Ye Olde Black Horse, Rottingdean Reviews Summary

Customer Service

Pros:

• "Very attentive staff and owner who found time to stop and chat."
• "John and Dec are great hosts and their attention to detail is second to none all their staff are really attentive nothing is too much trouble."
• "Absolutely brilliant the meet and greet was perfect 100 per cent covid safe including temperature being taken food was absolutely amazing brilliant evening staff excellent."
• "The staff here are extremely warm and inviting."
• "The staff were outstanding, so attentive, smart and professional."
• "Thank you Rupert for your attentive service."
• "Special shout-out to Hayley and Alfie - always service with a smile."

Cons:

• "Staff verbally abused by management in front of us."
• "Poor customer service really."
• "I was told quite rudely that this would not be possible as it would be raining all day! Maybe use a different weather forecast!"
• "One of us was served with an undercooked Chicken meal."
• "We felt a bit pressured to leave when server asked if we were all done as closing in 15 minutes."
• "Terrible manager, very rude with attitude."
• "Rude and unwelcoming staff. I felt like an unwelcome foreigner in my own village pub."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was delicious; I had the crab and crayfish salad - it was so good!"
• "Great Sunday roast, perfect gravy :-)"
• "The food portions and quality are insanely good for what you pay."
• "Lovely atmosphere and food absolutely wonderful. Very tasty, beautifully present."
• "Best Steak and Ale pie and chips ever."
• "The food was very good, much better standard than I was expecting for a Greene King chain standard food, it was fresh, delicious and very well presented."
• "The food as usual was cooked to perfection beautifully presented and tasted amazing definitely 5 star."

Cons:

• "Had a rather bad Sunday lunch today with overcooked (chewy) beef."
• "The food was very good but a bit expensive for burger and fries."
• "The fish on the fish and chips was obviously cooked from frozen and the batter was mushy."
• "The food was a bit of a let down."
• "Sticky toffee pudding was the only disappointment - would describe more as not-very-sticky toffee cake."
• "The chicken pie (£16) was basically chicken soup with some puff pastry on top."
• "Had the Goulash not cheap at £18 but I wish the chef had tasted his own cooking before it was presented to me."

Ambiance & Setting

Pros:

• "A pub of two halves. Literally. One side is definitely focused on food (and very good food at that) whilst the other is a relaxed little bar area."
• "The building is a 16th century building with very old features and tiny door ways, it gives this place an unbeatable charm and vibe."
• "The whole pub was on their feet singing and dancing with the act."
• "Beautifully decorated for Christmas too but in the past, sat in the pretty garden."
• "The garden is just stunning."
• "This Restaurant has an amazing setting."
• "When they opened the door I was just blown away by how stunning it was, it's done to a very high standard."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, without an event on, it was empty apart from two other diners for this visit; it seems that all pubs are suffering unless there is entertainment."
• "This used to be a lovely pub. Sadly it's been stripped of its character. Now superficial and expensive."
• "Greene King pub. Looks a lot better from outside than in. Nice beer garden. No wi-fi unless you're staying there."
• "I simply cannot understand how a pub/restaurant of this standard has such disgusting toilets. They haven't been renovated in years, are always grubby and smelly."
• "Very clicky, unwelcoming and judgemental pub would not recommend."
• "This pub had improved after its refurbishment but unfortunately due to its poor management has gone to pot."
• "Terrible reception. We bid for a Sunday Roast voucher at a charity auction which is valid up to the 26th March 2017. When trying to book and explaining our situation we were met with 'bad luck, it's too late, we're booked up'"

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Really good value for money."
• "The food is surprisingly well priced, everything is homemade, which isn't found that often nowadays."
• "Food is fantastic highly recommended if you're in the area."

Cons:

• "Drink prices were a steep."
• "They serve doubles without you asking nor making you aware they served doubles, overcharged us twice on drinks we hadn't ordered in two small rounds."
• "Service was a bit slow and no one asked if we wanted more drinks or desert so a missed opportunity, but it was busy."
• "Lovely pub service really good but probably because it was quite empty. Had the Goulash not cheap at £18."
• "The Ploughman's Board (£16) was lacking in substance and was more of a starter than a main."

Management & Staff Conduct

Pros:

• "Well done to the manager Dec for making a first-class experience!"
• "Staff were led by concierge/greeter who was aware of all that was going on, well done to all!"
• "Best thing is the lovely manager John who kindly posted my purse home to me after I left it there.. Recorded delivery."

Cons:

• "It is an absolute disgraceful for a rude member of staff to come up to me after using the toilet telling me off for using the toilet that is not in public use."
• "The manager delivered the news in a very rude tone, we were all really shaken by the experience."
• "We had a lovely evening in the pub garden at the Old Black Horse which was unfortunately ruined by the manager's rudeness and aggression as we were leaving."
• "Since when does a pub need a special license to let children in the pub garden. This is the ridiculous excuse I was told when I popped my head through the door to ask if we could sit in the garden at 5.30pm for dinner!!"
• "The manager was positively rude and so up himself he was upside down."
• "We live in Rottingdean and have seen this pub change landlords before but in my opinion the current landlords are the worse we have experienced in terms of customer service."
• "Got turned away as we had our 4 month old baby with us, at 6pm as they don't take anyone who's under 18."