The Rainbow

3.6

744 Reviews

£25 and under

British

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 28, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 5 times today

Experiences are available.

Charming
Good for groups
Neighborhood gem

In showing this building some love, local businesswoman Shoes Simes has said that she hopes to help make her pub more food-led and family-friendly. In doing so she hopes to turn this local building of historical importance into an establishment for local families and friends to enjoy together. It all started 13 years ago when she first saw the building and she knew straight away that this was the pub for her and finally her dreams have come true, with a full refurbishment, this pub is now ready to be revealed to Eastbourne in all its glory. Once functioning as an old Moot Court, eventually turning into a restaurant in the 1970s, before it boomed as a pub trading as The Rainbow. It eventually changed to The Counting House and saw a new lease of life as the garden grew to be a popular haunt of all in old town. Returning with a change of name to the older style of The Rainbow, and with it a focus on food again.

For outdoor reservations, please contact the restaurant directly.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
British, Gastro Pub, Beer Garden
Hours of operation
Bar Wed, Thu, Sun 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Lunch Wed–Fri 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Wed–Fri 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
01323 731158
Website
https://www.facebook.com/TheRainbowEB/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
Star Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 1NB
Neighborhood
Eastbourne
Parking details
Private Lot
Public transit
Additional
Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

DRINKING ONLY
Multiple dates available
Please only select this option if you are DRINKING ONLY!

What 744 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.6

3.6 based on recent ratings

3.4Food
3.9Service
4Ambience
3.4Value

Noise • Energetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Rainbow offers a "cozy atmosphere" and "friendly staff" that create a welcoming experience. While some reviews highlight excellent food and service, others mention inconsistent quality and high drink prices. The venue is "lovely" with a festive ambiance, accommodating diverse needs, though improvements in food consistency could enhance overall satisfaction.

744 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
East Sussex
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on February 19, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I had the seafood casserole and it was very nice and I would have that again. The only negative is the cost of the drinks.
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G
Gemma
East Sussex
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Went here for dinner and unfortunately, it was a complete letdown. The food was terrible—poorly cooked and lacking in flavor. Drinks were okay, yet massively overpriced - £7.50 for a larger is mental. The ambience was uninviting, and to top it off, the service was absolutely shocking. Slow, inattentive, and unprofessional. Definitely wouldn’t return or recommend.
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K
Kate
East Sussex
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on February 9, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Unfortunately the roast beef was almost inedible - very very tough but the roast chicken was delicious. It was also cold in the building. For the price, everything should be good. The Rainbow is supposed to be renowned for their roast?!
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T
TRACEY
East Sussex
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 29, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food and service, definitely returning in the New Year.
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J
James
East Sussex
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, great service as always, you know the staff are well trained when they check your glasses are properly clean before serving you drinks.
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R
Rita
East Sussex
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 22, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our first visit to The Rainbow, certainly not the last. Nice and friendly staff and cozy atmosphere.
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E
Elaine
East Sussex
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 11, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a lunch with 5 friends to celebrate Christmas and the atmosphere was very festive and cosy.
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I
Ivor
Kent
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 9, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
A lovely Christmas Dinnwr 🎄 We were shown to a lovely quiet table near to a super warm log fire 🔥 To be fair it was a Monday night and the pub was pretty quiet anyway. There was no problem taking our two dogs who were provided a bowl of water. The food was delicious 😋 and very generous portions. The dogs enjoyed sharing some of the pigs in blankets 🐷 No problem at all with the very helpful table service. It eas an enjoyable night out and great value
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V
Victoria
Brighton
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a lovely early dinner at the Rainbow. We took my autistic brother, and the staff were polite, friendly and welcoming, and fully accommodated his needs, i.e allowing us to choose a quiet place to sit, offering to give him more time to choose his drink if he needed it. The food was great (beefburger, chicken burger, squid linguine, followed by the brownie and a waffle with ice cream). We really enjoyed ourselves. Thank you.
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c
caroline
VIP
London
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 15, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The meal was very disappointing. The quality of the food was extremely poor, not what we were expecting after many good meals at the Rainbow.
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FAQs

The Rainbow is rated 3.6 stars by 744 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 28, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 5 times today

Experiences are available.

Star Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 1NB

Additional information

Neighborhood
Eastbourne
Hours of operation
Bar Wed, Thu, Sun 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Lunch Wed–Fri 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Wed–Fri 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
British, Gastro Pub, Beer Garden
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Private Lot
Public transit
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.facebook.com/TheRainbowEB/
Phone number
01323 731158

The Rainbow

Make a reservation

Additional information

Experiences

DRINKING ONLY

Menu

What 744 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Rainbow restaurant rated?

Is The Rainbow currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information