The Hope Inn in Lewes

The Hope has a prime location on the harbour.You can watch the Dieppe ferry come or go..Sensibly limited choice of very well kept beer ..the revamp has worked well.

Food was lovely and very tasty.. Staff really friendly and professional Nothing was too much trouble... Will definitely have a return visit soon .

Friendly staff, food was fine, all had light lunch which was ample, one baguette had far too much english mustard on it though, maybe a sachet on the side would have been better.

Went for a family birthday meal, food was absolutely lovely and the staff cannot be faulted, lovely and friendly and very efficient! Considering there were 12 of us and a toddler everything ran very smoothly I would highly recommend!

Just stopped for a drink but staff were friendly and there is plenty of space to sit outside when the weather is nice

Used to do a great £10 steak night that was good value for money. Upped the price to £12.50 and sauces are £3 too. Head to the Abergavenny arms instead for a £15 steak and pint.

Waiting for the ferry so wanted to have a meal beforehand. From the outside the pub looks a little tired but it was far from it. The service was excellent, really friendly and welcoming. The food was great and the prices were reasonable.

We popped in for a bite to eat before catching the ferry. A very warm welcome and seated in the window looking out over the “Newhaven pyramids” lots on the menu. We chose a steak (steak night on Thursday) and a chicken burger. Very tasty but be warned chicken was quite spicy. Free parking outside and a fab view of the sunset.

Quiet for a Saturday night, but we were early! However service was excellent food was great and good selection of beers too, although we abstained as we were catching the late ferry to France. Recommend highly as a place to get something to eat if you are early, no! in fact get there early, don't think you'll be disappointed!

Visited The Hope, one of the group of so-called 'Revived Inns'. Staff very friendly and welcoming. If only I could say the same about the food! I ordered a lager and fish and chips which was most disappointing. Tiny end piece of fish with much more batter than fish! Chips plentiful but obviously frozen. Unforgivably, the tomato ketchup arrived in a sticky, over-used Heinz plastic bottle which clearly contained a cheap, vinegary substitute... you can't fool me! No one came to ask me if the food was ok. What a disappointment as otherwise, a very pleasant crew. Probably ok for a quick seaside pint.

Came here with three of my friends first time coming here and have got to say from the second we walked in we where greeted with smiles a warm welcome. As a chef my self I am constantly picky at food but the food was beyond beautiful tasty morerish and great value for money and the steak was out of this world

The Hope Inn is now owned by Revived Inns whose motto is “British heritage - pubs - back to their former glory.” I am 72 years old and I was born in Newhaven. I am therefore very familiar with the Hope Inn. When I was young it had an open balcony but that was covered along with the steps up to it. Apart from that in the last fifty plus years it has no major re-decoration and doesn’t it show! We ordered some drinks and 2 Ham, Egg & Chip lunches. A simple pub classic and one that I have eaten in this venue many times and it has always been first class. Today we waited over 40 minutes for our food to arrive. It eventually transpired that the order had not been passed to the kitchen. When it was served it came with peas (not on the menu) and a revolting plastic dish of piccalilli. The manager Nicola who initially lost her temper with me (told me it was her pub until I pointed out it was part of a chain) had spent much of the time we had been waiting sitting at a table with other guests (friends). She obviously realised she had gone one step too far and apologised, even cancelling our bill and giving us a token to return for a free meal. SORRY, but by then the damage was done and I will never return nor visit any other pubs within the Revived Inns group. However, the most unbelievable part of the experience was that the ham had been re-heated which had served to discolour and make it as tough as leather. We have never experienced hot ham in this dish but apparently should have been asked hot or cold. It is also interesting to note that since Revived Inns have owned the pub the prices have skyrocketed. We all know that since Covid prices have gone up but not by nearly 200% and with that the quality of the food and the staff have fallen.

Best way to wait your ferry or to spend an evening

Unexpected visit here on a very wet day but glad we did the food was great

The fish batter and peas were quite good but the chips weren’t. Whatever is in the Heinz tomato sauce bottles is thin runny and horrible. It definitely is not Heinz ketchup, it’s some cheap rubbish they got at the cash and carry. Why do folk put up with this nonsense?

Only popped in for a drink on a hot sunny day. Sat outside and watched the ferry come in .

We ordered fish & chips and a crawfish salad to take away and have on the beach. The lemonade (only option for Sprite or 7up) had to be in a plastic glass, not very handy to walk around but they had disposable cutlery and we could have the coffee as takeaway. Kitchen was open non stop until 8:30pm.

Two bottles of ginger beer two bags of crisps £12 unreal

Lovely pub and garden. Staff very polite and attentive. Food excellent. Definitely recommend to all 👍😊

Wonder full Day on this sunday lunch time for a visite with the french association TUG-Horizon in this place where we add a super moment just for short stay in England

Cosy traditional feel , good food selection

Good service, the roast, fish & chips were very nice. The salt & pepper squid was lovely.

Delicious fish and chips, fresh fish. Adorable servers

We rocked up in the middle of a very busy Sunday serving. We were greeted by a super friendly lady who couldn't do enough for us to get us a seat. Service was superb, as was the food. Opted for a kids' meal, which hit the spot. Plus, there are no age restrictions on ordering the kids' version of fish and chips. Very reasonable prices too. Would return in a heartbeat.

Excellent service, welcoming and attentive staff and delicious food.

It's a great location and great atmosphere but the food is really over-priced. I had mussels which were tasty but my partner had fish n chips which, at £16 (I think), you'd expect with fine dining. This is good basic dining.

First time here service staff ambience food welcoming excellent would revisit if in the area a must!! I myself worked in the same industry in London for 25 years being a publican Credit to the landlady

Staff cool , food good , a little pricey but worth it

Love this pub great vibe and atmosphere 👌

we have used this Pub on numerous occasions when travelling on the Dieppe Ferry. However this year, the car park which allowed overnight Motorhome parking has changed hands and no longer has this facility. This lovely lady helped us out by allowing us to park in the car park, which is very restricted and busy. we had lunch and dinner here. Lovely food, big portions with plenty of choice. The day we were there, they had lovely live music. Excellent outside seating area with great views. Mrs Landlady, I have forgotten your name but a huge thank you from all 4 of us (even if the little waitress had thought we had done a runner!!!!)

There are so many great pubs in this area, I'd avoid this one. I found the majority of the staff rude and grumpy. The menu is quite small, with limited options. Everything is pretty overpriced in my opinion too. Over £10 for two small pieces of cheese on toast (Welsh rarebit) seems a bit steep to me. Another small and rather pedantic point, but one that irrationally annoyed me, is the fact they call their mussels special "moules mariniere". "Moules mariniere" is served with a white wine based sauce, when in fact the dish they serve has a creme based sauce so more resembles "moules a la creme". Just call it "mussels and chips" or "moules frites". If you're gonna use a fancy name for your dish at least get the name right.

Cannot recommend this place highly enough, super friendly staff and really good food…we came in and within 2/3 minutes three members of staff asked us were we being attended to! On our next trip to France we will ensure we visit again, well done!

Fantastic place with a pleasant atmosphere and great food.

Good selection bit over prices but iam from rhe midlands

A sunny Wednesday early evening supper spoiled by distinctly average fish and chips. Tiny portion size and clearly not freshly cooked I sent the first offering back and asked waiter if the fish is locally caught and fresh to which she answered yes. The second attempt was similarly tiny in size and no better in freshness or quality. I ate neither offering and in fairness it was taken off the bill. I questioned the staff about the quality and my question about fresh local fish. I said it clearly wasn’t and the staff member stated that “they tell us to say that”. Enough said, we won’t be going back.

Great pub. Berthed in the marina for one night, walked up to the Hope. Beers were excellent, and service was too. Well worth a visit, Many thanks to the staff. ..... Gary

Lovely service, great food and a good selection of beer, there's a nice view from the conservatory upstairs looking out towards Seaford.

Busy pub. Good views from the upstairs conservatory.

Great, friendly pub with excellent beer and a beautiful setting

Brilliant place .excellent staff. Will be back with motor home again 8.6.mtrs.thanks for service.

Great food at a reasonable price, severed by friendly staff. We shall be back!!

Went to The Hope for steak night supper celebration last night with a friend. Great welcome, great food, great service. Great (incredible) value for money. Happened to visit the night of their steak night deal. Nice steak and fries..... a tenner. Food was great at an amazing price. The Hope seems to have become my "go to Local" never had a poor plate of food there, nice bunch of staff to. Give it a try.

Have been dining at the Hope, I guess for 18 months or so now. Never had a poor plate of food. I was there with a friend last night, for my birthday celebration........ "that happened to be on their "steak night" Does it get any better I ask myself? Probably not! From the onset...... from the very onset of the evening, till the very end, fabulous welcome from the lovely Nicola (The Hope land lady) together with Great service and great food. We had a really fabulous evening. To be honest, I struggle to believe they offer their great steak night supper deal, for the amazing price of a tenner. A tenner!! Incredible value, it really is an amazing deal. Thank you, thank you to "Team hope" for a fabulous, amazing value for money, lovely evening! Risk of repeating myself, great service, great food...... amazing value for money evening. PS Might mention back ground music was bang on the money too. Lovely evening. Thanks to all.

Not been . Not going . Website menu 8 years out of date . Get your act in gear

The Best Fish and Chips we have had for a very long time! An Olde Worldy pub, by the quayside, comfortably furnished with assorted maritime and fish accoutrements, A helpful landlady, a marvellous chef, and a delightful lunch experience at the start of a short break . The first time we have visited this pub, but we have passed it many a time on the ferry to France.

I have never personally been (so far) to this pub, but when I drive past it to the big car park at the end of Fort Road it always seems to be busy and popular. I wish them all the best in preserving pubs which are a part of our culture and history and they are disappearing fast. When I drive around, a lot of them that had been there since before I was born are now flats, private houses or convenience stores.

Lovely staff always on hand to help support and be friendly everytime wonderful place ! And lovely all round locals it's great social place to be 😊

Very nice place to enjoy a relaxing evening highly recommended 5 star review ★★★★★

This pub is very hit and miss. We have been there many times and no two visits are the same when it comes to food. Sometimes you can get a very nice meal there and then at other times the food is awful, poor quality, and unappetising. The vista is great, very pleasant especially in the Summer. I would say that it’s a great place for a drink outside, but food is a risk. The portions are very generous so what it lacks in quality it makes up for in quantity. Of course, it’s only “pub food” but we have eaten wonderful and good quality “pub food” elsewhere. Our meal there recently - after a long absence - was revolting. Soggy battered fish and triple greasy overcooked chips. I left most of mine but my husband ate his but felt quite ill later on. Also when we went to our table there was a large Alsatian on the nearby table that we hadn’t seen. It leapt out at us barking aggressively and was held back by its owners. They said it was just being protective, of course. We made no fuss and just sat down at our table when the dog calmed down. The owners were very pleasant and we chatted amiably. It was shocking though and if we had had a child with us who knows what would have happened. I did think that if the owners knew how the dog would behave, then they should not have taken it to the pub. Also the pub should have said no to entry. Anyway, there we are, that’s the review.

Brilliant place to stop, eat and relax before boarding the night ferry to Dieppe. Warm friendly welcome and menu was traditional pub food but good portions and beautifully cooked. Lots of parking for big and small vehicles. We had a private table. Lots of space not cramped or noisy.

Absolutely loved our steaks this evening and even better was unexpectedly turning up on burns night and being able to try the amazing haggis! the food and staff are awesome always vistit here before our trip to France. See you guys again soon

Lovely food, great staff and service- good atmosphere. Would definitely go back.

Been a long time since I've enjoyed a " Pub" as much as the Hope Inn..Had a great meal, great service, and really laid back vibe..l'm a Brighton boy born and bred..so tend to not to get to Newhaven much ( unless it's Paradise Park with the grandchildren!)..But will defo make the effort in future A special place 10/10

Good food beers excellent log fire Warm and inviting on very cold day

Great Gluten Free Fish and Chips!

Great location, friendly staff, excellent beer! Nice decor too.

Went here for Sunday lunch with 5 family members. The pub is nice and has a warm atmosphere. Staff were all friendly and attentive. Soft drinks on the expensive side… £3.75 for a lemonade. In our group, one had the beef roast, one had the veggie nut roast and one had cod and chips. They were all pleased with it. Two of us had the halloumi burger… which unfortunately wasn’t so good. The brioche bun was well toasted and then cold, so a bit dry. Chips arrived cold and had to be reheated/ replaced. In the bun was just 2 small pieces of halloumi. I’m afraid it really wasn’t anything special for the £16 it cost. The red cabbage slaw was nice. The menu was quite limited (see photo). I wouldn’t say don’t go, but I probably wouldn’t go again.

Small menu but found food. Fish n chips was Inc a small portion of fish.

Warm friendly atmosphere. Nickola & her team very attentive & efficient to our party of 10. Food was hot & delicious with a good selection. Will certainly be coming again.

Lovely old-world pub with the most helpful bar person ever! Had a lovely lunch which was very fresh and filling. Toilets clean clean clean. Log fire and loads of atmosphere.

En attendant le ferry Super pub Le fish and chips great ambiance cosy et chaleureuse Le sticky toffee pudding un delice I will come back

A great sea nautical pub with delicious Cod and chips.Traditional Englishness throughout.Walk along the Napoleonic fort and cliffs.I will be back.

While very busy on the day we arrived. The staff remained very friendly and accommodating, even though we had a large group. Lovely venue, and it was great to see the large ferry coming into port. Food, portions and price were really good. Would love to go back. Thank you once again for making our visit memorable.

Superb homemade food.Very comfortable, friendly service

The atmosphere is incredible, the food was delicious, i highly recommend this pub restaurant

A warm welcome and great food awaits at the cosy friendly Hope Inn. Highly recommended!

Great place, staff are so lovely, nice and clean, quick service and good pints. Only criticism is be great if they could a better cider on draught and more beer selection like moretti. But lovely little place. Also they have nappies/tampons in the bathroom for free which is really nice, glad to see landlord looking after customers :)

We have eaten lunch here before which was really good. But, has there been a change of chef? Our recent visit for lunch left us unimpressed food wise. The 'mashed potato' was unedible. The vegetables were overcooked. The pie was acceptable. Ploughman's lunch was very much smaller. Drinks were very good as was service. Will not be our first choice in the near future.

Staff are great. Amazing looking inside. Food is over priced. Pies sold for £4 down the road £17 here from the same place. The best newhaven has but in comparison to Brighton it’s a bottom of the food chain food place.

Lovely welcoming atmosphere. I had a Caesar salad which was fine & my husband had sausages with veg which were crisp & tasty. The Ladies toilet was clean and there was a basket of sanitary products & babies' nappies available for anyone who needed them with a notice above saying "Help yourself". I thought that this was very thoughtful and mentioned it to the staff who said that it was the cleaner who had brought them in, so hats off to that person.

Only stopped for a quick drink but very friendly and welcoming.

Quite a few years since been here. New faces but a warm and pleasant welcome from Leah (red dress) and chef. Young serving lady very pleasant and attentive 👍. Still a traditional pub, worth a visit.

On our way to France .... Great place; good atmosphere; yummy food and desserts; very friendly and helpful staff. Got water bottle filled up for our dogs. will come back, if I am on my way down there .....

It's a shame that you can't get anything to eat at 6 p.m. on a Sunday. The staff is very nice, the atmosphere is great and the beer is delicious. The toilets are not clean on the floor (at least that gives the impression). Would have liked to try the food.

The food is tasty, but they have a problem with thermal insulation. Delicious desserts, I highly recommend it

The food was good, the sampler platter is huge and was big enough for 2-3. I wish they had local Sussex beer on draught and a menu that had more GF and Vegetarian options. The Hope is the best pub in Newhaven.

Music too loud and no break between tracks

Nice food, but drinks very expensive

Great pub with good selection of beers

this pub is all you could wish for , the staff 10/10 .We walked in, straight away"hello be with you in a minuet", in less time than that"what would you like"all with good cheer and banter.good pint to, smashing I dont know what the food is like but I,ll bet its simple and good . Steve

What a lovely place popped in for a drink with my autistic grandson and family. He can be rather over enthusiastic and we told him he had to be quiet but the lovely landlady told us its no problem he is fine and you don't need to tell him to be quiet he is just enjoying himself. How kind and understanding so nice to go somewhere that understands us and accepts everyone thank you so much hope to return again soon

Popped in for a drink whilst visiting the area. Found staff friendly and helpful. It's not the best view of the outside from the pub, but that's not their fault. Proper old English pub, I liked it.

Good food table service great view

We stood here in the parking lot with the camper, free of charge, from Britt Stop. This is possible at many restaurants/pubs, just call in advance to see if they have room. In return you will of course eat with them!

This pub now under the guidance of Nicky and her team is finally on the right path. The welcome from the staff is always friendly, when we ask for a table we like they do their best to accommodate us even when we are only having drinks. The Specials board is always interesting and a great Sunday roast. We have become regulars this summer and intend to carry on being.

Called in to have a drink was going to eat all tables in the pub had reserved on at different times in the evening asked if I could sit and have my drink was told they are reserved it was steak night but it was only 5pm go outside very rude they could have said your welcome to sit at table but it's booked at 7pm and I would have gone then absolutely ridiculous won't go again

Hamburgers a little bit dry but great staff

I’m so glad we stopped here. The staff were nice and the food was fantastic. We will definitely visit here again when we are that way.

Been drinking there since 1972. Still a bloody good pub. 19 September 2021 We had a meal this afternoon at the Hope, absolutely marvellous. Superb food. Magic!

Drab . Smeary wine glass but .......wine was nice

Lunch after rowing with Lewes Pilot Gig Club... Best Club house ever!! Pie chips and beer!!!

We are French on holiday and although we can understand English properly we need some help sometimes but we could feel the waitress wasn’t ready to make efforts to help us order . She was speaking fast and didn’t really want to repeat. It seemed we bothered her. What’s more they took us for suckers as they extra charged us £10 for drinks we didn’t have we would have had to pay if we hadn’t discuss the amount. Finally I would say the saying above the fireplace mentioning «  there is no stranger in this place just friends yet to be » hasn’t proved to be true at all to us.

This pub seems to have changed hands in the last year or so, whilst the pub remains essentially the same the food prices have gone through the roof. The food was average but overpriced, several items were not available on the menu as well. On a positioned the service was good

Nice old fashioned pub. We had ciabatta which were floury and dry. So didn't really like. Would have been better toasted also quite expensive at about £8 a pop.

Love this pub so much - staff are just so friendly and the food is delicious ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I booked this pub for the wake of my Uncle. When I first rang them they wanted a deposit and asked for my email address. which I gave them. I hadn't heard anything for a few days and rang the again. The lady was very...

Great pub at edge of Newhaven and overlooking harbour entrance. Lots of character and nice menu. Look out for the specials board. Good beer , food and service. If you want a window table book ahead. I expect on a nice sunny weekend busy so...

Visited on a Weds afternoon, lovely location next to the River Ouse at Newhaven port ..on our visit just one cask ale Harvey's of Lewes plus a few keg beers. Did not eat there .

Just wish the chips had another 3/4 mins in the fryer. Lovely ham and eggs and amazing pint of Harvey’s.

Sunday lunch, came some months ago, lovely roast lunch. Not so good, veg under cooked, chicken tough, no roast potatoes, all a bit disappointing 😕