Ancient Grains Eastbourne — Restaurant in Eastbourne

My husband and I were eager to eat here for a while and thought we'd make a visit for our wedding anniversary.

We were warmly greeted and had pre-ordered prior to attending from a menu with lots of choice. We ordered a starter of Coccoi Prena (Potato and Mint open pie) which was lovely.

I ordered the Zuppa di pesce alla casteddaia (fish stew) and my husband ordered the Grigliata mista di carne (selection of grilled meats). The fish stew was nice, plenty of it and very filling. The grilled meats was nice but not enough of it given the price paid.

We had desserts; Amaretto e Angelo Rujo (a small ameretto biscuit with a smaller than small glass of red wine) and Torta Pardula (Sardinia Cake).

Service was slow and we were there for around 2 hours.

We had one beer and one aperol spritz.

We paid for the bill without a receipt, as one wasn't offered and the waitress read it from her tablet, confirming what we had and the price. When I got home I thought it was more expensive than what I initially thought, so I looked at the menu online, added up what we ordered and confirmed the prices of the drinks via email. We were overcharged by £5. When I emailed to discuss this, I was told it might be the service charge, which apparently they charged us a lower percent for, however we were never made aware of there being a service charge and how much it was. Service charge is optional and we were not given the option to take it off and leave our own tip.

I found the prices expensive for the food you're getting and felt hard done by by charging us £5 service, without telling us and not being able to confirm how much service percent you charged us.

Sadly, we won't be...

4 of us are here and the main courses were delicious - really delicious. 2 of us had lamb chops and potatoes with tenderstem broccoli (£24 each).

Sadly we waited 90 mins for it. The 2 waitresses were cheerful but seemed oblvious. We were all so hungry after a long long day on the road.

Starters were a mixed bag: the bread and butter (£4.50) was a tiny portion of bread and the butter was delicious. The chard fritters (3pc) were nice but v oily. The tomato salad was generous and really delicious. My dad tried a small plate of prawns which he said were really good.

Desserts were v small and expensive at £9.50. The chocolate tart was 3 truffle balls - delicious but spenny.

A couple next to us pre-ordered and the seafood soup looked phenomenal.

I often feel guilty eating out because we're a mostly sober family so we don't tend to buy alcohol (£10 per glass, 175ml). I wondered if that's why our table was a little overlooked .

I apologised to the waitress that we didn't leave any service because I explained that service was exceptionally slow, poor and inattentive -she didn't ask at all if we were enjoying the food and when I asked where the food was, she didnt get back to me. She apologised to me as we left.

Unlikely that I'd return but if I did, I'd preorder.

Ive worked in award winning hospitality. I'd be happy to give them some training to get the place really feeling like it's a welcoming Sardinian "family" vibe! As fewer people eat out these days and watch the budget, I think the pressure is on to deliver exceptional service and Ancient...

Chef Davide and his wife Carla moved to the UK in 2015, having run a successful vegan restaurant in their native Sardinia for many years, and opened Ancient Grains in the popular Meads Village in Eastbourne a few years ago. The restaurant has proved very successful, serving traditional, and rather delicious Sardinian dishes. Following a recent refurbishment the restaurant has just re-opened from Thurs-Sun, and the really good news is that Sardinian Sunday roasts are now on the menu for the first time! Between us, we had roast lamb, pork, and chicken, all beautifully cooked and wonderfully tender, having been thoroughly marinated beforehand. Instead of the traditional English accompaniments of greens and Yorkshire pudding, was a mixture of red peppers and chicory, alongside potatoes and carrots. Homemade garlic toast was an interesting addition. So, if you fancy Sunday lunch with a difference, why not give it a try. For dessert we had a dark orange truffle with cashew nuts, maple syrup and orange zest, served with homemade vanilla ice cream: vegan, gluten-free, and delicious!

On other days, the restaurant offers a walk-in menu, or for those who book in advance, a more extensive pre-order menu. The pasta dishes are particularly good, with the pasta made on site, including a gluten-free option, which is...