Sussex’s Best Restaurants 2026 – Top-Rated Dining Destinations You Need to Try
Sussex has one of the most exciting and diverse restaurant scenes in England, and this list is proof of it. The best Sussex restaurant is not decided by a panel of food critics or a national publication; it is chosen entirely by the people who live and eat here. Every year, residents across East Sussex and West Sussex cast their votes in the BRAVO awards, and the result is the most honest and locally grounded guide to restaurants in Sussex you will find anywhere. From the Sussex coast at Worthing and Ferring to the rolling villages of the South Downs, from the independent spirit of Lewes to the quiet charm of Alfriston, this county produces food and drink of extraordinary quality. The 2026 BRAVO winner for best Sussex restaurant is Andalucia in Ferring, a stylish Spanish restaurant on the West Sussex coast that has captured the hearts and appetites of the whole county. Read on for the full top 20 and discover what makes eating out in Sussex so genuinely rewarding.
First place
This stylish Spanish destination brings the tantalising taste of classic tapas to the Sussex coast to take the top spot. Premium ingredients, including fine Jamón Ibérico Bellota and Iberian charcuterie, are matched by carefully selected wines, Spanish lagers and fabulous cocktails. The Sunday sharing paella is a popular standout.
Also placed 14th for Best Hospitality Team.
Second place
The historic Worthing promenade is home to Crabshack, a much-loved, family-run seafood restaurant that hits the spot time and again. With a menu showcasing the daily catch from the Sussex coast, you’ll find seasonal ingredients, daily specials and fresh shellfish. Deliciously tempting and always worth the trip to this Worthing restaurant, – you’ll find a warm welcome too.
8th in Best Wine List in Sussex, 16th in Best Hospitality Team.
Third place
An authentic taste of Italy in the heart of one of Sussex’s most beautiful villages, Poco sources ingredients for lunch and dinner from within 18 miles of this Alfriston restaurant. This hyper-local approach creates exciting dishes that really sing. This year’s Best Wine List winner, Poco also offers brilliantly thoughtful pairings and your favourite wines can be acquired from the bottle shop to take home.
Winner of The Best Wine List in Sussex.
Fourth place
Another win for Worthing restaurants, Saltio is a cool seafront taqueria and mezcaleria that hits all the right spots. By using locally sourced and authentic Mexican ingredients, Saltio has the feel of a vibrant street market and the bold flavours to match. Order the Elote Street Corn, Ceviche Tostadas and Barbacoa Chicken. Mouthwatering, much?
Fifth Place
Squisito is a standout among Sussex restaurants, located in the Needlemakers in Lewes, and voted 5th Best Restaurant in Sussex at the BRAVO Awards 2026. This relaxed, Italian-inspired spot focuses on seasonal, ingredient-led cooking, with dishes like fresh pasta, gnocchi, seafood plates, and focaccia. Expect simple, flavour-driven food made with local Sussex produce, alongside a welcoming atmosphere that suits everything from casual lunches to evening dining. It’s a strong example of the quality and creativity found across restaurants in Sussex today.
Sixth place
Le Flamant is a standout among Sussex restaurants, located in Lindfield and offering a cosy, stylish setting with modern European flair. This intimate spot serves seasonal sharing plates, from scallops and monkfish to creative small plates, all designed for relaxed dining. A carefully curated wine list featuring Sussex producers adds to the experience. As one of the rising restaurants in Sussex, it combines quality ingredients, thoughtful cooking, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, making it a must-visit destination in Mid Sussex.
seventh Place
Set at the foot of the South Downs near Henfield, Terra at Tottington Manor is a destination dining spot among Sussex restaurants. The menu focuses on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, with modern British dishes, tasting menus, and refined Sussex Sunday roasts. Expect elegant cooking, Sussex wines, and sweeping countryside views from the terrace with fire pits. With private dining options and a relaxed yet sophisticated feel, it stands out as one of the most scenic and memorable restaurants in Sussex.
eighth place
Set in the heart of Hurstpierpoint, The Fig Tree is an elegant destination among Sussex restaurants, known for its refined, seasonal cooking and intimate atmosphere. This family-run restaurant offers ever-changing tasting menus and modern British dishes crafted from locally sourced ingredients. Expect beautifully presented plates such as seafood with delicate herbs, rich game dishes, and inventive vegetarian options. With its calm, light-filled dining room and strong focus on Sussex produce, it stands out as one of the most accomplished and memorable restaurants in Sussex.
Ninth Place
Tucked away in Hurstpierpoint, Village Pizza Kitchen is a popular choice among Sussex restaurants, known for its award-winning artisan pizzas and homemade pasta. Using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, the menu features 72-hour fermented dough for light, flavour-packed pizzas alongside comforting Italian classics. What began as a lockdown takeaway has grown into a cosy, stylish restaurant with a strong community feel. With dine-in and takeaway options, it’s a great example of the quality found across restaurants in Sussex.
Tenth place
Artelium is an exciting new entry among Sussex restaurants, set within a beautiful Sussex vineyard in the South Downs. The kitchen focuses on seasonal, locally sourced dishes, from cured fish to slow-braised meats, designed to pair perfectly with their award-winning English wines.With elegant dining spaces and a sunny terrace overlooking the vines, Artelium offers a refined yet relaxed experience, making it one of the most distinctive restaurants in Sussex for food and wine lovers.
Best Restaurants in East Sussex
East Sussex punches well above its weight when it comes to dining, with an outstanding range of independent restaurants spread across its towns, villages and coastline. Poco in Alfriston takes third place in this year’s list and is one of the most accomplished restaurants in Sussex full stop; an authentically Italian kitchen sourcing ingredients from within 18 miles and pairing them with a wine list so exceptional it took the BRAVO Best Wine List in Sussex award for 2026. Dill in Lewes finishes nineteenth and is a wonderful example of the creative, independent dining that has made Lewes restaurants so well regarded. The Pass rounds out the top 20 in twentieth place, a long-standing destination for refined, ambitious cooking in the East Sussex countryside. Artelium, the vineyard restaurant in the South Downs, finishes tenth and represents the exciting intersection of East Sussex wine and food that is becoming one of the most compelling reasons to explore this corner of the county.
Best Restaurants in West Sussex
West Sussex is home to some of the most exciting restaurant destinations on this entire list. Andalucia in Ferring takes the top spot as best Sussex restaurant 2026, bringing bold Spanish flavour and premium Iberian ingredients to the West Sussex coast. Crabshack in Worthing finishes second with its outstanding seasonal seafood and daily catches from the Sussex coast, cementing Worthing restaurants as a genuine dining destination worth travelling for. Saltio Mexican in Worthing takes fourth place, adding a vibrant taqueria and mezcaleria to the town’s growing reputation. Terra at Tottington Manor near Henfield finishes seventh, offering destination dining with South Downs views and a tasting menu of real ambition. Le Flamant in Lindfield takes sixth and Orla Restaurant and Rooms, also in Lindfield, finishes thirteenth, making Mid Sussex one of the most rewarding areas for restaurant discovery in the whole county. Ginger Fox in sixteenth and The Woodcote Graffham in eighteenth further underline the extraordinary depth of West Sussex dining.
Best Restaurants in Hurstpierpoint and Mid Sussex
Hurstpierpoint and the wider Mid Sussex area have quietly established themselves as one of the most rewarding dining destinations in the county, with three restaurants from this small community alone appearing in this year’s top 20. The Fig Tree finishes eighth with its beautifully executed seasonal tasting menus and intimate dining room, while Village Pizza Kitchen takes ninth place with its artisan sourdough pizzas and homemade pasta made using locally sourced ingredients. Morley’s Bistro rounds out the trio in seventeenth. The fact that a village of this size can place three restaurants in the best Sussex restaurant top 20 tells you everything about the quality and passion driving the independent food scene in Mid Sussex. It is also well worth exploring Hurstpierpoint restaurants more broadly; the village has a warmth and character that makes any visit an enjoyable one.
Best Restaurants in Lewes
Lewes is one of East Sussex’s most characterful towns and its restaurant scene reflects that independent, creative spirit. Poco sits just outside in nearby Alfriston but serves the wider Lewes dining community with its exceptional Italian cooking and outstanding wine list. Squisito in the Needlemakers takes fifth place with its relaxed, ingredient-led Italian cooking and strong focus on local Sussex produce, while Dill finishes nineteenth with a menu that showcases the best of the county’s larder in an unfussy, confident style. Lewes is also home to an increasingly exciting food and drink culture beyond its restaurants, with Sussex wine producers and artisan food makers contributing to a local food economy that gives chefs here exceptional ingredients to work with.
Best Restaurants in Worthing
Worthing has undergone a quiet but remarkable culinary transformation in recent years, and the 2026 BRAVO results confirm its arrival as one of the most exciting restaurant destinations on the Sussex coast. Two Worthing restaurants finish in the top four of the entire Sussex category; Crabshack in second with its exceptional daily catch seafood menu, and Saltio Mexican in fourth with its bold coastal taqueria concept and authentic flavours. Both have built loyal local followings and both are restaurants worth travelling to Sussex specifically to visit. For anyone exploring the Sussex coast, Worthing now sits alongside Brighton and Hove as a genuine dining destination.
Best Sussex Restaurants by Area: Where to Find the Top 20
Looking at this year’s top 20 as a whole, the geographic spread of the best Sussex restaurants tells an interesting story about where quality dining has taken root across the county.
West Sussex dominates the top four, with Andalucia in Ferring, Crabshack and Saltio in Worthing, and Terra at Tottington Manor near Henfield all finishing in the upper reaches of the list. Hurstpierpoint alone contributes three entries in the Fig Tree, Village Pizza Kitchen and Morley’s Bistro. Lindfield places two with Le Flamant and Orla Restaurant and Rooms, while Alfriston in East Sussex claims Poco and its exceptional wine list.
East Sussex is represented by Poco in Alfriston, Artelium in the South Downs, Squisito and Dill in the Lewes area, and The Pass in the East Sussex countryside. Chalk at Wiston Estate brings another vineyard dining destination into the mix, reinforcing the growing importance of Sussex vineyards as food and wine destinations in their own right.
Safari Pizza Co and Babylon Eco Centre add further variety to a list that spans coastal seafood, Iberian tapas, Italian villages, Mexican street food, vineyard dining and refined tasting menus. What unites all twenty is that they have been chosen by the people who actually live in Sussex and eat in these places regularly. That is what makes this the most trustworthy guide to the best restaurant in Sussex you will find.
Whether you are exploring restaurants in Sussex for the first time or looking to discover somewhere new in a county you know well, this list is your starting point. Sussex is one of the great food counties of England, and it is only getting better.
Take a look at your other 2026 BRAVO winners
