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

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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.

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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

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H - The Hampton

Wonderful place of near perfection, that made us forget about the rest.

We completely fell in love with The Hampton, with friendly people and a glorious garden. 

Price;                                                                        6.5/10

A bit on the pricey side compared to our average but we did really like it there so we didn't mind that much.

Location;                                                                       9/10

Really near town but still a few minutes walk to the center and fairly easy to find. It is just out the way enough that you it wasn't filled with 'Saturday night pre-drinking' crowd.

Atmosphere;                                                                  8/10

The Hampton was really nice and welcoming and generally the staff and other drinkers were all friendly (we might have had to help one of the barmen out with one of our drinks, but we will forgive him). Pretty cozy for the cold weather and a lovely outside area for when its a bit warmer.

Amenities;                                                                     8/10

Firstly we need to mention the really nice garden area,  and there's the quiz nights, good food menu, comedy nights, free wifi. There was  DJ, playing music we could actually get up and have a boogie too.

Toilets;                                                                          6/10 

Clean and easily found. A bit small, and kind of 'eh' but nothing that we couldn't handle!

Needless to say we loved it! It definitely had to best of both worlds with a nice outside area where we could chat and then inside for some warmth and a dance. Probably some nicer toilets and the beer garden being open a little later were the only negative comments we could make.


Find it;  57 Upper North Street,
            Brighton,
            BN1 3FH

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D - The Dorset

That big yellow one on the corner...

Restaurant, cafe, bar, all round lovely place.

Price;                                                                          5/10
The price was almost bang on our average, and given its prominent position, and the pub itself, we were pretty impressed.

Location;                                                                       9/10

A quick walk from town, easy to find and even if you don't know the name of the pub most will know where it is or how to get there, (the big yellow pub in the North Laines).

Atmosphere;                                                                  9/10

It was quite busy, and was getting busier as we left. There was a nice friendly atmosphere inside and the music wasn't intrusive so we could chat and it was a nice relaxed place start to a Saturday evening out.

Amenities;                                                                     8/10 
The Dorset is a cafe/restaurant/bar so it wins a lot for various menus. The outside tables on the street are wonderful for Summertime and there are regular DJ's and themed nights.

Toilets;                                                                          4/10 
No toilet roll, but plenty of empty rolls lying around, (don't worry, being the girls we are we always have tissues with us), no lock, no hook, and there down some not great when drunk stairs and not easiest to find.

The Dorset was a lovely place to start our Saturday, and we happily stayed there for longer than we had intended. We need to mention the amount of obvious dates happening around us when we first arrived (we've all been here - its a good date pub), and obviously we will be back.

@Mike Quinn via geograph.org

Find it;  28 North Road,
            Brighton,
            BN1 1YB

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C - Chequers

A nice 'stop spot' en route to the city centre.

Nice pub....

Price; £12 something                                                    7.5/10

Cheapest round of the night, and considering the location thats pretty gosh darn good.

Location;                                                                       8/10

A short walk from the center but not too far away. It's an ideal stopping point if you're on your coming into town from Hove.

Atmosphere;                                                                  7/10

For a Saturday night it didn't seem very busy, however since its a pretty small place so atmosphere wasn't lacking. there was a DJ which was a bit too loud (and not great). There was that one moment that felt like all eyes on us as we walked in, which was a little awkward, but not enough for us feel uncomfortable.

Amenities:                                                                     7/10
Pretty good regular DJ's, live music and open mic nights, however the DJ that was there on this particular night the DJ wasn't very good (and we mean technically, not the music).


Toilets;                                                                        6.5/10 
Super easy to find and lovely and clean. There is only 1 cubicle, which is very small and there was a lack of hand drying equipment.

It was nice, we liked the price but there was nothing we loved, nothing we hated, and we would go back, maybe for a quick drink if we are headed to town although we are more likely to pop back in on a school night.


Find it;  45 Preston Street,
           Brighton,
           BN1 2HP

Click to find it on our map.