Good food is an important part of a great holiday, so rest assured of eating well in 1066 Country.
From the simple pleasure of fresh fish and chips on the beach to local produce menus that the many character-filled taverns and restaurants serve.
Whether you prefer cosy inns with roaring fires to luxurious hotel restaurants, you will be able to carry on hundreds of years of tradition where smugglers planned, pirates plotted and eat like a king.
Camber Sands
The Gallivant
The Beach Café and Coastal Garden is the perfect refuge to enjoy a wicked breakfast or just a hot coffee with some indulgent homemade cake, ideal for beachcombers and walkers, whatever the weather, with or without the dog.
When the sun shines, during holidays and weekends, the outdoor kitchen produces a menu of posh beach food straight off the char-grill, from to die for burgers to the freshest grilled fish.
When Inn Rye!
The Mermaid Inn
One of England’s oldest and loveliest inns, with norman cellars dating from 1156, the Mermaid Inn, rebuilt in 1420, offers tradition and charm in abundance. The lounge bar boasts of
one of the largest open log fires in the country. The AA Rosette restaurant offers fine British and French cuisine and the head chef is proud to use only the freshest of local ingredients.
The George in Rye
The restaurant and bar form the heart of the operation. The Head Chef, Andrew Billings, previously ran the kitchen of The Griffin Inn in Fletching for 10 years, where they achieved numerous awards and local notoriety. Andy’s menu is fresh, seasonal and sourced from the local farms around Rye, Sussex and Kent. Much of the fish and seafood is freshly caught by the trawlers of Rye Bay. The bar offers a large range of wine by the glass, including those from vineyards in East Sussex and Kent.
Ypres Castle Inn
The Ypres Castle Inn, known locally as ‘The Wipers’, has been providing hospitality to visitors and residents of Rye for centuries. Built originally in 1640, and added to in Victorian times, the Inn has a warm and friendly atmosphere, and is built in the local weather boarded style, with colorful and interesting art and furnishings inside. Its ever changing menu incorporating mostly local products, including Winchelsea Pork, Romney Marsh Lamb, Rye Bay caught seafood and Ham cooked in local Cider.
The Ship Inn
The Ship Inn is in the centre of Rye, at the bottom of Mermaid Street. The pub was built in 1592, originally as a warehouse to store contraband seized from smugglers. It is now a characterful countryside pub, with old beams and wooden floors and various areas to sit in and relax – the sunny end in the mornings to eat breakfast and read the papers, big tables for group Sunday lunches that last all afternoon or cups of tea by the fireplace after a long walk on Camber Sands. All the food served is cooked entirely from scratch, using locally sourced produce.
Tuscan Kitchen is located in the heart of the Citadel of Rye and home to Florentine chef Franco and his wife Jen. Building on their experience of running a family farm and restaurant in Tuscany over 25 years, they followed a culinary route to England where their adventure continues. The combination of an authentic family run rustic Tuscan kitchen set in an olde worlde beamed listed building makes a relaxed “home from home” atmosphere.