S - The Sidewinder

Walk up the hill, reward self with drink.
Fun-time pub at the top of St James's Street.

Price;                                                                            6/10
A smidge below average.

Location;                                                                      7/10

It's just that it's up a bloody great big hill. other then that it's easy to find (straight up the hill) and near enough to get back to town to carry on partying.

Atmosphere;                                                                  8/10
It was really busy and lively, if anything maybe too busy? We headed too the garden because the pub was rammed but when the garden closed and we went back inside it was really really busy. The crowd was really friendly tho as were the bar staff.

Amenities;                                                                    8/10
Mainly the 8 is for the garden and tequila slushy machine!*here was a DJ and they have a pretty good events listing and Nintendo nights* enough said really.

Toilets;                                                                           6/10 
Head up the stairs and you shall find some toilets that come equipped with toilet roll, locks and a decent amount of room.

* These are actual things that were occurring a while ago when we first went, and write this review. It may be the case that these things no longer happen, in which case we are so so sorry, but it really is a big hill.


Find it;  65 St James's Street,
            Brighton,
            BN2 1PJ

Click to find it on our map.

R - The Railway Bell

Ideal place for watching spot and train times..

Popular sports pub and nice enough place to wait for that delayed train.

Price;                                                                              4.5 /10
Just over the average, but not by too much.

 

Location;                                                                       8/10

Ideal if you're heading too or from the station and easy to find from Churchill Square, but there are plenty of other pubs on the way up to The Railway Bell which would be more convenient from out centre point..

Atmosphere;                                                                  7/10
Not too busy, despite it being a bank holiday Sunday, but we reckon during the after work rush it would be a lot busier. Everyone was friendly and despite there being some sport on it wasn't loud or invasive (however this is not the case on big sporting events/match days).

Amenities;                                                                     8/10
Sports galore! The Railway Bell show most major sporting events and is always packed on major and local match days. For the less sporty there is regular pub quiz, and music nights. They also serve up some food and have a garden area.
Toilets;                                                                            9/10 
The toilets here were very clean, a bit of a funny layout though, but there was two cubicles, fun 'blue lighting' hand dryers and a huge sink and mirror. Wonderful.

While maybe not somewhere we would rush back to, it would be somewhere we would pop into for a post work beverage (provided its not a big sports day). Next time hopefully it will be nicer weather and we can make use of the glorious outside area.


Find it;  26 - 28 Surrey Street
              Brighton
              BN1 3PA

Click to find it on our map.

Q - The Queens Head

From Train to Drink in under a minute.
Average pub showing lots of sports at above average prices.

Price;                                                                            4/10

Yea, pretty expensive compared to our average actually.

Location;                                                                       9/10

Opposite the station, super easy to find. From Churchill Square you do have to walk up the hill, but it's really not a big hill and you can just jump on a bus an be there in about 2 minutes.

Atmosphere;                                                                  7/10
Despite the sport being on it wasn't too bad. It was a bit busy and noisy at times but wasn't intimidating or unfriendly. 'Chirpy' is what we have written down.

Amenities;                                                                     4/10
They show sports. A lot. There is a pretty good range of drinks and there are happy hours. There isn't any WiFi and while there are some benches outside it is on a busy road/pavement (edit; The benches aren't on the road, but there's a fair few buses).

Toilets;                                                                            7/10 
Kind of hidden (but it was busy). They were clean, locked and there was soap, so pretty okay.

It was okay, not the best place but not the worst. It's an okay place to meet or drop into on route to or from the station. We were also served in plastic glasses and were unsure how we felt about it, but maybe it was because it was a Saturday and there had been a big football match??


Find it;  60 Queens Road,
             Brighton
            BN1 3XD

Click to find it on our map.

P - The Palmeria

An inoffensive local-ish pub.
A pub that can please everyone? Meet The Palmeria.
 

Price;                                                                               5/10

Bang on average!

Location;                                                                       6.5/10

It's a it out of the way from town but it is also fairly easy to find once you're on the right path. Unfortunately there is only one bus that goes by (the No.7) which makes it a little harder to get too then some  of our other out of the way pubs across Brighton.
 

Atmosphere;                                                                  8/10
Really friendly and comfortable. It has the feel of nice local pub, but not in a scary 'who are these new people, let's stare them out' kind of way. We went in to watch sport (yes, we enjoy a good Rugby match now and then), and we didn't feel at all intimidated, which was lovely.

Amenities;                                                                     8/10
Well obviously they show sports, they also have a weekly quiz, live music nights and have just started comedy nights. At the bar you are treated to an array of drink options and the food at The Palmeria looks pretty good too. We managed to book tables there for the Rugby, which is fantastic and we need to give a mention to their website, which in doing this research is one of the nicest and easiest to navigate we've seen!
Toilets;                                                                           7/10 
Clean and they smelt nice! The only real issue we had was the hand-dryer being a bit rubbish, oh, and they are a bit hidden away but as toilets go, these are alright.

Find it; 70-71 Cromwell Road
            Hove,
            BN3 3ES

Click to find it on our map.

O - The Office

The North Laine pub where it's always gin'o'clock.

Price;                                                                            6/10

We had two gins, (one single, one double) and good tonics (Fentimans and Fevertree, obviously) and together it came to £10.90, which might sound a lot, but when we worked it out against our averages for gin it was bang on average then we factored in the fact we had good quality gin and tonics we notched it up one.

Location;                                                                      8/10

It's easily found, and yes it's a small walk from Churchill square, the walk doesn't take long, and was a lot shorter then we thought.

Atmosphere;                                                                  6/10 

When we first got there it was really busy, and other times it has been so busy that we haven't even bothered to stay for a drink, but when we do, its a friendly bar, away from West street and has a bit more of a grown up crowd (not in a bad way) and the bar staff are always happy to answer questions and recommend drinks.

.

Amenities;                                                                     5/10

Well, there's a load of gin (over 40 different gins), which is never a bad thing! and the super knowledgeable staff. There is  also Thai food and cocktails and out the back there's a seating area.  In terms of things to do, there isn't a lot but they do hold regular open mic nights once a week and occasional DJ nights.

Toilets;                                                                           2/10
A bit grim, but not the worst.  There is only 1 cubical and its very small and the lock seemed really flimsy (it's not, because someone tried to push the door open on one of us but our modesty was kept, but it was a terrifying moment). There was toilet roll all over the floor and there was no hook! Our other problem was the flush, it wasn't flushing a lot. ewwwwwww.




Due to the amount of gin we're fond of The Office, however, if it wasn't for the gin then it's unlikely it would be a 'go to' place for us. We tend to frequent it during 'off peak' time because it gets so busy. If you want to try different gins then it's the place to go, just wait until it's not so crowded.

If you're a gin lover, check out Jenny's blog.


Find it;  8 - 9 Sydney Street,
              Brighton,
              BN1 4EN

Click to find it on our map.

N - Northern Lights

Hidden Brighton gem, full of Scandinavian spirit and spirits!

 

Price;                                                                              7/10

Confession time; We didn't get our usual round while at the Northern Lights! (Yea we are bad reviewer type people..)  There was too much exciting beer, cider, wine and vodka shots to be had. We did decide that for what we had, the price was good, and £2 Fisherman's Friend shots were pretty awesome so we are going to say 7, (and we'll make sure we go back and do it properly next time).

Location;                                                                       8/10

Hidden away, yes, but easy to find and pretty close to our central point, also yes.

Atmosphere;                                                                  8/10
It was busy, not crazy busy but the nice sort of busy where you don't mind standing up because there is plenty of space to do so. The Northern Lights has a very friendly atmosphere, the bar staff were more then happy to help pick drinks.

Amenities;                                                                      7/10
Pretty awesome food menu, nice theme, nice outside area, plenty of vodka. There is also, Open Mic nights, DJ nights and board game nights.
It is also where you stop if you go on The Ghost Walk for a quick Fisherman's Friend shot!

Toilets;                                                                            4/10 
Hidden upstairs, they are petty dingy, small, a bit just yuk and there was limited toilet paper . They just weren't that great, (but we have been in much worse).


It's a super pub, great place to spend the night. It's friendly, has a great selection of drinks and generally a pretty awesome place.

You may also find yourself there, having a cheeky Fisherman's friend if you go on the Ghost Walk of The Lanes.


Find it;  6 Little East Street
              BN1 1HT


Click to find it on our map.

M - The Market Inn

Hidden and historical, an average pub  for a quick pint, sometimes.

Price;                                                                             5/10

For our usual round it hit pretty much average.
 

Location;                                                                       8/10

If you know where you're going then its easy to find. It's perfect stumbling distance to the taxi rank on East Street.

Atmosphere;                                                                  4/10
It wasn't super busy, kind of quiet and not in a good 'ooh this is nice we can get a table' kind of way, more of a 'oh no one is here' kind of way, but it wasn't awful, I guess 'meh' is the best way to describe it. The staff were friendly enough.

Amenities;                                                                     4/10
Nice  but small outdoor area, they show sports, and have a good food menu. There is also  a good choice of beer/ale, if that's your thing. We couldn't see any evidence of quiz nights etc, but there is happy hours Mon-Fri and food offers.


Toilets;                                                                           6 /10 
Had all the basics we look for, clean with toilet roll and working taps etc.


We liked this little pub, the main issue we had was that twice we had tried to go there during it's advertised opening hours (and we mean like a hour or so before closing)  and someone was bringing in the sign etc and told us they were closed, and another occasion we went in and were told they were going to close 'really soon', so we left. Once we did get in it's a nice traditional pub, but that's what it is a average traditional pub.



Find it;  1 Market Street
              Brighton,
              BN1 1HH

Click to find it on our map.

Pic used under creative commons licence because Lisa lost her pictures.

L - The Long Man of Wilmington

Near-perfect suburban super pub.
It may be far from the city centre, but this wonderful local pub is worth the bus ride.

Price;                                                                              4/10

A bit pricey compared to other pubs we've been too, however Jenny would like to point out that they serve Fever tree tonics, so you do get a good quality G&T. 

Location;                                                                       3/10

From town it is a 20-40 minute bus ride all the way out to Hollingbury, when you get  off the bus it is only a 1 minute walk t and from the nearest bus stops from and back into town. So while on the bus it may feeling like you're heading to the ends of the earth, once you get there it's not too bad.

Atmosphere;                                                                  7/10
It was busy, and lively (but not too lively). The crowd was a bit older than a lot of places we've been to and it did feel a bit 'manly'. Everyone was friendly, the bar staff were helpful, and even though it is a local pub, no one turned and gave us the local pub "who are you??" stare.

Amenities;                                                                     9.5/10
This place pretty much offers everything you could want. As we've mentioned, good quality tonics (it's a genuinely wonderful thing), you can also grab yourself some Thai food and on Sundays, a roast. There is a host of stuff going on, from weekly pub quizzes, monthly music nights, one off events, showing major sporting events on TV, if you need it they've got some WiFi, a lovely beer garden and on match days at The Amex there is a bus service from The Long Man of Wilmington to the football ground. Pretty much all you could need/want from a local pub.

Toilets;                                                                            8/10 
They were very nice, clean, functioning, locking doors, all very good. The only problem was that there aren't many of them.



We do like The Long Man, and if it wasn't all the way out in Hollingbury, we would go there a lot more. Lovely place, nice people, plenty to do. If you do find yourself in the area definitely worth a visit.


Find it;  2 Wilmington Way
              Brighton
              BN1 8JH

Click to find it on our map.

K -The Katerina

Family friendly bar far from city centre.

Our original K was Koba, but over Summer it has closed so we trekked down to the Marina to find another pub beginning with K that we hadn't been too. It is part of the Harvester Chain so strictly it isn't a 'traditional pub' but we sat in the downstairs bar area for a quick drink.

Price;                                                                        7/10
Compared to our average of £13.40 this gave us the same drinks but at a smaller price. Not exceptionally cheap but not wear near as expensive in other local places.

Location;                                                                    5/10

Is a bit far to go to just for The Katerina, and if you are going from town to the Marina there are better places to go to. It is really easy to find once you are in the Marina (off the bus and cross the road).

Atmosphere;                                                               4/10
It's pretty basic and it is a family friendly place, which does mean excited children, and because there aren't that many child friendly places it does get busy. Harvester is a well know for it cheap, cheerful and varied (but basic) menu, this means its a great choice for big groups of people as well which means it is not a place for a quiet drink.

Amenities;                                                                    2/10

Obviously as part of the Harvester Chain is serves food all day, and there is free O2 Wi-Fi, but that's all it really offers.

Toilets;                                                                          7 /10 
Fine, they were clean, all had toilet roll and a hook on the door. One of us managed to hurt our foot on a cubical door, because you have to do the 'unlock the door, shuffle back to open the door and get out dance' but that is a fairly common situation. Basically we've had better, we've also had a hundred times worse.

The Katerina is plumped in the middle of the Marina, so unlike a lot of the other venues there are no views over looking water or anything that distinguishes it from any other local Harvester. There are better places to go in The Marina to eat and drink.

We did like the bar man, and his sense of humour. He was welcoming, helpful and made us laugh!



Find it;
Village Square,                       
Brighton Marina Village,                        
Brighton,         
BN2 5WD

Click to find it on our map.

J - Jury's Out

It's a shame that 'out' was exactly the way we wanted to go...

Not so friendly locals pub doesn't thrill.

Price;                                                                          6/10
Cheap compared to our average an for price alone we would be back. Except it's not just the price that matters.

Location;                                                                       6.5/10

Not too far away and pretty easy to find. It's not near anything or anywhere you would want to be on a Saturday night.

Atmosphere;                                                                  3/10
It's obviously a real locals/regulars pub, and it wasn't welcoming. We didn't feel that we wanted to, or needed to stay. We couldn't really chat over the music, we just hid away in a corner and drank quickly.


Amenities;                                                                     3/10 
There is an ok food menu and there was a live band playing (not brilliantly) while we were there. We didn't see any sign of much else going on in the week.

Toilets;                                                                          5/10 
Nothing distinctly wrong, nothing super nice. They were clean enough and had everything you would expect.

Unfortunately we left pretty quickly as we didn't feel comfortable, which is a real shame as the place is pretty nice and the bar girl was really friendly. Sadly we won't be in any hurry to return.


Find it; 161 Edward Street,
            Brighton,
            BN2 0JB

Click to find it on our map.