The Railway Bell, Brighton

I am told that the Railway Bell hosted the right wing group the English Defence League (EDL) on a march in Brighton in April 2011. That's enough to make sure I never set foot in the place. I've only heard bad things about this pub. Fortunately there's many other great pubs around Brighton station so there's no need to go any where near it.

25 Apr 2011 20:21

The Poets Corner, Hove

I've only been once to this pub since the refurb, however I was very impressed. Unusually for a refurbed put it has retained the essential qualities of good local pub - warm, cosy, good range of ales, friendly service, makes an effort in terms of entertainment etc. There was a comedy night on when I was there which was a bit intrusive as I went to meet a couple of old friends but people seemed to be enjoying it. All in all I liked it and will be going back. There's also no music which makes it a good alternative to the nearby Ancient Mariner - which I like but which (in the evening anyway) seems to crank the music up.

28 Sep 2010 14:19

Connaught, Hove

The Connaught has reinvented itself as a food-led Gatropub. It also has real ales. I quite like it, however I my enthusiasm is tempered by:
(1) it's the usual generic, tasteful varnished wooden floor with the space opened out, this means that there's nothing to absorb the sound which gets pretty cacophonous and makes relaxed conversation difficult
(2) the beer and the food is expensive
(3) the service is satisfactory but not great
(4) the air conditioning unit outside (in the pleasant garden) is incredibly noisy making the garden far less attractive than it should be
(5) there's a fire in the winter and after Winter visits my clothes smelt of bonfires
All in all a nice pub, but not a great pub, and for this local the negatives put me off going in there more regularly.

28 Sep 2010 14:14