Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Hop Poles

    4.2 (41 reviews)
    ModeratePubs
    Open 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Hop Poles Photos

    HOP POLES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Hop Poles

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Chris H.

    The Hop Poles is one of my favourite pubs in Brighton, and for good reason: it has the best outdoor seating area in the whole Lanes area, it serves lots of different spirits and ales, and the food... oh my goodness, the food! You've had pub food in Brighton before, you say, but this is one of the best kitchens in town: they're even all trained as butchers! Go here for the food, stay here for the amazing drinks, never leave the outdoor seating area... You really shouldn't imbibe alcohol anywhere else; unless it's ridiculously busy, that is, which it often gets between 8-11 on Fridays and Saturdays: worth missing at that point. I think I've mostly said it above: there is almost nothing wrong with the Hop Poles, apart from how busy it can get. The outdoor area is brilliant, lots of space, lots of heaters, covered in winter and open in summer, with great music (rock and punk) playing most of the time. A really cool place to chill out, and a very relaxed place to enjoy your real or ale or spirits, of which they have a bunch, as well as some lagers if you REALLY want one. I stand by the statement I made at the beginning of the review: it's the best pub in Brighton. However, I'm not going to recommend you go there: don't take over my favourite spot in town!

    Sunday roast chicken with lemon & thyme
    Christie F.

    I brought my 70yo mother-in-law and my 10yo daughter here for lunch. It looks like a dive bar but it's sooo much better than that. We came based on other Yelp reviews which proved the place stellar. The food was scrumptious - we were all delighted! Good selection of beers and non-alcoholic bevvies too. Our table was a bit wobbly and the bathrooms were a bit whiffy, but we all enjoyed the great food.

    Kat H.

    Great little pub with great atmosphere inside with a focus on girl power (yaY!). Seating limited inside but there's also a cute little back patio area with picnic tables for overflow & smoking. Truly the best fish & chips I've ever had, no question! In fact, it was SO good that we ordered a second round of fish & chips immediately on the heels of the first round AND on top of an order of bangers & mash! The bangers were good, but that dish just could not rival the fish and chips in my opinion, so I held off that while the hub put it away & waited out more fish & chips. The tartar sauce is filled with capers, and though I'm not sure of the other ingredients, I know it's the most unusual and tasty tartar I've ever had! The fish was high quality, breaded just right, and the mushy peas were absolutely fantastic! The beer selection is quite good, and they're happy to let you taste until you find one you like. We were fortunate enough to be there while they were serving a hot mix of apple juice and cinnamon whiskey that was bone-warming and absolutely DELISH! And yes, it was an add on to the two beers we already ordered, but who was counting? Not me!

    Fish and chips

    See all

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sarah-Jane B.
    280
    1096
    3360

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sophie W.
    12
    326
    332

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Chris H.
    6
    379
    416

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kat H.
    128
    249
    1872

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Felix T.
    4
    430
    377

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Pete L.
    6
    340
    206

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alice C.
    7
    319
    359

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of James Y.
    2
    794
    763

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David L.
    28
    48
    54

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Scorpio M.
    338
    113
    5

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Zoe S.
    2
    132
    6

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Great Sunday roast at reasonable prices, good music, lovely outside seating area, nice staff. I highly recommend.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Cosy pub with great food, beer selection and soundtrack!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    I had a really disapointing soup. Not really worth the huge wait for food. Really nice staff though

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    The place is quite nice with friendly staff. Good beer and cider but the Sunday roast was ok not so good. Also the pub was super noisy.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Def worth a visit, I have been visiting since about 1995 when I was a student, and im still visiting, foods great, especially the roasts!!!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Good pub, good beer selection and nice meals. Went there during holidays, would have stayed longer.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of D F.
    0
    9
    0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Hop Poles

    Tucked away in Middle Street just off the main drag The Spotted Dog serves great hearty wholesome food in a nice atmosphere.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Pubs 163 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Queensbury Arms - Photo taken from mybrightonandhove.org

    Queensbury Arms

    3.3(3 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    ££

    This tiny pub - also known as 'the Hole in the Wall' - is tucked away at the sea-front end of…read moreQueensbury Mews. Reputed to be Brighton's smallest pub, it has two small rooms either side of a central bar, serving a couple of real ales, and the usual range of lagers, wines and spirits. The decor is plush and cosy - rather like the inside of a theatre. This is appropriate, as the walls are covered with hundreds of old theatre posters and signed photos of theatre performers. (Or should that be 'artistes'?) It's reputed that Laurence Olivier (among others) once drank here. The staff are very friendly, and it attracts a loyal following of (mostly) gay men, although it's not exclusively gay. A perfect spot to escape from the winter gales on Brighton sea-front.

    The Queensbury Arms, weather it intends to be or not, is something a bit different. This pokey…read morelittle pub behind the Hilton is rich with the kind of charm normally possessed by an old Gay thespian. The seats are of faded pinkish velvet and the air somehow stuffy as though thick with back stage stories from days that have long since come to pass. It's not going to be everybody's cup of tea, but if you've ever watched the fast show's Arthur Atkinson story and aside from the comedy been taken in by the romance of 1950's theatre this place is well worth a trip. The drinks selection's not bad either it has the usual standards and last trip a made there I enjoyed some Harveys Sussex best and marvelled with complete ignorance at the signed monochrome photos across the back wall.

    The Mesmerist

    The Mesmerist

    3.8(18 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    ££

    As far as Brighton bars go, The Mesmerist is maybe as most versatile as you're going to find…read more Came here with a party of 30 people. I let Cat, the booking manager, know the situation, and she was a wizard at making sure everyone had the food that they ordered. We had a room upstairs to ourselves, and everyone loved the food and service. We all got what we had pre-ordered with Cat, and the people who didn't preorder were proffered dinner in a timely fashion. The food was great! I got the tomato tart and the beef cheek. I had never had a tomato tart before but really enjoyed it, and I thought the beef cheek was very tender. Other people raved about the fries. There were lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Drinks were good! I had a cocktail called "The Bees Knees," which I really liked. There are plenty of beers on tap, and the waitstaff gets around to bar belly-uppers quickly. The space is amazing. There's a second story, rooftop courtyard, and a large downstairs area for dancing, live music, picture taking, and a brewery/beer store attached. As someone who loves lots of diversions and micro-vibes within a bar, I really enjoyed bopping between all of these areas. What better way to finish off the night than to catch a trio downstairs playing motown and rock? These guys were terrific: the bass player/singer was getting the crowd dancing, and the guitar player and drummer were seamlessly providing a groovy beat. This band is good enough for a high cover and the Mesmerist brought them in on a Thursday night, no cover. Thanks for everything, Mesmerist!

    The Mesmerist is a bar in the very centre of Brighton. As far as bars go, this is definitely a…read moredecent one. As it is central, it is pretty much always busy - and particularly in the evenings - but it doesn't take long to get served as the staff are efficient. The decor is really rather lovely. It has a very vintage feel to it which goes well with the music that they play which I believe is soft jazz (I am not very good with those sorts of genres so please forgive me if I am wrong!). Upstairs, there are several tables and it feels homely but spacious at the same time. I have not had food here in a few years but from what I can remember it is very decent indeed.

    Photos
    The Mesmerist
    The Mesmerist - Sunday Roast

    Sunday Roast

    The Mesmerist - Chelsea Rose

    See all

    Chelsea Rose

    Brighton Beer Dispensary - Brighton Beer Dispensary outside

    Brighton Beer Dispensary

    4.5(6 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    ££

    I'm a big fan of BBD! It's not huge, but it's a welcoming space, with a great selection of bottled…read moreand draft craft beers and ciders. They also have a mystery light and dark beer selection that changes regularly, which they reveal once the cask or keg is finished. There's almost always a selection of Kernel, Partizan and Beavertown beers, in addition to some fine Belgian brews, like Delirium Tremens. The only reason I haven't added a 5th star is that a few more kegs would not go amiss here. Oh, and most importantly, they have deep fried gherkins that are FLIPPING DELICIOUS. Their chips are great too, but deep fried gherkins. Fried pickles. yes yes yesssss. The bar staff and proprietor (proprietrix, really) are friendly and fun (I suggest going during Oktoberfest for lederhosen looks and some great German keg brews) and it's a welcome addition to the growing craft beer community here in Brighton.

    Yes! A small little gem with a nice selection of various beers. They do keg and cask (which I am…read morenot to familiar with, but the bar keep explained the difference to us, but I think it got a bit lost to us) with different beers, both local and more not so local. We got to taste some of the beers before we decided as well and were explained what they tasted like as well, which I like. The place might get a bit crowded since its not the biggest one in the world, but it was a cozy little place and I would love to go here if ever in Brighton again. Did not have the time to stay for long, but I liked what I saw. They also to quiz and have a selection of board games if you are into that. Oh yes, they also do burgers and some sides, from the menu it felt tasty, but we didnt try any of their food, so I cannot tell. All in all, glad we walked in on this place. You do not have to be a beer geek to go here or add all your beers to untappd, but its a place where you can try a lot of different beers for sure.

    Photos
    Brighton Beer Dispensary - Oktoberfest 2014 - Sunday afternoon

    Oktoberfest 2014 - Sunday afternoon

    Brighton Beer Dispensary - Real ales and Belgians and craft beers oh my!

    Real ales and Belgians and craft beers oh my!

    Brighton Beer Dispensary - Brighton Beer Dispensary onion rings

    See all

    Brighton Beer Dispensary onion rings

    Hop Poles - pubs - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...