The Hop Tub — Restaurant in Mid Sussex

Over recent years, I've noticed a whole slew of trendy bars/micropubs cropping up all over the country. Some are really good, but most are a triumph of style over substance. The Hop Tub is a welcome exception. It has an extensive selection of beers, ciders, wines etc on offer and a great ambience.

The place hasn't been open long and the owners have done a brilliant job of creating a bar with different elements. Front of house, there's a traditional bar area and adjacent to that there's a brewery!!! Yes, although there is no public access currently, this bar has its own, on-site brewery and I'm wondering if it's in future plans to offer brewing courses.

Passing through the front bar, you enter an area that has the feeling of a beach bar, where the decor is imaginative, without being gimmicky. That's quite an achievement given that it's situated in an inland, Sussex village.

Beyond the 'beach' bar, is a garden area and adjacent to that is a function room. Whilst we were there, there was a kids' birthday party going on, which highlighted the main difference between the Hop Tub and most similar establishments, in that during the daytime it's very family orientated.

Throughout the whole place, there is much reclaimed/recycled hardwood in evidence, which was particularly appealing to me as I'm currently restoring/repurposing a derelict agricultural smallholding. It gave me quite a few ideas, but I forgot to ask if they had any leftovers lol.

We had to nip off about 5pm to do some shopping etc, but decided to return in the evening and have something to eat there, as we were staying just down the road.

The 'feel' was significantly different to what we'd found earlier in the day, with an atmosphere conducive to both a drink with friends or even a romantic dinner à deux. The menu, was well thought-out and our food was cooked to perfection. I really enjoyed my Banana Blossom Fries!

Cost is a major consideration for most people and we found the price of around £40.00 for food and drinks for two people, very reasonable for the area.

A special mention must be given to the staff, who were excellent, without exception.

All in all, we had a great time at the Hop Tub and look forward to returning, next time we are in the area. Congratulations on providing what in my opinion, is a perfect combination of a family pub and a more exclusive, contemporary adults'...

I can confirm that our party of four will not be returning to The Hop Tub. The roast dinners were, in our opinion, poor and cheap quality. My beef was inedible. I couldn't eat it. When I announced this to a member of staff who was clearing our table, she went and got the manager (I assume). I was then bombarded by both members of the team with "you should have told us sooner", "its sourced locally", "next time request no fat in your beef". Etc etc etc. When I was asked how my meal was initially, I was probably 3 mouthfuls into it so wasn't aware of the state of the beef. I felt slightly attacked and felt like it was my fault! However, they did take it off my bill.

The vegetarian option was simply a Quorn pie out of the freezer and the chicken a lone single chicken breast - very cheap and poor.

When the plates arrived, they each had only the meat, Yorkshire pudding, and a pool of gravy directly on the plate—something I’d never seen before. Very strange way of delivering the food. We then shared a communal tray of vegetables, which consisted of three types of cabbage, some carrots, and roast potatoes. All of us were disappointed by the selection and lack of variety. The cauliflower cheese we ordered as an add-on (£5.50) was also disappointing: small in portion and lacking in quality.

Overall, at £18 (ish) per roast, the experience didn’t feel like good value for money. While the venue may be enjoyable for drinks and entertainment, I would advise against visiting for a...

Took the family out for Sunday lunch and you always hope it will be a good experience especially when you travel 45 mins to a new restaurant/venue From the moment we walked in we were greeted with beaming smiles and shown to our table. We were in the cabin which was perfect for us and the atmosphere/decoration was very different to anything else around. The food arrived within 10 or 15 minutes from ordering at the bar which was super quick as most other places you can wait well over 30 mins The roast beef was amazing and a huge amount of veg which all got eaten. Only small criticism was the roast potatoes were not crispy but this didn’t really take away from a wonderful experience. The baked cheesecake was to die for yum yum Service 10/10 Food 9.5/10, Value 9/10

We will definitely come back in a few months for the burgers and to sit in the beer garden. Shame I forgot to take...