Chichester Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: The view (towards Goodwood) from the window is said to have inspired William Blake’s anthem, Jerusalem, in 1803, but the current future is uncertain at this eighteenth-century coaching inn, which shut its doors in early October 2022. We await news of the new incarnation of this vantagepoint over ‘England’s green and pleasant land’.

This 200-year-old local pub at the foot of the South Downs is “well run and popular”, with a “well-executed and great-value menu” of superior gastropub fare.

2021 Review: “A definite must-visit” – “an amazing small gastropub next to a beautiful pond”, on the Goodwood Estate, and with a line in “tasty and flavoursome” victuals (including game).

2022 Review: “The food is excellent, and you’re made to feel welcome” at this showcase for the produce of the Goodwood Estate, an early convert to organic farming (although Lord March, the Duke of Richmond, is better known as a petrol-head). “They’ve turned the courtyard into a lovely space”, and the highlight of the menu is the ‘butcher’s board’ sharing selection of various meat cuts.

As it heads into third decade, Viv Casson’s “slightly dated but cosy” restaurant (rustic, with exposed brick and many a beam) has long been known in these parts for its “lovely food and service”, which extends to regular themed dinners, including eight- or nine-course tasting menu nights.

This “charming, small and very English hotel” has “well-kept, comfortable sitting and dining rooms” and “makes a nice place to take aged relatives” if you’re keen on silver service. Visitors can choose between the modern British (with the odd Thai touch) Sea School restaurant or more casual brasserie offering “surprisingly good” prix-fixe menus. Chef Neil Hiskey, who oversees both venues, has been at the Millstream since way back in 2001, besides taking care of the food at the Millstream-owned Shoreside Café and Pop-in coffee shop, both also in Bosham.

2022 Review: Current owners The Epicurean Collection – behind a string of boutique pubs and inns – have a hit on their hands with this award-winning venture: a “worthy addition to an area generously supplied with high-quality country pubs”. The rolling South Downs beyond the windows inform much of the “imaginative menu”, with a particular accent on introducing non-shooting folk to game (the latter courtesy of the local Goodwood Estate).

2022 Review: Sailor-turned-entrepreneur Ed Collison set up his popular venue at Emsworth yacht basin at the age of 21 in 2016, serving everything from £4.50 bacon breakfast rolls to a splash-out seafood platter for two at £120 a pop. During lockdown he launched a fleet of silver catering vans, and in November 2021 announced a new branch of the Deck, replacing the Boat House Café, at Gosport marina.

Lawrence & Julia Murphy’s stalwart (est. 2000) is “a great find tucked a short walk up from the quay in Emsworth”; while the fisherman’s cottage it inhabits is to some a “little unprepossessing from the outside”, inside it’s “a bit of a gem”, offering a “varied menu including great fish dishes” and “friendly service” to go with it.

“Interesting food with a great view of Emsworth Harbour” has underpinned the longevity of this well-known restaurant-with-rooms that sits right on the water. Gary & Martyna Pearce have run it for five years now and provide a variety of eating options, with a contemporary spin on the menus. As well as the obligatory tasting menus, there are set and à la carte options, of which the latter – alongside more ‘haute’ combinations – has a selection of top-quality steaks of which the headline is a 500g Australian Wagyu Tomahawk for £120.

“A favourite Pig in the litter to date, thanks to the splendid view across the lawn, the vineyard and across the South Downs” from “a conservatory dining room laid out with an eclectic mix of tables and chairs, likewise the crockery (must be a nightmare stacking the cupboards!)”. “Like all the Pigs, it has a good buzz” and “friendly and helpful staff” are also noted in feedback. “The food’s not complicated, allowing local sourced produce to shine”.

This seemingly medieval venue actually first saw the light in 1927, when it was designed by antiquarian and architect Amyas Phillips for a member of the Guinness brewing clan. Feedback on the tapestry-hung dining room was limited and slightly up-and-down this year (mostly about the fact that they are “sadly no longer doing £15 weekday lunches”), but all agree on the “impressive” setting – a 30-acre plot hosting a hotel, spa and 39 bedrooms set in cottages and houses leading down to the Climping coast.

“Slightly hidden away from the main shopping drag in Arundel”, this “calming, understated yet stylish” indie (est. 2015) inspires a large amount of highly positive feedback in our annual diners’ poll. Chef Lee Parsons is behind the “enjoyable, original and delectable” bistro-style cooking (noted for particularly “exceptional fish cookery” and a “great-value set lunch”), while “lovely” FOH wife Liz – whom he met while the duo were working at Claridge’s decades back – “really looks after you” too.

2021 Review: “Utterly consistent and fabulous” – chef Lee Williams “never lets you down” at his restaurant-with-rooms in a Regency house looking out over Arundel Castle. Its talking-point is the “beautiful gold-leaf ceiling” in the dining room, which was made in Florence in the sixteenth century. Local seafood is the star on a “delicious” menu (“especially when fresh lobster is in season”).

“Fresh produce gets to shine” at Nick Sutherland’s boutique hotel restaurant in the heart of Chichester, which has retained the name of a well-known wine merchant that previously occupied the Georgian premises. It’s “busy but not manic – leisurely dining seems to be the aim”, and it’s also useful as a pre-theatre option.

“Superb, proper Indian food” that’s “remarkable value for money” has made the name of this red-brick subcontinental, “handy for the Witterings and Chichester”. The venue, a converted pub, was launched by couple Mayank and Nita Gupta (orthopaedic surgeon and dental surgeon respectively) as a riposte to inauthentic British curry houses, and offers a wide programme of events ranging from Elvis tribute nights with ‘curated’ curries, to regular demonstrations of home cooking; there were also several shout-outs this year for the “reliably excellent friendly service”.

Near Chichester and looking for a quintessential pub in a picturesque location? This waterside tavern just a short drive outside the city fits the bill. Book in advance, though, as cars are often parked down the lane to get in. The menu leans towards fish and seafood and is consistently well-rated.

Four miles from Chichester, and bordering the South Downs National Park, this 200-year-old pub-with-rooms is part proper boozer (upfront) and part tastefully arty restaurant offering ambitious gastrofare. Reporters this year praised the “warm ambience” and a “treat” of a menu that features some “standout courses” such as scallops and venison.

Good early reports on this former village pub in the South Downs National Park, which is now a restaurant-with-rooms featuring an eight-course tasting menu plus à la carte dining from former private chef Grant Jones, who trained at Le Gavroche. Game from the surrounding countryside and fresh fish landed at Chichester Harbour are staples of a kitchen that’s well-rated all-round: “an elegantly refurbished conservatory, with a well-balanced menu, all very well executed and efficiently and pleasantly served. Not cheap, but this pub is a cut above the average and worth a visit”.