The Farm @ Friday Street — Restaurant in Eastbourne

Very disappointing. We had read many negative reviews before going but as the family had previously enjoyed visits we went anyway. We should have taken heed of them though, as it was pretty much as others had already stated. Food was reasonably tasty and there is was a good atmosphere but there were issues along the way which were concerning: Food took a very long time to appear after ordering. A delay of about 10 mins between the 1st and last meal out when it did arrive. Mine was getting cold as I was concerned for my daughter's meal. Varying portion sizes (some meals were huge and some too small). Steak size really inadequate (see photo - 6oz fillet? But much smaller than the same steak on a different plate - £23?) Incorrect food provided (tolerated by our party as food was late and children were involved). Questionable cheffing skills and an inability to be able to provide an adequate alternative for a food intolerance. There were only two choices of sauce for the steaks. I could eat neither and requested a simple jous or glaze from the pan. Two staff seemed to be unable to understand and explain this to the chef and had no understanding of what I meant. One suggested that I'd be charged for a glass of wine to make the sauce, which I could not believe. I cheekily offered to come and show the chef how to glaze the pan but the staff member assured me it would be ok. It wasn't (see photo). Instead, I received an oily mix of pan debris and olive oil! So I had a dry, oily steak. I have never come across such a lack of understanding in all the years I've eaten out and would have thought creating a simple glaze would be basic training at chef school. Two steaks were ordered to be cooked as rare and medium. They were both the same (medium rare). Uninformed (but polite) staff. Lame excuse regarding an inadequate fryer being why food was delayed for the table (provided by the lady who appeared to be the manager/proprietor). My answer.... then why try to serve large parties in a very large restaurant at a cost to the customer when you don't have capacity?? Cost of food was high end for this kind of eatery - especially given the problems. I think it is genuinely not worth the money being charged. Puddings were exceptionally costly, as we're some of the steaks (£33????).

Shame as I usually give very good reviews. Rarely am I moved to be so critical. We eat in a lot of places like this and I have never had so many issues in one go, so would advise an alternative. I could have made a fuss regarding payment but was avoiding embarrassment for a family gathering. I hope those that manage this venue can see a way to addressing these issues promptly before more families are...

Went here last night to meet my mums long lost sister that we never had met or even known existed until recently!

We chose The Farm due to its range of menu choices (not knowing what sort of food she eats) they had 4-5 vegan, and vegetarian options and allowed us to take our dogs so the whole family could meet!

Me and my partner had the burger (mine with cheese) it was a basic toasted bun, one slice of lettuce leaf, one tomato, one patty but no sauce, so it was really dry, the meat was nice but it could of done with some chutney or sauce, of course I added ketchup but I could of done with something a bit less basic. I enjoyed the chunky chips, crispy on the outside and reasonably fluffy on the inside, though my partner said they tasted underdone, which I disagreed with.

Others in the family had the Beyond burger, the feta and sweet potato lasagne, and a steak and kidney pie, which I didn't hear any complaints from. To me, it all looked really good!

The staff were welcoming, polite, and attentive, and ensured we had what we needed. They also provided the dogs with a water bowl.

Great atmosphere, there was live music, which we didn't expect, which was really good! Though we could of done with going somewhere a bit quite instead as it was difficult to talk over the table - but that's my fault... overall, I needed somewhere that allowed dogs, had close parking, had vegetarian options and a range of food options, and this was the only place I could find in Eastbourne that could accommodate that and wouldn't be too lairy on a Friday night.

I would definitely come here again but wouldn't get the burger unless they sazzled it up...

I’ve been to the farm several times prior to my attendance today. Previously I’ve given it 5 stars and couldn’t big them up enough. however today it appears they’ve slipped a little with the service. The staff are lovely and friendly and food was served quickly and efficiently, but there were a few things that let it down. Firstly, the child’s size burger and chips appeared to be almost in direct comparison with the adults one?!? I’m pretty sure, apart from a couple chips it was the same size. NOw this could be seen as them being generous to the kids size or then again poor to the adults. Secondly, unfortunately we were overcharged and two extra items added to the bill. There were a few wrongly added items under different names. This could be just a slip of the till operator or perhaps there isn’t a button for the particular special we ordered. It was part of a large group so I worry that should we have had the bill and split the total and not paid by separate families in the group, the restaurant would be a good few quid up. All credit to the boss, the amount was refunded without argument, but frankly this shouldn’t happen in the first place. This is why they get 3 stars as overcharging these days can’t go without concern for the customer. I hope that this is a one off and not a regular occurrence. Some feedback to work on for the boss, hope this gets sorted and i can go back to 5...