EXPERIENCE A TASTE SENSATION IN EAST SUSSEX

THIS COUNTY IS A FOODIE’S PARADISE WITH A HOST OF FANTASTIC RESTAURANTS, CAFÉS AND PUBS – SO MAKE SURE YOU BRING A HEALTHY APPETITE

When it comes to eating out, East Sussex delivers a diverse range of eateries to tempt your tastebuds. If you want fine dining, you’ll find it here; alongside cool cafés, fish and chip shops and country pubs showcasing the best seasonal Sussex produce. Want your dining to go global? You can tuck into everything from kebabs to Italian to West African.

East Sussex produce is well worth celebrating, and it’s the star of the show in many restaurants. Whether you want fabulously fresh fish from local waters, a platter of Sussex cheeses or a glass of English fizz, you won’t be disappointed.

The Beach Deck, right on Eastbourne seafront, offers a feast for the eyes as well as your belly. You can tuck into burgers, mussels or fish and chips while soaking up the sea breezes For more fish and chips, and one of the best places in town is Dolphin Fish Bar.

Started back in 2014, Nelson Coffee Roasters serves its own house-roasted speciality coffee, as well as delicious Aussie-inspired brunches and lunches. Fluffy pancake stacks come with fruit compote or sausage and bacon, and there’s a range of poke bowls and fruit smoothies if you’re keeping things healthy.

For great pub grub, head to The Rainbow, which has a gorgeous garden complete with heated booths and giant tipis. The menu features locally sourced fish and meat, ciabatta sandwiches and delicious Sunday roasts.

Stylish Cru serves a delicious range of small plates, which are perfect for sharing and feature plenty of regional produce – think Sussex brown crab rarebit or salmon cured in Brighton gin. Large plates include hefty burgers, steaks and local lobster.

CUTTING-EDGE CUISINE

If it’s fine dining you seek, check out Mirabelle at the Grand Hotel, which serves cutting-edge cuisine in sumptuous surroundings. The creativity and quality of the dishes has seen the restaurant win numerous awards, and you’ll be sampling goodies such as steamed Sussex plaice with gherkin and capers, and South Downs venison duo with pickled walnuts and port jus.

Want to keep things plant-based? Green Bro’s will sort you out with wraps, curries and ramen, alongside tasty milkshakes and decadent deserts.

No trip to Hastings would be complete without a wander down George Street, which links the Old Town to the seafront. It’s lined with independent coffee bars, sweet shops, vintage emporiums and quirky restaurants.

Set in a 200-year-old fishermen’s shed, Rock-a-Nore Kitchen is just a stone’s throw from the beach. It serves fish pulled straight from the sea, complemented by more fresh Sussex fare. You’ll find delicious dishes such as potted crab, scallop risotto and monkfish with saffron and mussels.

Need some more old-fashioned charm? Penbuckles Delicatessen, just down the road, sells an array of mouthwatering delights, from local cheese and wine to incredible vegan pastries. It’s the perfect place to grab some goodies for a picnic lunch.

You’ll satisfy all your sugar cravings at Italian-run ice cream parlour, Di Pola’s. It’s all made on site, and flavours include honeycomb, apple and ginger, sea salt caramel and Oreo.

Slap bang on the seafront is The Bank Hotel & Bistro, where you can rock up for an all-day breakfast, coffee and cake or Sunday roast, with or without British bubbly, Pimms or sangria.

For a slap-up lunch, Maggie’s Fish & Chips should be top of your list – if you can get a table. This café serves the best fish and chips in the South East, with the lightest of batter and double-fried chips. It makes your mouth water just thinking about it…

With branches in both St Leonards and Hastings, Half Man! Half Burger! has locals queuing for its patties, which are made from 100 per cent grass-fed, local beef.

“EAST SUSSEX PRODUCE IS ABSOLUTELY WORTH CELEBRATING – WHETHER YOU WANT FRESH FISH FROM LOCAL WATERS, A PLATTER OF TASTY SUSSEX CHEESES OR A GLASS OF ENGLISH FIZZ” >> p36

Every burger has two patties and a range of delicious toppings, which you can have with optional sides, including chilli cheese fries and coleslaw made with apple, lime and red cabbage. There are also tasty vegan and veggie options, so everyone is catered for. Just make sure you save room for their ‘trashy desserts’!

St Clement’s Restaurant is well worth a visit, thanks to its delicious, locally sourced dishes. Everything is made from scratch, from the freshly baked, complimentary soda bread at the start of your meal to the puddings and ice creams at the end.

Welcoming Eateries

The cosy and welcoming Farmyard restaurant is a real winner, serving organic meats, fresh fish and seafood and local cheeses, which are perfectly paired with their excellent list of natural wines. They also own a specialist fish restaurant just down the road – The Boatyard, which has an ever-changing à la carte and small plates menu.

If you love food, you’ll love the charming town of Lewes, just eight miles outside Brighton. The fantastic Lewes Farmers’ Market takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month, where small-scale Sussex businesses sell all kinds of seasonal food that you can prepare at home or eat on the street.

For something a bit cosier, you can’t go wrong at The Swan Inn, on the outskirts of Lewes. Quirky yet traditional, it offers delicious home-cooked food, ranging from sandwiches and soups to more spectacular mains and delicious desserts.

The Pelham Arms is another great local boozer, with an enticing menu of burgers, posh fish finger sandwiches, sharing boards, vegan options and award-winning Sunday roasts. It also has its own brewery.

The Flint Owl Bakery takes the business of bread very seriously. It supplies a long list of local restaurants, cafés and pubs, but you can also purchase it at their bakery and café in the centre of town. Alongside the various loaves, you can enjoy savoury items such as sausage rolls and quiche (all homemade), finished off with a slice of perfectly baked cake.

Bill’s is another hotspot with the local Lewes crowd. This is where the popular chain began back in 2001, and it’s still serving the same great breakfasts, lunches, dinners and everything in between. It can get very busy at the weekend, so make sure you book in advance.

If modern British cooking is what you’re after, Fork, on Station Street, fits the bill and then some. The food is all responsibly sourced and grown, including Sussex cheeses, fish from local boats and fruit and veg from local nurseries.

Dishes such as lobster risotto with samphire and supreme of guinea fowl with red wine jus will wow your tastebuds. Right on the East Sussex/Kent border is the charming town of Rye, which is chock-full of great places to eat and drink. Fletcher’s House is a favourite with locals, who come for its excellent food and warm, welcoming atmosphere. The Tudor-beamed restaurant was once home to Jacobean playwright John Fletcher.

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the 16th-century Ship Inn, which is a family and dog-friendly pub. It has a laid-back, vintage feel inside, which matches its simple but sensational menus.

Haydens is a small guest house with a café attached, set in an 18th-century building in the heart of Rye. They are predominantly a coffee shop, but also serve great breakfasts and light lunches, made using locally sourced ingredients, which are organic wherever possible.

Tatner’s Street Kitchen started out as a catering van, and now has a permanent home at the Old Forge in the centre of Rye. Burgers, kebabs and loaded fries are the order of the day.

Touch Of Elegance

Simple, beautifully presented local seafood is the selling point of Webbe’s at the Fish Café. Order a fish board to sample a bit of everything or get stuck into an aromatic bowl of Rye Bay fish stew. If you’d rather cook your own meal, sign up for Webbe’s Cookery School upstairs. A full day costs £130, which includes all the ingredients you need to cook a specially designed lunch.

For classics with a modern slant, made with the best of Sussex ingredients, make your way to Landgate Bistro. The Good Food Guide ranked it as the best restaurant in Rye for six consecutive years, and it’s also the only restaurant in Sussex mentioned in Where Chefs Eat.

If you’re visiting the historic and beautiful town of Battle, grab a bite to eat at the Royal Oak, which dates to the 15th century. You’ll find a main menu of traditional British classics, including excellent Sunday roasts.

In the heart of East Sussex lie the neighbouring towns of Uckfield and Heathfield – both of which have some great local restaurants, cafés and pubs. Heathes restaurant on Heathfield’s high street is the place to go for stylish contemporary classics with Mediterranean and Asian influences. Chef Craig has worked in top restaurants around the globe.

Also in Heathfield is the Star Inn, where you can enjoy excellent homemade food in atmospheric 14th-century surroundings. Tuck into meat, veggie or seafood platters or try their Harveys beer-battered fish and chips. Their desserts are also amazing, so save some room!

Stunning Backdrops

If you want a feast for your eyes as well as your belly, then eat at the Stonehill Dining Room, which is located in the stunning Holy Cross Priory, just down the road from Cross-in-Hand. The neo-Gothic mansion has a fascinating history and architecture, which creates a stunning backdrop to your dining.

The Highlands Inn is Uckfield’s favourite family pub and restaurant, with a diverse menu of homemade and locally sourced foods. This expansive venue also has a separate sports bar/pool room for the grown-ups, and a large garden for kids.

If you want to tour the globe through your belly, East Sussex is an excellent place to do so! Whether you’re looking for fantastic French cuisine, a tongue-tingling

Thai curry or a full-on mezze feast, you’ll find it in this cultured county.

Terminus Road is fast becoming Eastbourne’s foodie street. It has several restaurants along the block leading to the promenade, including the Greek café and deli .gr/eat, which serves traditional Greek dishes with a modern twist, created with the best local produce in town.

Further down the seafront, near Eastbourne Pier and Towner Eastbourne, is Bistrot Pierre. It’s a relaxing place to enjoy stunning panoramic sea views and affordable French-style dishes, including a special fish menu.

If Italian is your thing, La Locanda Del Duca is well worth a visit. It opened in 2001, and offers a wide selection of authentic Italian cuisine, from pasta and meat to fish and gnocchi. Also, try its sister restaurant, Pomodoro e Mozzarella, located a couple of doors down. Popular with locals, it serves pasta and pizza, as well as classic dishes such as saltimbocca alla Romana.

Quirky atmosphere and top-notch food combine at the Thai Cafe at Boulevard Books. It’s both a higgledy-piggledy second-hand bookshop and a BYO Thai restaurant, open for lunch and dinner.

If you’re hungry for something a little different, Mamma Putt’s is a must. This contemporary restaurant cooks up African and Caribbean cuisine at reasonable prices – you can tuck into the likes of fish pepper soup, jollof rice and grilled whole tilapia. Vegetarians and vegans have plenty of options too.

For Italian eats, head to Caccia & Tails, where pasta dishes and New York Italian classics are freshly made on site every day. If you’d rather cook at home, grab some of their fresh homemade pasta and sauces to take away. You can order their food at the nearby Lansdown Arms.

Rustico serves Neapolitan street food from recipes handed down through generations. Tucked away in historic Fisher Street, it’s part of a successful Sussex chain, with other restaurants in Eastbourne, Hastings, Brighton, Hove, Battle, Bexhill and Hailsham.

Authentic Ingredients

Erawan serves incredible, authentic Thai food that perfectly combines sweet, spicy, salty and sour tastes, while Pestle & Mortar has some seriously satisfying noodle soups. The latter is also an Asian grocery, so you can take home some ingredients and have a go at creating something spicy yourself. Chaula’s Indian Restaurant offers delicious Gujarati dishes, alongside all-time favourites from all over India.

Opened in summer 2022, Zorba Meze Grill has brought fabulously fresh Turkish flavours to Lewes. The delicious hot and cold starters are so good you’ll have to order several to share. But make sure you leave room for their tantalising tender marinated kebabs and slow-cooked aromatic stews.

Uckfield has two great Asian restaurants. Authentic Thai can be had at Thai Terre, but make sure you book, as tables here are in high demand. They also have a restaurant in the picturesque South Downs village of East Dean, which is three miles from Eastbourne.

For the ultimate Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine, check out Amira’s Kitchen, a real favourite with local foodies.

Whether it’s international eats or the best home-grown produce, East Sussex has it all. Sample the goods at a hip restaurant in Hastings, hunker down in a cosy Lewes pub, or taste wonderfully fresh seafood right by the ocean. Wherever you’re staying in East Sussex, you’re guaranteed great food and a warm welcome, so dig in!