please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Dorset is a Harveys pub overlooking the main parking area in Lewes, with the Harveys brewery also just across the car park. It had 4 of their ales on - Sussex Best Bitter, Sussex Dark Mils, Copper Wheat Beer & Olympia Golden Ale. The interior is centred around the bar. But there is another room in one corner at the front. This was empty on my visit. Most people were sat outside at the front admiring the car park. There is both covered and open air seating there. The least impressive of the Lewes pubs we visited.
|
2nd pub of the day and a short walk from the Snowdrop is The Dorset. A Harvey’s tied house and not a pub that was on my list but it seemed a shame not to try it!
The front bar area as you enter was mainly occupied with punters eating, there was also a dart board in 1 corner. A horseshoe shaped bar with 2 sides both of them with 4 Harvey's beers on tap, I opted for a pint of Bellowhead Revival @ 3.7%. Not a great pint to be honest.
The back bar area is more for drinkers with a large fireplace and comfy sofas facing it. To the rear of the pub is a dining room but it does lead to the garden (paved over and laid with benches that over look Tesco).
Decent enough pub but we were really the only drinkers in as the other punters were there for the food.
Ticked and will probably never return.
|
Food orientated pub on the edge of Old Lewes. Does excellent value B&B (with great breakfast). Rather soulless faux gastropub atmosphere and perhaps as a result almost deserted on our visit. Beer was in good condition tho'.
|
We went here on Saturday lunchtime and sat outside at one of the tables.The Harveys Best and Knots of May Bitter was good so too was the Cider.The barmaid was friendly and the food we ordered was brought to us quickly.The lunch menu was not extensive but we enjoyed three different main courses around the £10 - £12 mark each.The toilets were clean and tidy although the gents had run out of soap. I was disappointed that there was no Harveys John Hop low alcohol bitter available as i was driving.There is no pub car park..The public car park opposite is expensive during the day if you can find a space.Fortunately one of us had a disabled parking badge and there are several spaces available.Our experience today deserves an 8/10.We would go here again.
|
The pleasent surprise of the day out in Lewes, under-rated, well worth a visit.
|
Very pleasant, well run establishment. Very good pint of Harveys Elizabethan (please don't make this a limited edition) and good food served by a friendly and efficient staff. Based on Strongers review I was expecting a more extensive menu but its not as food orientated as say the Sussex Ox or the Cock at Ringmer. Having said that what we had was very good - fresh, well prepared and reasonably priced. Three mains plus drinks for less than fourty quid isn't that common these days and as the pub was fairly quiet they didn't use the gong! The only downside is that parking in Lewes is a bitch and although there is a car park opposite you'll be lucky to find a space especially on market days. Definitely going back.
|
There is always good cider here, and good food. There's a proper log fire too.
|
I found this pub to be very food orientated and I�m always suspicious of pubs that advertise an a la carte menu, especially when it is only on a Friday and Saturday night. My wife and I decided that we should eat before we started our crawl of Lewes and I will report that our sandwiches were a bit on the pricey side for what they were and I did start to get very irritated by the bong coming out of a speaker at the side of the bar that lets the staff know that there is food ready to pick up.
The pub consists of a small public bar with a toad-in-the-hole table which was probably the nicest part of the pub and a rather bland L-shaped main bar area that stretches around to a large fireplace that segregates a few more tables in the far corner. There is also a dining type area at the rear and plenty of seating out the back which overlooks a car park. The wife did argue that it was very clean and the staff didn�t stop working even when there were no customers, so 10/10 for effort.
Best, Star of Eastbourne, Old Ale and Armada were all available from the Harveys Brewery along with Old Rosie and Westons for the cider drinkers.
I didn�t spot any TV and the music was so low that I wondered why they had bothered putting it on.
The staff were nice enough, but I think that there are better places to drink in the area.
|
Average sort of pub. Very ordinary - quite bland, cookie cutter pub fittings. Lacking a genuine atmosphere, but quite comfortable, clean and acceptable. Three Harveys beers - however, the condition was poorest of all the pubs visited in Lewes.
|
The best pub in Lewes in my opinion. Harvey's flagship pub in the town and well deserved. Great food, good beer and wine and friendly and efficient staff. The only downside is the car park opposite which is over-run with parking attendants, so make sure you leave plenty of time to enjoy your food and drink. Although they are the "official" HQ of the Cliffe bonfire society, the CBS members tend to drink elsewhere these days, so it doesn't get over-run with the Bonfire Boys.
|
You can�t really get away from Harvey�s in Lewes obviously, and the Dorset serves a decent pint in comfortable if unremarkable surroundings. You need to be a great pub to be a good pub in Lewes and this place probably just hangs on thanks to it�s food offering.
|
I agree with the person below who likened this to a hotel. I went with a mate on a wet Friday night. The food was a bit pricey for what it was and my mate's 'creamy' mashed potato was dry and uncreamy and his brocolli was limp, so to speak. Harvey's was good though.
|
Fantastic food, great selection of seafood dishes. Friendly staff and a sun-trap of an outdoor area make this one of Lewes's top pubs
|
A large pub/hotel with an emphasis on food especially seafood dishes. Still ok for a pint though with Harvey's Sussex Best and Porter plus Westons Old Rosie cider available yesterday. Fairly upmarket though with that hotel feel. The bar is centrally located on entering, a number of areas to choose from inside. A large inglenook fireplace with chopped logs indicates a roaring fire may be an attraction, but not yesterday, it was very mild. Plenty of outside seating to the rear with the usual wooden bench tables.
A small snug bar by the entrance gives some character, but to be honest this place wasn't "pubby" enough for me but I'm sure it will appeal to its target clientele.
A very well kept pint though and served to the brim.
|
Very clean and well kept place. Staff efficient. Loos lovely. Beers very good. Though we did not eat, the other diners semed satisfied and the food looked good. BUT it is rather too expensive for me.
|
Had a close call last week. I very nearly booked accommodation for a Sunday night not realising that the bar closes at 6.00pm. Two very nice pints of Harvey's Old Ale were supped quickly before having to leave and go elsewhere.
|
nice cosy pub , but a bit too twee . lovely beer and food , lacks charm but overall clean cut and efficient .
|
Excellent pint of Harveys strong ale (name? 5.5%) to finish our evening off before the train back to London. Felt like a well kept locals pub which is probably right as its position is just off the lower part of the High St and easily missed.
|
Despite initial doubts resulting from previous experiences with pubs with a similar sort of decor and ambiance the beer (Best) and food were excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful.
|
visited on a Sunday mid-afternoon, still quite busy...was a little wary that it wouldn't be welcoming to a non-eater but OK on that score. The Harvey's Best though was one of the best pints I have had in a while (and I've had a few!) Really well kept!
|
Standard Harveys options with Best & Olympia both in good condition. Larger bar to left leads round to accommodation area, smaller more traditionally furnished room to rt of entrance where we were the sole occupants, so we took advantage of the 'toad-in-the-hole', although wouldn't fancy sitting there with others playing and brass coins ricocheting around the room, just occasionally of course!
44 ratings but just 14 reviews; what's that about?
|
Lunched here after a tour of Harvey's Brewery on the recommendation of staff at the brewery. A good pint of Harvey's Copperwheat washed down a rather expensive sandwich, but I had no reservations about the quality.
A pub for families, I felt. Pleasant outdoor drinking and eating area with a separate area for smokers. Excellent arrangement!
Cheers,
|
Could do so much better despite trying so hard! Neither a top notch pub for food nor a relaxed and convivial place to drink. If half the effort went into the product as has gone into the marketing this place would be worth visiting.
|
A well looked after Harveys pub with restaurant, but it still retains bar areas for drinkers. The game of toad in the hole is available in the snug bar.
|
Good pub. Friendly helpful staff, good food and nice suroundings. Has a slight (upmarket) chain feel to it, and there are times I feel I should be frequenting somewhere a little more 'local'ish but at the end of the day, often choose here for a good drink in a nice place. says it all.
|
Super friendly pub with lovely hard working bar staff and managers.
Good food but maybe a little posh at times.
All round good pub
|
Visited today at lunch time - first visit for many years.
Comfy interior, nice pint of Old, unfortunately couldn't see anything on the menu that took my fancy so off to the John Harvey....
Looked to be a nice pub tho' from my brief visit.
|
Super, friendly pub with excellent staff, good beer and great food. The directors of Harveys can often be found eating and drinking there!
|
This is a large pub that has the appearance of one of the food chain pubs, but I did manage to get a Harveys beer untried so far this week and it was another good one. The staff were friendly and I had a look round the many rooms. Large outside seating area.
|
I have eaten and had a drink there 7 or 8 times over the last 12 months and think it is quality. I wasn't overly impressed with their harvey's xmas drop recently but their food is usually good, although not cheap. I usually prefer the Elephant or Snowdrop for a quiet pint or two and used to go to the Lewes Arms before Green King took out all the Harveys, but the food is better at the Dorset and at least it is local. Usually I wouldn't be bothered taking the time to do a review, but after seeing the dodgy input from Mr Anonymous and Paul 101 (chap(s), you need to be a little less obvious if you have something personally against a place - maybe leave it a little longer than a few minutes between your postings next time, embarrassingly obvious). Anyway, there seems to be enough 'independent' consensus on this website for an outsider to distinguish the real reviews.
|
Considering this is a Harveys pub,just down the road from the brewery you like to think that you would get a decent pint in excellent condition,but no, as in the other two tied houses in Lewes,The John Harvey Tavern(Brewery tap)and The Swan,the beer is usually flat,bland and overpriced.Why can other pubs in Lewes sell excellent Harveys,it's beyond me.
|
"Arms" has been dropped from the name since the refurbishment and, my goodness, has it been refurbished!! One hardly recognises the place, from whichever entrance you approach it. That said, the range of beer is excellent, there were six different Harvey's beers available last Friday, the Old being in top condition. I certainly wouldn't describe the place as common, certainly not at lunchtime. The food prices would keep some people away and the prices for accommodation seem very high.
|
I agree that the new incumbents, especially compared to their staunchly proper and traditional predecessor, can come across as slightly more rough 'n' ready. They certainly operate a far more relaxed regime (mobiles are now allowed!), and to some it might appear as a bit more, well "common" these days.
That said, it remains a gritty and down-to-earth local, and the family who run it seem to be friendly, honest and know how to keep a good pint of Harvey's. There is always a lively feel to the Dorset, and in many ways what it has lost it has gained in other ways. Don't like the sound of the plasmas much, but if they're still maintaining the conviviality and well-kept ale then that's something.
|
My grandad's wake was held here in one of the function rooms.
The staff were especially friendly and helpful on a particularly difficult day. My grandad not being much of a drinker used to cycle there and have a half pint with his mates on a sunday. This all brings up a fond image of a well-run family pub and it certainly lived up to this image then.
Now apparently they've got plasmas in. Great.
|
family pub with the owners toddlers running about all over the show, not my cup of tea the locals seem to like it, great pint of Harveys Old but the kindegarden surroundings will keep me well away in the future
|
