Donna Maria — Restaurant in Wealden

I discovered this gem of a restaurant quite by accident when I was using streetview on Rightmove! A group of us came to Crowborough and I remembered this place. It happened to be my daughters 41st birthday so we decided to go to Donna Maria's for lunch to celebrate. Outdoors it was really hot and sweltering. We walked through the front door and immediately felt the benefit of the air-conditioning which was lovely. We were greeted with a warm welcome from the owner of this family run restaurant who showed us to a lovely table in the window. Three of us had a double expresso straight away as we were craving some caffeine! They arrived super quick and were delicious! We then ordered Prosecco and sparkling water. We didn't think we had room for two courses so we went straight for mains. Two of us had Pizzas and the other two chose spaghetti with mixed seafood in a delicious tomato sauce. Everyone enjoyed the food, it was fresh and so full of flavour..now THIS is what I call an authentic Italian restaurant!! Sadly three of us didn't have any room left for desserts (which sounded gorgeous!) apart from the birthday girl who had Affogato and when served, it had a tiny lit candle in it...a very sweet gesture that was much appreciated. Another thing worth mentioning was that the bathroom was.. Immaculate. Spotless. Gleaming. We loved everything about this restaurant and without a shadow of a doubt, will be back to try more of the menu. Finally, a big thank you to the owner, whose name I do not know and the delightful waitress who served the food. The service was excellent. Thank you...

Fussy about my food, I always looking for a proper Italian restaurant and rarely I can come out completely satisfied I am a big eater and despite I can find few acknowledge chef around is not easy to find Italian restaurant that cares about the quality of the products use I took my lady at the Donna Maria for a dinner and I was extremely surprised to finally find a place where can eat three course meal without come out bloated and uncomfortable I start with a frittura mista that was divine, not just the fish was fresh and tasty, also the light colour of it was a clear indication that they change regularly the oil As "primo" I asked a dish that I love, spaghetti aglio e olio. Even if wasnt on the menu they didnt blink, it means all food is cooked at the moment with no fuss from the management on using already prepared sauces I finish with a pizza... I am a good cook myself and know that the dough used was light and properly leavened, the tomato wasnt just a colour on top but taste as tomato pulp and the mozzarella was genuine fior di latte not sort of I am very sorry to wait th end of the lockdown to go back but the waitress also explain the dish on the menu tols us that they are going to open a take away pizzeria in a matter of weeks... I will looking forward...

If you want a little piece of Sicily in East Sussex, you won’t go far wrong visiting Donna Maria in Crowborough. The food reflects the region so well and quite clearly is cooked with passion and affection. There is so much attention to detail here including pictures that make you want to jump in a plane and visit. The owners are passionate about their service and you are made to feel like part of the family. My family have had pasta, risotto, pizza and grills and all have been amazing. Tonight I finished with pistachio gelato and then tried the trio of Grappa to round things off.....recommended.

My favourite restaurant in the County if not wider. Well worth the visit.

And if you want to know how a Pain-au-chocolat should be...