Winchelsea Beach Cafe - Rother

Very upset with our visit to this cafe. Me and my parents went specifically because the cafe assured me that they can cater for gluten free (I am coeliac). They had a gluten free menu upon arrival also. I ordered my food but informed them I had an allergy. 20 minutes after ordering my food, before bringing it out, they told me that nothing is actually gluten free! Food is all cooked on the same grill with the same utensils. Gluten free bread isn’t cooked in a separate toaster and butter is used from the same tub also used on normal bread. This is extremely dangerous for someone, like myself, with a gluten allergy! They are providing customers with false information which could have severe consequences. Nothing on the gluten free menu was safe for me to eat so I ended up with no breakfast. My parents still ate as they don’t have an allergy. They said food was cold and disappointing and not worth the money. Very annoying as we went out of our way to go here. Just beware if you have an allergy or intolerance as it is not a safe cafe to eat in! If I hadn’t have said I had an allergy, I dread to think how poorly this would’ve made me!

Firstly, the garden area has greatly benefited from the addition of little wooden cabins and seated cabins – a welcome addition to protect visitors from the cold winds (who would have thought it was nearly June! However, considering there were only 2 customers in front of us, it still took us 25 minutes to queue up to give our order. This was mainly due to only one person behind the counter – this person had to take the order, input it into the till, make all the drinks, write down the order manually to give to the kitchen and then take the payment. We then waited over 30 minutes for the food order to arrive (however the food, when it eventually it came, was good They clearly had a lack of staff, however the slow service in my opinion could have been improved by a having a till system that sends the tickets straight to the kitchen, 2 Having a menu that was quicker to prepare/ more mis en place made in advance c maybe even a reduced menu when really short staffed. The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy considering it was ½ term yet they were completely understaffed. I appreciate it is hard to recruit staff at the moment, hence my suggestion of offering a reduced menu when its busy or better still, a menu devised to ensure a quicker service. The poor gentleman behind me in the queue had to wait nearly 30 minutes to place his order and then was told it would be a 45 minute wait for his food- he only ordered a bacon sandwich- hopefully it was a good one as in total he would have waited an hour and 15 minutes for it! Such a shame as the place has so much potential- the outdoor area is lovely, the food was pretty good when it arrived but the slow service and inefficient system really let it down.

This restaurant is a great spot to take a break during a bike ride around the reserve. What impressed us the most was the excellent service. We ordered sandwiches, then went to the beach and returned later to pick them up. However, the lady brought them to us! How thoughtful! 100 stars.

We gathered with friends at this café at the beginning of a long weekend in Rye. The food was outstanding and reasonably priced, and there was ample covered outdoor seating which was perfect for our friends with a young child. I would definitely dine here again.

Went for a drive and found this cafe. Pulled up and ordered a coffee and 2 bacon sandwiches... my partner stood there for 20 mins for the coffee and the two rubbish bacon sandwiches were done after 45mins.. Christmas would have come sooner. NOT GOOD