Weald & Downland Museum Cafe in Chichester - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Looking over the pond as you eat or drink it truly lovely in sunshine as it was today. Friendly staff, good pricing and dog friendly. Recommended after a lovely day at the museum.

Can be a bit hit and miss, but thumbs up overall. The cafe has a fairly limited menu which changes on a semi regular basis - I have a friend who suffers from diverticulitis and when we visited we struggled to find something he could eat on the menu available at the time. Food often sells out quite early which limits the options further but any meals I've had have always been tasty. Portions are now huge but are a reasonable size. Cakes can go either way - not had any outright bad ones but some have just been ok and when they've had red velvet cake it was really good. Prices aren't too bad and a bonus is that they give 10% off to members of the museum. Location is lovely - huge plate glass windows/doors give great views across the lake to the museum which is nice at any time of year. The outside and part of the inside are dog friendly.

Nice venue and food was good. Staff very cheerful. Coloring sheets for the children to fill in and display.

I asked for the cheese and chutney sandwich with gluten-free bread, my friend had hers on granary seeded bloomer. When they both arrived, mine looked very un-appetising in comparison and the bread was borderline stale. There are lots of amazing and delicious Gluten-free seeded and wholemeal breads available now so come on you can do better than that!

We popped in for coffee and cake, the poor review reflects the utterly terrible coffee, when you pay over £ 3.50 for a small mug I expect it to at least be good, my Latte was nothing but froth, it wasn’t even half full, and tasted pretty bad too, my friend had a Americano which although was nearly a full cup tasted like cheap instant , maybe I should had complained at the time , but I’m not one to make a fuss, whoever runs this place , please sort it out, I’m fed up with paying over inflated prices for crap

Excellent food enjoyed by all, we had the sausage baps and were not disappointed as they were delicious and really hit the spot. There was a good choice otherwise and the cafe was well attended. We like the fact that the tables are spaced out so you don't feel overcrowded and this was the case even in pre pandemic days.

I visited the Weald and Downland Museum in early August. I did take sandwiches with me but had left them in the car while I walked around. When lunchtime arrived I didn't feel like walking back to the car so decided to use the museum's café. This is easy to find but is outside the museum itself. Your ticket allows you to go out and in as many times as you wish so visiting the café it isn't an issue.The café is a modern building and is clean and tidy. Outdoor and indoor seating is available. It was a nice day so the tables outside were in short supply.At the order point there was a bit of a queue which moved quickly. There are two service windows but, due to the layout, this isn't obvious unless the staff tell you about the second window. You've got to walk past the main queue to get to the second window. Better signage (or barriers) might help position people so that they can see there's two windows served by a single queue.The food ordering procedure is that you should identify the table you wish to sit at then order at the window. You're given your drinks there and then but the food is brought to your table. There's no menu on display at the order point; these are on the tables and are on a clipboard. On the day I visited there was an advert on the clipboard too - the menu was underneath. There was also a row of clipboards on a counter beyond the order windows but these weren't obvious. I assume that these too had the menu on them.The food choice was fairly limited and there were few sandwiches actually on display. There are other made-to-order sandwich options on the main menu. The entire menu fits on a single side of A4 paper. The menu makes it plain that some items are vegan and/or gluten-free already, other items (which are identified) can also be made vegan or gluten-free to order.)I selected the Cornish pasty which comes with sautéed potatoes and (baked) beans. I was then asked if I wanted steak or cheese & onion. (It seems that the café calls every pasty a Cornish pasty irrespective of what's in it.) I had the steak version.The pot of tea for one comes with a generously-sized jug of milk. However, it's a single teabag in a small pot. There was sufficient in the pot for three standard-sized cups but - as is always the case in cafe's these days, the tea was warm rather than hot.The pasty arrived fairly quickly and I was asked if I wanted any sauce. There was no offer of salt and pepper; there wasn't any on the table. However, I found that the sautéed potatoes had been salted before they came out and they were fine as they were. I did find them slightly al dente, though, and thought that the potatoes could have done with a little more parboiling before they were fried. The serving size was reasonable.The pasty was a reasonable size (for comparison it was about the size of a standard Ginster's pasty), reasonably well filled, hot enough and tasty. The beans were served in a ramekin and were hot enough.The pasty cost £7.50 and the tea a further £2. If I've understood correctly, museum members receive a discount in the café and at the other coffee point in the museum. In comparison, my local pub charges £7.50 for a fish finger with cos lettuce & tartare sauce sandwich and puts a ten percent service charge on top. On that comparison the cafe's prices are reasonable.In summary:* reasonable portion size and quality,* Café dining and décor, and* Price about what I expected from a museum café.

Had a lunch break partly to get out of the very hot sun but thoroughly enjoyed the meals. Slightly different in terms of the meals on offer, and all that we tried were delicious. They were served quite quickly despite being reasonably busy, and the staff were very friendly. Overall, would thoroughly recommend eating here.

Our food was delicious, variety to choose from. Staff was helpful and friendly. Very clean. Not too expensive either. I would say tables a little close to manoeuvre around and was quite warm.

Nice cafe and environment but food very expensive and not great quality. Chicken sandwich was literally devoid of chicken, kids meals bread was also cheap quality. Not much options for veggies and it cost us more to get a sandwich lunch than to get 4 of us into the Museum! My advice...BRING YOUR OWN FOOD!

Firstly the signage from Midhurst is poor and only shows "Open Air Museum" so we drove styraight past the entrance. The only entry slot we were offered was 2.30pm and we quickly relaised that we had to visit the large buildings at the other side of the park first as we were told they closed at 4pm. From then on, it all seemd a bit rushed and there were very few people around to offer demonstrations. Nobody in the woodyard, nobody in the forge, no horses in the stables, the mill was about to close so we couldn't see the flour being made etc. The Repair Shop was also closed and we couldn't get very close even though my friends the day before had been and spoken to the presenters and had their pictures taken. When we got to the cafe at around 4.45pm, the staff were already puttting chairs on tables and were clearly getting ready to go home, even though they say they are open until 6pm. We enjoyed tea and cake but were the last ones to leave. So my advice is to get there in the morning when hopefully there will be more to see.

There was no choice of meals. Baked potatoes sold out about 1pm. No choice of bread with the one choice of soup. Horrible white bread only. Asked for a bacon roll and got a sandwich with two measly microwaved rashers of bacon. White bread again! No choice. Once we got food the cafe was full so we had to take our food to the car. No apology or organising by staff. They just didn’t seem trained or to care! The soup was gloopy. £18 for the above plus two teas. Would never go again. Even with covid restrictions surely they could do better than this.

Great view over the ponds with the ducks taking center stage! Good coffee and cake! The opportunity to buy duck food add to the duck excitement. A good selection of lunch options.

After an entertains wander around the Weald & Downland with friends, and seeing them film the Repair Shop, we had a delicious tea and cakes overlooking the lake.

Decided to use the cafe instead of brining a picnic. We both had tuna sandwiches and were really pleased with the amount of filling. For pre-packed sandwiches this was one of the best tuna mayo I've had. Initially on queuing the restrictions were good and hand sanitiser. However we noticed that none of the tables were being sanitised once customers had left the tables.

Such a beautiful, fascinating place let down by average food and weak coffee. The cafe itself overlooking the duck pond was stunning; couldn’t fault it.

Went to the 50th Anniversary picnic yesterday evening and it was excellent. It was an evening event requiring tickets in advance, but it was very well supported. We weren't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an evening to remember. The picnic was superb and the special dietary needs for my Wife were especially appreciated. The corona rules were followed perfectly with picnic rugs laid out each with a number on and a picnic bag. The Band were also just right for the occasion, I am not normally a great fan of folk music, but I couldn't fault them, very professional and a great selection of music, even if they did run out of light after about and hour, but this was quickly fixed with some portable lights. It was a very low key and relaxed event, and we even got to see Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) who made a short speech. Full marks to everyone involved in the organisation

The cafe was clean and had covid measures in place. The food was very nice although maybe a bit pricey if you have a family eating there.

We visited on a rainy day and found a lovely corner window table overlooking the duck pond. The bacon butty I had was delicious and my OH enjoyed his beans on gluten free toast. The dog loved watching the ducks!

Enjoyed some lovely toasties for an early lunch. Good job we went bang on noon as the place filled up quickly even though there are lots of tables. Loved the fact that tea for four costs only a fiver as for one it's two pounds. Loads of tea too.

After a long walk around the museum, it's a great place to sit by the lake and have a a bite to eat and a really great coffee

Had a plough mans and have to say it was fantastic, others in the party had the Cauliflower Soup, Jacket Potato and beans with cheese toppin.

I had the soup of the day (sweet potato) which came in a large bowl along with a good chunk of fresh bread. This was really excellent. My other half had the Tapenade, which was OK, but not the same standard.

Good selection from breakfast, choice of sandwiches and enticing selection of cakes. Vegan and Gluten free catered for. Very helpful and friendly staff. A good view of a busy duck pond and a very clean seated area to enjoy the food

Before we walked around the museum we stopped for tea.After we had walked around, guess what, we stopped for tea and sandwiches. We were just too late to have lunch as we got there at 3, but there were sandwiches and cakes available.Plus they do children's lunch boxes which looked good.With views of the dick pond, it was a nice place to stop and refresh.

Part of the Weald & Downland Living Museum but entry to the site is not required to access this cafe. Plenty of seating and large windows providing a view across the mill pond and into the museum. Decent food and drink and fair prices made it well worth a couple of visits.

We hadn't been to the museum for several years and were very pleased with the new cafe. A great improvement which will bring us back more regularly. Menu seemed fairly comprehensive and we were able to get a good quality hot meal at a reasonable price. Good pot tea. Nice surroundings. Staff friendly.

A beautiful setting with such potential. But the queue was long owing to few staff preparing the most dismal, limited selection of food. Just a little more investment would surely reap financial benefits. The museum is such a wonderful place to visit but it is sad that I have had to advise all my friends to bring their own food.

Don't need to be visiting museum to use the cafe. Lovely spot, by lake. Good quality, tasty food. We had sausage roll, pasty, cake and currant bun and all were excellent. Staff friendly and efficient. Dog-friendly area to cafe. Just a shame the tables were very sticky.

Excellent breakfast with generous portions. Well cooked and good ingredients. I especially enjoyed the sausages! Good pot of tea for two and prices reasonable. Surroundings clean and well maintained. Lovely view from the terrace over the huge duckpond and little windmill. Toilet facilities sparkling clean! Recommended for a visit. Opens before the Museum so a good place to drop in..

First visit to the restaurant wont bother again. It was very busy at 1 when we joined the queue 45 mins later we reached the counter service was so slow because each member of staff only dealt with one thing ie hot drinks so if you didnt need a hot drink they stood around unemployed while we waited . Please get your act together and also good idea number on wooden spoon but doesnt work if the tables arent numbered. The sad end was the food wasnt up to much either

Beautiful location as stated in my previous review, but continues to be unprofessional in operational standards.

Average cafe, limited options and fairly expensive. Kids pasta not great with a sauce made of chunky tinned tomatoes and onions. I had a soup and it’s was okay to be fair.

The museum is outstanding however the restaurant has much to improve. The food is very mediocre, coffee very poor even with double shot of coffee. I think they could learn a great deal by visiting the west Dean college restaurant just down the road. This comment is not made lightly and is from an experienced cheff. For goodness sake change the coffee supplier.

Disappointing - very slow and limited choice.

Big multi room facility at the museum with a simple cafe - sandwich, salad, jackets menu for adults and an adult ok child menu. You need to allow an hour to cue and wait for hot food to be delivered at lunch. Shame there is not another onsite coffee / cake option.

We had 2 ploughman’s and a chicken club sandwich which we all enjoyed after a good day walking around the museum site. Nice staff too.

Visited after viewing the museum to have a coffee before leaving. Sampled a couple of tasty cakes (better then average), a cream tea and coffee’s. Came to about 2/3 what I thought I would pay so was very happy. Lovely large facility next to the lake with a shop selling some good gifts next door.

Really nice location, next to the lake with lots of bird life and people life to take in, while having a snack or a meal at the restaurant. We went in at about 4pm so not much left really but no doubt there’s a good range for lunch. We ended up plumping for gingerbread bars and gingerbread biscuits from the shop next door which went down very well and didn’t see the sunset.

Good tea and coffee, sandwiches etc. with good view from windows. was not overcrowded and self service was fairly quick.

Have taken 2 coach parties here this month and each time the food has been excellent. Extremely prompt service...no mean feat for such large parties... and delivered with a smile. Ploughman’s lunch was plentiful and tasty and the staff excelled themselves. Beautiful surroundings (the back room behind the restaurant was really lovely) and nothing was too much trouble. Will definitely be back with more large groups!

Often go here for a cup of coffee when we're in the area. Lovely to sit on the terrace and watch the world go by.

Newly built cafe, plenty of seating, some outdoors overlooking the lake. Variety of cakes, scones etc.

The cafe at this open-air museum is modern, light and airy, with some outside seating. It offers the usual choice of light lunches, drinks and baking. Service was quite efficient and friendly.

Overlooks a nice mill pond so you can sit outside looking at the ducks or sit inside which is nice and clean. Nice menu selection and was served quickly despite being busy. Food freshly prepared, we had the pate but lots of healthy choices on their menu.

Not adequately staffed for a warm summer Saturday, therefore a very long queue to order and an even longer wait for the food. The ploughman's lunch (at a very robust price of £9) was dreadful - the promised 'speciality bread' was a very stale bog-standard white baguette with a pat of butter about the size of a 10p piece to service both halves. This is such a blatant misrepresentation it almost warrants an email to Trading Standards. The cheese was a small triangle of cheap cheddar and the ham was fatty and tasteless. The guy bringing food out was given a sample of the stale baguette to investigate, buthe didn't apologise and didn't come back. All in all a very unsatisfactory experience - sorry Weald and Downland, if this cafe is yours you need to sort it out pretty quickly, if it's a franchise think about replacing them. Then again maybe you don't care with a captive market on hand.

We ate here after 5 hours of walking around the museum. The food was good and the staff accommodating.

Lovely little cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating on the terrace overlooking the lake. The menu is not huge but there is something for everyone including vegetarian options. You order and pay at the till and they bring the food to your table. Prompt service and the food was good value for money.

Although we only had a drink and cakes, we were impressed by the clean, bright atmosphere and enjoyed our food and rest here!

We only had a drink and toasted teacake and were a little disappointed with the teacake, as there was not much fruit in it and there wasn't enough butter for the two halves and priced at £2 each we were not that impressed.

Very nice food and good selection of drinks. Average prices with lovely views over the lake. Good service and very clean

Lovely scenery by the lake to have lunch. The cafe was very busy and we were lucky to get a table. Offer of food was limited but we found something we could eat.

The food seemed freshly prepared. The sandwiches came with salad and crisps. Lovely situation overlooking the lake, and the prices were reasonable. Overall a good place to have coffee.

Good choice of food- freshly prepared and well presented

We visited today as part of a day at the museum. The food was fabulous and fresh, lamb shank with gravy and mash was just the thing for a cold day with hailstones. The pastries and cakes were also popular and tasty. Well worth a visit

The soup we had was tasteless, flavourless and very badly prepared (or not as we could see it). Nothing looked appetising and we were very hungry after our visit on a cold Winter's Day in December. The so called vegetable soup was made with left over potatoes, carrots in extremely small quantity and three beans. The potatoes were in lumps and nothing had any flavour, seasoning or herbs. It was shame as they have a vegetable patch to show for on the grounds. ......

The museum is fantastic but as the café is now open to all it's even worth a visit just to eat or for coffee. Good value. Really friendly staff and good food, good gluten free range too

What a find. Amazing setting ....we loved watching the ducks sliding on the ice.

The new cafe at Weald and Downland Museum is well worth visiting. You don't even have to pay to get in the museum to visit the cafe. There are good views of the millpond from the light, spacious cafe which is dog friendly (as is the museum)

As we were going to have a dinner in our hotel we resisted the cake etc temptations but what we saw would have been bought. A reasonanle wide range of choices of food and drink. The tea was well made in good china.

The cafe operates outside the pay barier so you don't have to visit the museum to go in. There are about a dozen tables, some with good views over the pond and museum buildings.

On a cold sunny Sunday we were looking forward to lunch at the new cafe. We got a table by the window and the view was lovely. That was the best part of the experience. First disappointment was that the chicken pies were finished - at 12.40pm! I chose a jacket potato instead and it was lukewarm - the cheese and butter wouldn't even melt on it. There's really no excuse for a potato to be that cool. I didn't complain because I had waited so long for it that I was not prepared for another wait.

I visited the Museum (which was a waste of time as my mobility scooter was NOT suited to the gravel and lumpy paths). I had hoped to find lunch in the cafe before travelling home - but it was closed.

Visited the cafe for afternoon tea and cake.

We haven't been here for a few months but decided another visit with the grand children was in the cards. The cafe is a superb addition to a great place to visit. Excellent choice with a view of the water. Thoroughly recommend a visit before entry to the main site.

Have used for a takeaway Bacon bap and a cooked breakfast on a different occasion, both were great, it’s a little expensive, but the ingredients are very good quality.

Although primarily a cafe for museum visitors, access is open and this makes a great place to refresh after a walk in the lovely local countryside. I love the daily choices of soup looking out over the mill pond into this brilliant museum.

clean modern cafe with nice views over the pond. good selection of food and friendly attentive staff.

Excellent parsnip cake and scones with latte and Earl Grey tea. An excellent place for refreshments after enjoying the beautiful buildings and location,

It was raining and the cafe was welcoming but only the usual stuff. Felt they could have tried harder.

For a small cafe they provide execellent food and drinks. With a wide range whether you just want a drink or something more substancial.

Very happy with the service, quality of food & value for money. The new (to me) cafe is also an excellent environment to eat & drink in with views over the lake

Recently visited Weald and Downland and thought it was a pretty expensive entrance fee for what's on offer ! There wasnt much to choose from for lunch in the cafe either just boring sandwiches. Will not be going back 😐

Reasonable prices and absolutely delicious scones too. Set in a perfect spot overlooking the lake and houses in the distance

This cafe has a wonderful location and a great selection of food and snacks, but you have to be prepared to wait far too long to be served. Tables were not being cleared and staff do not seem to have allocated tasks or be aware of how to provide the seamless service required. A classic was one lad standing infront of the other, who needed to put the coffee he had prepared onto saucers. No visible management to help keep order and service continuous.

This is a casual cafe facing the lake and you can eat on the veranda on a nice day. I had a Ploughman's and it was a lot more than just bread, cheese and pickle. There are also jacket potatoes and special little box lunches for children who don't want to wait while their food is prepared. I timed my lunch halfway through my 4-hour visit and it was a nice break.

A new building, the cafe was thoughtfully constructed and was able to comfortably seat crowds of visitors. Our dog was allowed inside the building, for which we are extremely grateful as the outside seating was full (hardly surprising, given the beautiful view over the lake). Generous pot of tea for 2 made 5 very welcome cups).

There is plenty of seating and the food on offer is of a good quality it is limited. Great cakes and ice cream.

Called having heard about the new Cafe's opening and decided to pop in for tea and cake on our way past.

My wife and I enjoyed a light lunch here during our visit to the Weald & Downland Living Museum (the entrance to which is the location of the Wattle and Daub).

We were visiting the museum for the day so had lunch here. Having not been before, we had no idea what they offered, so simply consulted the large menu board displayed in the cafe entrance, which gave a very short menu of about 5 or 6 "daily special" things, from which we chose. These were quite pricey for the small size of the portions served, although very nice and well presented. It was only as we were leaving that we found out there were many other menu choices that were simpler and cheaper, but with no menus on the tables or displayed by the counter, we could not have known this was available - I think they need to work on their communication to customers. Lovely location by the pond, but little shade on very hot days, so we didn't linger too long.

Part of the extensive effort to move into the 'what shall we do today' market, the cafe is now available to members of the public without the need to visit the Weald and Downland. It seems to be working because the place was packed with visitors as well as coach parties. The location - right by the mill pond - is perfect. Food was alright but I had a sense that the building merits a more extensive menu and a cosier atmosphere. It seemed as if I was in the middle of the architect's model. Strangely devoid of human warmth. I enjoyed being there because of the location - but I'm not feeling an urge to return.

Arriving at the Weald & Downland Museum at about midday, we elected to lunch before enjoying the site. It was a perfect day to appreciate the setting looking out over the lake, the staff were welcoming and efficient and we chose two lunches from the specials board. Well presented and full of flavour, we commenced our tour in good spirits.

We had lunch here and it was reasonably priced and the food was good. There is plenty of choice for kids, with lunchboxes for young children. There is a choice of in and outside seating and the views are great.

Went here for breakfast today, lovely food and service. Unfortunately they weren't serving the full English breakfast that day but the breakfast baps were lovely. Nice view over the pond

Fantastic food staff were very pleasant and helpful lovely position looking out over the pond well worth a visit

Lovely food at a good price. Very helpful staff. Dogs are allowed in which is highly civilised. Views are beautiful. Looking forward to going again soon.

Part of the Weald & Down, this beautiful building has amazing modern architecture of it's own with a stunning view over the lake. Friendly staff, and nice to see reasonable prices for an on-site cafe, loved the pea and mint soup. And dogs are allowed in part of the restaurant too.

Bacon rolls were £4.50 each so we opted to sharing one.

The tea and cake here was really lovely and the staff helpful. The place was kept tidy. However the service was exceptionally slow at the counter which did spoil the otherwise pleasant experience

we liked that you could visit here without paying to go into the main event which is the weald and downland open air museum. the food was presented very well. nice standard of presentation and menu. this is a very pleasant environment to while away a little time.

Went in for lunch and had to wait over an hour for hot sandwiches. Poor communication from the staff, who didn't rest seem to know or care when the food would arrive. When it did arrive it was pretty average. Shame as the setting is beautiful.

Only sampled cakes and had coffee - both good but not cheap. The place has a strange slightly pretentious feel about it and is somewhat impersonal and oddly organised and laid out

Although the menu is slightly limited, everything we had was presented nicely and very tasty. The items we chose were all freshly prepared and well worth the short wait. We recommend a visit while at the Weald & Downland museum.

Curried cauliflower and almond soup sounds so scrummy - unfortunately it neither tasted of cauliflower nor was it in the slightest bit spicy- it was extremely disappointing. It's all a bit artisan but that's no good if it doesn't live up to the description.

Brand new restaurant opened at the excellent Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. We go to the many events there and thoroughly enjoy the good, home cooked, and artisan food on offer at the many stalls at these events. However, the on site restaurant is a corporate affair, slick, not cheap and little of note on the (short) menu, and certainly nothing like artisan food available when we went on the opening day, so we left without eating. We had hoped that this could have added this to our list of lunch venues to bring friends, but this will not be the case. Such a shame, a real missed opportunity to offer real traditional/home cooked food inspired by the exhibits in the museum. Probably the most we would bother with is a cup of expensive tea in the future.