Sundial in Wealden

The most beautiful place and the most stunning dining experience. Mary and Vincent are the epitome of class and elegance. The quality of produce is incredible and attention to detail is superb. Thank you for a magical experience

Once again, an absolutely excellent meal! The ambience and service here is second to none!

The Sundial overall was good, the food was nice and tasty generally although value for money perhaps not. The restaurant is a little tired and decor is from the 90’s. It’s a little dark in the restaurant making it difficult to read menu and know exactly what is on the plate! The host and staff are polite and service was great but the whole experience needs modernisation.

I think this was our fifth meal at the Sundial - this time with a party of six - and it was as wonderful as ever. Three hours of being cosseted with great service and first rate food. The Sundial is reliably excellent.

Wonderful food from a generous menu, cooked and presented with love and care. Mine hostess and chef are both attentive, friendly and respectful.

The restaurant was really lovely, service was great even though had a badly chipped glass which was rectified straight away. Staff were very friendly. This will be a special occasion venue as it was a little on the expensive side, but can’t fault anything else.

Absolutely amazing. Meal was fantastic. Service was amazing will be back very soon

The Sundial is, by a wide margin, the best restaurant in East Sussex. Our visit there last week was another great pleasure. Superb food and impeccable service.

This has to be without doubt the most awful place I’ve been in a long time. Firstly, I could not get past the disgusting smell of dusty, dirty carpets and soft furnishings! It was vile and completely overpowering! The whole place stank!! The amuse bouches were hideous. A cucumber sandwich (seriously?), a tartlet which contained something unfathomable and a vol au vent which looked as though it had been sitting out in the warm all afternoon! I think it contained mushrooms but I really couldn’t be sure. The lobster starter was not good. The lobster was chewy and the salad leaves covered in salt. My husband’s scallops tasted fishy……never a good sign! His scallops also came with a vegetable spring roll which he said was completely tasteless! I had the lemon sole for main. The accompanying crab had a strange twang, I couldn’t eat it. The fish was ok, the green beans and celeriac were the best thing on plate. My husband said his steak tasted of liver and so was unable to finish it. I thought it unusual that the waitress wanted us to choose our desserts when we ordered our starters and mains. Very odd, and I’m pleased I declined to do so as after the poor first two courses, I really didn’t want to prolong the agony. I could have done with a coffee but I had no confidence that it would be drinkable so decided not to risk it. We won’t be back!

Amazing. Food was excellent, atmosphere was great and the staff were professional and friendly. Great experience all round.

A lovely meal with fantastic food and great service. You get what you pay for and it's worth every penny.

This is a hidden gem in East Sussex. The food and services is amazing melts in the mouth. Lots of choice and lots of tasters between courses. Highly recommend. If you enjoy French cuisine you will love this place.

A wonderful dining experience, as is increasingly rare ! Truly exquisite food prepared by such care, brought to table in perfect time as well - accompanied by a great wine too… May this be forever !…

We have eaten at this restaurant several times and returned for a birthday meal. The menu is French cuisine cooked perfectly and served with tasty amuse bouche and delicacies in between courses which makes the experience extra special. There is a fixed price menu or à la carte. An ideal place for a special meal or celebration.

I have been to The Sundial on three occasions and each time I have enjoyed everything about my experience, Food, service and surrounings all top class.

What a wonderful experience. My mother's 80th birthday sorry 21st again. A superb restaurant. A big car park plenty of space. A lovely welcome and a bottle of champagne sitting on a sofa opening gifts. Some delicate pastries, sandwiches and olives. My sister forgot to tell them she's gluten free - no problem at all. The chef came out to discuss food options with her and talk about Montpellier where he had lived and she has been living the last 12 years. Such a selection of amazing food - we were overwhelmed. I was glad I had skipped breakfast to allow room for lunch. But the portions were generous without being too much. Les amuse bouches were delightful - a courgette, avocado, garlic mousse (hope I remembered that right) was delicious. Scallop starter for me and mum, foie gras for my brother. They even had a gluten free bread roll with her starter for my sister - she was stunned. That does not happen ever ! Main courses of fish, steak x2 and rack of lamb all delicious with vegetables and superb sauces. Desserts of sorbets were fabulious and the trio of chocolates kept the chocahoclics more than contented and raving. Then coffee and some delicious pastries. We definitely stayed longer than any other restaurant meal ever. But we were still welcome and pampered. Thank you so much. Wonderful service and food. Very very highly recommend. Wonderful on all counts. Will be back soon. Thank you, mum had the best birthday and we all had the best meal/experience possibly ever.

Absolutely outstanding 100% recommend anyone to go high end fantastic food owner was incredible Faultless everyone of our family wants to return including my son for his birthday 🥰thank you Ian sam libby Bailey and Margret my mother in law

What a wonderful experience. My mother's 80th birthday sorry 21st again. A superb restaurant. A big car park plenty of space. A lovely welcome and a bottle of champagne sitting on a sofa opening gifts. Some delicate pastries, sandwiches and olives. My sister forgot to tell them she's gluten free - no problem at all. The chef came out to discuss food options with her and talk about Montpellier where he had lived and she has been living the last 12 years. Such a selection of amazing food - we were overwhelmed. I was glad I had skipped breakfast to allow room for lunch. But the portions were generous without being too much. Les amuse bouches were delightful - a courgette, avocado, garlic mousse (hope I remembered that right) was delicious. Scallop starter for me and mum, foie gras for my brother. They even had a gluten free bread roll with her starter for my sister - she was stunned. That does not happen ever ! Main courses of fish, steak x2 and rack of lamb all delicious with vegetables and superb sauces. Desserts of sorbets were fabulious and the trio of chocolates kept the chocahoclics more than contented and raving. Then coffee and some delicious pastries. We definitely stayed longer than any other restaurant meal ever. But we were still welcome and pampered. Thank you so much. Wonderful service and food. Very very highly recommend. Wonderful on all counts. Will be back soon. Thank you, mum had the best birthday and we all had the best meal/experience possibly ever.

Absolutely outstanding 100% recommend anyone to go high end fantastic food owner was incredible Faultless everyone of our family wants to return including my son for his birthday 🥰thank you Ian sam libby Bailey and Margret my mother in law

We went to the Sundial for my wife's 50th birthday. We loved the warm welcome, and the excellent food and wine. Everything was cooked to perfection and the attention from the hosts was just right, friendly and efficient but not over the top. As wine lovers we were impressed with the range and quality of the wines. This isn't a budget place. It's for special occasions, where you can expect to spend considerably more than in a standard restaurant, but it is worth it.

Better than superb.friendly greeting on arrival..shown to our table in a timely manner.food home made absolutely delicious freshly cooked nothing is any problem.well worth the experience.thankyou all so much.

We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and it could not have been better anywhere the food was great and the service fantastic we will be visiting again before our 50th anniversary

Excellent service and wonderful food. Always a pleasure to enjoy a meal at this restaurant and we look forward to our next visit.

Absolutely superb restaurant .Friendly staff and wonderful food .

We had the tasting menu and it was lovely, the wine list is very good and if the weather is nice, an aperitif on the balcony before sitting down is fab to enjoy the views. We will certainly be back

We had an excellent lunch at the Sundial and could not ask for more. The restaurant is exceptionally calm, with subtle background music and our Lunch experience started in the Lounge with canapées and an opportunity to browse the menus both for an aperitif and our meal. Once we had placed our order, our menus were taken away and we enjoyed Aperitifs in the lounge before being seated at a well sized table. Although the restaurant was very quiet when we dined (I'm not sure why), the atmosphere felt very refined and we enjoyed a three course lunch. The food was excellent as was the pacing of the meal. At the end of the meal, we enjoyed tea and coffee with petit-fours in the lounge area again to round off a top lunch. The meal was excellent value and we are already looking forward to our return visit.

Excellent French cuisine impeccably presented. Wine list a little disappointing. The main downside was that we were one or only two couples there on a Thursday evening, so the atmosphere was a bit icy.

This is our favourite restaurant for special occasions. Never disappoints. Excellent food and great service

Wonderful food and friendly service in a relaxed atnosphere. Highly recommended and we will be visiting again very soon.

We are regulars here. Fabulous as always; we are so lucky to have them in our neighbourhood. Highly recommend!

We came just after my partners fathers funeral. Atmosphere and staff amazing we were well looked after but I do not think food warranted the price. Don't get me wrong food was amazing just slightly over priced

An outstanding restaurant and simply the best if you are looking for an excellent chef, food of the highest quality and service which is professional and helpful without being over bearing. We have found nothing to touch this in East Sussex and recommend it to anyone interested in good food of the highest quality. Thank you for a delightful meal

Amazing food and really good service.

We had a lovely lunch in a very classic atmosphere with lovely staff. The food was great value and it felt like going to someone’s home. Very welcoming.

Fabulous night out from the moment you walked in very friendly food was amazing service excellent This is a family run business serving up French inspired food it’s mentioned in the Michelin guide and is fine dining at its best

What a find! Lovely food, delightful service, great wine list - go soon!

Rude arrogant member of staff who had a go at me as I didn't realise it wasn't the shop carpark , could be a potential customer , lucky I didn't get out of my car before he scurried away like a coward back I inside , manners maketh man

An absolutely wonderful meal. The food was delicious and the service was very good.

Excellent food choice and service nothing could be better. A real treat of French cuisine at the highest level

A fabulous restaurant, family-owned and run. We are so lucky to have this neighbourhood gem. The food is outstanding, service flawless and the ambience is delightful. We keep returning!

The restaurant itself is dated and would benefit from a makeover, but the ambiance is good and with relaxing background music at the right level. The food is absolutely outstanding and very fairly priced considering its quality.

Lovely atmosphere, excellent service and outstanding food. A special place to dine.

Serene and delicious as always. Food absolutely outstanding and the atmosphere is wonderful. Definitely a destination!

Was a nice evening service was excellent, food was nice but could have been better for the value.

It's a long time since I've been treated to such good, old fashioned service and eaten such delicious food. I loved choosing from the menu in a relaxed fashion in the bar area while served with drinks and canapes and then taken to our table when the food was ready. There was an amuse bouche between each course, which was a treat, and I couldn't fault the food or service. I especially enjoyed my grilled sea bass with celeriac and asparagus but everything was delicious. The final treat was being given our coffee back in the bar area with our own pot and petit fours. The decor may not be to everyone's taste but with food as good as this why does that matter ?

This was unforgettable, first time of going to the Sundial, the food was delicious, good size portions with tasty palate refreshing treats between courses. Service faultless and atmosphere calming. Will definitely go again to celebrate that special occasion.

A wonderful experience in every way: a wide choice of appetising dishes with delicious food charmingly served in a comfortable and welcoming restaurant which never disappoints. Highly recommended.

Our second time at this wonderful place , it is a magical Experience stepping into this restaurant, the feel of A French family bistro with stunning views and gorgeous touches . Food is amazing, and so is the service . We will Definitely be back ! A real escape x

My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Sundial and could not have been happier. Owners Mary and Vincent were absolutely fantastic: we and our guests loved the amazing food and wine, the service was top notch, and the setting (including the room setup) was beautiful. All the extra little touches really made our day and we really appreciated their help and thoughtfulness. A fantastic restaurant for a celebration or a delicious meal - we 100% recommend.

The enjoyment starts with a warm welcome in a delightfully ambient setting. Polite and friendly service throughout the service. Each serving is a joy to the taste buds.

A French oasis in rural Sussex. Friendly, welcoming, excellent service, good food.

We didn’t intend to go here but we were driving pass and fancied a coffee, on entering we found out it was a French cuisine restaurant but they were happy for us just to have coffee and sit outside as we had the pooch with us. We ordered 2 lattes It was presented beautifully in china cups with some added small bites of cake and biscuits which was a lovely touch as we didn’t order them The coffee was good and cakes amazing. We shall be back to try the food as the menu looked amazing

I chose The Sundial to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary and we were not disappointed! We went for the Degustation Menu and it was excellent. The welcome, the food, the service and the ambience were all totally outstanding. Un grand merci!

Wonderful evening celebrating my husband’s birthday on Saturday evening at The Sundial restaurant & it definitely won’t be our last! Everything was excellent from the moment we walked through the door & had our pre-dinner drinks to the moment we finished our desserts & coffee. My husband & I have been fortunate to eat in lots of wonderful restaurants around the world & we both cannot recommend The Sundial restaurant highly enough & are looking to return in August for our wedding anniversary. We chose from the à-la-carte menu which consisted of a choice of starter, main & dessert but between these courses you have an amuse bouche, palette cleanser, freshly baked rolls, a choice to add an additional course which was a selection of cheese, biscuits, celery, carrots etc from the trolley (I think there were 23 cheeses on offer that evening) homemade biscuits/chocolates with coffee. The food was superb, lemon-sole & turbot cooked to perfection. The flaming crépe suzette was so tasty! We loved the finishing touches, pre-drinks in the bar area, the white linen table cloths to the attention to details from the staff & Mary (the owner) who was very welcoming from start to finish. We will definitely have to try the tasting menu when we next visit. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Sundial is simply the best restaurant in East Sussex

Amazing evening with great food and all the little extra bits made for a great night .

Had the most amazing lunch today for my friend Diana’s birthday. Food excellent as was the attention to detail and service. Very reasonable

Went to celebrate a special occasion and would most definitely return again. Outstanding food and service. Genuinely lovely people. Could not recommend The Sundial enough.

Fabulous food! What a hidden gem! A large group of us wanted a celebration meal and this didn't disappoint: we had duck, lamb, fish and vegetarian meals all cooked to perfection.

We are locals and are so lucky to have the Sundial in our neighbourhood. The food is always out of this world. The husband & wife team run such a welcoming, cosy, homely place but with such gastronomic delights! We thought the other tables on a weekday night were also enjoying themselves thoroughly. Will be back soon!

Our favourite restaurant in the South! Amazing menu, great service, nice and cosy venue, reasonable pricing. Highly recommended

Absolutely amazing food, service and setting. During each course we were treated to a small amose bouche. Everything was absolutely perfectly cooked. I will certainly return.

Delicious food beautifully presented with excellent personal service in very comfortable surroundings. There is a wide choice of dishes and we have never been disappointed. The Sundial is our restaurant of choice and we highly recommend it.

Our second visit to the Sundial and another superb meal. The quality of the food and service is second to none and the restaurant is a beautiful building.

The eight course taster menu is highly recommended - if you have the time for a leisurely meal. Excellent!

A perfect dining experience. Superb food and immaculate service in a beautiful setting

As usual the experience was superb, from welcome to departure. The quality of food, the varied menu met our expectations. It is not cheap but you get what you pay for, excellent French cuisine and service.

From the moment you arrive and receive a welcome greeting, you know you are in for a treat. The pre drink and bar area provide a restful and beautifully elehant area in which to peruse the extensive menu. You dont feel rushed and receive help, if needed, to negotiate the a la carte or set menu. We were not disappointed in the set menu, which enhanced a birthday celebration. Service is discrete and professional and food beautifully cooked and presented. Wonderful restaurant for a special occasion.

Having read the reviews, and looked at the very slick website, I expected to be overwhelmed, but we were far from it. If you like being transported back to the 60s then you will enjoy the 1960s décor of the lounge area and listening to Matt Munro playing in the background! This music is 60 years old!! The 'lounge' area smelt a little musty. The food was very basic. I had the fillet steak which was an end piece - when paying good money at a restaurant, I actually expect a good centre cut - the peppercorn sauce was very average. My friend had the sea bass which she said she could hardly taste due to the overwhelming flavour of red pepper/tomato from the sauce. The apple crumble arrived and was soggy on the top - the crumble was on the bottom... very odd. Would I go again? Definitely not.

Wow, wonderful food loads of flavour, I absolutely love this restaurant, and the people who own it, cannot wait to go back.

Intimate venue, very friendly and staff look after you. Food from the amazing chef is fantastic. This Definitely is not pub grub :-). Priced very fairly.

This has to be one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. It's not just that the food is really good but it is a complete experience. Nothing is rushed and you are given the time to enjoy the ambience and the food that you are given. The amuse-bouches which you receive between courses are exquisite and a wonderful touch! This really is a fantastic night out in which you feel like you are involved in a perfectly choregraphed performance of restaurant theatre which makes it like no other restaurant I have ever been to and which is why I have a great fondness for this place and I hope I always will!

If classic French cuisine is your thing then look no further. From delicious 'amuse-bouche' to homemade breads, especially the brown roll with cumin, and the home made 'petits fours', everything was great. The in-house Fois-gras was sublime and generous, and the lemon sole fillets with crab is also worthy of a special mention. The service was attentive but not overly so, with the added addition of a rare find in restaurants these days 'Hot Plates'!! Finally not a 'Foam' a 'Froth' or a 'Fermented' anything was to be found along with portion sizes that were generous, unlike that many other more expensive restaurants we have visited. The Sundial showed off excellent cooking in the classic French manner as it was always intended to be.

From the moment we stepped through the door, we were treated like royalty & a very warm welcome. The food was absolutely delicious, from our little appetisers whilst having our drinks & choosing our menu to the palet cleansers in between courses, amazing, s favourite place to eat & well worth every penny! Highly recommended!

Very attentive service and quality food and drinks. Pleasant dining experience in nice environment.

Excellent meal we had scallops and lobster to start with which was cook to perfection followed by steak and turbot which was delicious and the fillet steak cooked exactly as ordered . Service was attentive and faultless we will definitely be going back.

Great food and efficient service.

Very disappointed. The modern twist on traditional French cuisine has gone too far,and does not enhance the flavour of the dishes.

Completely exceeded our expectations. Service was outstanding. Food delicious and the little extras amazing. This will be our go to for any special occasion in future. Great wine list. Couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a Saturday lunchtime

Fabulous. Best restaurant in the south East. Mary is the perfect hostess Incentive and amazing chef. 5*

Had lunch on a wet windy Friday so it was very quiet. The food was excellent. We had canapés as we arrived, 4 courses which included an "amuse bouche" after the starter. Although £45 per head might be a little pricey for some, the food, wine selection and service are definitely worth it. Next visit might be an evening which I'm sure would be busier.

Excellent food, served impeccably by the owners. a memorable experience.

We had a delightful meal at the sundial and would highly recommend this restaurant. The calm atmosphere and delicious food made the visit memorable. The owner chef truly cooks with passion and the staff are attentive. The sundial is what one would expect a traditional high quality rest.

Absolutely amazing x had a wonderful lunch and felt completely spoilt. The food was outstanding - I couldn’t recommend anywhere nicer

Overall pleasant experience. But I did think overall dated service type. Some dishes was outstanding, with some overdone or tasteless . Ambience needs more music on background or something, as something was lacking there . Price wise , spent over 200£ for two, don’t think it was worth it

Vincent’s food is simply special - fabulous French cuisine with huge attention to detail

Mary and Vincent always give you a superb evening. The ambience, the food and the food experience are really something special

Excellent from every standpoint. Would not hesitate to recommend.

Very good for a special occasion. Food and service are "non-pareil" !

Superb food and wine in a very quiet and lovely setting.

Service was friendly and great, food was exquisite.. They catered for all our needs… We were a large group and each dish was phenomenal… Whether, starter, main or dessert.. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to going back..

Sundial had been recommended to us for a special wedding anniversary and it didn't disappoint on any level. The most amazing food we've had out in years comparable to Michelin Star restaurants. I had Lobster, Mango and Avocado Salad, my husband an incredibly generous started of Carpaccio and Parmesan, followed by Turbot with truffle sauce, asparagus tips and celeriac mousselline all of which was sensational. The deserts were extensive and my husband had a Tangerine Tart with ice cream and a citrus sauce and I a Catalan Creme Brûlée. And in between each course Amuse bouche appeared. The portions were the perfect size, the food faultless and service excellent. We couldn't recommend Sundial highly enough. We have now found our celebratory restaurant in Sussex and will definitely be back,. Thank you M Vincent the Chef and Mary managing Front of House - neither of you could be bettered.

There's a lovely ambiance at The Sundial; lovely linen covered tables with silver service in a setting that's conducive to fine dining. Some suggest the Sundial is on the pricier side. This may be, however it's a comparison between having a sumptuous meal at The Ritz in London, -vs- a 'quickie' at a roadside Little Chef. Dishes are ample, presented beautifully, and have a flavour which compliments the pallet. This is not a place for a run-in-run-out fast meal, but a destination where you may enjoy fine food in a convivial atmosphere. I recommend The Sundial when you want to show someone that you care about them. Enjoy! An update: gossip in the Herstmonceux village is that the Sun Dial has been sold and presumably will be closed in the not too distant future. Indeed, the high street real estate, replete with an ample car park made it a prime target for redevelopment. Sadly, the lovely village of Herstmonceux is becoming just another vanishing vista of village life from another era. Quelle horreur!

Very disappointing to find out that most of the previous reviews were either made up or by folk with no taste buds. Food was so average from start to finish. Service was mostly friendly but somewhat awkward.. Pre drinks were mostly undrinkable, bread was was hard as golf balls, good jaw exercises. Halloumi was really average, monk fish was terrible, not fresh and poorly cooked, beef Wellington was passable but it helps if you are starving. Pastry was half cooked, dessert was ok. What a shame, was looking forward to a lovely meal in a quiet Kent village restaurant and ended up at modern day fawlty towers minus the comedy

Absolutely fabulous . The Sundial is truly an eating experience

The Sundial is not cheap. But it is excellent value. Everything about this restaurant is done well. The welcome, the pre-dinner appetizers. the service, the quality of food. We will be returning.

Lovely food amazing ambience and lovely people

Really enjoyed our evening. The food was excellent and very relaxed atmosphere. Will definitely revisit.

Great service and lovely food, loved all the little extras between courses - would recommend.

Very pleasant and warm welome. Great atmosphere.. Enjoyed the experience immensely.