please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Next stop on our crawl of Lewes was the Elephant & Castle. It had clearly been busy by the time we arrived. Empty glasses were strewn everywhere. There was a delay ordering, whilst the solitary barmaid behind the bar decided to continue talking to a local instead of acknowledging us. Although she did at least spot that I was holding a CAMRA card and offered a discount. The ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter is available. 2 guests were Long Man Long Blonde & Langham Arapaho. An interesting looking stout had run out. None of the beers were really to my taste. Only a flying visit this. But not one I'd rush back to.
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The last of 5 pubs in Lewes before heading to football in Falmer, the Elephant is a re-tick for me, having visited several times in the last few years.
On this visit it was already pretty busy by 5pm, seemed like a works leaving do was taking place. 4 ales on, the Great Heck Yakima IPA @ 7.4% was superb.
Food not available until 6pm so my travelling companion was disappointed he couldn’t eat as he’s favourite place to eat in Lewes, good job the chip shop round the corner was open, that kept him happy!
The Elly as it’s affectionately known is a thoroughly decent pub and well worth a visit.
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Football in Lewes on a Tuesday night and time to revisit the Elephant for pre match drinks & some food. I was promised good home cooked food and it didn’t disappoint.
A few of us arrived here just after 6pm and the pub only had a few punters in, this changed within 10 minutes as we were followed in by a group of 8 more Dulwich Hamlet fans….we get everywhere!
4 ales and 1 cider on cask, with a couple of good quality American pale ales and lagers on keg and a “menu” of bottled beers. Having been promised good food by a travelling companion I ordered the Chilly Elly burger, a bargain at £13.00 for 2 meals, knocking at least £1.00 off of each meal. Served with chips, salad and coleslaw the burger did not disappoint and washed down by pints of Naked Beer Co's Streaker & Langham’s Arapaho both were good with the Arapaho being slightly nicer.
The Elephant has an electric décor bordering on the slightly odd in places. The room to the left of the bar has a pool table and several televisions which are always showing sport and the pub gets particularly busy when live sport is on.
This is only my 2nd ever visit with both visits being when in the town for football. It’s worth the walk from the town and the station for the ales alone, the burgers aren’t bad either.
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People in the bar letting their dogs on tables, average food, ok beer not that great
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There are five very good Free Houses in the town,the Elly is probably the best. Just north of the CastleIt has an excellent selection of real ales,an interesting menu,the pub is vibrant,the service friendly and fast.9/10.
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Interesting pub with props from Glyndebourne Queen of Spades opera and they are very impressive. Beer excellent Brighton Bier Dealer's choice in very good condition. Like this pub a lot.
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5th pub of the day this community based back street pub with a good choice of ales is worthy of the short uphill walk from town.
The pub has obviously been stripped back in recent times and this has worked well. During my visit there was 4 pumps with 3 ales on, I went for a pint of Bedlam’s Hoppy Golden Ale @ 4.2% then followed this up with Long Man’s Long Blonde @ 3.8%. Both were very good pints with the Long Blonde put on while I waited.
We went into the side bar that had the pool table in & also the TV so we could watch the football scores. A couple of old pub signs hang on the walls and a stag's antlers with Christmas lights above the TV.
The larger bar at the front also had a TV in and most of the punters were in this bar.
A stench of food came from the kitchen when we entered but this soon passed.
A very decent pub and again is worthy of another visit on my next trip to Lewes.
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An odd pub, young bar staff put the music on full pelt and the customers are without fail pretty ancient. the service was very good , the beers are HarveysBB and a guest ale. Worth a look but Lewes has so many decent pubs that this one could easily be missed.
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Good beer, friendly staff and ideal for sports fans; plenty of plasma screens showing different sports - and the food is well above average.
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lovely pub but has a distinct aroma of chip fat which on a hot day is rather offputting but otherwise great atmosphere and good beer
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Loads of TV screens showing sports. Friendly enough pub and well kept beer.
tanky - 25 May 2012 16:15 |
Easy going Pub with straightforward but well-cooked and presented food - nothing fancy. Beers are well-kept. Owners and staff very friendly and welcoming, Function Room upstairs used by all sorts of local societies. Multiple TV screens will not be to everyone's liking but great for Sports fans for whom this is the premier pub in Lewes.
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My first visit yesterday and turned out to be a goodie. Very pleasant barman, clean and nicely layed out. Good pints too. Will return.
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Always a good atmosphere and Huw and his team look after the beer very well. Food excellent value and unpretentious. It is sport-orientated and can get busy and noisy at peak times - not the place to take your maiden aunt for a sweet sherry. Much better to go with your mates for a skinful.
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This is primarily a sports pub as there are a couple of plasma screens in the bar area and another in the back room which also has a projector screen, table football, pool table, toad-in-the-hole and a dartboard. There is also a jukebox with a vast array of songs available which are quite loud, but a little quieter in the front bar.
The barman was very friendly and Harveys Best and Landlord were available along with a guest ale, Old Rosie, Guinness and an array of lagers.
The locals seemed friendly enough and I would make a point of revisiting if in the area again.
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top notch pub. good beer, great food. I have almost had one of every elly burger they do, not to sure about the anti-social elly (garlic based), but it has to be done.
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OK pub. Three casks of micro guests. TV in the corner. Yellow paint and green painted wood panelling. A bare bones local feel. One of the Bonfire groups was having a wake while we were in.
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Good down to earth pub that has done the whole refurb, oak table, pub menu thing without losing it�s character and sense of community. 3 ales and a cider on draught and they seem to know how to look after them. Good place to stop off on a crawl.
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Fresh eggs behind the bar - lovely. Drunken youths pouring out at closing time - disgusting. This pub has become the drinking den of choice for the town's youngsters and can be crowded, raucous and uncomfortable, which is a shame as the facilities and staff here are excellent.
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Very sport orientated, with screens all over showing football, rugby and racing on Saturday. Having said that not unfriendly, overly noisy or unwelcoming. A choice of several areas to sit, and view, good beer range too which is unusual for a sports bar. Arundel Stronghold, Brakspears Bitter, Harvey Sussex Best and Old Rosie cider. Pool and bar football in the side room. Certainly worth a look in on a Lewes crawl.
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Busy and noisy as you might expect on a Saturday evening - but totally unthreatening - everything well under contol.
A good range of beers on, including an Old from King's of Horsham. Everything I tried was in first rate condition.
Altogether, a very favourable impression, despite it's not being what I would have expected to be my sort of pub. I shall certainly be back.
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i've been here a few times now and the most recent is the fullest i've seen it ... i think it is better for the addition of live music .
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First port of a call on a mini Sunday afternoon excursion and a pleasant surprise. I'm not always a fan of pubs with sports, music and machines but this one carries it off..aided by good beers, a nice spacious feel to it..not too modern a design..and what looks like v good value food....
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Huw. I am not one of the many to whom Brakspears and Harveys are similar (neither in taste nor appearance). I find the former rather more bitter and somewhat lighter in colour - not that I care particularly about that characteristic.
However, I'm happy to apologise: I should have said that the two pints looked and tasted exactly the same. Sorry if my flippancy caused offence.
Will mail you separately.
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In reply to Hopsucker:
To many I suppose Brakspears may look and taste similar to Harveys, but to say we were selling Harveys as Brakspears is offensive to me. If you have a problem with anything it is best to voice concerns right away, you could have been shown the cellar to prove what you were drinking.
Due to our tie we have line flow monitors which makes it impossible to sell one beer through a different line without being fined by our brewery.
Financially it would be idiotic to sell Harveys as Brakspears due to price differences.
An apology would be nice.
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Having had enough Harveys by now, asked for Brakspears (whatever that comprises these days, it's usually a light standby). This was the same Harveys bitter that my companion had from a different pump. Aren't Y connectors handy! Not impressed. Good job we're not from Trading Standards.
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Good pub. Beers always on form, usually Deuchers, Harveys and Hobgoblin. Youngish crowd, bit of a student hang out but no problems.
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This is an intersting pub to walk round, and see the various heads on the wall - one still had his Xmas bells on! Enjoyed my beer. Looked as though it comes alive evenings but was quiet for a Saturday afternoon.
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A pleasant surprise mid-week, despite the Sky TV. Excellent beer and very friendly service.
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Credit where credit's due, this pub is much improved. This is no doubt the result of great efforts made by the manager, Hugh. Black Sheep is a regular beer these days and is good, as is the Harvey's. Addlestone's real cider is currently available too. However, all that said, I wouldn't go on a Friday or Saturday night or when live sport is being shown if you want to have a conversation!
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Used to frequent this place as a lager drinking teenager (9-10 yrs ago). Was then somewhat surprised to find it so highly recommended by CAMRA. Paid a nostalgic visit on a Friday night and although the beer was good quality (Deuchers IPA amongst others), found the clientel to be exactlty as I remembered although a lot less enjoyable as I used to find and very noisy. A bit of a student haunt. Maybe I'm just getting old.
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There is good news and bad news about this pub. The good news is that the beer is still good, Black Sheep Bitter being available as a guest on my last visit. The bad news is that it seems to be becoming a troublespot with two serious incidents over the weekend before Christmas. Anyone who still thinks this is a good pub (and I know some in the local CAMRA branch do) should ask the local residents what they think!
anonymous - 28 Dec 2005 13:02 |
This pub has found its way into the 2006 Good Beer Guide and I suppose it deserves it for the quality of the beer. However, it is not the place to go for a quiet drink or conversation, as loud music and/or the sport on the television ruin it, not to mention the clientele it attracts, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. It is the nearest pub to my house, but the extra hundred yards or so to Lewes Arms is well worth it!
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Fantastic food, efficient friendly staff and overall a terriffic atmosphere.
Emma - 15 Feb 2005 13:19 |
