We had a wonderful lunch at Ockenden Manor on Saturday. The food was extremely well prepared, the service we received from Louisa and Elisha was absolutely spot on. We finished our meal with coffee on the terrace enjoying the beautiful surroundings and view of the South Downs. The lunch was to celebrate a special event and having read some reviews, I was a little anxious. Yes, the wine is expensive, but wine is expensive in a good restaurant. The lunch menu is limited, but with two vegetarians and two meat-eaters, there was something delicious for everyone. Wholeheartedly recommend and will be back again.
nappytraveller
I went for a birthday lunch with friends, having been here many times before I was very disappointed on this occasion. I am dairy intolerant and this had been explained at booking and on the day. The starter and main course were great and I was offered a fruit salad with vegan cream for dessert. Shortly after eating I began to feel unwell, and then commenced to display all the unpleasant symptoms of having ingested dairy. We paid the bill and I discreetly explained the situation to the waitress as we left. I was confronted with denial of anything possibly being wrong with process. As anyone who is dairy intolerant will know, it doesn’t take very long after eating to show symptoms. I emailed when i got home, no response whatsoever, so if you happen to have food allergies or intolerances or are vegan, I would recommend avoiding as if an establishment is unwilling to recognise an error they will not learn the lessons required to avoid being repeated.
DayDreama
Lovely dining room, on a sunny evening the large doors were open and we looked out on beautiful gardens and scenery. Service was excellent, professional but still very friendly. Food was absolutely excellent: delicious, fresh and a little bit special. Sommelier helped us with wine and it was great. All in all a lovely experience and we’d travel to eat here again. And it was really good value for the quality .
Nicky B
3 ladies of a certain age enjoying a long awaited get together. Ordered drinks in the lounge and given menus. Within 2 minutes we were asked to move to the table having just sat down! We asked why we needed to be rushed? “We’re on a tight schedule “ says the waitress “ I’ll give you 5 more minutes” Duly she came back and told us to move - no one else in the lounge btw. At the table Maitre d’ took our order of no starters but bread and olives please to share, then 3 main courses all the same. Sharing pieces arrived very quickly followed almost immediately by main courses! When asked why we were given no time to enjoy the olives etc Maitre d’ stated that the chef was ready for the dishes to come to the table. Clearly making your guests feel relaxed and comfortable is not in the training package. The restaurant was not over busy but guessing the chef wanted to get home. Certainly disappointed and won’t bother to go again. Food was average and menu not particularly inspiring.
C & E EDWARDS
Limited lunch menu, quite expensive . Had soup and had to pay extra for bread!!!Food was okStaff attentive..
rebalance
I bought us a voucher at Xmas for us to use for lunch here and I was pleased my husband had quoted the number when booked as it was lost in the meantime. there was no problem when we arrived, using the voucher even though we couldn't produce it. There were four or five other tables and service was good, matching the food. The choices on the menu for the voucher offer was limited, but nice enough, and my pheasant main course was splendid, cooked as I had requested, and incredibly succulent and tender, a very good job indeed. My husband enjoyed his burger very much, though they had run out of mayo, he was happy with it anyway. We ordered from a choice of desserts and enjoyed our syrup tarts, a mite overcooked but generous portions and nice enough. We had coffee in the lounge, a pleasant and elegantly furnished room overlooking the garden, and service was good there as well. Extra to our voucher cost, (about £66) we ordered wine, two generous and excellent glasses of red wine, and the hot drinks for about £31. The ambience and the charm of the ancient building as well as the food and service made it something we would repeat. We used to live nearby and had many lunches here which were always pretty good, so I was pleased it had not disappointed this time.... restaurants these days are struggling to survive, post pandemic, post Brexit etc., and I would like to see this, as well as it's sister hotels, the spread eagle at Midhurst and the Bailiffscourt at Climping, both with spas, survive and thrive.
David Niner
We had Sunday lunch here as a birthday treat for eight of us. The dining room reasonable and the service prompt and unobtrusive. The food was really good and everyone enjoyed what they chose. Downside is that the drinks are extremely expensive so best stay off the booze if you want to keep the price down.
F8125BGrobb
I selected coffee with petit four as a dessert, for a stated £6.00, I asked that the coffee be made "Irish" ie: with a single shot of Jamesons in it. I was very surprised when the bill came and I had been charged £19.00 for the Irish coffee which was £6.00 for the petit four and £13.00 for the Irish Coffee which was apparently a "cocktail" and they cost £13.00. When I balked at the outrageous price they reluctantly dropped the £6.00 but insisted on the full price for the "cocktail" I was not impressed with either their pricing policy or their attitude.
GlobalReview2023
Finding Ockenden Manor isn’t easy with a lack of signage from the main road. Once down the right lane though it is directly ahead of you with a carpark right infront of the entrance. The atmosphere is cosy rather than grand with small dark rooms in the entrance area and staff welcome was mixed on arrival. The restaurant lacked atmosphere and unless you have a table by the window there aren’t really any views, just a few trees and the Sussex downs at a distance ,but the focus is definitely on the tables around you. There were several customers who had clearly come straight from their day spa treatments to the restaurant. It gave the restaurant a much more casual feeling than anticipated. Service was inconsistent with some friendly, professional staff and some really inexperienced ones too. My roast beef was raw rather than roasted in the middle but other than that the food was OK. Overall the restaurant certainly didn’t live up to the excellent reputation it used to have and the overall experience could have been a lot better.
paulinecS2693YV
This is a warning to future customers of Ockendon Manor intending use vouchers in their restaurant. I have an ongoing issue with Ockendon Manor concerning incorrect information given by a member of their staff which led to vouchers I had purchased to use here which they say were not valid and I ended up having to pay the full bill. This matter is the subject of a complaint to the venue which as at today, so far as I am concerned, remains unresolved. The venue has taken over 6 weeks to reply to my first letter of complaint, stating a reply was lost in the post. As regards the afternoon tea we had this was fine.
I was fortunate to enjoy a 2 course lunch as part of the Sunrise Spa package with my mother (celebrating her 80th birthday with lunch after a morning spent at the spa). The menu is very different and everything we had was utterly delicious. At the end we were surprised with a lovely dessert of macarons with a plate piped with 'Happy 80th Birthday' - such a beautiful way to finish the morning at the spa. Staff were super friendly and very efficient and I can highly recommend and look forward to returning in the not too distant future.
Kricho
We had lunch here as part of our spa package. It’s good value, great quality food. The options for lunch tend to me simpler than dinner / years ago when this was Michelin but they are still delicious and we throughly enjoyed it. The service is ok - there are some great, very experienced hosts and some less experienced staff. I was a bit surprised when one guest turned up in their swimmers with a coverup on - but seemed to be accepted by the restaurant ?♀️ Overall a really nice experience and I’d recommend it, just a bit more casual than it used to be.
carolinetR1074XT
Staff very friendly and helpful especially the gentleman on front of house. The atmosphere, views and dining area are beautiful. The food and wine delicious. We had an amazing evening. Thank you x
Sightseer62908862663
Superb food. Quality above average, superb execution and flavours. We had mains and desserts. Excellent refined champagne and tasty cocktails. Beautiful setting, excellent cleanliness all round in classy heritage surroundings. Calm relaxing atmosphere. My friends thoroughly enjoyed the morning Spa. Someone mentioned a 3 star hotel rating but it felt more like a 5 star if comparing to, for example, other 4 star venues. Overall air of exclusivity with discreet customers. Friendly discreet service and beautiful tea served in arty China.
Daniel P.Travels
I detest this place, avoid! They first ruined an anniversary and now twice ruined lunch. I will never go again and broken silence so you are spared the overpriced, bland food and the poor, POOR waiting service. See my other reviews, they're rarely this negative. Firstly, the check-in desk is a dark and dismal cubby hole with barely a sideboard to rest an arm. The ceilings are so low, maybe this represents an oppressive atmosphere the staff suffer. There is always some smug person at front desk with an ugly, garish shirt bearing down on the uniformed team. Do they employ them young or foreign so they don't have to pay them very well? The Kitchen appear to actively victimise anyone with an intolerance. Yes, they list every single allergen on the photocopied menu but make no effort to find an alternative for you, merely pointing out that you can't eat it. I asked for crackers once, instead of bread, and was told, "we have party poppers?!" This time I was told I could have (from a paultry selection) a Naked burger, which sounded great, but actually meant it arrived without any bun - charging me the same price. The worst part, and this has never changed, they regularly interrupt your conversation mid-sentence, clearly they think the waiter's time or the food is more important! This time he tried to warble his way through the menu but did it standing right in front of the sun so both my business guest and I were blinded asking him to move. Overall £80 for a burger and chips with a couple of cokes was laughable. Save your money and go to the Talbot in the village or even better the Gingerman in Brighton - at least they value their customers and don't sneer down their noses because they once had a Michelin star....I wonder why Ockenden lost it??!!!t
We had a wonderful lunch at Ockenden Manor on Saturday. The food was extremely well prepared, the service we received from Louisa and Elisha was absolutely spot on. We finished our meal with coffee on the terrace enjoying the beautiful surroundings and view of the South Downs. The lunch was to celebrate a special event and having read some reviews, I was a little anxious. Yes, the wine is expensive, but wine is expensive in a good restaurant. The lunch menu is limited, but with two vegetarians and two meat-eaters, there was something delicious for everyone. Wholeheartedly recommend and will be back again.
I went for a birthday lunch with friends, having been here many times before I was very disappointed on this occasion. I am dairy intolerant and this had been explained at booking and on the day. The starter and main course were great and I was offered a fruit salad with vegan cream for dessert. Shortly after eating I began to feel unwell, and then commenced to display all the unpleasant symptoms of having ingested dairy. We paid the bill and I discreetly explained the situation to the waitress as we left. I was confronted with denial of anything possibly being wrong with process. As anyone who is dairy intolerant will know, it doesn’t take very long after eating to show symptoms. I emailed when i got home, no response whatsoever, so if you happen to have food allergies or intolerances or are vegan, I would recommend avoiding as if an establishment is unwilling to recognise an error they will not learn the lessons required to avoid being repeated.
Lovely dining room, on a sunny evening the large doors were open and we looked out on beautiful gardens and scenery. Service was excellent, professional but still very friendly. Food was absolutely excellent: delicious, fresh and a little bit special. Sommelier helped us with wine and it was great. All in all a lovely experience and we’d travel to eat here again. And it was really good value for the quality .
3 ladies of a certain age enjoying a long awaited get together. Ordered drinks in the lounge and given menus. Within 2 minutes we were asked to move to the table having just sat down! We asked why we needed to be rushed? “We’re on a tight schedule “ says the waitress “ I’ll give you 5 more minutes” Duly she came back and told us to move - no one else in the lounge btw. At the table Maitre d’ took our order of no starters but bread and olives please to share, then 3 main courses all the same. Sharing pieces arrived very quickly followed almost immediately by main courses! When asked why we were given no time to enjoy the olives etc Maitre d’ stated that the chef was ready for the dishes to come to the table. Clearly making your guests feel relaxed and comfortable is not in the training package. The restaurant was not over busy but guessing the chef wanted to get home. Certainly disappointed and won’t bother to go again. Food was average and menu not particularly inspiring.
Limited lunch menu, quite expensive . Had soup and had to pay extra for bread!!!Food was okStaff attentive..
I bought us a voucher at Xmas for us to use for lunch here and I was pleased my husband had quoted the number when booked as it was lost in the meantime. there was no problem when we arrived, using the voucher even though we couldn't produce it. There were four or five other tables and service was good, matching the food. The choices on the menu for the voucher offer was limited, but nice enough, and my pheasant main course was splendid, cooked as I had requested, and incredibly succulent and tender, a very good job indeed. My husband enjoyed his burger very much, though they had run out of mayo, he was happy with it anyway. We ordered from a choice of desserts and enjoyed our syrup tarts, a mite overcooked but generous portions and nice enough. We had coffee in the lounge, a pleasant and elegantly furnished room overlooking the garden, and service was good there as well. Extra to our voucher cost, (about £66) we ordered wine, two generous and excellent glasses of red wine, and the hot drinks for about £31. The ambience and the charm of the ancient building as well as the food and service made it something we would repeat. We used to live nearby and had many lunches here which were always pretty good, so I was pleased it had not disappointed this time.... restaurants these days are struggling to survive, post pandemic, post Brexit etc., and I would like to see this, as well as it's sister hotels, the spread eagle at Midhurst and the Bailiffscourt at Climping, both with spas, survive and thrive.
We had Sunday lunch here as a birthday treat for eight of us. The dining room reasonable and the service prompt and unobtrusive. The food was really good and everyone enjoyed what they chose. Downside is that the drinks are extremely expensive so best stay off the booze if you want to keep the price down.
I selected coffee with petit four as a dessert, for a stated £6.00, I asked that the coffee be made "Irish" ie: with a single shot of Jamesons in it. I was very surprised when the bill came and I had been charged £19.00 for the Irish coffee which was £6.00 for the petit four and £13.00 for the Irish Coffee which was apparently a "cocktail" and they cost £13.00. When I balked at the outrageous price they reluctantly dropped the £6.00 but insisted on the full price for the "cocktail" I was not impressed with either their pricing policy or their attitude.
Finding Ockenden Manor isn’t easy with a lack of signage from the main road. Once down the right lane though it is directly ahead of you with a carpark right infront of the entrance. The atmosphere is cosy rather than grand with small dark rooms in the entrance area and staff welcome was mixed on arrival. The restaurant lacked atmosphere and unless you have a table by the window there aren’t really any views, just a few trees and the Sussex downs at a distance ,but the focus is definitely on the tables around you. There were several customers who had clearly come straight from their day spa treatments to the restaurant. It gave the restaurant a much more casual feeling than anticipated. Service was inconsistent with some friendly, professional staff and some really inexperienced ones too. My roast beef was raw rather than roasted in the middle but other than that the food was OK. Overall the restaurant certainly didn’t live up to the excellent reputation it used to have and the overall experience could have been a lot better.
This is a warning to future customers of Ockendon Manor intending use vouchers in their restaurant. I have an ongoing issue with Ockendon Manor concerning incorrect information given by a member of their staff which led to vouchers I had purchased to use here which they say were not valid and I ended up having to pay the full bill. This matter is the subject of a complaint to the venue which as at today, so far as I am concerned, remains unresolved. The venue has taken over 6 weeks to reply to my first letter of complaint, stating a reply was lost in the post. As regards the afternoon tea we had this was fine.
Restaurantji Recommends
I was fortunate to enjoy a 2 course lunch as part of the Sunrise Spa package with my mother (celebrating her 80th birthday with lunch after a morning spent at the spa). The menu is very different and everything we had was utterly delicious. At the end we were surprised with a lovely dessert of macarons with a plate piped with 'Happy 80th Birthday' - such a beautiful way to finish the morning at the spa. Staff were super friendly and very efficient and I can highly recommend and look forward to returning in the not too distant future.
We had lunch here as part of our spa package. It’s good value, great quality food. The options for lunch tend to me simpler than dinner / years ago when this was Michelin but they are still delicious and we throughly enjoyed it. The service is ok - there are some great, very experienced hosts and some less experienced staff. I was a bit surprised when one guest turned up in their swimmers with a coverup on - but seemed to be accepted by the restaurant ?♀️ Overall a really nice experience and I’d recommend it, just a bit more casual than it used to be.
Staff very friendly and helpful especially the gentleman on front of house. The atmosphere, views and dining area are beautiful. The food and wine delicious. We had an amazing evening. Thank you x
Superb food. Quality above average, superb execution and flavours. We had mains and desserts. Excellent refined champagne and tasty cocktails. Beautiful setting, excellent cleanliness all round in classy heritage surroundings. Calm relaxing atmosphere. My friends thoroughly enjoyed the morning Spa. Someone mentioned a 3 star hotel rating but it felt more like a 5 star if comparing to, for example, other 4 star venues. Overall air of exclusivity with discreet customers. Friendly discreet service and beautiful tea served in arty China.
I detest this place, avoid! They first ruined an anniversary and now twice ruined lunch. I will never go again and broken silence so you are spared the overpriced, bland food and the poor, POOR waiting service. See my other reviews, they're rarely this negative. Firstly, the check-in desk is a dark and dismal cubby hole with barely a sideboard to rest an arm. The ceilings are so low, maybe this represents an oppressive atmosphere the staff suffer. There is always some smug person at front desk with an ugly, garish shirt bearing down on the uniformed team. Do they employ them young or foreign so they don't have to pay them very well? The Kitchen appear to actively victimise anyone with an intolerance. Yes, they list every single allergen on the photocopied menu but make no effort to find an alternative for you, merely pointing out that you can't eat it. I asked for crackers once, instead of bread, and was told, "we have party poppers?!" This time I was told I could have (from a paultry selection) a Naked burger, which sounded great, but actually meant it arrived without any bun - charging me the same price. The worst part, and this has never changed, they regularly interrupt your conversation mid-sentence, clearly they think the waiter's time or the food is more important! This time he tried to warble his way through the menu but did it standing right in front of the sun so both my business guest and I were blinded asking him to move. Overall £80 for a burger and chips with a couple of cokes was laughable. Save your money and go to the Talbot in the village or even better the Gingerman in Brighton - at least they value their customers and don't sneer down their noses because they once had a Michelin star....I wonder why Ockenden lost it??!!!t