The Friars Oak — Restaurant in Mid Sussex

Disappointing Father’s Day Dinner at Friars Oak, Hassocks

I took my dad out for a Father’s Day dinner at Friars Oak in Hassocks after seeing photos online that showed a stylish and updated interior. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to expectations.

When we arrived for our 7:00 PM reservation, the hostess didn’t seem to be expecting us, despite us having booked in advance. We were shown to our table, and before we had even sat down or looked at the drinks menu, we were immediately asked what we wanted to drink. We politely asked for a few minutes, but then didn’t see our server again for another 15 minutes.

The online photos made the dining area look very modern, but in person, it felt like a bit of a letdown. At first glance, the room seemed pleasant, but the wall next to our table—by a pillar—was splattered with old, dried food. It was very unappetising and gave the impression that cleanliness wasn’t a priority.

When ordering, I chose something from the set menu, only to be told the starter I wanted was sold out. That’s understandable, but it would’ve been helpful to be informed before we started ordering. Our starters (pâté) took about 45 minutes to arrive, which felt excessive—and the wait for our main course was even worse: over an hour for three roast dinners.

To make matters worse, when the mains finally came, they were incorrect and had to be sent back. By the time we received the right dishes, we were already quite frustrated. The roast dinners themselves were just okay—not worth the long wait. Additionally its wasn't overly busy to explain why the wait was so long.

At first, we wondered if we were just being overly critical, but we overheard the table next to us complaining about similar issues. They had waited two hours for a barely warm fish and chips!

Given that it was Father’s Day, we expected better service, faster food, and a more organised operation overall. Instead, we left feeling extremely disappointed and unsatisfied.

Sadly, we won’t be returning, and we wouldn’t recommend Friars Oak. It was pricey for the level of service and quality of food...

I attended the promotion for the reopening. Wow - they have done a fantastic job on refurbishing the pub (see photos), on the kitchen, food and drink experience. I think this is the best pub refurb I've seen. There are six or seven areas and in each area there is a range of seating options, with good quality seating and tables, attractive decor and great lighting. There is also a room you can hire for, say, a family meal with a sliding glass door to provide some privacy. The feel is fresh, comfortable and not at all corporate - a group of you could go and feel like you had an area that was 'yours', rather than sitting at one table of many, in a pub that could be anywhere. I loved it and I'll go again.

Food-wise, this was an event with a steady flow of canapés. I have to say that they were excellent - great taste and presentation, some original ideas and all fresh. I sneaked a look in the kitchen and saw how hard the chef and his team were working; all very clean and efficient looking. This is not a microwave-meal pub and the prices reflect this - you will pay more than other mass-market offerings, but you will get high-quality ingredients, beautifully cooked, judging by the experience I had. I was also pleased to see a good range of vegetarian and vegan options.

Aside from the promotional drinks on offer (Asahi beer - delicious, gin and vodka offerings) the bar area has a good range of beers, lagers and bottled drinks. There is an impressive range of gins and whiskeys. I felt I could come to the pub and enjoy trying different drinks, not come to neck pints and scoff chips...

Special mention should also be made of the designers of the drinks menu which I think is beautifully done. It's a mark of the attention to detail evident throughout the pub.

For me, this sets the bar (sorry for the pun) for high-end pubs - stylish, comfortable, great food, lots of drink choices, lots of different areas to sit in and a place with some energy and atmosphere. ...

In a lifetime of consuming food of endless variety and quality on planet earth, I am for the first time in sixty seven years compelled to write a negative review, having today been served a lunch at the Friar Oak, Hassocks of such poor quality, that I am left angry, hungry and cheated. My wife and I, accompanied by her elderly parents had pre-booked a table. The restaurant did not appear unduly busy, and we were greeted and served by a pleasant antipodean waitress who oddly referred to us as ‘guys’. The in-laws chose salmon fish cakes and fish and chips respectively. My wife opted for king prawn skewer and I the haloumi skewer. After approximately an hour, our waitress apologised for the slow service blaming understaffing. When the food eventually arrived, we were warned not to touch the skewers as they were red hot. In fact, they were stone cold. My skewer/kebab consisted of four 3cm cubes of haloumi - three practically raw small pieces of red pepper and onion - three 2cm pieces of what the menu suggested was aubergine, but which I suspect had been salvaged from the back of a student’s fridge - my wife confirmed it smelled and tasted of fish. The promised ‘hot honey sauce’ seemed to have been overlooked. My ‘side’ of flatbread and humous was bland and gritty. My wife’s king prawns were burned and very dry. Her beetroot flatbread looked like an internal organ extracted from roadkill ( perhaps the spleen I am here venting ?) and not ‘toasted’ as advertised. The goat’s cheese in her limp salad had gone AWOL. Overall, portion sizes were sadly lacking. My wife complained discretely to the waitress, and we were not charged for the offending items, little recompense for a family outing ruined! Please disregard the one star review here posted - zero star reviews apparently...