Worst Pub in Brighton and Hove.

[Southover Street Seagull]

The Open House is vile. Beer garden full of children running amok and the worst bar staff in Brighton. The fact that it's the headquarters of zel/drinkinbrighton/whatever (their offices are above the pub) sums up everything you need to know about that hideous pub group.

The worst pubs in Brighton are The Crown, Zone, Bat & Ball, Northern Tavern, Chequers, Railway Bell, Pond, Golden Cannon and all of West Street. Don't know Hove well enough to comment. Further afield Shoreham is home to some right shitholes (Buckingham, Toad, the one just North of the station, etc) and probably second only to Crawley and Newhaven in Sussex for percentage of pubs being shit. Lowest shit pub percentage has to be Lewes, with Brighton not all that far behind.

The Northern is now offices for an estate agent.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

That boozer has had a few different personalities, ranging from rather decent to the downright shocking. I think I went in there when that lot were running it.
About 6 or 7 years ago it was rum by a right mob of people you didn't want near you. All those pubs up Southover, save for the Greys and the Charles Napier have had their fare share of nightmare landlords.

The problem seems to be with the landlords come their dodgy mates and take over the pub. They seem to migrate up and down Southover and across to the Constant Service, they seem to find the boozer where the landlord tolerates coke and god knows what else and stay there until things change and they move on. A grim scene up Southover these days.

I lived in the Napier from 1981 to 2000. It's just got a new landlord after approximately a year of landlords and managers coming and going. Hope this one is good and stays.

 

[atfc village]

The Eddy or Edinburgh or whatever it is calling itself this week.

I find The Eddy amusing

 

[Nibble]

I lived in the Napier from 1981 to 2000. It's just got a new landlord after approximately a year of landlords and managers coming and going. Hope this one is good and stays.

Lovely pub. I no longer live in Brighton but when I get back I always make a point of a pint in there. Very fond of that pub.

 

[whitelion]

Ha! Many years ago we lived near the Lion and Lobster and guess who we nearly ran over one afternoon as he sought attention in the middle of the road outside said establishment. So that's two of Nibble's no-nos he frequents / frequented.

The Gardeners in Portslade was not just the worst pub in the city but possibly the world. I'm proud to say I drunk there several times but only in a "I survived it" kind of way. Now thankfully knocked down. The Bevendean took some beating back in the day too.

The Gardener's Arms is certainly closed but the building is still there....passed it yesterday....horrendously painted blue...

 

[MissGull]

Went in the Hiker's Rest with the missus once. Started out frightening and ended up excellent.

Was scared to make eye contact with anyone in case I ended up offending the wrong person. It's a bit like Royston Vasey.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Lovely pub. I no longer live in Brighton but when I get back I always make a point of a pint in there. Very fond of that pub.

When is your guide to Brighton & Hove pubs book coming out?
Think you are the winner for visiting the most pubs in this thread!

 

[Nibble]

There is a pub a short way past Prestonville Rd towards Shoreham, round in the houses, believe it's now called the Chimney Stack or Pot or summat. It made an effort to be nice but it was without fail one of the most soulless, badly decorated heaps I have ever drunk in.

I lived on Prestonville rd for years and used to frequent The Good Cpmanions when Kieron was running it. It had a bad reputation but I have great memories of nights in there. Was a great time in my life anyway but loved that place for a while, watching Ivor Potter do his Elvis nights, Friday piss ups. I still like it but at that era it was great.

 

[Skaville]

All those pubs up Southover, save for the Greys and the Charles Napier have had their fare share of nightmare landlords.

The problem seems to be with the landlords come their dodgy mates and take over the pub. They seem to migrate up and down Southover and across to the Constant Service, they seem to find the boozer where the landlord tolerates coke and god knows what else and stay there until things change and they move on. A grim scene up Southover these days.

I live up that way. The Constant is a proper party pub. Had a great night in there after the Sheffield Wednesday game last year. Ended up smoking some weed with a punter outside the pub at 02.30am.

You could do a chart of Hanover pubs, they all go up and down so regularly. Two in big decline are the Charles Napier and the Dover Castle. The Dover was a great pub in the mid noughties, always rammed but hit hard by the recession. It was saved by Simon who brought in the market and a coffee bar. I really thought it was going to be shit but it had a great vibe. The new owners are utterly clueless. I went in a couple of months ago and a pub that was rammed a year ago was totally dead. When I tried to order a beer I was told that they had nothing on draught as they had forgotten to order any beer? It then became known as the pub with no beer.

 

[Nibble]

When is your guide to Brighton & Hove pubs book coming out?
Think you are the winner for visiting the most pubs in this thread!

Ha, I spent a lot of time in my twenties and early thirties visiting various pubs plus I've lived in a fair few places in Brighton so just got to know a fair amount. Still many I have never been in though!

 

[Simgull]

Back to the whistlestop. They have a sign in the 'garden' saying "please do not throw glasses on to the railway line''. Also they proudly advertised their refurbished facilities with photos of their shiny urinals by the front door.

I'd vote for the Stoneham - this place feels like a pizza parlour with a permanent group of six year olds charging around.

The Red Lion in Hove was once the Mary Pack and a really good pub then with an excellent sunday night quiz I seem to remember.

 

[Nibble]

I live up that way. The Constant is a proper party pub. Had a great night in there after the Sheffield Wednesday game last year. Ended up smoking some weed with a punter outside the pub at 02.30am.

You could do a chart of Hanover pubs, they all go up and down so regularly. Two in big decline are the Charles Napier and the Dover Castle. The Dover was a great pub in the mid noughties, always rammed but hit hard by the recession. It was saved by Simon who brought in the market and a coffee bar. I really thought it was going to be shit but it had a great vibe. The new owners are utterly clueless. I went in a couple of months ago and a pub that was rammed a year ago was totally dead. When I tried to order a beer I was told that they had nothing on draught as they had forgotten to order any beer? It then became known as the pub with no beer.

Haha! Oh dear, it's a guy called Pash who owns it , he owns The Caxton too. Nice guy but I've not been in The Dover for ages. Yes, those pubs are fine one year, shitholes the next and go rapidly downhill.

I used to spend a lot of time in the Constant, always a lock in. I have been going in there for bout 12 years off and on.

 

[spring hall convert]

The William the fourth. Maybe I caught it on a bad night, but poor service, expensive and hasn't been redecorated since 1840. Considering the abundance of competition around there its shocking.

It's a brilliant meeting place in town. Any time of the evening Friday & Saturday, you can get a table. Awful pub mind.

 

[Skaville]

Yeah I know of Pash and like the Caxton, but the Dover is now the Diver. It really is swings and roundabouts up that way. A year ago the Walmer and The No Name were dire, now both are thriving (although the No Name is now The Southover)

 

[Guinness Boy]

It's a brilliant meeting place in town. Any time of the evening Friday & Saturday, you can get a table. Awful pub mind.

Is it bad to say that if I'd pulled something of dubious quality and they wanted a second date I arranged it in there. That way there was no way my mates would see me with her and no way she'd be wanting a third date.

 

[spring hall convert]

What was the one just down the road from the Spreadgeagle that's shut now? The Lion & Unicorn? I nearly got glassed for winning a game of darts in there. I was seriously lucky to be fair and he was steaming.

 

[spring hall convert]

Is it bad to say that if I'd pulled something of dubious quality and they wanted a second date I arranged it in there. That way there was no way my mates would see me with her and no way she'd be wanting a third date.

This kind of thing is how I always explained it's continued existence. It is/was genuinely good for some things. Convenient location!

 

[Nibble]

It's a brilliant meeting place in town. Any time of the evening Friday & Saturday, you can get a table. Awful pub mind.

Had a flat lager in there once. Dive and moody landlady. I find it bizarre when pubs just don't update. It's fair enough if a pub is full of old boys who like it to look old fashioned but when a pub just has no-one in it AT ALL it's time to re-think.

Near there, although I wouldn't even class it as a pub is Riki Tiks. That place is a vacuum.

Anyone ever go to the Heart in Hand up Kemptown. Nice little pub, although I rarely go in there. Load of bikers went turbo in there one night, abused neighbours, got all pissed up and leary, scary times for Nibble.

 

[Nibble]

Is it bad to say that if I'd pulled something of dubious quality and they wanted a second date I arranged it in there. That way there was no way my mates would see me with her and no way she'd be wanting a third date.

Ah, a Moped bird. Moped. Fun to ride but you wouldn't let your mates see you on it.

 

[spring hall convert]

Anyone ever go to the Heart in Hand up Kemptown. Nice little pub, although I rarely go in there. Load of bikers went turbo in there one night, abused neighbours, got all pissed up and leary, scary times for Nibble.

Love that place, proper pub, I was in there before a gig at the Concorde the other night for the first time in years. It was amazingly familiar, good times