Queen's Room at Amberley Castle in Horsham

The three course meal we had with matching wines delivered good quality cooking and the service was friendly and efficient.

Wonderful meal, friendly and helpful staff, great atmosphere in restaurant. The whole stay at Amberley was first class, room was lovely with sumptuous bedding and biggest walk in shower! Walking round the grounds was so pleasant and relaxing. Beautifully kept gardens with the added bonus of a rather snooty white peacock. Great surprise in morning when on opening the curtain the peacock was outside the door, almost as if he was there to wake us up, so funny and just added to the whole experience.

After a long wait due to COVID-19 delays, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal at Amberley Castle hotel's restaurant. The staff were most welcoming and the food was truly excellent. Social distancing measures were in place, but the restaurant still exuded atmosphere. Food quality was gourmet and the waiter knowledgeable with answers to our many tasting questions. Highly recommended for those special occasions! (NB We only visited the restaurant and did not stay at the hotel hence "not sure" answers below)

With a voucher from the local free newspaper we reduced the tasting menu to £36pp, plus a "free" glass of champagne. For £55pp 4 people enjoyed a memorable five course meal plus coffee and service with a good but expensive bottle of Muscadet. We shall return!

So worth visiting for a special occasion! We stayed over so we could enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner and it was a truly delicious meal. We had a three course meal with complimentary canapés, soup and palate cleanser. Each course was delicious and the staff were friendly and attentive. A great place to take the grandparents or family for a special meal. Nicely spaced out tables and you weren’t rushed so the meal was enjoyed at a lovely leisurely pace. I’d return!

Feel like royalty in this gem of a location! Delicious food, spectacular quality of service. Luxury experience, well priced for the 5 star quality service, food and ambiance. Regular great seasonal specials and dining offers worth keeping an eye out for! Accommodating of food allergies and big parties. Gorgeous grounds with varied sections are a picture perfect / social media delight. Great for creating memories at a heritage rich location. Always a favourite destination!

Food delicious, wine excellent but unfortunately that is not enough these days. The ambience was so awful it felt as we were intruding on their privacy. Slightest laughter from a table and the whole place is glaring at you. Years ago they had a fantastic manager, French i think who welcomed everyone with a smile and created a much more vibrant atmosphere.. sadly lacking today.

food was good but it didn't feel special [apart from our panna cotta dessert - that was fab]... the dining room was lacking ambience. wine list was pricey/pretentious. it just didn't gel together. it is definitely a missed opportunity. they need to review the setup. it needs some freshening up.

This is a fine dining experience, which the most sublime food. Really tasty. The dining room is delightful too. service is over and above the call of duty (thank you Emily) and all in all I highly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion

As part of our hotel dinner, bed and breakfast package, we had a 3 course A la carte meal included. We were taken to the dining room around 20 minutes after our reservation time - we didn't mind this was we were chatting and enjoying our drinks in the lounge. After being sat at the far end of the room with several other occupied tables, we were given two canapes (both lovely) and a bowl of bread. The ambience is generally lovely with the history of the castle owing to this. We did however feel that having some background music would have helped this as despite being at the other end of the room, we could hear the entire conversation of a party of 4...which ruined our experience a bit! After about 20 minutes our starters were served. They were absolutely beautiful to look at on the plate and definitely worth the wait. My husband had the pork and I had the sea trout...I wish I could've had a double portion for my main, it was so delicious, excellently balanced and full of flavour. My main was also lovely, though did not compare to the starter and my husband loved his beef main. Dessert again was worth the wait and was presented in a lovely way. I had the 3-glass wine flight (£40) with the meal and all 3 wines went well with the courses. Unfortunately despite confirming I was having the wine flight at the beginning of the meal, the first glass was not served until after I reminded staff and had already finished my starter. However, we really enjoyed the whole experience and would definitely go again!

If you cannot afford to stay at Amberley Castle I would certainly recommend a meal in the historical Queens Room Restaurant ! Excellent food, great selection of wine to choose from , attentive staff and wonderful surroundings. Treat yourself once in a while !!!

although we were in a private room the service and food were amazing, rowan was a legend the whole way while we organised our granddaughters graduation party, unsure of arrival time from oxford, all worked well, from the peacock in the garden to our lovely waiter, i have to agree with another reviewer about the price of drinks but hey ho i dont suppose you would just pop in for a pint, thank you all so much

Saturday lunch bought as a fathers day gift for me. Beautiful location, brilliant service, wonderful food but the drink costs are steep to say the least, £5.50 for a bottle of water, £8.50 for a bottle of beer and apart from a couple of bottles the wine starts at around £50-60 a bottle. Yes I know wine is an option but not for me if I'm having a nice lunch! Would go back though for a special occasion.

Great atmosphere dining in a castle. The food is what you would expect from a fine dining experience - not cheap. However the service is a bit erratic, not enough waiters and not well organised.

The quality of the food is really good, up to London standards. A good imaginative set of amuse bouche. Each dish was presented in a very attractive way and was very tasty. Wine list is quite original with wines sourced from atypical locations. Let down by the service.

Hvite duker og rød fløyel i riddersalen. Gourmet-mat og hyggelig betjening som klarte å bryte den nesten andektige følelsen man får i slike omgivelser.

Very disappointed to say that our visit to amberley castle did not meet expectation.

Amberley Castle is absolutely stunning, and an absolute hidden gem.

I took my girlfriend to Amberley Castle for a birthday Sunday lunch yesterday. It was a bright, sunny, hot day and I wore tailored shorts and deck shoes, however upon arriving the maître d' looked me up and down several times and said "we don't normally allow shorts in the restaurant", to which I advised that the dress code we received on the email was 'No Jeans or trainers, smart casual'. No mention at all of not being allowed to wear tailored shorts.

Fine dining at its best,fantastic service and friendly.chose the three course menu with was imaginative.presented beautifully and cooked well.during the meal we were presented with tasters of other menu ideas.waiters explained what they were. Lovely experience and won't wait another 25 years to go back.

Fabulous setting in the middle of the Sussex Downs – warmly greeted by professional staff; allowed time to relax by one of several large log fires whilst contemplating an interesting menu and huge wine list; when served rather shocked at the size of the portions but actually, they were all perfectly judged; this is a meal for a very special occasion but well worth the wait (we have been in the area five years); never hurried, always gracious – well recommended – thank you.

My third visit to Amberley Castle and a delight. Delicious food in charming and romantic surroundings, served by wonderful staff. This is a unique venue and we shall most certainly return! It’s a marvellous place

The setting is superb and the staff were attentive. Three of us had the lamb which, whilst having a reasonable flavour, was rather tough. ( On a previous occasion it had been sublime. ) £11 for a 750ml bottle of fizzy water came as a surprise.

I took my friend for a birthday treat we were not dissapointed.Food excellent ambiance as we had hoped

We had a great stay in Amberley Castle,where we had the great pleasure to have an amazing dinner in Queen’s Room. The room is charming and the food is delicious. Loved the service and the details of the staff. Lovely experience

From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in for a decadent evening.

The approach up the drive is simply stunning, an amazing and intimidating driveway culminating in the passing beneath a portcullis is everything anyone ever imagines of a castle. The Great dinning room is wonderful and a gas fire can be lit for added ambience, armoury adorns the walls and our personal member of staff was incredibly attentive and very personable.

To celebrate our wedding, dear friends of ours bought us a 3 course lunch with champagne.

We booked the 3 course lunch with champagne. Excellent service and the food was exceptional. Beautiful location

Amberley Castle makes a delightful setting for a stay or a meal. On this occasion we thoroughly enjoyed their festive lunch. The service and the food were excellent. If you're planning to go during the Winter we suggest wearing something warm because the restaurant was rather cold. It is a castle after all!

Wow, what a place. We arrived early for lunch and enjoyed a coffee in the drawing room. They could not have been more helpful especially to my elderly Mother in a wheel chair.

A must visit and experience. The food, the staff & the setting are amazing. Will definitely return. Every course was stunning and great value.

I ate lunch here today. It took three hours to be served a three course meal which was mediocre. Various amuse bouches arrived whilst we waited one hour for a bowl of soup and a tiny portion of smoked salmon. My main course was strange - cod and cauliflower with a few raisins in the mix - and it was no more than tepid. My companions both had lamb which looked nice enough but there was almost no vegetable at all, just a minute portion of some sort of potato and the lamb sat on a small amount of spinach. Having ordered pudding, it then took another half hour plus for it to turn up. Part of mine (a chocolate tart) was unpleasant and I had to spit it out.

Amberley Castle is a beautiful building in lovely grounds. We had the Seasonal Lunch and the food was really exceptional, full of flavour and freshness. The menu was limited so anyone with dietary problems does need to let them know but I'm sure they could deal with anything. Lovely place, great food, fair prices, what more could you ask.

We are more impressed with the service than the food. The service was very warm, calm and subtle. Everything was just the right time and amount of attention.

We had the tasting menu as part of an overnight stay and also treated ourselves to the accompanying wine flight. Beautifully presented and delicious - excellent service too. A lovely evening.

Top quality food, served with great friendliness and panache. Like most nouvelle cuisine quite modest portions. Stupendous wine list.

Its food that is picture on a plate and a delight for the palette. Service is wonderful and room is so beautiful to look at. Wine list was amazing.

From the moment we drove up the drive and then entered under the portcullis we knew we were in for a lovely lunch experience. Delicious!

We had booked our friend from Germany into the Castle overnight. He was delighted as he was upgraded with his room which was excellent. It is a lovely location with a fabulous dining room. We joined him for pre dinner drinks in the lounge and then for dinner. Pre dinner drinks were served with chef's tasters which was lovely. Dinner was excellent in all respects. Food very good indeed, good wine and service. It was expensive at £500 for the room with breakfast and three dinners, but you could not fault it in any way. Worth going on a special occasion.

We had dinner at Amberley Castle on Saturday to celebrate my son's 16th birthday. The venue is stunning, just driving in to Amberley Castle is worth the price of dinner. The service was also exceptional from the moment we arrived. We all agreed that our main course was, if not cold, then at least not hot. Although this was a little disappointing the service and the surroundings made up for it. I thought the cost was reasonable for a celebration meal. I would definitely return.

The tea rooms were not very busy, and therefore we had a very good experience and an excellent afternoon tea. We were welcomed at reception, our booking name and coats taken. Had a good choice of traditional and specialist teas, and tried something different choosing Darjeeling tea. The cakes and sandwiches were fresh and very tasty and very filling. The cost was just about right. Therefore good value for money, nice one.

Took lunch here to celebrate a birthday. What a lovely time - the welcome, the complimentary glass of champagne, the food, the wine and most of all the staff who could not have been more helpful.

The setting is superb, a castle, however the prices are rather silly, almost pretentious and the wine list prices has to be seen to be believed.

Lunch at Amberley Castle is very special and what's more it's a reasonable price. I don't think you'll find better, more accomplished and imaginative cooking in this part of Sussex and, of course, there's the wonderful setting. What could be nicer? If you haven't guessed I thoroughly recommend it!

Took my wife here for a treat, from the time we entered the castle to when we left we were very well looked after; my wife has a food alllergy but that proved no problem to the staff, all men on duty, very smart & knowledgeable regarding the food, attentiive service, food was excellent and the free champagne was most acceptable. Several guests were having afternoon tea at this time and the waiter explained that they serve this at lunch time and this has proved popular. The grounds were immaculate, all in all a lovely place for a special lunch

Ate dinner here three times during our stay. Great food and friendly staff. Wine knowledge could be better since they could not recommend wines for our meals. But food was top notch everyday and that counts for alot imo.

First the good points. The venue is excellent, the dining room impressive, the meal prices very reasonable. However, on arrival,...

Having received many recommendations from friends to visit here, we opted for lunch. To note, the website for Amberley Castle...

Beautiful castle! Great countryside! Lovely views! Wonderful service and wonderful food! Will go again!

We had a very nice time. Excellent food and wine and service. I think the waiter was our favorite part...

Delicious food, great atmosphere and excellent service. We had a festive a la cart lunch and we enjoyed every mouthful!...

Who wouldn't want to eat in a 12th century castle in a stunning location. Arriving through the castle gate is...

Went as a couple as a treat. Great location - fantastic vista as you arrive.

I really didn’t have any idea what kind of place I had booked for a family lunch. And as we made our way down the narrow lane with passing places, I thought maybe I’d made a mistake; until I saw the castle... It was just beautiful.

We visited Amberley Castle for lunch on a wet and windy autumnal day. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed. First with drinks in the downstairs sitting room and then a delicious lunch in the Queen's Room. (Please note that this restaurant is upstairs and one of our group found the stairs quite challenging). The hotel is steeped in history and a wonderful place to relax and unwind. The lunch was amazing - the menu very much geared to the seasons. Dishes are given a single name - for instance 'Lamb' - which makes for a great surprise when the dish arrives! You will not be disappointed here. From the beautiful room, delicious food, attentive service and a wonderful wine list. It is certainly a venue for a special occasion. There is also a private dining room - great for birthdays etc. This is fine dining at its best.

great food and great services cannot praise it enough. Ideal for birthdays, anniversaries or any special occasions. I was taken there as a surprise for my 60th birthday and it is somewhere I will never forget.

A treat to enjoy dinner in this old and spacious room. Tables are well apart and understandably this is a restaurant for "special occasions with a special person". We opted for the tasting menu and enjoyed every course for taste, presentation and originality.

We had the 5 course menu as part of our stay at Amberley Castle. Every course was amazing! The staff were very attentive. It was a very quiet dining room, no background music, which isn’t my personal preference as we felt awkward talking but loved the dinner regardless.

This is the dining area of Amberley castle. It is a beautiful room. The food served here is delicious and presented to a very high standard.

Visited for lunch. Menu was very restricted for all courses. The mullet portion was tiny as a starter and the duck starter tasted good but was very small.Main course of duck was again tiny with only two small undercooked slivers and tiny pieces of parsnip and beetroot.At a high charge per head this really was overpriced and it's not often we leave a restaurant hungry.Had to order extra bread just to feel we had something to eat.Wine is very expensive, as were all drinks. If you order a hot chocolate expect to pay extra for petit fours..Food quality and location is good, but the servings were basically a jokeWon't be back...

Beautiful setting, attentive service and incredible food. I had the 5 course taster menu which consisted of some things I wouldn’t usually pick on a menu but when tasting them I was blown away. Each dish was beautifully presented and the flavour combinations were inventive and delicious. I can’t wait to visit again.

Excellent service7 course taster menu is amazing and of Michelin standardWill certainly come again

Wonderful food and wines,what more could anyone want.The new chef is also serving slightly larger portions,no more craving for more!We well be back to see Russell and the team.

Friends took us here for my birthday treat.we went around the grounds and appreciated all the atmosphere, setting and views that this hotel has before going in and having a pre dinner sparkling in one of the very comfortable lounges. we then went up to the queens room which is just an amazing setting for your lunch. We were four for lunch and we were well looked after. the food and wine was excellent, no not big portions but really good quality, innovative courses with lots of different flavours.

Beautiful dining room on the first floor, very romantic. Maybe some background music would have been nice? The food was excellent, we loved the menu and the wine list was extensive. Very enjoyable meal!

Ordered sirloin, medium rare, what was served was absolute f rubbish - check it out for yourself (you'll need circa £200, not cheap)

We visited for dinner on our wedding anniversary and enjoyed a leisurely dinner from the a la Carte menu. Everything from the amuse-bouche through to the delicious petit fours was presented impeccably and tasted lovely. In particular the mackerel with samphire and wasabi starter and the beef (filet & feather) and sea trout main courses were great. The portions are fairly small but the flavours are large. There is a massive wine list to accompany the meal with a selection of wines by the glass and my wife loved the 1998 Rioja - chosen as it was the year we were married! The staff were professional and engaging and explained each dish as it was served. We can recommend this as a special dining treat.

Fabulous fine dining in a very special room with excellent service. It is quite expensive but definitely worth it for special occasions.

Lovely hotel with an interesting history.Pre lunch drinks in the garden although only saw the white peahenAn excellent lunch followed by coffee in the pleasant garden.A very leisurely unhurried afternoon shared with my daughter for her birthday Staff were friendly and helpful.Thank you.

Was here for the fixed price Sunday lunch which is good value when you take into account the setting. Amberley Castle is a luxury hotel set in grounds with delightful gardens which are perfect for after lunch coffee.Drinks are served in sitting rooms which deep comfortable sofas and chairs where you peruse the menu and order. I ordered the pea risotto which was delicious followed by the bass on samphire with quinoa which was equally tasty. Both my portions were fine my wife's trout starter was a small dish but tasty. However this was followed by the guinea fowl which was a good portion accompanied by veg and potatoes.Overall a lovely meal good service which you would expect at this level of establishment.A lovely venue.

The wine flight complimented the tasting menu - although didn't enjoy the Sake (this particular brand). Otherwise recommended ...

We went to Amberley Castle for a family celebration. We were greeted by friendly staff and directed to a lounge to relax and then choose from the lunch menu. It was a relaxing start. Once ready were were taken up to the dining room, which is a small but smartly appointed venue. The food is fine dining and nice . I read before that portions are small but they are no smaller than many other fine dining restaurants I have been to. A good balance of flavours and textures which was what we wanted for our get together. This is not yet at the quality level of some Michelin starred places I have been to but it is very good. It was relaxed and not at all rushed. The location is really nice and it is well worth a visit. I may well be back myself.Why 4 not 5 then. Well they were low on the ingredients and this meant substitutions for an early attendance. Not good. Also this is fine dining so I am comparing it to other such restaurants. It is good but not exceptional. As I say though really a nice place and one happy to recommend.

I went here for lunch just before Christmas. The portions were SO small that I felt I had nothing at all to eat. The food wasn't even particularly tasty. When I complained the cost of the thimble full of ice cream which purported to be dessert was removed from the bill - I suppose that was a gesture. I definitely wouldn't go here again.

We last stayed at Amberley Castle 5 years ago, our memories of the castle, the restaurant and our room prompted us to return. Although this time we had what was classed a 'superior room' it was no better than many other 3 and 4 star hotel rooms that we've stayed at during the past few years and certainly did not justify the high price. The castle itself continues to be charming and quaint but the public rooms in the main house are small and prior to dinner guests are virtually sitting on top of one another. Our big disappointment was with the 5 course 'tasting menu'. Each course was pitifully small, although they were quite tasty. The appetiser of bacon dust and apple foam almost filled a teaspoon. For the second course we then had a slither of mackerel fillet with tiny pieces of compressed cucumber which filled 2 teaspoons. Then the 3rd course arrived of venison tartare which my wife rejected but I foolishly accepted. My wife was given a cooked slice of chicken alternative. We then had a slice of partridge breast with a jus. The dessert was the largest of the courses with pieces of orange sponge and segments of clementine with cream and ice cream. The whole meal consisted of about one small dinner plate of food. Vegetables were seriously lacking. I paid the price for eating the raw venison early the following morning with a desperate dash to the bathroom, whereas my wife was fine. We wont be visiting again.

Lovely choices on the menu. Good quality food and choice of wines. Wonderful dining room feeling like you were back in time.Excellent service. Not Michelin star but very very good.

We visited the restaurant as part of our stay at Amberley. It was a 3 course set menu, with 4x mini courses (actually they were all mini courses). The food was 'nice' but not amazing and for what we paid for the overall 'deal' we came away feeling somewhat disappointed, especially as this was a return visit to the castle for a special occasion. Make sure you make yourself well aware of drink prices, as we had 4 drinks (2x small bottles of bud and 2x hendricks gin) and came away over £50 lighter (That maybe just a northern thing - we like good value !)

Staying at the castle was a great experience, and the food was great! we had a large group 8 people and we were all catered for very well

nothing is too much trouble for the staff at the restaurant and the setting and ambiance are superb.Food is excellent and wine list extensive and informative.

We go to Amberley every 3 months for Sunday lunch and the first one of 2017 was the best so far.Booked for 2pm and had drinks in one of the lounges before being seated (drinks carried up to our table) about 2.10.The starters always get me trying new things and each of us had a different one, mine being the poussin.We all had the roast beef as our main which, with a bowl loaded with yorkshires, was absolutely delicious. The jus is normally incredible but, today, seemed to be even more amazing.We all had different desserts and, just like the starters, had us trying something slightly different and loving every bite.I just cannot fault this place and look forward to out April visit.

My partner and I had the most wonderful experience at Amberley Castle's Queen's Room tonight whilst staying at the castle! (A first for me, writing a review during an experience) We have had the good fortune of eating at a Michelin star restaurant last week and this was a cut above that. We were first seated in a beautiful living area by an open fire, served by very attentive staff and offered a fantastic range of drinks. Following our drinks we were taken to a grand dining room and had a number of beautiful courses along with lots of little unexpected course and matched wines. I cannot recommend this beautiful castle, restaurant and staff highly enough. Truely a once in a life time experience.

The approach to the castle is certainly spectacular; we particularly liked the white doves nipping in and out of their roosts in the battlements. We were here for lunch two days after Christmas, and in general enjoyed it very much.I ordered a G&T and was not asked which gin I would prefer. It was also odd that we were asked to order all three courses at once.We were seated very quickly in splendid isolation in a bay window on a little dais. We were the only diners in the restaurant, (but see below). Once we were seated, nothing happened! then after a while some pre-starters arrived – a pumpkin foam affair, which was excellent. Starters were unremarkable, and my husband said his smoked salmon tasted of absolutely nothing.We had venison for the main course which was well cooked and tender. However, if you are used to a largish portion you would be thinking 'Where's the rest of it?' We could have done with more than a sprig of kale and broccoli and a finger of potato by way of accompaniment.Puddings were more substantial and were very good; mine was a chocolate and caramelised orange concoction. However, I have two slightly negative comments about the experience; one was that the dining room appears to be a through-way, and people were repeatedly walking past during our meal on their way (I assume) to a private dining room. The other is that the waiter described each course in detail – PLEASE DON'T! – I can remember what I read on the menu a few minutes before, and it's just embarrassing.The impressive staircase is adorned with enough weaponry to take out all the diners and staff, including a couple of cannons. But I was enchanted by the 'Ladies' Powder Room', which looks like Maria Merryweather's bedroom in Little White Horse – all tiny doors and gothic arches, with a fire burning cheerfully in the grate.Anyway, staff seemed keen and eager to please, and on the whole we enjoyed our lunch and are likely to return.

When your waiter has an outrageous french accent, but doesn't actually use french, expectations start to plummit. High prices, very small serves, and slow service. Sad really.Some people dressed for the pomp & ambience, others more casually, and a couple that appeared to have had too much to drink dominated the peace with their carry-on about not being served well enough. Perhaps their expectations were a bit much.I am sure there are better fine dining experiences nearby, but adjust your expectation so you have a chance to enjoy the Castle dining.

I love Amberley, The castle is another gem in Amberley! Don't know what people moan about. The service and the food was exceptional. Those who complain about portions sizes, let me remind you - it's not McDonalds or Burger king! Fine food needs to be indulged and appreciated!Though we were nicely fed and definitely full!The gardens, location and everything is superb! The staff is friendly and polite! Made our Sunday very special and we look forward to coming back!

We have had lunch here many times in the past, the food has always been good but we go also for the ambience. We went last week and were extremely disappointed. The service is not as good as it was, we had to carry our own drinks from the lounge up to the restaurant, just a small detail I know but the change was noticeable. The wine waiter seemed to turn his nose up when I ordered a glass of wine rather than a bottle then came the food. Well, the portions were tiny! It doesn't matter how pretty food looks on a plate if it's called "lunch" then it should have some substance. Sadly we won't be going again.

This is a lovely old room in which to dine , the service was excellent and the tasting menu was indeed very tasty..However there is a balance and the portions were derisively small. Conor you are nearly there , your lamb especially was beautifully cooked , but you really need to look at your policy regarding portion size.I assure you that I do know its a tasting menu..

My uncle has been treating family and close friends to lunch at Amberley Castle for over ten years. Under new ownership I'm afraid to say our visit for his 80th was very disappointing. The building is still a fantastic setting of course, but we found the service to be slow and the food to be underwhelming. Both fell short of expectations which had been set both by past experience, and by the price we were expecting to pay. Service was mostly lacking in the dining room. I realise that if you're in a private room you're not easily visible to the waiting staff in the main restaurant, but, that's part of the job of providing a private room - you either need to dedicate a server or you need to ensure the waiting staff check it often enough to be sure the clients are not sitting staring at empty plates and, even worse, empty wine glasses! The food was good, but it was not up to the standards we had previously experienced, and certainly not up to the prices charged. Doubly disappointing as we had been asked ot order from the menu over a month before our visit, so there can have been no unexpected rush of orders for one dish over another to confuse things. The restaurant is under new ownership since some time in the last month or so, we understand. The new owners are going to have to pull their finger out, or they'll be wondering where the customers went.

I don't know what happened here, given the praise heaped upon the restaurant by other visitors. Our lunch although reasonably served consisted of tough beef, overcooked potatoes and a portion of vegetables that failed to match the menu. At the price they were having us on but as I wasn't the host we gritted our teeth and pushed most of it to one side. No return trips here I'm afraid.

The High Tea with a glass of champagne was superb. It was done true to form and luxurious setting. Very old worldy service and staff were great. Definately not to be missed.

We had lunch here today. It was astonishing. Every mouthful was a taste sensation with imaginative and delicious mixtures. Each course was a visual masterpiece surpassed only by the flavours. The food was complemented by the dishes upon which it was served which also showed flair and imagination. This is more 'nouvelle cuisine' than meat and two veg, it is exceptional and each dish was perfect. The staff were helpful and knowledgeable but we're not obsequious. The setting is an old castle which has a moat with a croquet lawn and it also boasts it own suit of armour. What's not to like? I would go again at the drop of a hat.

Wonderful Place. great memories. Our wedding breakfast was in the Great room, a few years ago now, but always is a special place to come back to time and time again.

Delicious afternoon tea. Thoughtfully presented. Beautiful setting. Will definitely visit again. Good value as generous portions.

Please read my separate review of the hotel for a more detailed review of this restaurant. The location is lovely, the food is poor.

Wonderfully accommodating when adjusting chef's menu to satisfy my list of food allergies. Sugar free is difficult to achieve

My wife and I had an anniversary lunch there recently mid week. Quality of food was excellent and interesting but portions were ludicrously small - for example two tiny round pieces of lamb plus minute vegetables for a main course - the ultimate in Nouvelle Cuisine portion control ! Lunch menu choices are very confusing, we were presented with a book with two facing menus without explanation - be careful not to choose the right hand list of dishes on the day's menu which had no heading or price but, it turned out, offered three courses for £67.50, instead of the left hand menu of similar quality dishes [described on the menu itself as the 'Taste of Amberley' Menu and and in one case offering exactly the same dish ! ] at a fixed price of.£29.50. I asked for a starter from the left hand menu and a main course from the right hand menu and was told this was not possible even though it turned out I would be charged the full £67.50 for choosing the right hand menu. Service was OK but not really on the ball - e.g. coffee offered in the lounge after lunch never turned up ! And reception staff more interested in chattering amongst themselves when we arrived than greeting us.All very confusing, unhelpful and surprisingly amateur for a venue which pitches itself at the top of the market. Certainly does not offer the high quality experience of our stay some years ago. Shame, such a lovely place ! ..

I recently booked this beautiful Castle to take my girlfriend for a special Birthday Surprise. This stunning castle is set in an idyllic location. On arrival we were greeted by the receptionist. After checking in we were shown to our room on the second floor but no porter was offered to provide assistance with our luggage. Our room was stunning and we were very delighted and were looking forward to our special evening meal which was the Taster Menu. We went down to eat at 7.30 and were shown to a lounge area and were offered some nibbles which consisted of nuts and olives (this was the only thing that stopped us from starving later !!!). We were then shown to our table in the restaurant and our first course was served which was described as Butternut and was served in an egg cup sized ramekin. This was the best of the five different courses. Our next course was an egg dish and the combination of the flavours did not work at all and was tasteless considering it was supposed to have wasabi in it. We then had a salmon terrine which was like a frozen sorbet which had ice crystals in it which was really not appealing. My partner then had some duck which was chewy and there was no vegetables or potatoes offered with this (we found out later that this was an option at an extra charge but were not advised at the time) I myself had fish which again was tasteless and bland again with no vegetables just fish. We were thankful that there was bread and butter provided with the meal as this was the best thing we had eaten so far). Still hungry we awaited our dessert which was a strawberry parfait again served in teeny tiny pots. This did not taste of anything. and you could not even taste the strawberries it was very bizarre. By the time we had finished we both were still very hungry having not enjoyed the food at all which was extremely disappointing considering this is £55.00 a head which works out at £11.00 for each egg cup sized portion !!. We have eaten at many lovely restaurants and five star hotels before and we felt very let down. The restaurant itself also would benefit perhaps from a little piano playing or harpist to give it a more relaxing atmosphere. It is such a shame that the food did not have the wow factor we were expecting and this spoilt what otherwise should have been an exceptional experience.On leaving the restaurant I went downstairs and the lady behind the counter asked me if I had enjoyed my meal. I felt compelled to relay my disappointment to her.Thank goodness for the breakfast the following morning which was excellent.

A high standard as you would expect. I am not a great fan of Nouvelle Cuisine, but it was good, if not very satisfying.A couple of comments which may be related. (i) The red wine was served very cold,and was sent back (ii) they seemed somewhat disorganised, no maitre d' or someone overall running the place. One would hope that this was temporary?

Both myself and my partner have a mixed opinion regarding this restaurant. I will explain as we go along...Upon telling the receptionist that we booked our meal for 7.30pm, we were immediately seated down in one of the lounges and was asked for pre-meal drinks and a little sharing bowl of caramelised almonds. Unfortunately we were given the wrong menus, as I had previously booked for a tasting menu. Though upon telling the sommelier, he barley gave us enough time to look at the menu, let alone agree to it!! Though from my understanding, it is a set menu (what you see is what you get). After waiting for around 15-20 minutes, we were then seated to our table in the Queen's room. The ambience was very quiet and authentic. There was candlelit lights around the room (very romantic indeed!). We were treated to our first absolutely perfect world class Relais and Château, 5 course tasting menu, which consisted of:1. Butternut squash, feta and pine nuts2. Free range hens egg, wild mushrooms and air dried English ham3. Salmon mousse, beetroot, wasabi and rye4. Pork shoulder, pear, parsnip and amaretti5. Dessert was pistachio parfait with a blackcurrant sorbet.The only way that the meal could of been more perfect was that of the waiter, who could have been more personable rather than rushing through and quickly telling us what each meal was, which meant that we did not quite catch what he had just said and we did not really know what we were eating. Also upon eating in the Queens room both myself and my partner felt like we had to whisper and that made us feel uncomfortable. We also had a full English breakfast here in the Queens room, the following morning. And again I must mention that both myself and my partner felt rather uncomfortable seating in the restaurant. Though the breakfast was really nice!

It was an impressive drive up to Amberley Castle. On arriving at reception, we were shown to one of the lounges and made to feel welcome with a drink and nibbles whilst perusing the menus. After ordering we were taken upstairs to our table in the queens room. We decided to order the tasting menu, with a bottle of wine. The staff were attentive, without being overly so, and the food was superb. Although, we went in the middle of the week and at lunchtime, the restaraunt was still quite busy. Would definitely recommend

Mixed opinion on our afternoon tea.The setting is stunning and so impressive as you walk up the drive.We waited at Reception to be served and were unsure whether to just sit down or not. Eventually they seated us on a sofa with a coffee table close to the Reception area. I was confused. I heard so much about this vaulted ceiling as part of the experience and wondered where this was. We had hotel guests who sat on the other sofas and came and went during our tea experience.We were immediately asked if we wanted tea by the receptionist but I suggested we look at the menu first. They took ages to return but I did feel sorry for them. The (Spanish) girls serving us were also manning the reception area, which we could see from our seats. But it did make us feel forgotten.After ordering, tea arrived which we both found very strong. We had one tea strainer between us and no offer of hot water.The gentleman who brought the afternoon tea seemed anxious and harassed. I hoped he was ok.At other hotels, you can order more of anything. I wanted more salmon sandwiches. Maybe because I'm pregnant, all I wanted was more savoury. But my husband said it was best not to as we hadn't seen anyone check us or anyone to ask. The sweet treats were delicious. The scones slightly over cooked with a crunchy outside but tasted fresh and homemade.The bathroom is upstairs and beautiful, with stunning views and l'occitane products.Overall, I think we would come again but phone and request another seat/room. It was nice to just sit quietly, away from our busy lives and people watch, as our view made it hard not to!I'm due to return to Amberley with a group of staff from work for a 40th birthday soon. I do hope we'll be sat in a different room and that I can brave asking for more...