Chalk Pit Inn & Restaurant

I’m not quite sure why the other reviewers have given this inn 5 stars… I mean, it’s OK but I’ve definitely been to nicer. Admittedly the location is unique, but I found the garden in the chalk pit a little bit creepy, and the high sides of the pit clouded the sun, and echoed the noise from the road. Plus there was a large, empty marquee set up in the middle of the garden, which looked fairly permanent. Saying this, I have noticed that pubs in Sussex seem to have fewer gardens than pubs in Kent, where I grew up. I’m yet to find a decent pub with a decent garden that is a reasonable distance from Brighton. Inside the pub is very standard, the staff were pleasant but the selection of beers wasn’t very large. Its the sort of traditional road side pub where I wouldn’t risk a glass of wine. Its unfortunate that most average pubs still haven’t got their heads round serving decent wine. All in all, its an OK pub, but beyond the location being a bit unusual I wouldn’t say it was worth making a long trip out to.

The Chalk Pit Inn is one of those pubs with that little bit more, than just good food or beers. Set within the disused chalk pit, you certainly get a unique location to enjoy a pub lunch or a pint.
Be warned that you will need a car to get to it, as it is far enough out of town (on the road to Haywards Heath). The pub has a rustic feel and a timeless quality that you seem to get at country establishments. They have a nice range of ales on tap and serve staple pub grub. Whilst the pub is on the edge of a busy road, the gardens are set back in the actual pit and this makes fora lovely location for a summer lunch.
Keep in mind that the pub does have limited daytime opening hours during the week, but on weekends this won’t be a problem. If you are in Lewes, it’s only a 5 minute drive and a nice break from hectic weekend shoppers.

So it doesn’t take Einstein to work out where this establishment got its name from. Its a really impressive pub set at the foot of Lewes’ chalk pits that they used to mine in the 18^th Century.
Its about a mile outside of Lewes so its a little bit quieter than some of the places in town but I think that’s great now and again when you want to get away from it all and just take in some beautiful surroundings.
The food is all home-​cooked pub grub, not too many frills and fancies but its reasonably priced and really tasty. There’s some nice beers on tap that I would highly recommend you enjoy in the beer garden which is actually set in the chalk pit itself!