please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Gem of a pub hidden away off the A27.
Harvey's BB and Gun Brewery's golden ale, Scaramanga. Both very good. Food very good too, at a reasonable price. The pub makes a feature of local produce.
Stunning views of the Downs to the south west.
All good!
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This pub has recently changed ownership. The new owners are making a few changes, some good ones and some not so good. You now have to wait at your table for someone to take your food order. I went to order at the bar and was told I could not order food but I noticed that the waitress was giving the food orders to the barman to input into their system. I wasn't very happy as I had to wait before someone came to serve me at my table. On the plus side, they now allow dogs in most of the pub. The new owners seem enthusiastic and trying to improve the pub, lets hope that they do it in a positive way.
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Two Harvey's ales and Dark Star Hophead when I visited Saturday lunchtime - had a pint of Hophead and a dark beer form Harvey's whose name slips me. Both pints were excellent. They also appear to sell quality 'local' lagers on draft which I'd be interested to try sometime. Staff were very friendly and pleasant in a natural way - well done.
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Beautiful pub with nice staff.
Food was lovely as was the wine.
View from the outside decking superb.
Inside and out a real gem.
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Probably a pub that divides opinion, possibly because it's more of a restaurant that serves beer rather than a boozer that serves food. Interior is pleasant and while there's two tables by the bar, it's mostly set out for diners. The Sunday menu has plenty of choice although while my friend enjoyed their battered fish with chips, my chicken & leek puff pastry pie with veg was a let down (the whole dish was bland and under seasoned, and the sauce in the pie looked and tasted over-thickened with cornflour). Suspect had I chosen a different dish it could have been fine. Beer was nice though, Darkstar 'Ox Head (Hophead basically) and Sunburst, plus Harveys, and the Ox Head tasted fine. Service was friendly and courteous plus the place is wheelchair-friendly. The well tended gardens and views of the countryside make this a pleasant place to escape to.
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Oh yeah, sorry, the outside photo needs an update. it looks quite different now.
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Most recent reviews seem pretty accurate. Its a foody pub that does good beer in a very pleasant part of the Sussex countryside. Although we didn't eat here the food looked good if a tad pricey. It gets busy at food times especially in the tourist season and it keeps odd hours too. It does have a phone though and on calling today I discovered I could book a lunch table (not required) and I was given a good run-down of the beers available and told todays hours. Today they had on a new beer from the new brewery in Litlington LONG BLONDE. Very nice but I don't think it will ever surpass HOPHEAD for me. Reason for today's visit was the Plough and Harrow in Litlington had run out of LONG BLOND. I'm glad I made the effort to get here. It won't be my last visit.
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Nice pub though it leans towards being a restaurant. Good beer, shame it closes at 3pm on Saturdays. Makes no sense to me.
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At last, a pub experience that surpassed expectations! We made our first visit today and it will not be the last. Arriving at around 1 o'clock on a Sunday, we were told that all the inside tables were booked but we had a lovely lunch outside, enjoying the fantastic views of the South Downs. The staff were friendly and competent, the menu was interesting and welcoming for vegetarians, which is always a relief for me. I'd say there was something for everyone and nothing too budget-blowing despite good quality ingredients. Although the kitchen must have been very busy, food arrived quickly and the attention to detail, both in our meals and the general ambience, was excellent. If pushed to criticise, I'd say the chips could have been cooked for a little longer but this was a small matter in what was otherwise a very enjoyable experience. We envisage the Ox becoming a new favourite pub for us and hope to return for.an evening meal very soon.
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A place to eat with superb views of Downs. If fine weather, large outside eating area. Food pricey, but a range of cheaper dishes available. 2-3 ales available including the ubiquitious Harvey's Best. Oxhead a Dark Star concoction is basically Hophead with a touch more caramel-very pleasent. Another Dark Star offering 'Meltdown' on tap at present-a nice drop. If you can find a seat at busy times, a idyllic place to sup away an hour or two. But not always open when you would like to be there...
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Staff are very friendly, although today when busy at lunchtime they needed more staff and customers were queuing to pay their bills. Food is usually very good, although we had a "blip" last weekend when the crab mayo open sandwich (a "special") was expensive and the crab was tasteless. Cater well for large groups. Were served a pint of Oxhead (their own version of Hophead) which was clearly off, but they happily changed it. Overall a pleasant visit.
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I've been here a few times. The first time, the kitchen forgot my order and I had to wait an hour for dinner. The next few times were fine - food ok, service good. The most recent occurrence was this Saturday. We arrived at 2.20pm to find the kitchen closes at 2pm (what pub closes their kitchen at 2pm on a weekend?!) and then we were chucked out just after 3pm with 2 small kids to wait for my husband to bring the car around (we'd had a flat tyre which he had to quickly fix); I told the landlord my car ride was just 15 minutes away - but they still chucked us out in the rain. NOT impressed and won't be going back ever again.
Jen88 - 27 Oct 2010 12:01 |
This former pub is now a gastro pub, you are allowed in to drink ale but only just.Some pubs manage to blend the two but not here. From the outside the pub looks like a Swedish sauna,the paint work is sea sick green, how any diner fails to puke looking at it is beyond me! Inside the interior has been kept intact.It has the air of a three star holiday camp for geriatrics.The clientele were nearly all very elderly people drinking cocktails.I tried the Oxhead ale from Dark Star which was actually Hophead, why do pubs do this? It must be some ego trip by the manager,why not try to serve the ales correctly! Is the message that Hophead is not good enough without this other guise? A stupid practice that should be outlawed( about as stupid as silly numberplates on cars).I would like to go minus ten but I can't.A ruined pub.
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Great food at good value prices,amazingly welcoming staff, Brilliant Ox beer, fantastic view on a hot June evening - a wonderful 'adult' pub in a gorgeous rural location. Loved it!
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We used to eat in the pub regularly for years until around 2006 when the chidrens play facilities disappeared and the staff refused us as a family to eat in the main restaurant area despite it being virtually empty. From the reviews I am still not convinced about going back but may be it is worth a try just to see how 'well behaved' children are accepted or not. I guess at least they do still accept children.
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Our favourite local . . . a wide and varied menu that has rarely let us down. Always something that appeals and the team here really go out of their way to make the welcome special and the visit memorable. Great beers and wines.
Recently there has been a revision to make the entry to the car park safer, and there is now a front garden for dining out, or supping, looking towards the Long Man.
Once a month they have a special Five Dining Experience, which is well worth trying to savour a selection of 5 Starters or Sweets (you choose the balance between savoury and sweet that you want). A brilliant idea, well executed.
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this pub is FANTASTIC! - we were a mixed group of 12 children and adults cycling the south downs way. The food was fantastic, the staff couldn't do enough for us, the atmsophere was lovely. This pub is a definite must visit for anyone doing the south downs way!
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Signposted from the A27. The Sussex Ox has been tastefully refurbished with a good sized bar area and separate dining areas. The wooden decking area and large garden afford fantastic views. Although we didn�t eat, the food looked to be of high quality, although the prices reflected this. 3 Sussex beers available on our visit, from Harveys, Dark Star and 1648 Brewery were in good condition and reasonably priced. Although somewhat secluded, this pub is definitely worth seeking out.
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Excellent village pub in a senic location off the beaten track, friendly staff and the food menu looked really appealing.
Had an excellent pint of Dark Star IPA also had Crouch Vales Brewers Gold. Beer garden looks pleasent for a visit in the summer time and has a massive car park. Will be back again soon.
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Hadn't been for a while and glad to say that I'm still impressed. The menu now leans more towards game and locally caught fish which is fine by me - my duck was excellent. Fans of the Ox burger needn't fret however - its still there and managed to defeat my father in law!!! Good on yer.
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Good village pub with smaller but similarly priced menu to other local pubs. Good garden area and good pint of Harveys
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Typical upmarket country restaurant with the expected real ales. Felt identical to an increasing number of restaurant-pubs ie. very small bar area with all other areas set for adult dining. Undeniably a lovely building and setting, beer OK.
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Popped in for an early evening meal with my wife and 2 daughters and we loved the place. It is obviously geared up for eating but there were people in the bar just having a drink so I wouldn't have felt awkward or unwelcome just doing that.
The barman and serving staff were efficient and friendly and helpful. Children are allowed in the bright room at the back until 9pm and small portions of some of the dishes were available. We all had the Harveys battered hake and chips and felt that it was some of the best fish and chips we'd ever eaten.
The pub is not as cheap as a Wetherspoons but I didn't feel it was too expensive - given the quality of the food.
I regretted being the driver as the Harveys Best tasted superb and I could have happily drunk it all night. I didn't though because they also had a Dark Star beer, some of which I took home in a take-away container (they sell them - a great idea). My wife was also keen on the draught perry.
I'm rarely in the area but I'd always go back if I was.
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lovely location , good food and beer . harveys and dark star also draught perry ? great food in a pleasant and quiet place . this place seems very well run and the staff are professional . not the cheapest but the quality shows through .
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Hidden away down a tiny road, very good food, drink and service, landlord welcoming. In the summer the decking is in high demand (and lucky you if you manage to get a table!) but amazing views across the downs.
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By 'gone up market' and 'go to a harvester' these people betray their snobbishness. This used to be a great pub serving good home cooked food, with the best childrens facilities around. Now, as a previous writer has stated, it has pretentions to being a restaurant, but can't cut the mustard I'm afraid.
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I only get down here a couple of times a year but it has always been a haven for excellent beer and food. Will be back.
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Having ordered a very overpriced house wine I asked for a splash of lemonade to make it more drinkable as it wasn't going down too well (surprising for me as I normally drink anything!) and was shocked to be charged another 50p for the priviledge. Maybe I should have complained a bit more about it but maybe if I was behind the bar I would have not charged or would have automatically offered the customer something else something else.
Funny how you don't forget these experiences and pass them on to friends and others though.
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I haven't been to the Sussex Ox for three years before my visit last weekend; the food was good, the Hophead excellent and the pub was welcoming on a fairly miserable day. Shame about the lack of camping facilities now!
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I have been going to this pub for some time now and I can absolutely confirm that the food and atmosphere has improved enormously. It has gone upmarket thank goodness and is much the better for it. Before "anonymous" complains - yes I do have a young child and well behaved children are still very welcome - I understand the new owners are parents themselves.
I have started coming back here and would wholeheartedly recommend it. A civilised pub at last !
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So presumably if you have children you are somehow not entitled to expect a decent pint, home cooked food and so on? You have to be content to suffer a chain pub as a consequence of parenthood.
We were all children once, only as we get older we seem to forget it.
(oh and if you're food arrives within 5 minutes of being ordered, it is clearly not freshly cooked. (something that at least they do in a Harvester!)
anonymous - 19 Sep 2006 12:32 |
Well I have been to the Ox twice in the last week. One evening and a Sunday lunchtime. Lets face it, the pub is not interested in the caravan fraternity that previously overran the place. Now the focus is on good beer, excellent food and a convivial atmosphere. My meals, as always were superb. Today a wonderful steak and kidney pudding slice from a freshly cooked "desparate Dan" edition. The Dark Star Hophead was in top condition, and I could also choose from Hopback Summer Lightning or Harvey's Best. And the landlord and his wife on duty were perfect hosts. My meal came within 5 minutes of the order. There are plenty of Harvester type pubs for kids and families in the area for those who crave that sort of thing but this is a rare gem of a traditional pub that needs to be preserved. Let us be grateful and long may that be so.
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Oh dear. Godd job I checked the site as i was planning a trip here on Bank Hol Mon (went a couple of years ago and it was fantastic.)
Yet again we see the demise of a good family pub.
Yes I accept that not everyone wants a pub with kids running about but surely there is a market fot decent pubs selling decent food for families?
All so often those of us with kids seem to get stuck with poor pubs, poor food and bad service.
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Poor service could not cover our experience at the Sussex Ox, no service would be more appropriate. We waited so long for our meal that we had to abandon the table and go to another restaurant to eat. The management at no time offered an explanation, only that they were short of staff, a bit hard to accept as they served 11 others who arrived after us, whilst we were waiting. Appalling customer service!!
anonymous - 22 Aug 2006 14:05 |
Half empty for Sunday lunch says it all. Used to be a great family pub serving great food. Now serves over-priced badly cooked food and is trying to be a restaurant. Can't possibly survive like this. Clueless.
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Used to be a fantastic childrens pub, but sadly no more.
anonymous - 6 May 2006 17:23 |
Gets better and better. Atmosphere much more relaxing now that kids need to be well behaved. Excellent menu and wonderfully kept beer. I have always found one ale from the local Dark Star brewery on tap. Sample the Hopdaemon and you won't leave before closing time. Great refreshemnt stop for walkers.
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Can be tricky to find but worth the effort. Recently changed its emphasis and moved a bit towards 'Gastro' as opposed to 'Family'. Cosy bar area with open fire and a separate restaurant looking out over the downs. Harveys is the staple bitter but I believe the other two cask ales change from time to time. Food is very good and generously served. Warm welcome.
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