Landgate Bistro in Rother

We had a delicious meal, with kind and responsive service. It was also good value for the level of quality. It was our first visit to Rye, and we are now keen to return.

This was booked for a birthday, so we hoped for an outstanding supper. It proved to be excellent in parts. The lobster starter was exquisite, rich and tasty. The scallops with cauliflower and belly pork offered a suprising mix of hot and cold ingredients, including raw cauliflower florets. After some hesitation, we thought it worked. Mains split evenly. The roast guinea fowl came with pastry and a sumptuous sauce and confit potatoes. Lovely. The venison was sadly overcooked. It’s a famously lean meat which only needs searing but overcooking left it dry rather than juicy. We shared a tart tatin for pudding. It was overly sweet, lacking any tartness from the apples, and had not been sufficiently caramelised. Service was friendly and efficient. We had cocktails, a bottle of wine and three glasses. The bill, with service, came to £177. Overall, this is a good restuarant with some culinary ambition and flair but, on the night, some details let it down a little.

A friend recommended the Landgate and as it was our anniversary and we’d never been before, I thought why not. A very good decision. The starter of Lobster Risotto was fantastic. The main of two venisons was out of this world. The three chocolates dessert was gorgeous. Don’t forget the fish cake amuse bouche to lighten the palate. All this washed down with a beautiful South African Shiraz. The perfect evening. Service was great and well worth the tip, which isn’t included in the bill.

We had a really lovely evening at the Landgate Bistro. The meal was excellent. Clearly high quality ingredients. Dishes exquisite, but not overly fussy. Scallops for starter, venison for main - both cooked to perfection, and interestingly balanced with complementary ingredients, without being overwhelmed. A to-die-for cheesecake for dessert, perfectly paired with a white port. Our wine - a Picpoul de Pinet was wonderful, and not at all overpriced. My wife is vegetarian, and her dishes were also marvellous. The service was excellent - friendly and attentive without being over the top. And in our view, the whole evening was extraordinarily good value for money. Not cheap, but certainly not at all overpriced. We would highly recommend the Landgate Bistro, and will look for an excuse to return. Finally, if you enjoy a laugh at the entitled and the gratuitously rude in our midst, do take a peek at the 1 star reviews and the responses. I’d never willingly cancel a night at the Landgate after our first dining experience here. But their well-signposted cancellation policy seems a small and reasonable price to pay to protect independent restaurants of this quality from the selfish and entitled who roam amongst us.

We had been intending to visit for a long time and I’m so glad we now have; This was one of the most enjoyable meals we’ve had in a long time. Small, cosy restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. Only one front of house staff but the service was Impeccable. The food was fantastic, the best we’ve had in a restaurant in a long while. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening and are planning to return regularly.

I messed up the on line booking but the team there were very accomodating at a busy time. Food was top notch. Bread at start was to die for. Service was excellent and the atmosphere was just right with an excellent play list playing in the background. I'm normally a 10% tip man, but left 20% as I was so impressed. Great all round experience.

Brilliant starters- lambs kidneys & beetroot concoction; Mains: seabass with ink risotto & lemon sole with kale; Puddings: cheesecake with cherries & pannacotta with plums. Totally on point- pity about the table of 3 females with penetrating "laughs" and 3 middle aged men at the other end. Food always excellent here.

Landgate Bistro is a gem that deserves every bit of recognition. From the moment we stepped inside, the incredibly friendly staff greeted us with a smile and seated us at a great table at the back, next to a charming window that offered a cosy, intimate experience. Our server was an absolute delight, she was attentive, and helpful. The ambiance of the restaurant is perfectly balanced, with thoughtful lighting and minimal fuss. However, the star of this gem is the outstanding food created by Chef Martin Peacock. His take on British seasonal cooking is nothing short of a culinary deliciousness. The meal began with sourdough bread and focaccia, easily the best we’ve tasted, served with homemade marmite butter. The amuse-bouche, a delicate salt cod fishcake bite with romesco, was so moreish that it left us wanting more. The starter, and mains exceeded expectations. The scallops with pork belly was delicious and cooked to perfection. The venison served two ways was nothing short of extraordinary—a dish that left us savouring every bite. Despite the exceptional quality of the food, the pricing is remarkably fair, offering great value for an experience that easily rivals high-end London restaurants. For those visiting Rye or those living in the area, this gem is an absolute must. A big thank you to the team Landgate Bistro for an great evening. We’ll be back!

First class food of Michelin star quality served by two very professional waitresses. Highly recommended

Incredible food, locally sourced and very well combined. The service can be a bit slow but I would suggest adding one more person to the dinner shift. Lovely experience irrespective of that.

Outstanding food and lovely service. I think I chose well with the scallops to start which was actually a larger portion than I was expecting and then the venison which was absolutely delicious. My husband had the carbonara starter which he really enjoyed then the cod with squid ink risotto which he thought was good but not great. We were too full to have dessert and just had coffee which they do need to review as it really wasn't good. But not to take away from a fantastic meal overall.

Food here is incredible! Staff are great and the chef is a credit to the establishment!

We had an outstanding meal at the Landgate Bistro. After a full day out at the vineyard it was the perfect way to cap off a wonderful day. We had the Scallops and Carbonara to start and the Venison and Lemon Sole for mains, followed by a tarte tatin - yeah baby! All of it was beautiful quality produce and delicious flavours. What more do you want!? Worth a special trip? Yes!

Lovely evening in this relaxed charming bistro. All 4 of us really enjoyed the menu, the food was delicious and the wine excellent. All round great value

We wanted a special dinner in Rye and this restaurant serving seasonal, fresh dishes beat our expectations. Also, tipping is optional, even though the service is 5/5.

Lovely evening with tasty food, good service and comfortable surroundings. Priced reasonably as well. Some nice touches with breads and then fish to try before the meal.

A gem. Terrific food, great atmosphere, lovely staff.

Enjoyed an excellent dinner, with delicious amuse bouche / tasters. A guest asked for gluten-free and it got a little mixed up, but overall dining experience was great.

Overrated, I had high expectations for this restaurant with all of the positive reviews. Unfortunately it was very much style over substance. The food was pleasant but no where near good enough to command the price tag. I’m not one to leave bad reviews however felt let down by this experience. When paying £15 for a starter, I expect something special. Unfortunately, it was nothing better than gastro pub standard. Apologies if this sounds harsh but if you are pitching at fine dining, you need the quality to warrant the amount you are charging.

Everything about this restaurant worked. The staff were friendly and welcoming, the decor was elegant, and (it feels worth pointing out) the tables are well spaced and big enough to not feel crowded. Then to the food: the chef makes the lightest focaccia I have ever tasted! Other dishes: the scallops with with pork belly was quite the most delicious thing I have had this century; the lemon sole was perfect, and the cod with sake and mirin glaze was fabulous. What a great discovery.

All the food we ordered was excellent, as was the service. Wines by the glass were nothing special but apart from that, five stars in all respects - would definitely return next time we visit Rye!

Went for our date night meal. Portions, quality, and presentation were spot on! Very good value for money wine list. Well worth a visit.

Absolutely an stunning experience. We loved the food and the atmosphere. Great service and really interesting menu. I will return

Fantastic dinner! Excellent service and outstanding food. I haven't had anything so tasty in a very long time! I am so glad we booked our anniversary dinner here.

Great food, lovingly produced and beautifully presented. Divine scallops, perfectly cooked and flavoured fish. Worth staying in Rye just to eat here Second visit exceeded expectations from first. Late February featured a scallop festival, divine food and perfect service. Great food and unpretentious surroundings.

This is a lovely restaurant, service was good and the food is excellent quality, however, we spent £75 a head on 2 courses including wine. My Starter was the scallop ravioli which was tasty comprising 3 ravioli covered in parmesan. for Main I opted for the scallops and pork belly, the dish comprised 5 scallops and a 2 inch x 2 inch piece of pork belly, there were no vegetables and no carbs on the plate. My wife had the scallops with vegetable puree, this comprised 6 scallops with some coloured splashes of vegetable puree on the plate again there were no vegetables and no carbs on the plate. So lovely as the food was, we decided to skip desert and headed for the chippy! All in all as nice as the place is I would not rush back, if you decide to go out for a meal you need to feel you have eaten something, haute cuisine is all very nice but in terms of VFM I would not rate the restaurant highly, starters £15 and mains £25 my entire meal consisted of 8 scallops and a diminutive piece of pork for the £40.

Located just outside the old town walls, this is quite easy to miss when walking by but once inside it was quite smart and contemporary. The menu offered a fairly concise selection of dishes without about five options per course, and whilst we were perusing the menu we were brought some lovely bread to eat along with balsamic and olive oil to dip, as well as a Marmite butter. The bread was really nice, and it made a pleasant change to have some oil and vinegar, we only been saying earlier in the day that we hadn’t had that for ages. The Marmite flavour in the butter was vey subtle, in fact I’m not sure I’d have noticed it at all even I hadn’t been looking for it, so don’t worry if you’re a “hater”. We both opted for the Scallops with picked cauliflower, chorizo crumble, cauliflower pannacotta and honey roast pork belly to start. This was a pretty decent dish, certainly a generous portion with several plump scallops, although the chorizo in the crumble really wasn’t very noticeable, I would have liked more flavour there. A main course of Baked fillet of cod with sake and mirin glaze, served with spinach and Jerusalem artichoke two ways was again a decent sized portion and a very well-cooked piece of fish, but as with the starter, the flavour of the sake and mirin was very subtle, I would have liked some more punch to it. Across the table, the poached fillets of lemon sole with crispy kale, white wine and herb sauce, straw potatoes and pee puree was a little less successful. Lemon sole is a beautiful fish in it’s own right, it really only needs pan frying with a little butter. Here it was drenched in the sauce, it could have been anything under there. And as the straw potatoes had been smothered as well, they just turned in to a soggy mess. The herbs in the sauce transpired to be pretty much just tarragon, which was quite overpowering. Perhaps our fault for not asking, but if it had said a white wine and tarragon sauce, we wouldn’t have ordered it. A tart tatin with Madagascan vanilla ice cream got things back on track a bit for desert, this was a decent and tasty dish and a good end to the meal. The artisan cheese was also well received and an accompanying port washed it down nicely. Overall, we were really a bit disappointed with this, although that was probably due to our personal tastes than anything wrong with it, which is why I’ve still given it four stars, and to be fair, it was pretty good value. Nonetheless, not somewhere I’ll be rushing back to.

Brilliant. One of the best meals we have had for a while. The service was immaculate too. Definitely worth a try if you are in the area.

We enjoyed an incredible birthday meal at the Bistro, everything - from the first cocktails to the last ristretto was perfect, it's fantastic that Rye has an establishment providing this level of food and service. The presentation, flavour, choice, and local ingredients were all top quality and really hard to beat around here. The staff were friendly and attentive, in all it was a really outstanding dining experience. I would highly recommend a visit.

Best Restaurant in Rye by far... we actually always book this restaurant before booking our hotel as there is no point going to Rye if you can't eat here.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner here last night. So refreshing to go to a higher end restaurant and NOT to have small plates! The starters were a highlight - really excellent scallops. Nothing particularly innovative in the food but superb execution and just what we wanted. Top service; right balance of attentive.

Six of us dined here and what a superb meal we had. The surprise of the amuse- bouche, lovely fresh bread and then the starters and meals themselves. Highly recommend the lobster risoni starter and the Guinea fowl although those that had the venison loved that too. Staff were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. The service was excellent. This had been our second choice restaurant as the other was closed for holidays but honestly so glad we went. Very unassuming from the outside and the photo does not do it justice.

Every element of our dinner was utterly delicious. Imaginative combinations beautifully presented. Friendly and efficient service. Went on the recommendation of Toby our host at the Windmill B and B and he was so right!

I can't praise this establishment high enough! We run a wine establishment in Rye that makes it difficult to get time to eat out. Fortunately we had an evening free, so booked in, and boy were we blown away. The food was fantastic. The lobster starter was divine as was my partners tortellini. The mains of guinea fowl and potato roll were superb and we shared a wonderful elderflower pannacotta. A decent red wine accompanied, and the service from the two girls Keavy and Honey was exceptional. I had to meet chef Martin at the end of the evening to tell him how damn good the whole experience was. I will make sure that we recommend our wine customers to eat there when staying in Rye. They'd be mad not to!

Best in Rye, excellent food. Service was lovely, efficient and friendly, they make you feel special and quite privileged. The restaurant is beautifully presented and low key, putting the attention on the food. The food was beautiful, imaginative and varied. The vegetarian with us had choice, which can still be unusual in some restaurants. Beautiful restaurant, definitely a new favourite.

This bistro is just off the main shopping area in Rye, with an unassuming and modest frontage, that belies what lies within. It was absolutely superb! The best restaurant experience we have had for literally years. The service could not be faulted, with lots of little extras that used to be standard but are rarely experienced these days, e.g. asked if we wanted our coats taken for hanging, complimentary bread (excellent home-made bread), etc., and even a totally unexpected and complimentary 'amuse bouche' mini-course. The food was truly excellent. If you want something more than a bog-standard pub restaurant, without paying an arm and a leg, then this is the place. Cannot recommend highly enough.

A really lovely place, beautiful food served with no pretence and by staff who want to ensure you have a great time. Value is fabulous for the quality of the food and wine and you’re in for a free unexpected treats too.

Outstanding restaurant in Rye. The food was exceptional, the service was excellent, and the price worth every penny.

Booked here earlier in the day. The menu is modest but still very interesting. A party of three, with allergies for soya gluten and black pepper, this was not a problem for them. In the end, two of the party had starters and desert and one main and desert. Scallops pork belly and crumble, mushrooms on toast. Whilst I had lemon Sole fillets, these were all top-notch. The deserts were tarte tatin one clotted cream and one with ice cream brilliant. One order chocolate mousse - enjoyable. Really good evening highly recommended

Delicious food from a very good menu. Better than other places in and around the area. Menu different to everywhere else also, lots of nice, different, and tasty things to choose from

We would have loved to come here for my sister’s 30th, but they state that they won’t cater for vegans. This is a real shame - a lot of your younger customers visiting from London are vegan these days, and it would only take a few tweaks to your menu to cater for them. Why miss out on the business when it’s the way the future is trending?

Unfortunately the food didn't live up to the expectation we had.

One of our best dinners during our two week vacation in England. The staff was lovely. The dinner was memorable in an updated and fresh setting. Previous reviews promoted the scallops. I could not agree more . Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Lovely restaurant, good quality food, reasonably priced. Allergies, no issues, very accommodating Staff were very helpful and understanding

Really delicious, small portions but rich food. We had the scallops, lobster risoni, cod, fowl, vanilla cheesecake and chocolate three ways. All really good!

From start to finish, our visit to this venue was fabulous. Staff were very attentive without being over the top whilst the food and wine were exquisite. This is a relatively small venue and therefore quite intimate (in a good way). It does cater for groups of 4 in addition to couples. The food was absolutely faultless and so full of flavour. Whilst the bill came in at £120 (minus service charge) it was very much worth the cost. In fact Whilst walking around Rye the following day we saw pub menus that would have cost similar had we eaten there instead I cannot emphasise how good the food was at this venue. If I ever stay near Rye again I will definately dine here.

Booked here earlier in the day. The menu is modest but still very interesting. A party of three, with allergies for soya gluten and black pepper, this was not a problem for them. In the end, two of the party had starters and desert and one main and desert. Scallops pork belly and crumble, mushrooms on toast. Whilst I had lemon Sole fillets, these were all top-notch. The deserts were tarte tatin one clotted cream and one with ice cream brilliant. One order chocolate mousse - enjoyable. Really good evening highly recommended

Fabulous restaurant. We had an amazing dinner, everyhting was perfect!

Outstanding. Very delicious. Every dish with it‘s own signature.

my son took myself and my mum for dinner last week . The welcome we got from the front of house staff was so professional keavy made us so comfortable and all the staff were outstanding and very attentive all through the evening. the food was amazing the best we have had in rye cannot fault this place would highly recommend it we will definitely be going back.

Probably the best restaurants in Rye. The food is excellent and very tasty. It is sourced from local ingredients and prepared with a lot of flair. The staff is very friendly and competent. I can highly recommend.

Great cookery in this friendly fine dining restaurant in the heart of Rye. Booking essential. Air con would be a welcome addition😊

A quaint restaurant that offers a menu that’s limited but divine. The presentation of the food is faultless and cooked to perfection. 10/10 for the cuisine, service, and ambience.

One of the best meals we've had, service was good not pushy and a nice atmosphere. Each course was well balanced and the flavours and presentation superb. I don't use that word very often. I would have preferred my straw potatoes on the top so they stayed crunchy but other than that, excellent .

Nice comfy & romantic place to have a good quality meal.

Another lovely meal at the Landgate bistro. Always worth a visit if you like really good food at a reasonable price. Good selection of wine also reasonably priced. We have been going to the Landgate bistro for years and have never been disappointed.

I don't really write many reviews, but when my fiance and I went on a two-week honeymoon to France and England, I had to come back and write a review about this great place! The food, atmosphere, people, etc. Everything was perfect. The week before, we had been to some very highly-rated restaurants in Paris, but this one was our favorite of every place we went to on our honeymoon. Thank you for providing such a great meal!

Our second time at this wonderful restaurant and it did not disappoint! Fabulous food so original, lovely staff and a great atmosphere. We’ll be back!

Unbelievable food for an even better value - each dish was faultless and service was great

Simply WOW. So glad we decided to eat here instead of heat up leftovers. The food was amazing. Every bite a taste sensation. The scallop starter was probably the best scallop starter I have ever had (and it's my go to favourite so I've had a few). Every individual component of each dish was fantastic in their own right but also worked brilliantly together. Yes this place is on the pricey side but the portions are quite big for fine dining and the quality is so good it's worth every penny. Service was also excellent and our young waitress was pleasant, friendly and attentive. Our only negative is that it is too far from where we live to be a regular visit!

Overpriced. Clueless service by 3 different people in a nearly empty restaurant. Starter good, but very disappointing main dish. Never again

Delicious, our first restaurant choice coming to Rye and we loved it. Excellent food and service, would absolutely return.

Evening meal superb. Attentive staff and quality food. Good wine menu too. Scallops perfectly cooked and venison v tender. Will be back.

Great food. My only regret was not having room for desert!

Finished off our weekend here. Lovely place with attentive friendly staff. The food was really tasty. Definitely recommend the fish dishes

Amazing food - a taste explosion! Staff very polite, friendly, efficient & attentive

The first time we have been as our friends who we went with booked 3 weeks ago. Very popular and rated the best restaurant in Rye. Great selection of local produce on the menu, a nice ambience and excellent service. The complementary bread was very nice accompanied with oils and Marmite butter. We had for starters Scallops and for main local Venison 2 ways. Washed down with a Spanish Rioja. The food was well presented and the flavours were perfectly matched and delicious. I feel it's only a matter of time before a Michelin star appears.

Lovely food and pleasant surroundings

Omg what can i say the food and service is out of this world Wonderfull local produce 5 star service Highly reccomended Book well in advance is reccomended

Amazing food, great selection, choices and pairings of flavours. Fairly priced. Good portions. Lovely friendly accommodating staff.

Absolutely fantastic food and service. Would definitely recommend and will return when we come back

An excellent relaxed setting with a menu that is varied and reasonably priced for the quality of food. Absolutely delicious scallops and venison and I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Great food and value for money . Will return soon for sure.

Wonderful wonderful food every time. From the home made focaccia and sourdough to the exquisite food that followed (I had the onion soup to begin followed by sole filets) every mouthful is delicious. <br />Would highly recommend, you won’t be disappointed! Book early!

Fabulous food and great service. Were also able to offer lots of gluten free options for one of our party.

Great food service excellent shame it’s so far from home

Delicious meal, impeccable service and really good value. We tried to book the day before and couldn’t get a suitable table. Decided to try again on the day and got a table, so pleased we did!

This venue was recommended by friends and despite it being cold and miserable outside the welcome we received was warm and friendly. The food and service was excellent. It was pricey but we are on holiday so it didn’t matter. One drawback another table did get a bit noisy so we left a little earlier than we needed to.

Excellent food and service was efficient and friendly

A super restaurant and in our experience this week the best by far in Rye. Outshines everyone!<br />Outstanding service and food.<br />Thoroughly recommend.

Fantastic food. Staff professional.

Lovely ambience and great service.<br />Good food. Would have liked another meat choice on menu. Duck and Venison could be a step beyond for some carnivores. Overall a lovey experience

Fantastic food, everything was perfectly curated and cooked. Thank you for a wonderful meal.

We had a lovely birthday meal for my partner&#039;s birthday - excellent service and great food! Loved the scallop starter and lemon sole main. Highly recommended and would definitely return.

First visit to Landgate Bistro. Especially for my partner&#039;s 50th. Food was exquisite.! Service grt. The little touch of the Happy birthday with the candle was a nice thought ! Prices for the gd quality ingredients way worth more. ! Well done.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening with absolutely delicious food and fantastic service.

Really enjoyed our dinner here. We both had different 3 courses so we could taste everything. My faves were scallops and lemon sole dishes. Tarte tatin was the favourite dessert. Nice touch with free focaccia and olive oil with balsamic vinegar and a salt cod amuse bouche. We also really enjoyed the pinotage wine from SA, good value and easy drinking. Will definitely return when we&#039;re back in Rye. Great food, good value and friendly efficient service.

Apart from a rather loud table next to us, it was a wonderful dining experience

Excellent meal in a lovely restaurant served by delightful staff

Amazing food, with a creative use of ingredients. Fabulous small restaurant atmosphere with ultra friendly staff. One of the best meals we have had for a long time. A must visit.

Enjoyable experience but the food didn’t quite live up to expectations. To many hot and cold combinations on the same plate for me and some of the promised flavours just weren’t there. <br />Nearly but not quite.

Excellent meal in lovely surroundings. Staff very friendly and helpful. At the pricier end but well worth it.

Online booking easy restaurant was COVID safe well distanced tables staff wore masks. Friendly staff not rushed. Lovely breads and amuse- bouche quickly providing whilst selecting from menu. Venison was a stand out dish but lobster risoni and chocolate mousse good. All good and well presented. 3 course for two plus bottle of wine £100 ex service.

Incredible food, very friendly and helpful staff. We had the duck and venison both cooked perfectly and their homemade bread was amazing too

Wonderful meal, excellent value for money and a lovely ambience. Both the duck and the lamb were cooked perfectly.

Lovely food - especially the little nibbles to start, friendly staff, a splendid evening.

As always, lovely food and great service. The lobster starter was a highlight

A lovely, cosy place, excellent food and ambience. A special meal!

Excellent food of a French standard and very lovely waiting staff - service a little slow but overall highly recommend

A good evening.<br />Not quite the expected attention to detail, perhaps a &#039;chef&#039;s off night&#039;?<br />Spoiled a little by a very salty lobster Risoni (1/2 cost was refunded though.<br />Lemon sole fillets were rather awash in sauce vierge.