Bibendum — Restaurant in Eastbourne

A Venue to Avoid!! Unfortunately we booked our Christmas Party here. We arrived to a freezing room where everyone had to keep their coats on! Very unfriendly and unwelcoming staff with miserable faces were there to 'greet' us. On complaining regarding the freezing room, we were told it was 22 degrees. Absolute joke - it was not. My mother aged 74 left after an hour as it was so cold. Whilst we appreciate ID'S must be checked due to under age drinking, we had a 34 year old staff member refused to buy a drink as she had no id!! Many of our staff couldn't drink as at their being(+25- 30+) they hadn't expected to be questioned on ID at their age. One 26 year old friend of ours had his pint taken away by an 18 year old member of staff! I am 46 and did not have a drink all evening, as l knew the staff were waiting to be difficult with me aswell. It became a game between bar staff deliberately being awkward at serving our guests and staff. This venue is better for people over the age of 50 so to avoid such situations. Many of our guests vape so were going outside to vape and coning back in, this annoyed the bouncers who told our guests if they kept going out they would be searched. Many of our guests started to leave early due to the uncomfortable undertones from the staff. It was a horrible, if not quite nasty atmosphere. We will be sticking the the Fisherman's Club who are our usual Christmas party venue. Where staff are welcoming and the venue is warm. We left a 10.30pm (venue paid for until 12) after being threatened to be thrown out?!! I have never been so embarrassed in front of our guests. We are a local respectful company bringing friends, family and colleagues at a cost of our £1,000 for the evening, only to be treated very poorly. Never again - lesson learnt. No doubt there will be a reply stating the venue was warm and rules are rules over ID. But we know exactly what was deliberately being done to us. Please don't give this venue your custom, but please look else where...

I went to Bibendum on Saturday night, and had one of my best pub experiences yet. The drinks were very reasonably priced, the atmosphere was excellent, but what sets Bibendum's apart is the customer service. I'm originally from the States, where customer service is a survival skill, a science, and an art form. I was a waitress for years in the American South, where exemplary customer service is the norm (and if you want to get tips, which is how we get paid, you have to excel to get them!). I haven't experienced such genuine warmth and service since I left the US, and I feel Bibendum is a standout place. One experience in particular demonstrates this- I went to the pub with a mate who knew the proprietor, Drew, and introduced us. Drew proceeded to use his break to answer every question I had about pub ownership in the UK, what his business model was, and what his experience owning the pub has been like. Drew is extremely hardworking, and I respect his candid transparency and honesty. He's a proprietor who cares about his business and his staff, and this attention and care shines through the entire establishment. If you're in Eastbourne and are looking for a pub to visit, check out Bibendums. The name is weird, the drinks are great, the service exemplary, and you'll be glad...

Came here for a Christmas Eve lunch with the family because of the great reviews. Staff were lovely and stayed on top of the drinks orders, and even brought my dog some treats which was nice. Unfortunately the food was a let down, maybe because the kitchen was so busy on top of extra Christmas orders? We waited an hour for our meals by which time we were starving. Mum had to send her pasta back because it was cold, and the meat in dad’s pie was overcooked and chewy. They had run out of the chowder so I had a baked potato which was nice enough. The rest was just OK. Considering the reviews for the roast dinner are so good I was kind of expecting a Christmas roast on the menu but there wasn’t one. I think for the prices they need to do better with some of the food and maybe hire more staff next Christmas, otherwise it’s a lovely pub and I look forward to trying the famous roast...