The Ram Inn in Lewes

Fab roast- delicious food and friendly, prompt service from Jack. The pudding were a particular hit with the kiddos. Recommended!

High quality food cooked to perfection. Great service and ambience. Set in a unique little village. Memorable for all the right reasons and excellent value. Worth a detour to this tranquil oasis just a few minutes off the A27.

The atmosphere in this cosy pub restaurant is lovely, especially in the autumn and winter when coal and log fires burn in all three dining areas. Locals chatting away in the small front bar suggest this a place which want to serve to local community just as much the visitors. I would thoroughly recommend calling in for a drink, either inside in the winter or on their large terrace during the warmer months. We’ve stayed there a couple of times and would say that, whilst the rooms are comfortable, other reviews suggesting it is overpriced probably have a point. Where it consistently seems to fall flat is the quality of food and the slapdash service. Our most recent visit on 1/11/24 was spoilt by generally mediocre food with two out of four mains seriously undercooked and not-as-described and service which was either too informal, intrusive (too many trips to the table to enquire if we were enjoying our meal - not really - please go away!!) or unprofessional: attempting to clear away dishes when some of us hadn’t actually finished. Disappointing

I last reviewed the Ram Inn ten years ago. On that occasion I gave it five 'stars'. Sadly the Ram has gone downhill (and some!). An overnight stay with supper was most disappointing. I was not given the room I had booked. The room I was shown to was smelly with litter on the floor, a dirty milk jug, a filthy shower screen, and a grubby loo held together with extruded silicone. I was looking forward to a hearty full English breakfast but was told that 'our kitchen doesn't open until 9am' - a full hour after my necessary departure time. Really? (No deduction was offered for lack of breakfast). Room TV only marginally larger than my iPhone and Freeview-dumb rather than smart. Unless the rooms are given a serious upgrade they cannot be described as 'luxurious' (as per website). The evening meal (confit of duck) was acceptable however the stale bread served a reflection of an overall lack of attention to detail. The bed was comfortable and the bedding OK. The Ram really needs to get its act together.

We went there for lunch after a country walk. We had booked the snug and the table was barely big enough for 4 people. We Were told they would bring us a menu but we waited some time for it. We got our own drinks from the bar while we waited. The food was average but overpriced . We waited some time for sauces to arrive but had to start eating before they came or food would have been cold. Our plates weren't cleared for ages and then we ordered dessert , which took forever to come. We were then asked if we wanted the bill! Obviously trying to get rid of us. When the bill arrived it had 10% service added which included the drinks that we got ourselves! This had not been made obvious anywhere. We asked for the service charge to be removed as the service was awful and this is just a village pub. The waitress asked why and when we told her that the service was awful, she said' well I'm on my own '. There were at least 4 staff. Won't be visiting again.D

Had a Sunday roast here. Absolutely superb. We shared the lamb shoulder roast for 2 persons, everything cooked to perfection, generous but not overfilling portions (enough room for a dessert!) lovely staff, super cosy pub decor, beautiful location. Desserts were also amazing. We will definitely be coming back.

Lunch was cheese ploughman's for £13. Nice salad and pickles but stingy bit of cheese and small amount of bread. I've had great lunches here before but this was a bit meh.

Country pub with dogs and fires but v good food . Wide range of beers. Great in good weather as lots of seating

Only popped in for a drink post walk but the beer was good and the staff friendly. Took a look at the menu and we'll definitely be back to try it.

Had dinner last night with a friend, as always a lovely meal in buzzy atmospheric surroundings. We were able to choose the preferred table which was perfect as it wasn't too busy on this occasion. I had the recommended venison which is one of the best venison dishes I have eaten, perfectly cooked and delicious. My friend had the steak which he also highly recommended as one of the best. We shared a mini dessert selection platter, also sumptuous. Such a beautiful traditional pub, tastefully renovated. Perfect night thank you!

Lovely pub, friendly staff and good ambience. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food and service, although one member of our party found the crab risotto disappointingly runny and lacking in crab and spinach! But that’s a minor issue and we would definitely go again.

Just visited the place for refreshments. Great service and food was top notch! Ploughman's dish came with carrot & tomato soup was tasty and was served nice n piping hot, with fresh sourdough bread, salad or tangy cheese, absolutely lovely and great atmosphere.

We stayed for 3 nights so we could attend a wedding at the very nearby Firle Place. We had a "Junior Suite", it was nice but not what I'd expect for the price. The decor is beginning to look tired, a lot more shabby than chic, and our room hadn't been cleaned paticularly well before our arrival. We found two used tissues on one of the armchairs, a fair amount of hair on the bathroom floor and although the exposed beams are lovely they hadn't seen a duster in a while. On the day of the wedding I couldn't find an iron in the room, despite having an ironing board, I had to go downstairs and ask for one twice before I was given one (with a 20 minute wait between asking a second time). I got the impression I/it was an inconvenience for them. When we checked out, the service was poor. We went downstairs to say we were checking out and the response was "ok" and they took the room key. No "how was your stay?", "did you enjoy your stay?" or even a thank you for your stay. Just a bit disappointing, it felt like nobody cared. Onto the positives. The pub itself is lovely, great quiet location with good local beer. We ate in the restaurant twice for our evening meals, the food was very good and here the staff were attentive. Nice varied menu using local ingredients where possible, all well prepared and presented. Breakfast was also very good. Far in excess of a basic breakfast menu. From the standard full English, to steak and eggs. Also, alongside a very good continental selection. In summary. The restaurant is excellent and so are the restaurant staff. But the hotel/rooms side needs improvement, I think you can do better for the price, I expect a bit more at this price point (when searching the Eastbourne Grand wasnt a lot more expensive). But if you're visiting Firle Place, it's a reasonable option as its walkable from the pub.

Had a Ploughmans. Good quantity of really good bread but spoilt by just two very small triangles of very thinly cut pieces of cheese. Not recommended. My wife' s ciabatta however was fine

Friendly and well run. It really feels as though one is in the heart of the South Downs. The Firle estate and House are beautiful with many scenic walks. The pub is a great base for walking/cycling and for Glyndebourne.

Lovely Sunday roast, bit pricey but would recommend for a gorgeous pub lunch.

Great service and fantastic food. I love this pub for it's original menu, great ingredients, attentive service and beautiful cosy pub. It's tucked away in Firle so you really feel like it's a special place when you're there.

Had lunch here and the food was spot on!

My partner and I stayed two nights in an atmospheric attic room with roll top bath and beacon view. We enjoyed an excellent supper and two fine breakfasts as well as late night drinks in the garden area. Service and welcome were exemplary despite the place being busy. This was a great location close to Glyndebourne but worth a stay on its own merits anytime as there are many attractions nearby.

Such a charming little pub located in the village of Firle. There is a large free to use car park at the rear of the pub. In addition to the indoor seating there is plenty of outdoor seating too. Visited on a hot summer's day and were in their front courtyard area.

A superb pub… with lovely staff who are very helpful. I was given a menu-which they’d taken the trouble to actually mark out what I could and couldn’t eat (I’ve allergies that aren’t the usual)… and the Sea Bream was excellently cooked and presented. A smashing gem in a beautiful village.

Utterly brilliant service, menu specially amended if you have allergies, food delicious. (No mark for rooms, I didn't stay there.)

Lovely pub in Firle, we stayed here 2 nights midweek. Room very comfortable and cheery, facilities good. Atmosphere downstairs friendly and busy.....nice little areas to sit, 2 outside areas which are very nice in the sunshine to sit and watch the world go by. Food first class, outstanding I would say. Very interesting menu, and for breakfast too......thoroughly recommend.

What a disappointing experience. Indifferent staff. Mediocre food, poorly presented. Watery Coca Cola (from pump). No wonder the place was almost empty. Lovely location with lots of potential but needs a major shake up.

I don’t like giving poor reviews but our get together with friends at The Ram was so disappointing I feel I should. As a party of six we waited 10 minutes before our order for wine was taken - this didn’t appear until we reordered it later with another request for a menu. Our food order arrived in drips and drabs nearly an hour later . First the sides of cauliflower ( only just warm which were sent back to be reheated) and then two of the orders of bream appeared without the third which was another ten minutes at least. This person didn’t get their order until we had finished ours. The food is overpriced for what was a disappointingly, disjointed meal . We won't be using this pub again !

Took the family for lunch. Ordered the ham hock, however it arrived straight from the fridge and was unspreadable and inedible. Complained and was asked if I’d like a dessert. Pants.

Fabulous pub and most staff friendly and professional. However the lady behind the bar on my visit was far from friendly, no greeting, couldn't/ wouldn't smile or bring herself to say thank you. If you are going to charge £4 for a soft drink some eye contact at least would be good.

Do not stay there, not peaceful at all, very loud. Filthy room and They might need to get a surveyor in and check the place out too. The floors are basically floating at this point. Rooms are in bad shape in need of modernising, floor boards are separated due to floor movement, holes around the shower, no tv in the room or room service. Might be a good place for food and drinks but wouldn’t recommend spending the night. Feel ripped off for the price

Pub is lovely but the hotel element left me feeling a little ripped off. Small rooms which were not very clean and missing soaps, tea bags and toilet rolls. for money it was not good value

An expensive £190 room which was shabby. The window could not open properly. Breakfast served only from 9 AM…Never again.

Visited for lunch on a Saturday. The food was fairly good but unfortunately the service poor. Drinks took a while to be served, when food came we weren’t asked if we needed anything else eg condiments, we clearly had empty glasses when our food was served but we weren’t asked if we wanted another round, no one checked if our food was ok (would have again liked to be asked if we wanted more drinks), then were immediately offered dessert menus, ended up ordering espressos which came in grubby, chipped cups and no offer of sugar etc (the staff just seemed to just serve and dash off). We were really hoping to spend a couple of hours here having drinks, pudding etc and would have easily spent double what we did but it just felt like they didn’t want our business so we just went to the bar and got the bill. Such as shame as it’s a lovely setting.

Booked a table for 12.15 on Saturday 1st June in this picturesque country pub in Firle. Had been here before more than 20 years ago! Only ordered a ploughmans for 2 ie 1 ploughmans and 2 plates. Our drinks were simply 2 americano coffees. The pub was very busy and soon all tables were full within a half an hour. I found it a bit too noisy and the tables too close together. We found the food very ordinary. Wont be coming back.

We stayed at this hotel for two nights as we wanted to explore the area . The whole experience was excellent , staff were very friendly and welcoming. Firle village is a step back in time with some quaint cottages. We ate in the pub / restaurant on our first night and really enjoyed the delicious food so booked for our second night as well. Food was excellent , well presented and very hot. Good choice of wines and beers and a lovely atmosphere. The breakfasts were outstanding and one of the most memorable breakfasts we have experienced. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Our room Bo Peep was cosy warm and the bed super comfortable. Gorgeous soft fluffy towels and dressing robes were amazing. Great facilities in the room including a coffee machine and fridge. Very peaceful room and good en suite. Good National trust properties near by. Great stay

On arrival the bar was busy dirty and slow with dirty beer glasses all over the bar and next to clean glasses so you didn't know if you were getting a clean or dirty glass. After being shown to our table we then requested the menu ourselves on were we all decided to have the steak ( which had been recommended) earlier that day. Our food arrived very quickly and although very tasty the steak was very disappointing due to it being full of gristle and since. Whilst eating our food we were accompanied by very large groups of blow flies. Which were everywhere and all around the windows. A family member made the manager aware of this, and was told it was because the door had been left open. We were given a small discount off our meals and did not even look at the sweet menu. Toilets were filthy dusty and dirty. We will not be returning to The ram and definitely will not be recommended it.

A traditional Sussex pub at the bottom of the South Downs. Great to have a drink and a bite to eat after walking to the top. Large terrace and garden to take advantage of any rays.

We went to the ram today for a family sunday roast. It was incredibly overpriced for what we got and actually not that good. The meat was tough, the roast potatoes poor, not crispy at all, the gravy was watery and it came out luke warm. Not impressed at all. The cost was towards the higher end of what most pubs charge for sunday roast these days but for what we got we really disappointed and will not be returning. Its a shame because the location is great. The food could have been and should have been so much better for the price.

Lovely pub with really good food. Pukka risotto and well kept beer

Bucolic location. Good burgers and stakes, excellent cheesecake.

This place is just soooo nice!! Super dog friendly 😍 This is where me and my partner had our first date!! So for valentine's day we decided to go back to where it all began 🥰 We've been here a few times now and every time staff have been welcoming and friendly. We've sat in all the different areas and we definitely prefer upstairs as a bit more quieter than the bar area. Always has the the fire places lit always cosy and warm!! The food is incredible always has so much flavour we're still yet to go here in the summer to sit outside in the sunshine roll on summer 🌞 Thank you!!

Went for food, it was lovely would recommend, and dog friendly

Haven't been there for 25yrs since moving away from Sussex ,as would expect food expensive,dogs allowed but now children in the bar eating area so sat outside which was ok , Grandchildren enjoyed

Excellent 👌 would recommend to everybody

A very brief trip for a swift half. Beer excellent, from Burning Sky brewery (which is in the village). Also offer Harvey's Best. Beautiful old Inn. Decent size beer garden. Def worth a visit. South Downs Way close by.

Great traditional style pub in beautiful village and surroundings. Perfect for it's setting. Food also great.

Such a gorgeous, warm, welcoming friendly pub! Super cosy after a walk through the beautiful Firle village. I’ve been here many times before and I’ve always had such a great experience. Food is also delicious and reasonable priced for the area. Recommend highly!

Cosy country pub serving up tasty plates. Portions not overly generous but tasty none-the-less. Service well meaning but could be improved - slow to clear, kids food came last, extras forgotten. Despite that we would return as it's a comfortable, welcoming space and we enjoyed our meal.

Lovely old pub. Friendly, cosy fireplace and great food.

NB: this review is for the restaurant only. I had a fantastic, wonderful Sunday roast lunch. My friend and I shared the lamb. We had the prawns appetiser. I had the crumble for dessert. The food was delicious. It was fresh and the portion sizes were decent. Obviously a three course meal for two with a couple of drinks each is going to cost around £50 each so it’s not astronomical but obviously not cheap. See my photos of the food. A solid 5 stars, the service was good, nice festive decor and ambience and a nice warming fire. Overall, a lovely day out.

Had lunch with a friend at The Ram. We both chose the cod served with cabbage on a bed of parsnip puree. It was delicious and I highly recommend this dish, but it could have been a larger portion. It was a very busy day and we had to wait for our main course for some time. This was not a problem for us as we chat a lot, although my friend was getting hungry. Overall a good place to meet and have lunch which we do about every six weeks.

Had a delicious coffee and equally delicious ploughman's here on a weekday lunchtime. Great sunny garden and within easy walking distance of the spectacular Firle Beacon

A great find after a lovely walk. The food and service were amazing! Great cider too.

Five of us went here for lunch today. We were disappointed to find out they had run out of burgers. Four ordered the wild mushroom gnocchi and I ordered the ploughman's with a side of fries. The wild mushroom gnocchi was reported to be flavourlese and generally not tasting very nice unfortunately. My ploughman's was nice but the chips were disappointing, mostly just consisting of crispy oilyness. The service was ok, staff were polite however it was very slow.

We were a bit sceptical about visiting after reading the reviews recently but all I can say is ignore them. We did have to return the lamb as is was rather fatty and overcooked but they quickly corrected this and it was delicious. 100% would return again. Dog friendly also. *We didn't stay at the hotel/rooms

Service a bit slow, and when the food arrived a bit if confusion over what was on the menu and what was to be provided

Stayed in the village for a bday nite in Airbnb. Went to The Ram Inn for evening dinner with my partner. Place is very nice, and welcoming. Waitress very friendly and polite. First thing I've asked for was water for the table, didn't get it, until asked again half way through the main course. Was forgotten. Food is very well presented. I ordered mussels, which I love. Had them in many places before. For first time, I got a plate of mussels , without ANY broth, plate was dry. Quite tasty, must say, but no liquid to dab you bread in. Very odd. Focaccia bread was old, stale , oily and very hard. Very disappointing dish, as it's my favourite started. Main course wild mushroom gnocchi - amazing. Was just perfect. My partner's steak nice too. Desert very very nice. Very long waiting for food, even though was only few tables taken. As there is no competition in the village, maybe they don't have to try harder. For £100 bill for two- I would expect a little better. Overall pleasant evening.

Found this beautiful spot on a Sunday drive. We stopped in the Ram for food and drinks food and service was great with a friendly atmosphere. I would recommend a visit.

Thanks to the Ram for a nice outdoors roast lunch. One terrific member of staff on service but the rest l etting her down somewhat. Food great when it arrived.

What a beautiful pub this is! All Georgian decor, an absolutely stunning outside seating area. The staff were friendly, accommodating and frequently checked on us. The food! Phenomenal! The menus have the days date on which suggests all local and fresh produce is used. I had the beef bourguignon with mash potato and spicy red cabbage. The best I have ever had. Then to follow I had the dark chocolate, miso and peanut butter brownie which was very naughty indeed! Will definitely be returning to have a better look at the interior of the pub as we sat outside the entire time as it was a stunning day. Big thanks to all at the Ram!

You know the kind of place that bends over backwards to make you feel welcome? Well, this isn’t one of them. Hospitality doesn’t seem to be their thing, though they do seem quite good at being patronising

This restaurant was a poor (very short lived) experience. Turned up with a table of 10 and couldn’t move the tables together . Manager was rude and arrogant. Left after 5 minutes.

Visited the Ram Inn late Saturday afternoon. The menu was very limited. Burgers were cremated. The toast with the mushrooms was so badly burnt that it overwhelmed the mushrooms and sauce. Crème Brule was tasteless.On the positive side the soup of the day was excellent and the chess board was good.Staff very friendly and efficient.

It’s a small point but really improves customer satisfaction, when food is delivered to the table don’t just walk away. A few helpful words about where the cutlery and condiments could be found, and any sauces available. Thanks

What can I say, if I had read the all the previous reviews, we really would have met up with friends somewhere else!We booked a table in the snug room for Sunday lunch. Shockingly dirty bench seat at our table, where dogs have been allowed to sit and was therefore covered in white dog hairs. Come on, we all love a country, rustic pub, but not a filthy one, with dog hairs where you are eating. You'd think in this 'hand sanitiser' world we are living in, you would clean your pub when your customers are paying top money to eat there.Just a few bad memories; Sticky table, when we were the first customers, even the wine list was stuck to the table and my wine glass every time I tried to pick up.3 of us ordered Sunday roasts; Pork, Beef and Venison, all looked identical apart from the different meat, chucked to the side. the same plated up with potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, Macaroni cheese and veg, even the watery gravy had been poured on! The chef could have been a little more adventurous, who has Yorkshire pudding with Roast Pork or Venison? It would have been nice to have had a little jug of gravy to pour yourself. Deserts were half the size as last time we ate there.Sadly this is our third visit in 3 months, and the third time we have been very disappointed with the food. In future a drink is your best bet!

Sundays are busy, and I work in hospitality, but I expected better service.We waited ages to order drinks, waited ages to receive the drinks, waited ages to order food… the food came quicker than We anticipated after the slow beginning. we didn’t get the extra potatoes we asked for, but got extra Yorkies that we were charged for. At £18 for a roast it would’ve been nice if they were free considering they were quite small. The staff were not very engaged and didn’t seemed too fussed about us. When it came to pay we had a side taken off as it wasn’t as described, and a memeber of staff at the bar very kindly took our late drinks and a carafe of wine off for us so this made up for a lot. A lovely person called Becca took our payment right at the end and honestly made up for the meal. She asked us for more feedback she could pass on and was very apologetic. If she had been our server I feel the experience would have been miles better. We would go back but probably earlier in the day when it’s less busy.

No menus available. The staff have no interest in welcoming or encouraging customers in by avoiding eye contact and interaction. Waited more than ten minutes because the menu had to be 'printed' despite the fact that we had been there earlier in the day and had seen some. Three staff and two tables occupied. A lovely location but the lack of management and or interested front of house does not show the pub at it's best. We left after ten minutes as we had plenty of time to read the other poor reviews.

On a wet day the lamps and candles cast a welcome glow in this characterful building. Staff were warm and welcoming. We shared a plate of sardines. My chargrilled salmon was delicious, and my wife enjoyed her Moroccan style lamb with a salad studded with pomegranite.I drank a glass of picpoule, my wife a glass of Sussex made blush.A very good lunch.

Visited for Sunday luncheon on my son’s recommendation. Booked for 12pm as we had also booked a tour of nearby Glyndebourne Gardens. Arrived promptly and our order was taken promptly. Roast beef x 1 and Venison x1. Both dishes had clearly been plated up in advance and were cold. Another table also complained. Unless the meal is completely replaced it’s no good just microwaving or grilling it quickly. So we kept our thoughts to ourselves. The stale soggy roast potatoes, cheap Yorkshire puddings and watery meat were worst. The staff were polite except for one very loud staff member who needs to learn discretion at the table, At the fourth time of asking I eventually conceded that the meal was cold, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding terrible and overall disappointing. The young waitress did raise it with the manager who offered free puddings which we politely declined. She did her best to look after us and cannot be help accountable for what leaves the kitchen,There may be many reasons why standards have slipped so dramatically but two reasons stand out:The lead female staff member needs to moderate her voice and realise that good customer service is more than just being painfully loud and secondly plating your first orders to manage the early rush doesn’t work. I had better Sunday lunches at school in the 1960s.Will not return.

Booked an overnight last night with some friends having had a great experience here last yearfor my friends birthday. What a shame. Despite the rooms being lovely our stay was marred by the shambolic lack of service and attention to customers. There were lots of staff milling around at but no one seemed to be paying attention to customers. We had to chase up staff to get menus, courses and to clear tables. The staff appeared to have no idea about customer service or attention to detail. I don't think I have ever experienced anything quite like it and heard other customers complaining as well. There was no attempt to rectify or make reparations when we complained. Such a marked difference from a great experience last year sadly.

From beginning to end the whole experience was just so bad I felt compelled to write a review. Our meal yesterday was probably one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve ever had and we won’t be returning.We were in a large group. Despite paying a deposit and pre ordering food well in advance our food was so delayed we didn’t get our desserts until 2.5hrs after our starters. We were shoved into a ‘private dining room’ and completely forgotten about. We had to queue for drinks, chase every course (over and over), and ask for really basic things like cutlery and condiments, children’s food wasn’t prioritised, plates weren’t cleared, fish portion size was a joke, no attention to detail and absolutely no communication at all. Despite giving feedback to the manager no effort was made to make amends. Such poor customer service. I appreciate things are tough for hospitality at the moment, but I really feel like the staff need to be shown what a good experience looks like. There was chance to have 14 returning customers, but none of the us will be back.

We felt very underwhelmed after our experience here. Firstly we phoned to change our booking from outside to inside which wasnt an issue at all so was happy with this. On arrival we got to our table but there was no highchair even though i requested one on the booking form. We waited for this to arrive but after 15 mins assumed it wasnt coming so asked again once the food had arrived as my baby was still on my lap. There wasnt any food options for our children even though i made it clear we had children with us on the booking form. I feel like we should have been told beforehand that there isnt a childrens menu. The smaller dishes menu didnt have many child friendly options. We were never checked on by staff, no “How is your food? Would you like any sauces? Can we get you anything else? Do you need more drinks?” This is just standard in any restaurant so it was disappointing that we had to keep asking different waitresses for things and quite often ask several times.There was a gentleman from another table that we overheard complaining about the cheeseboard that he had ordered as its seemed to only have 4 very small pieces of cheese, to which the reply he got was “thats just how much it costs…. Its very expensive cheese”. We thought this showed a real lack of customer service skills and even a drink on the house probably would have sufficed as the gentleman wasnt angry he was purely querying the cost. There was nothing in the way of health and safety when it came to Covid-19. We are aware that most restrictions have now lifted but no staff were wearing masks even though a lot of places still recommend this, no social distancing in place either with the tables or when passing staff through the corridors and lastly the toilet taps didnt seem to be working and the soap dispenser was empty. We just feel that with the hospitality industry being so hard hit this year, places need to up their game and make customers realise what they have been missing. Customer service should be on point especially if the prices of dishes are very overpriced.I can see from recent reviews that management have not made any responses to the poor reviews left so perhaps they arent interested in addressing the issues people have brought to their attention or perhaps they are too busy but this will no doubt result in losing repeat customers. Such a shame as the atmosphere and the building itself is very inviting

This is a picturesque village and sadly they are paying for it. Very difficult to park and the car park was completely full by midday. The inn is attractive with lots of space and our reservation happened to be in a dining room off the main saloon. Decor is tasteful and tables are well presented. Service was friendly but staff were clearly pushed and under trained ( for example the main course was served but starter serving dish left on the table). Sunday roast seemed like a safe option but was disappointing; beef tasted of nothing and was lukewarm. My partner had the Hot Ploughman’s which was not hot so the soup had to be returned. This in has the potential to be better than it is.

Poor quality food ! Slow service and absolutely stupid prices for a glass of 250ml Chardonnay ! £13.20 for a glass plus the 10% service fee on top ! Had a coffee which was luke warm ! I told a member of staff to make sure the customer knows about this excessive price for Chardonnay. No cheaper alternatives available either ! This is just a country pub not a fine dining establishment ! It used to be good here but sadly not anymore it’s overall it’s simply poor value for money. So don’t be going back anymore as better pubs around ! Looking at some of the reviews there are quite a few negative reviews so management need to sort it !!

A nice pub in a quaint village. Service was slow but the food made up for it. We had duo of lamb and seabass which were both delicious. Very good at catering for allergies, clear menu with gluten and dairy free options. Would return. But the service does need to speed up

We went here for a family lunch. 3 of us got the ploughman’s lunch - the piece of cheese was tiny and the soup of the day was cold and inedible (mushroom soup which was blended mushrooms mixed with water and unseasoned). One of us got the goats cheese and pesto ciabatta, which would have been lovely but the only goats cheese in it was a piece of rind so it wasn’t very pleasant. Apart from this it was a beautiful building and the staff were very friendly! We wouldn’t go back again and wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

No one returns your phone calls to amend bookings, then when you arrive the service was non existent. We had to chase staff to order, for cutlery and the bill. The female toilets had no soap.

Food was dire!! Frozen chips in rancid fat, frozen burger buns, brought in coleslaw. Burger was apparently hand made but was tasteless to say the least. A real disappointment, will not return there.

We ordered a roasted shoulder of lamb for two with all the usual vegetables. For two. It was absolutely delicious. Unbeatable. We also order a delicious stout cake for dessert. Again, unbeatable. (Added bonus!! No "background " music!!)

So disappointing. The staff were unfriendly (hostile would be a better description), the table was sticky, the Snug was dirty (dead flies on the windowsills, dead plants in pots), the drinks took ages to arrive, the Pimms was small and undergarnished, the carrot & coriander soup was inedible - I mean really, really bad - and the cheese for the Ploughman’s was old, stale and bland. The ladies loo was broken. It was entirely underwhelming. And expensive. I would not recommend.

After reading reviews I returned after 5 years with trepidation for a night's stay before visiting Charleston. Our room was fine , comfy and characterful but the food and service was really amazing!We had dinner in the atmospheric dark blue walled dining room with antique tables and candles - evrything was good from the sardines in garlic and olive oil with focaccia to the chicken with sweet potato champ and chard to delectable deserts. Some wines came in a 500ml carafe and the charming , attentive staff made this a really delightful evening . Breakfast in the sun was glorious and a great English fry-up with warm croissants ( free left-overs froman exciting shooting party) .Really recommend for a weekend stay

Had eaten lunch here before and really loved the location, such a pretty place. I booked a table to celebrate my birthday with a couple of friends. The staff were very attentive and friendly but the food unfortunately really let the evening down. Limited choices, my husband ordered the sirloin and had to send it back as wasn’t hot. He asked for dauphinois instead of fries and was told there would be a £2 surcharge for replacing!! I had the chicken which was very dry and overcooked… the portions were very small as well. Desserts were nice but again tiny portions. A very expensive evening too! Sadly we wouldn’t go back.

My wife and I went for lunch on a Saturday. It didn't look overly busy with loads of empty tables but we still had to wait quite a long time for our food to arrive.When it did arrive it lived up to expectations. Everything on the plates was delicious. We waited a very long time for someone to clear the plates away and even then only two of the three were taken. I assumed the waiter was going to come back for the third plate and ask about desserts but this never happened.Then we waited ages again for the waitress to come and give us our bill. She asked if everything was OK and I told her that although the food was delicious we had waited too long for dessert and would now have to pass on it as we needed to be somewhere. This was met with an apology but in a jokey sort of manner.Anyway, nice setting, food good and if you have all the time in the world you'll be quite happy, but it shouldn't take an hour and a half from start to paying when you've only had one course.

We went for a meal and found the food to be super bland, small portions and overpriced. The menu looks good but all of the meals were basically flavourless!

Having lunched and dined at The Ram off and on over several years there has been a steady decline. Such a shame as it used to be really special. Food was top notch and service was attentive and made it a great all round event. And of course, location, location and the pub itself. Lunchtime yesterday was a good example of the slip in standards. Not busy, 2pm on a Monday and plenty of choice of tables. Took ages to take an order, waitress didn't know what a replacement dish was called, slow service, no info about cutlery, no follow up for drinks......basically poor service. The food was fine but didn't have the class of a, few years back. All in all, a big shame to see it decline. This is my last time here.

Party of six with an early evening table, staff were attentive when taking the starters and first drinks order but after that everything was a struggle to get any sort of service right through to the bill at the end. The service shouldn't detract from what was a great meal but the kitchen was working on a different level to the serving staff.

Went to have brunch with my mother but disappointed. Lots of staff but no one was very attentive, did not receive teaspoons or napkins and no disabled toilet. Disappointing and not worth the money

Accommodating staff and COVID save. The food let’s this lovely pub down. An indifferent burger, dull and very stingy vegetation option. Poor choice of lager. Far too expensive for what was on offer. Left hungry and disappointed but you can’t knock the ambience or staff. Shame.

We last visited The Ram in October 20 to celebrate our daughters 40th birthday in lock down then again in December 20 to celebrate our granddaughters lock down 6th birthday. Both occasions were highly enjoyable with no complaints.We returned yesterday for a family Sunday lunch as our daughter had heard there was a new playground with our daughter son in law and 8 and 6 year old granddaughters plus dog in tow.The playground was a hit the meal was not. Although we had booked weeks in advance we were given the only table with a broken parasol. If the rain had started half an hour earlier we would have been soaked. Three roast beef lunches which had been requested rare arrived without a single trace of pink and the waitress shrugged her shoulders and said that was the way it was. The wine had to be chased up and arrived when the food was almost eaten. Raspberry Brulee had half a raspberry. At a cost of £200+ this local family won't be back.

The service is horrible I wanted to cry eating the burger felt like swallowing a dog toy it felt like eating ashes DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!

Extremely poor choice and quality of vegetarian food. Beetroot salad, the only choice of a main, was inedible as the beetroot was off. I have asked about the vegan option, advertised on the menu, and was told that this was the same, minus cheese! £13 for the dish was an insult to the injury.

Fantastic meal for 5 on Fathers Day. Quality of food was excellent. We ate inside at a round table. Thank you, we will be back.

Relaxed atmosphere. Reasonable prices. Set in beautiful, scenic surroundings. Menu could use some improvement - few appetising vegetarian options. Staff were very friendly and helpful, but could be more attentive.

Recent reviews have been critical of service: our experience today showed no signs of any problems here - orders were taken promptly & were fulfilled in a timely & efficient manner. Even annoying little requests - a glass of ice on the side to add to rose as required - were satisfied. Our guess - given that there were plenty of empty tables in the busiest part of a very busy Saturday lunch, while many punters without reservations were being turned away - is that management have responded to recent criticism & have sorted the problems…So don’t let the recent carping deter you: The Ram serves delicious food at very reasonable prices, with efficiency and charm. If there are many better places to stop along the South Downs Way I’d be surprised.

Booked a table outside for lunch at 2pm after a walk. Nice outside seating but waited at every point for too long, to get seated, then at least 20m to order drinks followed by a wait for them to come. Then food took ages, had to ask for cutlery and salad dressing, a further 15m for them to come. The bill was the ONLY thing that came promptly. Our waiter when asked said they are set up for 200 covers but had 400 the previous week and no additional staff. Service also very disorganised ie waited ages but we were also asked multiple times by different staff if we wanted drinks whilst still waiting for our drinks order to arrive. Shame as nice setting and nice pub, saw at least 2 other tables complaining.

An awful experience. Sat for an hour and a half for food that never arrived. First tome I have ever left a pub without having had a food order delivered. How embarrassing with family visiting. Snooty but incompetent staff, no social distancing, awkward start to the bank holiday weekend. How sad and unprofessional. Avoid at all costs.

As someone with compromised immunity, I hesitated to book a table here given the multiple reviews about failure to abide by Covid regulations in earlier reviews. However, I assumed that the management would have learnt from previous reviews from last year and made changes this time around. I was sadly wrong. The pub has seemingly made no attempt to adhere to social distancing regulations at all. The same number of tables as pre-pandemic, with tables crammed in incredibly close to each other and no ventilation. As someone making the first trip out having been shielding for months, it made for an uncomfortable experience. In addition, despite a lovely menu, the food was disappointing for the price - over cooked burgers, a mediocre salad and a pork belly which was 98% fat (yes, pork belly is fatty, but you expect more than one small mouthful of meat...), and no effort made to recompense for this despite mentioning to staff.I really want to be able to support this local pub, and have really enjoyed previous visits, but will not be heading back soon (at least not while pubs are still expected to adhere to social distancing regulations).

Great place, a couple we met while we were in Alfriston suggested this place. Food was great, they also have table outside

I returned for a light lunch after a previous great experience of superb Sunday roast lunch. Warm welcoming experience from Cassie (I think was her name), excellent safe COVID protocols without effecting the experience.Beautiful traditional character building is met by fantastic food and excellent personal service. Cassie looked after me well despite being very busy. The spicey vegetable soup tasted fantastic, with lovely quality warm bun that was a show stopper in itself. Apparently local baker showing the quality put into each dish. Excellent value at £6I pass by regularly and will drop in more often. Highly recommend

John & I enjoyed a delicous lunch I had the hake and he had a really good steak cooked to perfection. Wine and Pint Of Harveys were much welcomed, the waiting staff were very polite attentive and Cassie was exceptional making sure all the tables were well served all in all a fabulous mid week lunch.

Stopped by for some after walk refreshment on a sunny afternoon so we sat outside in the sunshine. Friendly service from young barman who followed the new protocols immediately after receiving a briefing at the start of his shift. For a Monday we were surprised how busy it was which I take to be a good sign. Happy with our visit.

Stunning setting, great food and attentive staff, but felt very uncomfortable by poor covid precautions. Staff serving food not wearing masks or visors and tables too close together.