This is my go to place for a Sunday afternoon visit ….ALWAYS excellent food and coffee…ALWAYS excellent and friendly service from Gail and Anna. I can’t recommend this place highly enough …great views of the South Downs too! K
mjgebbett
We love this place. Tucked away in such a wonderful position and the barn itself is fascinating. The food served there is always good and the people who work here are dedicated to friendly service and great food. Thankyou to those who run this lovely place.
Sean Swonnell
Lovely venue and really interesting food.
Google user
The cafe is in a beautiful setting with ample seating both inside and outside.\\n\\nThe ladies were welcoming and friendly, with a good range of food and cakes available. There were also dairy free and gluten free options - not just one, but multiple options!\\n\\nThe coffee is served in a cafetiere and is delicious. I had the sausage and haggis roll which was fresh, warm, and very tasty.\\n\\nA very delightful cafe, with great food and coffee. Highly recommend!
GoTravelling123
Very rude owner approached our table asking us to pay for a mistake with our order which was their fault. I have never been asked to pay for an error that was make by the kitchen staff. We will never return.
Phil Roberts
The cafe is in a beautiful setting with ample seating both inside and outside.The ladies were welcoming and friendly, with a good range of food and cakes available. There were also dairy free and gluten free options - not just one, but multiple options!The coffee is served in a cafetiere and is delicious. I had the sausage and haggis roll which was fresh, warm, and very tasty.A very delightful cafe, with great food and coffee. Highly recommend!Dietary restrictions: Both GF and DF options.I didn't look for vegan, best to check if needed
Sheila F
What a fantastic lunch, highly recommend the delicious sausage rolls and unique salads. Lovely staff that make you feel very welcome. Makes a ideal spot for refreshments after a lovely walk up the downs! A must for anyone who appreciates quality home cooked food.
Annettenewall
What a find !!! Lovely menu , all homemade , hot and cold options today I had beetroot soup absolutely delicious. Previously had the amazing warm savoury scones . They really care here that you have a great visit ....and they deliver !!! Great place for a walk afterwards.
Phil Playfoot
The food was delicious and beautifully prepared and the setting is pleasant, however portions are very small and I consider prices high for what it is. We also had a problem with using the loo. I ordered food and then went to use the facilities. There was no loo paper or paper towels in one cubicle and the other cubicle for those with a disability had a few sheets which I used up. I raised this with our waitress when I got back to the table. My wife went back at the end of the meal but still no paper of either kind. She asked staff for help and had to wait several minutes waiting for it to appear. Also be warned, the toilet windows in the disabled cubicle have clear windows at waist height right next to a path with an unobstructed view for any walkers onto what you are doing! Extremely embarrassing as I experienced!
Chris Kirk
The queues were long and the service a little slow and unfriendly. There was definitely a great deal of stress surrounding the fact that the place was popular. Great place to visit and lovely walks, would not recommend the café itself though.
I visited this cafe with friends and inadvertently left my walking pole. When two days later I went to pick it up. The owner turned up with it, stuck it in the mud and walked off. He was so rude. They clearly don’t care about customers. This is not a place I would recommend to anyone. The food is overpriced but I get that, the heat on a December day was not on in the main dining area, ok, perhaps an oversight, but the off hand rudeness was wilful. Don’t use this cafe.
needyslew
I have visited this cafe a few times and can’t recommend it enough. The owners are great and the cakes are phenomenal! I love trying the variety of cakes and love it when fruits from their own land make their way into the cakes! The lunch is always good and, although I’m not a salad person, I love the kale salad they have been doing! It’s so much better than your iceberg, tomatoes and onions! I really recommend this cafe as a great place to stop for after a walk around the Downs! And it’s dog friendly.
marykK9073OS
On our walk when we came to this cafe. As we hadn’t visited before went in to use the toilet to see what it was like. We were not welcomed at all and in fact the staff were very rude. No excuse as it was empty!! . So no, we didn’t stay for a bite to eat or drink! Staff obviously need customer training. We won’t be visiting again. Not sure how long this cafe will survive!
John Sadler
Very friendly staff. Good service. Lovely tea.
21alekss
I visited with my brother last Sunday and really wanted to love this café. First impressions were good: the location at the foot of the Downs was beautiful and the venue was set in a lovely old restored barn. We entered and alas downhill from that point on. A greeting and ordering procedure would have been nice but we were ignored so we milled around feeling a bit foolish, then picked up a menu and found an (unwiped) table outside. The smell of frying bacon was enticing so we ordered bacon baps only to be told that the baps had run out! It was only 1.45pm. The reason given was that they "had been busy". On a popular walkers and cyclists route on a fine weekend the demand should have been predictable and catered for: after all this café has been running for four years. I then tried to order scones but they had all gone too. We finally settled for lime cheesecake with raspberries (sadly no raspberries, ran out of those too), tasty but topping was melting; banana cake (delicious) and coffee (lukewarm). The coffee was delivered after 20 minutes; 15 minutes later we'd drunk it and still no sign of the cakes. When I went into the café the owner was holding a bunch of tabs and it was clear the system such as it is had unravelled: the owner herself said it was chaos. I was assured the cake was coming so ordered another coffee. The cakes came but the coffee didn't (not written down) so I had to remind again. People had been arriving but were being turned away as the café was I believe closing early. Our bill for two cakes (no reduction for the missing raspberries!), three coffees and dreadful service came to £17.50 which I reckon is pricey for such a poor experience. Reading previous reviews going back four years a common thread reoccurs: the whole operation falls to pieces when a 'busy' period is encountered. Lessons should have been learnt by now - namely, experienced staff, efficient system and sufficient food stocks. This café has such potential (I know, I have worked in several) and with some effort it should reach it.
This is my go to place for a Sunday afternoon visit ….ALWAYS excellent food and coffee…ALWAYS excellent and friendly service from Gail and Anna. I can’t recommend this place highly enough …great views of the South Downs too! K
We love this place. Tucked away in such a wonderful position and the barn itself is fascinating. The food served there is always good and the people who work here are dedicated to friendly service and great food. Thankyou to those who run this lovely place.
Lovely venue and really interesting food.
The cafe is in a beautiful setting with ample seating both inside and outside.\\n\\nThe ladies were welcoming and friendly, with a good range of food and cakes available. There were also dairy free and gluten free options - not just one, but multiple options!\\n\\nThe coffee is served in a cafetiere and is delicious. I had the sausage and haggis roll which was fresh, warm, and very tasty.\\n\\nA very delightful cafe, with great food and coffee. Highly recommend!
Very rude owner approached our table asking us to pay for a mistake with our order which was their fault. I have never been asked to pay for an error that was make by the kitchen staff. We will never return.
The cafe is in a beautiful setting with ample seating both inside and outside.The ladies were welcoming and friendly, with a good range of food and cakes available. There were also dairy free and gluten free options - not just one, but multiple options!The coffee is served in a cafetiere and is delicious. I had the sausage and haggis roll which was fresh, warm, and very tasty.A very delightful cafe, with great food and coffee. Highly recommend!Dietary restrictions: Both GF and DF options.I didn't look for vegan, best to check if needed
What a fantastic lunch, highly recommend the delicious sausage rolls and unique salads. Lovely staff that make you feel very welcome. Makes a ideal spot for refreshments after a lovely walk up the downs! A must for anyone who appreciates quality home cooked food.
What a find !!! Lovely menu , all homemade , hot and cold options today I had beetroot soup absolutely delicious. Previously had the amazing warm savoury scones . They really care here that you have a great visit ....and they deliver !!! Great place for a walk afterwards.
The food was delicious and beautifully prepared and the setting is pleasant, however portions are very small and I consider prices high for what it is. We also had a problem with using the loo. I ordered food and then went to use the facilities. There was no loo paper or paper towels in one cubicle and the other cubicle for those with a disability had a few sheets which I used up. I raised this with our waitress when I got back to the table. My wife went back at the end of the meal but still no paper of either kind. She asked staff for help and had to wait several minutes waiting for it to appear. Also be warned, the toilet windows in the disabled cubicle have clear windows at waist height right next to a path with an unobstructed view for any walkers onto what you are doing! Extremely embarrassing as I experienced!
The queues were long and the service a little slow and unfriendly. There was definitely a great deal of stress surrounding the fact that the place was popular. Great place to visit and lovely walks, would not recommend the café itself though.
Restaurantji Recommends
I visited this cafe with friends and inadvertently left my walking pole. When two days later I went to pick it up. The owner turned up with it, stuck it in the mud and walked off. He was so rude. They clearly don’t care about customers. This is not a place I would recommend to anyone. The food is overpriced but I get that, the heat on a December day was not on in the main dining area, ok, perhaps an oversight, but the off hand rudeness was wilful. Don’t use this cafe.
I have visited this cafe a few times and can’t recommend it enough. The owners are great and the cakes are phenomenal! I love trying the variety of cakes and love it when fruits from their own land make their way into the cakes! The lunch is always good and, although I’m not a salad person, I love the kale salad they have been doing! It’s so much better than your iceberg, tomatoes and onions! I really recommend this cafe as a great place to stop for after a walk around the Downs! And it’s dog friendly.
On our walk when we came to this cafe. As we hadn’t visited before went in to use the toilet to see what it was like. We were not welcomed at all and in fact the staff were very rude. No excuse as it was empty!! . So no, we didn’t stay for a bite to eat or drink! Staff obviously need customer training. We won’t be visiting again. Not sure how long this cafe will survive!
Very friendly staff. Good service. Lovely tea.
I visited with my brother last Sunday and really wanted to love this café. First impressions were good: the location at the foot of the Downs was beautiful and the venue was set in a lovely old restored barn. We entered and alas downhill from that point on. A greeting and ordering procedure would have been nice but we were ignored so we milled around feeling a bit foolish, then picked up a menu and found an (unwiped) table outside. The smell of frying bacon was enticing so we ordered bacon baps only to be told that the baps had run out! It was only 1.45pm. The reason given was that they "had been busy". On a popular walkers and cyclists route on a fine weekend the demand should have been predictable and catered for: after all this café has been running for four years. I then tried to order scones but they had all gone too. We finally settled for lime cheesecake with raspberries (sadly no raspberries, ran out of those too), tasty but topping was melting; banana cake (delicious) and coffee (lukewarm). The coffee was delivered after 20 minutes; 15 minutes later we'd drunk it and still no sign of the cakes. When I went into the café the owner was holding a bunch of tabs and it was clear the system such as it is had unravelled: the owner herself said it was chaos. I was assured the cake was coming so ordered another coffee. The cakes came but the coffee didn't (not written down) so I had to remind again. People had been arriving but were being turned away as the café was I believe closing early. Our bill for two cakes (no reduction for the missing raspberries!), three coffees and dreadful service came to £17.50 which I reckon is pricey for such a poor experience. Reading previous reviews going back four years a common thread reoccurs: the whole operation falls to pieces when a 'busy' period is encountered. Lessons should have been learnt by now - namely, experienced staff, efficient system and sufficient food stocks. This café has such potential (I know, I have worked in several) and with some effort it should reach it.