Sussex Exchange in Hastings

Ripped off during COVID never went back not surprised they’ve gone bust AWFUL PLACE 😡

This business has now gone into administration and is no longer operating. It has been reported widely in the local press - but their web site is still up and running! A shame, as it was a bit of a jewel.

Was given a £50 voucher just before covid. Unfortunately when they re opened it had gone our of date and guess what, they wouldn't let me use it even though they'd been shut and I wasn't able to use it. Now it's closing down I am glad. When I used to work as a cleaner there I was told by the up his own backside manager that he didn't want people from this town in sussex exchange as its much too good for them, he wanted people with money to come. Why build it in the butt crack of hastings if you wanted all the posho's there really baffles me. Couldn't even pay me to go to this place when it was open, absolute dire place pretending to be posh as anything but in reality it's just a restaurant with a nightclub and cinema.

Was quite disappointed as half of the menu items were unavailable, and the service was pretty slow despite practically being empty. The main saviour was the cinema downstairs, which was fantastic.

Awful service. Ridiculous wait times for a very mediocre drink. Overpriced. Gave my driver friend an alcoholic drink when she asked for a cocktail. Avoid avoid avoid

Well what can I say about this place, surroundings are lovely, however that's about the only positive about the restaurant, the meal and service was appalling, my nieces and I were out for a farewell meal before one of my nieces went back home to Australia, three of my nieces ordered the lamb, which was still raw, the dauphinoise potatoes were burnt to a cinder, when we complained the manager was abrupt, offered another meal, which they accepted, again the lamb was raw, and the potato and spinach rosti was disgusting, my nieces had been there before and that was the reason we went back, the managers attitude was terrible and he ought to take a course on customer service, the chef should go back to school and learn how to cook, the price of the the three meals were taken of the bill, there are more things I could complain about, but don't have enough space.

We came for a hen afternoon tea which we all had a lovely time

Food was lovely and great cocktails. Abi was fab and lovely and looked after us well. Thanks Abi x It was a busy night with lots of parties in but we still felt looked after. X

The waiter was very nice.would definitely come back.I thought that it would be as everyone with Sunday roast (which I was slightly disappointed) but I was wrong 😁the menu was different and I had a chance to try something new.the cocktails had fresh fruits beautiful cut in them.I also would like to try on the next visit The afternoon tea. Other 2 tables had afternoon tea which was nicely made I would like to have a try.other all I am very happy that I choose to come to Sussex Exchange on Father's Day with my dad.Thank you

It is a lovely venue for drinks and dinner with friends. Jane is amazing and so accommodating, especially for making the evening so special. The food was amazing!! Thank you for such a lovely evening.

We visited for a meal and to see a movie. Couldn't fault anything, the food was superb, the cocktails are lovely and the cinema is the best in the area. The host is really welcoming and attentive. Very much looking forward to returning.

Had such a fun time at the Sussex exchange. The service is excellent. The mocktails are so delicious. I love the decor. The food was scrumptious. The cinema is so gorgeous and comfortable and the sound system is fantastic too. 11/10!!!

Been here a few times and always been great until our this last visit! Drinks and food took forever to arrive! starters came we had to ask for plates to eat them! Mains came but we had missing sides by this point we didn’t bother ordering puddings! Music was too loud we could hardly talk to friends we went with! Unfortunately we won’t be returning which is a shame the venue itself was lovely at one point, now it’s looking tacky, cheap and dirty! They mainly concentrate on hens and young party goers! Oh and ladies toilets are disgusting, more like a grotty spoons!!

impressive interior thats obviously had major investment, friendly staff catered well with some dietary requirements and very god value. particularly good steaks and roast dinners

Did not have food as only went to see back to black. Alana the hostess was friendly and welcoming, happy. Explained everything clearly. Alana is a credit to The Sussex Exchange. Thank you Alana

Been here a few time for dinner and cinema, the cinema is a most try if you have not yet experienced it

Looks ok but that’s where it ends. Terrible food. Ordered fillet steak and was given sirloin. Complained and was met with hostility. Steak was awful anyway. Tried to charge us for fillet. Emailed head office to complain twice with no response. Terrible service. Would never go here again!

Really poor meal for 5 diners, 1 out of 5 enjoyed main meal, all starters bad. Didn’t bother with dessert as didn’t want to waste money. Service was good , really friendly and helpful. Very disappointing for a special birthday night out for a hard working mum of 5. Won’t re-visit

Been here a handful of times and never ever disappoint!! Delicious food and great atmosphere! Our server was Jasmine, she was absolutely perfect and attentive!

Popped in for tea and cakes, always lovely. The biscoff cheese cake was TRIFFIC! One of Gastings best kept secrets this place, can’t fault the food, ambience or service.

We had high hopes based on the hype but the the whole experience was a real disappointment. Firstly very empty so no atmosphere. When it came to service it was like being served by robots who aimlessly walked around carrying and iPad and wearing a headset. No personality and had to “radio in” any questions via the headset. The menu was extremely limited, and then even with the limited menu things were out of stock. No actual menus, all QR code. Half our drinks order forgotten and had to chase. They were able to make me a drink not on the menu but it wasn’t great. Mains arrived before starters had been cleared. We all had roasts, slim portions, very dried out potatoes and flavourless veg. I like my Beef rare but this looked liked it has barely seen an oven. Not offered or asked if we wanted water No salt or pepper on the table, had to ask for standard Sunday roast sauces. Overall a real disappointment and poor value for money given it’s far from cheap We won’t be coming back.

What a beautiful place. Beautiful decor, atmosphere was amazing, lady behind the bar was so helpful and great at cocktails! Will be back!

We had high hopes based on the hype but the the whole experience was a real disappointment. Firstly very empty so no atmosphere. When it came to service it was like being served by robots who aimlessly walked around carrying and iPad and wearing a headset. No personality and had to “radio in” any questions via the headset. The menu was extremely limited, and then even with the limited menu things were out of stock. No actual menus, all QR code. Half our drinks order forgotten and had to chase. They were able to make me a drink not on the menu but it wasn’t great. Mains arrived before starters had been cleared. We all had roasts, slim portions, very dried out potatoes and flavourless veg. I like my Beef rare but this looked liked it has barely seen an oven. Not offered or asked if we wanted water No salt or pepper on the table, had to ask for standard Sunday roast sauces. Overall a real disappointment and poor value for money given it’s far from cheap We won’t be coming back.

Disaster from start to finish. Nothing more than a gloried Harvester. 10 of us arrived for a birthday celebration at 8pm, for which we had to pre-order our food. Upon arrival, we were seated across 2 booths so our party was divided for the evening. There is absolutely no point in this establishment asking for a pre-order. As when we arrived the waiting staff had to read out what each person ordered to confirm that’s what we wanted, or if we wanted to add or take off anything. After which the kitchen would then prepare the food. This meant we were waiting over an hour for our food to arrive. When it did, half of us received our meals & the rest of us were left waiting. We were informed that this was because the pre-order was sent to some screen, but not all of the order appeared on it, hence the delay. We questioned why having to wait so long to receive food we had pre-ordered & so expected to arrive quickly & a member of staff said that the pre-order was just for them to make sure they had enough food for that evening…. Even though we could have completely changed / added what we wanted. Makes 0 sense. Ordering drinks was also painful, one completely spilled over one of our party members by the waiting staff & getting any emptied glasses & bottles cleared seemed like 1 task too much. When all of our main courses did arrive, some of our chips were cold & it was beyond bizarre that the burgers came in coloured buns. Why? The vegetarian burger turning up in a Shrek green bun was particularly unpleasant. The price of the food vs. the quality also leaves a lot to be desired. Beef burgers full of gristle, chicken burger dry & flavourless in a stale bun, and a thimble serving of coleslaw, that if you ask for extra only gets remembered after then finishing your meal. Mac & cheese was also flavourless & deffo from a packet. Also be weary when asked if you want your burger to come with chips or sweet potato fries - the sweet potato ones cost extra (no mention of this on website or by staff). The pre-order confusion raised its ugly head again with sides we had cancelled still turning up, or duplicates of ones we had ordered coming to the table. Trying to deduct one cheesecake from a total of 7 cheesecakes for desert was a headache to say the least. We finally wrapped up dinner at 10:45 & headed down to the club downstairs. The club, although has a nice atmosphere is sadly let down by the holes in the ceiling dripping water, the women’s toilets that had no toilet roll - as all of the dispensers were missing/ broken. If there was any toilet roll it was just on the floor… lovely. And a DJ that sounded like it was their first time ever on the decks. Choice of music/ mixing was bizarre - just play the classics as they come! The beat matching between songs was shocking… even a couple of instances of songs being cut off, few second pause & then a new song starting. We wanted to have a good dance after our dinner, but sadly sat down for most of it & left an hour later. This place definitely focuses on looking good rather that doing good. For the price & the experience they claim to offer / project, it leaves a lot to be desired. We won’t be returning.

Had an amazing night here with my partner! The cocktails were fantastic and looked as amazing as they tasted. Lovely lady with glasses behind the bar was SO helpful in advising us on mocktails. Excited to come back!

10 of us arrived for a birthday celebration at 8pm, for which we had to pre-order our food. Upon arrival, we were seated across 2 booths so our party was divided for the evening. There is absolutely no point in this establishment asking for a pre-order. As when we arrived the waiting staff had to read out what each person ordered to confirm that’s what we wanted, or if we wanted to add or take off anything. After which the kitchen would then prepare the food. This meant we were waiting over an hour for our food to arrive. When it did, half of us received our meals & the rest of us were left waiting. We were informed that this was because the pre-order was sent to some screen, but not all of the order appeared on it, hence the delay. We questioned why having to wait so long to receive food we had pre-ordered & so expected to arrive quickly & a member of staff said that the pre-order was just for them to make sure they had enough food for that evening…. Even though we could have completely changed / added what we wanted. Makes 0 sense. Ordering drinks was also painful, one completely spilled over one of our party members by the waiting staff & getting any emptied glasses & bottles cleared seemed like 1 task too much. When all of our main courses did arrive, some of our chips were cold & it was beyond bizarre that the burgers came in coloured buns. Why? The vegetarian burger turning up in a Shrek green bun was particularly unpleasant. The price of the food vs. the quality also leaves a lot to be desired. Beef burgers full of gristle, chicken burger dry & flavourless in a stale bun, and a thimble serving of coleslaw, that if you ask for extra only gets remembered after then finishing your meal. Mac & cheese was also flavourless & deffo from a packet. Also be weary when asked if you want your burger to come with chips or sweet potato fries - the sweet potato ones cost extra (no mention of this on website or by staff). The pre-order confusion raised its ugly head again with sides we had cancelled still turning up, or duplicates of ones we had ordered coming to the table. Trying to deduct one cheesecake from a total of 7 cheesecakes for desert was a headache to say the least. We finally wrapped up dinner at 10:45 & headed down to the club downstairs. The club, although has a nice atmosphere is sadly let down by the holes in the ceiling dripping water, the women’s toilets that had no toilet roll - as all of the dispensers were missing/ broken. If there was any toilet roll it was just on the floor… lovely. And a DJ that sounded like it was their first time ever on the decks. Choice of music/ mixing was bizarre - just play the classics as they come! The beat matching between songs was shocking… even a couple of instances of songs being cut off, few second pause & then a new song starting. We wanted to have a good dance after our dinner, but sadly sat down for most of it & left an hour later. This place definitely focuses on looking good rather that doing good. For the price & the experience they claim to offer / project, it leaves a lot to be desired. We won’t be returning.

We went for a Mothers Day afternoon tea. This was our first time visit at this venue and we were pleased to see how clean it was with floral decorations adorning all the ceilings; making the surroundings a pleasure to be in. The restaurant had a warm welcoming atmosphere and the staff were friendly and attentive. The food was excellent and nicely presented. Would highly recommend a visit to this restaurant to enjoy fine dining.

My family took me to Sussex Exchange for Mother's Day...pre orders were placed before the day...we still had to wait over an hour for food. We eventually got the children's food 15 minutes before the adults. The roast beef was more like a chargrilled slab,no slices,chewy. The expensive steak was still crawling..should of been medium. Had to wait 20 minutes for children's ice cream...my family don't like to complain. When they paid the expensive bill..I made it clear how bad the food was. Certainly won't be returning.

Once arrived we were seated straight away by the friendly staff and the restaurant all looked nice We ordered the food and drinks which came out looking ok But the food was cold and when we ordered desserts they took forever to come out The staff are friendly but we thought we were always overlooked and rushed to eat and go which was a shame It’s not worth the journey or the price tag Maybe it would be better in the summer time Needs a bigger menu and mor for vegetarians we asked what the vegetarian roast was and the reply was just the vegetables which come with the meat roasts but for the same money which was strange

On arrival all was ok and friendly staff etc and when the food come out it looked great But the food was cold which was a shame and we felt constantly over looked by the staff like being rushed along

What a wonderful evening I have just spent at the Sussex Exchange for Mothering Sunday with my youngest daughter and her partner. The ambience was lovely. The food was delicious. The best part were the staff who were welcoming and friendly. Jasmine in particular was our waitress together with another colleague whose name I don’t recall. Jasmine as was her colleague very attentive to us and nothing was too much trouble. She kept us up to speed with our order and was friendly and polite. We will definitely be returning in the very near future. Thank you for this evening I had a great time, especially as I had been doing the same job all day nearby! Thank you Jasmine from Ros X

I was prompted to leave a Trustpilot review as I left on my visit, so here's my experience: The restaurant boasts a charming look, complemented by ample free parking. Please note, the lighting outside the entrance is not adequate, so take care. Our dining venture took an unexpected turn upon our 7:00 pm arrival. The music's excessive volume, akin to a nightclub atmosphere, was disconcerting and has evidently been a recurring concern as per previous reviews—yet seemingly overlooked by the management. We asked for the music to be turned down, which they did a little bit. The loud music significantly detracted from the enjoyment of our dining experience, prompting us to contemplate an immediate departure before we ordered. Initially we were seated in very close proximity to a group with a lively young child running about, we requested a more suitable table, which the host accommodated. Oddly, we were told the entire restaurant was fully booked for the night, a statement contradicted by the observable available space. Regrettably, the food's quality and variety fell short, failing to deliver the unique and exceptional dining experience one anticipates. While the dishes arrived promptly, they resembled typical pub grub in the style of Hungry Horse. Despite culinary shortcomings, the staff maintained a generally pleasant demeanor. However, floor management needs improvement, evidenced by multiple inquiries about our meal satisfaction and I overheard a customer complain about their bill. In summary, although certain aspects of the dining experience were positive it is expensive for what it offers and it is not worth it. There’s considerable room for improvement in addressing issues such as the loud music and the quality and variety of food offered. The Sussex Exchange might find a more fitting home in Hoxton than Hastings. While a return to the restaurant seems unlikely, I must commend the excellent cinema experience they provide.

Everything about our visit for afternoon tea was just awful. On arrival we gave our booking name to 3 different staff who passed us on before we finally got seated. The tables are cramped and located close together, so there is no privacy. The restaurat was hot and stuffy. Afternoon tea took 40 minutes to arrive, although pre ordered. Sandwiches were dry and cakes weren't much better. Staff were swanning about with headsets and Ipads yet couldn't make a decision without consulting each other. At £27 per head it was really not worth the money! Won't be returning.

We booked for a table of 10 on a Thursday night, the booking was confirmed, when we arrived the lady serving straight away moaned that we hadn’t pre ordered, which they hadn’t contacted us to do. Not only this there was no one else in the place. So I’d be worried just going for tea without booking if they can’t cope for 10 people on one night!!! We advised two more people were now coming who were added to each end of the table. The service for drinks was quite slow. In the end there was only one item not available from the many starters main and deserts we ordered. On the third bottle of wine numerous people said the wine tasted different and was clearly corked, we told the waitress who immediately acted like we was lying, she took the bottle came back and said staff didn’t think it was so they wouldn’t replace. The bottle sat there and wasn’t drunk, she returned and offered a 20% discount on an undrinkable bottle of wine! Whilst there another 2 tables came a table of 4 and 2 but they weren’t there for long, our table ordered 3 courses and multiple drinks so we had easily spent 75% of their income that night and to act like the patrons were lying was disgusting, we intended on staying and continuing to drink cocktails and wine but due to this we swiftly left. Outrageous customer service. Food was nice though.

Absolutely gobsmacked at the customer service we received - called to cancel booking due to exceptional circumstances that were beyond reasonable control and was informed that “it wasn’t their fault that someone had fallen ill and that you will still be charged”. Was then informed if I had called 2 hours earlier it wouldn’t have been charged (which is beyond my control as we don’t choose when people get rushed in to hospital) Would Iove to hear from someone on this to understand why I wasn’t given such a poor response.

Shocking service waited an hour and half for our starter even though we had to pre ordered. Arrogant manager that blamed the terrible service on our hen party for being drunk (imagine that being drunk on a hen party) it eventually came out that they were short staff. Beautiful venue but would not recommend!!

Lovely meal and cocktails tonight with great service especially from Jasmine!! Food was amazing and the cocktails kept flowing!

Me and my friend got ready for nothing!! We checked 3 times last night on the website when it closes it said 3am we got there at 12 and everything was shut we stood in the cold waiting for a taxi wasted our money and time. UPDATE THE TIMES TO NOT WASTE PEOPLES TIMES AND MONEY.

"First visit for us. Slow service, starter came before drinks. Waited another hour for main course and when it came, my husbands medium steak came out looking like a piece of leather. Looked like it had been sat drying out for ages. He decided that as we had waited an hour for that be cooked that he was not waiting another hour for a replacement. The waiter just took it away, no apology, nothing. I ordered more drinks and again it was 20 mins for them to come. Terrible service and ruined our night

What a fabulous meal tonight for my daughter’s Birthday. We were served by the lovely Jane, service was fantastic and the cocktails …. Wow!

Lovely experience for afternoon tea. Jane provided an excellent service!

Super place to see your favourite film, Plenty of parking, wonderfully comfortable large seats, and you can take a glass of wine into the salon! Reasonably good menu for omnivores but slightly disappointing regarding plant based /vegetarian options. Despite this a great environment, lovely staff and an allround super experience. Looking forward to a few more plant based alternatives on my next visit :-)

Really beautiful place... Great food

We all enjoyed the food, cocktails were great and atmosphere was spot on. Jane who took care of us that night was brilliant. Will definitely be returning.

Visited last night for the first time with my partner for dinner. My waitress Jane was so helpful. She made the evening so special for us. Thankyou for such a lovely night. Will be coming back for more amazing cocktails & great service!

Booked a table last minute for my Sister’s birthday. There was 4 of us and we all had steak which was very nice. If I was going to grumble about something it would be that the chips were overcooked but other than that the meal was very nice. The service from Jane was very good & she was very friendly and helpful! Good atmosphere & music x

Very expensive over cooked food , poor service and VERY rude front of house staff member. Overheard swearing about a group of customers that hadn’t done anything wrong.

My second time here and this time was by far the best.Came with my two daughters for a birthday meal,well what a lovely evening we had all round,The food was absolutely spot on as was the service and atmosphere. A special mention to Jane who welcomed us and looked after us all evening,so polite and full of smiles.A great employee to your restaurant....Thank you Jane for making our evening so nice.We will definitely be returning.

Such an overrated, overpriced venue. All food was extremely bland, basic and very overcooked. Chicken was awful, tasteless and extremely dry. Instead of faffing making a pink burger bun, make sure the burger patties are of good quality, they were dry and tough with rediculous amount of herbs sprinkled on. Service very slow at times, no one coming over to check food ok or in need more drinks had to continuously ask someone or chase missing ones up. Could see lots of other tables food left or being sent back. Absolutely NOT worth the money at all even with complaining and getting money off it felt like daylight robbery. This place concentrates more on appearance rather than delivering decent food and drink. Didn’t like having to use our phones for the menu and physical ones not available on request. Lighting and Tv screens are everywhere not ideal for people with sensitivities.

Great evening celebrating a friends 40th birthday lovely food, amazing service thank you Jane for being such a great host. 🥰

Jane our superb waitress for the evening was absolutely fan dabey dosey. Served with with smile and made us feel all relaxed and welcomed. Krackerjack

If I could I would give the cinema part 10 points. It is really nice. However I honestly think the food in restaurant is way below average or perhaps someone just had a bad day or ....stop using so much creativity when you are making the menu. I had to laugh because we had 3 different burgers and soooo much dyed food was on table it started with green bun in vegan burger, then we had normal bun with green chicken but the cherry on top was pink (signature) bun with "normal burger" with signature pink mayonnaise ( mayonnaise with pink dye ) Why ? Make this stop ! ;) So at the end it is very expensive fun for burger that is possibly comparable with petrol station.

First time visiting and was disappointed to not see a sign for the place when coming from A21 and Ridgeway...easy to miss and then a very long way before you can turn around so don't miss it!! Once there plenty of free parking. Nice welcome and shown seating. Was a booked in advance afternoon tea for a surprise 60th. Was displayed nicely and plenty to eat, however not as much attention given to the drink side which was slightly disappointing. Had to remind staff for the coffees that were ordered and for top ups to the tea pots too. Not the cheapest afternoon tea at £25 each but was pleasant surroundings. If booking again would make a request for table to see the view and to not be tucked in corner but that's just personal preference.

Nice venue, the food was definitely the highlight. The cocktails tasted super nice. However the service was a bit slow, which the restaurant did apologise for.

All top show. Very nice to look at but freezing cold, poor quality cutlery & cheap paper serviettes. Food is very average and overpriced. Draught beer choice is poor. Upload your menu cocktail took 20 minutes because the internet went down. Yes, you read that right. Ate most of it with my coat on. In & out in 90mins.

All top show. Very nice to look at but freezing cold, poor quality cutlery & cheap paper serviettes. Food is very average and overpriced. Draught beer choice is poor. Upload your menu cocktail took 20 minutes because the internet went down. Yes, you read that right. Ate most of it with my coat on. In & out in 90mins.

Our family of 7 ate at the Sussex Exchange yesterday. We were all looking forward to this being a special event however we found the food, and at times the service to be very disappointing. Firstly having QR codes to view menus on phones does not suit everybody’s needs. Two of our party were older people and one has Alzheimer’s. It would be helpful to be able to offer physical menus although our waiter did let them use his IPad to view the menus. Our starters and main courses were served fairly quickly. The food was incredibly poor, when you charge elevated prices it is reasonable to expect higher quality food. This was not our experience. For sample the pitta, dips and vegetables was extremely basic and poorly presented. The calamari was lacking flavour and was not well cooked. The burgers were poorly assembled to the point they were falling over as the waiter carried them to the table. The steaks were bland, lacked seasoning and were decidedly average and disappointing. By the time we ordered desserts the restaurant was emptying, yet we were left waiting over 30 minutes to get 3 desserts, 2 were ice cream and the other was chocolate fudge cake. The cake, which should have been warm, was not and the ice cream was melted. The cake was brought to the table and was eaten long before the ice cream actually arrived. Overall there are far nicer restaurants, with better food and service that charge less and have less pretentious dress codes etc. If you purport to be a higher standard of restaurant and charge a higher price, you at least need to come up with the goods! Finally the policy of raising issues with the food at the time is not always appropriate, as in our case it would have upset some of our party.

Very rude Management staff especially the woman who certainly had no managerial skills. whom was unable to discuss things without threats. If anyone can direct me to who owns this place I would like to detail this review with a telephone conversation.

The menu looked good, however the vegetarian options were not available. Although the chef did make a chickpea dish for me. The desserts we wanted from the menu again were not available! Also no decaf coffee available. A very expensive but disappointing experience. On a positive note the waiting staff were friendly and apologetic.

Kirsty and the team made us super welcome. We had two tables a party of 9 for a birthday meal for our daughter and a table for my husband and I. The food was really lovely, the service impeccable and the drinks lovely and refreshing. We were made so welcome and can’t wait to come back again soon.

The venue itself is absolutely beautiful, there’s no disputing that. Some of the food however was appalling. A table of 12, 4 of us ordered the chicken shish and told the waitress it was awful a few minutes into eating the food. She walked away and came back 20 minutes later and said there’s nothing she could do as we had already started eating it. I must add it wasn’t just the dry unseasoned chicken that was bad, plain boiled rice. After a lot of back and forth she took the food away and offered something else. By this point the rest of the party had finished thier food so we didn’t take her up on the offer. We spent a huge amount of money (our bill was over £1000) and the food and customer service were not ok. We then went down to the bar downstairs which was pretty empty. We asked the DJ to play a few different songs however he didn’t know anything we asked him for (all very current) so it was pretty quiet and boring in there. Company was great which helped. It feels like they were going for a “Sheesh- Essex” vibe but nowhere near. The closest thing is the food price. Will not return, ever.

Afternoon Tea here was gorgeous for my family and friends, makes a special occasion out of it. Lovely vibes and Kirsty was very helpful especially when it came to splitting the bill. Thank-you so much!

Me and my girlfriend went here on new year eve for dinner and it was amazing food was great and staff was brilliant and the cocktails was outstanding.

Arrived to an almost empty room with blaring drum and base music. 😏 There is clearly a lack of decision made regarding what sort of venue this is. Flashing lights, tv screen with a repetitive ad, tonnes of decoration in pink, soft seating, well dressed...

Had a wonderful afternoon tea with the family, served by Kirsty. Everything was just lovely, she was very attentive throughout, the food was superb even if it was more than we could eat! We were able to bring home a snack bag for later 😊...

The worst service to come across. Service TERRIBLE. Food TERRIBLE. I ordered my steak twice and both times it came out cold. Also they refused to do anything about it. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this restaurant save your money and go else where with better service and food.

Unfortunately, my experience at Sussex Exchange was disappointing. The food arrived cold despite being sent back twice, and the service was subpar. Additionally, we were unexpectedly not allowed to enjoy our own birthday cake. Regrettably, I cannot recommend this place based on my visit.

"I recently visited the Sussex Exchange restaurant for a birthday celebration, hoping for a delightful experience. However, the reality was quite disappointing. The food quality was below average, and what was more concerning was witnessing one of the chefs engaging in unhygienic behavior, licking food off plates behind the glass. This was extremely off-putting and unacceptable. Adding to the disappointment, the service provided was far from satisfactory. Furthermore, despite spending nearly £400 on our meal, when we wanted to bring out our own birthday cake, we were unexpectedly refused. Overall, my visit to the Sussex Exchange fell short of expectations. The issues with food quality, hygiene, service, and the significant bill greatly affected our enjoyment of the celebration. Improvement in these areas is crucial to provide a more pleasant dining experience for future customers."

We had salmon to start where 2 out of the 4 of us only had croutons which was strange then the steaks were burnt and tasted of charcoal and not how we wanted even after them sending us some new ones but we ate them...

It's lovely food and service was great. Tomahawk steak is a must. Quite loud and not easy to have a conversation!

My food was good (I had the chicken kebab) but my dates was a bit dry (chicken burger). Jack the waiter was excellent and very attentive.

Great atmos and service. Very easy to order and food was good. Slightly dry chicken burger but starters were great. Jack served us and was awesome. Definitely try the cocktails. Will return.

Terrible evening out. Very loud music within the venue, did get moved to a quieter area which was tolerable but cold. Calamari starter very tough, unable to finish, was mentioned to the waitress. Sirloin steak main also very tough and cold. Plates also cold which...

Had a lovely experience. Started with a delicious meal and then cinema. The staff especially Jane were all lovely and helpful. Would highly recommend

we both had steaks which came to the table perfectly cooked the staff were very attentive and the cocktails were excellent

Went here for afternoon tea and it was lovely. The staff were all so friendly and helpful especially Kirsty, went above and beyond. Thankyou for a lovely experience!

For a welcoming atmosphere, delectable and delicate food, you can't go wrong with The Sussex Exchange...good value for money and well worth a visit!

Decided to try lunch here, as we were passing, although I was a little concerned about the reviews, some of which were terrible. In my opinion it doesn’t deserve terrible but it’s very average for the price. The waitress was very friendly and helpful and...

We had visitors to stay and decided to visit The Sussex Exchange for the first time. From the moment we walked in it was an experience. The restaurant is amazing and beautifully appointed. Bright and contemporary. The staff are welcoming and very friendly. We felt...

Beautifully decorated and clean contemporary restaurant. Really friendly and helpful staff, very careful about allergies, even to the point of asking the chef. Our food was delicious, freshly cooked and beautifully presented. A real experience!

Our company had our Christmas party here. We had the whole venue and it was an excellent night. Chris and his team worked hard to create a fantastic night out for us all, the buffet food was delicious and varied with entertainment and service top...

Afternoon tea at The Sussex Exchange was very enjoyable, decorated for Christmas, the whole place was warm and inviting. The staff very friendly and accommodating when we asked to move closer to the stunning countryside view. The sandwiches were delicious, the scones fresh, warm and...

Horrible service horrible food took more than 1 hour to get food it was over cooked waited about 20 mins for first drinks never again

Birthday celebration with long distance family for high tea. massive scones as part of tea to make up for what they didn't provide. split family of 9 and although booking really early didn't tell me we would be split up so lovely family celebration and...

Such a lovely place, delivers every time. The roast was amazing and excellent service. Special mention to Matt who served us, he was so brilliant and attentive with everything and made sure we had such a lovely experience!

Had an amazing experience last Sunday with our host Matthew great food and an amazing service thank you so much

Had a lovely evening here for my birthday the food was excellent and our server Emily was so lovely and attentive

Matt and Ben served us tonight and the service was great as was the food! Highly recommend going here 😍

good food and music. nice lights. our server Emily was very lovely and helpful throughout the night. big up to Emily!!

Choose to celebrate my 21st birthday at the Sussex Exchange, wish I hadn’t! Where we were sat it was so cold, I had to keep my coat on the whole time I was there otherwise I was shaking. The time between being sat and having our order taken was way too long because of this we decided to order our drinks, starters and mains all at the same time in hopes that it would mean we’d have our food in a reasonable time. How wrong we were! Considering I had booked to go here to celebrate my 21st birthday, I was utterly disappointed and wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say it put a dampener on the whole day.

Fantastic night out for my birthday everything was perfect!! Especially thank you to Matt our waiter who couldn’t do enough for us, enjoyed by all!! :-D

Absolutely lovely roast dinner with friends, lovely beef lots of veg and cauliflower cheese. Will definitely be back for a roast. Great service staff are very attentive

Our family of 7 ate at the Sussex Exchange yesterday. We were all looking forward to this being a special event however we found the food, and at times the service to be very disappointing. Firstly having QR codes to view menus on phones does...

We’ve all been a few times now and never needed to complain. This time we went for Sunday lunch and it was delicious! It was nice to have the choice of rare or well done beef. The veggies and cauliflower cheese were perfect accomplishments. Followed...

We had a birthday meal here yesterday and the experience was appalling. We were a table of 10, which I understand it can take some time to cook the food, however waiting over two hours for our mains is unacceptable. We had to pre order...

We had a birthday meal here yesterday and the experience was appalling. We were a table of 10, which I understand it can take some time to cook the food, however waiting over two hours for our mains is unacceptable. We had to pre order our food too, so waiting this long this is not on. Once the food finally arrived, the chips were cold and soggy. I took the last bite of my vegetarian burger, and imbedded in it was a long hair. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed. The young female waiter was lovely and very apologetic. However, the managent were rude and seemed very condescending to us, as we were young adults. I was made to feel like I was a liar, as the female manger said we get customers saying this all the time to try and get a discount/meal taken off. Surely there is an issue on their behalf if customers are regularly saying this? We stated how the CCTV camera would have recorded me pulling the the piece of hair from my mouth, and everyone looking to see what had happened. The male manger then said he would return, but never did. We heard nothing else about the situation from the staff members and had the male bouncer watching us, making us feel uncomfortable. The young female waiter was lovely and attentive with drinks. For a £500 bill and travelling an hour and a half to get there and back, we would have just liked a sincere apology from the managers. The way the mangers handled the whole situation was unprofessional and ruined the rest of the evening for us all. Will definitely not be coming back to this overpriced restaurant and do not recommend.

We had a table booked for 8pm, our table was for 10 guests. The whole restaurant had a chill to it, so much that most of us kept our coats on. There was a portable heater next to us, but it wasn't doing much. We weren't eating our mains until 10pm, I understand that we are a big table but 2 hours for mains (which we had to pre-order days prior) is unacceptable, especially when the food is already overpriced. I ordered the chicken burger, when this arrived, the burger had one small dollop of sauce in and the lettuce was shrivelled, like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. In one of our burgers there was a hair, instantly she stopped eating it and we flagged down our waitress, who was really apologetic about it, and she informed us that she would tell her manager. A few minutes later, she arrives back to let us know that she couldn't do anything about it as the burger was already majority eaten (how was we going to find a hair without eating the burger?). We then explained to the waitress that we would like to talk to her manager, to which the waitress said that she would take one of our guests to her. After this, finally, the manager came over and started inspecting the plate and asking us loads of questions, such as 'where is the hair?', 'how long was it?' etc. She then took the plate to the kitchen to inspect it as the lighting by the table was poor. 5 - 10 minutes later, a gentlemen came over in a white shirt, we assumed he was either a manager or a bouncer. He too was asking questions about what happened, but then turned rather rude and was trying to shut us down whenever we decided to talk. He explained that everyone in the kitchen had short hair and was hearing a hat and hairnet. Throughout all of this, we were never rude to them, they kept asking us questions and we answered with what happened. After going back and forth about how they have had this complaint multiple times and we could be faking it, we explained that there was a camera just next to us that they could look through to find the footage of her pulling the hair out of her food/mouth and us all looking over to see what had happened. He then walked off without saying anything and never came back. I believe the way that this situation was handled was unaccpetable and really put a dampner on a birthday meal that we travelled over a hour to get too. After finishing our meal, one of the other waiters came over and just said 'amount?', we were confused by this as we hadn't even been handed a bill yet. After the whole 'hair' incident, security kept popping their head round the corner as if we were up to something. However, on a positive note, our waitress was lovely, she was very apologetic about the situation and throughout the whole night, made sure we had what we needed. I would expect a better service for a £500 bill.

Had a catch up with the girls really nice setting the food was ok I had a vegetarian burger although it was nice the person that brought it to the table didn't seem to know if is was definitely vegetarian that made me a bit worried . My friend asked for sweet potato fries and got normal Fries they did swap them for her.staff were friendly but service was slow . Was a little disappointed as it was our first time here in a few years.

Appalling!!! Arrived early on a Sunday for our table, told we weren’t allowed to order a drink because we were 20 minutes early. Also told we couldn’t order from the bar. Not told how to order or see the menu. 50% of the food was sold out but considering it was a 12:30 booking. Service was very very very slow and almost non existent. We have been here an hour and ten minutes and still no food! Told us the steak could only be cooked well done. 3 steaks on the menu, only one option not sold out and they only had one of those which HAD to be well done. We nearly walked out numerous times. The worst restaurant I have visited in years.

Great venue to enjoy an evening wherever that’s the amazing food, the stunning cocktails or visiting the cinema or even the exclusive Mia lounge after dinner on a Friday or Saturday