Two East Sussex pubs on the Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs 2026 list

The pubs were revealed at an awards ceremony in London, in partnership with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and supported by Square, to recognise the nation's top pubs.

Adam Hyman, owner of Good Food Guide, said: "While our industry continues to adapt to the new norm of what running a hospitality business looks like in Britain, our Best Pubs list once again shows that some of the best food and hospitality can be found in pubs.”

Louise McLaughlin, marketing director at Timothy Taylor’s, added: "The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Pubs celebrates everything that's great about the British pub: warm hospitality, quality food and drink, character, and a genuine connection to local communities.

"These are the kinds of pubs Timothy Taylor's is proud to champion, and we’re delighted to help shine a light on the publicans, their teams, and the loyal regulars who keep this important part of our culture thriving. Congratulations to all of this year's winners.”

The East Sussex pubs to make the list were the The Plough, Udimore, Rye, at number 38 and The Crown, All Saints Street, Hastings, at 90.

The guide said locals and visitors heaped high praise on The Plough, calling it a ‘stunning countryside pub’.

It added: "The location is glorious, a garden with ‘sheep baa-ing while you eat’ beckons in fine weather, and a ‘joyous, welcoming atmosphere’ prevails. Inside, scuffed floorboards, plain tables and wood-burners set the tone, while paintings by Sussex artist William Warden ‘bring a lovely local connection to the venue’. As for food, it's ‘modern, forward-thinking cooking’, with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients taking centre stage."

The Crown was also lauded.

The guide said: "Something about the Crown hits exactly the right spot. It’s not just a pub but a real community hub, ‘a place people want to return to again and again’. The Old Town location feels like a local’s secret, and the interior is very artistically scruffy but quirky – distressed wood tables, mismatched chairs, plank floors, local artists on the walls. Food is the main draw. The kitchen keeps things simple, looks to the locality for ingredients yet mixes up influences in a true 'modern pub menu' way."

The Queens Arms in Eccles, widely recognised as the oldest passenger railway pub in the world, took top spot thanks to its combination of historic Victorian pub and Japanese Izakaya, said the guide.

The Reader’s Choice award went to the Compasses Inn, a 14th-century thatched pub in Chicksgrove, Wiltshire.

The full list on the Good Food Guide website can be seen here.