The Half Moon Inn in Mid Sussex

This pub has been saved by the community who run it so was not sure what to expect but I have popped in for a pint and a bite to eat on several occasions after local country walks. On each visit I have eaten here the food has been first class and well priced, much better than many so called gastropubs. Service has always been friendly and efficient, I would thoroughly recommend a visit if you are passing . It is also dog friendly as a proper pub should be. Will be back

Came here when I moved to the village but found it very unfriendly and the prices were very high I’ve never been back I prefer the tea room or the club round the corner

After a lovely long walk on a Sunday a roast was in order and after seeing the photos and reviews thought we’d book here. The welcome was great, the ambiance warm and friendly, but the food…… our goats cheese starter was delicious, the perfect combination of sweetness from the honey drizzle and the sourness of the goats cheese. But, the roast, it was swimming in gravy, the beef was sinewy and presented with a large Yorkshire pud and 4roast potatoes and a side of veg to share between 2 persons consisting of 2broccoli florets, 4 carrot sticks and approx. 2 tablespoons of red cabbage!!! Not what at all what was expected 🙁

Community run place with interesting unusual food (eg chicken shawarma) and genuine interested service. Deserves to stay popular

This is a SUPER example of a community rescued village pub that is thriving ! True pub cosy feel with outdoor seats too. Food served after 6 is popular but not intrusive. Friendly staff & a good mix of grateful locals and appreciative walkers.

Great place to be in will be back again

Best pub food I’ve had in ages. Great selection and specials. Worth going to balcombe just for this

Very friendly pub, great food and service was great

Great service and perfect freshly cooked food from a short but very good menu with a Portuguese twist. Definitely worth a visit.

Stopped in for a couple of well earned pints of best bitter after an 8 mile walk and have to say that was without doubt the very best kept and tasting Harveys best bitter I have ever tried. The very friendly bartender told me the reason being they clean out the pipes after EVERY barrel is finished and not every 2 or 3 like most pubs. The menu looked great but unfortunately we were just a bit too late for lunchtime serving. I'm giving the menu 5 stars so as not to bring down their rating. A+++++

Just had an amazing roast dinner celebrating our wedding anniversary. The food was to die for and the service was top notch. Lovely atmosphere and really friendly, highly recommend.

Great place to stop after a long walk. Friendly staff and locals

Very friendly welcome. Sorry we missed the food. All locals should be like this.

I have recently discovered Balcombe as an easy hiking destination from London and have been 3 times in the last 8 weeks- and every time end up at Half Moon Inn for pints. Staff are lovely- perfectly fine pub food- just make sure you book as they are limited to lunches I think- on the second visit we couldn't order food. Dog friendly - I had a table of six for my birthday and it was great - will be back Mike

Excellent meal with great service. Fun staff. Made us feel so welcome. Food excellent. Company great. Staff awesome.. will definitely be back x

What a fabulous evening. The food was excellent and the staff were superb. A special thanks to Poppy, Micki and Recardo the Chef.

I was there for a quick pint during a bike ride. The pub was a classic village pub.

Only one draft cider, a Silly Moo but it was thirst quenching after an 11 mile walk. My fellow ramblers had real ale or lager and enjoyed their tipples as well. Friendly, efficient staff. Didn't have food due to the late afternoon arrival.

Visited this pub for the first time today. Great location, great atmosphere, excellent service, beer and food. I'll visit again - highly recommended.

Very nice pub in beautiful Balcombe. A couple of miles from the viaduct.

A few of us rode here on our scoots. Lovely Village owned pub, friendly welcome. We didn't have any food but it looked bloody lovely

Good to see a village owned pub

Nice pub but got charged £3.60 for soda water!

£3.60 for a soda water. Absurd.

Popped in for a pint n some crisps after a 9 mile walk and discovered a lovely pub. Really nice selection of beers, very friendly welcoming staff, the place just had a nice feel to it. Will be the go to when walking in the area.

Great service, Mickey great to see you back ! Fantastic, food, service and staff.

Absolutely outstanding pint of Harveys; best I've had in a long while. Food was also very good. Will definitely return.

The Half Moon Pub in Balcombe used to be a regular haunt for us, known for its inventive menu and quality food. Unfortunately, our latest visit was a disappointment. The menu has been simplified to the point of being uninspiring, lacking the previous culinary creativity. We opted for the Ploughman's and Fish and Chips, two straightforward dishes that nonetheless failed to impress. The Ploughman's was served with mouldy grapes and lacked even the basic accompaniment of butter. The cheese was bland, and the bread was stale. The Fish and Chips didn't fare much better, as the fish had an odd taste that made us question its freshness. To top it off, there was no apology or any attempt to make amends for the lacklustre meal and experience. Until we see some improvements, we'll be taking our custom elsewhere. Edit: tried to go back a couple of months ago, and the kitchen was closed because the extractor fan was broken! Really hope the pub can improve as we love visiting Balcombe.

Came here for food and drinks. As I was looking at a menu was told that food wasn't served till 6. The menu was scrunched up and threw in the bin. We promptly left.

Friendly happy pub always made welcome. Food is absolutely wonderful

Nice place on the corner. A proper good boozer with charm and character.

Brilliant local pub, super friendly and great atmosphere. Yummy food and good wine list.

Great pub food is amazing so fresh and great quality and the range of beers and wines are amazing

Really friendly atmosphere. Great service. Salmon en croute really good.

Probably the best pub in the area. No attitude, just good service, wholesome grub, and fantastic drinks. Highly recommend the fried beef on sourdough with Stilton. If you're in the area, then don't miss out

Nice pub but a bit behind the times not to have a Sunday main vegetarian option.

Atmosphere of the pub is nice after a long walk however the food you can instantly tell how microwaved the meals are from how unevenly heated the food is, every single item had cold patches! Tried to get the attention of a staff member to let them know but there were none around waiting tables and the bar was heaving. Ordered the pork belly and bbq ribs! It's a complete hazard, avoid if you can! Stick to the pints.

Called in at 2.01pm asked for menu to be told gruffly by the barman, stopped taking orders, however another staff member walked by to the kitchen to give on 2 orders for 4 & 5 So what’s going on . Most unfriendly staff and not a good advert for a local owned pub. Will certainly tell my friend who is a Balcombe resident to seriously think about frequenting this place in future

Lovely pub, welcoming. Good range of beer. Gets busy though and it's not very big.

Staff were really friendly and welcoming 🙏 lovely warm pub 😊

Proper pub, real log fire, dog and child friendly, great food and fair prices. Had a lovely afternoon! They don't serve food all day though so make sure you check when the kitchen is open until.

Hi marc kitcher I love the half moon pub Balcombe his my favourite pub Balcombe as relly love come he for lunch with my friends lovey staff and very love food I looking come back soon marc kitcher

Real pub, community owned, good food at a good price.

Great food, good value too. Menu is limited, but perfect as the options cover want you would want.

Standard mediocre pub food, be prepared to wait 45 mins for standard fare. No garden, very strange that it’s so poor

Very good traditional pub cooking.

We arrived with our grown up children and partners on the way to a wedding, this is a wonderful pub, staff and locals very friendly service excellent I cannot recommend this pub highly enough. A very happy place, outstanding, simply outstanding!!!!!

This pub is a must stop after a long walk in the reservoir! Lovely little pub, nicely decorated and the service is very friendly. Did not manage to try their food but judging from other people's plates, it did look very nice.

The Food here was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I had the Chicken Burger and my Cousin had the Cheeseburger We loved it! Will most definitely go there again for food! I'll be there on Chicken night on Thursdays :)

Great for drinks and a light lunch after a local walk.

First visit since the 1970s. Great atmosphere, with families, seemingly local. Mostly very friendly staff. Sunday lunch menu was spot on and a wide range of drinks was on offer. A pint of Harvey's, an Asahi and a bottle of Rathfinny rosé were ordered. These were served promptly. However, the roast beef, the pork and scampi took a long time to arrive. We were not concerned as our visit coincided with a womens' football match in Australia. That surely slowed things down a bit! The bar area was popular with dog owners and it was a delight to see well behaved Labradors and a Ridgeback. The food was superb. Plenty of tasty vegetables and well cooked meat. This was a very good lunch. - Terry.

Staff and locals are lovely. Choice of beers is great and the food is absolutely banging, easily up there with anything I've had in Brighton/London etc. A hidden gem.

I was staying locally and my AirBnB host (Rosie) recommended me to eat here, as this is a village-owned community pub. I called to book and was greeted warmly. The pub was full when I arrived and the atmosphere was buzzing. I ordered the fish and chips and was delighted … tasty fish, crispy chips, and crunchy batter. The locals were friendly and made conversation and if I were in the area again, I would definitely be returning here.

Friendly commujity-run local, welcoming with a friendly atmosphere.

Came here for lunch. Very overpriced for no quality food. Nachos with ketchup not salsa. Burned chicken. Smell of old oil from the kitchen. Service was good.

Stopped for lunch to break up a long walk from Ardingly Reservoir car park. We had a very friendly welcome, lovely refreshing drink and lunch was very good - ham, egg and chips and Camembert with toasted baguette. Would recommend.

Incredible little pub with incredible food, managed to squeeze us in despite very busy Sunday! One of the best Sunday roasts I've had!

Menu this lunchtime didn't appear to be the same as on the website. Nonetheless the chicken skewers were succulent and tasty and more filling than their appearance suggested. The two scoops of ice cream were somewhat disappointing in flavour.

Can't believe I've driven past literally hundreds of times and never been in. Didn't know what I was missing. Small, cosy community owned pub.

Fantastic pub, run by the community for the community. Full of good atmosphere and great food.

Nice food but felt very much like a locals pub.

it's a lovely pub in a beautiful location; i live fairly locally and stopped in for lunch , was persuaded to have the burger.." the chef makes them himself and they're very good" I was told. The burger was good but the size of a Maccas cheeseburger , accompanied by about 20 skinny fries....so for £11.95 it's not to be recommended i'm afraid. My sister had the smashed Avo with bacon on toast, 1 normal sized slice of toast, Avo and two skinny bacon rashers, clearly not cooked from scratch...at £8 or so....we won't be coming back....there are many much ,much better local pub food options within the vicinity

Cannot rate this place enough! Hidden gem. Landlord is super friendly and attentive. Great menu. Highly recommended a visit

Wouldn't serve us food as they had s large booking. Aperol was subpar. I'd go elsewhere.

Nice selection of beers but £3 for a soda water is ridiculous

Good Czeck Beer. You can watch football and rugby here. To eat, you must order a table beforehand.

Great pub owned and run by the residents of the village. Good choice of beer and an open fire.

Great burgers (gluten free when you remove the bun!) and nice staff. Would be great if there was a cozy fire place too!

More vegetarian options please :)

I booked my Kevin's Rambles walking group in for a meal at The Half Moon. We got a very warm welcome from Nick and his staff, the service was excellent, and the food was very good. Highly recommended the Half Moon.

Friendly staff, open fire, good atmosphere. Mulled wine and Sussex ales. Perfect.

Great to support this local pub whenever I come and visit my brother in law and father in law. Highly recommend. #Supportyourlocal

What a lovely hidden gem in the English countryside. A small and intimate pub that does not disappoint on any level. The pub is separated into three sections. This is ideal as we went for a meal during a football match. The footie fans had their own section, then there was the main bar area and then the allocated dining area. We sat in the dining area, that was a perfect distance from the football, but also allowed for us to be part of the atmosphere, without it being 'forced' down our throats. The staff were friendly and welcoming. The food is OUTSTANDING! The chef and his team sent out perfectly presented and perfectly tasting food. Each mouthful was a delight. I highly recommend this pub!

Had a fantastic meal here last night after visiting Wakehurst Place on a very cold December evening for Glow Wild. Highly recommend the Mac and Cheese side. A great community pub. It is quite small so I would book ahead.

Stopped here after a country walk. One mulled wine turned into three... So cosy and so friendly, a completely delightful find.

This was a very nice lunch stop on our hike around the reservoir and to the viaduct. The service seemed a bit slow, but the coziness and the delicious food made up for it.

Very enjoyable and reasonable meal, a most enjoyable experience

Very friendly local pub with great food

Great Sunday roast, no problem when you bring your dog.

A nice little pub to find at the end of a walk.

Good service and food. Friendly staff and well organised.

Fantastic little find - food was excellent and good value. I believe its a pub run by the local community, and has a great feel/atmosphere in it. Would recommend anyone in the area to visit and enjoy the good food and ales on offer.

Far too expensive, charging £3.50 for a very small cup in if coffee.

Booked for Sunday lunch, we had been before & it was very nice, boy how different it was today! Waited over an hour for a starter, after it was paraded to the next table it eventually ended up in front of me, warm dish & 5 prawns , not the best start Sat at table 4, lots of noise from chef ‘pippa’ in the kitchen, dishing out prefers, not that relaxing Sunday lunch. Then transpired they had no chips, not the we were bothered as we were waiting on roasts, but ‘Pippa’ from the kitchen started to f & blind, sorry I came for Sunday lunch, not to hear a load of expletives!! Complained to manager, who said our roasts were on their way, by which time, we didn’t want to stay, so paid for our drinks & left. Not a happy experience & certainly will not return. Sort yourselves out half moon, you need to set the service to the standard that matches your prices

Fabulous community pub in the lovely village of balcombe. Friendly. Professional staff. Great food...I had teriyaki cod which was really tasty. Well worth a visit.

Proper English pub, (community owned), now with its own micro brewery, other beers on offer were Harvey's and Sussex brewery. + Some lager stuff.

Despite me being a solo walk in on a Sunday lunchtime the staff were friendly, welcoming and arranged a table for me. The food was delicious and served piping hot. A lovely venue to have lunch and thoroughly recommended.

We met friends for lunch and were hopeful when we walked in as it is a very attractive pub. The first person who served us (owner/manager?) was very funny with us when three of us ordered the vegetarian option. She made a point of going to ask the kitchen if that was ok and said that vegetarians normally phoned ahead to warn them! Really in 2022? We had another waitress who brought our food and took drinks orders who was very friendly and helpful. The passive aggressive waitress was back to take our bill though and was very unimpressed when we wanted to split it 50/50 and asked her to do that maths! Food was unexceptional but perfectly tasty, but the odd service would probably put us off returning.

Went in after a nice sunny walk, waited at the bar whilst the barmaid was at the till, after a few minutes without her saying hello, or “I’ll be with you in a minute” I asked if “they were still serving food?” She replied: “have you booked? If you haven’t booked you can’t eat” At this point there was one table with people on it, and the rest of the pub was completely empty. I said “ok, well can we stop for a drink?” And she replied “yeah but I’m busy”. And wandered off. Incredibly rude barmaid. Think it’d be best to take your service elsewhere if you were planning to book a table.

me and my partner arrived at the half moon in after making a reservation over the phone. we then got there we we’re told that there was a 45 minute wait with no table. we managed to get a table after seeing several free ones in the pub. it only got worse from there. we were waiting for over 20 minutes just to order drinks and we didn’t get our food until nearly 50 minutes later. when our food arrived my boyfriend had a problem with the burger no biggie he just wanted a new bun. however when he told the waiter this the waiter was seen telling this to the manager and the manager responded “ tell him to piss off” my boyfriend was very offended and upset by this as was i. i’m truly disgusted at the staff in this pub not to mention the overall atmosphere felt judgy and a bit locals only. the worst thing is the food wasn’t even good so it wasn’t even worth being told to piss off. i 100% DO NOT RECCOMEND this pub and i hope that the rude staff get what’s coming.

How lovely, stopped as we were passing for a quick lunch with no booking. The waitress, Lauren (I think) was so lovely and moved tables around to fit us in. Excellent service, warm and friendly with gorgeous food. Lauren is gorgeous inside and out, had to leave a review for this little jem! Highly recommend

I am not sure about the previous review?! Strange. Well, anyway - on to my review. We have just moved to Balcombe and I love this pub. The staff are all very friendly. Food is good. Yesterday we had a delicious Sunday lunch. The beef was rare as we like it, with lots of lovely vegetables. They have a great wine list, we enjoyed the Chenin Blanc.

Where do I start! First of all my favourite barman Paul was let go because he kept spitting in the beers but it gave it a unique taste which I liked. Then the chicken was raw, pretty sure it was still clucking in the kitchen. Again, the old barman Paul used to pluck them out back, so we knew they were dead before we ate them. Then there was a dog that did a poo on the floor next to where we were eating. I normally don’t mind but it had been eating spinach which gave it a tangy smell. Paul would have cleaned it up if he was still working there. Oh well 2/5

Excellent, friendly service from when we walked in to when we left. We had a delicious burger and it was worth the wait. I can’t recommend this place highly enough. Fantastic

What an amazing pub such a family friendly atmosphere and the food is amazing I’ve been to top London restaurants and This tops them worth a visit and love all they local supported beers to

Uninspiring,seems like they want it to be a locals only pub and the food is dreadful. We arrived on time for our lunch booking to be told that food stops 30 minutes before that but the chef has agreed to stay on for us,the first thing I thought to myself is why mention it? That's not our problem if you took a booking and the chef isn't around and mentioning it only serves to immediately set a negative tone for your guests. The burger was the most inedible and underwhelming thing we have ever had,I've had some amazing burgers all around the world and to call this one is a disgrace. The meat was the cheapest they could find,had large chunks of fat inside of it and the bacon that topped it was pink and under cooked. I would not recommend this pub at all and would never go back.

We rented a cottage in Balcombe Village and went for a night out for dinner at The Half Moon. The staff were so friendly and it was such a lovely atmosphere. I am a celiac and wasn’t really sure if I would get anything to eat that was gluten free… well.. the food was AMAZING!!! We were blown away!! The food and service were second to none - I would highly recommend this restaurant - beautiful food and such friendly service!!

Villages need pubs like the Half Moon. A hub for the villagers but also a destination pub worth the journey for people from further afield. With lots of good walks and other attractions nearby, and close to a station, the pub is conveniently located. But...

Hadn't been to Balcombe for ages so decided to stop off here for lunch having made a reservation the day before. Plenty of choice on the menu. I chose Harvey's beer-battered haddock, chips & peas & my partner had pie of the day (lamb) with...

I just stopped for a cheeky pint before I continued with my drive back to Eastborne! I missed a signed regarding COVID guidance but instead of explaining of my girlfriend and me the owner (assumed he was) bluntly asked what we wanted and told us...