Sundial in Wealden - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

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.

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.

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

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

Amazing food and really good service.

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

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

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!

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 ?

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Excellent food. The Starters, Dessert and Coffee were especially wonderful! The lady serving us today was very friendly and made us feel welcome. :)

Fantastic restaurant. Excellent food and caring service

A superb lunch today. Attentive service, excellent menu. Very pleasant dining room. It was nice to enjoy our coffee on a sofa in another area of the restaurant.

Amazing experience. An authentic atmosphere with extremely fine cuisine. Loved every moment, thank you!

What a treat. Traditional French cuisine with a lovely menu in an hotel that values and presents excellent service. We loved it and will return when we can next afford it!

Without doubt the best meal we have eaten in a restaurant in years. A charming cottage feel to the lounge and restaurant and the reasonably priced food was exceptional. Having recently moved to this part of East Sussex we no longer need to look any further for a superb dining experience for special occasions- or the occasional treat! Thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys fine food - and a very good wine list too.

Fantastic food, brilliant personable service. Wow! What a meal! Thank you for making this another special visit. Superb wine list too. Can’t wait to return. :)

A delightful, generous restaurant with a large car park and friendly, helpful staff. Three of as enjoyed dinner here and had a most enjoyable evening. £45 for three delicious courses is very reasonable and includes nibbles with pre-dinner drinks, an amuse bouche, and petit fours with coffee. The guinea fowl is especially recommended. Lounge with comfortable sofas for pre-dinner drinks and coffee. Dining room spacious with well spaced tables furnished with beautiful linen, cutlery and crockery. Wonderful

Relaxed dining with outstanding service and cuisine in an authentic dining space.

We had lunch here today and we’re astonished that there was only one other table occupied. This is French cuisine of the highest quality. We chose from the a la carte menu and would have been delighted with anything on the menu. The food is expertly cooked and beautifully presented and the service was charming. At £55 for three courses (plus canapés, an amuse bouche, a sorbet and a pre dessert, it is amazingly good value for food of such quality.

Wonderful food in a traditional, French inspired restaurant. A superb menu of 3 excellent courses for £55, with lots of choice including a divine fillet steak! However it is the little treats, all included in the price, that make this restaurant stand out, and make the meal a special experience. Amuse bouche with drinks, and before the meal (a delicious crayfish mousse). Then a calvados granita before the main course and a chocolate coated Berry ice cream lollipop as a predessert. We had a super evening. This restaurant is a lovely place for a special meal, or a business meeting or a gathering of family and friends. We will be back! Thank you.

A wonderful evening at this excellent, traditional fine dining restaurant. This was a return visit after several years, as we were visiting on holiday. To us it was a delight to find the quality of the food, the lovely, gentle welcome and service, and all the little 'treats' between courses remained in place. This is one of the few restaurants we have been to recently where everything is about the food. Excellent ingredients, beautifully prepared and cooked. An amuse boucle with drinks beforehand, another delicious Crayfish mousse taster before the meal. Complimentary bread... something we see less and less. The £55 3 course menu had an excellent range of options, including fillet steak, which my husband chose, and it was delicious and so tender. A calvados granite palate cleanser before the main course, and a pre-dessert are all included in the £55, which we felt was excellent value for a meal of this quality. The decor is comfortable and traditional, but it is the food that counts! Perfect for a special celebration, or just a relaxed meal with friends. We just wish we lived nearer. Thank you so much

Must be our favourite restaurant. Even having to travel from Shoreham. Well worth it. Fantastic food and top rate service. Can not recommend it more highly.

Had a really fine meal with first-class friendly service.

Turned up out of the blue for lunch today (Saturday) and received a warm and gentle welcome. Sundial is a delight, in a classic way; we sat in a sofa with a drink while pouring over a wide range of menu items, we're supplied with canapés before being shown to our table. Food and wine were delicious. Atmosphere very comfortable. A gem of a restaurant and we hope to go back when next in the area. So please everyone pay a visit, well worth it.

The Sundial never disappoints when it comes to real fine dining, exquisite food, and charming ambience. We have visited on many occasions, and each visit is as wonderful as the rest. Food is first class, beautifully presented and tastes delicious. Service is outstanding, attentive whilst subtle. Cannot recommend highly enough!

We had not visited the Sundial for a while, but it was just lovely to revisit. What I like is that you sit in the lounge area while having an aperitif, and looking at the menus and wine list. The table is beautifully laid out,...

This was my second visit to Sundial and it was another visit which will be remembered for all the right reasons!! The welcome was warm, petite fours and drinks relaxing before we were shown to our table. We had the taster menu and what a...

I have been going to the Sundial for nearly 50 years with different chefs, nationalities and twice with the current owners. I went with someone who works in hospitality and is lucky enough to visit world class places so we are likely to be picky.....

This restaurant may be dated, but this only adds to its charm. From start to finish this was a unique dining experience. The decor is out dated, but classy. A chance to truly exit the rat race. Once I'd gotten over the formalities and the...

Family celebration lunch for 13 in April 2023 in private room. Delicious choice of dishes and wines cooked and served impeccably.

This is a sophisticated place with excellent food and perfect service. It is, however, a bit dated, this is in keeping with the quality of service which you would not normally expect today, but still feels dated.

Oh my goodness, what a little gem. Lovely food. Old school service. I had a roast duck dish. Perfect roast tatoes.

We had a lovely meal tonight. Food was delicious and service was really good. Not sure why people are giving it a bad review. Everything we had was Amazing. I think this restaurant is a real little gem and we will definitely be back

Lovely food. Very good service & very friendly staff.

An amazing restaurant, with amazing food and an amazing host and of course an amazing chef, they all went out of their way to ensure my mum had a lovely birthday.

This is the 2nd visit we have made to Sundial, our first being 5 months ago and my second review. It has confirmed my original impression that this has to be one of the best restaurants in East Sussex. Knowing some other people who have also been, there's no doubt that the service remains unfailingly excellent and the menu interesting, with wonderful flavours and beautifully presented. The £42 dinner set menu is varied and good value, especially when each guest is made to feel very special. We can't rate it highly enough and it will continue to be a 'go to' for us for special occasions. Wonderful!

Exceeded all expectations, We read some recent reviews and thought maybe we would not enjoy. We started with a very open mind after being recommended to go there. We had a lovely welcome, sat drinking an aperitif with very tasty nibbles whilst choosing our menu...

Excellent food and service with little extras during the evening making it an occasion rather than just dinner out.

Attention to detail is off the charts, exquisitely cooked French cuisine with a personal touch, a warm and welcoming atmosphere and fantastic cocktails.

My partner and i were nicely greeted and made to feel very welcome upon our arrival . We sat and chose our drinks and food within a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere before being shown to our table . Petit fours and Our food courses were...

We had a really fun relaxed evening but I do think the restaurant could do with a bit of modernising. Service was impeccable and most of the food was lovely. But there could be a better veggie option. I found the aubergine main to be...

A group of old friends that we always celebrate New Year with had the idea of having a "Come Dine with Me" NYE dinner and for back up in case everything went south we arranged New Year's Day lunch at the Sundial, which was recommended...

We have been going to the Sundial regularly for the past 20 years and have enjoyed many a Christmas Day lunch there. This year was as wonderful as always; tables were beautifully decorated with ornaments and chocolates, whilst service was attentive and considerate. We were...

We visited the restaurant for the first time for Christmas dinner. £135 per head. The welcome drink was rushed, capapes were simply left cold on the over crowed table that was not suitable for 5 of us, in fact one could hardly pick up a...

This was our first visit to the sundial after moving to the area. We wanted a nice couples night out, good food and atmosphere. On first impressions, the interior is extremely tired and very stuck in the 90s. Everything about it is so dated -...

Taken to this lovely restaurant for a pre Christmas lunch, what a find! Delicious lunch in comfortable calm surroundings. Food and service were spot on - Thank you! Wish I could give 6 stars.

Old school food, but decent service.

Very disappointed. Starter was just a lump of cream cheese wrapped in smoked salmon. Main course, a dried-out, rubbery pheasant (microwaved?!) and tasteless vegetables. Apathetic waitress did not offer a replacement or apology, just a pot of thick gravy. Lacklustre and dated decor, dirty windows...

Just the best. I haven't eaten finer food in the UK. This is the third time I've eaten here in 2 years and it's still marvelous. The service and ambiance is also top notch too. Not a cheap restaurant but great value for this quality of excellence.

Not sure about the food but the owners of the Restaurant are extremely rude to their staff..employing young people and paying them pittance and speaking to them like dirt… personally I wouldn’t let my Dog eat there!!!.

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at the Sundial along with a group of friends. What a special place and a super lunch that will live long in our memory. Msr Rongier the Chef/Owner is a culinary artist and his wife, Mary, who takes care of the front of house made us very welcome. The presentation and quality of the food was exceptional and we all enjoyed the lunch enormously. Can't wait to pay another visit.

This restaurant is located in a really quaint cottage in the village of Herstmonceux, and has it's own carpark. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team, and boasts a superb menu with quality offerings normally reserved for high-end London-based restaurants. The ambience...

This is old fashioned in the best possible way, with superb table service, excellent presentation and delicious and interesting food. From the moment we arrived, when we were shown to a comfortable and relaxing reception area to look at our menus and have pre dinner drinks, we felt special. The standards of service were excellent and considering this restaurant has been in existence for over 20-years, it seems to me, as a first-time visitor that standards have not dropped at all. A Rarity these days. There were so many lovely touches not least the excellent palate cleansers between each course. We had one of the set dinner menus, at £42 a head and we actually excellent value for the quality of the food. Unusually for a set menu, the selection of courses was excellent. Add to this, a courteous and efficient staff and I have to say that this is one of the best restaurants we have visited in a long time. Long may it continue.

Best restaurant i have ever been to.

Very good food, friendly service, lovely views from the back while having an aperitif.

As always brilliant. Of course not cheap but food excellent and service fantastic.

Tremendous food and excellent service. Recommended.

Perfect dining experience, well worth five stars.

This is unshamelessly the best restaurant I have dined in near Hastings. It is the epitome of excellence. From getting out of your car to getting back in again is a beautiful journey of decadence. I had the most exquisite lunch on the beautiful patio served by a wonderful young lady. This is truely a family run business with a wonderful passion and commitment to excellence. You will most definitely go away with a smile dining here. Just perfect.

A truly superb fine dining experience with a relaxed atmosphere, this Restaurant keeps getting better !!

As always just perfect! Food totally sublime & beautifully presented. Hosts are lovely people who provide a wonderful ambience & nothing is too much trouble with extremely reasonable prices. The food and service at The Sundial is always exceptional and in lovely surroundings. It is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Nice little extras included, such as amuse bouche and granito between courses. The service is impeccable and not intrusive and there is always plenty of time to enjoy the meal without being rushed. There is an excellent wine list, which caters for all tastes and a very knowledgeable hostess. Don't forget to try their Cremant de Bourgogne - delicious! Have never been able to fault a single meal we have enjoyed there. Really looking forward to going again soon!

Vincent & Mary have created the most wonderful, inviting and scrumptious restaurant. Proper old school fine dining at it's best.

We ate at The Sundial for the first time today. Wow, what a wonderful restaurant. The service is friendly yet professional. Little touches made all the difference. The food was amazing. I had the turbot and my husband had the lemon sole. The creme caramel and pear crumble were Wow. Before and during the courses there were little surprises which I won’t mention as it was such a lovely surprise. Thank you so much.

Amazing food , great service 💯 % recommend this place .

best restaurant in the country im saying this as a food lover and after trying most of the Michelin star restaurants in london

Fantastic food and service! Thank you very much!

Great service and very tasty food.

Six of us went there for lunch to celebrate two birthdays. This is a small family run restaurant, the website says "... with a reputation for fantastic food..." It should also say with excellent service from the owner and her team. We arrived together, met with smiling staff and in the reception area a table was prepared with six chairs. Our meal selection was given while we had our aperitif. We went to the table for our meal and without asking who was having which food the correct plate was given to each of us. The food was delicious, everyone had a fantastic meal. We enjoyed coffee and petit fours in reception, where the owner chef came to speak to us. Without waiting for another celebration, we will be going back for another meal. Thank you Mary and Vincent.

A lovely relaxing experience! Amuse-bouches with a pre dinner drink on a comfy sofa while we perused the menu. Then absolutely delicious food which we chose from a set price menu. Many other choices available. Thoroughly recommended for that special celebration.

Actually I am the Mother of the 16 year old, you have made several comments about, in reply to the LM review. I could add the texts to this comment, which shows differently to what you have said, concerning picking up wages that she had earnt. LM made the comment on the day you told my daughter, rudly to leave your premises, as putting your hand on her and guiding her out. I don't believe jeans, t-shirt and under part of hair being a different colour, should make any difference for picking up a wage, when your closing time is 3:30pm and she was told to go between 4pm and 4:30pm, her getting there around 4:20pm. You would not even let her explain, that she did not know it was a customer that answered the door! I had doubts after her shift, with some of the stuff that she and other staff shared and felt it was not a good working environment for my daughter, and also due to her not being comfortable to tell you about her disability on her training shift, as some stuff you was complaining about directly at her, is linked to her disability. I never would have left a review, if not for hearing of how you spoke of my daughter to staff and online. Please see attachments I have decide to add these, to share why I felt after this being online for 5 days, that I should reply as a Mother. Mrs C Curtis

Probably the best restaurant in East Sussex. Super chef patron, great ambiance, warm and welcoming front of house management by his wife beautifully appointed and furnished friendly room. A gem

Very, very nice restaurant. Great food and service. Thank you.

The Sundial never ceases to offer a most pleasurable experience. A restaurant with a lovely homely ambiance and delightful food. Mary and Vincent are most welcoming. The Menu is varied and gives high end value for money. I would highly recommend The Sundial restaurant.

Possibly one if the nicest dining experiences we’ve had for a long time. The food was delicious but the service, surroundings and ambiance with first class. The wine list was incredible and definitely requires another visit. The staff were very attentive but whilst adhering to guidelines and making it feel very normal. The tables were nicely spaced out. Can’t speak highly enough about this restaurant. Please don’t change anything in the future it’s a real treat to experience.

Superb food exquisitely presented, and outstanding service. The king fried scallops were delicious, ditto the lemon sole and venison, and the desserts... wow, works of art on a plate. Plus delicate fragrant palate cleansers after each course. All the stars. Thank you.

Thank you Mary & Vincent Rongier You made my Birthday meal soecial If you want real French cuisine then this is for you The food was more than amazing. The choice of Bas Almanac was too much The welcome was homely. We will become regulars as we miss France so much

We enjoyed the seasonal menu of the lobster salad followed by the rossini with the accompanying mises en bouche and pre desserts all included. Dessertwise, we chose the chocolate entremets and a crepe suzette. We picked an Haut Medoc to accompany from the very extensive wine list. It had no Provence reds we favour, but I have a minority taste in that respect.The food quality is absolutely outstanding. The lobster salad had subtle ginger undertones and was sublimely offset by the mango and minted pea vine. Our beef fillets were beautifully aged with a real depth of flavour. Desserts were nicely customised for our birthdays. I can't find any fault at all. A really lovely evening.

Superb meal, attentive (but not overly intrusive) friendly staff. Well worth the visit and thoroughly recommended.

The day before my son got married we had a very special Mother & Son lunch at The Sundial. It really could not have been more perfect and the food and wines are all very fine with each dish executed with divine excellence. Thank you so much.