The Union Steakhouse in Rother

A very disappointing 45th wedding anniversary meal . Underwhelming food in a very strange menu format ! Pretentious and a lot of style over substance . Strange searing arrangement, window seat very high … my husband felt like he was in an interview ! I was very cold throughout the meal due to window being very draughty. Can’t recommend on any level . Disappointing evening .

We went to The Union for an anniversary meal and were greeted with two free glasses of fizz! A lovely touch and the food was also all absolutely delicious. The service was attentive and friendly and it’s not hard to see why it’s a popular choice.

Highly reccomend this place..Absolutely lovely restaurant amazing fresh food served by friendly but not imposing staff. I had the lemon sole and my husband had the pork belly and we shared the crushed potatoes.

Excellent food and service. Saturday lunch to celebrate a birthday and it was perfect. Attentive, but not too attentive. Excellent choice and food. Definitely go again next time I'm in Rye.

Delicious food and great service. Thank you for a lovely evening!

Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food. The chefs have really thought about flavours, textures and combinations. The principle is sharing plates which works just fine. Wine if pricey but good. The food comes in good portions for the prices and looks wonderful. We have a place in Rye and eat out there quite a lot. The Union Inn goes to the top of the list.

What a fantastic place to spend Saturday evening! I love the concept of this restaurant, it makes for something a bit different. The food quality is only matched by the outstanding service. Thank you for supporting fantastic English and Welsh wine …

The chefs at the Union clearly think hard about great combinations, flavours and textures. We sampled several plates, all of which were delicious. Standouts were the whipped goat’s cheese dish and the pappardelle. Wine is pricey though. Staff are charming, especially Rikki - a star who knows what he’s doing front if house. Very nice interior.

Fantastic tasty meal here. Incredible cocktails and attentive staff who were super friendly. Would highly recommend if you are visiting Rye.

Fabulous food, lovely wine and a grand evening. Genuinely dog friendly which was a huge plus

Wonderful food. Superbly friendly staff. Would go back in a heartbeat

An incredible experience. The selection of plates is creative and well balanced, the wine list is well curated too.

The food and service were absolutely brilliant. We came in to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and the team were very welcoming and offered us a complimentary drink. The service was thoughtful and friendly, and the food arrived quickly. We really enjoyed our time here - and they were great with the dog! Thank you

Beautiful food, staff were lovely and knowledgeable. We sat in the back of the restaurant which lacked atmosphere would definitely recommend but ask for a table at the front of the restaurant.

Amazing food and great service. A must for anyone who’s visiting Rye!

As first timers we were blown away with the quality of food at The Union tonight. (That beetroot starter was out of this world) For us, it’s up there as one of the best two restaurants in Rye. I am now sorry we did not eat there on our previous visit. We will be back.

The Union gets better with each visit. Maz the wonderful chef is doing some great things and really works her magic using top notch ingredients. The lamb chops, the butter beans and squash and the Lemon Sole, if I close my eyes I can still remember all the details of the wonderful meal we enjoyed. Oh and much improved wine list and service team most of whom have been here long term all tells a story of care, quality and true hospitality that you feel part of as soon as you cross the threshold.

A couple on holiday in Rye The idea of being able to share a number of different small plates was excellent. Service and presentation was good. For what we considered the price was reasonable. Would recommend for something different, if we lived in the area would certainly go again.

Very good service and food was excellent with some unusual dishes. Mainly sharing plates. We celebrated our anniversary here and they very kindly gave us a complimentary cheesecake for dessert. Very unexpected and much appreciated.

We had an incredible evening at the Union - brilliant food, made with local produce, and a great atmosphere. The staff were fantastic and I couldn’t fault them. Would recommend to anyone!

The Union has a standard that never fails. The staff for attentive but not too overbearing, the food is always cooked to perfection, they always keep the menu fresh, and the beverages on offer I've great quality and seem to be chosen with great care. I would always recommend!

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic! Every morsel we ate was just delicious. Great local ingredients, fabulously cooked, well seasoned, beautifully presented and with outstanding service. All absolutely perfect for a 60th birthday celebration! A free glass of bubbly too. What more could anyone want?

Knowledgeable staff, local produce beautifully cooked and presented. Thoroughly recommend.

Gorgeous meal and excellent service. Would highly recommend

We came to The Union for a special occasion and weren't disappointed. The server was really friendly and welcoming, ensuring it felt like an elevated experience. We started with oysters, which were super fresh and paired perfectly with a simple vinaigrette sauce. The charcuterie, bread, and anchovies were all good, but the highlight was the simple yet perfectly cooked sirloin, which we shared. It was accompanied by a red wine recommendation from the host, and it paired wonderfully. We were also given complimentary champagne, which added a lovely touch, making our evening feel extra special. We finished with the bay and vanilla pudding, which was nice. Overall, we left feeling very satisfied, and the total came to around £130, including service.

Visited for lunch. I had the bean soup from the vegan menu. I was happy because I was eating out every day and didn't eat enough vegetables. Even though it's vegan, it's quite filling with plenty of large beans. The soup tasted like stewed vegetables and was delicious. My husband had the pork plate. Pork and potatoes! I was overwhelmed by how simple this plate was, but it was also delicious. Oven-baked potatoes are so fragrant.

The Union is excellent. We had the most delicious Romney Marsh Lamb. Cooking is of the highest order, and the team were welcoming and efficient. They make a killer martini too. Ask to be seated on the main room though. We were the snug, which was a bit too quiet.

We hadn’t booked but after looking at reviews decided to give it a try. We recieved a warm welcome and chose a table by the fire. The restaurant has a lovely ambiance and the menu u looked good. We chose a few different plates to share which were all very good. The lamb in particular was amazing. We also shared the chocolate desert which has to be tried! All in all 10/10 and would happily recommend and re visit. Thank you for a great start to our short visit to Rye.

Did a bit of research before coming to Rye and the Union seemed like our kind of place. We weren't disappointed. Lovely welcome by friendly and attentive staff. We had a starter and main each (salmon, polenta, tomatoes and pork rilette starters....very generous portions then lamb, pork belly, sole...all beautifully cooked and presented). Sides were also great.... potatoes and garlic greens. Lovely ambience and surroundings.

Excellent service and unusual but delightful food.

Decided to try The Union as wanted a venue a little more fancy than a pub, and for some reason most of Rye seems closed on a Monday and Tuesday. We had an oyster each with a glass of fizz and some anchovies to start. The oysters were lovely and beautifully fresh and refreshing. The anchovies were not my choice, but much nicer than I remember when previously trying them. For main we shared the on bone sirloin, medium rare. It came with a green herb sauce that I was initially disappointed with, but actually came to like. However, I was surprised there were no options to have other sauces added, such as peppercorn, blue cheese, bone-marrow gravy etc. The steak had quite a thick layer of fat around the edge, but was otherwise well cooked and very tasty. We ordered a side of potatoes and greens with it and these were well seasoned and very tasty. Finally we finished with some blue cheese and pistachio ice cream. The chutney with the cheese had a nice little kick and the ice cream had a beautiful texture of ground pistachios. Service was very attentive. Minor points to note - The stairs to the bathroom are quite small and may be more difficult for those with large feet. The wine list gives you the name of the wine and the type, but no notes on the wine itself. It would have been useful to have a few words as to how light or full bodied, fruity etc, for those of us who aren’t sommeliers.

Tasty and imaginative sharing plates. Friendly efficient service.

Our second visit , good service & great food We take our small dog , who the staff love

Absolutely fantastic experience: delicious food, wonderful ambiance, lovely staff (sorry we kept you all so late!). 100% worth a trip for...

The Union offers a Sharing Plates menu. We ordered 6 dishes between 2, 4 smaller dishes and 2 'mains'. The food was really good, the Saltmarsh Lamb chops outstanding. Great wine to accompany the food. Service was both friendly and informative. If you are visiting Rye I recommend you visit.

A very nice Argentinian waiter welcomed us,he also wrote out some tips of where to stay in Buenos Aires which was above and beyond! Service was a little slow due to a new chef just starting,but he didn’t disappoint on the food! Starter was whipped cod’s roe (taramsalata) which was the best I have eaten in years. Main course was lemon sole which actually the best lemon sole I have ever eaten. Pudding was a very nice cheese cake. The white wine was very good. All in all excellent,we will be back!

Lovely relaxed attentive service. Pretty, laid back room. Truly excellent food, not a duff note.

We had such a lovely time at the union. It serves small plates (but generous portion!) with some of the most delicious wine and drinks. The service was friendly and thoughtful. The Union is a must when you're in Rye 🥰

A lovely welcoming restaurant with knowledgeable friendly staff. We really enjoyed the appetizers and cocktails while we chose from the main menu. All of the food was delicious - Lemon sole perfectly cooked, Butterbean and Aubergine stew very tasty but needed some bread to mop up the delicious sauce! Nice range of wines to choose from too.

Delicious food, friendly service and relaxed atmosphere. This was a real treat, the quality of the food was exceptional. It was certainly the best meal we’ve had in Rye.

We went to this wonderful restaurant for my birthday dinner and it was exceptional. From the moment we arrived, the staff were warm and friendly but extra thanks goes to Derek who was so helpful & informative with the menu, and made our evening so enjoyable. The food here is one of the best meals we have ever eaten - special shout out goes to the fried polenta and pork chop dishes which I will dream of for a long time! Honestly, we couldn’t recommend The Union highly enough and absolutely will be back. Thank you!

Fresh food superbly cooked. Best meal I have ever had in Rye.

Fantastic service. Lovely wine choices and fresh, flavourful food. A great place in the centre of Rye!

Excellent, fresh choice for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Nicely presented and well served.

Absolutely outstanding food and service. What a fabulous place . We chose several of the sharing dishes and they were delicious! The non alcoholic Sherley Temple was the best non alcoholic cocktail I’ve ever had! We will definitely be coming back!

We came to the Union for lunch, never having been to Rye before. What a gem to stumble upon! The food was incredible and the service was amazing. The building is beautiful, and our server (we think the manager) was very friendly and professional. Will definitely be coming back when we return to Rye!

You can enjoy a delicious lunch menu at a reasonable price. The staff are also kind.

We had a really lovely dinner on a busy Saturday evening. The food was cooked to perfection, special mention to the lemon sole. Pickles were delightful and the anchovies super fresh. We were offered a quieter side room; staff were very helpful in relation to a dairy allergy . Music great and ambience chilled. Really good cooking on display here

Great place, food was very good, but it was very slow. We went in with kids and there’s no kids menu, but the food was great anyway so they enjoyed! The only downside was rhat it took so long. Service was very friendly.

Lovely building and the food really was incredible…. So much attention to flavours and really varied menu. Also very interesting wine list with lots of new English wines. Worked very well for a carnivore and a veggie!

Excellent food, mainly served as sharing plates. Good wine list with large selection of English wines and eclectic worldwide choice. Allow £100 for two. We will certainly come again.

Lovely place for lunch. Good value for money with great service. Thank you!

Really enjoyed my lunch here on my day trip to Rye. Friendly and attentive staff and great music playing! Along with delicious vegan options and cocktails so yeah.. can’t fault this place and I’d recommend it to anyone visiting this lovely city. Thank you

I would rate between 4.5 and 5. The best steak I had had since quite some time ( I just know it’s the best quality meat & perfectly executed ), good friendly service, Pork Rillettes great, our table liked the Broccoli and the seasonal greens, potatoes served piping hot 👌 & price wise I believe value 4 money. Towards the end briefly we felt a bit like staff wanted to go home ( but that may have been the most junior staff member only AND also think to understand they do both lunch & dinner service with 1 team, probably ). I found no towel nor dryer in toilet but that may have been an exception. All & all 100% recommend visiting!

Fabulous food, great service, they run out of lamb, which was a shame, but nonetheless we had a fabulous evening. I'll definitely be back.

The food was all exceptional - the whipped goats cheese starter being the star of the show for me. Great service and everything was delicious

The restaurant was cosy with a lovely ambiance, David was a credit to the restaurant - friendly, knowledgeable, prompt - a pleasure to be served by him. We placed quite a big food order (we were treating ourselves, after all) and each dish was better than the last. We specifically loved the ox heart skewers and the lamb and cherry dish. We’ve eaten a lot of taramasalata in our time, but the one we had at The Union was up there with the best we’ve ever eaten! Thanks again to the whole team - really looking forward to visiting again

Located in the charming town of Rye, this restaurant offers a truly delightful dining experience. Arriving around 6pm for a quick dinner before heading back to London. Rye itself is a picturesque town, and this restaurant complements it perfectly with its warm and inviting ambiance. Each table was adorned with candles, casting a soft, cozy glow that added to the intimate setting. The service was attentive yet unobtrusive, allowing us to enjoy our meal at a relaxed pace.

The food was good. Wine by the glass choice was a little limited and bottles fairly pricy but better choice. Service was friendly and helpful. Sat in the snug..Nice but next time I'd prefer main area. Good but a tad pricy

Went with 4 for a special dinner. Ordered the polenta, oysters, cod roe on toast, butter beans, whole sea bass, and a side of greens. Ended the meal with desserts all round. This was one of the best meals we’ve had while travelling through England. Each dish was delicious, with layers of flavour. The service was efficient and friendly. Much recommended.

Lovely afternoon aperitivo with extremely congenial service.

Western version of grilled mackerel

Lovely meal and great service . Delicious selection of small plates accompanied by a bottle of a local english rose.

Absolutely super! Had a wonderful evening - superb food, lovely staff, superb all round! Highly recommend!

Lovely food, great wine list. Friendly staff. Very enjoyable evening

This restaurant was perfect to celebrate our friends 60th, the service was excellent and the food amazing, book to avoid disappointment, its a little gem in Rye!

Incredible small plates perfect for sharing and a great wine menu! Very doggie friendly which is always a bonus :)

Fantastic food in Charming Rye with great wines and service

We normally love the Union as it has a good atmosphere, the staff are very nice and efficient and the food normally excellent and sometimes outstanding. This time, however, I had a very sub-standard vegetarian main course (basically aubergines and butter beans - some sort of beans anyway, I now can't remember exactly which kind as I am writing this about a month later) which cost over £20, only a pound or two less than the lemon sole and other mains. The choice, as far as I remember was between fish (which I don't like) and goat chops (which I didn't fancy). I felt I could have produced this vegetarian option myself with an aubergine, a tin of beans and a bit of seasoning. In fact, this was worse than what I would have produced as it had no flavour and seemingly no salt (I had to ask for a salt cellar in order to add salt liberally). My starter was good, my pudding excellent, my husband's food very good, it was just this course which was a total let-down. I mentioned it to waiter David at the time but had no come-back. We had accepted that we were in for an expensive meal (we will be thinking twice about going back there now because it is so expensive), but expected that the food would make it worthwhile. Sadly, this was not the case with my vegetarian main course - it was a major disappointment.

Was everything amazing, very nice and careful staff, the food is was delicious 😋 😊

Food was not our choice but we had some food it was cooked OK.

Really charming spot, fresh creative dishes and a lovely welcoming staff.

I love this beautiful old pub. It's full of warmth, great vibes, impeccable food, and a seriously kind team dedicated to making this place as special as it can be. If you're in Rye, you can't leave without visiting this absolute gem.

Lovely lunch in this understated restaurant in Rye. Excellent food and nice ambiance. The scallops were delicious as were the goat chops. I mentioned it was our wedding anniversary when I made the booking and they brought two glasses of bubbly to our table which was a nice touch. Would go there again if we are ever in Rye.

We ate at the Union (with other family members) for the first time in December 2023 and this was our fourth visit (the successive three times on our own). Nearly all our food has been excellent, although the first time I ate there my main course (can’t remember what it was) wasn’t as good as it has been every other time. Sadly, however, this time, although my starter was good and my pudding out of this world (!), my main course was less than satisfactory and was ridiculously expensive for what it was. My trouble is that I don’t like fish or sea food but not do I always feel like too much red meat. Since the choices were, as far as I remember, lemon sole, steak, Somerset goat chops or a vegetarian option, I went for the latter. The sole was my husband’s selection (at £23 or £24) and he said it was excellent. The goat chops were £23 or £24 (whichever the sole wasn’t), while the steak was somewhat more. My vegetarian option was £21 which wasn’t substantially cheaper so I expected it to be good!! What I got was a baked half aubergine in butterbeans with some sort of thin sauce. It was very tasteless (I had to add quite a bit of salt, which wasn’t automatically provided on the table), but even then I wasn’t able to finish what was largely butterbeans. I honestly felt I could have done at least as well myself with an aubergine and a tin of butterbeans but would definitely have made it more flavoursome. It was extremely disappointing and absolutely not worth £21. It is pretty expensive eating anywhere good in Rye but usually the food is worth it. Not this main course though, so steer clear or choose very carefully.

Lovely restaurant and staff. The food was excellent and so was the wine. A very enjoyable evening.

Beautiful food in a brilliant setting. Very reasonably priced!

Fantastic vegan options - beautifully presented thank you!

Stylish beautifully decorated restaurant. Really great team. Very friendly and helpful with explaining the menu. Lots of choice - small plates and a few larger sharing plates. We started with some delicious oysters and then the sharing steak and the asparagus small plate. The asparagus was outstanding with a wonderful sauce. Finished with eton mess with berries and an expresso martini. Good wine list - slightly expensive but enjoyed a rose from Provence. Thank you to the kitchen and chefs/cooks .. Highly recommend

Excellent food and great service. Will go again

This is usually one of my favourite paces to dine in Rye. The cost of a meal has risen considerably and just for one it was just over £75 !!!. The food was very tasty and well presented but somewhat very oily. Sadly the next morning I had a dreadful bout of diarrhea so obviously the food was not compatible with my constitution. I think I will avoid next time around.

Great food and great service. Best steak I've had for some time. Best restaurant in Rye.

Visiting family near Rye and we were recommended to try the Union, and what a great recommendation it was. Nice menu of small plates and larger meals. We take a mix that included good quality anchovies, south coast chacuterie (wonderful flavour), excellent brisket Croquettes. We had the Sole and the Belly Pork as dishes to share, both excellent. The tenderstem brocolli and the asparagus dishes were our favourites - great mix of flavours. A really lovely mix of dishes, all excellent and served efficiently and friendly. Definitely recommended and we will return when next in Rye

Lovely suprise to be given a glass of fizz for our anniversary on arrival. Beth was super friendly and made us feel welcome. The food was beautiful. Cocktails excellent. Two happy customers. Thoroughly recommend.

Exceptional lunch. Quality of ingredients, taste, presentation was all excellent, such a clever infusion of flavours without being complicated. We did find some dishes expensive (pork belly) for what we received. Wine was very good. Service was also very good. We will most definitely be back.

Absolutely fabulous restaurant! Great decor and loved the food. Highly recommend it.

Incredible food (especially the pork belly and bay/vanilla pudding), lovely service and a nice quiet atmosphere too. Things a stellar restaurant!

An incredible meal from start to finish, and so reasonably priced. Every dish was exciting, super fresh produce with perfectly balanced flavours. The service was impeccable, friendly and knowledgeable but never pushy. British dining at its finest. We’ll be back!

Modern English food and wine at its best with brilliant service in a lovely space.

Overall we had a great dinner! Standard of food and service was great. Only quibble was that the pork belly wasn’t as tender as expected. Lobster bisque was the star for us. Would recommend to book in advance on a Saturday night as it was fully booked

We had a wonderful dinner for my mother in law's 80th birthday. The food was excellent and the staff were great. We had a perfect space for our two big dogs too and the staff were very welcoming of them too!

As a solo traveler, the small plates concept at Union was inviting. Fresh seasonal vegetables and local ingredients were a plus The combination of textures, clear layering of flavors and presentation made for a wonderful meal! The staff is very knowledgeable about each dish. I also had a delightful conversation with the chef.

We had a lovely lunch here and would thoroughly recommend to anyone who is in Rye (and beyond!)

I’ve been bringing friends to my favourite get away Rye or many years. I’ve been greeted with warmth & pride from all independent cafes, restaurants, shops & tea/ coffee shops. I’m so very bitterly disappointed by my visit to The Union this evening. It’s a beautiful venue with a delicious and inviting menu. The food was delicious but I feel bitterly disappointed when the customer service and lack of being made to feel special and individual is not acknowledged. Especially when there are so many special high end eateries that are very customers oriented. For a restaurant of this calibres and chef, it’s alarming they were not able or willing to take a Lemon Sole off the bone in the kitchen for one of my guests is shocking or just lazy. We ordered a Basque cheesecake to takeaway ( at a cost of £9.00) as a person in our party was feeling unwell. When kindly presented with the box I observed & thought the portion was embarrassingly small. I mentioned this to our waitress who merely said ‘ our portions sizes are small ‘. I am from a family who has been in hospitality hotels and restaurants for generations. When on a very quiet Tuesday evening you have a party of 4 who spend £160 before ordering the takeout dessert it shows distain and horrible lack of respect to the customer to be so contrite. I’ve left this restaurant feeling embarrassed and very angry bitterly disappointing.

Tapas style restaurant in the cosy atmosphere of an historical English pub.

We were impressed by the food. It was good quality, really nicely presented and tasted very good. The prices are fair too. It was just down by the service though. The only member of staff present was a young lady who just didn’t display any customer service skills whatsoever and didn’t know much about the food. We felt that the high standard of everything else was let down by her inexperience and disinterest.

Would thoroughly recommend The Union for a special dinner in Rye. I celebrated my 31st birthday here and was very impressed by the service, the food and the complimentary glass of bubbly!

We had a fantastic night with great food and even greater personnel. Thank you!!

Birthday lunch. Great food and location. One person serving and although not very busy she was pushed.

It was good, booked as a birthday but nothing was said, another couple celebrating an anniversary got champagne on the house and my friend didn’t get anything. Food was really good however it felt a bit rushed and they failed to mention extra charges for water and made it seem the sides were free. We got charged the wrong amount so had to go through the bill again. There was no cutlery on the table we sat at until a waiter noticed a few moments before we got food. The first server was lovely and the food was great.