim Kensett having moved on to his Scottish wild-dining concept Inverlonan Dining, head chef Vincenzo Petrocco is currently at the helm; the “food is mainstream Anglo-French with good fish and meat options” and while “not inexpensive” (“you can eat in the best London restaurants at their prices”) and described by sceptics as “good but fairly ordinary”, more positive reporters believe the “quality cooking and service justify the bill”.

“Still the only ‘fine-dining’ restaurant in Eastbourne”, the “lovely” and “smart” dining room of iconic seafront establishment the Grand Hotel is “five-star all the way”, say fans; on the service front, “the mostly long-serving team continue to deliver”, while chef Alex Burtenshaw, who joined the line-up in 2023, turns out modern European cooking that is “now never less than acceptable, and sometimes excellent”. That’s the upbeat view anyway. But a minority of diners find the whole performance “very, very disappointing”, and this view was more to the fore this year: they say “it’s very expensive”, that “the only pluspoint is the very large dining room”, and that “this place could only ever survive in Eastbourne”. Top Tip – for a cheaper option, the hotel’s other restaurant (the Garden Grill) is said to do “an excellent Sunday lunch” – and looks far swankier than one might expect from it being the hotel’s more casual option.

2022 Review: At the heart of a picture-perfect village in the South Downs National Park which was beloved by Virginia Woolf in her day, this rambling brick and flint pub-with-rooms has a “great garden, or more like field” (!) offering views over the Sussex countryside. Inside offers an “intimate” and “romantic” backdrop to “modern and fresh” food of a “reliable” bent.

2022 Review: They “recently extended the outdoor space and garden” at this imposing wattle-and-daub Elizabethan inn, built for the Keeper of the Privy Purse to Elizabeth I, no less. Together with a “new menu” of snacks and heartier grub it now makes a “great eating place” by all accounts.

This fish-specialist in a townhouse, from former Le Caprice chef Nick Hales, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and although it is rated on limited feedback, such as we have remains very good. The changing menu is governed by the catch from day boats launched from the beach at Hastings.

“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.

This “fantastic” renovated Victorian hotel opposite the station was re-launched six years ago and is now “excellent in every way”, with “exceptional” cooking – “as seasonal as food gets, simple but so much flavour” – while “the service is attentive without being intrusive”.

2022 Review: Owners Alan McNally and Steve Morrish (who have collectively worked in some of London's trendier spots: Crispin, Leroy, Lyle’s and The Clove Club) run this tapas, eatery and deli with the aim of creating a “Balearic vibe”. No feedback as yet, but on paper it looks well worth a try.

“Paul Webbe’s original restaurant never fails to delight or impress”, and after 27 years is recording truly impressive ratings and accounting for a significant number of best meals of the year from those who visit it. Yes, “the menu these days could perhaps be called ‘old school’,” but its focus on ultra-fresh local produce – including ingredients foraged in the surrounding countryside – has always been ahead of trends, while the cooking is “consistently of a very high standard”, with “plenty of choice at each course” and it’s all delivered with “fantastic service – they remember you every time”. It’s now the flagship of a group with fish specialist venues and a cookery school in Hastings.

“Located in the historic fishing area of Hastings’ Old Town”, from which it sources its eco-friendly catch (the focus of the menu, which is split between à la carte options and the short, sampler-style ‘taster menu’), this venture (est. 2009) is part of an empire begun by wild food guru Paul Webbe with The Wild Mushroom in 1998. Added to the victuals, friendly staff and a good atmosphere make it a consistent scorer across the board and if you want to earn your supper, their fish cookery school also lets you visit the market opposite the restaurant and learn how to prepare it.

“Some of the best fish’n’chips I’ve tasted” are served in “plentiful portions” at this wooden shack “near the Hastings fishing fleet – that’s why the fish tastes so fresh”. A well-known destination in its third decade, it’s “good value”, too, and “very popular with visitors and locals” – so “avoid the busiest times”.

This “lovely little gem” in a converted fisherman’s hut “serves the freshest fish straight out of the boats opposite” on Hastings beach, which is said to have the biggest fleet of beach-launched day boats in Europe.

Fans proclaim the “best food in Eastbourne”, at this “fun” and “buzzy” subterranean wine bar, restaurant and bottle shop, whose décor is enlivened by a pink neon Hunter S Thompson quote. On the food front, there’s “something for everyone” (namely small and large plates), while the “ever-changing, excellent wine list” features English bottles and rare wines by the glass.

2023 Review: “Great attention to detail is the hallmark of this Italian restaurant close to the seafront in Eastbourne”. Run by chef/patron, hospitality veteran Lorenzo Cinalli, it’s in a traditional mould and – according to a recent review from the Mail on Sunday’s Tom Parker Bowles “is one of those rare places that manages to combine the old school with the resolutely regional” including “spanking fresh turbot... up there with Scott’s, Wiltons or Bentley’s”.

This “tiny restaurant with an open kitchen” showcases some “really inventive, original and interesting cooking” from former Ledbury and Dairy chef Richard Falk. Top Tip – “defo worth taking advantage of lunches being the same quality as dinners and costing £32 for 3 courses instead of £57”.

2023 Review: No feedback as yet on this August 2020 arrival in this ever-more fashionable seaside town, but it’s a July 2022 tip from Giles Coren writing in The Times and awarding it 23/30. “I probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was by the low, low prices on the menu” achieved with “unfashionable fish – mussels, sea trout, plaice, mackerel – and plenty of pasta.”

2024 Review: In a cute market town in prime English wine country on the Kent-Sussex border, this wine-focused pub from Sam Maynard (ex-Hotel du Vin) opened three boutique bedrooms in 2023. The 30-cover restaurant offers local seasonal dishes from chef Adam Sear alongside a list of 80 English wines (and there’s also a more conventional bar menu). Too little feedback for a rating as yet, but such as we have is ‘all good’.