• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Hastings
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Hastings TN35 4EH

cheryl59 said
Friendly kid-friendly family-oriented pub
This is a brilliant place to go for a pub lunch with the kids. On Saturday nights and Sunday lunchtimes, you can have a carvery meal where you can eat your fill of all the different meats available (and accompanying vegetables and roast spuds). If you don't fancy that, there are other meals available too. It's reasonably priced, well presented and delicious.

Even if you just want a drink, the landlord and landlady are really friendly and welcoming, even if you've never set foot in the place before !

And in the summertime, in the beer garden, there's an ice-cream (& other refreshments, teas, coffees, etc) kiosk too, which is an added bonus.

It's set just back off the beach so you could tie in a meal or a drink here with a day out with the kids.

In the evenings, they sometimes do live music or various other events too (like psychic evenings, pub quizzes, etc)

It's really lively and the regulars are friendly.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Winchelsea
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Winchelsea TN36 4BD

cheryl59 said
Nice pub, nice boot sale !!
I have to admit, my first experience of this pub was when I popped in with my daughter who was desperate for a wee while we were wandering around the huge Sunday-lunchtime bootsale in the field behind it ! The bloke beind the bar was so friendly, even though we literally dashed in to use the loo, that I thought we should pop back some time ... and I'm glad we did !

It's very small but it makes it feel quaint and cosy. They serve tasty pub grub at reasonable prices and it got quite busy around peak lunchtime, but the staff remained friendly and chilled out, taking the time to chat and make us feel welcome. The beers on offer are limited but it is only a small pub so what do you expect ?! Great for a chill-out on a Sunday afternoon !

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Rye
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Rye TN31 7DH
01797 229961

cheryl59 said
a pub of two halves !
The Pipemakers' Arms in Rye is a bit strange because the two halves are very different.

When you first wander in, probably impressed with the olde worlde feel of the building, you'll be faced with a nice cosy traditional pub. If you want, you can stay in this part and have a nice pint and a friendly chat at the bar. (That would be my choice ... )

But if you're with a group of lads, they'll probably want to head out to the back part which basically has all the charm of a barn ... but it does has Sky sports with the footie on the telly ! Choices choices !

It can get a bit raucous but it's all friendly !

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Lewes
• Category: Restaurants

Lewes BN8 5RX

cheryl59 said
Lovely family-run pub
OK, call us pathetic but when somebody mentioned they'd discovered a pub in nearby Ringmer called The Cock, we said we had to go just for the smutty jokes ! And our juvenile sense of humour loved it even more when we discovered on the menu (amongst just about any other classic pub grub you could hope to find) spotted dick and custard !!! But enough about our warped sense of humour ... !

The Cock is off the beaten track, in the beautiful South Downs. It's a pretty white weatherboard house with nice gardens you can sit in with your pint, in the warmer months.

It's a pub and a restaurant and most people seem to come to eat, so you might find yourself getting squished up at the bar with the regulars if you just want a drink. But they're all lovely so that's no great hardship! And if you end up feeling tempted by all the great food people keep ordering, they do a bar menu too with thick chunky sandwiches and rolls.

We were proudly informed that they are in this year's Good Pub Guide and even had a review in the Daily Telegraph so they must be good !

We only came for a drink this time but the food looked delicious and at about £10 a head, seemed quite reasonable so I think we might come back for a meal next time.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Hastings
• Category: Restaurants

Hastings TN35 4LW

cheryl59 said
Nice family oriented restaurant
As it's one of the chain of Beefeater restaurants, you pretty much know what to expect before you arrive. The menus are the same in all of them so the food is pretty predictable - chargrilled steaks, chicken, lamb etc as well as fish and salads, if there are any vegetarians dining with you. It's all cooked and presented nicely but if you want gourmet or exotic meals, you're in the wrong place ! It's a bit off the beaten track (on a main road but a few miles out of Hastings) but parking is no problem, they have a big car park available. Children are welcomed - supposedly until 9pm but as long as they're not being too raucous, nobody ever throws them out if you haven't finished eating by then !!! Last orders are at 9pm but the restaurant doesn't close until 11pm. There's a beer garden for summer evenings.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: St Leonards On Sea
• Category: Restaurants

St Leonards On Sea TN37 7DB

cheryl59 said
Brilliant concept but didn't live up to expectatio
We chose this place as a cheap and cheerful family-oriented restaurant, with the main selling point being the play area incorporated in the restaurant complex. However, we were shocked to see that you had to pay entry to the play area and there were no re-entries (so we couldn't send the kids off to play in between courses as we'd planned). Also, while we were there, the girl supposedly supervising and taking the money was off on an extended cigarette break so the older kids were going loopy and making it dangerous for the younger kids.

On top of that, the food wasn't great. We only had a main course and dessert but it took literally hours to arrive and when it finally did, it didn't all come at the same time so one member of the group sat watching us all eat and finally got his when we'd all finished. The fantastic-looking knickerbocker glories on the menu (in glass sundae dishes, with squirty cream etc) metamorphised into tiny things straight out of the freezer in a plastic cone. Not impressed. Oh, and the kids' toys with their meal (colouring pencils) never materialised either !

We did complain on their comments cards so they may (hopefully) have made some improvements but we haven't been back to check (and probably won't !!!)

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Bexhill On Sea
• Category: Take Aways

Bexhill On Sea TN40 2JS
01424 731301

cheryl59 said
Great play area for the kids
I don't need to describe the food for you, you know what you're getting and it ticks all the right (or wrong ! ) boxes. The food is fresh, the restaurant is clean, as are the toilets, the staff are friendly and there is usually plenty of space to sit down and eat because it's a bit off the beaten track (in a retail park rather than a busy town centre) and a lot of customers use the drive in. However, the big extra in this restaurant is that it has a great lay area for the kids so if you're looking for a way to while away a rainy couple of hours or if the kids need to let off some steam and you don't want to pay a fortune in Clambers, bring them here and they'll love you forever (or at least until you say no to having another McFlurry !!!)

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Hastings
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Hastings TN34 1PE

cheryl59 said

The first time someone suggested going to the Carlisle, I shrieked "What do you want to go there for ? It's full of hairy bikers and scary druggie-types" but I got dragged along anyway and I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting or as its very bad reputation made out. There were a lot of bikers (or people trying desperately to look like them anyway !), the live music was pretty heavy rock and the beer was decidedly lukewarm but we made it out in one piece. It was a bit grimy but maybe that was done on purpose to add to the "rough bikers' bar" image they've held on to for years. It made a nice change from the giggling alcopop-fuelled teenyboppers in most of the town centre pubs but I wouldn't make it my regular !

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Hastings
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Hastings TN34 3EG

cheryl59 said

The Anchor is situated in George Street, just opposite Ye Olde Pump House and next to several other similar pubs and quite frankly, I'd rather go in any of the others than this one ! But on some nights it's heaving so I must be missing something ! Admittedly, they have live music on some nights (Fridays) which is always quite good and pulls in the crowds. But the "decoration" seems at best haphazard, at worst non-existant. The bare floorboards and(very unimaginative) graffiti on the walls in the back room could be seen as arty or alternative I guess, but to be honest they just don't appeal to me and look cheap and nasty !!! There are a few nice beers on tap for the real ale enthusiasts. And the picnic tables out the front are nice for sitting and watching the world go by (and taking in the view of the beautiful Ye Olde Pump House opposite !!!) in the summertime.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Hastings
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Hastings TN34 3BJ

cheryl59 said
Where else would you find a mummified cat ?!!
The Stag is another classic old town pub, which means nice and pretty on the outside but nothing particularly spectacular on the inside. I always find the inside a bit dark and dingy but the people are friendly. The staircase down to the pavement is a bad idea after a few too many so you'd better put this at the start of a pub crawl rather than the end ! There are various beers on offer, including a few real ales for CAMRA buffs. There's a little pub garden and sometimes live music in the back room. And of course, there's the unique charm of the mummified cat on display, that was found up a chimney many moons again and leave out on show !! Bizarre !!