Cuckmere Inn in Down

First beautiful Sunday of the year, restaurant is half full, still a lot of place on the beautiful terrace....but no food can be ordered, no soup, no chips nothing without a reservation. So disappointing 😞 As a reaction to the owners response: there were still tables left, so I was not fully booked...and a half hour later a table for 4 was possible, but an extra chair was not for a family of 5?? That's not being client friendly, just not well organised. Speaking as a private chef.

Great place to recharge after a long hike , delicious food and cozy atmosphere, can get busy so make sure you book ahead of time. We loved it !

Our Sunday roast super 👌 perfect , and served by Elliott .... we have enjoyed our visit a lot . Perfect spot after hike.

Very busy pub right at the start of the Seven Sisters. Friendly staff. Sadly food wasn't being served outside when we visited and inside was heaving. In the toilets, some of the cubicles didn't lock and only one hand dryer worked.

Harry was our waiter, he was friendly and made us feel welcome, the food was amazing, plates left empty! Really enjoyed our evening

Great little country pub and dining experience. Awesome after a walk. Harry our waiter made the experience even better. Happy chap with excellent product knowledge.

Visited around two weeks ago. No recommended. All was wrong. The service very slow. Ordered chicken parmigiana + starter, my friend as well, another two friends pizzas + starters. 1. Forgot to bring one of the drink - waiting very very long. 2. Instead of bring first starters waitress bring two starters and two main food, two of my friend still waiting for food. 3. The chicken parmigiana of my friend - bring to the table burn, couldn’t cut with knife or stick knife to the chicken it was like stone 4. main course forgot to bring for me- actually after when I said how long I need to wait for my food - I got reply - we bring everything to this table I had to show receipt, after that I received my main food - terrible - without bacon and tomato souse - in their menu it’s with bacon and souse, again exchange, they change as well food for my friend - the burn chicken. My friend ordered brownie later on as well - again forgot to bring - very bad experience There was no extremely busy, so I don’t understand. Only good thinks is we got refund for 2x chicken parmigiana and brownie. Service very slow and no professional but nice. Only tasty for me grilled halloumi.

Harry served us he was exceptional, great food and perfect atmosphere, really enjoyed our evening would definitely recommend

The food itself was good, however the service a bit slow and they took time to bring the right main courses. Also, I have had to wait to pay for a while as the waiter at the moment could not deal with my request.

At £17.25, the fish and chips should have been great, but they weren't. A pint of Harveys and a glass of cranberry juice came to £8.10. At that price both of the glasses should have been clean, but only one if them was. Lacklustre.

Only had a drink and sat in the gardens, beautiful views very relaxing 😎

Just had a lunch, a ´greens and grain salad’ which had about 2 spoons of giant couscous and no other grain, didn’t see any of the pomegranate, lentils, peppers or butternut squash stated on menu in it. The salad was dry and completely undressed! Pathetic and priced at £14.95! The additional halloumi cheese was overdone. I had to ask for salad dressing which was basically a pineapple juice reduction, too sweet, so had to ask for olive oil too. When I let the very helpful young waiter know I did not feel it was substantial enough for a main salad he returned with a dish of something that didn’t seem to be part of the dish I’d actually ordered (it was the same as the side dish my daughter’s meal was served with), although it did improve the meal. I thought it poor that nobody more senior came out given I was obviously a dissatisfied customer asking for extra food to supplement an inadequate meal! Also took rather a long time to arrive. We needed to get to the next stage of our fun day out, and I also hadn’t realised the extent of missing ingredients before we left, otherwise would have made more of a fuss and asked for manager. Very disappointing and wish I’d had a homemade sandwich on the beach. The other three meals in my party were better.

Sunday lunch a little on the like warm side but other than that very nice

Shocked they don't have a higher rating. Delicious food, gorgeous location, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Can't fault it (been multiple times and never been disappointed).

Very happy to have discovered this pretty pub, the food was delicious and we will definitely be back again. Special thank you to Amie our waitress :)

Six of us had a wonderful evening listening to the music and enjoying being looked after by the enthusiastic helpful staff. We hope to be there again next time they have a music evening.

Got a "sorry, no tables available" with 2/3rd of the tables visibly empty. Not a 1 since they let us use the restroom, at least.

Beautiful location! Food was excellent! Came for a Sunday roast! Did not disappoint! Team very attentive, will be back 😁 lovely atmosphere

Great atmosphere and lovely staff. Maisy was very friendly and helpful, food came quickly even though it was a busy day.

Elliott was fantastic - 5/5 service.

Overpriced low quality food, served by rude staff and no outside eating. The over groomed man at the front desk was especially rude. The only thing going for this pub is the location of the carpark

Elliott was a star from start to finish. Cannot praise him enough. We have a lovely lunchtime experience today.

This is a regular place for me to bring friends after a nice day out. It has a lovely view over the Cuckmere Valley and its Oxbow Lakes and Cuckmere River.

If you passing by, by all means stop here for a drink or two, amazing views and good drink selection. Don’t bother eating here, the food is poor and service is awfully slow. The Plow and Harrow is just down the road and their food is amazing. Vintage inns has a number of pubs around Sussex some of which have amazing views and scenery but vintage inns seem to be unable to serve good food, shocking really considering the stunning locations of their venues. Stopped by at the cuckmere inn for a quick lunch with my gran and aunty, the service was dreadfully slow, Soup was cold, the pizza average, we had to ask the staff to clear out tables, then we had to ask the staff again for our dessert to come, the dessert took another 30 mins to come. The sticky toffee pudding was cold and the custard had a thick skin. I will say the staff were friendly and they did offer a refund for the dessert but we just left because we were worried that the refund would take ages. Will not be coming back for food.

This is a nice place in a lovely area on the river. There is a free car park which just needs your reg on a tablet on the bar. I'm sure it's different other times but can only speak for what I saw.... The glasses were filthy, had to take it back to be changed. We only ordered a few sides as snacks, the Belgian fries came as thick cut chips that was still hard in the middle, the onion rings were burnt to a crisp and the garlic ciabatta was just stodgy. Was offered another round of drinks but as driving we declined and left. This is not anything bad on the young lads on duty, they didn't really know what to do and did their best. I had a bad feeling when the food came out after less than 5 minutes and it wasn't busy at the time.

We had the roast pork and the steak pie, the pastry was rock hard and although the filling was tasty the meat was grisly and not much of it.The roast dinner was better lovely presentation but parsnips were hard and crackling twill was impossible to bite into. Service was good and very friendly 👍 parsnips were replaced. but there was a 20 minute wait for pud. Great place for a drink and with stunning views.

Service was amazing I was served by Alex and she was lovely and polite

Elliott was on it. Nice service. Food wasn’t bad either. All round nice pub. Thanks for the good service

Food was great, we all enjoyed it. The only one thing that lacks is the waiting time between orders. We waited for quite awhile for the mains and dessert did not come until 30 mins of being ordered. There were 3 tables occupied with 2-3 guests each table so they are not totally busy.

Food looked lovely but it wasn't hot enough. Busy day though.

Nice and quick delicious food. Recommend if you are in the area for the seven sister cliffs!

Unfortunately, our recent experience at the Cuckmere Inn was incredibly poor. We chose this restaurant specifically because we have a young child and wanted to enjoy a reasonably early dinner. To our surprise, even though we arrived before 6 pm, service was incredibly disorganized – after 20-minute wait, our desserts arrived before our starters and main course! After sending the desserts back, we faced another 40-minute wait for food that one of them arrived barely warm. When we'd finally finished eating, we were subjected to another 20-minute wait for dessert. They only brought our child's dessert, and even after they finished, our second dessert was nowhere to be found. By this point, it was getting very late for our child, so we had to ask for a refund and leave without receiving the dessert we had ordered. Overall, the disorganized service and long delays made this a less-than-ideal environment for a young child.

We had a lovely meal with our family, the food was great and the service was too! Our waiter was Fin! Will defo visit again

Great food and really good service

Delicious burgers and makes for a perfect break during the seven sister hiking trail

Very nice inn to have a nice meal friendly staff great service and Atmosphere so if you are looking for a good place to have a really nice lunch/ meal then make sure you check The Cuckmere Inn out!! Highly Recommend 5 Star review ★★★★★

A good place to stop. It was busy but efficient. Food tasty .

Great food and great staff. It can take some time to prepare the food and serve so don't be in a rush.

For what you charge the food was very poor in quality and content, service was very very poor i had to go and find someone to take our order

Stopped for evening dinner on way back home. Wasn't extremely busy (lots of booking slots available) with most people already served. It was clear that the waiting staff were coming towards the end of their shift (2000). Took us 2 hours to have a 2 course Sunday meal. Food was nice albeit several dishes were unavailable (understandable as it was a Sunday evening). Could have been slightly warmer but the meat was nice and tender. Hate to think how long it would be on a very busy day.

Lovely visit,wonder Sunday lunch

Great place to stop when visiting seven sisters!

Lovely pub . Very busy, in fact, full up . Staff are all friendly and service was good noisy in a good way. Food is OK but it could be a lot better . There are lots of walkers, so don't be surprised to see a lot of muddy people and dogs . They had oat milk, too, which is good for a pub.

Beautiful location, very cosy inside, very good quality of food.

Saturday night was dead. Food was ok but so expensive for what it was. Young staff were friendly and efficient. Just a bit of a soulless chain pub unfortunately

Food was really good. Had the pork belly and husband had the steak (wanted it medium but was medium well done and only reason for 4* instead of 5). Great food options and services from Dylan and Elliot was amazing as well as another sever Great early valentines thanks

The food was nice and fresh and very tasty. Only negative, and this is a personal taste so others may not find it a negative. I like the skin on sea bass very crispy all over, otherwise its not pleasant to eat. I did request crispy skin but unfortunately it was only slightly crispy in parts and not all over.

There was a live guitar player who provided a lovely atmosphere with his music - it was a shame more people weren’t there to enjoy. The food was great and service was excellent. Thank you for making it a really special experience.

Had a lovely meal at such a wonderful location , staff were amazing especially Eliot who made us feel very welcome. Will definitely be back.

We were served by the lovely Sarah, who was really warm and welcoming and went out of her way to make sure we had everything we needed, top the wine up and gave a great explanation of the menu.

Dylan was Very friendly and helpful lovely food

Very nice pub, good food available all day long, warm fireplaces all around the pub, good (pricey) wine.

Went with family for a roast today and was served by Alex. Food was great and service was spot on. Such a lovely cosy pub with friendly staff :-)

Lovely Sunday lunch and wonderful view over Cuckmere National Park. Great ambience and excellent service from Elliot.

We always find the Cuckmere warm and atmospheric. The staff are friendly but very professional. They recognise us as we are regulars and we always feel confident our best interests are paramount

Lovely pub, stopped for brunch after a cold walk. Food lovely.

Had a lovely meal here, chilled atmosphere, good food and friendly staff.

Nice atmosphere and good food. Served by Maisy who was very friendly and efficient.

Loved the welcome, the fires, the views, the food and the service

Fabulous pub, delicious food, great atmosphere!

This was the second visit where I booked the restaurant but the waiter tried to seat us in the dog friendly area, not impressed.

The roasts have gone up a level or three recently. Absolutely marvellous. Perfectly cooked and beautifully presented.

Amazing food, great service overall a very good experience. We will definitely be back. The roast was great and the fish and chips was perfect. Coffee to finish off was great. Thank you everyone!

Requested a cosy corner by the fire and the lovely staff obliged, food was great, staff very attentive with out being overly so, lovely atmosphere

Had a lovely meal out this evening. Both Adam and Tom were brilliant. Very friendly and attentive. Food was delicious. Would highly recommend the pizzas! Will definitely be returning soon 5*

Nice property, good meal and friendly staff

we have eaten at the Cuckmere Inn lots of times now, we always enjoy all the food, the service is always fast and we always feel very welcome by all the staff, the place is very cosy and we love that our dogs are always welcome too.

Lovely pub with great views and walks nearby. Food and service from Sarah was great. Nice warm and very welcoming atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

Served by Dylan who was brilliant. Food was good. The pie was particularly tasty and it's a great pub environment. We'll come back.

Very nice location after a hike. Service was pleasant but seemed overwhelmed and slow.

Had Xmas Dinner & drinks here🎄🍹🍺 😋 great food great service great pub with comfy cosy interior. Have used this place before as a good regular with quality food and good parking on site. 👍

Pleasant staff, comfortable seating

A lovely, roomy pub beside the river. The staff is super friendly and efficient and seem to enjoy what they do! The food was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed our pre-Christmas lunch! Thank you!

Amazing beautiful views of the cuckmere. Staff are super friendly and accommodating. There is a Good selection of food and it taste great. Thank you guys

Lovely location, friendly staff and nice open fire. Food was lovely, but only 2 slices of beef with a £21 roast, which isn't enough.

It was my first visit to eat at The Cuckmere Inn and it was a lovely experience. The food was delicious. There were three of us and we chose different mains and different desserts and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful. We were near the fireplace and had a fabulous view which all contributed to my friend's enjoyment of her birthday. The service was excellent and professional.

I ate here after walking down to Seven Sisters about midday in late summer, the halloumi fries were the best I’ve ever tasted before and the chilli jam which came with them was unbelievable. I had a Meze plater and lamb kebabs to go along side the halloumi which a was very light and refreshing dish, overall this restaurant really ticked the boxes, set in a stunning part of the country which was reasonably priced also.

A nice warm welcome, attentive service and nicely decorated. Seated in a really nice position by the fire as requested. Unfortunately the food wasn’t fabulous and I felt quite expensive for the quality.

Had a lovely meal earlier. Our waitress Georgia was wonderful and always served us with a smile

Great food, lovely staff. Nice out door area too.

Wonderful food and excellent service from Harry! Thank you for a lovely evening, we’ll definitely be returning!

This is a pub with amazing atmosphere any time of the year. We recently visited for a pint and a bite with a friend and had great time. We caught a night with a live guitar music and the guy was just playing brilliantly, hope they can bring him more often. Special thanks to Amy and Elliot from the staff who were looking after our table, they were so kind, smiled and helpful!

We always love to come over here! Really nice view, cosy place and Georgia was a wonderful waitress today!

Great service with a smile from Elliott! Slightly chilly but fire was lit.

Great ambience and views, cocktails decent, food rather average (except the pork belly which was excellent) and thus felt rather expensive for the quality, however these all pale in comparison to the extremely slow inefficient service. Polite and helpful staff but very very slow and inefficient.

Had a fantastic lunch today. We tried the fabulous new additions to the menu. Attentive staff, both Tom and Adam were on it today. Would definitely recommend, as always.

The food is always very presentable and tasty. The premises are very tidy and comfortable. The staff is always very attentive

didn't stay for food but was a lovely pub and the coffee was OK

A very friendly welcome, great service and really tasty food!

The service is great and so are the views, the food is below average for the area.

Maisy gave us a friendly welcome followed by attentive service. The food was excellent - we had the sea bass and the atmosphere was enhanced by the roaring fire and twinkling fairy lights. The Harvey's bitter was well kept too. Overall a lovely dining experience

Staff were friendly. Sadly the only menu option I really wanted was off that was sole and prawns

Got there 9.30 as stated on google only to find it closed so rang to be told 12pm was not impressed as I'd travelled quite a way deff wont be back!!

I went here on both Wednesday and Thursday this week as I was walking some of the lovely coast and it was my ending point both days from a different direction.So I only had drinks. I really liked the place and it seemed very popular.Dogs are allowed in certain areas so that was good, the staff all seemed ok and were very helpful to folks. It is in a nice position and the coast is splendid, particularly the section from Cuckmere to Eastbourne.

Ate there after a walk with my father. service seemed pretty reasonable but food a let down. We ordered a burger and steak ciabatta and chips. Both burger bun and ciabatta pretty ropey and very dry. The chips had clearly been made a while earlier as only mildly warm and the medium rare steak slices were over done and quite sinewy.Would have sent them back but my dad has Dementia and was starting to wobble.Pity as the location is great and it’s simple stuff to get right. Maybe a bad day and we just got the end of a bread run.

Drinks order messed up, and when questioned the staff made it extremely difficult to get the missed beer poured without having to pay again! Ended up getting the correct drink but only after having to buy another drink!

Kale and couscous salad was missing: couscous, dressing, broccoli and pomegranate seeds.Cesar was missing lardons and had soggy lettuce.Feels like this place is selling a high end menu but serving brake brothers food - miss-selling at its finest! We raised one dish with them and they added two of the missing ingredients, but the rest was out of stock. We were offered a free drink but we had already had our fill and weren’t on the booze so accepted an orange and lemon. Really we just wanted the dishes we had ordered and a lot less hassle.

Staffing levels poor 1 experienced member of staff with 2 trainees running the service which could be due to unforeseen circumstances We were waiting far too long for all courses which could be forgiven due to staffing levels . One of our party had a long dark hair in their meal and as only one of us has long hair and its blonde it shows the standard of hygiene wasn't acceptable . They didn't want to complain but the Cuckmere needs staffing levels and hygiene standards to improve or they will lose a lot more customers . We were very disappointed and will never eat there again when we visit.

Visited for the first time today. It was extremely busy but the food was served was very good quality. My husband and I shared the sticky platter. Good value of money and good portion sizes. Car park is free which is a bonus and only a short walk to see some lovely sights by the chalk cliffs

Friday lunchtime visit. Busy but available tables in both order at the bar and waitress service areas. Seater helpful, efficient. Waitress very good. Food tasty and plentiful. Beer good. Free car parking and ok to leave car and go for a walk after. Great for walkers. Staying in a local B&B so went back for a light meal later early evening so very quiet. Had food from the vegan menu and were very happy with it. Quality of food and service good for the price.