The best restaurants serving British food in Hartfield Wealden South East

Do not eat here! It was shockingly overpriced. A frozen pizza for nearly £18. When asked if it was crush we were first told ‘yes’ then ‘the base is not the toppings are’ finally, ‘it was ordered in’. When I complained we were then ignored as a table whilst the waiter fawned over another couple obviously ignoring our attempts to get his attention. He was sarcastic when finally I called for him and sent over a young extremely pleasant and delightful younger female waitress. I asked the. To remove the pizza from the bill which they did but again left the young waitress to deal with the entire situation. Bad meals happen. The way you deal with it shows the kind of establishment you are. I strongly advise you not to waste your time or money. We are here as the menu was more accessible than the restaurant for the children we had with us. We made the wrong decision.

We enjoyed a truly outstanding lunch today at this warm, cosy, unpretentious old country pub and what a treat it was. A genuinely friendly welcome, really prompt table service for drinks and a varied and creative menu. We had creamy smokey haddock and cod and chips and at last, a chef who knows how to coat fish with a delicate batter! Good choice of Harveys ales and a great atmosphere contributed to making this one of the most enjoyable lunches we have had for many years. Highly recommended. We shall be back soon.

We live in Crowborough and have passed by several times but have never gone in. My son and I both had the Babylon Breakfast today (it was very busy) and there was a bit of a wait, but when we did get it, the wait was well worth it, as it was cooked to perfection. The mushrooms and bacon especially were delicious. Will be going back to try the marmite mushrooms and omelette and the specials which also look very interesting as does everything else on the menu to be honest….😉 The only reason I didn’t score it a 5/5 was because I did have to search round for clean cutlery, (which to me is very important) It may not be an issue to everyone and I didn’t say anything at the time as you were run off your feet, but I do feel that it’s an important point and perhaps needs to be looked at a bit closer. It certainly wouldn’t put me off going back however, as the food is absolutely delicious and the staff are very friendly ! Hope to see you again very soon and also looking forward to the better weather to make use of the outdoor eating space.

Unfortunately, this dinner was a disappointment from start to finish. I would strongly recommend that the restaurant implement a staff training day, as the service was shocking, especially given the price point. For £17.95, I was served an elderflower fizz that was reminiscent of a Wetherspoons cocktail—no garnish, too much sugar syrup, served in a gin bowl with excessive ice and just a straw and stirrer. It took ages to arrive after we had to order at the bar, due to a lack of staff taking orders at the table. The barman who appeared to be working solo was clearly flustered and evidently required either help or supervision, as the drink quality, presentation, and wait time was just not good enough for the price. This was just the start of a series of disappointments. My partner and I were then shown to our table, which was in an empty second room. Whilst this may seem romantic, we found it rather strange, especially considering the other room was nearly full. It seemed like the seating should have been split more evenly. We were greeted by another waitress who seemed pleasant but was unfortunately uninterested and lacked knowledge of the dishes. When we asked for recommendations, she responded with, "I don’t know. It depends on your palate." Typically, I would have expected more enthusiasm and knowledge about the menu, but this was not the case. After selecting our dishes and a bottle of red wine, we waited. The food arrived fairly quickly, but the wine was nowhere to be seen. It’s standard for drinks to be served before the food, so this felt odd. When our starter was cleared, we reminded the waitress about the wine. She looked at us blankly before bringing over the wine list and asking which bottle we had ordered, as she had forgotten. When our main courses arrived, the wine still hadn’t come. Despite having pointed out the Cabernet Sauvignon twice, we were then informed it was out of stock and asked to choose another. I would have expected the waitress to know about the shortage, but we accepted the mistake and asked for two glasses of Pinot Noir, as we were already onto the main course. Having worked in hospitality myself, it is common knowledge that if an issue arises it must be rectified with a matter of urgency. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case here. It wasn’t until we had finished our main courses that the wine finally arrived—without an apology or explanation. Throughout the meal, we were also not checked up on - another standard practice of hospitality, which made it even more difficult to address the issue of the wine. When the bill came, I asked the manager to remove the wine charges. Whilst he agreed, I would have expected him to be aware of the situation and offer compensation without me having to request it. As for the food, it was fine but nothing memorable. I had the linguine, and my partner had the lamb. Both were enjoyable enough, but given the £30-40 price point for the main courses, the overall experience didn’t meet expectations. We didn’t bother staying for dessert due to our frustration with the service. What was meant to be a special, romantic meal ended up being a major letdown and waste of money.

I spent 3 wonderful days at The Bear Inn. I stayed in the Pooh Room, which was very comfortable. The breakfasts were served in unique baskets. The meals in the pub were also good and the staff were very friendly. The Inn is also close to Pooh Tea Room, which consists of a gift shop and museum, and the meals are delicious.

I have already reviewed this in the main hotel site. The drawing rooms are lovely, comfortable chairs, beautiful view, BUT the food and wine by the glass were truly awful. Very poor quality and very expensive. Never again.