Every Pub in Brighton #41-45
Entry NINE! Very nearly double figures. Ludicrous. Anyway, this blog post covers a little jaunt around Hove, a very painful pub visit and a Christmas Eve lunch with my dear mother.
Enjoy!
#41 // The Farm Tavern
Website // Instagram
Address: 13 Farm Rd, Hove BN3 1FB
Date visited: December 2022
We somehow found ourselves with a free weekend in December and so did the only sensible thing we could possibly think of and decided to… (all together now) Tick Some Pubs Off The List. I decided there were far too many red icons in the Hove area of the Every Pub map, so set my sights on a pocket of rouge and we hopped on the bus.
I had eyed Coopers Cask first but it didn’t open until 4pm so it was earmarked for a future visit (#67 if you’re interested). That made the first pub on the hitlist The Farm Tavern ( happily on the same street as Coopers Cask). I think it was formerly a Greene King but it looks like it isn’t anymore, this is a great backstreet boozer. It’s a pretty old pub but has been given a bit of a refurb so feels fresh. The bar lies to the left as you enter, lining one side of the narrow section. Turn left before the bar, however, and you’ll find a more open area with seating in and around the window looking onto the street. There are further tables upstairs in a private dining room that’s available to hire.
It was quite quiet when we stepped inside (Saturday daytime seems to fluctuate between quiet or mad busy) but that was just what we were looking for - somewhere we could have a natter and a pint. The Harvey’s Best I supped tasted particularly good.
There was no food on offer when we visited but that looks to have changed, they now offer Eastern European small plates - due to the head chef hailing from Poland. I’m definitely going back for some pierogi and bigos as it sounds delicious.
This is a bit of a hidden gem and a place that is often overlooked due to it being relatively close to the city centre itself. Worth popping in for some pierogi!
#42 // The Brunswick
Website // Instagram // Facebook
Address: 1 Holland Road, Hove BN3 1JF
Date visited: December 2022
I’m not sure how it took me 6 months to make it to this behemoth of a pub. I think it’s one of the biggest pubs in Brighton - it’s at least the biggest pub in Hove.
The main pub itself is pretty large with the bar located on the back wall as you enter, behind the high tables and stools. A variety of tables and chairs are scattered throughout the space to the left. To the right is a second room, home to a professional live events space for music, standup comedy and performances that can easily hold 100+ people. On top of this, there’s also a cellar bar and one of the biggest outside drinking spaces (sans the beach) in Brighton. If that wasn’t enough, there are also two escape rooms (courtesy of Bewilder Box) upstairs.
The outside space is a fantastic little suntrap that is great for big groups. When we last visited, a large group of friends had gathered out there for a birthday party in the sunshine. We perched on a corner picnic bench and enjoyed the general good vibes that sun and beer bring.
I haven’t even got onto the beer yet which is surprisingly great. I thought a big pub like this would probably only really be offering your standard range of a tied pub chain but thankfully this is an independent pub and across their 9 keg and 4 cask options is an ever-changing offering from various UK craft breweries. I’ve had beers from Verdant, Azvex, Pressure Drop and locals Downlands amongst others. On top of this is a pretty impressive cider offering from a stack of boxes at the end of the bar, if that’s your bag. Or box. There’s even a bottle/can fridge with some pretty exotic beers (though fairly pricey).
The first time we visited the food menu was solely a burger affair - we had smash patty cheeseburgers which tasted mighty fine. On subsequent visits, we haven’t eaten but I noticed the menu is much more varied. The Sunday roasts looked (and smelled) absolutely delicious.
This is a great pub that is perfect for summer but it thrives all year round, to be honest. Is it obvious I went fairly recently and had a lovely time?
#43 // The Wick Inn
Website // Instagram
Address: 63 Western Road, Hove BN3 1JD
Date visited: December 2022
Just before (or after, if you’re coming from the other way) you reach Palmeira Square is where you’ll find The Wick Inn. While riding the bus, I frequently pass by this pub, and from the top deck, my gaze is invariably caught by the aged gold-on-black lettering embellishing the exterior wall on the second floor. Below this, the painted green window frames seem to be a mix of that dark traditional Victorian pub green and seafoam green that also draws the eye. I love an old pub aesthetic so I was excited to visit.
This carries on into the exterior with lovely dark, dark wood found all over the lower half of the pub across its walls, tables, chairs and huge island bar that dominates the room and pulls you into its gravitational pull. That green on the outside is found on the walls above the wood which are dotted with framed Victorian-style pictures. It’s a beautiful pub that I’d happily while away an afternoon in.
Despite waxing lyrical about the place, we were only here for a final beer before we headed home. The general vibe took a bit of a hit as they were showing some rugby on the TV and a group came in on a Christmas pub crawl so pretending I was a Victorian gent supping on my ale was ruined a little bit. Even though my immersion was broken, this is still a fine pub. There’s even a speakeasy bar upstairs. Maybe I should’ve gone there to complete the illusion.
#44 // William The Fourth
Website // Instagram // Facebook
Address: 4 Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UJ
Date visited: December 2022
I’m getting old. I’m not particularly old but I’m not exactly a whippersnapper either. This was perfectly demonstrated when I bent down to pick my phone up from my bedside table one morning and threw my back out. Lightning bolts of pain spasmed across my lower back and I spent the next 20 minutes lying flat on the bedroom floor trying to work out how I was going to (1) get up off the floor, (2) get onto the bus, (3) sit in a chair at the hairdressers for 30 mins, (4) make small talk with the aforementioned hairdresser whilst trying to pretend I’m not in excruciating pain.
I popped some pills, gritted my teeth and headed into town. I’d somewhat optimistically made plans to meet my wife for lunch afterwards at William The Fourth to, you guessed it, Tick Another Pub Off The List. I think getting your haircut after pulling muscles in your lower back is one of the recognised torture methods used for interrogation by the Army. I don’t exactly remember the haircut but I know that when I left and exchanged seasons greetings, my voice went up an octave as the muscles in my back involuntarily jolted. ‘Merry ChristMAAS’.
I made it to the pub, ordered a pint and assumed that it would be all healing as it often is. Except I couldn’t sit down. I physically couldn’t sit down without it feeling like someone was electrocuting a very specific area of my back. Hmm. How was I going to eat lunch? Stood up, through tears? We quickly abandoned the idea of lunch and after finishing our drinks, returned home to the floor, more pills and Deep Heat.
I’m happy to report that my back is fully recovered at the time of writing this and I’ve since been back to William The Fourth to remove the self-imposed asterisk I had put on the first visit and right my wrong. It’s a decent North Laine pub. I had a pleasant enough chicken burger with a cracking pint of Unbarred’s Granola Pale - an apricot, honey and peach pale ale that was tasting on point. Wrong righted!
Back pain: bad. William The Fourth: good.
#45 // The George Payne
Website // Instagram
Address: 18 Payne Avenue, Hove BN3 5HB
Date visited: December 2022
Christmas 2022 was the first time owning a house at Christmas so we hosted. My lovely Mum came to stay for the festive period, so we went out to the pub on Christmas Eve for lunch. I inevitably picked a pub I hadn’t been to before because, come on, this is me we’re talking about. Pubs. Tick. List. You get it.
My wife was feeling a little delicate following a catch-up with friends the night before so was delighted when we opened the doors to The George Payne and there was some sort of children’s event going on with a woman in full dress-up, leading the children about the pub. Luckily, they were contained to a specific area, away from us.
We’d been here before when house hunting. In fact, I booked our very first house viewing in this pub (the house went for £30k over asking, we did not buy it). But, my rules dictate that I can only count it since becoming a Brighton resident, so, we’re back baby!
I’m glad we had a reason to return because this pub is excellent. Another Good Times pub (like The Railway Inn, The Poets Smoke & Alehouse and The Stirling Arms) so I knew we were in good hands. This is a proper neighbourhood pub, as the kids event that was going on attests to. They often host open mic and quizzes too.
The thing I like about Good Times pubs is they like to champion local beer - this was the first pub I tried a beer from a relatively new Brighton brewery, Loud Shirt. A delicious El Dorado American Pale Ale that tasted superb. I can sometimes get a bit of hazy fatigue so it was great to have something that had a bit of bitterness, and bite. Similarly, the food is always good too and we all hoovered down our lunch with gusto. I devoured a burger. Good pub!
