The Mark Cross Inn

This was our second visit to The Lazy Fox and it did not disappoint. Once again the food was delicious but I wanted to review as the staff were outstanding! We were visiting with one family member who is chronically ill and another who is disabled and required an accessible facilities. On arriving the staff were very quick to assist guiding us round to the accessible entrance and erecting the wheelchair ramp. My Mother in law unfortunately judged the ramp incorrectly which sent her scooter flying forward and nearly falling over. My Mother in law was quickly rescued by both my partner and two members of staff saving her from falling out of her chair. The female staff member was genuinely concerned and after helping repeatedly checked on her with such compassion. When we ordered our food and drinks I was unable to eat that day due to chronic illness and it was so refreshing that the staff did not make this any kind of issue. Some places we have visited have repeatedly asked if I’m sure about not eating which puts me on the spot and feel very conscious that I don’t order food always. The staff here just breezed over the fact I wasn’t eating which made me feel so at ease as my chronic health problems can be such a barrier to going out. In addition to this our dog was made so welcome with his own water bowl waiting for him at the table and plenty of guys and adoration from the staff. I am so very sorry I don’t know the staff members names but for The Lazy Fox management we visited on Monday 22nd Sept. Your staff were exceptional! Their clear compassion & understanding makes The Lazy Fox accessible in addition to being a fantastic pub!

This place is great to have a meal or enjoy a drink. So if you are traveling on A267 when you get to Mark Cross just drop by and try it. It has a dedicated large parking lot, a big garden outside with great views. The inside is very spacious and very clean. Staff is very friendly. We were served by Alex and he was very friendly and helpful. They are doing delicious sourdough pizza, great steaks, fish and chips, lovely wines and beers. In summary, it is a lovely place that is worth visiting. I will definitely visit this place again soon. If my review was helpful please give it a like!

+6

A spur of the moment choice whilst in the area for a family birthday day out. Visited Elite Pubs before so we knew it would be good and it certainly did not disappoint. Perfect from start to finish. Even managed to leave with a bottle of Wildshark that the birthday girl took a liking too.

Lovely pub and restaurant. We booked last minute for Sunday lunch. We took the dog which is important to us. The food was one of the best roasts I have had out in a very long time. Portions are generous. Price is reasonable. Has a nice atmosphere and the staff are friendly and accommodating. Will definitely return.

What can I say? Good food, good beer, great pub!!! Such a lovely, family, dog friendly pub with such attentive staff and relaxed atmosphere. Came with my family and our daughter was straight into the play area. The views are to die for over the hills or east sussex!!! Worth it!!!

Went here for Mothers Day dinner after reading positive reviews. We left happy, with full bellies and smiles all around. My daughter (9) rated here dishes as we went along, she found this most fun. Starter - mozzarella flat bread Amazing, 10/10, size 11/10 (She took half home), appearance 10, taste 10. Main - Kent sausage, Mash and veg. Amazing, 10/10, Size 0/10 (portions was tiny) her words not mine. Appearance 10, taste 10. Desert - Brownie with vanilla ice cream. Best desert ever 10/10. Size 10, appearance 10, taste 11. I had the mixed platter roast, and this was mouth watering. The portions were great, the taste was delicious, and a return visit is already booked. If you're looking for a great atmospheric, village feeling pub, I would highly recommend you try this venue. Thank you for a wonderful dinner.

+4

We visited the local garden centre and decided to have lunch here without even looking at the menu online. Set and daily menu had a good variety. Place is really well presented in a beautiful location. Staff are friendly and the food was lovely even if they did run out of brown sauce, you can't run out of brown sauce! Will go back if we're in the area.

Having visited previously and enjoyed a lunch, I brought my parents for lunch today before visiting Bedgebury Pinetum for the Christmas lights trail. The service was great, the food was great, it was quite noisy when we went in as it was full which we knew from the car park - and had to park across the road. We were glad we booked a table. I would certainly visit again, and another in the group as I've been to a few now.

Robyn was our hostess, she was very helpful, jolly & efficient. Food delicious. Scored 4/5 as acoustics quite noisy! Lovely local pub/restaurant.

We drove pass it today after works, and we decided to borrow the facility, however as soon as step in, we were attracted by the lovely interiors and atmosphere, then we asked for a table for 8, we have been seated quickly and warm welcomed; surprisingly the food was great, especially the 35 days dry aged beef and Game pie. It is not far from my construction site, definitely will return next time.

Everything was great except the menu was not easy to read. It was also not very interesting. I felt the food was quite expensive. Other than that, the staff were great. The food looked and tasted really lovely. The car park is large, which is great.

We had a wonderful experience at The Lazy Fox in Crowborough. The place was absolutely beautiful, creating a charming atmosphere. The staff were exceptionally friendly, making us feel right at home. But what truly stood out was the incredible food – both the children and us (2x adults) couldn't get enough of it. The combination of great food and a welcoming atmosphere made it a memorable visit for us. Highly recommended!

Had a christmas meal with a big group of friends there. The food was amazing, tasted great and decent sized portions. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. Will be going back.

Another fantastic meal at the lazy fox served by the lovely Millie. Hired a shepherds hut and highly recommend. The atmosphere and decor was lovely

Went on a Monday night with a young family and was happy to see other families with young children enjoying the place. Service was friendly, food was excellent. Calves liver needs to be cut thicker, nicer served pink.

The best plant-based roast around. Thank you for catering for all our dietary needs. All the staff were so lovely too.

Good food, great range of food and drink at reasonable prices. Friendly attentive staff. Pleasant outside area with a play area for children. Family orientated

Highly recommended. Lovely view from the outdoor tables in the large garden. Pleasant dining room also with views and a large menu serving well prepared food,

Went to this pub with some friends and family on a Saturday at lunch time. The food it's not too bad for a pub and for the money and the staff are very friendly, service was a little slow even though the place was not fully booked so maybe a few extra staff members required. We had lots of cocktails which were nice however a bit inconsistent with their measurements, some had to much alcohol, some none lol. All in all I am still giving this pub 5* for the amazing view it has and friendly staff, definitely worth coming even just for a drink outside enjoying the gorgeous view. We'll be coming back soon.

We had a lovely roast here on a Sunday in one of the shacks. We were in the secret garden one. All three different themes looked great. We will definitely book an alpine cabin once they are up and running.

What a Gem this place is, it's a Modern spacious Country style pub which has a great feeling. The staff couldn't be any more helpful and friendly, the Menu is extensive and there's plenty of choice. There's is plenty of seating inside and out with a few specialist summerhouse style private seating outside where there are beautiful views that go on for miles across the country side. A must visit 🍾🍾🍾

Lovely place for a nice evening or a meal. Service with a smile from all staff and good food and drinks choice. Love the pizza and wine list. We will go back for sure. Go on you try it and will love it!

Fabulous food and great service. Lovely location, lots of parking. Restaurant has open pizza oven and has far reaching views.

Fabulous food and great location. High recommended whether you love pizzas or not. It's all excellent, although book ahead in case of a ploughing match

Delicious food. Pistachio créme bruleé was fantastic. Disappointed with the calzone filling, would have been happier to spend a little bit more to have a more satisfactory level of filling. Great atmosphere and service.

Food was really good. Atmosphere is really calm and warm. Kids play park outside was a decent size too. Loved it. Emily in particular was a brilliant waitress, thank you!

My partner and I have been exploring the local area, and after a disappointing experience at another pub where we waited 20 minutes without service, we decided to try the next nearest place which was The Lazy Fox. From the moment we arrived, our first impression was wow! The atmosphere was exactly what we love: bright, airy, and welcoming. Every single member of staff greeted us with a smile and was genuinely polite and helpful. Not once did anyone seem disinterested, the whole team gave off such positive energy. We ordered a steak, which was cooked to perfection and served by Emily. When we mentioned we were just visiting, she kindly told us about their pizza deals, which tempted us back the very next day. Once again, the service and atmosphere were faultless, and the staff were just as friendly and efficient. Thank you to everyone at The Lazy Fox! If we’re ever in the area again, we’ll definitely be returning. 🙂

We had one of their special huts in the garden, what a fantastic place. Even though the weather got a little bad the service was fantastic. The food was great as always. We could stay there for many hours having a very happy birthday celebration.

Sunday lunch to celebrate a birthday. Food was amazing, as always and Kerrie and Robyn were outstanding. All the staff are great. Officially stuffed. Couldn’t eat another thing 🤭

Not only is the food totally delicious but the staff are amazing, the best ever. My elderly mother fainted today because of the heat. All the staff were so incredibly kind and caring, they brought ice packs, a cool foot bath and helped her to the car when she recovered. Huge thanks from us all.

Lovely pub with a good choice of beer and drinks, great for Christmas dinner. Helpful and friendly staff without keeping checking on us. We had a great evening. Thank you.

Came here to celebrate my mums Heinz (57) birthday. There was 6.5 of us. Lovely venue with beautiful views. Inside is just as nice. Nice a spacious. Staff were all spot on and very accommodating. Any pub that has curious brew on tap goes down well with me. Food was done very well. No complaints here. Over all great experience.

+2

We had a lovely roast dinner here on Sunday, we were served very quickly considering how busy it was. We had to sit outside as there were no tables available, so I would definitely book in advance. We took it being so busy, as a good sign. The food was very good. The pub was lovely and the views beautiful.

+6

Not far from Rotherfield, easy to park, and beautiful view of the fields there is the lazy fox! Fresh and nice food, with recipes from all over the world, like Italy, Asia and more! Proper home made pizza there! I've started with a bow bun, and it was delightful, the main meal was very nice and fresh! The Banoffee was nice but less attractive than i thought ! The waiter was nice and patient ! i recommend

We visited for Sunday dinner and really enjoyed it overall. The pub has a lovely setting and welcoming atmosphere, and the food was absolutely delicious – full of flavour and beautifully cooked. The service was friendly, though a little more attentiveness would have made it perfect. For example, our server asked if we’d like to see the dessert menu (we said yes), but it never arrived. She later returned, apologising that she had forgotten, but by then we were ready for the bill. It didn’t spoil the experience, but a little extra attention to detail would really elevate the service. We’d still happily return for the food and the setting.

Beautiful location and a fresh, well-laid-out restaurant with comfortable seating. The welcome was efficient but lacked warmth, setting a slightly formal tone. Ordering was a bit rocky—several errors affected my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and wife. We chose not to complicate things by raising it further. Outdoor seating works well for dog owners, though dogs aren’t allowed inside. There were dog bowls outside, but they were filled with rainwater and grass clippings, and the ashtrays were soggy and full—small details, but they hint at a lack of attention. On the plus side, the food was well presented, served hot, and arrived promptly. With a bit more care in service and outdoor upkeep, this place could really shine.

First time here. Very spacious pub with very large dining area. Nice decor & good atmosphere inside. Lots of space to sit outdoors although saw lots of ashtrays so not so appealing & music coming through to outside area wasn't nice. Had the fish & chips which was tasty, although mushy peas very bland. Extensive wine list with very good selection from nearby vineyard

We had a 3 course festive meal which we thought was more expensive than what is was worth. We thought the food was dry and overly spiced, which was a shame. We were impressed at the variety of gluten-free options. The staff were very friendly and efficient. Unfortunately, we found it hard to hear each other as we were in the centre of the room and it was quite echoey. We loved the different choices of non alcoholic cocktails and soft drinks. We'll be back for drinks.

Booked by phone for 7:45 on a Thursday evening. When we arrived we were told the kitchen closed at eight. Would have been nice to have been warned. It was steak night, so five of our party of six ordered steak. Waitress brought the food and asked if we wanted any sauces… yes please, some mustard, French and English. Couple of minutes later, sorry, we don’t have any mustard. As for the steak, well, it was a little short of average. After several good meals here, this one was bad enough that we will give it a swerve for a few months.

We came here for my mum and dad’s 20th wedding anniversary which was mentioned when the booking was made. We booked the private shack which was lovely although the decor inside was a little tame, the waiter Reece was great very polite, well mannered and in the end very apologetic. We travelled over an hour to come as we had been here previously but this time it was very different. The nibbles to being with were great. We ordered our mains and starters together and the waiter Reece read them back to us 3 times. When the starters came we have the Nduja mozzarella flatbread, tempura prawns and fish cake. The fish cake wasn’t the best and was a little like rubber. For the mains we have 2 x prawn linguine, pepperoni pizza, venison burger with some moderations and the wild duck. The pasta was over cooked on both the linguines and was very garlicky. The pepperoni pizza was the only thing that actually got eaten. The venison burger was ordered with just bacon and cheese in and the red current sauce on the side, this was not the case and came within the burger which I didn’t like therefore asking for it on the side which the waiter assured me that it was. The wild duck comes with a potato fondant that you would expect to be a normal potato but no it was sweet potato and a puree which wasn’t stated anywhere on the menu.as well as the duck being over cooked, tough and like warm when being served. We ordered a side of chunky chips as well that had looked like they had been through the fryer 3 times already by being very brown/burnt in colour. When telling our waiter he apologised immediately, as there was so many things wrong we asked to speak to the manager on shift (he had a ginger beard) we didn’t get his name. The waiter then come back as it seemed that the manager didn’t want to speak to us and sent him back out and said we can change things for you but we were past the point of eating after this. We asked the waiter to get the manager as this should should be the duty managers job to deal with the complaint and shouldn’t be put on staff as this is what managers are paid to do. After the manager came out we explained everything to him as well but he didn’t seem to fazed by our comments at first until we said that my dad is a chef and have been for over 20 years. They proceeded to take the 4 meals off as well as 50% on top of this but the 50% was only offered after the manager on shift actually spoke to us. This is completely unacceptable from the managers point of view leaving his waiting staff to deal with the issue at hand and not being attentive when been asked for by a customer. We wanted this experience to be special for my mum and dad but this has not been the case and we will not be returning.

I was looking through the review looking for someone who might have had a similar experience to us, which was surprisingly not the case. My manager had booked the Lazy Fox for our Christmas do; It was 9 of us. I was delighted when we arrive, it’s a beautiful pub and I was already looking forward to bring my mum the next time she visits me. This enjoyment didn’t last long; we sat down, a waitress approached us with no hello, only a cold “ have you chosen what you want to drink”; at this point I thought, nevermind, it’s only the beginning. Until she brought our first starter; I understand we are a big table, but shouting “ CAMEMBERT…. SOUP…. PRAWNS “, when the starter are being served to us, is not correct, rolling your eyes, when you realise that the kitchen have made 2 wrong dishes (after shouting CAMEMBERT 6 times and realising that they must be an issue with the order ) is also not correct. We were then served by another waitress, that had the same shocking attitude. Not a single smile, not a single question to ask how our food was; the endless eye rolling when we dared asking anything, including more water. My boss, who has a great heart and doesn’t see wrong in anyone, dared asking at the end of the meal, after all 8 of us had said how rude and appalling the service has been; “ Is there anything we have done wrong because you are being very unfriendly “, to be answered by a “ oh no, sorry about that.” Honestly, this is a shame, a great great shame for such a beautiful pub. The food was good; but the service leaves me speechless. I have worked in hospitality myself, yes the days can be long, yes sometimes we are not up to it but I would have never dared behaving like this. Honestly, we were just a problem to them; it was reassuring to see they were treating everyone the same though. I am so disappointed; what a waist of a beautiful evening this could have been. I could have spoke to one of the staff as we were leaving instead of writing a google review; but when all 9 us walked out and said goodbye, nobody bothered answering back to us. UPDATE : Chris was quick to get back to me through email, apologized and offer a commercial gesture which was kind. Regarding the below answer of the situation being "resolved", I don't know about this, first the Christmas evening remains spoiled, the gesture is kind but nowhere near the amount that was spent that evening, secondly, I do indeed hope the waitresses attitude has been resolved, sadly, I will not be back to find out.

We had our Christmas party here, beautiful setting and the gentleman in the beginning who served the wine was very informative and friendly telling me about the local wine. The female waitresses we dealt with after were the complete opposite we felt like a nuisance being there. All they did was shout at us with the orders that the kitchen got wrong and roll there eyes when we asked for extra drinks. Also the prawn cocktail had no avacado as stated. Our manager spoke to one of the women and asked if we had annoyed her but no we hadn't. Service charge was still included even after this conversation. Still all said bye when leaving and no response. I have been to many of these chains and never had an experience like this.