The Castle Inn in Rother

Fancied a nice pub lunch whilst the sun was out and we wasn’t disappointed. A bit pricier than your average but worth it as the food was great. Managed to find a table in the garden and the food was served quickly. Even got a visit from a duck while we were having a drink.

Great selection of pub food, decent portion size, and delicious. Sat outside on a beautiful day. Staff were friendly and welcoming, couldn't ask for more.

Great location just across from Bodiam Castle. It has a large parking lot at the back and massive garden area with benches leading to the run with views of the castle and steam train in the distance. Food me y looked really good and there is an extensive list of beers and wines. Staff was friendly and quick to help.

Very disappointed,I go in many country pubs this pub was great 20 years ago , people will always go there as it's a tourist attraction next door but very cramped inside dark , expensive for what it is would not go back again ,

Great food, great choice of drinks

Came in on a Sunday evening and was greeted really warmly and kindly by the ladies behind the bar. The service was great, but the roast was amazing and so was the desert. Totally recommend visiting and would hope to visit again if in the area.

We stayed in Bodiam and this pub was recommended. We booked for a dinner and we were not disappointed. I asked for a couple of changes to my meal and the staff were happy to oblige. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Really nice pub, friendly staff, decent food

Fantastic food, knowledgeable and kind service. Confirmed gluten safe with separate friers and an excellent chef. A+

Amazing food, beautiful view from the garden. Inside was cosy also but with the sun out made the most of it.

Nice welcome on arrival & food to match at reasonable prices. Thanks for great lunch and definitely look forward to seeing you again when next in the area.

My wife and I were on holiday from the US and toured Bodiam Castle for a few hours. It was a sunny but cold day and we decided to walk over to this pub for a light lunch. I did not want to ruin my appetite as it was late and we had dinner reservations in a few hours, so I ordered the carrot soup and crispy bread and my wife ordered the grill cheese. Of course these were paired with a couple of pints. The carrot soup was an experience. It was absolutely delicious. I have never tasted a soup so delicious. It is a must. My wife raved about the grill cheese as well. Great job and hats off to the chef. Apparently the fish and chips are great too, but I did not get a chance to try them.

Excellently located, just opposite to entrance of Bodiam castle. Sufficiently large parking of their own. Place is dog-friendly ! Food was adequate quantity. It was served quickly, even if the place was almost full due to large footfalls to the Castle for the school term break ! Staff is very warm and friendly !

The food was great, and the pud was cosy and warm, just what we wanted, after our long walk. Thank you

Warm welcome, lovely fire, great service, so accommodating and the food is plentiful and delicious, couldn't want for more. Highly re the fish and chips, and the fish pie.

Popped in for lunch mid week and was very impressed with the sausage plowmans.

Four of us met here for lunch and as always the food was perfect. Two had a rabbit course, one had fish pie and I had fish & chips. We were all unanimous that the food was excellent and served by the usual very efficient friendly lady. Only slight snag was that only reopening that day after a short break some of the beer pipes from the cellar were still frozen after a very long and very cold spell, but still others were available,

Tasty food, kind and friendly personnel. Recommended 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lovely pub, visited in mid December stumbled in quite late and was happily served some amazing food, great atmosphere, service and location!

A group of us visited the Castle Inn for lunch and drinks after we had been out for the day and were very pleased that we chose this pub, the food, service and drinks were all excellent.

I had a kids Cheeseburger because I wasn’t hungry and I was a bit disappointed to see that the burger was tiny. But apart from that the Chips were amazing and it was a great experience to have for my Mums Birthday

Great, friendly and dog friendly too. Enjoyed some impromptu singing... highly recommend... food delicious 😋

Great hosts who genuinely care about their guests. This is is a fabulous place to eat, food is divine and it’s in such a beautiful location. Highly recommended by our family. Thank you James and Wendy and the team ❤️ We had a lovely afternoon / evening

Great until family with noisy small children turned up.

I left Bodiam Castle a little late, which is very close to this place, so I went up to ask if they were still serving food or had they already closed the kitchen. They told me that I could stay without a problem, and I ordered a beef and cheddar cheese sandwich (originally it was Stilton cheese but I changed it for a softer cheese), a kind of puff pastry with goat cheese, and a brownie for dessert. Everything I tried was very delicious, the place was really cozy, and the waitress's attention was very close and attentive, so in all aspects the experience was very positive. The price was a little high in my opinion, but everything was delicious.

Visited with my Mum and Nan and dog to a wonderfully warm inviting pub. Sat in front of the fire with pleasant background music. Service was prompt and very friendly. Couldn’t fault anything. Will be returning to try the pheasant in the coming weeks.

Four of us enjoyed lunch here after walking round the castle. Three had fish & Chips - excellent and large portions. The fourth had 4 venison sausages which she said were great.

After walking around Bodiam castle , we popped over to Castle Inn pub for lunch . We visited on a tuesday in Nov and it was quiet empty . The lady behind the bar was very welcoming and friendly . Service was great . Food was hot , fresh and came really quickly . I had cider batter fish and chips and my husband had steak sandwich ( which had blue cheese too 🤤 ) with a side of katsu curry chips . Both our chips were really tasty and like dipper shape . A great big garden and terrace outside , which I'm sure would be lovely in finer weather . We had our dog with us and she was welcomed in , so a very dog 🐕 friendly pub .

Wonderful old world charm, lovely staff, good food. Highly recommend

Terrific guinea fowl risotto- the nicest tenderest roast Guinea fowl I’ve had for many years. My wife had hake with samphire- also very good. Nice selection of wines by the glass, and cask ale

The food was great ,the staff very helpful and friendly ,hardly waited any time for my order to arrive,would definitely be back , as it is family orientated

Been here twice a nice country pub but both times the staff seemed a little unwelcoming

Really excellent menu. My daughters are vegan and vegetarian and I am a carnivore, and all of us had really interesting meals (dog friendly too!)

Dropped into the Castle Inn after a visit to Bodiam Castle. Had Cider Battered Fish and Chip. Very big portion of fish and absolutely delicious. Chips were also great and even though I'm not a big fan, the peas were nice too (soft and fresh looking - didn't look shrivelled and dry as they do most times) Only dropped a star as there wasn't much of a choice of beers but the one I had was nice.

Perfect, nothing more needs to be said! Best service, very good quality of food..

Lovely pub, thoroughly recommended. Great choice of beers, friendly service, varied delicious pub menu with lots of generous, tasty options at reasonable prices. Beautiful large patio and garden (which extends directly down to the river Rother towpath) at the rear where food is brought to your table. Plenty of parking at the back, and across the road from the entrance to the stunning Bodiam Castle.

Great food, in a great location.

Dropped in here after a day at Lacock Abbey. Friendly staff and a nice clean cosy environment. Had the cream tea 😋 very nice, huge pot of tea and plenty of jam and cream. Son had a pint of Guinness and was happy with himself. Lovely place, would definitely visit again when in the area.

We loved coming to the Castle Inn especially in the autumn and winter. The chef was brilliant. However, something has changed. The food is disappointing and is no where near the same standard. We are hoping this is a blip so will can continue to enjoy the castle Inn.

We visited today for a family Sunday lunch for 20. We had a wonderful and very relaxed few hours, the food was fantastic and the Castle Inn team were great, from brilliant service to sorting out a special menu for one of the party who has gluten and dairy intolerances. We will certainly be returning!

I’m a bit loathe to write a good review because I don’t like places to be over busy or booked up so that I can’t go 😂 They serve the best Sunday lunch I think I’ve ever had outside of cooking my own/eating at family’s house. I went 3 weeks out of 4 for a Sunday lunch and enjoyed it immensely. I’m sure the other food is just as delicious, but I’ve only been for the roast dinner. Will be back soon!

Had a delicious lunch at the Castle Inn, after an enjoyable visit to Bodiam Castle. Service was excellent. We had Fish and Chips, very tasty, Salmon salad and Mac & Cheese, all great dishes. Lovely atmosphere 👍🏼

Pleasant pub even though beer is Shepherd and Neame which my husband who likes Harveys, dislikes, and staff good. However they have changed the winter menu to a peculiar summer menu and changed chef I would guess because the food was largely unattractive and that goes for starters mains and desserts. Four of us ordered different things. There was curry this and katsu that and a linguine that sounded nice but was tatleless, ad a chocolate brownie that was horrible, and so on ad infinitum. Really bad and not cheap as they have put their prices up even more. We are going elsewhere. We used to go a lot in winter when the chef was a really good one.

Great food, nice atmosphere with a friendly welcome and dogs welcome. Inside or outside seating and great location for bodiam castle and trains.

Lovely food for all of us: burger, fish and ploughman’s. Good portions and friendly staff. The location is beautiful too and we were lucky to visit on a sunny day. My only gripe was that there was only one working toilet near the bar and access to the garden where we were sat. Would definitely return for food and service!

Saturday evening quite busy, but we found a nice place to sit outside and food came fast. Kids enjoyed running around in the field.

I've been to The Castle many times over the years. Food is really good as are the drinks and service. Always busy so parking can be a challenge, but worth it.

Great pub lovely green, and beer n food was banging!

Good food right next to Bodiam Castle.

Excellent lunch here with a big thank you to James for making us so welcome.

A lovely country pub in the shadow of Bodiam Castle. A reasonably priced selection of well-kept local and international drinks, and a very friendly welcome from the 'governor'. We strolled to the pub in 10 minutes from the steam train station and spent a pleasant hour in the pub garden. Well worth the walk, and the food menu looked good. We were just pressed for time - we will eat on our next visit! 😉

Great looking pub, perfect for a meal, after our walk around the Castle opposite. We were able to get seating outside in the beautiful sun shine. There is a field adjacent for the kids and dogs to be entertained in while the drinks and food is being prepared and cooked. We enjoyed the burgers, Sunday roast, soup of the day and fish and chips. All very tasty and nice generous portions. As you walk into pub, the bar is straight ahead, you can't miss it. The toilets are to the left and well kept. The only let down was the person smoking around the tables, no need as there is a designated seated smoking area just up from all the tables. Also if they want to be dog friendly, there needs to be easy access to water, the only thing I saw was a pot bought out with sparkling water in it.

This place is an absolute gem! The pub food is incredible and so good for people with allergies. Staff were really knowledgeable about coeliac and they have a second fryer which meant there was an incredible amount of choice. It also has a beautiful garden - worth a visit!

Lovely food - we come back year after year during a camping weekend. Great service and huge portions. Already looking forward to coming back next year!

Food not as good as it used to be unfortunately. The burger was tiny for £18 and the battered cod had more batter than fish. Forgot our food after starters so mains were more or less cold. Bit of a disappointment. Landlord friendly.

Lovely pub with great food and excellent service xx

Myself, wife and daughter had a Fantastic meal here a few days ago ( Saturday ). We arrived just as the Lunchtime rush had ended, indeed within half an hour there was just a pleasant amount of customers present. The Service was pleasant, quality of the Food was excellent along with generous portion sizes. Very varied Menu Board one of those quick take my order before I change my mind AGAIN. Suffice to say it's just a matter of time until our next visit. Great Venue, Great Staff, Fantastic Quality and Quickly Prepared Food.Whsts not to like

Beautiful pub and great location. The cider battered cod was terrific! Great staff as well.

Really varied menu, you could stay a week nearby and eat something different every day. Recommend the dirty halloumi chips and jerk salmon

Very nice place to have a good lunch or to spend some time drinking beers. It is in front of "National Trust" Castle. The food Is fresh and tasty with a big selection of differenti dishes.

Superb Loaded Fries and great Moroccan lamb dish. Usual Shepherd Neame ales plus a Shepherd Neame special ale. Great garden. Friendly staff.

Great place for dinner. Good, varied menu, good food and excellent service. We were made to feel very welcome even though the pub was busy (it had been the village school sports day). Look out for the painting of Bodiam Castle on the ceiling in the bar. Seating inside or outside. We went on a bright sunny day and had drinks first on the terrace before going into the restaurant. Huge field for children to run around in below the terrace.

Tastiest food I've had anywhere for a long time. Was excellent!

We are staying on holiday local to this pub and tried it for a pint on the first night. We had booked for a family of seven for lunch the day after, and all I can say is that EVERYONE gave their meal a 5 star thumbs up. A really great menu, everything served hot, a bit of a slightly different twist, and decent portions. We enjoyed it so much that we went back for evening meal the night after, and tea two days later. Great atmosphere too, quite traditional in its furnishings, lots of details in wood. Attentive staff even though they were evidently busy. We tried loads of things from the menu over three visits and couldn't fault a thing. A couple of hand pulled real ales and the a good range of cask and lagers. Loved it and would recommend to anyone. They get busier at lunch so best to book.

Really nice pub in the middle of Bodiam with a large lawn area for children (or tipsy adults) to play in. Came in for a few drinks with family and staff were pleasant and there was a lovely Sunday afternoon atmosphere. Definitely would visit again if in Bodiam

Booked to stay on a Monday night and non school holiday, using our 7.4 m MH and parked overnight in carpark. Dog friendly and surrounded by many great walks Staff friendly and attentive. Menu range good and not just run of the mill food. Quality and presentation good. Perfect stopover for Bodium Castle and Steam Railway (often closed on a Monday).

Another gorgeous Sunday Lunch enjoyed by us followed by a Deliscious Bannoffee Cheesecake! Superb Food Guaranteed everytime!

Visited there today 9/6/24 great food and service we sat outside on furthest table from pub and nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Would highly recommended.

We were a bit concerned because the pub was full and sometimes that means long waiting times and less care in the kitchen. But everything was very good! We liked the creative menu and the availability of English wines by the glass. We enjoyed the sea bream and jerk salmon a lot. A perfect stop during a very long hike.

Picture book castle but just a ruin. It would be interesting to see what life in the castle actually looked like.

Delicious food, nice ambience and good service, what more could you want.

Great atmosphere. Exciting menu. Great service.

A very friendly well-managed pub that delivers both on the food and drinks front. An absolute must if you're in the area.

Good old fashioned pub, good food ,good portion size, service good and reasonably priced ,

Really enjoyed a number of visits to this pub during our stay Food was great and especially the roasts

Had breakfast it was lovely. My family stayed here had a quick look at the rooms, nice styled rooms.

Nice . Always coming as soon as i have a chance.

Great food, reasonably price and served by friendly staff. I wish I could remember the names of the lovely people who served our table of 14 people, because they did such a thorough job. Highly recommend.....and the beer garden is fantastic on a warm summers day

Popped in for lunch on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, the service was lovely, the food just as good. Would highly recommend

Megan was so helpful with her warm personality and we felt welcomed at Castle Inn. My son enjoyed the experience and we will definitely come back again.

Great place to relax and grab some food.

We were staying at a B&B 10 minutes away and took a flyer on this pub for dinner because we knew Bodiam from previous visits. We loved The Castle Inn so much we came back the following night! Wonderful, pubby space inside that manages to be "tarted up" but still authentic and without looking like a gastropub. Food (fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding, risotto with sea bream) was superb across the board, and the staff were friendly and welcoming, even to us tourists. Lots of dogs, too (a big plus in our book.)

Fabulous meal. Very generous portions and choices. Great staff. Clean and tidy and we will definitely be back . Thank you

Went twice in two days to eat. Nice standard "pub grub" of good quality. Pleasant staff and good service. Excellently cooked Sunday roast. Only problem is that it's a Shep's pub - my problem, not theirs!

What an absolute gem of a country pub, absolutely superb service and a very friendly welcome from all the staff, can't wait to go back, the beef and Stilton sandwich I'll dream about forever. Great quality and well kept beer too

Charming country pub dating back to 1885, though it was formerly known as The Red Lion in its previous 15th century incarnation - likely serving merchants and tradesmen coming to the castle on business (being the only accommodation in the village), also serving the canal traffic which reached the adjacent Bodiam Bridge until the end of the last century. Food was tasty and served quickly, so a great stop after catching the steam train from Tenterden, before venturing into the castle. If you found my review or photos interesting please leave a quick thumbs up 👍 Thank you

When we visit Sussex we always try and have a Sunday lunch. It's amazing.

Never fails, delicious food and very swift service. Super clean and peaceful atmosphere. Very good for families. There’s a garden and parking. Close to the castle and train station. The food is really good quality and well prepared - we are in good hands at this place. Loved the ceiling pairing but also the funny paintings in the ladies . We would put pics of food here but we were way to hungry and it was way to good 😊 see you next time thank you!

Without the castle being opposite this pub would surely close as the food we had was served cold. Even the plates were stone cold and the food had no taste whatsoever. We were very disappointed that had to wait so long for such a below average meal, The ambience of the pub doesn’t exist And the staff have a poor attitude to their job and were sitting behind the bar, eating their food as they were serving. We since used the Curlew nearby and have found it to be superior in every way.

The food was excellent, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Thanks to Jade, especially for her help explaining the ceiling painting and for careful attention throughout.

Pleasant traditional pub with an open fire just over the road from Bodiam Castle. The food was very enjoyable, particularly the pan fried sea bream special served on a pea and asparagus risotto delicious and good value at £18. Other half had the chicken and leek pie, also very good. Friendly and helpful waitress, we felt well looked after. Only dropping a star for the rather uncomfortable seating: upright chairs - or alternatively benches with such puffed up back cushions there wasn't much space to sit. A few comfy armchairs would absolutely make this place. Dog friendly.

Lunch with the wife during the week was fantastic.

You know when staff are so rude, it actually spoils the rest of your day? I wanted to ask if I'd done anything to offend them. Food looked nice and maybe I just came on a bad day. But won't be rushing back!

Thanks for an amazing meal today, seated all 12 of us, by the fire 🔥. Food came out all together and was delicious. Highly recommend!

Fantastic food and brilliant service. Highly recommended pub just across from Bodiam Castle. Also superb dinner menu. Always a warm welcome from the team.

Staff as aways so friendly, the lovely Jade served us, and the food just keeps getting better, all 4 of us had superb dinners, thank you!

All excellent here. Lovely staff food beer and ambience. All done properly as it should!!! Thanks.

Its our New years day tradition, a walk aounds the castle and lunch at this great pub, not as busy this year compared to previous years but that didnt change the great food from a varied menu. The service was also great as usual. We will continue our tradition for as long as we can. If only we lived closer.

Booked in here on a Saturday afternoon with our camper and booked in for an evening meal. We were Allowed to stay overnight in the car park if we book a meal. Fantastic location opposite Bodiam castle and a lovely cosy pub with open fire. Service, food and atmosphere was all first class and could not fault a thing. Thank you for a lovely Saturday, we will definitely be back.

Great pub to have lunch after visiting the castle and a walk. Food was great, we had the goats cheese baguette which was lovely and well priced. Plenty of high chairs for kids and the staff are efficient and friendly. Great all round pub!