Eastbourne
Roots

Roots

8 Grove Road, BN21 4TY, Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Vegan • Coffee • British • Vegetarian


"Great food, awful customer service. We were given a table which had spillages and sticky food on it. When I asked if they could clean it, the waitress quite abruptly told me it was clean and that it had just been cleaned and that it must be the sticky cleaning product. I pointed to the sauce and beans on the table and she still disagreed until she put her finger through it, then came and cleaned the table again. The menu stated that the veggie breakfast could be made vegan if you ask, so we asked what the difference would be between the vegan and veggie, to which she replied that the egg would just be left off. We questioned this: “so, no substitutes for the egg but for the full price of the veggie breakfast? Most restaurants tend to offer an alternative” to which she replied (with some attitude) “yes, don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of food, we’re not tight”. When the food came, it was delicious. Cooked well, clearly by a chef who cares a lot. But sadly no one came to ask how our food was and whether we had everything we needed. In addition, no one came to clear our plates or bring us the bill until we went to the till. Finally, just as I went to exit the cafe door, the same waitress walked back into the cafe after clearing plates outside, making me (the customer) stand aside to let her through, which I wouldn’t have minded had she at least said thank you or even acknowledged me with a smile, or a “thank you for coming, see you again soon”. She just ignored me. Needless to say, we won’t be returning."

The Ship Inn

The Ship Inn

33-35 Meads Street, BN20 7RH, Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Pub • Sushi • Steak • Asiatic


"The Ship Inn is on Meads Street a relatively short walk from the sea front and the equally good Pilot Inn. However, unlike The Pilot, which is clearly a traditional pub set up albeit more run as a restaurant, the ambience here is totally different. If it’s not busy, your first reaction could be the same as ours that you had walked into a hotel lounge bar, as we initially came here on a quiet Tuesday evening when there was only one other couple in the central bar section and only a couple of tables utilised in the restaurant sections, and it certainly did feel like that. But then we came back to eat here on a Friday evening, and it was a totally different experience. You enter into the main bar section with its collection of bright blue padded seating on a green carpet that leads to the serving bar. Then behind partition walls on either side are the two dining room areas. Then beyond the right-hand section is a sizeable conservatory extension which leads to a decent patio beer garden beyond that. Three of the four pumps were in operation for our visits with Harvey’s Sussex Best and IPA plus Longman Long Blonde. I’d already had a pint of Sussex Best earlier in the day and had tried the Long Blonde in the previous pub, the Pilot Inn, so I went for the Harvey’s IPA. It was ok but not really to my taste. We had noticed the specials board by the bar and decided to go for a couple of deserts in the bar and they were good enough to influence us to return later in the week to eat here. On the return visit to eat I stuck to the Longman Long Blonde and it was as good as it was down the road in the Pilot. By this stage of our stay in Eastbourne we were a bit “chipped Out” so we went for the home made Lasagne which came with garlic bread. And both our dishes were very good. Add into that very good service levels from the lady working our table so I couldn’t find fault with this one. On the Friday evening, with every inside section full to capacity this pub had a nice vibe about it"