The Duke of Cumberland Arms — Restaurant in Chichester

The pub is a bit off the beaten track, and there is a strong local feel to the place that makes getting served difficult for non-locals. We booked for dinner and were seated in a corner of the bar right by the taps, where people can sit with dogs, rather than in the main restaurant! When asked what the difference was, we were told the restaurant has "more of a gastro-pub vibe". Even though the restaurant was not full when we arrived, we had no choice of seating. We were told we were only allowed one serving of bread. The 'amuse bouche' was mushroom soup served in a demi-tasse glass, and called "mushroom veloutē". It was quite tasty. The oysters were very fresh, and though shucked, were not freed, and had lost their liquor.Moreover, they were not served with oyster forks. We couldn't have the 'thai-style' scallops because one of our party is allergic to fresh coriander. I asked if we could have them another way, and was told 'No'. When we paid the bill, I mentioned this to the Waitress, who told me that, had I asked, she would have done.this!! We had the half lobster, and though quite small, was nicely cooked. The salad was fresh, but unimaginative. The corkage charge was £19.50, so we elected to stay with the ales - recommend the 'Curious'- a fresh, floral, citrus summer beer. The bill, including a tip we left for two starters two mains and two beers was £92- a "gastro" pub!! Petworth and its environs seem to think they are in Central London. But I suppose, if there is nothing else around, you can afford to be "up yourself". I...

This is a gorgeous old pub, the reviews are right! Visually stunning, lovely old brick and woodwork, traditionally maintained. The garden was heavenly and we had a lovely drink one evening. The restaurant element however, had highs and lows. We had oysters and roast goats cheese to start, then steak & chips and seafood linguine. The real disappointment was the linguine which was drowned in cream and heavy on the mussels. For the price and given the Michelin recommendation, we expected seriously good food and it was a little sub-par. The service was friendly but very inefficient: we were sat outside and no one ever came for our drink order, so we came inside and hovered awkwardly while 3 different staff tried and somehow failed to seat us in a largely empty room. Then each interaction with staff somehow went wrong: no one brought water, they seemed to be randomly guessing our order, the chips came ages after the steak, etc. They may have been overworked because of the Goodwood crowd, but honestly it didn't seem that busy. The place is absolutely worth visiting and others in the room seemed to be enjoying themselves, but staff do need to get...

Arrived at this pub dirty, muddy and cold but the man at the bar nevertheless served us with no qualms. Our order was simple. Chunky Chips. Morale was low after the drawn out endeavour of our expedition, however this was all soon to change. A casual offer for us to sit outside was accepted with trepidation, caused by the dense fairylike environment of the pub garden. How would he find us? At this point we realised another fatal mistake. No sauce requested! Our fears were put to bed within 7 minutes. Out came out the server, not a bead of sweat on his brow, undaunted by a large stack of golden, crunchy flavoursome chips and the task of finding us. They were accompanied by the un-requested but dearly desired condiments of mayonnaise and ketchup. Upon the first bite, I conquered the thick, crisp layer on the outside and met the fluffy white flesh and my hunger was vanquished immediately. Undeniably admirable sense of service and execution of culinary excellence. Garden and interior have a mature atmosphere and a majestic feel unique to the Duke. Would recommend to any townsfolk from around and afar to come and myself hope to return...