The Holly Tree in Arun

Arranged in good time to celebrate a 70th birthday which was mentioned in booking - it was disappointing to be shown to a table not in the main restaurant. We tried to get that changed but the only option was a noisy table which the staff said had had complaints (so they didn’t use it). We were successful in obtaining a tablecloth. The pub was incredibly busy and staff rushed off their feet - eventually we asked for a menu - the food was very good as expected which was great - but it’s not all about the food when there is a celebration.

We were staying in the area with our dog and booked a dog friendly table in the bar at the Holly Tree for dinner. The staff were lovely and our dog felt at home. Very quaint but comfy in bar. Tasty home made soup and Cumberland sausage ring with plenty of roasted veggies. Just what we were looking for.

We visited for the wine and charcuterie night. I had very low expectations and they were met. Let’s start with the wine two glasses of white I was served up were room temperature which is a terrible way to drink white wine. The food was the most disappointing bit, I have never been served up a charcuterie board with overdressed salad leaves on. The hummus was disgusting and really warm like it had been sat near an hotplate and crammed in the tiniest little pot. The meat was all fresh out of a packet and sweaty. 3 x slices of salami, Parma ham and chorizo didn’t quite cut it. The continental cheeses was however 4 small slices of cheddar. The bread was the star of the show but sadly I didn’t pay £30 for wine and bread!! If this was advertised as wine and nibbles I may not have felt so hard done by. But if you want a charcuterie board stay at home and do it yourself! It

Great Sunday lunch at The Holly Tree. We both had belly of pork roast and it was succulent and delicious. They serve it with all the roast style trimmings... crispy roast potatoes and lovely veg. Also, a lovely piece of perfectly crunchy crackling. Service is friendly and excellent too. I recommend.

After a lovely family day out we went for dinner at the holly tree. It was our second time visiting in the last 6 months as the food really was splendid last time. Today again the food was very tasty and most definitely good value for money. We highly recommend the roasts! However, I have marked this a 4 star as I must say this, the pub could do with a lick of paint and the staff aren’t very friendly, one lady in particular comes across very abrupt, some would say somewhat miserable! On both occasions I have felt as though I am an inconvenience to her because we have chosen to go there and asked for a table or for a drink. The other thing I noticed is that she was stood out the front of the pub smoking, right by the door so you have to inhale her smoke to get in. Having given up smoking 20+ years ago I don’t agree that I should have to breathe in someone’s smoke as I go for my food. Not sure if we will return

As a family we attended the Holly Tree for a nice lunch on Friday the 9th of February. We were happy with the meal and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. However we did leave promptly as the chef was very unhappy with a member of staff which resulted in a full- blown argument with foul language which we found Very unprofessional. Especially as we had young children. This resulted in us feeling uncomfortable.

Tasty food, friendly service. We were a party of 6 and all had different mains course and dessert - all delicious

We were staying in the area with our dog and booked a dog friendly table in the bar at the Holly Tree for dinner. The staff were lovely and our dog felt at home. Very quaint but comfy in bar. Tasty home made soup and Cumberland sausage ring with plenty of roasted veggies. Just what we were looking for.

Came here for my 40th. Nick and his team really were amazing. They were so friendly and helpful. There were 45 of us and we had the Christmas menu, which was absolutely superb. When you have mass catering you expect it to be ok not much more, but each plate was delicious and cooked as if it were a table for 2. Brilliant food, brilliant staff, thank you for making it a birthday to remember. We’ll definitely be coming back.

We visited for My daughters Birthday Party on the 2nd Dec ... Nothing was too much trouble from a very attentive Team .The food was excellent and hot which is not often the case with party catering Thoroughly recommend The Holly Tree Will certainly be returning...Well done All

We booked to have a family pre Christmas lunch here and were very pleased to see we had been given the small private room, which was ideal as we had little ones with us. The service was very good, and all of the food was excellent, which made for a really enjoyable family gathering,

The food was absolutely delicious, could not understand why it was so quiet. Had a lovely leek and blue cheese tart with best french fries have ever tasted.

Visited the Holly Tree on Saturday and Sunday. The dinners were of an excellent quality, the vegetables plentiful and very well cooked. Two cocktails really good value and of London standard. What a smashing local pub and hope people use it more and really appreciate how lucky we are to have it.

The food was shocking and the place was filthy. It was empty and you could see why. Haven’t been for a couple of years, it has really gone down hill badly. Extremely disappointing.

Regular at The Holly Tree and have been tonight for the Bonfire Night 5 Course Menu… WOW; the food was superb and we had a great evening. Cheers everyone 😃

Went out with my friends for a Sunday lunch and was nothing but shocked when i saw the way the staff were treated. They were all exhausted and burnt out. The management is very poor and despite this the staff were lovely to us!!!. Until their front of house staff are treated with respect, me and my friends will not be returning, EVER.

After a nice walk from Barnham we wanted to sample a local pub. The Holly tree looks really nice from the outside and on the inside had a lovely old pub feel, they had a film on for the kids and the bar staff were nice and friendly. We ordered a burger for my son, goujons and chips for the little one, ploughman's for myself and some chips and whitebait for my wife. Unfortunately the food was not up to any standard, my ploughman's ham was very old, while it wasn't off it was green where it had been in contact with the air to long, pickled onions weren't very nice and the bread wasn't fresh, a little stale. My sons burger was pink in the middle which isn't allowed unless the make the burgers in house from whole cuts of beef that have had the outside sealed (e coli risk) they did re cook it and was enjoyable afterwards, my wife's starter @ £7 for a whitebait and only received 5 for that price, I know as a chef that whitebait is one of the cheapest starters so I would expect at least 8 while you would still maintain a 70% GP. My son enjoyed his goujons, but these would have been bought in anyway, triple cooked chips were nice. Very disappointed, I'd be happy to show the pub how the quality of food should be.

Went to the holly tree for evening dinner. Found the staff to be warm and friendly. Food was good at fair prices. Will definitely visit again.

Fantastic Sunday lunch today. Staff friendly. Looks like some D.i.Y is being done to the outside of the pub , that's the only thing that let's the place down . Could do with a re vamp.

Went with my partner who’d been here a good few years before and had fond memories of it. It’s changed! I was told on the phone it was advisable to book, I have no idea why as it was practically empty. We were pretty much ignored when we got there by an older woman behind the bar but hoped it would get better. The elderly woman on another table went off to find her own pepper so I should’ve known then. We ordered drinks and one pint of flat coke later we asked to send it back, I was told it was indeed real Coke by the sullen looking waitress wearing cycling shorts. She then admitted it wasn’t real Coke and did he want a bottle of that. We were waiting so long for our food that dirty glasses were accumulating on the table and at one point we put them up on the window sill. Then noticed a dirty big stain on the table cloth and a candle holder with old wax in but no candle left there on the table. We asked how much longer the food was going to be as we both had work in the morning and it turned up…after 60 minutes and I wish we’d have left 20 minutes earlier when we’d thought of doing so. When it came it was a shock to see the £27 sirloin steak. Over priced and average at best. We had to ask the waitress ‘can you please take all these dirty glasses while we eat?’ The meal was already ruined and our evening out spoiled not by the food but by the shoddy way we were treated from start to finish. Even the lemon had to be sent back! No juice, fell away from the skin into mush so god knows how long that’d been there. Apparently she needed to tell the chef but brought back more of the same. We had to quibble the bill afterwards as the pint of flat cola syrup sent back was still on there. The manageress or whatever her job title is should be embarrassed at how customers are treated but unfortunately it was obvious she didn’t care and no apology given and she treated us exactly the same. If o was on my own I wouldn’t have paid so they’re lucky we did. It was one thing after another. We came home feeling like we’d been taken advantage of and I wish I’d said more at the time. I don’t usually leave bad reviews, I chalk it up to experience and move on so you can imagine how bad it was. If you like fawlty towers you may enjoy this farce but we’ll put this down to one place we’ll never go back to and will NEVER recommend. Joke of a place. What a shame.

We have visited several times in past year being new to the area and it being in walking distance. Food is sadly very poor. Pub in run down condition. Very little lighting and furniture tired. Owners friendly and despite all, there are regulars outside most days. Such a pity as the area really could benefit from a decent restaurant and pub. Would not alas recommending food to anyone.

Sat in the sun in the garden and each had a drink. We intended to stay for a meal but unfortunately there was a small group of men who never stopped swearing at the top of their voices, seemingly unaware that they weren't alone. A thoroughly unpleasant experience for us and the other people trying to enjoy a quiet sunny afternoon. We moved on to eat elsewhere.

Fantastic pub in the heart of a beautiful village. Friendly staff and excellent food. Wednesday night pie and a pint night is a real treat. Lovely pub, highly recommend.

Fantastic fish and chips, the very best around. Well worth the wait.

Excellent food Fish and chips tonight was great

We are staying nearby with our caravan and we always have a Sunday Roast when we are away, so to the Holly Tree we went...I have to say, out of all the Sumday Roasts we have enjoyed, this one topped them all. The horseradish sauce took the top of my head off, so lovely and hot. The meal was full of flavour, every element had its own taste, this chef knows how to season. The sticky toffee pudding was equally tasty, we left the pub very satisfied. The initial impression when you first walk in is of a local pub (for local people..) but as soon as you go through to the dining area, you know you are in good hands. The decor is...interesting. it ranges from local pub to Asian influences with some chintzy religious details. I can't say the decor was entirely to my taste but the food certainly was. Would definitely recommend, and if we are down this way again, we will go back.

Lovely village pub. Stopped here for lunch after a walk on littlehampton beach. The pub has a pretty garden at the front that I imagine gets very busy in the summer. Our dog was welcome in the bar area, which was spacious and bright. A quick peek at the dining area revealed cosy seating and modern decor. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was great and very reasonably priced. Menu caters for everone. Husband had homemade steak and blue cheese pie, I had a halloumi burger and kids had fish and chips (excellent tartare sauce) and a mozarella, tomato and pesto sandwich. There is a small car park to the rear. I would recommend and visit again.

We stopped here completely at random driving back from Chichester. It is a charming place, very friendly and very good value. Coming from London where I recently heard someone got charged £70 for a glass of wine it was amazing to get two meals with drinks for about half that. Very buzzy and obviously popular.

Absolutely amazing food, great drinks and a great laugh with the staff. I especially enjoyed playing the horrendously out of tune piano to the best of my ability, making jokes and feeling like Les Dawson. The piano makes a lovely center piece but guys... get it repaired and get it tuned! I'll come and play for a night for free (and a couple of tequilas). Fun Andy 07521957438

Great Lunch with friends today, we all ordered different meals, timely, fresh, exciting, hot food. Great service and made to feel welcome.

Amazing food , really good service and excellent customer service

Great Sunday roast, food was delicious. Beef was so tender. Great flavour and selection of veg. Top service too.

Had Sunday lunch today at the holly tree. Fabulous food , so much on the plates. Great service and good value for money. Top man Nick 👍👍

My 3rd visit. As always, a well designed restaurant with comfortable chairs! Always good service. The food always impresses - I have yet to find any fault. Great choice of seating areas. Views over the valley in daylight are super.

We spent a wonderful evening at the Holly Tree celebrating an 80th birthday. We were a large party with ages ranging from 20s through to 80+ and everybody had a fabulous time. There was a great menu to select from and the food and service were second to none. The Holly Tree bent over backwards to accommodate all of our requirements. We can definitely recommend them and have already been back.

Lovely little pub nestled in a quaint village. Happy, friendly and welcoming staff. Food reasonably priced and tasty to boot. Good selection of real ale from all over the country. Wouldn't think twice about coming back

Nice little pub. Restaurant very disappointing. Had to chase the drinks order. Had a steak, to be fair was cooked very well. Extra £2 for chunky chips. Had the standard skinny chips 1/2 a spud at most. No veg just four tomatoes on a stalk. Fish pie was good. Shame as place just missing that little zing that would make all the difference. Feel very stung at the prices of what we actually got served.

Myself and a friend visited this Inn for a pre-Christmas lunch today. We hadn’t been in for a very long time, but had heard it was under new management. The bar tender certainly knows his stuff, his mixing of drinks was spot on. Very helpful too. The food was delicious, and served in a timely manner, with efficient, friendly service. We had taken my little dog with us, and he was also welcomed with a lovely “bone shaped “ biscuit, they even brought him a bowl of water to finish. Without doubt I would recommend this Inn to anybody. Definitely will return.

One star simply because I cannot give any less. The meal was a gift so I did not want to complain & ruin our evening out. I am a fair person although it was pretty appalling. I am writing this in hope you make more of an effort with your future customers. I booked here a couple of weeks ago for the Christmas menu as staying in a hotel locally with family. I do always support local business especially after the last few years. I pre ordered the food, on the phone. I told them I had a dog with us. We arrived no booking, no pre- order, not aware we have a dog. They did try to give us something that resembled Christmas dinner, it was somewhat lacking- No winter greens a mouthful of cabbage which was actually burnt and a lonesome carrot, two potatoes very poor quantity & quality. When I asked about the Yorkshire pudding they said because I was veggie they don't do it, well my two guests had turkey. It was totally a disappointment, you need to step up if you are charging such an amount for Christmas dinner, no crackers, no trimmings nothing. I would have expected a little extra seeing as you are charging a fair amount more. Don't waste your money, this place is fine as a bog standard pub. Overpriced, utterly unacceptable. People need to be aware as most of us are on a tight budget and cannot afford to waste money.

Nice looking and welcoming pub, which we only had a quick drink in. It is traditional looking from outside, but modern decor and atmosphere inside. Good pint of Oakham Amber Ale and a fine selection of Rums.

First time here tonight. A bit surprised by the noisy bar as we walked in, but restaurant area is well away from it. Pleasant service tasty food. Fish and chips x 2 loved it, best tartar sauce ever Halloumi burgers x 2 very nice Steak...

Popped in for a drink, lovely venue, friendly staff. Will be back for lunch i would reccomend 💯 . . . Are you curious about electric vehicles. If so why not join the largest EV community on line UKEVOC co uk

Fabulous Sunday lunch. Two of us had the belly pork and two had the topside of beef. All really well cooked accompanied by a range of really tasty vegetables, a cracking Yorkshire pudding and a lovely rich gravy. Will be back again soon.

Great beer, great food, lovely local pub with friendly staff

Best fish & chips for miles, great service, diligent staff, and a fun atmosphere. The locals are particularly witty and uncommonly attractive too!!!

Had Sunday lunch with family at weekend, the roast beef was amazing, best I have had in ages, I eat out regularly but it was fab!!

Lovely food, attentive staff and enjoyed our evening. Thank you!

Second time having the shallot tart tatin and it was lovely on both occasions, generous sized portion and it was very well presented... thoroughly recommend,it was full of flavour complements to the head chef nick for a enjoyable meal 🙂

Took my family who had travelled from cornwall for the weekend. Had great friendly service and the food was all freshly prepared and tasted amazing. This is definitely somewhere I would recommend visiting!

The worst restaurant I've been for a long time

Always an absolute pleasure to come and visit The Holly Tree - the staff are amazing and the food is always top notch! They always have an amazing selection of both beer on tap, as well as some lovely wine choices. Myself and the whole...

Pre.booked table when arrived it was already occupied by flies, slow service even though they had our order days in advance. Wasn’t even asked how our food was. Yorkshire puddings totally burnt to an unrecognisable state, when paying had to interrupt their chat to pay,...

Left a note on the table and the restaurant rang me up not happy with the service has not one of the waitresses ask us how our food was Yorkshire puddings come out totally black ( burnt) talk to the management over the phone and...

No one came over and checked if it was okay, food was burnt, not polite and do not WASTE your money

Burnt Yorkshire puddings, rude management.

We had a fantastic meal last night everything was great food service I really recommend the boer and black pudding Scotch eggs . Well done Carl and team

So very disappointed! It was a special birthday treat for my sister’s birthday……we both chose the Pan fried Sea Bass with Noodles. It’s the worst Sea Bass we’ve ever had! It was dry, chewy and not inviting to either the eye or the palate. In...

Unfortunate experience My mother booked her birthday meal with friends, and for someone who dines out infrequently, expectations were high! Here is my mother's upsetting review; Two of us ordered the mackerel but only one arrived on the table. The chef questioned us that we had only ordered one, After a long wait, the second mackerel appeared which Cathy said was nice but the greasy soggy veg was not acceptable. The second lot of Chips they ordered were undercooked and hard in the middle. I had chicken Caesar salad, which was the worst I have ever tasted! The chicken was mostly soggy skin and gristle, not char-grilled as is usually, it tasted awful and I felt unwell for some time after. Cathy did tell them about the chips and after everything had been cleared away they offered her some more but it was too late then. I did not eat much of the chicken it was too horrid. Another unpleasant incident to witness - The young waitress who was standing behind the ordering desk was chewing gum and stretching it from hand to hand rolling it in a ball and then stretching it again and putting it back in her mouth! Grim and a blatant distinct disregard for restaurant hygiene. Overall, a very disappointing dining experience.

It seems The Holly Tree occasionally suffers from inconsistency, which can leave a lasting and sometimes negative impression on the guests. My mother booked her birthday meal with friends, and for someone who dines out infrequently, expectations were high! Here is my mother's upsetting review;...

When a pub gets it right!! What a great little place. Staff really friendly good beer, great atmosphere. Only went for a few beers and a bit of grub. We didn’t want to leave so it was a few more drinks and a stager back to hotel. The food is good for what you pay 2 fish & chips £20 on a Friday. But the atmosphere and the staff really make it what it is! Bigger companies could learn a lot from this place!

Found by chance, unusual for us to find a pub with good beer and good food together. Great value compared to other places we visited. Definitely try the fish and chips.

We called here after a few disappointments elsewhere. We had a lovely warm welcome and friendly service. The food was superb!!! My husband had the beer battered cod and said its the best he's ever had and this is always his go to. I had...

Awful. First time and last time. Very quiet and ordered five meals. Drinks took a ridiculous time. We had to cancel two meals that didn't come out. Then charged us full amount after all that. Two people very hungry.

Awful. First time and last time. Very quiet and ordered five meals. Drinks took a ridiculous time. We had to cancel two meals that didn't come out. Then charged us full amount after all that. Two people very hungry.

Been going to the Holly Tree for years, since the change in ownership you can see a massive positive difference. Food has improved significantly, the best roast I've ever had.

Beautiful food and lovely service.

Took mum out for dinner we had the fish and chips and mushroom burger ...the meals were lovely generous sized portions followed by homemade Eton mess which was fab , lovely atmosphere with friendly staff definitely be going back

Beautiful beer, location and service. Would recommend wholeheartedly.

Fish & chip terrible, for the money it cost around 13 pound odd, I would of expected home made chips not frozen ones, and the fish batter was shocking, it tasted like it smelt of old oil, which is all you can taste after. Would...

Excellent lunch Food great , food always hot , service great Top marks. Staff always very nice. You could not do better . The food here is not pub food , more like a restaurant.

Best salmon scotch egg I've ever eaten. Roaring log fire, excellent ale selection, and very friendly landlord. Great stop off.

Friendly, welcoming staff and, most importantly, excellent food - if ever I’ve had a tastier steak and ale pie, I don’t remember it. So pleased we booked here for a Saturday lunch with family. We shall definitely return when we’re next in the area.

Went for a family Christmas get together organized by my sister in law. Great food excellent service and at a reasonable price. Lovely pub in the countryside with lots of character and a warm welcome. Went above and beyond by providing a small Christmas gift to the 2 smaller members of our party. Lovely touch. I would highly recommend.

Really impressed with the great food (plaice and duck). Lovely decor and separate restaurant and good beer. The staff were really helpful and friendly, will definitely go back.

Friday night dinner at the holly tree. 😊 fantastic again always is.from the fish and chips to the specials that the chef nick creates. Sunday lunch is one not to miss , that's if you can get booked in as he is getting quite a...

Just had a fabulous Plaice lunch with a cheesecake to follow. Always great food here. This was well up to par.

We all enjoyed a wonderful family Sunday lunch, both meat eaters enjoying the trio of roast meats with all the trimmings and vegetarians the nut roast option. Staff were attentive and friendly. All in all a good venue with good food. Thank you

We found this really nice pub a few days ago and decided to return for Sunday lunch. We are so glad we did!!! I had the potted beef and bacon starter which was served with Melba toast, piccalilli and a little salad. I could have...

Thank you to Dean and Nick as always our belly of pork was outstanding. The food is alway exception Dean your doing a fantastic job. See you all soon thanks Nina &Spencer

Have eaten here several times recently and each time the food, service and ambience has been great. Last night we had booked for the Sussex Feast tasting menu evening. It was superb in every way. A really imaginative and exciting menu. Everything was beautifully cooked...

We had Sunday lunch here today and it was one of the best Sunday roasts we have had. Amazing gravy and beautifully cooked meat and vegetables. Friendly welcome and great service, would definitely recommend

Me and my partner have literally just left the Holly Tree ten minutes ago after a terrific meal and great service. The greeting you receive anywhere is so important and we were met by a big smile and warm welcome. Service was friendly and helpful and the price incredible for what we had - we'd stopped somewhere earlier in the day for a coffee and sandwich and the bill would have been almost as much as we paid at The Holy Tree for two courses, a beer and a BOTTLE of wine. Thank you. I only wish we lived nearer, we'd be regulars.

I came to the Holly Tree this afternoon with family. The food was absolutely perfect. I had the chicken and it was beautiful. cooked to perfection. The Dessert Chocolate and Coffee Cheesecake was to die for. The Manager and Staff were fantastic and cant wait to visit there again.

We were staying in Walberton with friends and had researched local pubs. We booked for the Boozy Cow night (Steak & a great deal on wines) Best meal all of us had for ages really reasonable and the service was great too! Just wish this...

Booked Sunday lunch at this lovely pub for two of us. Warm welcome and promptly seated. Lovely waitress took drinks order then menu choices. Food came within ample time and was piping hot. The meal was an excellent example of how a Sunday roast should...

Horrible experience from the get go. Very run down old pub and service was terrible Very understaffed. We were put in the corner of the restaurant and completely forgotten about. We walked out and went to another pub down the round as we were sat...

This is one of the best Sunday roasts we’ve had in a while. So much so we’ve been twice in one month and are probably going to become regulars on a Sunday. The beef is to die for, super tender and the jus is rich...

Went for Sunday lunch 330pm booking , 9 of us plus 4 dogs in private dining room , all staff very efficient & tentative, 8 roast dinners /1 fish & chips , all meat very tasty , lots of veg not over cooked , extra...

Good honest food, really great efficient service too!!

Reading the mixed reviews it's hard to choose somewhere for a roast, but 2 mums 2 children, we booked and it was delicious. I had roast beef and I'm very fussy about food standards. Beef was tender and full of flavour, thinly sliced and so...

Beer ok. Menu very limited, food just average.

Not good im afraid the staff were very good but even though we had booked a table there was no table reserved for us when we arrived, we all opted for roast except one of the party, not pleased that it arrived all plated like...

Went for two family meals on different weekends on both occasions the food and the service was great. Will definitely go back soon

Sunday 11th July 2021 Fantastic Sunday lunch, I have been here once at night but a few years ago, I thought I would take family for lunch, to try it out. Checked the reviews mostly good so I Booked a table inside with my puppies...

Great staff, food and amazing local ale, but always shuts to early

We were staying in an AirBnB in the village just a couple of minutes walk from the pub. The outside area is a good size, there is a great choice of ale/lager and the house wine is also decent. But the best things about this...

Just popped in for a pint on a sunny Saturday afternoon while walking from Arundel to Fontwell. Lovely staff and outdoor seating area so decided to have two more pints! Felt very welcome. Thank you Holly Tree.

Lovely pub in a very pretty village. Quirky decor and great food.

Sat outside,fine,but food was disappointing. Smoked salmon salad, smoked salmon cut up in thin pieces to make it look more, beetroot missing, more like a side salad. Ham and cheese sandwich with side salad. Wilted greens, cheese missing, bread stale thin layer of margarine. Told...

We were greeted on arrival and shown to our table, very quickly we had our drinks and given the menu. It was limited but we had a good choice. Chose cheese and ham salad with pickles and breads that were delicious. The green salad had the most gorgeous dressing. Tasted of mustard and honey, Asked and was given the recipe.. Doubt Ill ever make it as good though.. So good to be there again, the place was filling up as we left.. Thankyou , we had a good time, will be back .. Sue from Yapton and Terry from Farnham Surrey..