The Smugglers Rest in Lewes

We had a lovely time and Nicki our server introduced us to the app which is definitely worth a download. The pie and fish & chips were both great and a reasonably priced. The food was fresh, light and came out pipping hot. Also the triple cooked chips were crispy and fluffy. Will be back again soon.

Grill wasn't working. Salad was just leaves. Gratin rock solid. Dirt in mushrooms. Argumentative manager. Wholly awful.

Great meal, & service from our waitress Summer

A lovely roast dinner & the choice of dessert was superb. Debby looked after us very well & was extremely professional, efficient & polite.

The service was fast, friendly by Debby and the food was Amazing . A lovely atmosphere, great pub and views . A lovely first time visiting this pub and will definitely be revisiting soon .

Steve our waiter was really quick, polite and entertaining. The food is great and portions are big. Really recommend this. We had everything we could barely finish and only 80. Reasonably priced.

The food was great, and comforting with a great drink choice. Our server, Debby was really kind, sweet and very hospitable. An amazing experience

Food was great, excellent service from Steve...made the meal!

So disappointed, I use this place a lot and in the past had very good food on all occasions today however was an extreme exception. I did point out the problems to our server who was excellent by the way and said he would pass on my concerns. I expected a manager to see me as I paid my bill but the server had to go behind the bar to take my payment. Had a manager bothered to see me I would not have posted this as I know how harmful a bad review can be. I was with my granddaughter and her baby and we did not to make a loud protest but maybe we should have. My Calamari Starter was very tender and tasty but cold. The sticky chicken starter was cold and did not taste good so my granddaughter left it having eaten one piece. The Gammon Steak was cold overcooked and very tough she had two mouth fulls and left the rest. My steak pie was tasty and I finished it but it was luke warm and the pie crust was white and just cooked. The vegetables on both plates were just warm and the chips hardly warm and undercooked we left most of them on the plates. I really hate having to leave this sort of feedback but I feel a manager should have heard my problems and seen me as I left. I may look old and stupid but as a retired hotelier and restauranteur I feel qualified to judge food fairly.

Had a lovely lunch here with my fiance. Great food and staff and just normal, nice people !

The formerly Badgers Watch, remodelled as the Smuggler's Rest, rests snugly atop Telscombe Cliffs and looks to all intents and purposes like a little fortress overlooking the surrounding area squidged comfortably in between the south coast road and the cliffs edge. Warm, welcoming wood everywhere and the appearance of a central wraparound bar. Much as the building itself outside, the bar area overlooks everything inside. Some smaller nooks for a quiet comfortable drink, some bigger variously sized areas with varously sized tables and chairs variously surrounded by some interesting features and artwork. Visiting on a Friday lunchtime and being virgin smugglers we were unaware that the lunch menu is only available Monday to Thursday so we opted for an outside table and a look at the menu that was. The outside area, like inside, has several levels - I'm suspecting geographical inclinations (hehe) - with amazing views right over the chalk cliff top and out to sea and awesome landscapes both east and west. There are some shed-like booths at either end that act cunningly as windbreaks and I imagine with a few ropes of twinkly fairy lights and some outside heaters, this stepped terrace would have a great vibrant atmosphere with a group of friends watching the sun set over the twinkling sea as the surf crashes below. The menu covers all the expected offerings in a well presented manner. Burgers, pizzas, pie lids on pots, puddings, blah di blah di blah. We both went for a mash-up I've not seen before with the Hunter's Chicken Schnitzel which came with some fat chips in a pot and an undressed salad garnish. I'd have preferred a few more chips but after eating everything that was a case of greedy me with eyes bigger than my belly, which itself is already quite vast. A pint of Thatchers cider and some tap water rounded off the table for an unexpectedly excellent lunchtime experience. A quick walk through the inside of the pub revealed a large area with a single group of easily 15, perhaps 20 diners, a couple of whom had been parking as I was arriving too. For a venue to knock out everything we had seen on the outside terrace and the punters inside as well takes effort, experience and professionalism not just floppy hair and hairy legs - that takes passion and dedication too. there was definitely space to pack more punters in, I'd say this was a comfortable busy, not an up to the rafters, crazy busy. Saturday night, birthday party or Christmas, for example, these guys know what they're doing and they'd be all over it without a doubt. AND still be smiling, and not in that fake Disney 'eff you' dead eyed smiley way. A great venue with great food and great staff, a great choice. Don't rest on your laurels, because they're not. Start Smuggling today - who knows how long that cliff will last....

Just as a pub should be. Lovely atmosphere, welcoming staff, good drinks and food. Now we live in the area we will be making this a regular dining place.

Booked a table for two for at 1300hrs on 19 Oct. We arrived early and stated we had booked, the reception girl was unable to find the booking. We showed the confirmation message from our phone she muttered a few words and reluctantly showed us to an unused space. We complained about the location and was given no explanation. We sat for a while whilst other parties arrived after us and served before us. We made further complaints about the seating arrangement after referring the matter to staff members. After complaining to three staff members and still not being served, we walked out in disgust at the awful manners being displayed by staff!!

Lewis was incredibly helpful & very efficient. He looked after us really well. The food was amazing btw!

Darcey was just lovely. We had lunch on Sunday the 29th at Smugglers Rest with some family. She was helpful and friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. So refreshing to experience!

I recently dined at The Smugglers Rest in Telacombe Cliffs, and it was fantastic! I had the calamari and fish cakes, and both were absolutely delicious. The calamari was perfectly crispy, and the fish cakes were packed with flavor. Great atmosphere and friendly staff too. Highly recommend!

We have been here a number of times before and it's always a pleasure. This time the food was particularly good, even though there were a lot of people eating lunch.

Best pub garden I've ever been to. Admittedly, the sun was out, and it was quite warm for an October afternoon. Nonetheless, view incredible. Chips were fantastic, too.

Lovely food and great service. We found out it was the waiters first day, but you’d never have known. He did a great job and we had a lovely evening there!

The food was over priced and we couldn't eat it, the fish was all batter which was burnt

Great food and incredible views!

Very poor service but good food.

Excellent food and service. Only negative we were waiting a little while to be seated as bar staff so busy at midday. Otherwise very nice experience

This pub is located on the sea. The food is delicious. We also had a beautiful sunset.

Waited an age for very poor food. Dining room was filthy. Staff trying their best but overwhelmed.

What a find! Just along the A259 from busy Brighton marina this was a fab recommendation by a friend. Plenty of well designed outdoor seating overlooking the sea, inside was charming. We visited with 2 large dogs, one of whom can be a bit grumpy when more friendly dogs want to say hello but when i mentioned that the staff went out of their way to provide us some indoor seating a little away from the other dogs that were in there. They have a dog-free seating area too. I had seabass with prawn and white wine sauce which was absolutely delicious. My two companions had the Sunday Trio and said it was excellent. Good selection of beers and Im sure i overheard someone being offered a choice of prosecco! We'll definitely visit again. Also nice walk along the cliffs afterwards for dogs or children.

A great setting with awesome views, excellent and well priced food and very friendly service from Darcey. Thank you

Went for Sunday lunch. I ordered the slow cooked pork belly, should have been served with a baked apple and stuffing but did not receive either also potatoes where boiled and not roasted. My friends meal also had no stuffing and boiled not roast potatoes rather disappointing

Great food, Summer our waitress was very polite, and attentive, a real credit to the establishment. Only down side was someone chatting on speaker phone so everyone could hear but hey that's not the fault of the staff. Give it a go it really is worth it 👍

Lovely place, good delicious and came very quickly and lovely service from waitress Darcy. Highly recommend

Amazing food and brilliant service!! Debbie went above and beyond to help x Fab as always x

This place has never been the best but lately it's got worse. Waited nearly and hour for food, was lunch time and it wasn't very busy when it did arrive 1 meal turned up 15 minutes before the other 2 did. Asked the waitress for sauces, which never arrived. One meal was Missing it's garnish from the sandwich!! Never again. Such a Shame as the location is gorgeous over looking the sea. Drinks only from now on

Food was quick and service swift (Thanks Jo and friend). Portions generous. Speed of food does throw up questions about how fresh.. eg mum’s fishcakes were homemade and good, but were they cooked fresh or reheated as they looked a little dry? Same for halloumi chips… Generally good though…

My family didn't like their food

Roast was really oily as you bit into the roast potatoes 🥔 the fat just squirted into my mouth also the lamb was cut to thick and tough

We were served by Darcy , she was most helpful , informative and efficient. A lovely young lady

Nice pint of neck oil but a bit pricey

Keeping it short and simple this the third time of writing a positive review about this place so I will say I had a meal here tonight and they did it again: They provided a great service and I had wonderful time. I met some nice customers and we all had a nice evening.

Went to have a lunch in September, the pub was reasonably busy as we took our seat. It took a time for the waitress to approach us, we ordered two drinks and one starter and two mains. After a wait of 25 minutes the prawn cocktail did arrive. To be fair the portion size was very large, and presented nicely. We then waited for our mains, the sea bass and a steak sandwich, again the portion of sea bass was large. Regrettably the steak sandwich was very poor, very fatty and cold, the fries were cold as well. I assume that it has been sitting around for a while. I did ask for the chips to be replaced but started to eat the sandwich. I finished the sandwich and then the fries arrived, how it takes ten minutes to cook fresh fries is a question. I started to have a few fries however they were covered in oil. Overall the portion sizes are large, however large is not always good. I will say that the man hostess who was a blonde lady totally ignored us twice when we asked her to resolve the cold food, not a good sign if she is the manager. Finally used the toilets which were a disgrace stains all over the walls and pictures missing, the are into the kitchen was also filthy and needs a good clean.

Only the one ale on tap during visit. Two food orders, one pie (rated highly) and one pizza (raw in the centre and not great). Sat outside in their decked area, stunning view of Brighton and the cliffs - inside of pub was very nice, more gastro in comparison to the other locals.

Another superb Sunday lunch a the beautiful pub. Today we were served by Darcey. Darcey a delight. Polite, engaging and a superb sense of humour, which involved a random conversation about Caulflower Cheese! Her knowledge of the menu was first class. Thank you for convincing me to have chips instead of salad with my Aubergines. The entire team work extremely hard, yet they all manage to keep smiling and remain calm when they are carrying heavy hot plates around the bar. Thank you for a superb meal. See you soon.

Never been here for Sunday lunch before . We will be back. Very efficient staff. Was served quickly . Food did not disappoint. Reasonable priced .

Darcey was quick and efficient to serve us and bring us our amazing roasts!

2 x couple’s , Saturday night, lovely pub with cosy decor, helpful friendly staff, all starters were good, pate, prawn cocktail, and calamari Main was 2 x fish and chips, fish was lovely but oddly placed on top of the chips making them soft! Not the best chips either , tasted like they had been sitting a while! Gammon and chicken schnitzel were good, but again chips a real let down pudding was a bit strange! Mango and strawberry eaton mess was a big pile of cream, two tiny pieces of meringue, fruit and chocolate bits ! So sickly and hard to eat , honey pot dessert was supposed to have a sauce on it but that was spread all around the bowl! And didn’t live up to the yummy description!! 8/ 10 with room for improvement

Two brilliant roasts, one vegetarian, one Turkey on a hot Sunday lunch time. Everything cooked perfectly and fairly sizeable portions with good quality gravy. Turkey was rested! Absolutely wonderful staff particularly Lewis and a lovely atmosphere inside. We will return. (Cauliflower cheese didnt taste of cheese, hence lower stars).

We had a very pleasant meal at the Smugglers Rest. Our server Joe was friendly and polite and made us feel very welcome. I enjoyed my food - the penang curry was delicious, although somehow the plate it was on was hotter than the curry itself and the chicken in it. This made me worry if the chicken was cooked properly. So it might be good to improve the temperature this dish is served at. My partner really enjoyed the steak pie.

By chance, we stumbled across the smugglers' rest for lunch, and being a vintage inn, we were confident of a good standard. We were not disappointed. Unfortunately, they had an issue with the gas supply to the grill, but that didn't deter the staff from welcoming you and explaining the few things that were off the menu. We had a great lunch of sharing camenbert, liver pate, breads, and olives with a nice glass of red. It was a bit breezy to sit outside. However, in good weather, I would imagine it gets very busy. Lots of tables and chairs with a seaview. Service was spot on by Lewis. The food was attractively plated..My score is a 4 because the restuarent was very quiet and lacked a buzz but that's down to probably a reduced capacity as the grills were off. One criticism the disabled toilet needs attention no soap and loo seat broken off. This doesn't reflect the food or service but does reflect general standards. I'm sure if I visited again these things would be resolved.

My husband and I went for a last minute meal out on Saturday early evening. The food was good and our server Debby was brilliant - attentive and efficient. We had the calamari and chicken bites for starter. The sticky chicken bites and the accompanying sauce were beautiful. The calamari was ok - not the best we’ve had - a bit chewy and overly battered. For mains we had the lasagna and the chicken pie of the day - with a puff pastry top. The pie tasted good but the puff lid was anaemic looking - needed a little more colour. Lasagne was good if a little sloppy. Overall, a nice meal out

We went today for a roast, my wife had beef and I had the Trio which comprised of pork, Turkey and beef. The roast potatoes are deep fried frozen variety, not as described on the menu, the veg was tepid at best and the most minuscule amount between 2, the pork was so dry one end and gelatinous the other and really not very pleasant, we had ordered pigs in blankets as a side and when they came out they were dried up and barely warm and only 2 cocktail size sausages for £3.95, I challenged the quantity and was told yes it was only 2 per portion so I asked them to be removed and for a refund, the waitress came back a few minutes later saying there should be 6 in a portion, when she brought them to the table she informed us further that they were actually a portion of 5 !!!??!!!. This meal was very disappointing and absolutely not worth £17.95 and £19.95 How on earth can a kitchen turn out such miserable food?? The roast parsnips and carrots were hard and soft at the same time… how is this even possible?? I would not recommend this establishment for food, nor would I for a nice place to sit, the decking is rotten, danger tape everywhere, it looks so tired. Inside was much better to be fair but who wants to sit inside on a sunny day? Shame because it has good reviews, really not sure how or why but I guess they aren’t verified .

Good atmosphere, relatively quick service. We had Debby as our server, we found her very helpful. 😊

Very dog friendly and great vegan options. Service from Joe was spot on.

Nice old world looking pub and restaurant. Food was lovely Nice seating area outside

Great scenery of the entire coast line, a sun trap & best view of the sunset if the conditions are right. Nice clean interior, staff are friendly & helpful

Stopped here for refreshing drinks mid hike.

I’m a local and like to meet my friends here after a walk with our dogs. I’m not sure what’s going on with the pub but after it being pretty terrible for years, friends and I have returned in the last year or so because it’s became really nice and welcoming. The management were friendly and the young cohort of staff were pretty polite too. I visited on a Saturday at 6:30pm, so the pub was busy and this was hopefully one off…although I won’t be returning. This atmosphere was completely toxic with two people who I are presume managers, who could be overheard talking about the customer’s various complaints. I had a big family next to me complaining about their food. The young bar staff looked absolutely miserable, there was literally zero energy or enough enthusiasm for them to even smile. As usual, I visited with friends and we had a couple of dogs, There was only a small table to sit at so we squished around it. At first the management were politely aggravated about us because they had to walk around a dog and I was asked to move my dog which is absolutely fine but there was hardly any room and nowhere else to sit. The second time I had just taken drink from the bar to the table was my leading my dog back to sit down and again was told can you keep your dog out of the way? I hadn’t even been given the chance to sit down before I was told off. I have an elderly dog who likes to come to the bar with me and back again and would appreciate a few seconds to get from the bar to my table without being told off. In hospitality, a little bit of patience goes along way. I think the management were just frustrated and having a bad evening. Unfortunately, other people are also having a bad time, so maybe don’t work in hospitality if you get so worked up about the public. Maybe it would have been nice to help us to find somewhere more suitable to sit instead of stomping past us and getting annoyed? This probably sounds like a review written by an entitled dog owner but it’s a Saturday evening and I just wanted to spend an hour or so with friends talk things through. I sat in the designated dog area too, so maybe change where you seat us? This industry needs to realise that people are out spending the little money they have to escape the house and try to relax. The atmosphere in this pub was horrible and intense. Just like the old days. The Smugglers just feel’s like any other chain pub once again.

Ordered vegan option (checked at least twice this would be the case). Meal brought out was not vegan. Then they'd run out so had to choose alternative while dining partner ate his meal. Both our meals were bland and tasteless. At least I enjoyed the wine...

We arrived at 5.15pm on Sunday (Bank Holiday weekend) for our table booked for 5.30pm. Manager had to figure out where to put us (slightly concerning). Had starters and main courses which were really good. At 6.40pm we requested menu's for dessert and coffees. At 6.54pm Manager arrived to say that the table was required at 7pm for another booking. Note, behind the Manager was our waiter with our menu's for dessert!! There was a bit of guessing by the Manager on where we could be repositioned but they couldn't find anywhere else to place us. So we asked for the bill which took another 7 minutes to get. Paid but we were virtually ushered off the table. Points: No mention at start that the table was only available until 7pm. Slow service (if you want a group to be off a table at a certain point, service has to be good). We had no dessert or coffees. If you have an issue with table booking, you MUST have an answer when asking people to move, be it another area or a discount. It was my father-in-laws 87th birthday (this was not mentioned) but left us all slightly annoyed. I could have made a big fuss but didn't because we do like the place but others may not have been so forgiving.

Arrived at this pub with a large group, table was already laid. Unfortunately the pub had run out of all roasts/roast potatoes, however we were able to order fish and chips or burgers. Food all arrived at the same time which was great. Everyone happy with fish and chips, but burgers weren't great. Overall an alright pub for a Sunday dinner

Great staff, they where kind and helpful. Great views of the sea from our seat. And to top it all the food was great and we didn't have to wait long! We forward to another visit soon...

Great food, great menu and excellent service

Visited tonight, and the food snd service were excellent. I was completely taken aback because 3 or 4 years ago it was disappointing. Well done 👏

A group of us went for dinner. The environment is perfect and we had a delightful sea view. Sadly, the food and service left something to be desired. One of our party had chicken penang curry and the chicken was lukewarm. Two of us had sea bass with prawns in prawn sauce. The prawns were cold and the sauce lukewarm as were the peas. Service would have been better had the waiter known what the soup of the day was! Not the best experience for an upmarket venue.

Great service from Joe. Always a pleasant evening

Good food, sea views, free car park.

Friendly service, good food, fair price and a dream view!

Absolutely great spot, amazing views of the cliffs and sea, great suntrap outside, food was very tasty and pints were a decent price, can't wait to visit again

Lovely pub situated in Peacehaven. Down on a day trip from London - Sunday roast was perfect and top service from a young lad named Joe. Couldn’t ask for better. Will definitely be back!

The outdoor patio is perfection on a warm breezy day. Add in the live music and a refreshing raspberry lemonade, perfect summer afternoon. Knocking it few stars for the food. Calamari was cold and lacking any flavour, portion of chips was tiny, and although the halloumi fries were tasty, the order only came with 4 tiny ones. Would still come back for the view and the lemonade but I don’t recommend having food here.

Wasn’t expecting too much but the roast dinner was really good. Staff friendly and nice setting

I had good pub food there, the service was perfect , a little slow, though . Price fair.

A pleasant Sunday roast, with great views and great staff

Good service by Addison and Joe

We have been before in there. This time we have been with our 2 months baby and celebrated my wife's birthday. Everything was nice. Lovely, cosy, comfy. Many thanks…

Lovely restaurant and lovely setting. Debby served us, polite and welcoming. Food was excellent and timely. Highly recommend

I ate a hamburger and it was very delicious and tasty.

Really nice service, our waiter Cherry was very helpful

Thanks Cherry for the fab service

Terrible food, had no taste was all extremely bland and soggy. Very Small portion tasted like it had been sat for a while and warmed up . For £50 would expect much better. Very disappointed wouldn't recommend

Great friendly service with a smile and appreciate banter. Thank you Rich for your lovely service

We have been coming here for 3 years now, this was the first time that the food was absolutely horrible, the fries were refried and the calamari was also refried, the food was hard and old! They served this kind of food to a child which is absolutely unacceptable! Very disappointed as normally the food is really amazing!?! Only got an apology after I paid..

Located right on the coast, there is delicious food in a great atmosphere. A cozy place with a great view.

Great food. Great service. Nothing was trouble for Darcey.

We having Sunday Roast and is so yummy , the service by Darcey is out standing , friendly and always smiling , we will be back again definitely 🤓😇

Food and service very nice. Darcey was very pleasent and couldn't do enough for us. Thanks again. Stuart Barnett.

Lovely food and friendly service by Darcey. Would recommend and will be happy to return

We had a lovely lunch at The Smugglers Rest. Our server Darcey was very helpful and attentive. Will definitely return.

Table service. Excellent staff. Excellent drinks. And a very tasty pork belly! Time well spent!!!

Debby served us was lovely and had a good laugh with us aswell something that’s missing a lot nowadays food was really good and fair priced, lovely little pub highly recommended

By far one of the best pubs I’ve been to with the best scene, would definetely return. And very very friendly customer service, amazing.

What a lovely evening food and service was brilliant had the steak pie absolutely amazing

Waited over an hour for our order. When our fish finger sandwiches arrived there was no fish to be seen , just a very greasy, rock hard batter sandwich. Found staff rude . Asked for money back and left.

Lovely place to go on a Friday after work with the sun out - having a nice cold beer..

We had a wonderful lunch there, great atmosphere, and beautiful views of the ocean.

We have very fond memories of our hospitality in your pub. Atmospheric interior, beautiful views outside the window and very tasty food. I just ate SMOKED HADDOCK & SPINACH FISHCAKES. This dish was so good that I would love to eat it again. We will recommend. Thank you for your hospitality.

Wonderful place perched on the cliff top...what a view. Lovely staffvery friendly. Food great and good value for money.....we gad 3 courses and coffee. So good I have booked again. Xxxx

Ordinary pub grub, can get very busy on a sunny day but great views out to sea.

Lovely time here, great food and view! Our waiter Joe was fantastic, great service!

Had a great experience with our server Joe, good service, great food, and amazing views. Brought family for their first evening in the UK and it was a great first meal.

The food at this restaurant was lovely and the atmosphere was good. Joe was very attentive and had speedy service. Would recommend

Awful awful food. Tepid,peppery. Cauliflower cheese undercooked and not edible. Belly of pork overcooked and uneditable. I would NOT return