The Welldiggers Arms in Chichester

Meal at the restaurant. Lovely evening, lovely food, lovely setting, really lovely staff!

Great Sunday lunch in a fantastic location with great service - very dog friendly too, all made for the perfect Sunday lunch!

The perfect place for a family lunch on a sunny day: delicious food, fine wines, good beer and a beautiful view.

delicious food , good service and beautiful atmosphere

A very pleasant early dinner. Excellent, fresh crayfish and shrimp salad. Very good, friendly service. Fabulous views. Lovely atmosphere.

Our room was well furnished, clean, warm and quiet (despite being right on the road). The shower room was very small, though, but again very clean and well appointed. The garden and bar are fantastic, the beer and wine choice excellent, and the food very good. Service was excellent from a friendly and welcoming team.

Lovely interior and setting with reasonably good food and variety. Only the slow service spoilt it a bit.

A really nice old style pub in the heart of the south downs. Friendly staff, excellent food cooked fresh, good choice of ales and spectacular views out over the rolling hills. The 4 spade handles looks brilliant to go with the pubs name.

Lovely room and restaurant views

Staff were attentive and friendly, we were made to feel very welcome. The food was excellent and the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated with the most amazing views through the floor to ceiling glass windows. Will definitely be returning!

We had lunch in the garden. Food was delicious and the view was gorgeous. The pun looked lovely inside too. Only downside was the price of a glass of rosè. We were told we were going for the mid range glass but it turned out as a very expensive one which we didn't pick up on when we paid the bill. We should have checked, but felt a bit ripped off with the misinformation on wine costs. Otherwise great!

Evening dinner celebrating a friend’s hen do. We wanted an intimate dinner with great food and it was exactly that. Dogs were also very relaxed in the environment that they fell asleep by the table shortly after we sat down. Staff are friendly and helpful, thank you for a really nice evening!

Only had lunch, but it was super. Service and food are excellent. The views are stunning.

A very friendly place to stay. The room was great for a night or short break, with lovely breakfast. The restaurant has magnificent views. Local footpaths for walks, very relaxed rules and convenient for dog owners.

Just stunning. The surroundings, the view, the friendliness of the staff.... And the food ... Glorious, tasty, plentiful and just delicious. Best meal we've had in an age. Staying in one of the rooms overnight was just the icing on the cake... Big comfy bed, terrace overlooking the wonderful view... Can't be beaten, not to be missed.

We visited for Sunday lunch for my Mother’s birthday and everything was excellent. We were given a lovely table in the outdoor terrace which was beautifully presented, very clean and tidy with incredible views. There was also plenty of space for our big dog and they kindly brought him a big bowl of water, perfect on such a warm day. Service from the tall gentleman with dark hair (I am so sorry, my husband did ask your name but I have forgotten what he told me!) was great, attentive without being pushy and more than happy to bring us sauces to go with the roast and extra gravy! Food was delicious and good size portions while still leaving space for the wonderful chocolate delice pudding! Would highly recommend.

A great visit. The staff were very helpful when one of our party was taken Ill on a busy holiday weekend. They took the pressure off a difficult time

I love this pub, amazing views, lovely food and great vibes. We have chosen the welldiggers for our wedding venue and James has made it a seamless experience to organise. Hidden gem in the south downs!

Wonderful place to escape to, set amongst the beautiful rolling countryside of West Sussex. Super friendly service ensures a relaxing stay. Relaxing atmosphere and a really nice vibe in the restaurant and bar areas. Will definitely return!

Had lunch - wonderful food and setting

Hi we had our meal by the enormous window overlooking the sussex countryside and a family of 5 rats playing on the grass about 1m away from us.. No reply to us when we contacted them about the issue... yes I know we are in the country. I still don't want to eat watching them..

We had lunch with two friends, they are from Ringwood and we are from Eastbourne. The Welldiggers is ideally situated for us. This is our third visit and can only say that once again the service was impeccable and the food simply delicious. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. We will see you again soon.

We had a lovely stay at the Welldiggers Arms. And breakfast looking out over the South Downs was a real treat. Lovely staff, they went the extra mile for us even though they were super busy. Thank you

Lovely one night stay. Charming patio area with views over fields and the Downs. Room was comfortable with lots of little touches. Decent sized mugs, cafetiere coffee and easy access to top ups from the bar. Food was very good too, both breakfast and dinner done properly. Good value on the Sunday Sleepover deal. Will definitely try this chain again.

Really enjoyed our brunch, great views, great service, can't wait to come back!

Lovely food. Table near the patio door is always left open by staff and customers, and causes an annoying draft. Otherwise excellent place for dining.

We hosted a classic car event on National Drive it Day at The Welldiggers Arms. We had over 50 people during the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The day was excellent. The food was superb and the Manager Isaac and the whole waiting team (but especially Holly) were magnificent and very supportive of our whole event …..thank you to everyone at The Welldiggers for a great day, with great food.

Food and Service was fantastic. Room a little jaded. Could do with better lighting and redecoration.

Lovely meal at the Welldiggers on Friday evening. We only wanted a quick meal at 7pm and I was a bit worried when we arrived as the place was packed and I thought we would have a long wait for our meal. I was actually surprised at how quickly our meal arrived. All staff were lovely and very helpful.

So great to see you busy and back on form, well done to your new manager! Food was delicious and the service excellent. Great communication too by your waitress that the food may be delayed because of the new menu, as a customer that is all you require to be kept informed. The gentleman who served us, too, was great and told us all about your App. Well done all round!

Excellent stay. Comfortable rooms, excellent food - thanks, Chef - and superb service from a welcoming, warm and professional staff. Thanks all.

What a stunning setting. This was our 2nd visit to the pub, and we loved the new enclosed outdoor area. It was perfect for us and our dogs. The food and service was really good. Love your new spring additions to the menu. Super dog friendly which is great with all the lovely walks nearby. We will be back

Very welcoming place,lovely large room. Alot of choice at breakfast and lovely staff. A very good location for exploring

Unfortunately we did not have a good meal. It took over an hour to get our main course and when it arrived it was not very warm. The plum dessert did not taste good as the plums were not ripe. The staff and team were very friendly and the view was great.

Really interesting menu, beautifully cooked and presented, friendly and attentive staff, lovely view across the downs... What more could you want?

We had dinner from 6.30 pm in one area of the restaurant, giving us seating for up to 30 people for family and friends to eat or have drinks. The food was delicious, it covered all tastes, was presented well, and came out hot. As we could not do a preorder, the restaurant reduced the menu to help with service, but still made it a good-sized menu to meet all requirements. I would recommend the restaurant for lunch or dinner, the food and service are fantastic, and a restaurant that understands customer service

Dissipated with not having home made beefbergers and pati' however the overall experience was good. Great starff and welcoming atmosphere.

Our room was fairly compact but very clean and well equipped. The walls were clearly quite thin however and we could hear the people in the next door room at night . The food was excellent and the staff were very welcoming

Lovely pub with excellent food, attentive & friendly service, comfy clean & well decorated bedrooms. Had a lovely stay and would return. Excellent proximity to South Downs & Petworth House.

We had a lovely family lunch at The Welldiggers. Excellent food, very good service and a great location. Couldn’t be happier.

6 of us had a great time at this gem of a pub. Great food, in a great atmosphere, great attentive but not too attentive service and fair priced. The views out the back, down to the South Downs are fantastic. Only one downside was that when the restaurant was full, it was very noisy (I wear hearing aids and it made hearing anyone difficult but as time went on and people left it became much easier. We will be back another time!

What an amazing place, the setting is fantastic and the view from the restaurant is sublime. The staff were great and very accommodating, Imogen especially was a delight. The food is stunning and a great variety. The rooms are beautiful. I couldn’t recommend the Welldiggers highly enough

Really good food - great menu and great service. We were very impressed with the meals we had while staying in their accommodation overnight

Had a lovely birthday lunch at the Welldiggers today which was our first visit. The food was excellent and the restaurant itself felt warm and welcoming. We were lucky to enough to be served by James. Such a delight ! So attentive and went above and beyond to make the visit a special one. James is a true gem and they are very lucky to have someone like this representing the company

I’ve been to the Welldiggers a couple of times for lunch but this was my first visit for dinner. As always, the staff were really welcoming, friendly and smiley. The atmosphere is great and it looked lovely with the lighting level and the candles. The food arrived quickly and tasted amazing. I had the chicken supreme which I would recommend. We came across 3 members of staff who took the orders, brought the food or drink or came over when we waved and all were really nice. Special mention to Harry who was just lovely and incredibly polite. My only criticism would be that it wasn’t very busy so would have been better if someone had come over to check if we needed more drinks rather than us having to ask. However, all in all, it was great and I will happily go back!

Super venue and looked great as we walked in on a dark and miserable evening. Very friendly and helpful staff who found us a table very quickly even though we hadn’t booked. They told us what had already gone from the menu before we tried to order it which is my favourite trick! Waiter gave us great advice on what to order. The fish stew was delicious. But the best bit was the chocolate rice pudding. Incredible end the meal. Great work and thank you 🙏🏻

It is always a pleasure to go back to the Welldiggers and we had a particularly good post Petworth dog walk lunch on a beautifully sunny but cold February Tuesday. The welcome is always warm, even for two exuberant spaniels, and the ladies looking after us could not have been kinder or more professional. Our Bubble & Squeak Benedicts were delicious - such a great idea! The views are certainly stunning and although the winter sunshine was an extra bonus on this visit, we always enjoy getting out of London and down to the Welldiggers when we can. Warmly recommended.

Had an excellent Sunday lunch with friends on a perfect Spring afternoon Good service, lovely setting and particularly good food Would definitely return and recommend to others

Disappointed I have to say. In the past its been nice but fell well short yesterday. The menu available was not that on the internet, reduced menu we were told was due to an oven problem by one waiters then the next waiter said there was a new chef and he has reduced the selection. One of my guests was a vegetarian so the Vegetable Wellington was good, however this was not available so asked what else and was told ravioli, my guest did not want that so was offered a roast with no meat !!! 30 mins wait for deserts after asking twice. All in all left very disappointed indeed.

I attending the Valentine's Day tasting evening last night. I had not attended a tasting evening before so I was concerned I would leave hungry! The food was not just delicious, but each course was a very respectable size and I left full! The staff here are so friendly too. Would definitely recommend

Wonderful tasting menu. Food cooked to perfection. Amazing flavours. Service was fabulous

A great place to stay. We were celebrating my wife's 10 years cancer free and the staff made it special. A small issue with the heating in the room, but the manager upgraded us and changed rooms. No drama but dealt with immediately. The food was excellent, the beer was good and the location was perfect. We would recommend The Welldiggers Arms as a great venue.

Fabulous location overlooking the south downs. The rooms are very nicely furnished and have large comfy beds. Great menu for dinner and breakfast all very tasty. To top it off James and his team provide excellent service, well done. The only small downside is the road is a little busy during the day but didn't disturb us at night.

After a 4 mile walk we returned to the car park to change footwear before entering the Pub. A warm & welcoming greeting from the manager made us feel right at home. Seated next to warm fire we ordered lunch from a more varied menu than traditional pub fayre. I opted for the Hash brown Benedict. Delicious. My friends settled to the burgers, which were generous in size and tasty as well. Puddings again somewhat different, I opted for the chocolate rice pudding, which in my view didn't really work. The After eight mint ice-cream was a hit with the others. Service here is on the ball, and the Kitchen has a good Chef, so if you are visiting Petworth area this pub is well worth a visit. PS Rarely do you find hot water coming out of the taps in pubs, but you do here. The views even on a cloudy day are spectacular.

Don’t stay! Rooms poorly maintained and missing the basics. Pub is a rip off with poor food and breakfast was terrible! You pay a surcharge for an English breakfast if you have B&B rate. Generally a laughable experience! Out to take your money and offer zero service, very poor!

Lovely pub and accommodation in the countryside The food was plentiful and tasty The room was clean with a comfortable bed Thank you for our great stay

Absolutely stunning!!! The accommodation was out of this world, very clean and everything you could ask for and more! Staff were friendly and the views were incredible x

What a lovely place and what lovely people. We stayed for one night with our 4 legged friend in one of their rooms with a view. The room was clean and comfortable and the pub itself had such a great atmosphere, the food was superb and the staff were so friendly. We will defiantly be back and can wholeheartedly recommend.

Really lovely pub with large dining space. Light flooding in but thoughtful use of blinds! Food was excellent and great choice. We really liked that "brunch" was available until 3pm

Lovely food, great portions, and friendly service.

We came here for dinner to celebrate our anniversary and will definitely be back. We both had the steak and it was amazing! Friendly staff and amazing service, Imogen was particularly lovely.

Lovely old pub only the second time we have been there unfortunately the roast was only average this time as the meat was either over done or the portions were on the small side. We will go back as on the day they were particularly busy so they might have been a bit rushed . I'm still hopeful The welldiggers will be a pub we frequent regularly

We had a fabulous meal yesterday for my mother in law’s birthday. We had fantastic and attentive service and the food was freshly cooked and delicious. The restaurant is in an idyllic setting, we all really enjoyed ourselves. Thank you to the staff for making it a memorable experience all round.

I usually don't leave negative reviews unless I feel like I've been robbed somehow. The experience I'm about to share happened a few weeks ago. I hesitated as to whether I should raise this but as seeing nothing was done on the day to compensate poor service and mediocre food, and as I can see none of the feedbacks were taken into account as other people have left reviews since mentioning similar problems, I'll have to leave this here. I'll start with the positives; Great choice of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, beautiful pub and views. Now for the negatives; Ordered a main, which contained only 4 ravioli, was bland and cost me £18. I have no problem at all paying this amount even for a small plate if it is executed to perfection but this wasn't the case. Very bland and watery sauce (as mentioned in another review). My friends all ordered different roasts (meat/veggie etc); all arrived cold (even the gravy). A couple of the trimmings were missing, which wasn't mentioned when ordered. Apparently there was a problem with the oven that day, this should have been mentioned when ordering to manage expectations and offer different trimmings to compensate. My friend's £8.50 disconstructed cheesecake was OK but tiny and again not perfectly executed to explain the price for literally 2 mouthfuls. All of this was mentioned to staff/management on the spot/on the day and nothing was done to compensate (no complementary drinks or discount/reduction of any kind). Now cherry on top; When paying the bill, it states clearly on it that the service charge is at our discretion. After the experience we had, I was happy to pay a part of the tip (I'm not a monster) but not the full amount. The waitress takes all the payments and then tells us there is still money missing from the bill. We asked if it was from the bill or from the service charge and she can't give us a straight answer. I try to reason with her and explain that if the service charge is at our discretion and that the bill itself is covered then it should be ok. She ignores my point and forces us all to pay the full amount, service charge included. My husband and I paid a whooping £140 for us both and my daughter for mediocre food and bad service. We won't come back. Mistakes happen, but the way it's all been dealt with is appalling. Edit: also forgot to mention we had to wait quite a long time to be served and another table that came and ordered after us were served first,but I'll put that down to it being a way smaller party than us

1st time at the welldiggers arms on Saturday 25th Jan and I'm sorry to say that it wasn't our best experience 😕 food took over a hour from ordering to come and the food could have been a little better. Had fish which was mostly batter and the desert roasted plumbs which apparently should have been warmish was infact stone cold so obviously straight out of he fridge. The staff were very attentive and gave us a £5 refund, but to be honest do I really want to chance it again as it's not the cheapest around for the portion I received. MD

Great lunch, excellent food, good atmosphere, fab service. Very enjoyable Sunday lunch with friends from London. Looking forward to our next visit.

The pub was lovely and our table had a lovely view. The staff were friendly but unfortunately it took a long time for us to get our drinks and over an hour for our food to arrive. They were down a chef but other people who arrived after us were served first so this was a disappointment. The staff did kindly give us some money off our bill as a result. I think we were just unlucky. The food was very average for the price but perhaps one is paying more for the setting which was lovely.

The service and setting were fantastic. My reason for giving 4 stars and not 5 is the meal I ordered was not available but we weren’t told that until after I placed the order and it was put through to the kitchen, as it was a vegan meal my subsequent choices were limited and the meal I had was a little bland.

I had a fabulous lunch here with a friend. The views are incredible (even on a misty day), the food was excellent (I had the fish stew with some truffle and parmesan chips), the service was first class - everyone we interacted with was professional and friendly. I was impressed that there was an allergen menu (my friend has a nut and dairy allergy) and she loved her meal too. The dining area was clean and spacious, and I would come back in a heartbeat for lunch, dinner or a special occasion. So happy to have found this lovely establishment.

Beautiful location, and food was delicious! Very busy but didn’t impact service at all. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back!

It's the third time I've been here, I don't live locally so have bought my mum who lives nearby for lunch a few times and friends. It's a lovely setting and the food is always good. All 3 of us ordered the burger this time and the chef didn't add the bacon/relish that was on the menu, they did apologise and offered to add the bacon but we declined as the meal was nice enough as it was. Very attentive staff and friendly service. Bonus was being able to bring my dog along too.

We did not stay here - we visited for lunch. In fact we’ve been several times. A gorgeous pub with stunning views from the dining room. Plenty of space and some good tables for larger groups. The serving staff have been excellent on each visit. Knowledgeable, attentive and fun!! Menu is great and the food has always been very good. Fish and chips is really good, as is the burger. Additional of the all day brunch menu is very nice. Good wine list too. A lovely place to hang out whatever the weather.

Great food, fantastic location.

We had an overnight stay on Saturday just gone. The staff couldn’t be more hospitable and friendly. Our evening meal was lovely and so was the breakfast on Sunday morning. Room was lovely (a bit chilly though), bed was extremely comfortable. The pub itself is lovely and the views are great…. I didn’t want to leave but we had to get home for the kids All in all, a great stay and we will hopefully be returning.

We booked for Sunday lunch here yesterday 19.01.25. We were very disappointed to find the 4 items on the menu were not available, all 4 of the items were plates that we would have ordered. The starter I had of hummus was very mediocre and I would not order again. The main dish of roast beef was very nice it could have all been a little hotter on arrival to us and we went without a pudding as there was nothing that was available on the menu that we wanted as the 2 dishes that were not available were the dishes that we would have ordered. So all in all a little disappointing to say the least

We had a delicious lunch in this lovely pub. The service was efficient unobtrusive and very friendly. Thank you very much!

We visited the pub for dinner and the menus sounded really exciting. Unfortunately, at least during our visit, we were left a little disappointed. The ravioli was nice but the sauce was quite watery — a richer, thicker sauce would have made it much more interesting. The flavours were also slightly bland. The pork tomahawk was served with cabbage which felt like an odd pairing, and the general presentation and flavours were a little uninteresting for £28. The sticky toffee pudding sponge was very dry and fell apart when you cut into it. The sauce and ice cream served with the dessert, along with the decaf latte, were excellent though. To give them credit, on giving the above feedback to our waiter, he removed the coffee and dessert from our bill. This brought the overall price down to an acceptable level given the quality of the food. The waiter did mention that a new head chef had just started the previous week, and had yet to modify any of the dishes to put his ‘mark’ on them, so they were grateful for the feedback. As such, we would consider going back here maybe in a few months once they’ve had a chance to review the dishes. We were attracted to this pub because of the diverse and interesting vegetarian main options, which is always a sign of a creative chef — so hopefully they retain this approach moving forwards.

We had a lovely 2 day stay. This is a great value spot and very dog friendly. Good breakfast and the staff were super friendly. A shout out to Isaac who goes the extra mile.

Enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch with beautiful views over the South Downs…perfect after a long walk in Petworth Park

Girls lunch on a cold Saturday! The restaurant was cosy and warm with a beautiful view of the fields. The service was very warm and welcoming and the food was fantastic.

Lovely country pub in great location. Stayed in signature room with a view. Couple of small niggles, shower temperature luke warm and very thin walls, can hear people clearly chatting in next room. Friendly staff, service a little slow. Overall it’s a nice place for a dog friendly weekend break.

Popped in for lunch, Food was great, service excellent and very friendly and location tremendous, oh and treats provided for the dogs, excellent! Thankyou

Absolutely amazing place Amazing rooms with great views Can not fault the place

The staff are always exemplorary. the pub always clean and fresh smelling :) we always look forward to our early afternoon lunch visits :)

Mega service , fantastic food and cosy rooms . Excellent. Highly recommended .

I visited the restaurant and had a lovely meal - beautiful table by the window to see the lovely views - the wine we ordered was unavailable however the wait staff offered us an alternative and given a sample to try - which was then ordered and enjoyed - altogether a pleasant experience and will visit again -

We stayed for our anniversary, the food and service was lovely. My only small complaint is the restaurant/bar was closing at 630-7pm due to being New Years Day and we had planned on having a few drinks in the evening before our stay in the room. Would of been nice had there been some sort of warning as there is nothing else around and given no other choice but to spend the evening in the room. Our room also had no teabags or milk and there was no number provided to contact anyone so had to find the pubs number and instead of being bought to us we had to go and collect it.

We have had a fantastic family Birthday lunch for our daughter’s 18th! The staff were great especially Holly who looked after our every request. Thankyou to the Welldigger’s Arms.

Lovely place excellent staff and value for money

Truly outstanding dinner and very friendly staff, thanks!

Great, well-run pub. Food is excellent and staff are superb. Beautiful view from the restaurant.

We stayed over New Year and had a really nice break. The food and drinks were great, as was the service. The room was very comfy and well stocked. Really recommend.

Drinks and meal on Saturday between Xmas and NY. Great atmosphere, lovely logfire, friendly efficient service and good choice of food - the portions are pretty generous so found too much having shared starter.

We had an amazing lunch Christmas eve ,the staff who served us were brilliant 👏. I have a big family and we will all be coming back .Thank you for starting our Christmas off.This pub is a little bit magical ✨️.

Really lovely atmosphere and great service from attentive kind staff. The room was very comfortable clean and welcome coffee & biscuits. The adjacent bridle way a good dog walk. The noise from the fan was the only low point.

Had Christmas lunch at the Welldiggers, Petworth. Quite simply fantastic. Just my wife and I, but were treated to a delicious meal in a lovely traditional country pub overlooking the downs. Staff were warm, attentive and food was absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. Will be booking for next year and will bring as many of the family I can. A wonderful experience.

Lovely pub with nicely furnish rooms, comfy bed and good water pressure. Petworth is close enough to walk to, or there’s a local bus if you don’t want to drive.

Lovely Sunday lunch in gorgeous surroundings. Good food, helpful and welcoming staff.

Perfect getaway for just the two of us with a cosy room, lovely food, good service & beautiful countryside - would definitely come back again.

Avoided The Welldiggers Arms for a few years as became rundown & very mediocre but REALLY pleased we went last night to discover new owners with excellent approach to hospitality. Warm welcome, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food & proper cloth napkins 👍. Fabulous thank you.