Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in East Sussex

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in East Sussex? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Sundial

4.9

4.9 (542)

£26 to £40

French

Herstmonceux

About the restaurant

The Sundial is a privately owned, relaxed and chic French restaurant with spectacular views of the South Downs in East Sussex. The Sundial’s à-la-carte and seasonal menus as well as its cuisine and ambience are typically French. Our restaurant in East Sussex is perfect for a meal with family and friends or an intimate dinner for two, the Sundial’s lounge bar, French restaurant and private dining room provide a flexible combination for parties, business meetings, seminars, wedding venues and group events for up to 60 people. Our restaurant can cater for upto 150 people as a wedding venue. If you´re looking for a Fine Dining French restaurant in East Sussex, or anywhere in Sussex, you won´t find a finer French restaurant!. Our French restaurant has a Civil wedding License offering you the perfect wedding venue in East Sussex. Restaurant also has a large car park with 16 parking spaces.

Top review

IanL

Dined on Dec 18, 2024

As always, a meal at The Sundial is a wonderful experience. It is one of the last bastions of fine dining and will always be a special place

Two Sawyers

4.8

4.8 (801)

£25 and under

Pub

Hastings

About the restaurant

The Two Sawyers is a 16th Century Inn recently refurbished and under family ownership. We pride ourselves on serving excellent beer and food.

We have a large beer garden to the rear of the pub with over 30 tables for our guests to use for both drinking and dining.

A character bar with log fires serving guest ales, beers, and wines. The restaurant serves traditional pub food twice both lunch and evening and all day on both Saturday and Sunday.

Top review

Sue

Dined 1 day ago

We had a meal booked for 8. The service was exceptional. The food was excellent and the wait time between courses negligible. It was also extremely good value in a lovely setting. I would recommend this beautiful inn to anyone, you will not be disappointed. We will definitely be back.

Discover more

Popular dish

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Popular dish

Fish and Chips

First In Last Out

4.8

4.8 (189)

£25 and under

Pub

Hastings

About the restaurant

The First In Last Out (FILO), is a family run free-house in the Old Town of Hastings. Alongside our award winning beer, we serve quality food prepared from scratch. We offer lunch and dinner everyday, including our ever popular Tapas night (Monday), Indian Thali (Thursday) and Sunday roasts.

The brewery is located just two minutes away from the pub, where we produce five regular ales using a full mash-tun process. We love live music and host regular Sunday evening gigs, of which details can be found on our website.

The pub is popular with locals and tourists alike, who love to get cosy in our booth seating or warm up on cold winters' days around our unique central fireplace.

Dogs and children are most welcome.

Top review

Lisa

Dined on Dec 18, 2024

I’ve eaten here many times and they never disappoint. Food is amazing and the service is always welcoming, I can not fault it and even a little penguin sat on top of my Christmas pud!

The Crown Hastings

4.8

4.8 (1154)

£25 and under

British

Hastings

About the restaurant

The Crown is an independently run award-winning freehouse in the heart of Hastings Old Town, open at 11am every day. Our kitchen is open 12-4, 5 till 9.
We serve modern British food in a friendly informal environment using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. We create dishes from scratch, including homemade bread, fish from the surrounding seas and seasonal veg.
We serve local real ales & craft beers, wine and a specialist gin and whisky selection and delicious coffee.
'High Top Tables' refers to our high tables with bar stools.
You can book a table for drinks only.
Dogs are welcome, 'paws on the floors' please.
Children welcome, we have a kids menu.
For allergies & intolerances, please let your server know before ordering.
We serve our full menu on a Sunday, but it is not a traditional roast dinner.
Please call us if you are running later than your booked time.
Table bookings for 2 hours for up to 4ppl; 3 hours for 5+ people. Tables from 7pm onwards are for whole evening.

Top review

Deborah

Dined 3 days ago

a delicious Christmas eve meal and a great friendly atmosphere. This place is just great!

The Hatch Inn Hartfield

4.7

4.7 (955)

£26 to £40

Gastro Pub

Hartfield

About the restaurant

As a quick note to customers we would like to inform you that all of our reservable outdoor tables are under cover and have heating. Also standard seating is indoor seating.
Proprietor Nicholas Drillsma and partner Sandy Barton have built an enviable reputation over the past 28 years in producing the highest quality, locally sourced food, complimented by an extensive wine list.
The menus reflect our customer profile in delivering quality food and service in a cosy, quintessentially English public house.
We would encourage anyone suffering with food allergens or specific dietary requests to alert us to these within the 'Special Requests' section of your reservation so as we may brief our team accordingly prior to your arrival

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Love Christmas Eve meal, drinks and family ritual.

The Cove

4.7

4.7 (61)

£25 and under

Pub

Pett

About the restaurant

In sleepy Fairlight, on the edge of the Firehills, The Cove is an independently run freehouse serving locals, wanderers and gastronauts alike. Halfway between Hastings and Rye, The Cove is the perfect stop after a walk across the local beaches and coastal paths of East Sussex. We have a fire for the winter nights, a garden for summer days, and a friendly bar waiting to welcome you.

Originally a hotel, the building sat empty for several years until 2022, when the Cove was renovated, restored and reopened with a new lease of life. It has quickly gained a reputation for excellent, elevated pub food with local chef and restauranteur Nick Hales leading the kitchen.

In 2023 it was featured on The Times 50 Best Summer Pubs, and given a glowing review by Grace Dent in The Guardian Observer.

Top review

Richard

Dined 3 days ago

A delicious lunch and superb service. The perfect start to our Christmas celebrations. Thank you.

The Plough

4.7

4.7 (739)

£25 and under

Pub

Rye

About the restaurant

The Plough is a country pub, restaurant and rooms just outside Rye, with a beer garden offering picturesque views of the Brede valley. Our food offer is pub classics made incredibly as well as creative cooking, whilst being ingredient led. We primarily use British produce and work with local suppliers to ensure we always source the very best ingredients we can get our hands on. Inside we have a warm atmosphere with log fires and friendly service.

Top review

Ben

Dined 3 days ago

Fantastic service, matched by the setting and the food. Our first visit since recently moving and certainly won’t be our last. Loved the fact that Chef felt he had ‘done me out of some greens’ so sent an additional portion. The sauce with the Lamb Pie was amazing and the ladies were grateful for the Pork Collar recommendation.

La Delizia

4.8

4.8 (54)

£25 and under

Italian

Hastings

About the restaurant

La Delizia, meaning ‘The Delight’, inspired by delis and eateries in Positano and Amalfi, offers authentic, specialist Italian food and drink, to take home or eat in.

Featuring fresh Whitstable oysters, calamari, pasta, an authentic meat and cheese counter serving paninis and Antipasti selections, as well as Italian delights such as ‘Crema di Caffé’ an Iced Coffee dessert, fresh orange juice, and so much more.

Top review

Julia

Dined 3 days ago

The food was delicious and beautifully presented, and the waiting staff were very friendly, polite and efficient

Thai Marina

4.7

4.7 (1595)

£26 to £40

Thai

Eastbourne

About the restaurant

Thai Marina is situated at The Waterfront at Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne and serves modern Thai cuisine in a traditional setting. The menu has all the classics you'd except such as Green Curry or Pad Thai as well as newer dishes such as Lamb Cutlets or Tamarind Sea Bass. In the summer months, enjoy alfresco dining all day and through the evening and on the weekends enjoy the Thai summer barbecue by the waterside.

Top review

Ian

Dined 7 days ago

Been eating there on and off for 20years still best Thai restaurant I visit.

The Grapevine Champagne and Jazz Bar

4.5

4.5 (22)

£26 to £40

Wine Bar

Rye

About the restaurant

The Grapevine Champagne & Jazz Bar is an intimate art-nouveau styled establishment, hosting live music most nights, with a vast drink offering. Our jazz bar offers over 150 wines & Champagnes, 50 whiskey's, 20 gins, cocktails, and much more.

Sit amongst the candle light and tap away to the live music with a glass of something cheerful!

Top review

Sam

Dined on Dec 6, 2024

We had a fantastic evening with our friends. Paying to book is a nit of a rip off but we had a great place in the lounge. The musician/ singer was brilliant. The ambience and general atmosphere was perfect. The place is a bit pricey, but we didn't mind as we had such a good evening

Discover more

Experience

Live Music Booking (for Non-Members)

Explore Diners' Choice best of East Sussex

Explore more Diners' Choice lists