August 2025 by Adrian Morgan
We stayed at Black Horse overnight and ate in their restaurant. The room was compact, clean and comfortable. The food, service and atmosphere in the restaurant was fantastic and we would thoroughly recommend it to everyone to try Special mention to Anise, who was extremely helpful, cheerful and very knowledgeable and friendly and seemed to be running the place all by herself at times during the breakfast period.
August 2025 by Lorien Bray
We ate a phenomenal dinner here. Each dish was the best we'd ever eaten of that type of dish. I especially loved the risotto (fresh, original, and just all around delicious) and pie. The fish was the most tender I've ever tried. At the end, the chef came out to have a chat with us and his passion and expertise is clear. It translated into an incredible food experience. WOW!
August 2025 by Ollie Coe
We had such a lovely stay! The pub is immaculately maintained and characterful, staff were accommodating and friendly, food was fantastic at dinner and breakfast (you can really tell the efforts that got into produce) and the room was clean and comfortable. The village is also ?
August 2025 by Richard Michael
We fell across this gem of the South Downs as we were camping just down the road - that was a couple of months ago - we have just come back from camping in the same place for the second time, primarily to go back to the Black Horse.
Going through the back you will immediately be impressed by the raised level garden and garden bar, set out with a modern, chic and relaxed aesthetic. The staff, who I could endlessly wax lyrical about (and will do soon) are immediately accommodating, professional and exacting, sorting a table out for us despite having not booked again. The tables are intimate, private and super well attended too. There is rarely waiting time in between you wanting something and one of the amazing waiting staff being there to help you - thanks mainly to the 2 women managing the restaurant spaces (I didn't get their names unfortunately - but seriously two of the most together, organised, methodical, welcoming and professional restaurant staff i have ever had the pleasure of meeting).
Enjoying the buzz of the place and the fantastic local gin (and Em, her unchangeable provence Rose) we got to ordering the food......This menu is spot on. It's not too overcrowded - it's fresh, it's local, it caters for vegetarian, pescatarian etc (Emma is a fussy pescatarian - nothing too creamy, no this, no that etc), it is really well thought out and immediately we start licking our lips.
Emma gets the mackerel and beetroot to start - a dish she raves about and only gives me a small taste of! Really fresh, well cooked mackerel being guarded by beautifully purple beetroot - a dusting of something nutty, brought together by something whipped and light - really really good. However, I win (in my opinion) the starter wars! A stunning piece of chalk stream trout sitting on an unbelievably refreshing cucumber gazpacho flavoured with borage and dill. Best trout dish I have ever had. No joke. All washed down with a delicious bottle of albarino.
Then the mains - now last time I had a delicious pork belly roast but the heat had got to me this time and I wanted something lighter - so glad I did! I had the pea and broad bean risotto and had to fight Emma off it - so good! Those broad beans were so fresh they popped in your mouth - the risotto was not too creamy but so well balanced and cut through with a citrus hit - seriously first rate.
Emma had the monkfish linguine (she had this last time as well!) Absolute stunner of a dish - perfectly cooked monkfish with a really well seasoned and flavoured pasta - very very elegant.
Then for dessert, well, I am very keen on my puddings but couldn't really see anything to my taste on the menu this time so we went for a Hazel Eyed Espresso Martini to finish - absolutely delicious!!!!
Perfect perfect perfect.
Best staff - incredibly well managed.
Beautiful location in the stunning village of Amberley.
Beautifully set out pub, restaurant and garden.
Great selection of booze.
Some of the best food....oh sod it, THE BEST FOOD I have eaten in Sussex for a good few years.
Highly recommend.
They have rooms too but we haven't stayed....yet! Planning a birthday trip in February to check out the seasonal menu change.
August 2025 by Mark Anthony
Great location, food, drinks and service.
August 2025 by Pierre-Jean Baraud
Disappointed. Despite the latest bad reviews, I decided to have dinner there and give it a chance, as the pub looks charming in the heart of the village. But the service was not particularly friendly or efficient. The kitchen was very slow (all the tables around seemed to be in the same cases and tired of waiting), and food was very pricey generally. Wine was almost £10 a glass for a glass of Chile red wine.
When you charge that amount your service needs to be top of the game in my mind.
Can be a good stop for a beer I imagine but I wouldn't go back to eat. There is another pub 5 min walk, the Sportsman Inn, with an amazing view, very friendly service, and great selection of beers.
July 2025 by Steve Strong
Totally delicious food and a varied menu with interesting specials. All cooked beautifully and served by friendly staff in a lovely restaurant atmosphere. Thoroughly recommend. Even have a pub garden with views over the Downs.
July 2025 by Chris Reynolds
We stayed here one night and it was great. The breakfast was wonderful and the service very friendly. The only disappointment is that we didn?t get an opportunity to try out the restaurant as we were attending a wedding. Strongly recommend.
July 2025 by Antl
Incredibly slow food service. We were two people - from placing order to food arriving was an hour. I?m guessing slow service is not unusual as the waitresses were completely unperturbed - in the hour no one checked if we wanted further drinks or apologised for delayed. To the contrary, we were ignored for the duration. For me, there are far better pub options in the area.
July 2025 by Rosie Hore
Brilliant food, service and stay - loved it!
July 2025 by Hilary Williams
Sadly I cannot recommend this pub/restaurant. The venue is delightful and the service was fine. The food was very disappointing e.g. My Caesar salad, in particular, consisted of a few lettuce leaves, two small chicken thighs and croutons, that was it. The chicken was dry and tough.
Because we were friends I resisted sending the meal back.It was very expensive .
July 2025 by Kim Howell-Lewis
First time here and every time we asked for something, we were made to feel a nuisance. From requesting having an umbrella up during a hot sunny day to being advised that we could only eat inside during the middle of July. Awful
July 2025 by Sue Nathan
Loved it. Just the right balance. Fine food, nice staff.
July 2025 by lee rossie
Came across this pub while travelling to Horsham. Very nice.
July 2025 by Alice Moorhead
I rarely leave negative reviews, but unfortunately, our recent visit to The Black Horse in Amberley left much to be desired. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was anything but welcoming. The gentleman serving us appeared disinterested and unwelcoming, setting a rather uncomfortable tone for the visit.
We ordered two lattes, a simple request by any standard, yet they took an inordinate amount of time to arrive. There was no explanation for the delay, considering the restaurant was entirely empty and we were the only customers at the time.
To add to the disappointment, we were asked?on two separate occasions?to move from our seats due to supposed bookings. This would have been understandable had the venue been busy, but the restaurant was entirely empty throughout our stay. It felt unnecessarily disruptive and gave the impression that guests are an inconvenience rather than a priority.
Overall, the experience was disheartening. The location itself is charming, but sadly, the service fell far short of expectations. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as the potential is certainly there?but a welcoming attitude and basic courtesy go a long way.
If you are looking for a welcoming and friendly pub in the area, we would recommend The Sportsman. The staff greeted us with a smile and the service was great. We ordered lunch for two and the food arrived quicker than The Black Horse took to make two small lattes.
