The Best Restaurants in Dormansland, Surrey, United Kingdom (2025)

What an amazing Sunday afternoon spent celebrating Mother’s Day with my daughters. The food was amazing , fresh ingredients, I had beef roast, it was perfectly done and my children had a chicken roast which was amazing too. Cozy and a homely feel! Micheal and Julia and the team were so friendly and made the entire afternoon as special as it was meant to be. Will definitely be back!

We had quite rightly booked ahead and pre ordered some food. After our 6 mile circular walk on a rare mild morning in the Spring ready to murder pints of Shepherd Neame Master Brew. We don't oftern get Master Brew or Spitfire offered but most took pints of this freshly drawn cool, bright ale 4.1% at £4.95 a pint. Spitfire at 4.5% and £5.10 a pint were well received by all. There were no other Real Ales on offer but a bottle of the 1698 Strong Ale was tasted 6.5% and only £4.95 so felt excellent value for a decent strong ale. All said they had enjoyed the various food offerings from Baguettes to Fish & Chips. A lovely old village pub under new management. Well worth your support. The bar "half barrels" frontage can be seen in a 1920's photo - so little has changed. Outside has a really lovely seating area facing south which makes a big bonus beer garden. Sadly not today as it was chilly but in good weather this area would seem a must! Thanks to the Staff who looked after us folk and for being most patient in our ordering!!

Food was absolutely amazing! Best Sunday roast I have had in a while. With both vegan options and the traditional roasts everyone was catered for ❤️ our severs were also brilliant and attentive

Walked into our local this evening, saw mussels on the specials board (my all time fav) had to order them! The mussels arrive, extremely generous portion for the money - with homemade fries. Mussels were divine and the sauce…well, we have been to many places and I can safely say the sauce was the best sauce I’ve ever had with any mussels I have ever had! 10 out of 10 from me - absolutely amazing! And from a chef that is so passionate about his food too! Love, love, love!!! George - you are an amazing chef!!

Highly recommend this place. The food was outstanding, really delicious starters and the fillet steak was the best I have had in years! Great service from all the staff and the atmosphere was fantastic

My friends and I had drinks here after dinner elsewhere, one of my friends having recently moved to East Grinstead. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Great cocktail menu and we all loved our drinks. The bar is really stylish and has a lovely vibe. Would happily go there again!

Brilliant staff and atmosphere. Sian and Ed were both friendly, happy to help a traveler, provided a great atmosphere to all and had a great bar etiquette. I never had a to wait long and felt truly welcome. Beautiful decor and a good cohort of publicans here.

Had an amazing experience at The Ship in East Grinstead! Ed, the manager, was incredibly welcoming and went out of his way to make sure we were well looked after. The bonus? They serve Proper Job – the only place in East Grinstead that does, which made the experience even better! The food was outstanding. I had the roast beef, which was huge – I couldn’t even finish it! My wife ordered the chicken and leek pie, which was just as delicious and great value for money. We were also well taken care of by Sian, who was so friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. Highly recommend for the food, the service, and the Proper Job on tap!

We called in, late Sunday evening without booking. A table was found for our party of four. We all had the roast beef, Sunday lunch. It was excellent, good tasty food, very reasonable price. The pub was noisy, but that was because it was very busy, that gave it a nice lively atmosphere. The service was excellent. It's a shame we don't live locally, if we are ever in Lingfield again we would definitely made a return visit. I would highly recommend.

Can’t comment on rooms as we just went to the pub but the pub was lovely and they have a big children’s play area outside with a covered seating area and heaters which wa great on a chilly day so the kids could play and we could see them. We only ordered chips which were delicious and came quickly. Drinks were good and reasonably priced. I had a mulled wine. Lots of cider and beer draught options. Fully stocked on wines and spirits. Will definitely be back and excited to visit again in warmer months too.

The room was spacious, the only downside was that we had a green light permanently on (emergency lighting?) The evening meal was ok, but the batter on the fish could've been much crispier. Breakfast was great - no problems at all. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Plenty of car parking spaces, and about a 20 minute walk to Lingfield racecourse, which was our reason for stopping.

Bartender was very friendly. Had a lovely chat with him and some other people sat at the bar. He suggested different drinks to try and let us smell spirits before having them. The glassware is very nice. It's nice to have a well refurbished new place in town. I'll be going again.

What a wonderful place loved the soft updated music selection playing it was not to loud. The staff were very nice service was great food was lovely too. The decor of the restaurant was very stylish the whole visit was wonderful

A good atmosphere especially when you have business meetings. Good coffee. I like this restaurant for this meeting. It would be nice to plan your meetings in such a place

We stopped for lunch after a nice country walk. The service was great, the pub was such a unique space, really quirky with great atmosphere. The food was really delicious and enjoyed every dish we had. They were even able to cater for my food intolerances so I can still have a really good meal. Thank you very much

For me, best pub in East Grinstead: - Traditional, low beam ceilings, log fires - Free, easy parking - Private dining rooms - Linked to Harvey's brewery - Kids play area - Beer garden front, and decking seats at rear - Great food - Always decent service - Food hygiene rating 5 - Dog friendly The only slight downside is the beer garden is not fully secluded / private. Other than that, it's a great pub that takes you back in time.

Having joined a group of 30+ to celebrate Christmas with a meal and drinks we found another similarly sized group doing the same. How the kitchen staff managed to deliver with good quality is astounding, well done. Then to cap it all the service was impeccable, smiling happy waiting staff even when some of the group forgot what they had ordered, taking the wrong meal.....soon to be resolved for whoever had lost their meal. A fab evening. Thank you

Such a lovely venue, decor is authentic and it's a huge place with many different spaces including a secret garden. Would be fab for hosting an event. The menu had not been updated on the website so three of our party were disappointed that there was no banoffee pie. But not the end of the world. I ordered the bavette steak, medium rare. It came rare but I didn't want to interrupt the meal by sending it back. It was disappointing as not to my preference and the brandy peppercorn sauce seemed to be split, it wasn't thick instead watery. Flavour was fine. Service was also fine, little things like having to ask for steak knives detracted from the basic service that you would expect in an establishment like this. Mu sister had the hake which was quite a small portion. My dad had the fish pie which he enjoyed. Did like that they're dog friendly and recieved a warm welcome when we arrived. Staff were nice.

Where do I start ! It’s a mixture of feelings about the whole experience we have encountered. First of all , I must say it’s one of the most beautifully decorated pubs I’ve ever been to. It’s clean , vibrant and cozy. Simply sublime! I’ve given 5* based on the atmosphere.. We booked on a special occasion. It was my partners birthday. I have specifically asked on the booking that candle on a dessert, which never happened..We arrived little early to have a drink in the bar, my fault I didn’t request , but staff never bothered either. It would have been nice to be asked to have a drink in the bar! More money for you but then hey ! We’ve ordered a bottle of wine , waiter just left it on the table without even opening it, not asking for me to try and it was extremely unprofessional I thought. Especially the restaurant wasn’t even busy !!! The food was good. My partners steak was amazing, although my mackerel dish was lacking flavour. When I added salt, lemon and pepper, it was good. But not something I would order again. Overall, the management needs to take a moment of training the staff i thought. This is a beautiful establishment and I really think it deserves more. Little touches can go long way . I wish them all the success and I will return, but not in a hurry!

Really nice pub with good food. The service is friendly and the vibe inside is really nice with other pub goers seeming super friendly and chill. Lots of seating and tables. The food was good. Baked Camembert starter was delicious. The fish I had was really nice too with good flavours however it was just slightly overcooked for me (it wasn’t super overcooked or anything but it has been cooked a tiny bit longer than that just cooked point).the sauce the fish was in was also a little bit too salty for me. The pie and mash was really nice too.

Ali was an absolute gem of a server! She handled the dinner rush like an absolute pro! Whilst staying polite, friendly and professional at all times. We came to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and absolutely loved our meals! The food is top quality, great hearty portions that taste delicious! Thank you for making our evening so awesome!

Love it here. Great service and great food. Came by for lunch. The decor inside is smart and good theme along with the menu. Portion sizes are good and food is really good. Located in a lovely country area

As an American, I was pleasantly surprised. This was better than I expected. The burgers were large and legit, service was also fast and attentive. Fajitas were decent, but not my favorite (they put hot peppers in, not customary for U.S TexMex food). Overall, worth a stop.

Lovely pub on the way from airport parking. Quick service and delicious food. Quirky decor and outside seating available too. Would definitely recommend to stop by. One star down for cleanliness, needs some dusting.

We have stayed two nights in the boutique rooms below the bar and restaurant at the Inn. It has lots of history and culture around the building it is a great destination to discover and return to. I have visited a few times before and love to return to this country and lakeside location. Thank you very much we will be back.

First time here! I must say, I absolutely loved the dining experience we had. All had the fab looking Sunday roast and I had the wonderful Hake with crushed potatoes. I really enjoyed my selection, which could have gone even better if I had creamy mash. My dessert, Sticky toffee pudding, was the best I've had in a long while and a massive piece of deliciousness on a plate. I highly recommend this fab place and its beautiful surroundings. Looking forward to returning soon. Oh and the lovely staff are professional, very friendly and very attentive. Perfect meal on a perfect day!

Fantastic place Staff first class, jack and Charlie out front were brilliant, friendly and very attentive .Made us feel very much at home. Rooms were excellent ,clean and functional ,great decor ,beds super comfy . A big thank you to all the staff out back as well.Food well presented and very enjoyable. They all run a brilliant establishment .