The Black Rabbit, Arundel

This pub enjoys a spectacular setting right on the River Arun, with Arundel Castle in the distance. On a hot sunny Friday in August it was doing a roaring trade. It’s clearly a destination pub for those wanting a meal in delightful surroundings, as it can’t have any locals with no houses nearby. And it’s the outside seating that makes this place a bit special. It has more ouside seating than any other pub that I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot of pubs), with most of it stretching a hundred yards or so by the riverside. I reckon it’s on the hot summer days that this place makes its money, and they will have had a number of bonanza days this year. The inside is rather nice as well, although it’s clear that the whole enterprise is geared up for diners. But of course you can have just a drink if you want. One of the walls inside has a wall decorated with cameras for some reason, and there’s also some history of the brewers’ families on another of the walls. It necessarily has lots of parking. As well as the car park just before you get to the pub, there’s another larger car park beyond the pub. It’s a Hall & Woodhouse pub, so the ales presented no surprises with Tanglefoot, Badger Bitter and Fursty Ferret on. I would say that the food quality fell into the “OK” category, which I suppose is “OK” for somewhere producing food on an industrial scale. It’s not particularly cheap, as they are selling the location, with, for example, steak and ale pie weighing in at £10.65. And they committed one of my personal pub annoyances, with the chips turned into a soggy mess by having loads of gravy poured over them. But the steak and ale pie itself was good. I’ve been to this pub several times over the last 30 years or so, and will no doubt visit again sometime. It’s worth a visit for the setting alone.

Went here recently, love the location, esp on a sunny day as it was when we went, sat outside overlooking the river. Service was good and the food was lovely.