please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The quintessential English pub... a fantastic find if your out this way... the garden could be out of gardeners world (I half expected Monty Don to be pruning the roses!).. Harvey's Sussex best and IPA.. didn't eat but food looked great...
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Called in for a midweek meal with Mrs Ropey. Welcoming fire burning in the hearth and the Steak and Ale pie was excellent but this isn't a food critique site so to the important stuff....
Perfectly served straight from the cask in the cold-room the Harvey's Best, Old, and Star of Eastbourne were all in top condition. Always worth making the effort to get here.
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We used this pub a lot about 30-35 years ago, and to be honest it hasn't changed much in that time. Went again Sep 8th (didn't eat there though) and felt at home again straightaway. Surprisingly, on a beautiful sunny Saturday lunchtime, it didn't get overcrowded (maybe the food prices are a bit high ?). One of the best country pubs in England imho. N.b. it opens at 11 (12 on Sundays) so get there early !
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I wholeheartedly agree with �ParsonDarby�, five comments below. We sat in the garden on a midweek July afternoon and it was glorious (if busy) � and what a garden! Any pub that pours ale straight from the cask is a winner in my book. Will definitely be back if walking The Downs again in this, glorious part of the world.
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Five years since I last visited and it's still a picture of a pub. I'm not a huge fan of Harveys beers but they all seemed in good condition. The menus's not hugely extensive but everything we had was pretty good and fairly priced. The service remains excellent (very fast too considering it was quite crowded).
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Beers in good condition when I visited. Nice pub.
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Just look at that pub garden photo! Marvelous. Staff were helpful & friendly. Harvey's ale excellent. But my meal (tuna steak) was poor, half the steak was 'sloppy' and not very appetising. And the salad had no invention to it, as if thrown in a bowl by someone who doesn't eat or hates salad! (No dressing, no onion, just limp, lifeless, tasteless green stuff!) I would drink in there again, if I'm lucky to be in that lovely part of the world, but I will be wary what I choose on the menu next time. The neighbouring tables' chips looked &smelt good tho'! TJ
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Excellent lunch at the Cricketers after brisk hike over the top from Seaford. Crispy Whitebait highly recommended. Best, Tom Paine, Armada and Hadlow were all well kept offerings from the Harvey's stable. As mentioned, all tables were taken by ten minutes past noon, and this on a Monday...!
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On a summer's day there are few better spots than the garden of the Cricketers. Very plesaant hostelry, with a good if slightly pricey menu and ale served from the cask in the tap room. Generally a good range of Harvey's, all very well kept. Good place to start or end a walk although you will need to get there just before or very soon after opening time to guarantee getting a table. As previous correspondent has said, best in the afternoon if you are just seeking a pint. Always worth a visit.
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Walked here on Thursday lunchtime from the Rose Cottage. Big imposing country pub and very welcoming. First thing that struck me was it was hyper clean and completely unlike the Rose Cotage. A bit too sanitised and updated perhaps. There are no handpumps here, it comes straight from the cask in the backroom. I imagine the shelf life could be very short if the room isn't chilled a bit more. All the beers were Harveys and in good nick on our visit, I'm not a Harveys fan. The pub is also more food oriented as there is little bar space and most of the other areas are filled with tables. It also has a large beer garden. The prices are expensive even compared with other expensive pubs in the area. �3.40 a pint and almost �10 for cheesy chips and houmos with pitta bread. Prefer the Rose Cottage. Won't rush back but might drop by again if passing.
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Excellent pub, superb Harveys straight from the cask, good food too. Plus they let us sleep in our camper in the car park. Perfect :)
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Classic unspoiled country pub. Cottage garden outside, flagstone floors, beers on gravity. Staff very pleasant and welcoming. Good food at a reasonable price. Rather a daytime pub ie not very busy weekday evenings due to its location essentially. Worth a visit. Good to see that the Harveys brewery pub portfolio keeps this place unmodernised.
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Harveys Knots of May, Best, Hadlow and Armada served from the cask in glorious condition. Delightful front garden. I agree with Sussexcrawler, mid afternoon is the best time to visit if all you want is a beer.
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A huge improvement in this pub. When we last visited some 4 years ago (or more) we found it difficult to find something from the menu that we wanted to try. This time, spoilt for choice.
The food was excellent, served by attentive staff and overall a great atmosphere. We will be back.
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Beer served straight from the cask, and the Harveys tasted wonderful. This is a lovely pub. 9/10.
Floyd - 28 Dec 2009 17:40 |
Excellent Harvey's pub but due to the small serving area you do have to queue for ages to get served during busy periods, when people are ordering food - why don't they know what they want before getting to the bar? There is also a tendency for them to pay by plastic which delays things further. The best time to go is after the main lunchtime rush, when you can relax in the excellent front garden over a pint of excellent beer straight from the cask.
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This fabulous pub is signposted from the A27. Although small inside, a large garden in front and to the rear of the pub provides seating and the opportunity to enjoy the sun with your beer. Excellent Harveys straight from the barrel make this a must visit pub in East Sussex. Definitely worth the walk from Berwick Station.
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This is the best pub I have every visited, I have read past comments from other visitors who say that it is bland and uncomfortable - they must be out of their mind as this is the most quaint pub I have ever visited with friendly staff, comfortable surroundings, great food and superb beer, wine etc. The atmosphere is very relaxed and we had attentive staff who looked after us. They currently have a �10 supper deal for every day of the week during the winter (starting at 6 pm) which is superb value but we have also eaten off the main menu which is very tasty. They are also open Sunday and Monday evenings which is very refreshing as most of the pubs in this area are shut . Make sure you add this to your places to visit if you are in the area.
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We turned up here just before 15:00 on new years day and was initially alarmed at the lack of pumps on the bar until I spotted the barrels in the tap room behind. The Harvey's Old was spot on.
Very busy but we were luck enough to get a table and ordered out lunch minutes before the 15:00 dead line. I believe they do food all day at other times. The food arrived quickly and was good and tastey, nothing fancy, just good honest pub fare at a reasonable price.
The staff are friendly and efficient.
This pub is on the shaddow of the South Downs so I would imagine it would be popular with walkers and I should think summer Sundays would be very busy. Well worth a visit though.
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Arrived at 11.15am to find we were by no means first in the queue. We recognised one group of 6 that had got off the same train as us and had obviously found a quicker route. Excellent pint consumed in front garden having first checked out the cricket memoribilia inside
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beautiful surroundings, the journey from brighton is more than worth it for the ale alone!
great staff, great service and a fair selection of mains and specials, reasonably priced - you get value for money on al fronts
dog & child friendly, this lovely lil' pub is well worth a visit
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Our nearby hotel food was so-so, so we decided to eat here instead. The bitter was excellent, just as before. I had a home-made fish pie under a mashed potato topping which was delicious. Madam had scampi which was a little too much for her, so I was able to help. On a wet September Tuesday evening the number of diners was surprising; most of them were locals. My only wish is that it were about 50 miles nearer home.
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Quite superb; immaculate in every respect, including the best Harveys I've had (outside Plumstead !). Slightly upmarket in a similar way to Queen's Head in Newton.
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this pub is a step back in time , no frills here just good beer and food set in a lovely old pub and gardens . very nice place full of locals enjoying the harveys. the only downside was the limited range of food and drinks .
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This charming pub, like so many is a combination of two cottages. The sign atop a creeper-clad post features an old top-hatted cricketer and positively invites you to enter through the splendid garden. Obligatory old beams and fireplaces. The real ales are from the sublime Harvey�s of Lewes and are drawn straight from the barrel in a room immediately behind the servery. Their excellent quality has been recognised with 22 consecutive years in Camra�s Good Beer Guide. As one might expect, decent food is available.
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Very limited menu.
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Super pub. Visited while en route, so it was a really lucky find. We had the dog with us, so the sign in the back garden "Dogs welcome with well behaved owners" was just what we hoped to see. An excellent range of beers (from the ground floor cellar) and we were delighted with the food. Definitely down for a return visit in September.
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I like this pub and always make a point of visiting when in the Bighton area. All the previous comments hold and I think that the choice of food is too wide for such a small place (who needs tempura prawns?). If you want food order early as the queue gets excedingly long. I should also line up the beers as it can be a bit of a wait.
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Excellent pub. Friendly, very good quality Harveys beer and more than adequate food - not stunning but very acceptable after a cold tramp on the Downs. I visited on a busy Sunday lunchtime, but I could see this being a nice spot for an evening pint by the fire. I will return.
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Lovely setting, nice food and great Harveys beer, but only go in summer. The inside is bland and uncomfortable.
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The beer is good and the location is stunning, so worth a quick visit just for that. However, it is very very boring - no atmosphere, bland and nothing like a country pub. You would be better off watching Country File with a can of cider.
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On the slightly expensive side but this is a lovely pub in a gorgeous setting. The menu was a bit pricy but it mixed cheaper "bar food" with more ambitious items and all seemed pretty good quality. Harveys beers were all good and the service was excellent and fast.
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Visited saturday lunchtime for pre-mothers day treat. All three meals were of the smallest portions, one of the gammon steaks being so tough that quite alot had to be left on the side of the plate. When we politely pointed out that it wasn't really very good, we were told 'well lots of others have it and its fine'. The portions were so small we left hungry and went onto a cake shop nearby and filled up on flapjack which was better value in any case! Will not recommend, nor re-visit. This pub must have had a change of chef, it used to be fabulous with proper pub grub.
anonymous - 19 Mar 2007 11:45 |
Lovely atmosphere and great food, fairly well priced and beautiful garden in summer. Drinks are on the expensive side though.
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There is very little I can add to the previous reviews. This is quite simply a lovely place. For those without cars it is a 20 minute walk from the station and there are buses to Berwick Crossroads. It's well worth the effort of finding it.
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Harvey's kept on cask is a rarity and should be cherished, if not encouraged at other outlets. Food is good - perhaps not stunning - but certainly good enough to compete with many other pubs in the area throwing out what can be overpriced grub. The atmosphere is busy, friendly, and whilst service can be tricky in peak times, it is always pleasant.
The building itself is charming, apparently 2 old cottages in a former life, with an extension added in the early '80s, although it's so well-matched to the character of the original building that you'd never notice.
A cracking garden provides plenty of overflow space on better days, and the Cricketers provides an excellent little haven just away from the A27 racetrack.
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If heaven is this good I shall have to stop sinning. Harvey's straight from the barrel and always served in tip-top condition. Great food. Good atmosphere. Wonderful setting.
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A lovely pub. The beer is always excellent and the food - while a bit expensive - is very good.
It does get very busy of a weekend so it's a good idea to get there as the doors open if you want a nice seat in the garden.
There is also a back garden which, despite being not as picturesque as the front, is worth bearing in mind. Most people don't seem to realise it's there.
The last time I visited an army of Morris dancers turned up and, after jumping around, retired to the bar for songs and music. It really was magical.
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What can we say this is possibly the best pub in the world.
Great harveys beer straight from the barrel, excellent food, beautiful garden. A welcome rest after walking the south downs.....
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Quality beer. Food's got better - less industrial than a few years ago. Best seats are in the sun in the garden in the evening. Restaurant can be snobby but there are other bars to eat in. Nice garden too.
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Tried this pub last weekend as part of a Harveys tasting session including the brewery tap in Lewes. This was the best pint of Sussex Bitter of the day straight from the barrel. Lovely cottage style pub. Signed from the A27. Good for a pit stop if you are driving
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Pity about what looks like an asbestos plant tub, by the front door
Good beer.
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Midsomer without the murders! This is everyone's image of what an English country pub should be. Low ceilings, cask ales, cottage garden and great food. Very good menu and wine list supplemented by some interesting specials including vegetarian. My only moan is that there wasn't a low fat dish (apart from fish) on the day of my visit which meant my companion was a bit stuck for choice, but on other days this could well be different. I have this dream about going back for the crab salad with a glass of Chablis. At weekends either get in early or book.
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Lovely country pub with good food and excellent beer. Pretty without being twee.
Tim - 16 Sep 2004 13:12 |
If you're looking to escape to an idyllic "olde worlde" countrry pub with great beer, food and scenery, then this place is hard to beat. Firstly, you'll find a wide range of excellent Harveys beers available (on gravity). Secondly, there's a good menu available to tempt the hungry traveller. And thirdly it's set at the foot of the South Downs, well away from the hustle and bustle of life! While the quaint interior isn't huge, there's equally as much seating in the pretty garden. Many people know about this wonderful pub, so it's usually busy and the small car park fills quickly. Even so, it is definately worth a visit, and if it's quiet take your camera - this is picture book stuff!
Robin - 14 Aug 2004 08:09 |
