Great pub with a huge outdoor space, rotating wide selection of craft beers, and two music venues. Food looked amazing – only had sweet potato fries but they were exceptional!
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 1 Holland Road
Category: Pub
Preston Park Tavern
Surprisingly large pub inside (and with a pile of picnic tables which will make summer excellent), nothing crazy but a nice pub done well. Food in particularly excellent, especially the bacon jam on my burger!
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 88 Havelock Road
The Better Half
Fantastic gastropub, cosy with a lot of personality. Lovely service and great food, all for a reasonable price. Bookings strongly advised!
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 1 Hove Place
The Eagle
Surprisingly spacious pub tucked away at the far east of North Laine. Not dramatically characterful but lots of seating and nice people, so that’ll do me.
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 125 Gloucester Road
The French Horn
What a nice surprise this pub was. Cosy inside, with (at least when we went) a fairly raucous after work drinks crowd, the staff simply can’t be helpful enough. And the food was just AMAZING. We both had raclette burgers which rivalled specialists Coggings across the road (two for £12 on Thursdays!), huge plate of onion rings, and raclette garlic bread with huge amounts of garlic. Absolutely top food and seriously good value.
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 82 Dyke Road
Brighton Beer Dispensary
Visited this straight after Brighton Craft Beer Co. and I think it’s more what a lot of craft beer enthusiasts want – a run-down-by-design type interior, small, etc. Very wide selection of beers, and excellent service. The Dizzy Gull provides food (brought to you by the people behind The Set, so had high expectations) and it was, at best, ok. I had a schnitzel that was obviously prepared with care (panko breadcrumbs etc) but was overdone and tasteless.
Verdict: Ok
Location: 38 Dean Street
Brighton Craft Beer Co.
Apparently the second of these, the first being in London. Much more airy and spacious than it looks from the outside, with a big menu (literally on a clipboard that they change daily) of craft beer if that’s your jam, on tap and in cans/bottles. Friendly service and excellent homemade scratchings.
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 22-23 Upper North Street
The Prestonville Arms
I’ll admit to not having high expectations due to it being a Fullers pub, but I was wrong. Lots of comfy seating areas, a menu with lots of attention to detail, and a great range of drinks; a small pub with a friendly, cosy vibe.
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 64 Hamilton Road
Slug and Lettuce – Hove
Massive chain of course, one I personally enjoy as it is cheap and cheerful. However, this one is smaller than the average which removes one of the main reasons I like the chain, so points off there. Good location though.
Verdict: Ok
Location: 4-5 George Street
The Crescent
The website bills it as a hidden gem, and it totally is. Lovely high ceilinged interior with lots of tables, plenty on tap, a dedicated gin list and a good looking menu. Great relaxed pub.
Verdict: Awesome
Location: 6 Clifton Hill