The Jolly Sportsman

The Jolly Sportsman reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. l

   liz

   London6 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   It has been a while since I have been to this pub to eat, but after its recent reviews I thought as a special occasion I would go for a birthday celebration. Sadly we were all very disappointed with the food. The mussels came tepid and without much flavour, the chicken Caesar was too mayonannaise-y, and the small plate risotto was swimming in butter that no other tastes were available to savour! really poor! Maybe if we had a shed load of alcohol our taste buds would not have been so acute however none of us had any alcohol and we were all disappointed. No we didn't complain at the time as it was very busy and the young girls serving were over stretched! we were considering the under qualified staff !
   

   Is this helpful?

2. P

   Paula

   Brighton1 review

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Good food in a lovely setting with nice friendly staff. A tad expensive but worth it occasionally.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. S

   Stephen

   London4 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Nice Sunday Roast, lovely staff, and a nice beer garden to eat it in!
   

   • 

   Is this helpful?

4. J

   James

   London1 review

   4.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   A lovely lunch at the Sportsman, as usual. Just a couple of suggestions though. I think the gravy should be specific to the meat you are having and not a generic gravy for all meats. Also, a bit pricey for a nice but unspectacular roast beef.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. A

   Amanda

   Brighton1 review

   5.0

   Dined on May 8, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We were a party of 6, a very warm welcome when we arrived and seated straight away. Beautiful decor, very comfortable dining area, (We loved the tables!) Sitting inside there is a very pretty view of the garden. The service, the quality of the food and the presentation of it was outstanding, we all enjoyed every mouthful. We will definitely be visiting again. A really wonderful evening, thank you very much The Jolly Sportsman!
   

   Is this helpful?

6. T

   Tania VIP

   Los Angeles11 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 3, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We are already huge fans of the Jolly, but they just released their new Spring menu and it's fantastic!!! There were so many wonderful things to choose from, but what we did order was fantastic and we can't wait to go back. They clearly put a lot of thought and work into this new menu. There was also lovely jazz playing in the restaurant that night. We enjoyed every moment of our meal there.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. R

   Rosalind

   London4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely food, beautiful setting, amazing service - perfect country pub Sunday lunch
   

   Is this helpful?

8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   London1 review

   3.0

   Dined on April 25, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   We really were not convinced by the change of menu. It was somewhat confusing and not what we were expecting having visited a few months ago. The 'plates' concept is very specific and sometimes one just wants a straight forward meal - starter, mains etc. In this case it didn't offer good value and was a hap hazard mix of dishes which just didn't combine well. The overall cost of the meal was too high for the standard of food, especially when making a trip out of Brighton where many restaurants do this concept well. So disappointing as we were really looking forward to coming back here. (Also important to have the right year info on the wine menu. When you order expensive wine the details should be correct).
   

   Is this helpful?

9. A

   Anne

   London2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 25, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   We had a very enjoyable evening meal at the Jolly Sportsman. Food had delicious flavours and everything was cooked to perfection. We sat in the conservatory area which had a lovely ambience and staff were attentive.
   

   Is this helpful?