Favourite Pub in Brighton & Hove?

[Nibble]

The Open House

Don't know what the staff are like in there now (though I note they are pretty much the same lot) but a couple of years ago they were consistently the moodiest, self absorbed, ignorant bunch of scenester twats I have come acros in a long long long time.

 

[The Large One]

Don't know what the staff are like in there now (though I note they are pretty much the same lot) but a couple of years ago they were consistently the moodiest, self absorbed, ignorant bunch of scenester twats I have come acros in a long long long time.

Agreed.

Thankfully, they have improved. Food isn't too shabby in there either.

I'll be doing a fortnightly quiz in there on Sundays in the new year; I wouldn't do one in a pub full of ceiling-gazing staff.

 

[Nibble]

Agreed.

Thankfully, they have improved. Food isn't too shabby in there either.

I'll be doing a fortnightly quiz in there on Sundays in the new year; I wouldn't do one in a pub full of ceiling-gazing staff.

I'm glad cos I like the pub itself. Seen a few plays upstairs there recently but didn't pay much attention to the barstaff.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No-one's ever been ratty with me for any reason whatsoever in The Basketmakers and the food and drink has always been exceptional and I love the little tins with the messages in and the pub's not changed one iota since i first went in there probably about thirty years ago. So for all these reasons, THPP votes Basketmakers! That's not to say I go there all the time, or even frequently, and the bar staff wouldn't know me from Adam. It's all about knowing its there though. IMHO, like.

 

[New Carpet?]

Don't know what the staff are like in there now (though I note they are pretty much the same lot) but a couple of years ago they were consistently the moodiest, self absorbed, ignorant bunch of scenester twats I have come acros in a long long long time.

Couldn't agree more, though when I last went in there a few weeks ago they seemed to have recruited some more self-absorbed scenesters behind the bar.

Shame really, they put a real dampener on what could easily be one of the best five pubs in the whole of Brighton.

 

[Gwylan]

In all of the unreconstructed pubs in Brighton, I can't believe that (seeing as we're talking about that neck of the woods) the Bat & Ball hasn't been mentioned. Jeez.

It was - Les Dynam had it in his pub crawl from hell.

 

[les dynam]

Don't know what the staff are like in there now (though I note they are pretty much the same lot) but a couple of years ago they were consistently the moodiest, self absorbed, ignorant bunch of scenester twats I have come acros in a long long long time.

i think that's a bit OTT - i think the staff are fine, i really don't see the problem. It's not exactly hipster central up there is it, slap bang next to London Road station, in a mainly residential area. Handy for a pre-match pint before the footy, as it takes approximately 9 seconds to travel from the pub door to the station platform.

 

[xenophon]

Best in Brighton : The Pump House, great ales, location, nice friendly staff

Best in Hove : The Albion

Best overall : The Pump House

My local : The Montpelier, Jeff's a good bloke, and the Sunday roast/pint/match combo is as good as it gets in B&H

 

[les dynam]

Pubs i like at the moment are... The Fountainhead, 3 Jolly Butchers, The Eagle, Three & 10, The Signalman, not really a pub but i also really like the Green Door Store, Lion and Lobster and the ever good Sidewinder.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Best in Hove : The Albion

Really? It looks well grim to me.

 

[xenophon]

It is grim, old school & moody, I'm not sure what a scenester is but I'm sure you won't find any propping up the bar in the Albion

 

[Publius Ovidius]

havent been to a pub in brighton nd hove for ages.....the Brunswick is great for music and decent food ( and harverys)

 

[Gwylan]

... the pub's not changed one iota since i first went in there probably about thirty years ago.

Bloody well has. It used to be a Gales boozer and served that superb Gales Dark Mild. Now Gales is no more and the Basketmakers is poorer for it

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It is grim, old school & moody, I'm not sure what a scenester is but I'm sure you won't find any propping up the bar in the Albion

It just seems to be full of ruddy faced all day drinkers. Not pleasant. Depressing in fact.

 

[Brovion]

For anybody complaining the gentrification of pubs... they should try a little London Road/Level pub crawl comprising:

The Bat and Ball
The Northern Tavern
The Branch Tavern
The Mitre

Actually The Mitre probably doesn't belong on that list, but the others are super unfriendly dumps.

You see I genuinely like those pubs as the clientele are ordinary, down-to-earth people of the sort I grew up with. It's like being in the old public bars of the Britannia, Crabtree, or Balltree (RIP) in Lancing back in the 1970s.

Mind you I like the London Road area in general for the same reason whereas I know others think it's a bit pikey.

 

[Nibble]

i think that's a bit OTT - i think the staff are fine, i really don't see the problem. It's not exactly hipster central up there is it, slap bang next to London Road station, in a mainly residential area. Handy for a pre-match pint before the footy, as it takes approximately 9 seconds to travel from the pub door to the station platform.

Staff talking on their mobiles on personal calls while you are waiting to be served and not even a nod of acknowledgement that you exist, walking off without giving your change, not replying when you ask them how they are, talking to each other with their backs to the bar while the bar has 3 people waiting to be served. Any one of those would cause me to walk out of a pub after it happens again and again. Like I say don't hardly go in there now but they were f***ing arrogant tosspots the last time I went there regularly

 

[Gwylan]

Staff talking on their mobiles on personal calls while you are waiting to be served and not even a nod of acknowledgement that you exist, walking off without giving your change, not replying when you ask them how they are, talking to each other with their backs to the bar while the bar has 3 people waiting to be served. Any one of those would cause me to walk out of a pub after it happens again and again. Like I say don't hardly go in there now but they were f***ing arrogant tosspots the last time I went there regularly

Exactly my experience the last time I went there. Was there five years ago, staff acted like total tossers, haven't been back since.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not a pub but Valentinos cocktail bar is good fun. For the best cocktails Hotel Du Vin is the place to go though.

 

[pauli cee]

I do miss some old Brighton institutions. The Iron Duke lock-ins were stuff of legend. There was a 'members' club in a basement on Regency Square with Cuba in the name. It was run by a lunatic, and very erratic, twitching manager who was off his face on various pharmaceuticals most of the time. He'd randomly throw people out, realise he had got it wrong and let them back in again and apologise profusely. He had an Elvis impersonator up against the wall once for pretending to break-dance on the floor. Chukced him out, then went outside and dragged him back in again.

He ran the place with a jackll and hyde mix of fear and ostentatious friendliness but always wide eyed and twitching.

The Iron Duke, now that brings back some weird and wonderful memories!

 

[Weststander]

Cliftonville in George St gets my vote

Great sarcasm.

Obviously the worst in the City.