The Cove in Rother

We had a fantastic dinner in this warm welcoming pub in Fairlight, Hastings. The decor, finely curated reclaimed tables, chairs, wall hangings etc was tastefully and comfortably done. The staff were friendly and attentive and the food was beautifully prepared and presented: I had venison meatballs in a tomato sauce with focaccia, while my beautiful pagan wife had sea bass on a bed of spring greens. A side order of triple cooked, slimline chips gave us a bit of carbo -crunch to compliment the protein intake. This was followed by equally tasty deserts; Tart Tartin (the best ever ever had), and sticky toffee pudding, which was light as well as delicious. There was an extensive wine list, but not being a oenophile I plumped for a bottle of Rathaus Radler, a German version of shandy which knocks the spots off the British version. On top of this the place is extremely dog-friendly, so we some nice canine interaction whilst munching. And the bill for all we had, plus olive starter came to a very reasonable £68 (including well deserved service charge of 12%). Highly recommended.

Good pub grub. A relaxed vibe & lovely staff. I ordered triple cooked chips with my sea-bass, thinking they would be chunky and home cooked, whereas these were skinny fries. One of the group ordered the watermelon salad, which she said was lovely & it looked beautiful. The five enjoyed our Thursday supper.

I stayed one night. All of the staff were welcoming, friendly and very helpful. My room was very modern and comfortable. The evening meal was outstanding. The chef tweaked the menu to make it fully vegan. And it was one of the best meals I've had anywhere. And they had a place to securely store my bike.

Wonderful little restaurant with a cute outdoor area. Food was really good and staff were friendly and helpful! Would definitely come again if we weren’t on holiday :)

I thought the cove was a dog friendly pub, so took my two rescue dogs with me for an early evening drink. They sat quietly under the table for the duration of our visit. As we were preparing to leave another group arrived with a dog and sat at the adjacent table. The 3 dogs began to bark at each other so we decided to take one dog at a time past their table as it stood between us and the door and we wanted to make a calm exit. No sooner had my friend left with the first dog than the bar man started swearing at me and telling me I had to leave. I was obviously in the process of leaving and trying to do it in a responsible way, but the bar man had neither the intelligence nor the courtesy to appreciate that we were trying to manage our exit as calmly as we could. The barman's hostile, insulting attitude was completely unnecessary and showed complete disrespect for the pub, his job and the customers.

We’ve just had a lovely couple of hours at The Cove with family for Sunday lunch. The atmosphere was relaxed, the staff welcoming and friendly, a good selection of wines on offer and the food was full of flavour and seasonal. Can’t wait to return!

Another great pub experience! The Cove is near Hastings. Some friends took us for Saturday lunch. The weather was fab so we sat outside in the lovely garden. The food was sensational pub food. The service perfect. I shall definitely return for a walk along the beach and another great meal. Probably best to book ahead.

Very friendly warm welcome. Cosy setting but classy menu a treat no exaggeration best steak and mushroom pie ever tasted

The food was delicious! I recommend the Welsh rarebit and the gnocchi. Both very tasty dishes. My husband said the fish fry was great. We will definitely go again!

I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The pub has some cool vintage decoration and the food was top notch. PS: you have to try the chocolate ganache :)

Had a wonderful trip to The Cove for a Sunday Roast. SO delicious and fresh. ALso tried the gnocchi which was DIVINE. Lovely atmosphere and staff very helpful and friendly. All very well priced too. I will definitely be back !

We loved our Sunday roast at The Cove...what a gem of a find after a long walk from Hastings! Great atmosphere, the staff were helpful, efficient and friendly. It was very busy on a Sunday lunch time, but the food was excellent and came out fairly quickly. We had roast beef which was beautifully cooked, crispy roast potatoes and cheesy cauliflower. Had a great red wine from Romania recommended to us. Can't wait to return to this cool place in Fairlight - not much else going on in the village but they are lucky to have this pub!

Very disappointing! We booked a table a few days before for the Sunday roast and no roasts left at 3.00. Not even an apology just “it’s been busy.” Choices were fish and chips or a burger. We said we wouldn’t eat and they didn’t even ask why. Other people were complaining their food hadn’t arrived we won’t ever be going back. Definitely doesn’t live up to their reputation and reviews.

Fantastic service, relaxed but felt special. Delicious food, consistent having been several times. Great wines and good selection of local beers.

The Cove is the perfect place to spend an autumnal Sunday afternoon. Chilled atmosphere, log burner, superb roast dinners and great wine list. Super friendly staff. What more could you ask for..!!

Really good lunch. Short menu, but everything ordered was delicious. I ordered the Spanish fish stew & spent a long time savouring it! Other 3 plates also went back clean. Service was extremely good, we felt extremely relaxed and welcome. Bill was very reasonable for such a good time

I went to the Cove last weekend and was surprised and delighted by my meal there. Surprised because it was slightly off the beaten track and I assumed (wrongly!) that the meal would be typical gastro-pub food. I started with the lovely baked cheese dish (can't remember its name) but it was very tasty and came with lots of smoky, lovely garnishes which I really enjoyed. My main delight was the mains dish! I had the Spanish seafood stew which was DELICIOUS. (a note here: I am not very fond of huge plates of food and stew hid a warning note for some reason so I specifically asked for a small serving. I got it! Very unusual because in most places they simply say yes and then ignore your request). I think it is very gratifying that a small gastropub can serve this high standard of food and still be very welcoming and charming (thank you, Olivia). Please go.....

Absolutely delicious lunch. We all shared a couple of snacks and had main courses. All super fresh and cooked to order. Great chef. Puddings also all scrummy. Will come again.

What a lovely place to visit! The food was outstanding. Olivia, the owner was a delight and her wine recommendations were spot on. I visited with my nephew whom was over from Lisbon. We would definitely return.

Customer care is brilliant and they are dog friendly but the roast lunch was expensive and pretty tasteless. Very disappointed with the standard of food

My first visit to The Cove in Fairlight near Hastings was really great. Delicious lunch cooked by a chef who clearly knows about food. The menu is wonderful. I shared a monkfish in tempura followed by the Spanish fish stew. I loved both the exterior & lovely interior of this place.. The staff were very attentive and friendly too.

Exceptional food. Great variety of good wine. Really friendly efficient service. Beautiful setting! Had a birthday lunch here recently for 11 of us and a dog. Olivia and the team worked really hard to look after us all and make the day very special. Thank you.

Service, atmosphere and surroundings are lovely. Very limited menu. Very few vegetarian main course choices. Paid an awful lot for a meal that I would not have chosen had there been more options.

Arrived at 2.05 having booked lunch for 2.15. Sat outside. Two hours later we’ve shared a starter and had our mains. Still waiting for desert, having had to go into the pub and order it ourselves, as no waitress has come near us. Her heart...

Excellent food and wine. Traditional gastro-pub fare and some slightly more exotic choices. They are particularly helpful with many gluten free choices and have chosen their wines with considerable care and skill. Everything is two levels better than one might expect and good value too.

Despite having a limited menu due to a supply/ delivery problem earlier in the day, the food on offer was varied enough for us. All the food we ate was of an excellent quality and the service was friendly and efficient. A power cut during...

Visited with family for dinner. The venue was cosy, cute and clean! Good menu choice, good service and delicious good quality food! Will definitely return!

This was my 6th visit to the Cove and I was very disappointed by the menu. There were four fish options on the menu and only one meat option. This was "steak frites" which was a cheap cut of steak, onglet or rump and overpriced...

My friend and I have a yearly tradition of celebrating our birthdays as we are a week apart. We were looking forward to experiencing The Cove. We arrived promptly and we stood there and stood there, nothing. My friend noticed our reserved table, we sat...

We went for walk at Fairlight country park and decided to explore village to see if there was a pub/restaurant. We were lucky that the Cove could fit us in on a busy Sunday lunch service. Really good quick service . Good menu for vegans....

Great laid back atmosphere. Eclectic decor. Very friendly and efficient staff. Food menu quite short but everything we had was very good. Lots of drinks options, including on tap ales. Dog friendly too. Highly recommend and will return.

We'd walked from Pett, 4 miles, and turned a corner and there was The Cove Inn. We had very welcoming drinks and snacks, sitting outside in the garden. The staff were friendly. We didn't have any meals, but what we saw looked appetizing and hearty.

We live locally and have had good experiences before, but last night was dreadful. We were told there would be a 5 to be 10 minute delay when in fact we stood at a busy bar for nearly an hour watching others relaxing ( rather...

We turned up spontaneously, & were really pleased to get the last remaining table, as we hadn't booked. It was also quiz night! The gents behind the bar were so happy, friendly, & welcoming. What a wonderful menu. Not too much choice so as to...

Visited twice in one week. First time for sunday lunch second for evening meal. Both meals were excellent and service also. The draught german lager also was was very refreshing. If your in area it is well worth a visit

A lovely pub. Great food and a friendly welcome. A well thought out menu suitable for all tastes .Nothing specifically for Vegans, but I’m sure a couple of the dishes would have met the requirements! A good place to visit in the summer after a...

A fantastic lunch! It’s hard to find such excellent food, atmosphere and service locally but this place was great in all areas. A wonderful addition and much better than the majority of pubs in nearby Rye. Thoroughly recommend!

Some of the best food along the coast between Rye and Eastbourne. Very interesting menu (white anchovies, patas bravas, great roasts, classic British puddings). Cosy with a wood burning stove. Great service. The chef smokes his own Salmon and there are home made pickles too....

Had read Grace Dents glowing review so had high hopes for The Cove but was immediately floored by the fact a kids roast was £16. Even somewhere like The Ivy charges around £10 for a kids main but we thought ok this is going to...

I visited the Cove for lunch twice in one week, which says it all! On the first occasion I had the seafood bruschetta to start (lovely, generous and well-seasoned) and the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi with crisp sage as my main. Several days later I returned,...

An interesting place, a little off the beaten track - so you do need to make the effort - but…. well worth it! The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, but accommodating (whilst we were there for lunch a young family arrived with three toddlers...

Superb Sunday roast and I can tell from the quality and the rest of the menu that everything here will be a joy. One of the rare places where food comes first and then a lovely space and great team built around it -(so much...

Disappointing the chicken roast contained two drum sticks no breast meat, my worse nightmare and £19 per head, you can find better value in Hastings. Service was good and the staff were attentive and friendly and great dogs were welcome

The Guardian review earlier in the summer caught my eye and I planned that, when the holiday crowds had dissipated, I would foray down to Hastings to enjoy what sounded like the sort of resto I love. So with good weather forecast I whipped down...

Despite the food being tasty this was not a good visit. I had booked this as a treat for my husbands birthday - on the website and also phoned to confirm that the booking was in the restaurant. We arrived on time but the waitress...

Came here for Saturday dinner over the August bank holiday weekend. Delicious food, charming staff and a lovely atmosphere. The refurb looks great! It is a little pricey but 100% worth coming as a treat. We look forward to returning already!

Having read the review in The Guardian I had hoped for better but clearly there is a difference between a Sunday service and a midweek service where it seems that "safe" is the option of choice. Our starters were excellent (smoked gravlad salmon and serrano...

I visited the Cove with my husband and toddler recently for a relaxed Sunday lunch. It was our first time here and what a gorgeous place! Staff were very welcoming, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. The wine list was refreshingly uncomplicated and reasonably...