Birchwood Sussex in Rother

We ate here recently and it is very good, we often eat at the sister restaurant which is also exceptional. However, the most recent lunch was a very tough piece of cow which we had to chew and chew for ages until the final swallow. When we questioned the waitress she explained “we are using a sustainable part of the cow that no one eats” Which in my simple mind was ridiculous, I let the waitress know that our repeat business wasn’t sustainable if we have to eat that. A chuckle amongst us all. I hope they soon realise this and revert to using parts of the cow that are tasty and not chewy.

I recommend this place. I've been often as I use the Tesla superchargers and the restaurant is about 20 metres away. I've had breakfast lots of times (always good), coffee, light bites and lunch. It's not cheap but the quality is good. The waiting staff are lovely. Interesting collection of cook books. Super clean and well appointed loo.

Plenty of parking here. Free if you’re dining. It’s a nice, clean venue with friendly staff . Plenty of brunch options . Full English was tasty but not huge £15. Great coffee. There are also fresco tables.

Not sure who and what else inhabits the Flimwell ecosphere but Birchwood is a welcome enhancement. A great space inside and out with friendly and efficient service. A short menu is a good idea (they may be making it 5 rather than the current three of each) and works well in competent kitchen hands - which these are. Delightful beetroot and whipped goat curd with pumpkin seeds was a great kick off (others had pork belly and smoked haddock) and then most had a chicken supreme which was lovely. We all had a pudding with the white chocolate cheesecake coming out on top. Only slight nag was that the crispy potatoes weren't that crispy even if the pesto mayo they came with was delicious. Washed down with with a great little Rioja from the ever 'off the beaten track' Wanderlust wines.

Great spot for breakfast - the trendy wooden venue works really well for breakfast (quite good value, lunches are pricier). Love coming here, it still feels a bit weird, hidden in the corner of this small development of homes and business units in a lovely setting overlooking woodland. The portions are not vast (that is a good mark) but really well prepared and presented. Some eclectic but delicious choices using ingredients like cured trout. Perfect poached eggs evert time. Great coffee from a local roastery - using local produce is an important quality here. Nice friendly service.

We are currently renting a property near to Birchwood so this is our go to breakfast spot! We have eaten there numerous times either for breakfast or lunch and every time the food has been delicious. Yes it might be a little pricey, but for lunch if you opt for the set menu it's great value and top quality food. It's fine dining in a casual and relaxed setting. Yes you do sometimes have to share a table with another couple but they position you in a way so that it doesn't feel intrusive. The staff have always been brilliant when we've been there and are always attentive and friendly. The food, whether breakfast or lunch, is amazing and beautifully prepared. The ingredients are high quality and cooked well. The sunday roasts are delicious! If you do want to visit, it's best to book a table as they get very busy, especially over breakfast time or at weekends. The setting looking out of the woods is beautiful. We'd definitely recommend it.

We were charging the car in the car park at Flimwell and looking for somewhere for a light bite. We came across Birchwood in the corner as the only option and thought we would give it a try. As we didn’t want the lunch tasting menu we chose a couple of starters/snacks to share. They were interesting and tasty. But really it wasn’t quite what we were looking for. I can imagine in the summer it is an amazing venue when you can look out over the woodland.

Lovely lunch in this unusual setting. Nordic feel to the room and must be lovely in nice weather to look out over the wood. Friendly staff. Delicious food - we had the 3 course lunch with plenty of choice. Good selection of quality soft drinks (tomato juice and apple juice) and hot chocolate - all my favourites! Recommended.

We visited for Sunday lunch in December. The food was very good - particularly the special main course of roast turkey which was exceptional. The service was efficient and very friendly and the atmosphere was good. The only thing to note is that the menu is quite short (normally I understand only one meat, one fish and one vegetarian main course for example) which may be limiting if you have some guests who are not onmnivorous. The restaurant is small so booking in advance is essential.

Second visit and had a wonderful Sunday lunch. Excellent food, freshly prepared and the whole experience was a culinary delight. Staff were charming as well.

Went to supper club on Friday with friends. Absolutely excellent locally sourced food. Service excellent. If I had a criticism it would be that you have to sit on benches rather than chairs which is uncomfortable & that our plates were cold. Food & service fantastic though.

Lovely staff , stunning food . It’s a different Sunday lunch in terms of setting but an extremely pleasant experience. Will return

Simply first class in every way! Unique contemporary venue, superb quality food, friendly & efficient staff….what more do you want or need? This was the first in a proposed series of English Wine Tasting & Dining experiences & it worked brilliantly. Well done Birchwood, we will return for breakfast or lunch very soon!

Food really was superb. Beautifully prepared and presented. Sadly the ambience made it difficult to enjoy it fully. Screeching kids, screeching benches being pulled in and out, a freezing draft from the door and extremely hard benches. Probably lovely in summer when you can sit outside but a bit challenging in colder months.

At £15 for an English breakfast it was a bit disappointing: a solitary mushroom, no tomatoes and homemade baked beans tasting strongly of vinegar.

Absolutely super modern restaurant with mainly locally sourced seasonal food ingredients including vegetables & meat from their own smallholding, plus unusual foraged wild foods. We had the excellent vslue £35 three course lunch menu (it's not open in the evenings) plus done delicious snacks. Home cooked perfect sourdough bread to start plus fresh preserved anchovies marinaded in olive oil, with garlic & marigolds. Superb! I then had the most yummy small plate of cured local trout with sweetly pickled fennel, followed by perfectly cooked rare roe deer served with long cooked shredded belly plus warming beetroot and sharp & fruity blackberries. Again superb. The crispy potato side was fabulous. My wife's arancini to start followed by pan fried hake on celeriac with pickled gherkin and a creamy sauce were equally delicious. The sticky date pudding with clotted cream was a perfect finish for us both. Excellent and good value wines by the glass to accompany and top quality locally roasted Espresso coffee to finish. The acoustics can sometimes be a problem but not today, and perfect service from the very attentive equipe including the charming Will Devlin himself (Michelin starred Chef)

Food was tasty, if not a little on the small side. Service was slow considering we were the only ones there when we arrived. The noise made the experience somewhat challenging. I accept that the staff couldn't stop children from screaming, but to rearrange the furniture dragging it across the floor, made conversation impossible in such an echoey building. I accept this is a cafe and not a restaurant and that the ambience would therefore be more "busy", but we will definitely not return.

if you like dining in a school canteen that is noisy then you might enjoy this more than we did. The cooked breakfast was cold when it reached us and the service was not attentive. The food tasted nice but we won't be going back.

Great restaurant in beautiful surroundings. Delicious food, interesting menu and great service. Highly recommend birchwood

Having visited for breakfast previously we decided to book Birchwood for my husbands birthday lunch. It did not disappoint. Every aspect from the service, drinks and food were exceptional. Not to mention the special setting out on the balcony. Our new fave place to eat and can’t wait to rush back!

Second visit. First was excellent. This time the whole experience even better. All the food was devine. Banter with one of the service staff was refreshing. Symptomatic of the unpretentious atmosphere.

Delicious local food. Chilled atmosphere with a lovely view over the woodland. Lovely staff who were very helpful.

We have really enjoyed our experience. Before booking this restaurant we heard a lot of recommendations from our friends but as a celiac I had a few questions and these were answered really quickly. This place is dog friendly and we had table ready just for us. The food delicious. We’ve tried basically every dish which was gluten-free and loved them all. Definitely planning to go back to try the breakfast menu. 🤤