Drifters in Chichester

Best food Best service and locals love this place, ignore the visitors negativity.

Clean quick and friendly service !! Great service!!! It was a Sunny warm day!! Beer was perfect temperature and super hoppy!!! Just the way I like it!!! Full bar and a couple beers on draft!!!’ Had an order of chips, hot and clean tasting , no after frying tastes that other places get with old oil …. You definitely need to just chillax here!!! Do it now my BROTATOCHIP!!! 🤙😎

Had a really nice and different breakfast here. The menu has some really different breakfast options. Found a nice sunny open air corner in which to savour it.

Great chilled place with excellent global style food and quick service

Lunch time, so quite, good sandwiches and service.

I take no pleasure in writing bad reviews, but this was the worst fish and chips I’ve ever had in my life. We ordered both adult and children portions to takeaway. The children’s portion barely contained any fish. It was all basically inedible. The portions of mushy peas (for £2 a pop) were ludicrously small. I laughed when I opened the container. Perhaps one tablespoon at most! The only positive was the staff who were friendly. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Perfect place to get a good breakfast Lovely stuff Always a good place

A great place to eat, located a couple of minutes from the beach. Brilliant service and delicious food! From small places to large meals and a great selection of drinks!

Great place to eat and or drink in East Wittering

Great great food, visited for breakfast beautifully cooked. Lovely child's menu. Let down by thrashing metal music a bit too loud for a chilled morning vibe. Service good.

The staff were so kind and great with our kids. The food was amazing.

A really wonderful place, with friendly staff, tasty food and great location.

Had a really good evening good atmosphere good service and Great food will go there again 24 aug Food was great again and service excellent but there were dogs inside where food being served/eaten and think it's a bit unhygienic, not to sure weather we will eat here again especially if there are dogs inside also found it very noisy this time where customers were only drinking and not eating

Grabbed a couple of take away bacon rolls and coffee plus an Indian toastie. The bacon was so crispy and the toastie was delicious! Great takeaway spot after a long beach walk !

The fish and chips were really disappointing.The chips were small, baked and cold.Then their machine would not recognise my Barclays credit card despite it having loads of credit on it.Will not be going there again.

Just to feel good, great atmosphere, pleasant music, good food and friendly staff. The conscious journey to this restaurant was worth it, and we would be happy to come back again at any time. Very relaxed time to enjoy.

Really liked this place - such a varied menu, so good options for veggies and meat eaters alike. Everything we had was delicious and good value. There was a good range of kids options too. The location is set back slightly from the beach but it has an outdoor space, a covered outdoor space and tables inside. Lovely to sit outside on a sunny afternoon. Service was friendly and attentive. Would definitely revisit if in the area again, also dog friendly.

Fish n chips... Average really.

Wonderful meal and lovely atmosphere.

Beautiful breakfast..Best veggie one I have had in ages.

Excellent service, excellent food, excellent atmosphere. I would highly recommend.

Quite a limited menu, however, what we had was good. Unfortunately the service was very poor and I would definitely put that down to untrained staff, our waitress had to check a few times on what we ordered and we asked our waitress and another waiter for a glass of ice a few times, it eventually came after several reminders, prior to our food arriving our cutlery was pretty much dropped in the middle of our table, I then layed it out for my dinning partner and I, towards the end of our meal I had food on my plate with my cutlery in an open position on my plate and a young waiter went to take my plate away so I politely said I've clearly not finished, then a couple of minutes after that another young waiter went to take my partners wine away with a qtr of a glass still in it!...we were really looking forward to going here but unfortunately we will not be rushing back.

Relatively disappointing experience. Food portion was small and my meal was cold. The service was slow and somewhat frosty. Great location.

Having walked from Selsey on the England Coast Path, I came across ‘Drifters’ just off the beach at East Wittering. Could still enjoy a seaview whilst sitting outside. Staff were friendly and helpful. Good menu selection at a moderate cost. Clean and comfortable with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. I was recommended the ABC wrap which was delicious, followed by one of the best hot chocolate drinks I’d had. An enjoyable experience with a relaxed atmosphere. I would definitely recommend.

Really friendly service, very tasty food and just the right amount of choice on the menu. Loved the decor and atmosphere. They do close relatively early in the evening, so take note for dinner.

Lovely place. We enjoyed 2 visits to this restaurant. The staff are friendly and fun. The food is great and the cocktails are totally yummy.

Been trying to get hold of this restaurant on the phone for the last 24 hours. Our family of 7 ate fish and chips at the restaurant on Friday evening 28th June. Coming from different parts of the UK, it was the only meal we ate together that day - that night we all came down with very bad food poisoning, including my pregnant partner and elderly grandmother. Awful experience. We will be contacting the Foods Standards Agency on Monday.

Had a lovely lunch there. Will be back when we are in Wittering again!

Service was very good. All the staff very friendly. We only had a range of drinks, but they were all very nice.

We had a lovely breakfast at Drifters, the service was swift and polite and the food was great.

Great location, really tasty lunch and great service, will

I had the vegan pulled jackfruit burger which was inedible, I had to leave it and just ate the chips and slaw. Everyone else's meal looked lovely though - maybe just change the vegan burger!

Very good experience stopping for lunch here after a long walk. We were seated and served extremely quickly by very polite staff who made us feel very welcome. We ordered two of the stone-baked rolls and they were absolutely gorgeous. Bread was beautifully crispy and fillings cooked to perfection. The side salad was also beautifully done with house slaw and honey-mustard dressing. It looked so good I dove straight in and forgot to get a picture! Looking forward to returning here another day to try more. They also have a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan options so everyone is accommodated.

Great place for breakfast. Well sorted for gluten free people.

Good beer and the Korean chicken burger was great great location too

Good food, lovely staff, close to the beach.

Really good food. Can highly recommend the Chorizo Hash.

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Have walked pass this Place for years so we finally got to try it yesterday. Food was excellent good quality ingredients at good value. Our main gripe was the unhelpful lady who greeted us and served us she needs training in customer service ! The younger staff were good this was an older lady member who should no better. So unfortunately I won’t return as there are more friendly places to eat across the road !

A good place to visit. Has it's own laid-back ambience. Service speedy and attentive. Had Fish and chips it was a large, fresh, tasty portion. Washed down with an ice cold beer. I liked Drifters a lot and would return. I did but it was closed so check the opening hours.

Great food and friendly service, definitely going back, highly recommended

Really enjoyed this restaurant. I had the (vegan) barbecued jackfruit bao buns which were so tasty. Great service and atmosphere.

Excellent service excellent food, well worth a trip to.

Popped in for a pint after a dip in the sea. Parked in the pay and display rou d the corner. Deco was nice, atmosphere chilled and staff were friendly. Took a while for the drinks to arrive, was quite busy with frequent turn around of tables though.

Have been here before but was very disappointed by the last visit. I felt quite cheated, ripped off, thought it was dishonest of all the staff who gave exuded ‘mean girl’ energy from the second I was seated. Came in and was seated but wasn’t told they were due to close, if I had then I would have gone elsewhere. As soon as I was served a drink the man who had happily seated me mere minutes before told me in a heated manner that the bar was closing and I needed to order NOW if I wanted another. Red haired waitress was really pass agg about it when she took my order and after the waitress with tight curls threw my plate down I felt I had to bolt a £20 dinner half of which was fridge cold, the rest was lukewarm, the fries weren’t soggy, they were wet yet still hard somehow? All of it was tasteless. The ‘blackened chicken’ was more like ‘barely cooked or seasoned cheap chicken strips which were pumped full of water’ Fed most of it to my dog. Who didn’t want a drink afterwards which gives you a clear idea the non existent seasoning and water content of the ‘chicken’ At no point did any of the wait staff check to see if everything was okay or if I needed anything. They quite tellingly didn’t even ask when they whisked away my plate and not quite finished drink. They all started pointedly clearing and cleaning around me in a pointed fashion and loudly commenting about how they were glad they only had half an hour left. Strangely none of the other guests seemed to be in a rush so maybe they were not put under the same pressure? From previous experience the staff know how to guilt trip/pressure for a tip via the card machine which you have to choose the ‘no’’, ‘10%’ ‘20%’ etc option whilst they are inches away from you watching. Previously I’ve always tipped 20% Red haired waitress suddenly became extremely friendly and attentive when taking my payment, complete personality change! But I didn’t tip. I may visit again if nowhere else is open but will not buy meals here. The best thing about this experience is that I will never feel guilty about never, ever, tipping again.

Food and atmosphere was fab. Would recommend x

Called in on a quiet Thursday. Good welcome, spot on service and a lovely meal.

We ate here 2 nights in a row the food was excellent and the service and atmosphere equally as good. Thoroughly recommend !

Located a stones throw from the beach. A nice relaxed atmosphere and dogs very welcome. We had the classic burger meal and fish and chips, both were very good and much needed after a long walk. They also cooked sausages just for the dog. Prices are reasonable (winter time). Seating mainly inside with small outside area on the road.

Nice cafe/restaurant close to the sea front.

Not accommodating Not Child friendly Not very friendly at all Not recommended No high chairs available for my 2 year old so he was sat in an adult chair… Staff member was rude and obnoxious when I asked for sausage and beans for my child, he bluntly refused as “the lunch menu didn’t start for 15 minutes” and as I was ordering breakfast this would not be possible!!! Can anyone explain why sausage and beans are now exclusively a lunch option for children? I left the restaurant to a very sarcastic “have a lovely day” Just no need…. Avoid!!

Fab place to grab a bite to eat and coffee. Very close to beach. Excellent service and veggie breakfast.

We found Drifters via Google - we needed some grub after a long walk on West Wittering beach. Although they were busy and we didn't have a booking, they were very accommodating of myself, my partner and our young son. The food was fresh and delicious and the service was speedy. Everything on the menu looked great and it was varied. Definitely going to go back when we are at the coast.

Good food, waitress was amazing...!

Small trendy cafe / restaurant in East Witterings. Excellent food and drinks at reasonable prices. One thing to state is to book in advance to avoid being disappointed and having to walk out to find another place to eat. Breakfast was excellent 👌 very tasty.

Enjoyed lovely brunch, will visit again, staff friendly

On the plus side; Drifters is likely to be the only place open and serving food. On the downside; Drifters is crazy expensive for reheated Iceland burgers at £15 and serves terrible wine for £10/glass. We were both ill after eating at Drifters.

Lovely cafe nicely done out cool vibe enjoyed the soup of the day 😀

We had the roast beef and the pork, the kids had fish fingers and sausages. Was excellent and the quality on point! Everything was great including the veg well done 👍

Very tasty sausage bap and good coffee

Fabulous place waitress with the long dark hair was lovely !! had the breakfast was so nice. Will be back on our next visit !

The best place for a really delicious lunch and cocktails by the beach. The vanilla espresso martini was a complete live changer especially on a hot day. The staff are so lovely and we got chatting for ages. Not just business at Drifters, but they genuinely care about their patrons. We ended up here on the spur of the moment decision on the last day of my birthday trip to the beach and I genuinely didn't want to leave. Will definitely be back next time I'm in the Witterings.

Lovely place to stop for a drink after a long walk along the beach, great atmosphere and friendly staff. Only knocking off a star as my hot chocolate wasn't quite mixed properly and had a lump of powder at the bottom.

Amazing atmosphere and food was delicious. Really friendly staff, couldn’t have been more helpful. Highly recommend ❤️

Great atmosphere. Good service. Good cocktails. Expensive for what you get with the food though (£7 Cajun Hot Signature Fries seem to be just fries with a bit of spicy mayo and jalapeños from a jar)

Good food and coffee and friendly service. Nice spot!

A really tasty sandwich and chips, very friendly and attentive staff.

Relaxed atmosphere, a stone's throw from the beach. Great food and friendly service

What a great place, lovely warm friendly staff, good choice of menu. Will definitely return

Lovely place. Long wait to be served but they kept us updated. Dog friendly too. Lovely atmosphere to people watch.

Stayed here for a bite of lunch. Brilliant bacon buttie, really crisp bacon on a nice French stick. Just like I like it. Really nice vibe as well.

Went to the takeaway side and i was very shocked when I was told the price of £23 for 2 portions of fish and one medium portion of chips that's insanely expensive!!! Already ordered so couldn't back out at that point!! Also asked for sauce but had to pay insane price on top I mean everywhere else is free for sauce so asked for loads of salt and vinegar but couldn't taste any so I put my own ketchup on it instead. At this point I was expecting the best fish and chips around for that price but I was hugely disappointed as the fish was tiny and so was the chips which weren't even proper chip shop chips they were skinny stale fries. COMPLETELY DISSATISFIED AND WON'T BE RETURNING!!!

The place looks great from outside, perfect for a meal close to the beach. Staff...not the friendliest tbf, but they were busy, so understandable. Drinks...cocktail came out, a margarita...£9.50 for an already small glass, half full...not worth it. Water for table...asked 3 times, 3 different people, arrived eventually. Food...apparently a grill or cooker was broken, which happens, but would have been nice to be told before we decided on staying...had to ask where the food had got to as it took ages, if I had known I'm not sure I'd have stayed. The place looks great, there's not many other places around so there is a captive audience, but there is definitely something lacking in atmosphere and service.

Good atmosphere. Friendly staff. Some really good gluten free options (fish and chips, steak, and a fab chocolate fondant).👍

The staff here were amazing especially our waitress. Very welcoming we will be back for sure and we live here so we will also recommend too.

After a day at the beach, we went to Drifters and ordered our meals and drinks and sat waiting patiently with our young children and saw everyone around us getting their meals - we asked for more drinks for the table but still no food arrived. 1 hour later we asked for an update and were told our order didn’t get put through due to a shift change - of course we were offered an apology but then had to place our order again and told our food would be at least another 45 mins. At this point our children were growing tired and bored so we couldn’t wait almost 2 hours without food so decided it best to leave and grab some food from Tesco - very sad as this was our one 2 day holiday this year and eating out as a family is something we rarely do. We weren’t offered any discount on the bill for our drinks of £40, so we paid in full, and all left, very disappointed. The menu looked good, but the service was atrocious.

Fast and really tasty take out. 3x south fern fried chicken and chips plus 1x whitebait with chips. Freshly cooked by a chef with a quirky sense of humour. All eaten watching the sun go down in the beach.

After visiting East Wittering for the first time, and reading the reviews thought we'd give it a try. We arrived with one family in front of us. Not meaning to be rude, but the lady allocating the tables didn't have a name badge. Blond and slightly overweight. Anyway she asked the family infront of us whether they wanted to sit outside or inside. They requested inside, and were given a nice spacious booth. I asked for a table of 4, and no option was given to us for inside or outisde. She started to clear a table inside, and it was right in the middle. The noisiest and highest traffic area. The worst table location. I asked if there were any other tables and she said no. On looking around the restaurant was not full, and there were plenty of empty tables. She definitely had an attitude and quite dismissive. In the interim no customers had left however within a few minutes other customers arrived and they were shown to plenty of available tables in much better locations. As a result we had staff and other constantly walking passed us. I am afraid to say the only difference between us and the other customers, is that they were white, and we were not. The way she treated us from the outset, definitely made it obvious. Completely ruined the atmosphere and meal for us. I felt uncomfortable for the whole meal. I wish we had left initially. The food - I ordered the blackened chicken. It said it was a breast of chicken. It definitely wasn't a breast portion. It was flattened. Probably a 1/3rd sized breast at best. We ordered waffles. Both waffles need sauce on top, plus 2 decent scoops of ice cream. Only one waffle had sauce and one small scoop of ice cream. As a result it was quite dry. It's a real shame as the service from our waitress was fine, and we tipped her. The rest of the food was decent too. The restaurant should stop employing this person. Quite upsetting in this day and age. Owners please take note.

Perfect seaside diner. Interesting options on the menu, including bao buns, yummy

Really excellent breakfast, good quality sausages and great service!

Probably the better place near the beach with decent food, nice service and ambience.

Tidy - We have been visiting Drifter's for nearly 8 years now and have seen staff come and go. The layout has changed but so has the service, it had struggled like most during and after Covid with staff, but it has slowly been getting back to its original form. We visited with friends once again and although the odd hiccup, the service was pleasant and adequate for our needs. Decor is Surf / rustic style as you would expect. The seats could do with a bit of maintenance, as most were flimsy. Booking has been dropped and it's first come first served. The drink menu was plentiful and had a good range of soft, mock, cocktail, alcoholic and hot drinks to satisfy all types. Food range was ok if a little limited. Our thoughts were that Drifters is missing something maybe signature menu to make it stand out from the others, only time will tell. Nevertheless it took a long time between starter and main. Luckily we were not in any rush. Overall it still needs more focus on outstanding dishes, if it is to continue with limited choice on the menu and win new customers over in the future....4/5

We went for an evening drink/cocktail while staying in the area (and also a morning coffee). Lovely outdoor seating area. Great list of drinks and a lovely chilled vibe with warm and welcoming staff. Definitely recommend for a sundowner! We would also have eaten if we didn’t have our dog with us who gets bored after about 10 minutes!

Fabulous French toast, fresh smoothies and lovely seating outside

Drifters has been a place that we have visited a number of times. Sadly the last couple of times have been a little disappointing. Service has been slow. Food portions have got smaller and prices have gone up. Still a good location though.

The service to the food was wonderful. Presentation and table service amazing. Very friendly atmosphere and accommodated all our requirements.

we really enjoyed the food, especially the blackened chicken. kids portions were sensible sizes too. highly recommend.

Ordinary and going on overpriced

I have mixed feelings. It was our sweet servers first day. Salt shaker didn't work (which I had to nab from nearby table as there wasn't one on ours.....who has egg without salt 😳?) I took it apart to get salt. I think toast was made yesterday (I think Knead would be a bit embarrassed), sausage as well... the waitstaff were incredibly sweet....just need some guidance.

Nice food, awful service. We've been many times with no issue. Unfortunately our late lunch on Sunday was a horrible experience. One member of staff so rude and abrupt it left us feeling uncomfortable asking for forgotten parts of our order. Such a shame as this has been a great spot previously.

Was expecting better The Boulevard restaurant Down the road is much better food wise and atmosphere Food was really not all that Staff was friendly Food took a while to come out

We had the drifters breakfast and also scrambled egg on toast Unfortunately the egg was cold when it arrived, toast had been over done which meant it couldn't be cut with a knife and fork, had to be picked up instead but was also burnt on the edges. This was before they got busy so no idea what later customers got. Sad as it was for my partners birthday and we had heard good things about this place.

A great little snack and drink bar. Went for lunch and sat outside. Great menu and friendly staff, would definitely go back. Dog friendly too.

Choice of menu limited but quality good

Really good service. Great location. Very friendly staff. Went for a works trip and they were very accommodating, friendly, and most importantly, the food was excellent. You can't really fault it.

We had breakfast and it was absolutely amazing.

A wet Sunday, outside eating but we were undercover. Good service and good prices, very popular.

Found this place after we had a nice walk along the beach. Everything was just perfect. Glad we went to this place. Have to recommend the Sharer platter even though I didn't have it. The table in front of us had it, and it looks like one of the best Platter I have seen. I had the Posh Fish Finger's and it was so delicious and tasty and fresh it made me want to go again. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is the bacon butty as it looks dry and the bread was hard. But my posh fish fingers was moist, and my bread was fine for this dish. Mum and my sister shared flatbread, and they look amazing.Milkshake was really refreshing and nice after a walk. Will come back again when I have the chance

Nice and very busy place. Be ready to wait long.

Lovely food, good quality and generous portions. Cocktails are really good too.