Every Pub in Brighton #1-5
First entry into this daft little way of legitimising going to the pub. If you’re wondering what all this is about, read the Every Pub in Brighton Project post for the skinny.
Reviewing every single pub with its own in depth blog post is far beyond my work ethic so I’m grouping them into 5-10 mini reviews per post, depending on length. Some of these are going to be longer than others depending on how often we’ve visited or how long we stayed if it was a one-off stop.
I’ve also decided to add an extra label to the map (at the bottom of the post) - a gold pint to indicate a pub that gets the Beer Voyage recommendation and we highly suggest visiting. Let’s get this going…
#1 // The Railway Inn
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Address: 2 Station Rd, Portslade, Brighton BN41 1GA
Date visited: July 2022
The day we moved to Brighton, and we stood in our new house surrounded by boxes on boxes on boxes, going out for dinner was an inevitability. As much of an inevitability as that place being a pub as a pint was very much needed.
The Railway Inn, just outside Portslade train station, is more or less the closest pub to our house and so we’ve visited several times since moving. It’s part of the Brighton & Hove independent pub group, Good Times, but definitely doesn’t feel like it’s part of an atypical pub chain.
The pub itself is pretty big with a large main room and a bigger-than-you’d-expect pub garden to go with it. The pub offers a great range of both cask (well kept) and keg beer with a rotating line-up from various local breweries (Only with Love, Hand, Unbarred to name a few). They also have a dedicated gelato counter (courtesy of Hove Gelato), a slushie machine to dish out frozen margaritas and a great food menu - when we visited it was a wholly Mexican affair (and decent too) but it looks like they’ve expanded to small plates, bao buns, fried chicken, burgers, noodles and lots more.
I’m delighted that this is one of our locals and it’s teal exterior always catches my eye when coming out of the station, beckoning me in for a pint or three.
#2 // The Better Half
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Address: 1 Hove Place, Hove BN3 2RG
Date visited: July 2022
Not long after I’d created the Google Map for this project, we had gone for a walk to Hove Lagoon and were looking for somewhere nearby for some dinner and after consulting said map, ended up at The Better Half. Named as a subtle nod to Hove being the better half of the city, this pub dates back to the 1850s and had several different monikers before its current name; The Cliftonville Arms, The Mary Pack, The Red Lion.
It’s tucked away enough from the seafront amongst the houses to feel like a bit of a hidden gem and, although it’s been refurbished with some modern updates, it still retains the feel and atmosphere of a ye olde pub.
We had a few small plates between us which were delicious (whitebait, patatas bravas, hummus and flatbreads) and perched in the quaint little beer garden out back which was nicely shaded from the summer sunshine.
Definitely one to return to.
#3 // The Connaught Pub & Kitchen
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Address: 48 Hove St, Hove BN3 2DH
Date visited: July 2022
A short walk around the corner from The Better Half is The Connaught. A large pub owned by Brakspear Brewery with an even larger garden. This is definitely a pub where the garden is the star of the show. The ale was obviously from the aforementioned brewery, which I’m completely indifferent to, so I opted for a bottle of Leffe instead.
Visiting on a summer evening really sold this pub - the warmth outdoors meant there was a good buzz in the garden, from both the patrons and the Brighton insects flitting around the copious flowers and foliage in the garden. There’s plenty of bench seating as well as some converted sheds to hole up in when there’s a chill in the air.
It’s a shame we’d already eaten as this felt very much like a food-first pub with a vast array of pies making up the majority of the menu. I’d like to revisit in the colder months for a pie and a pint to see how different it feels compared to a hazy summer evening.
#4 // East Street Tap
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Address: 74 East St, Brighton BN1 1HQ
Date visited: July 2022
In town and with time to kill, we were looking for a pub with some outside space for a swift pint and stumbled upon the East Street Tap. We managed to snag a bench in the sunshine one Friday afternoon which made for a great spot to people watch, if that’s your sort of thing.
This is the first pub on the list of absolutely loads owned by Laine Pub Company in Brighton. They own around 60 pubs across London, Brighton and Birmingham with about half of these located in Brighton. They also have their own brewery, Laine Brew Co. I’ve found their beers to be very middle of the road, which is a shame when they seem to be on draft in every other pub in the city. Conversely, I’ve found their pubs very hit and miss but the one thing you can say about them is they are all very different, except for selling lots of Laine beer, of course.
It was… fine? For a place that professes it loves beer, the staff didn’t seem all that enthused about it when the patron ahead of me asked what cask beers they had and seemed a little impatient whilst I perused the tap list. It’s a decent enough spot and I imagine it’s much more of a late night spot (it has DJs and music events fairly regularly) but it’s not a pub I’m racing to get back to (especially with 200+ still to visit).
It also claims to be Brighton’s oldest boozer (est. 1568) but The Cricketer’s has it beat (est. 1547) by 20ish years. 🤷♂️
#5 // Market Inn
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Address: 1 Market St, Brighton BN1 1HH
Date visited: July 2022
A quick stop off in the middle of the Lanes for this old school traditional pub. This is exactly what you’d picture in your head if someone said ‘pub’. Lots of dark wood, a magnificent wooden central bar, plenty of tables and seating and a reassuring soft carpet underfoot.
Beer options were fairly standard, with Harvey’s Best on cask being the best (weyy!) on offer. As great as that beer is and I’m always happy to drink it, it’s so ubiquitous in this city that it’s always welcome to see something different. Although it is oddly comforting having a beer you’ve had plenty of times before in the sort of pub you’ve been in plenty of times before - a bit like getting into a freshly made bed or putting on socks that have gently warmed on a radiator. A solid option if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the Lanes.
