please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Alma Arms is a really nice community pub located just to the south east of the lengthy High Street. It has a couple of rooms, with a function room and small garden at the rear. The function room was hosting a celebration for the Queen's birthday and the garden was full of kids using the play equipment. Ales were all from Harveys - Sussex Best Bitter, Sussex Dark Mild & Olympia Golden Ale. Finally I had also found a place with a real cider - Westons Rosie's Pig. A really friendly pub. Easily the best pub in the first half of my Sussex crawl.
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Lovely pub - my local for some time. Harveys best but always has the monthly variants on tap as well. Harveys Old being my favourite here. Every year has Christmas Ale on tap from barrell on the counter. Great local pub.
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Small local pubs with two bars. When I went recently on a Monday night there were several games of crib going on - a rare sight these days. Most people seemed to be drinking the mild or old.
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Since moving to Uckfield last year this pub has become our local. It is well looked after and the bar staff are friendly without being over bearing. They have a good range of drinks and specials such as mulled wine and mince pies at Christmas which we very much appreciated. The food is excellent quality and the specials are imaginative. I am veggie so I appreciate that one of the specials is always veggie as the options on the main menu are limited. Carvery on a sunday is really good too (and with a veggie option), puddings are sublime and I would thouroughly recommend. There is a jukebox with a really good selection and the pub has live music which we are yet to go to but are looking forward to at some point. All in all a great little pub!
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I hadn't visited this place since the 1990s, and although I used to live in Uckfield in the 1970s I was far too young to appreciate the Alma's wares, although I understand my dear old dad used to like it. In any case, I finally revisited it opportunistically on Saturday, whilst passing through. I found it to be one of the thoroughbred Harvey's houses, with really well-kept ale, what looked to be decent grub, and a traditional but clean and friendly atmosphere prevailing.
A plainly Victorian exterior leads to a similarly woody and traditionally-decorated interior, which was welcoming and cosy - not quite a two-bar pub but not far off, with two 'sides' seemingly functioning quite separately from each other. I received a polite and effiicent welcome from the landlady, who duly pulled up what can only be descibed as an excellent pint of Dark Mild (had the car so no Bonfire Boy etc for me). It was a really tasty drink and it just shows why Mild should never be discarded as a weak or characterless style, at least not when brewed and conditioned properly.
There were a few people in enjoying the lunch menu, which looked appetising, although I wasn't quite there hunger-wise and moved elsewhere before giving in.
The feel of the place was friendly, well-maintained and generally in-keeping with what one would expect. I imagine this functions well as a local for the immediate residential area, and on a more busy shift I would suspect the Alma would be buzzing. I hope it is, at any rate.
Whilst not a 'destination' pub - at least not for me as I have the Garland in redhill nearby which is a very similar bag - it's certainly somewhere I'd come back to as and when opportunity presents.
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My family and I had a lovely meal here on Saturday evening and would definitely eat here again. We are a family of four and had 3 adult meals and a childs meal. The meals were tasty, nicely presented and with fresh ingrediants. I had fish and chips, which was served with mushy peas and salad and my husband and daughter had the steak pudding with a choice of 3 potatoes, fresh veg. They said it was absolutely gorgeous. My youngest daughter had chicken nuggets and she ate all of it!
The meals are reasonably priced, ours were between �7.50 and & �8.50. The childrens meals I think was �4.95.
It was fairly quiet in the main eating area, but it was only 7.00pm, the bar area was busy.
This is a great pub, with a nice friendly atmosphere, with good food at a fair price.
Will be back!
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Just been, having read various reviews (as my usual Friday quiet place, where I can enjoy a pint and the cricket on TV, or read my book, had been flooded out) � I wish I hadn't bothered. When I set foot over the threshold at 2pm, I was informed that the kitchen was 'only just' open (despite it being advertised as being open till 2.30). I can't help what time I finish for lunch some days.
The pub itself looks nice enough inside but there's not much of an atmosphere. However, it is nice to see the old games and an active darts scene in there.
Considering it's a Harvey's tied pub, the quality of beer could be a lot better -�it was fizzy and tasteless in comparison to say... the same pint at the Trevor Arms in Glynde. Harvey's Best is supposed to taste of something � I really couldn't manage the pint because of the fizz.
The food was dull ��OK, as far as this pub is concerned, being a veggie seems to mean you like lots and lots of salad (more than twice as much as the main item???). I would much prefer to have a meal where the main item is warm (not just the sauce). Something like a veggie variation of the Nachos would even suffice (the menu said 'freshly cooked to order' did that mean six minutes instead of five in the microwave?). For what I had, the price was a bit out of order (then again, that seems to be par for the course for anything veggie these days) � two slabs of veg loaf and a small pot of tomato-y something for six quid (with 'salad').
Thankfully, the beer price is reasonable � most Harvey's houses are to be honest, that's its main redeeming feature.
I'll be waiting for my normal Uckfield escape hole to dry out before drinking in town again.
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We returned to The Alma a few times after my last posting - sadly it consistently lacked atmosphere.
An improved atmosphere was clear when we first walked in (not knowing new landlords had taken over). Harveys was well kept.
Although we didn't eat there, the menu seemed good and those tucking in to food seemed to be enjoying it. Having looked at reviews from the landlords' previous pubs it looks like the food will taste as good as it looks.
Will be returning - as soon as I can.
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The Alma has had a few landlords in the last few years. When I popped in it had been under the new management of Gary & Lindsey from the Rose and Crown in Burwash for a month. They said trade was gradually picking up and Gary had started cooking again. They had made a few changes in the bars (dimming the lighting, changing furniture around and generally making the saloon bar less corporate). The range of Harvey's ales were all in good condition and my fresh fish and chips was reasonably priced at �6.95. Will return soon, hopefully on a day when Gary's band is playing! I wish them all the best.
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Top Harvey's pub. Not full of chavs and the food is okay. If the reason you go into pubs is for the beer then I can only urge you to visit the Alma.
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We found that this pub was very clean and freshly decorated. The (Harveys) bitter was very good indeed; which is saying something as it is not my favourite tipple.
The pub was very quite (though that may be unfair given that we visited on a Sunday)and seemed to be a little lacking in character. I have, herad from others, however that the pub has regular events such as music nights so perhaps we just chose the wrong evening.
We will certainly be returning to check it out again; hopefully it will have a few more people in and have a bit more character next time.
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Over rated and over priced! Full of old whingers.
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You would be lifeless and soulless if you lived in Uckfield! Not the most attractive town in Sussex, there is very little to go there for. The Alma is probably the only reason. It can be a bit quiet, but the beer and food are always very good.
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A locals pub, when I last went there it had a very dated decor but I understand this has been updated. Beer quality is great and they seem to have the full Harveys Cask range.
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Lifeless and soulless!
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I'd agree with the comments regarding the atmosphere being a little sterile. Turned up with a group of mates here and doubled the number of drinkers (on a Saturday evening). We were made to feel fairly unwelcome because one of us was Irish, at least that's how it seemed.
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Beer always good but atmosphere can be a bit sterile.
Andy - 12 Oct 2004 19:04 |
A back-street pub, not easy to find (south of the station, to the east of the main road). Always the best beer in Uckfield.
Vasili - 30 Jul 2004 16:57 |
Tastefully refurbished a few years ago. A very warm welcome from the staff, and excellent beers.
Gordon - 1 Feb 2004 02:13 |
Harveys tied house, run by same family for many years. Usually 4 different real ales. Beer garden. Good food.
Adrian - 29 Oct 2003 12:55 |
