please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Closed.
Ceased trading and sold at auction. Future uncertain.
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Called in recently for lunch before strolling around beautiful Sheffield Park. Four real ales available, always Harveys Best and one from the Dark Star range plus two guest beers. Real cider is also always available and that was Mrs Ropey's choice this time who said that the Janet's Jungle Juice was superb. I had the Dark Star APA and Plain Ales Inntrigue, both served in very good condition but then that is to be expected as quality is always high here. On the food front we both had the home cooked Chilli con carne which had a twist of lime juice and lime zest in the recipe - delicious. Well worth a visit if you are passing.
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another admirable pub in an area already well served
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Has fast become an asset to the Sussex real ale scene. Always a warm welcome with regular and guest beers in excellent condition. Bar Billiard, darts and Toad in the Hole as well as board games available. Good garden for warm days (when we get them). A separate area for meals. All in all a place that definitely needs sampling again soon.
foamy - 30 Dec 2011 18:23 |
stopped on the way back from Sheffield Park (stopped for lunch at The Five Bells, dreadful food and Service, Never ever again) This place is wonderful, lovely atmosphere and the owners were just charming, Our dinner was just lovely. Next year we will be stopping here for lunch, and because of their great range of ales, for dinner also.
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I have driven passed this pub many times but we decided to try it after seeing that they had won a local CAMRA award. Quite a traditional country pub feel to it when you get in, I suspect it is nice and cosy in winter. Four real ales on, some of which were new to me but I was offered tasters before deciding and all the ales were in excellent form. Very much a traditional pub fayre menu, but mostly looked to be home made and was sensibly priced. it was quite busy so the service was a bit slower than it could have been but the staff were very friendly and when the food came it was good. I will definitely not be driving passed so often in the future.
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Great venue to come to for bar billiards. Not being able to sit anywhere near the table because of the committee meeting of the bonfire society was offset by the excellent roast tatties that they put out for the teams. I like this pub ! Apparently they stage some good live music acts, too.
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As the owners, Linda and Mike are very pleased to announce that the Horns Lodge has been voted this year's Brighton and Southdowns CAMRA country pub of the year! It really is much appreciated and makes all the hard work seem worthwhile. A big thank you to everyone who voted for us!
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My maiden visit to the Lodge was made last Saturday, essentially thanks to the 2011 Good Beer Guide, which has long listed this place as a worthy quaff-hole. And so it is: 5 cask ales and 1 cider featured, including the rather marvellous Over the Moon by Dark Star, and 2 Harvey's offerings. The cider was Wilkins' Janet's Jungle Juice, familiar to me from my West Country meanderings, but unusual to see this far east. Good sourcing, there.
The licensee was a little late in opening, but busy getting everything up to scratch, and it actually resulted in me getting my OTM off the cask as it hadn't been hooked up to the pump yet! He and his able assistant, a lady who arrived slightly after me, were equally pleasant and although a little too early in the morning to assess whether it was truly indicative of the usual atmosphere, I found it welcoming and informal. I imagine this is a cracking local for nearby residents, and I hope they make the most of it.
I must come back here to finish - or at least continue - what I started, as soon as poss.
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Bigglesworth, you are just a miserable tightwad, as explained by the landlord the profits from the beer festival go to charity and even if they did'nt is �5 really too much to hear some great live music and drink some great beer and cider? The couple who own this pub do a fantastic job and work bloody hard! I love visiting the pub, The beer is always in tiptop condtion. in my opinion the Harveys Best is the best I've had anywhere and the Dark Star beers are even better than in Dark Star's own pubs! I am extremely fussy when it comes to beer and I have no hesitation in recommending this fine pub. unfortunately I live in Hove and can't visit as much as I'd like. Mike and Linda keep up the good work' you're doing a great job!
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I can confirm that there were two ciders on (in the pub) when I visited during the festival. �5 is not a bad price for a beer festival these days and, as stated below, the proceeds went to charity, so don't be such a Scrooge! This is one of my favourite pubs in the area. I just wish the bus service was better so I could visit more often!
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I am the landlord of the Horns Lodge and would like to respond to Bigglesworth's comment. The day that he visited was part of our charity beer festival. As a result we charge �5 to go into the festival so that the charity makes money (we take nothing from the proceeds of the festival). In the bar we did not replace real ales when they went off to encourage people into the festival but always had three real ales on. In addition, there were two real ciders on in the bar all the time.
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Beer off, unfriendly bar staff more interested in chatting than serving, no real cider unless you paid �5 to go into the garden where they were having a festival.
Pity really as they had some very good live music that I would like to have stayed and heard.
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Good food, good choice of proper beers, friendly service. Isn't it nice to feel welcome these days. What more could we ask?
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Really friendly traditional pub. 4 ales, mainly local all very well kept. Current tennants seem to be making a real effort and doing the right things, such as having a beer festival and organising events. Toilets very clean too! Bar billiards table and a hole in the wall game
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Me and my girlfriend stayed here overnight and can honestly say this is one of the best pubs I have ever been too. 4 varied real ales all in good condition and Hecks cider (the best somerset cider) on tap. Food was fantastic, reasonbly priced and the couple that run the pub actually like people and enjoy having a chat with the customers which is bloody rare in the pub industry.
Even if your just passing pop in and have 1 drink you will love it.
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New owners who are working hard to make this a community pub.
Food was good with a large choice of real ales.
Well worth a return visit
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Having been tipped off that this pub had new owners and that it had improved, we gave it a try and were very pleased.
The new owners have been in place for about 7 months now and have the aim of keeping it as a pub rather than turning it into a restaurant with a bar. There is a restaurant area and food can also be eaten in the bar area. They were very friendly and told us they wanted to make it into a comunity pub again. Good luck to them.
Tha ales are excellent with well kept Harveys and a couple of guest beers as well. Tasters were offered and I chose the Dark Star American Pale Ale was excellent, as was the Harveys Old. Food was also very good and reasonable priced.
There are a number of board games on offer a TV. I'm not a big fan of TVs in pubs but I think I might go there to watch England thrash Wales this weekend.
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Called in for a swifty last friday lunchtime. This unspolit country pub has a long main bar with a separate dining area off. Dark Star Hophead and Cottage Golden Arrow were on offer alongside Harveys Best and Old Ale. I opted for the Old and it was excellent. The bar had a good "local" feel about it with it's warming log fire and selection of board games. Great to see a bar billiards table and the traditional Sussex game "toad in the hole." Excellent service and polite conversation from the young barman. I shall call again.
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As promised, I returned.Evening meal with freinds.
Beer as reported before. The landlord knows his beer.
The nice thing about this pub is it's layout. Walk in the front door straight into an open area at one end of the bar - plenty of space, gives you time to get your bearings. You can eat in the bar area or in the dining area to the right, or go further to the right into a second small dning area. This means they can probably cater for a good 60 covers but it doesn't feel like you are in a municipal canteen. Keeps it quite cosy and private and the noise level remains low.
Everything was nicely paced and quite leisurely - that's a plus for me and wifey. So many places they seem to rush you through ordering, starters and main that you can be in and out in little over an hour. We were there three hours but felt niether pressured nor abandoned.
Interesting mix of food. Good pub food like Prawn Cocktail (not 70's style but nicely arranged on a plate) to Deep Fried Brie with Apricot Coulis. Burgers and Pizza (made in thier own PIzza oven) right up to Game Casserole or Seabass. Homely deserts like crumble to a perfect little cheesecake which was a work of art and tasted great.
The diversity of the menu makes you wonder whether they can't decide to be a pub or a restaurant. The food was presented as both when it arrived - pub grub for some dishes to carefully presented and decorated plates. This bothered me for a while as the styles seemed to conflict, but actually it doesn't matter. It is either a stoke of genius or a stroke of luck. There is something for everybody and at a price for all. You could treat yourself to a fantastic dinner at the top end of the menu whilst your kids could enjoy a home-cooked Pizza or burger (not a chemical filled frozen procssed one). The Pizzas actually come in two sizes - small and large - even better.
It is easy to critisise, so here it is. Bit more confidence and training for the waitress. She lent across the table a couple of times rather than go round and had trouble stacking plates when clearing the table. It would have been good to clear some empty glasses at the same time if only to declutter the table. Having said all that the lady worked very hard, was nicely spoken, very pleasant cool and calm. Attentive but not intrusive. Some of the portion sizes seem to be a bit on the large size. Having said all that it all tasted great, which is the imortant thing.
Will definitely return and our friends were considering as a new venue for some of their works xmas do's. Can't say better than that.
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Heard the place was under new management so myself and the wife decided to pop in for a quick lunchtime bite.
A good range of food from a simple pork pie & chutney through to a roast dinner and all points in between. Very tempting smells from the kitchen and from the roast dinners being eaten by the couple nearby. Decided to settle for a sarnie - always a good indicator and a test for fresh ingredients. There was a small hiccup with our order, but I am pleased to report it was dealt with swiftly. The people are new to the game and these little things happen - no-one is perfect. They are however polite and cheerful which goes an awful long way.
The bread was fresh and light, a filling of good quality ingredients and a nice fresh green salad garnish with dressing and vegetable crisps (these extra little touches show a bit of care, thought and imagination).
Good quality ales kept well and a beer board showing what is comng next. Heaven!
Will definitely go back and try a more substantial lunch and then try the place again with some friends for a full evening meal.
For once my pseudonym doesn't apply (I chose it because it usually does!) I was pleased I made the effort to try it out and will most definitely return. Hope the new owners keep up the good work.
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We have driven passed on more than one occasion.this time we stopped for lunch.
Very friendly staff, food good and reasonably priced, the pub and garden need a bit of work, updating and decorating etc, I understand its under new management so I look forward to seeing what they do.
We will certainly stop for lunch again next time we are passing.
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How refreshing to see a pub owner admit as much instead of pretending to be a customer and writing a rave review. Congratulations on your new venture and I wish you every success. The guest ale last night was Red Squirrel IPA and very nice it was too. The list of beers coming soon looks interesting. Very friendly atmosphere. I will return, as I am sure many of my CAMRA colleagues will too. What a pity there is no evening bus service.
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The Horns Lodge is now open under new ownership (as of 26th June, 2008). The pub is a true freehouse stocking Harveys Best, Dark Star Hophead and a continuously changing microbrewery guest ale (it is hoped to increase the number of guest ales in the future). In addition we serve properly home cooked pub food at reasonable prices and we also have two B&B rooms. A number of events are planned for the future including our first beer festival. Our aim is to be a proper welcoming community pub providing quality real ales and food for people in the village and from further afield. We look forward to seeing you.
Because I am the owner and am very honourable I have not scored the pub!
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Since my last post stating this was 'a proper pub' it has changed somewhat. I still like the staff, the beer and the food here but it has basically become a country gastropub and seems to be couple and families so loses a lot of atmosphere as a result.
Totally non-smoking inside which I guess is the way things will be all over England shortly. Not blaming the landlord for the decision to ban smoking early but it does feel wrong......
Sign of things to come my boozy chums
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Good rural pub with a warm friendly atmosphere. Good beer and a modest menu offering good honest pub grub. Food always arrives piping hot and the portions are generous.
anonymous - 1 Mar 2007 19:06 |
been a while since i was there, but liked it very much all the same.. Steve was a good Boss & the food was always great, and always had a good local ale on the pump's!
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A traditional English Pub with good beers and food give it a try you will not be disappointed.
anonymous - 15 Jun 2006 17:05 |
Nice little village pub with atmosphere. Good beer (Harvey's)and excellent value traditional Sunday roast lunch. Menu not extensive, but personally I would sooner have a choice of four dishes all good than a choice of 20 (probably frozen)mediocre ones. Staff very welcoming. Garden at back could do with a tidy, but I don't go to a pub for its garden. Definitely recommended.
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Really nice little pub with friendly staff, billiards table and pretty good food.
A proper pub
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