The White Horse Pub in Lewes

I stayed in a room here at the end of September . Dirty room, dingy room, manager not contactable , noisy and cold. Do not stay here

Great pub. Friendly staff and nice selection of beer wine and alcohol.

V good burgers and chip. Also, bacon baguette really nice as well.

Enjoyed a birthday party in the private function room, very pleasant afternoon.

I just pooped in for a bite of lunch. The White Horse is opposite the church and near The Ditchling Museum, which I was visiting. A good pint of Harveys and a tasty fish finger sani.

Not impressed. First visit with my friends. Waited 35 mins for a glass of water. Cocktails very weak. Wine arrived just before we finished our meal. Corn fed Chicken Luke warm and red in the middle. No service. Had to go inside to pay our bill. Need more attention to detail. Very dissatisfied.

Super busy on a sunny Sunday, good food great beer. Slight hick up with the order but resolved quickly with a smile.

We were a group of 10, with tables booked. Given a nice quiet area away from main bar, ideal for the many good chats going on. All food and attentive service excellent. Happy to recommend.

Have eaten here multiple times over past twenty years. My parents drove 180 miles to visit and we went on my recommendation. Service slow. Order taken wrong and so four of us had a meal while my mum was left waiting. When we complained we were told it was our error and then subjected to a lecture on the cost of living and told we should be grateful to have had anything. I know we’re lucky in current climate but don’t eat out often and expected more. Very sadly will now never go back to what was once a favourite spot.

Best pub in ditchling. Nice atmosphear.

When you need something to eat and a pint… And it’s getting close to last orders for food… And there’s ANOTHER hill to cycle up on the the South Downs Way… And there’s still five miles to go… it is so very welcome to find a pub as accommodating as The White Horse at Ditchling. Food was ordered after the menu was read out over the phone, kept warm for our eventual arrival, and it was delicious. So was the hand-pulled pint. Super pub and super friendly. Highly recommended.

What a lovely friendly pub .... we booked for Bank Holiday Monday. Unfortunately couldn't book for 6.30 but had a very friendly phone call asking if we could change to 5.30. Not a problem

We had a sausage baguette and a fish finger baguette We waited half an hour for our food It was nice food though Ok Just slow service but looked like the girl was on her own serving

Had a delicious meal with lovely service. Stayed overnight and the room was great too. Would definitely recommend. Shame they didn't do breakfast but found a good eatery just down the road so not a problem.

Good fresh food, chilled out, good spot for post walk grub.

Fantastic village pub with a great selection of wines and ales. Such amazing staff for friendly and accommodating service in celebrating a special family reunion the menu had something for everyone and didn’t disappoint at such an honest value. Would highly recommend

As a pub, it's good, but as a b&b, I would stay else where next time.

Update: the same lovely staff, delicious food and excellent beer, great decor and great atmosphere. What's not to like? Fabulous pub. Definitely five stars for this pub. Rocked up with a muddy walking group and received a very warm welcome. The food looked fabulous but we'd already eaten on the trail, so we settled for a couple of pints each of the truly excellent choice of ales, all served by super staff. Top notch!

Terrible service. Didn’t get acknowledged for at least 10 minutes so just went to find ourselves a seat. No one brought us menus. Ordered at the bar. Rude service. The chavvy waitress couldn’t care less. Wine ok. Food disgusting. Mushroom “special” was gross. Never returning!!

Nice quality roast, in pleasant surroundings. Bit cold, if seated in the bar near doors. Could of done with a few more logs on the 🔥...

Went for Sunday lunch with friends. Had the pork which was delicious on on the whole food was really nice. We arrived at Midday and the pub was absolutely freezing, one stove and a smouldering fire remained freezing throughout the meal. Staff were a bit surley and later were over stretched because pub was full.

Love the atmosphere, great place for a cosy night by the fire. Haven't tried the food yet but definitely will.

Recently had a belated birthday lunch with a friend at the White Horse. Great meal as always.

Great roast! The other pubs in the village were fully booked and the decor was not as ‘ye olde’ so we were pleasantly surprised when we got a table in the beautiful garden and the food was amazing.

Room was very small which wasn’t a major problem. But cleanliness was poor. Cobwebs and Mold. TV is poorly positioned on the wall as when you lie in bed the LCD screen cannot be seen properly , also ridiculously small for a hotel room. Worst night sleep ever with the church bells electronically chiming every 15mins. Hotel window is sash and not double glazed so sounded like windows were open, as blind also moved with the wind. Sort it out owners. You can’t charge rates like this for this standard. And you seriously need to alert he church out. How does anyone sleep !!??

Having visited and eaten in this Pub there many times over the years we met friends there for what we all hoped would be another a good lunch but we were to be disappointed. Having chosen the Pulled Beef Burgers we found that whilst the meat was tasty the dressing of one thin ring of tomato and one lettuce leaf failed to display any sign of professional preparation or presentation. The few token chips provided barely dressed the plate and could also have been cooked for longer. But the crowning disappointment was the 'Black Coffee' through which we could see the bottom of the cups! More effort is needed by the management to regain any credibility as a good place to have a lunch.

a truely beautiful english beer garden which encapsulates the old saying “one sunny day in england beats a thousand foren sunny days”🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪

Great food , great staff, highly recommended

Good food, good service - recommended

Really nice country pub. Very good garden area out the back with lots of seating. Popped in for a pint on a Friday afternoon after walking in and out of the dark and overpriced pub across the road. Would definitely recommend.

John always goes that extra mile. If you ever leave your coat behind; rest assured John will look after it for you.

Comfortable, friendly, free-house, offering real ale. Clean, tidy and good style. I'm sure the garden would have been lovely - too much rain to find out.

Ditchling Village is famous for Dame Vera Lynn and the tough hill towards the end of the London to Brighton bike ride. It is also famous for both the Bull and the White Horse Inn The White Horse has a great menu with meat, vege and vegan choices. The outside area is sheltered and very attractive in a cute village way. The staff here are lovely and attentive and cater to individual needs. A lovely local pub that is far less pretentious than The Bull. Worth a visit on a country walk. Generally the cost is as per this review, though taking the baguette options and choosing soft drinks would lead to a much cheaper meal.

Great village pub with a small but well done food selection, and daily specials. Very reasonably priced for food and drink - and a very relaxed ‘local’ feel. Great garden out the back and friendly regulars and staff. Hand-made chips are really good, as are the baguettes and burgers 👍

Stayed in an en suite room. Only redeeming feature was a nice bar girl and it was clean. No toilet roll, no water, blind didn’t work, not a single piece of furniture. Tiny bath towel. Paper thin walls, so noisy. Church bells ringing hourly. Really felt like management thought why not get some guests in vey basic, not very nice rooms and overcharge! £80 and on top we’ll call it ‘bed and breakfast’ but not serve breakfast!

Arrived too late for food which ends at 8.30pm. Despite Google saying pub open to 23:00 at soon after 21.30 we were told 'pub is closing'. We were ushered out at just before 22.00hrs, a whole hour before the advertised closing time. Welcome was 'adequate' but far from effusive. I think the barmaid would have liked us not to visit so she could have had an excuse to close even earlier. If these places do not want to open on Mondays and Tuesdays, then why not simply close and give staff the time off. Many establishments operate such a policy and at least customers know where they stand.

We were in the superior room for 2 nights. The room itself was lovely but (1) there were (a LOT) of cobwebs & dust around each window (2) the 4 x blinds were not blackout blinds so we were woke each morning the minute the sun was up (3) we ran out of loo roll on the first night & were given napkins to use…!! (4) for the price - with no breakfast - we should have had 2 x towels each as well.

Loved it..a nice change the the bull which is a bit up its own drain pipe

Wonderful person behind the bar, but a completely neutral experience. Will not return

I'm not a regular but do go here for lunch every now and then. I guess I've been going there occasionally since 2015 or 2016. The ale is always excellent. There always seems to be Harvey's best Bitter, Dark Star and a few other ales and a range of lagers. It has always been a friendly and welcoming place whether packed out or quiet. I've never had a disappointing meal there. Nobody is pretending to be a Masterchef wannabe but it is always really good. I have a vegetarian meal and my Mum usually has a fish or meat dish. We both enjoy it. She tells me that their Pinot Grigio and white Rioja are perfectly good. This week I had the vegetarian sausages with gravy, greens, mashed potatoes, carrots and swede and it was delicious. A pint of Harveys Best was my aperitif and a pint of Dark Star went down nicely with the meal. It was a sunny, warm day so we ate outside and it was very pleasant indeed. My Mum had a baguette with avocado and bacon and really liked it. She spends half her life in France so when she says the bread is good it's really good!

All good. Great real ale, helpful staff and enjoyed the fish n chips too 😊

Great food in comfortable surroundings.

Lovely little pub. Beautiful paved garden. Good selection of real ales. Welcoming friendly staff.

Appalling rooms and service. We were told we would have our own bathroom, and ended up having to share with another family. I don’t think the room had been cleaned. Genuinely can’t believe they’re charging £100 a night for these rooms - and they didn’t even include breakfast.

Came in from a spontaneous lunch on a Sunday after walking over from Hassocks. The service was friendly and the menu offers enough variety in food and drinks. There is also a wonderful beer garden outside. The chips was pretty amazing - possibly triple fried! - but I thought my portion (burger with chips) was rather small compared to the fish and chips. Price-wise, I thought it was expensive in a sense that it was nearly the same as London prices; but the quality of the ingredients was evident, so I cannot complain. My only disappointment was with the sticky toffee pudding which was dry and there was nearly not enough caramel sauce or custard. Would recommend to anyone in the area still.

A delightful pub in Ditchling, wonderful staff, good pub grub, fantastic seating area outside. Stayed in the twin room upstairs, clean and practical. Highly recommended

Lovely family pub, good food, good beer and a great atmosphere

Great country pub. Wide selection of ales.

Pub serves good food and has a lovely terrace for the warmer months. Would highly recommend stopping in. Didn't have as good of an experience when I stayed in the rooms however. I don't think my room had been cleaned at all to be honest.

Fabulous friendly service and fantastic food at a reasonable price 👍🏻 lovely friendly pub

Good food (Sunday lunch) quick service and good beer.

Had dinner with my partner . Very poor evening. I ordered Cajun chicken burger and chips. The bun was burnt , black underneath, the Cajun batter was burnt and fell off the dry chicken. Zero flavour what so ever. The chips aren’t chips it’s a potato cut 4 ways. My partner ordered sausage and mash. They didn’t serve mash they served the potato 4 ways as chips. Shocking. I informed the young waitress of how poor the meals were. Before I left I asked if she informed the chef she said she didn’t want to make her upset . I said not as angry as iv had to pay over £30 with no apology.

£100 for room which would be fine BUT…. The room was so small it barely fit the bed. Asked what time breakfast was and too there was no breakfast! Also nobody bothered to tell us they stopped food at 1745 that evening despite us booking into sty with them. It was Easter Monday so understandable but at least tell your guests there’s no food! Luckily the other pub was serving. Landlord asked us to pay in full on arrival so he could be done with us and we let ourselves out in the morning. Two teabags and two milk sachets in the room only! One milk sachet each! When I asked for some more teabags so we could have a cup of tea in the morning at least they couldn’t find any, so woke to no breakfast and no teabags. Had a pint in the bar before bed at 2100 -two others at the bar. When they left at 2130 the barman turned the music immediately off and told me he was locking up and could I take my pint up to my room to finish it there. It was half past nine!! And he’d sold me a pint!! And my room had no room for a chair - fancy drinking a pint in your bed!!! Also mouldy bathroom, stained towels, nasty polyester pillows and bed linen and the noisiest room imaginable (single glazed window by road). Slightly lacklustre place. Avoid unless you’re walking the South Downs like us and have no choice. (Nice beers though - very well kept) Don’t get why they’ve replaced a nice old fireplace with an electric heater and chosen to paint what was a cosy pub interior duck egg blue. More like a breakfast room than a real pub interior.

Brilliant! We pre booked a buffet for a large family gathering, including young children. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the buffet was excellent. Thankyou so much, a perfect be ending to our day.

Well, what a turn-up! We were staying in nearby sell catering accommodation and having booked dinner here, we were a little worried not to fund it in our hosts list of places to eat. Well, what a mistake they made! Staff were warm and welcoming and we were quickly shown to our table. The menu was standard pub food, rather than haute cuisine, but the White Horse proves the old adage that sometimes it’s best to stick to what you know. That’s not ti say that we weren’t pleasantly surprised by an avocado salad in the specials board. While one of us opted for that, they were only too happy to provide me with their bar snack whitebait as a starter. The mains were equally enjoyable, not least the haddock and chips which had a crisp, light batter, so often beyond the capabilities of pub kitchens. All this was delivered for a price that eaves you comfortably able to meet the price of a desert, if you unlike us, have room.

Lovely roast and spacious restaurant 😊

Dropped in for something to eat. The food was below par and the service was quite surly. I think the dead plants in the window boxes outside should have told me what to expect.

Lovely country pub with good drinks and service

After spending a day at Plumpton Races we called into the white Horse for a drink. Whilst we did not eat, the range of draught ales was brilliant as was the welcome from a landlord from the old school. I really didnt think these pubs existed any more. The locals were really welcoming and so friendly. Please lord let's have more of these pubs where we can enjoy good beer, good conversation and a lovely warm log fire. What more do people want from life.

Short but sweet. Just stopped off here for a drink after a day at Plumpton Races. I have to say only had a drink but without doubt the best, friendliest pub I have been into for a good few years. Landlord brilliant old school, great range of beers and the locals were really friendly people who made us feel so welcome. Absolutely loved the place. Bring on more of the same.

Stopped by for a quick half and a snack. A very nice atmosphere.

We turned up for our table reservation at the allotted time but our table had been given to some casual drinkers. And we were given no choice but to wait for them to finish up which they weren’t in a hurry to do. We got to sit at our table half hour late and, despite pre-ordering, our meal took an extra half hour to arrive. It was luke warm, each element piled on top of the other and not overly fresh. Very little gravy so maybe were running out by then. Also had to ask for cranberry sauce and was given just a thimble full.

Excellent food and excellent beer.

Nice food and lovely waitress, however even though the fire was on it was quite cold.

So disappointed with this Pub. It was a half way point to meet up with family. Looked really nice on website and menu had something for everyone. Food presentation was off putting. Huge chips that looked and tasted like under cooked wedges. The fish tasted ok but had thick stodgy batter. Served with a few peas. Tartar sauce was good. Had to ask for more condiments and napkins. Flies were an issue, couldn’t believe that they had sticky fly papers hanging from the ceiling! When asked if they had a fly problem, the waiter said (with a big smile on his face) “oh yes, terrible problem” and continued to chat about it. Toilets were ok, very basic. Unsurprisingly no one asked if everything was ok? We left and walked to a lovely little Tea Shop to have a cup of tea and chat in more comfortable surroundings.

First and last visit here. Flies on us, flies on the table, flies on the floor and flies on our food. Sat down at table and it was at least 30 mins before anyone came over to take our order, and it wasn’t particularly busy. Food was ok, but hubby said his roast potatoes were some of the worse he’s had, and another’s rare beef was well over cooked. Staff obviously hadn’t been to the ‘smile and engage with customer’ course and no one gave the impression they wanted to be there. At least the dogs ate well that night!

We visited today in a group of 6 and pre booked. When we arrived we went and got our own drinks as no one came over. There were 10s of flies landing on us and the table also. We were told there was a fly issue currently but I couldn't see any fly traps anywhere to try and reduce the amount flying around. Eventually after 30 mins someone came and took our food order. We all ordered roast and two of us ordered the beef roast cooked rare. When the food arrived it looked sad. The roast potato's were not even roasted, more like boiled. The veg was also under cooked and there was barely any gravy. The roast which I has asked to be cooked rare was more like well done. I did speak to the waiter about this but he seemed oblivious and nothing more was done. We were still charged for it even though I barely touched it and as you can see in the photo does not look appealing. During the meal a fly landed in my food twice, once getting stuck and I had to tear the Yorkshire pudding apart to get it out and also once landed in my glass of wine. Overall the service and the food was awful. I feel like if the waiter had tried to rectify the issue when I Spoke to him it would have been different but he didn't care. I would 100% not come back here again and highly recommend people to avoid.

Enjoyed lunch with friends in this updated village pub near the church and village museum

A very warm welcome! I had the burger which I would recommend to any burger lover!! Overall a very nice experience. We will return

Lovely pub, great food, very friendly staff

Nice food, friendly welcome, great atmosphere and indoor and outdoor space.

A lovely pub to spend a couple of hours in.

Our experience was not that good...maybebecause it was a Sunday night? Shower was okay & hot!! Douvet was thin no heating, hand soap only or shampoo unless, some one had left it! Fod shuts at 7-7.30(ate at the bull ). We left at approx 9.am..., no one except the kitchen porter.. no where to return/hand the room key to? Not a good night's sleep! No repeats for us!!!🥴

Good food and service. Local ditchling gin sold.

Friendly staff, good pint, (nearly all the time)

Sadly I have to give a One because there wasnt a Zero to choose. From the moment we walked in the greeting was rude. The reservation for 11 was placed on a round table and a rectangular table which was very odd and not easy to communicate with everyone. The food took 75 min to come and at 45 min I asked for an update and got a rude 'its coming' reply. The food was beyond bland and well overpriced. The smallest piece of chicken in a burger I've ever seen, one slice of lettuce and on tomato with 5 "chips' and i say chips loosely as they were under cooked chunks of potato for £14. At best it was worth £8. No sauces were offered and no drinks were asked for. Harvester is posh compared to this place. The atmosphere looks like someone got a discount on kid blue paint as every inch is blue. Couldn't get out quick enough. Asked for the bill and each line said FOOD so how do you figure out how to split a bill? Ridiculous and horrible experience. Will dread even driving by next time. Avoid!

Pub is lovely, but not so much the accomodation

My second visit here, first for a wake a few years ago & recently on a happier occasion ... both times tho I cannot praise the lovely staff highly enough! This visit was spent outside in glorious sunshine with delicious bar snacks & pints of tasty local beer! A stella combination!

My daughter booked and paid for a twin room via hotel.com, on arriving at the White Horse, she was informed that she had accudentally booked for one person and not two and that there would be an additional charge and that the total would be £95. This of course was not a problem and as my daughter had already paid hotel.com £75 was expecting only to pay an additional £20. However, the owner informed my daughter that she had told hotel.com not to take payment as they charge taxes and fees and that she will take payment on arrival and assured my daughter that she has not received any money. After being shown to our room my daughter checked her bank and the £75 had been paid. When she went to show the owner, the owner refunded the £95 but then told my duaghter she had to pay an additional £31.24 as she had not received the full £75 and would not change her decision. As we had nowhere else to stay for the night as we were on a 2 day trek she reluctantly paid the amount. So my daughter ended up paying £106.24 for a small twin, shared bathroom and no breakfast included in price - quite expensive. I am surprised that the White Horse did not check that hotel.com were not still taking payments after they had informed them not to, quite a simple check and if knowing that they do why still use them, it gives the impression that one or the other are misleading the customers. I gave 2 stars as we did have the shared bathroom to ourselves and the beds were comfy. Would have had a better night sleep if there were curtains or if the blind was at least blackout, i was awake at 4am. On leaving the next day at 8.40 there was noone around to check us out, so we left the key in the room.

Lovely staff - kindly sold us some milk from the kitchen for the kids' breakfast, and a couple of great pints of Harvey's of course! Thank you x

Lovely food and service, fresh ingredients. Good vegan and gluten free options.

A great traditional feeling pub. Good food and the beer is kept incredibly well. Always torn between Harvey's and Timothy Taylors. A great wine list to choose from and a lovely sunny patio garden out back. Local artists work up on the walls.

Fantastic place friendly warm lovely food good value perfect place for a visit if you're there for the weekend children and dog friendly

Excellent food, beer and most of all super attentive service.

Felt super local. Lovely staff, very doggy friendly. Simple pub grub.

After reading all the positive reviews we chose the White Horse Inn in Ditchling for a Sunday lunch. I rarely leave reviews but after eating at The White Horse Inn my whole family were so disappointed with their lunch I felt like we had to review to set the record straight… The fish and chips were absolutely awful, dry, tasteless and inedible and my son described his chicken burger as dry and tasteless. This coupled with taking one hour for food to arrive; sauce and salt and pepper in sachets; uninviting decor and blocked toilets made for a disappointing Sunday lunch.

Stayed overnight as attending a local course. The accommodation was clean, bed was comfortable, basic and expensive for what it offered. The food was terrible, two greasy slabs of meat (burger) bit of melted cheese, salad consisted on 1 slice cucumber quartered, 1 small halved tomato, few bits of onion and soggy piece of lettuce, the handcut chips were so dry that they were inedible. Beer was very nice. Staff are really pleasant. Truly surprised at the poor standard in food, especially given the rave reviews we'd seen.

Food was fantastic and service very friendly.

Good food, good staff, nice garden.

Great place to stop of in Steyning. Good local crowd, pool take and darts available. Bar is well looked after and the beer always tastes clean. Been here many times and will continue to visit.

Lovely pub, great location and with a sun trap of a beer garden, they would have gotten a 5 had the cheese board been a little more local. The Sunday roast I can recommend

First time there and will not be the last. Great friendly service and good big portions of food. Sat near the log fire on the 4 seat table near window so space and warmth. Heartily recommended.

Always a friendly welcome. Food reasonably priced.

My sister and I visited ditchling in East Sussex to visit a vera lynn tribute at the local museum, as we were early we found this pub called the White horse in ditchling High Street and decided to go in for a meal.well we weren't disappointed, the pub and the staff were very welcoming and couldn't do enough for us, and the food was second to none.if you ever find yourself in this area then do go and visit this pub for a meal ,you won't be disappointed thanks to everyone for a pleasant visit

The White horse is one of my favourite pubs to go to for a pint and a chat with friends or for some good well presented food . The pub is well decorated and has a nice atmosphere with a great sun trap garden in the summer with views of the south downs perfect on a sunny day and lovley warm crackling fires in the winter for a warm up and a welcoming pint . It has a good selection of local beers , lagers and wines all at fair prices and the staff are always warm and welcoming . overall a very nice pub to visit , I would definitely recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pub good , staff excellent food let down by roast beef being tough

Great food, nice warm open fire. Friendly welcome and helpful staff. We went here because the cafe at the Museum was still closed due to Covid and there was no space in the tea room up the road.

Had a delicious birthday supper with friends last night. Food & service excellent. It looks like the pub has recently been decorated & looks great. However, the lighting is too bright as there are some spotlights which are rather glaring. The fairy lights & wall uplighters would be perfect in the evenings and soften the environment to make it more welcoming as there is a lovely glow from the log burning stove.

We enjoyed to cosy ambience as we are lucky to have it as 1 of 2 local pubs that are more for the locals. Well done John and the staff for getting through these trubled times.👍💪

Good food at reasonable prices. Basic vegetarian options. Felt very welcoming and good beer too.