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Barley Mow, Brighton

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user reviews of the Barley Mow, Brighton

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Slightly more ordinary choice than we had experienced with some other pubs in the town but they had Long Man American Pale Ale so what more could one ask for. Great atmosphere, friendly and hard working staff. We didn't eat but it seemed to do food.
Steamer1 - 13 Dec 2015 15:13
Fantastic pub with friendly staff six great beers and good food, what else do you need.
kev9461 - 27 Aug 2013 08:39
Not sure about the outside views but inside you have a warm pub with a good choice of real ales. A real ale buffs idea of heaven.

Everyone was friendly. A good visit.
Brownspot - 16 Apr 2013 13:52
from the hospital down to the pump house, theres now a fab array of boozers, starting with this one, friendly locals, good ales {rother valley beers,seldom seen this far west these days} and very good food served by friendly staff. a good starting or finishing point.
darkman1828 - 17 Nov 2012 12:07
We visited this pub in early September, loved the range of ales, its quirky things (games, 'tuck shop', the tropical smoking shelter/beer garden, and the wonderful staff, Steven and Becca etc, thanks for making us feel so welcome so far from home, we will return soon!
markh737 - 17 Sep 2011 21:25
Excellent food and a good selection of beers. Friendly staff, nice and cosy in winter. Not really sure what more you could ask for.
robamy - 22 Nov 2010 16:30
Really cute old pub, great roast dinners, sweet jars behind the bar and lovely staff :)
qualitycounts - 30 Aug 2010 23:11
Paid my yearly visit,and was delighted to find a spotlessly clean pub,including the toilets,and with six ales on hand(the Arundel trident being the pick of them)makes this well worth a visit for the real ale drinker and with a large menu,the food lover as well.Well worth a visit.
kev9461 - 3 Aug 2010 08:11
The Barley Mow is one of the best pubs in Brighton. An impressive selection of ales. The food is worth the price and the roasts are to die for! The staff are always friendly and I love the "Tuck shop" sweets for sale! A good old-fashioned pub! Having read some of these reviews I have 1 quesion to ask - "Are we talking about the same Barley Mow?"
lyppy - 2 Nov 2009 15:40
Revisited this pub again at the weekend,i tryed four of the six ales on offer and they were in excellent condition,the Arundel Stronghold being the pick of them.Very good value roast dinner,and no toilet smells,all in all a 1st class pub with friendly bar staff.10/10
kev9461 - 14 Jul 2009 08:11
On of my faves and a regular for Sunday meals
brighton_rocker - 9 Jun 2009 22:47
after seeing good reports from other people i gave this place a second chance... alas.. i was again disappointed.. it still smells of wee and my friends agree and the food is still disappointing .
moonmonk - 12 Apr 2009 23:34
Went to this pub for the 1st time last night,delighted to find six real ales and a quiz.Four of the ales were local and the Hepworths Iron Horse was 1st class.This pub is in the Good Beer Guide 2009 and rightly so,will be going back again.
kev9461 - 13 Mar 2009 08:23
Went to this lovely establishment for the first time last night. I've been to nearly all of the 300+ pubs in Brighton now and this is definitely one of my favourites. In fact it's the only pub I've been to that has a genuine, really traditional tatty furniture and log-fire feel in Brighton (so many places try to recreate this artificially). An excellent selection of local real ales from Arundel and Harveys. The food looked lovely, as did the large outside seating area; I'll be back to try both in the summer. Certainly didn't notice any problem with urinal smells, even in the urinals! 8/10 (and that's probably being a bit mean).
notters - 12 Mar 2009 14:34
smells like toilets. food is very poor- very disappointed after hearing good things about this pub. I will not go back.
moonmonk - 17 Feb 2009 20:59
It's just good honest english food/sunday roasts, but much more than your average pub food.A wide choice menu, and an even bigger specials board, it's not brilliant, and it's not bad...
Old Skool sweets to buy behind the bar, along with lots of board games to play.
A heated/covered out door area for the smokers, and for the non smokers on a hot day.
A good selection of real ales on tap, but I wish they would rotate them more, as it always seems to be the same one's.

The only downside is, the toilets are disgusting!

7/10.

Would be a 10/10 if a few things were cleaned up and sorted...
Keniff - 1 Oct 2008 21:42
im sorry but i would just like to say, i completley disagree with ianson (19/9/2008). i had also heard great things about this pub, especially the food a range of real local ales, so i went. i had the veggy bean buritto and it was gorgeous, my friends had the hawaiin burger and sausage and mash. even though �8.25 is slightly pricey he came away totally full and completly satisfied. all the staff were lovely (service with a smile is always a plus in my book.)i can say i will 100% be going back, also their range of sweets behind the bar is incredible, bring back the 80's
oldrosie47 - 23 Sep 2008 18:24
An absolutely cracking pub!
I was recommended to try the food there by a friend and was not disappointed! The portions were more than generous and the sausages were to die for! Up until now I've never found anyone who does mash as good as me but, Iwant to know the chef's secret! Light and fluffy with the the right amount of flavours, sage and onion, I think! And what do they put in the gravy? Looking around, all I saw was empty plates, so I don't think I was alone! Staff are genuinely friendly too, and don't get me started on the six ales available! Best pub in Brighton!
oldgit2 - 23 Sep 2008 14:35
Shame. Have heard lots of great things about this place over the past few years, popped in for dinner this evening and left disgusted.

1) forced to change seats twice due to pervading urinal fumes in main bar, complimented by fruit flies EVERYWHERE.
2) overly long wait for food when kitchen trade didn't seem that busy
3) paid �25 for 2 mains and 2 pints and was forced to complain on both meals - i think an �8.25 bangers and mash should be pretty top notch, but this is probably the worst pub meal I have found in all the years I've lived in this city, my wife ordered portugese chicken, and the poor poultry had suffered far too long in the microwave, retaining 0% moisture, whilst accompanied by corn on the cob that must have sat in water for days.

although the manager was apologetic, we were offered no refund other than a couple of drinks which we had no inclination to stay and consume, leaving our food and drink to go in search of somewhere more satisfying.

A lovely day in this part of town soured, the owners/management must be aware of the potential damage their kitchen must be doing to their trade. Pubs like this exist on reputation for only so long.

We will not be going back.
ianson - 19 Sep 2008 23:36
Nice little pub out of the City Centre. Had a great pub lunch, bar staff very freindly and beer from local micros was very nice.
Alfnoax - 10 Sep 2008 21:06
Good pub, great heated smoking area, friendly staff. Recent price hike unfortunately makes it very expensive. Best pub in East Brighton.
emmadelahunt - 23 Mar 2008 10:37
good selection of ales. 6 pumps. had a passable pint of tanglefoot. decor inside bloody awful. but always busy feeding people.
ginthedog - 23 Jan 2008 17:44
what a nice little pub, great range of ales from near and far, friendly welcome worth a trip up the hill for
littlecon - 16 Nov 2007 09:42
Excellent pub lunch - among the best in Brighton for variety and satisfying Sunday roast.
ricard67 - 6 Jul 2007 15:35
Great little pub, just one of those place you feel at home in from your first visit, not sure why though.
forresearchpurposesonly - 16 May 2006 01:09
Pub quiz is indeed an absolute corker. As the notie over the bar says, 'It's got a picture round and everything!', which it has.

We came 6th in a strong feild of 14. No idea how they fitted us all in- it's not that big!

Word of warning- whilst the food is pretty good pub grub most of the time it tails off in the evening- cold paella ain't all that.
antmiller - 11 Nov 2005 18:02
Nicely ramshackle place, very kemptown, but not like that. Beer garden is now covered most the the year, and very snugg in the evening. Bar has fantastic selection of sweeties- a proper tuck shop. Ales are a good selection, malts a bit thin, food is a broad range of well made substancial fare, including a few surprises.

I'd rate it higher, but that might spoil it- this is one place that doesn't try too hard at all. Most similar place in Brighton- possibly the Lion and Lobster, only that place does music.

Pub quiz on a Thursday, off down there now to check it out.
antmiller - 20 Oct 2005 17:42

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