Uckfield, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“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.

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.

“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).

“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”.

“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”.

This former religious hostel on the banks of the Cuckmere River is considerably less humble than in days of yore, having been given the Olga Polizzi treatment (Bloomsbury Set artworks, fancy Elizabethan-style floor, plush bedrooms) a few years back. While some baulk at the “very expensive” price tag, for most it’s justified by the “very good” British cooking and, if you overnight – perhaps after a trip to Glyndebourne or a stroll on The Downs – “it should be mentioned that the breakfasts are particularly good”.

This Arts & Crafts boutique hotel at the edge of Rusthall Common woods makes a “lovely setting” for a meal from chef Scott Goss, who trained under Gary Rhodes, served in a dining room with original stained-glass windows and wood-panelled fireplace. “Sunday lunches on the terrace are a summer treat” with “amazing views” over Happy Valley, and it’s “very popular for weddings”.

2023 Review: A “family favourite” for its “lovely atmosphere and brasserie food” – and handily close to Tunbridge Wells station – this spin-off from the ever-expanding Ivy operation is well regarded by most reporters, but also suffers from the complaints commonly levelled against its Identikit siblings: most especially indifferent cooking that’s “poor value for money”.

“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.

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…”)

“Still the most sought-after seats in town (although less mobbed than it was)” – this modern small-plates operation from Pamela & Ben McKellar’s Gingerman group is predominantly counter-seating with an open kitchen, so “it’s always interesting to sit and watch the chefs at work”. “There’s a nice roof terrace for summer days” and “they’ve introduced a proper Sunday roast, which is wonderful”. Top Menu Tip – “irresistible blue cheese crumpets, or the sweetcorn fritters”.

For “classic fish/seafood amid traditional décor”, you can’t beat this long-running oyster bar (est. 2006), in a prime location on the buzzing Lanes – just ask fan Gordon Ramsay, who has sung its praises on TikTok! The “imaginative menu” includes “amazing” market fish of the day, and there’s also “great seafood risotto and tempura prawns to keep the younger members of the party happy”. If you’d like your catch with a view, see also their newer branch, located right above Brighton beach.

2022 Review: Opened just before Christmas 2019, a brightly decorated establishment where everything is cooked over open fire in the central open kitchen. It’s from the Food for Friends team with chefs Holly Taylor and Toby Geneen. Limited initial feedback, but ratings are strong and reports are of a “carnivore’s delight”.

“Raz (Helalat, of the Black Rock Restaurants group) does it again!” with this open-flame specialist, reborn in “deliberately flash” new city-centre premises, on North Street, in late 2024, and now sprawling over five distinct dining areas and a dedicated cocktail bar. By all accounts the new venue is “fabulous in every way”: “the beef (28-day Irish steaks cooked over hot coals) remains of the highest quality, but there is now a bigger menu with plenty of fish and vegetarian choices” to go with it, and the high stakes relocation has “real atmosphere” too (“almost like a London restaurant”).

“Delightful and surprising” small plates of “delicious Middle-Eastern-influenced food”, most of it cooked over fire, is matched with tasty cocktails and “fairly-priced wines” (“we had an excellent bottle from Turkey”) in this “lovely setting” close to the Brighton seafront from Razak Helalat’s Black Rock group (alongside Coal Shed, The Salt Room, Tutto). Open until 10pm for meals (9pm on Sundays) and even later for drinks (“great fun at the bar”), it is tipped by several reporters as “a new favourite”.

“Excellent fish cookery” showcased in a “very atmospheric dining room” which is “one of the surprisingly rare places with sea views in Brighton” – “the quality here is unwavering and the menu always evolves slightly”. Even one local who considers it “a tiny-bit-less superb than the Coal Shed and Burnt Orange” (its stablemates in local restaurateur Raz Helalat’s Black Rock group), feels that “when it’s good, it’s very good”.

“Still Brighton’s best for a straightforward, beautifully cooked but unpretentious meal” (albeit “at a price”), Ben & Pamela McKellar’s “little gem tucked down a side street off the seafront” is “as good as ever” after 25 years in business and “lovely for date night”. Even those who feel they’ve “clearly decided to go for something ‘finer’” of late (“the bread has become extremely fancy, as have the canapés”) don’t regret that upward turn, praising the “superb” food and service (“especially the Sunday lunch”).