Best Vineyard Restaurants in Sussex

Updated 14/08/2026

Ten Sussex vineyards worth visiting for the food alone, including Tillingham's Michelin Green Star restaurant.

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Overview

Sussex has the widest spread of vineyard restaurants in southern England, ranging from Michelin-guided dining at Wiston Estate to the wood-fired informality of Downsview in the East Sussex Downs. Both counties have vineyards where the food is worth a trip in its own right.

Vineyard Restaurants in West Sussex

Wiston's Chalk Restaurant is the most formal option - a restored 18th-century flint barn recommended in the Michelin Guide, with dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Kinsbrook runs seven days a week, shifting from cafe-deli early in the week to a full evening restaurant at weekends, with a Good Food Guide listing and a kitchen led by a former Brighton chef. Bolney's Eighteen Acre Restaurant sits above the vines on a viewing balcony, open Wednesday to Sunday with a wine bar on Friday evenings.

Ashling Park is the most relaxed option, with a farm-to-table menu built around produce sourced less than a mile from the estate. Mannings Heath operates more as a wine and golf estate, but the Vineyard Kitchen is worth knowing about if you are in the area.

Vineyard Restaurants in East Sussex

Artelium Kitchen runs Thursday to Sunday with South Downs views and feasting-style sharing plates. I have eaten there and would go back without hesitation - the feasting plates suit the setting perfectly. Tillingham's menu is produce-led and changes with what is available; everything is fresh and in season. Ridgeview's Rows and Vine is open spring and summer only - alfresco lunch in the heart of their Ditchling vineyard.

Rathfinny's Flint Barns offers dinner Wednesday to Saturday and Sunday lunch, built around seasonal local ingredients and estate wines. Downsview is the most relaxed of the East Sussex options: pizza and charcuterie through summer, with occasional supper clubs throughout the year.

Booking Sussex Vineyard Restaurants

When to book

All restaurants on this page require advance booking at weekends. Wiston, Rathfinny, and Kinsbrook fill up quickly from May through September. Midweek visits are more flexible, and Kinsbrook and Bolney are the most walk-in-friendly options outside peak hours.

Dietary requirements

Wiston, Kinsbrook, and Rathfinny all operate full kitchens and can usually accommodate dietary requirements with advance notice. Vineyard menus are often seasonal and relatively concise, so note your needs when booking rather than on arrival.

Featured vineyards

Wiston Estate

West Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

Wiston's Chalk Restaurant sits within a beautifully restored 18th-century flint threshing barn, with exposed beams, a dramatic suspended bar, and a terrace for alfresco dining. Recommended in the Michelin Guide, it serves seasonal British food sourced from the estate and local suppliers, with the menu changing regularly. It works equally well as a standalone visit or alongside a tour and tasting.

Open: Wednesday to Sunday (breakfast and lunch); dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings
Booking: required

Kinsbrook Vineyard

West Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

The restaurant at Kinsbrook is open seven days a week, shifting in character through the week. Monday to Wednesday it operates as a relaxed café-deli, with walk-ins only and food served until 2:30pm. From Thursday to Sunday it becomes a full restaurant, serving breakfast and lunch throughout, with dinner available on Fridays and Saturdays. Upstairs, multi-fold doors run almost the length of one wall, opening the dining room onto views across the vines. A new head chef arrived in April 2026, broadening the menu into small plates built for sharing, cooked in a small open kitchen and built largely around local produce. A wood-fired pizza oven downstairs runs a separate menu. Dogs are welcome inside the restaurant, and the upstairs dining space is accessible by lift.

Open: 7 days a week (café Mon–Wed; full restaurant Thu–Sun)
Dinner: Friday and Saturday only
Booking: walk-ins only Mon–Wed; booking recommended Thu–Sun, especially at weekends
Style: small plates, open kitchen, locally sourced, vineyard views upstairs

Ashling Park Estate

West Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

The Vineyard restaurant at Ashling Park serves lunch Thursday to Sunday and dinner Thursday to Saturday, with a menu built around locally sourced produce - meat from a farm less than a mile from the estate, garden vegetables, and the estate's own honey. A Thursday steak night pairs estate Pinot Noir with the main course. Dogs and children are welcome.

Bolney Wine Estate

West Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

The Eighteen Acre Restaurant and Café overlooks the vineyards and serves seasonal Modern British menus for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, using locally sourced Sussex ingredients. The upstairs restaurant has a viewing balcony looking out across the vines and has received a Diner's Choice Award from OpenTable. On Friday evenings the venue extends into a wine bar serving drinks and small plates, making it worth considering as a standalone evening visit. Children are welcome; well-behaved dogs on leads are permitted in the downstairs café area, with water bowls available on request, but not in the upstairs restaurant.

Open: Wednesday to Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). Wednesday to Saturday 9am–5pm, last food orders 3pm; Friday service extends to 10pm, last food orders 8:30pm; Sunday 9am–5pm, last food orders 3pm.
Booking: Recommended for the restaurant, particularly at weekends.

Rathfinny Wine Estate

East Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

The Flint Barns Dining Room at Rathfinny serves dinner Wednesday to Saturday and Sunday lunches in a relaxed barn setting, with a menu built around seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and the estate's own Sussex sparkling wines. The wine list leans heavily on Rathfinny bottles, so it's a good place to work through the range alongside food. Children are welcome; dogs are not permitted inside the restaurant.

Downsview Vineyard

East Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

Downsview Vineyard offers dining facilities primarily during the spring and summer months, opening Fridays from 6 pm to 9 pm and Saturdays from 2 pm to 9 pm, with Saturday wine tastings available from 12 pm to 2 pm by pre-booking. The food style is varied, including casual options like al fresco pizza and charcuterie boards, along with their own wines, ciders, and locally brewed beer. For a more elevated experience, they host seasonal supper clubs and offer fine dining with seasonal produce, including tasting lunches and dinners. The ambience is described as a friendly, relaxed environment in a beautiful and intimate setting, with dining options both in a cosy tasting room for cooler evenings and outdoors among the vines. Children and dogs are both welcome at Downsview Vineyard. No specific awards for the restaurant or cafe facilities were mentioned in the provided information.

Artelium Wine Estate

East Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

Artelium Kitchen is open Thursday to Sunday for lunch, with evening service Thursday to Saturday in winter. The menu is seasonal and built around sharing - feasting platters, small plates, communal tables with South Downs views across the vines. Dogs and children are welcome.

Ridgeview Wine Estate

West Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

The Rows & Vine serves seasonal, wine-led lunches with views across the vineyard in summer months. Check with the vineyard for opening days.

Tillingham Vineyard

East Sussex

(Shortlisted) (Visited)

Grace Dent's review of Tillingham's restaurant in September 2025 brutally declared 'there was very little here to remember' - things have either improved drastically, or Vinebound has to respectfully disagree. Everything I tried - scallops, wild garlic and green vegetable soup, rib eye steak, sides of broccoli and courgette, a vanilla cheesecake - was delicious. The menu is built around seasonal, produce-led cooking - this means you might find that side you really fancied isn't available, but it also means the menu changes regularly and favours what tastes good now. The views from the restaurant are worth savouring as much as the food on the plate, making it worth your time requesting a window seat when making a booking.

More Vineyards

The Hambledon Vineyard restaurant and visitor centre building with terrace and autumn trees

Hambledon Wine Estate – Hampshire

The Restaurant at Hambledon Wine Estate opened in 2025 and is led by Head Chef Nick Edgar, formerly head chef at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. The kitchen works with seasonal Hampshire produce and pairs everything with wines from the estate. Both à la carte and set menus are available, and the restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide. The Courtyard offers a more casual al fresco option with wood-fired dishes on a walk-in basis.

Open: Wednesday–Sunday for lunch and dinner
Booking: Recommended - the restaurant can book up weeks in advance, particularly in warmer months
Price from: £32.50 per person (2-course set menu)

The Tinwood Estate restaurant terrace busy with diners under branded parasols on a sunny day

Tinwood Estate – West Sussex

Tinwood Estate features the Vineyard Kitchen, serving modern British tapas and small plates made with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients, designed to pair with their award-winning sparkling wines. This relaxed, contemporary dining space offers a stunning ambience overlooking the vines. The Vineyard Kitchen is open daily for walk-ins from 9 am, with lunch served every day and dinner available on Friday and Saturday evenings. Children are welcome, with facilities such as high chairs and baby changing, and mocktails are available for those under 18. Dogs are also welcome throughout the estate, including the Vineyard Kitchen, provided they are on a lead. While the restaurant itself is part of an award-winning estate that has received a "Gold Award," it specifically serves food complementing Tinwood's award-winning wines.

A man crouching to pet a golden retriever beside a free wine tasting chalkboard sign at Setley Ridge

Setley Ridge – Hampshire

This casual family-run vineyard sits next to an on-site cafe, farm shop and small garden centre, making it a nice place to pop by if you're visiting the New Forest.

Buy the wine from vineyards featured in this guide

Ridgeview Wine EstateRidgeview Bloomsbury NV£36.00Buy at Majestic Wine ↗
Ridgeview Wine EstateRidgeview Fitzrovia Rosé NV£40.00Buy at Majestic Wine ↗

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FAQ

Which vineyards in Sussex have restaurants?

In West Sussex: Wiston Estate (Chalk Restaurant, Michelin Guide), Kinsbrook, Bolney Wine Estate, Ashling Park, and Mannings Heath. In East Sussex: Rathfinny Wine Estate, Artelium, Ridgeview, Tillingham, and Downsview. Most require advance booking.

Which Sussex vineyard restaurant is best for a special occasion?

Wiston Estate's Chalk Restaurant is the most formal option - a restored 18th-century flint barn with a Michelin Guide recommendation and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Rathfinny Wine Estate in East Sussex is the other top choice, with a seasonal menu and estate wines.

Are Sussex vineyard restaurants open to the public?

Yes, all on this page are open to visitors rather than guests only. Booking is essential at Wiston, Rathfinny, and Kinsbrook particularly, which fill up on summer weekends. Kinsbrook and Bolney are more walk-in-friendly midweek.

Are there casual dining options at Sussex vineyards?

Ashling Park is the most relaxed option in West Sussex. In East Sussex, Downsview runs pizza and charcuterie through summer without a formal restaurant format.

Do Sussex vineyard restaurants cater for dietary requirements?

Most do. Wiston, Kinsbrook, and Rathfinny all operate full kitchens and can usually accommodate requirements with advance notice. Note your needs when booking, as vineyard menus are often seasonal and limited in scope.

Best Vineyard Restaurants in Sussex

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Overview

Vineyard Restaurants in West Sussex

Vineyard Restaurants in East Sussex